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24 September 2010-WEEK SIX
Case Study Six
Coping with Financial and Ethical Risks at American International Group (AIG)

I. Introduction
American International Group (AIG) a leading American insurance organization operating in 130 countries. Established in Shanghai, China by Cornelius Starr; Starr was the first to sell insurance to the Chinese. In the 1960s Starr handed control of AIG to Maurice Greenberg who remained the company's chief executive officer until 2005.
II. Response to Question #1
If the corporate culture of AIG was a contributing factor in the downfall of the company, Maurice R. "Hank" Greenberg would have to be placed under the microscope and thoroughly examined as he would be held liable for creating such a culture. Maurice R. Greenberg was the chairman of the American International Group from 1968 to 2005, during which time he built the small insurance company into what became the world's largest insurance and financial services corporation (Times, 2010). From its beginning, AIG was at the front of the line in regards to the Global Market. Global business practices were embedded into the framework of the corporation and allowed AIG to conduct business successfully overseas. The company found its new home in New York in the 1940s and continued to operate fairly in the insurance market. When Greenberg took over as CEO, the company was not performing well. This forced Greenberg to adapt a win at all cost approach to business. Although his concepts are driven by innovation, they do not account for ethical practices and ethics was not deeply rooted in his philosophy. AIG provided an incentives program which allowed executives to that risk that focused on the speculative possibilities to capitalize on market trends. We (the general public) have been exposed to this type of risk and the potential damage such risk taking can bring upon the public. Large corporations that develop similar cultures have a tendency to eliminate the needs and values of its stakeholders and only focus on profit margins.
III. Response to Question #2
AIG, like many other financial investment institutions, fell due to the collapse of the market in 2008. Contributing to the fall of AIG is the all too familiar subprime mortgage. AIG package its subprime loans into derivative packages called credit default swaps (CDSs). AIG packaged its subprime mortgage into CDSs and many banks paid into AIGs credit default swap in hopes that AIG could handle the large turnover of funds allocated to the CDS derivatives. However, the mere fact that AIG is the largest insurance organization in America could not be an instant remedy for individual consumers going default on their high interest subprime mortgages. AIG could not weather the storm and received assistance from the federal government. “In a bid to save financial markets and the economy from further turmoil, the U.S. government agreed to provide an $85 billion US emergency loan to rescue the huge insurer AIG. The Federal Reserve said in a statement it determined that a disorderly failure of American International Group could hurt the already delicate financial markets and the economy (Press, 2008). The government deal with AIG was not to pacify the bank for its financial failures but to help secure the future of lending in the US. With the proceeds from the bailout, AIG top executives are noted for taking lavish retreats at multimillion dollar resorts. This behavior came under much needed scrutiny for its unethical conduct. Like all the financial investment banks that fell due to subprime derivative lending packages, a strong ethics programs would have forced top executives to reconsider the risk associated with subprime lending.
IV. Response to Question #3
AIG along with all the corporations devastated by the collapse of the market in 2008 all displayed behaviors consistent with risk compartmentalization. If AIG was not so blinded by the opportunity for enormous monetary and market gains, the company would have paid more attention to the risk involved in the subprime market and considered the stakeholders before entering such deals. I can understand why AIG would find it difficult to accurately assess the risk associated with it business practice; being that AIG was on the leading end of the financial investment and lending firms. If an independent ethical audit company had been consulting with AIG on a periodic basis, determining and underlining best practices for the company along with its customers, AIG may not have been so vulnerable to the appeal presented by subprime lending. The Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics provides several programs to incorporate ethics throughout an organization. The program is the preeminent forum for chief executives to share best practices and best thinking regarding ethics with peers. The seminar provides a unique value proposition for CEOs to engage in in-depth discussion with academic experts about the most critical issues facing today’s business leaders (Roundtable). Programs such as these should be mandatory for firms with certain annual revenues. Ethical leadership developmental efforts can have significant impacts in these types of forums and can ultimately prevent failure such as AIG's in the future.

V. Conclusion
Organizations that strive on the capitalistic economical structure that exist in the United States today should be aware of the risk involved. The laissez-faire economic approach has proven time and time again that people are the balance for the market not the market itself. Investing in the stakeholder is surely an option when trying to prevent downturns such as the subprime mortgage disaster.

References
Press, T. A. (2008, September 16). U.S government announces AIG bailout plan. Retrieved September 24, 2010, from CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/09/16/aig-bailout.html

Roundtable, B. (n.d.). Institute for Corporate Ethics. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from Corporate Ethics: http://corporate-ethics.org/

Times, N. Y. (2010, April 21). Maurice R. Greenberg- Hank Greenberg. Retrieved September 23, 2010, from The New York Times: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/maurice_r_greenber g/index.html

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