Should an Insurance Company Have a Duty to Defend Its

question 115

Essay

Should an insurance company have a duty to defend its insured when the defense will cost the insurance company more than it will cost to simply pay the claim? For example,should an automobile insurer have a duty to spend $10,000 to defend an insured when the claim is under $10,000? What ethical problems arise when the outcome would affect the insured's driving record,and therefore the rates that the insurance company would charge? What ethical problems can arise with this duty to defend when both drivers are covered by the same insurance company?

Recognize the role of cost accounting systems in accumulating and assigning costs to products or services.

Identify the differences between job order costing and process costing systems.

Analyze the cost flow in manufacturing accounts including Work in Process Inventory and Factory Overhead.

Explain the procedure for calculating job costs and the composition of the cost of goods sold for a job.

---

Definitions:

Unemployed Resources

Factors of production that are not currently being used to their full potential.

Production Possibilities Frontier

A curve depicting the maximum feasible amounts of two different goods that can be produced with available resources and technology.

Aggregate Supply Curve

A graphical representation showing the total supply of goods and services that firms in an economy are willing and able to produce at different price levels.

Maximum Output Level

The highest quantity of goods or services an economy or enterprise can produce using its current resources and technology.