"Evolve or Die" - Editor's Note - Column

Internal Auditor, April, 2003 by Joanne Hodges

WITH A NICKEL FOR EVERY TIME I'VE HEARD THAT SAYING ABOUT the magazine business, I could retire today. (Of course, I wouldn't because I love my job!) Even though "Evolve or Die" has become somewhat cliche, there's a reason for its consistent play, year after year -- it's true. That's why the editors of this magazine and The IIA's Communications Advisory Committee analyze feedback, talk to readers, rewrite features, and rework departments on a regular basis. With each issue, we strive to bring you the best information, written by the best people. This month, we've made two changes -- one to boost your knowledge and the other to test it.

As our recent reader survey shows, we have a diverse audience to impress and inform. It's made up of individuals who work in industries ranging from insurance to computers, retail to construction, and banking to health care, to name but a few. Every one of those industries has -- in one form or another -- a facet of the business that uses contracts. Even those auditors who are not currently performing contract audits can benefit from our new column on the topic -- "Contract Corner" -- because they will still have to monitor the level of risk associated with those contracts.

Richard L. Townsend, the column's editor, plans to use the department to share the experiences of professional auditors who have made significant contributions through their contract auditing efforts. If that's you, give him a call. You'll find his contact information on page 31. As a frill-time consultant and recognized authority on construction and real estate contract auditing and related contract controls, Rich is uniquely qualified to flesh out theories, thoughts, best practices, and case studies from the best and brightest in the profession.

The other change we made to this issue was to include the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Quiz. A great way to earn CPE credits through The IIA, the 10-question test, published in each issue of Internal Auditor, will be based on information from the previous edition of the magazine. For example, this month--April -- the questions on page 74 refer to February's feature articles. Members of The Institute who have misplaced the last issue of the magazine can access the features in the "Publications" section of The IIA Web site, www.theiia.org. In addition, the current, as well as past, versions of the quiz are available to everyone on the Web site by clicking "Publications," "Bookstore," and "CPE Quiz." Just be sure to use the answer sheet that corresponds to the questions.

Needless to say, we're always interested in helping to keep your knowledge as current and comprehensive as possible. Although we get a rough idea of what our readers are interested in when we conduct reader surveys, it's always best to hear from individuals directly. Please feel free to give us a call about anything, anytime. We listen attentively to all suggestions, ideas, complaints, and constructive criticism. You can find our phone numbers and e-mail addresses on the magazine's masthead: We encourage you to use them.

Joanne Hodges