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AIA Code Of Conduct
Directors' Guidelines And Association Policies

General Code Of Conduct
All appointed Directors of the Auto International Association take an oath to serve the best interests of the membership of AIA and the industry it represents with honesty, integrity and dignity. AIA Directors further pledge to not allow personal interests to influence in any way their capacity to make the best decisions on behalf of the membership of the association and the industry.

As an industry leader and an Association Director, you hold more power and influence than you may realize in your relations with the industry, so we are offering some basic guidelines for you to follow.

As an industry leader and Association director, you are closer than most of your fellow AIA members to the operations of the Association. When you make statements about the Association, members will tend to believe you and to accept your statements as official policy. For this reason, you, as a leader, should carefully consider what you say, to whom you say it, and how you say it.

As a Director, your main responsibility to the Association is to guide it into the future, developing policies, programs, and direction so that the Association can continue to prosper for the betterment of the industry and its members. Bear these thoughts in mind when you participate at Board meetings. It may be difficult at times to disassociate yourself from a direct business motivation/affiliation, but you must disregard what is best for you or your company and think about what position is best for the industry and/or the Association as a whole. This means that you also are not a Board member to represent one particular segment of the membership, moreover, you are there to represent the entire interest of the membership.

Board Meetings
The Bylaws of the Association call for Board of Directors' meetings to be held as required (see Article 7, Section 7 of the Bylaws). As a Board member, you are expected to attend all meetings, putting aside any personal or social obligations you might have in favor of meeting attendance. All Board meetings must be scheduled a month in advance. With rare exceptions, you will be notified well ahead of time to schedule your time accordingly. It is anticipated that you will come to the Board meetings prepared and that you will plan to take an active role.

You will be sent an agenda in advance of the meeting stating not only the date, location, and time, but also the items and materials to be discussed, along with pertinent information and documents. Read the material in advance and bring it with you to the meeting. As a Board member, you will be expected to cast your vote on each and every issue, and you cannot vote in good conscience if you do not know the issues. As a point of interest, you can call for a secret ballot vote on any issue by merely making the request; generally, votes are taken by a show of hands. The Bylaws do not allow for proxy votes on any issue, so to cast your vote you must be in attendance.

The agenda for the Board meeting is prepared by the Chairperson of the Board in conjunction with the Executive Director of the Association. As a Board member, you may have any topic of discussion put on the agenda, and you may receive requests from members of AIA to bring up a certain topic, which is, of course, totally acceptable and encouraged. All agenda items should be submitted to the AIA Chairperson or Executive Director at least two weeks prior to the Board meeting.

Above all, as a Board member, be active. State your mind, and don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for clarification of subjects. AIA needs you to express your viewpoints, thoughts, and ideas!

Association Policies Pertaining To Board Members
You may contact Options Travel of Des Plaines, Illinois at (800) 544-8785 and speak to a representative to make your Airline reservations. Be sure to mention that you are with the "Aftermarket" group in order to receive the best rate. Options Travel will explore all avenues to ensure your convenience while obtaining the best fare. Directors must use their own credit cards to buy airline tickets and then file a reimbursement request to AAIA. Directors should make hotel reservations directly with the meeting hotel as instructed by the AIA Executive Director.

AAIA Per Diem & Reimbursement Policy: AIA directors are eligible for reimbursement of supersaver/coach airfare up to $500, and up to $175 per day towards lodging expenses for each night that you must stay in order to attend your meetings. To be eligible for the per diem you must have reserved and occupied your hotel room through the established room block. AAIA will reimburse round-trip supersaver airfare, and prefer that Directors? travel be arranged through Options Travel. Reimbursement requests must be accompanied by an original airline ticket receipt and be submitted within 45-days of the meeting.

If your company is agreeable, please consider waiving your expense reimbursement. If this issue makes the difference between you attending or not attending, please be assured that AIA needs your input and will pay travel expenses if your company will not.

Also, since some companies are reimbursing their attendees for hotel expenses, the reimbursement form has been revised to reflect that option. Please note that in order to receive the lodging per diem, you must mark the reimbursement form appropriately.

Confidentiality
It is important to respect your fellow Board members and refrain from discussing the viewpoints of others outside of the Boardroom. Although this may sound like the Board acts in a secretive manner, that is not the case. The reason we ask for confidentiality is so that every Board member can speak openly and frankly according to his/her views and feelings on any subject during a meeting, without fearing the comments will be broadcasted to the industry and conceivably cause him/her negative consequences as a result. Of course, we make every effort to keep members aware of all Association activities and to encourage their participation.