Business ethics programme (BEP)

Step 4 – Business ethics programme (BEP)

The Business Ethics Programme (BEP) recognises that insurance professionals will frequently be called on to make decisions that involve complex ethical issues. This programme is not designed to tell you what is right or wrong – this would be impossible with such a complex area – but to give you a framework to help you decide how best to make the right decision.

Businesses, and the people working within them, have a growing awareness of the possible impact their decisions may have on others. In this climate of awareness, businesses need to be ready to respond to scrutiny by ensuring that their actions are ethically acceptable. The BEP provides you with the means to approach this crucial aspect of business life with confidence, enabling you to make a valuable contribution to the industry in which you work.

The BEP is a compulsory element of the Fellowship election process. If you are enrolled onto the Fellowship but have not ordered the BEP, please call 020 7417 4780 to obtain a BEP order form.

The BEP is built around a framework for evaluating business ethics, contained in a book, Just Business by Dr Elaine Sternberg, one of the leading authorities in this field. As well as this core text, the BEP consists of a guide to the business ethics model and a sample worked case study to give you an insight into the level of response, which will be expected of you. You will also receive two case studies for you to consider and return to the CII for assessment.

As it uses distance learning, you can undertake the BEP at any time after enrolment. We recommend that you undertake the BEP in either the first or second year of your Fellowship programme. This will help you to avoid any last minute rush and also, because the BEP is designed to have a practical value to you throughout your professional life, the earlier you do it, the more value you are likely to gain from it.

When undertaking the BEP, you should read the core text, making use of the model guide to help you focus on the way in which the issues are considered. You should then attempt to evaluate the two case studies, presenting your answers following the format identified in the model guide. Once submitted your analysis of the case studies will be passed to a CII tutor for evaluation. The case studies will not be returned to you, therefore we advise that you retain a copy.

You will be advised, in writing, if you have satisfactorily completed the BEP. If you have not completed the BEP to the satisfaction of the CII assessor, you will be given written feedback outlining the areas that you need to re-consider. You must complete the BEP before you make your application for election to Fellowship.