The professor as intern - case study on internal auditing internships for accounting professors involving Boise Cascade Corp

Internal Auditor, Oct, 1998 by Mark Pearson, Denise English

It isn't every day that an accounting professor elects to spend her sabbatical leave as an internal audit staff member, assuming many of the same responsibilities that her students might face upon landing an internal audit position. Based on the accounts of one professor and the internal audit manager, it should probably happen much more frequently.

Human resource development is an important responsibility of the Boise Cascade Internal Audit Department. We recruit high-potential candidates who will later move into key management positions within the company. This development process helps improve Boise Cascade's control environment because our company boasts a growing cadre of managers with strong knowledge of internal control best practices, effective control design and implementation, and process improvement. Recruiting and developing the company's future leaders helps ensure the company's long-term success.

Developing strong relationships with our target schools, like Boise State University (BSU), is a critical activity in our human resource development process. The cooperation between BSU's Department of Accountancy and the local business community provides students with an ideal mix of academic development and real-life business applications. In the case of Boise Cascade, the cooperation has included classroom presentations; internships; cooperative research; scholarships; support of student case studies; participation in the Department of Accountancy Advisory Board; and support of The IIA's Endorsed Internal Auditing Program.

In a recent example of successful collaboration with the BSU Department of Accountancy, faculty member Denise English worked in our department. The benefits that accrued to Boise Cascade from this internship were significant. We're interested in establishing more internships and strongly encourage other companies to do the same.

THE RATIONALE

As a total quality management (TQM) company, Boise Cascade continually works with suppliers and customers to improve processes so that we can meet or exceed customer expectations. While universities are not typical suppliers, some of the TQM concepts are relevant. If the students we recruit are knowledgeable about key control and process improvement concepts, state-of-the-art technological tools, and auditing best practices, they are better able to hit the ground running. Recruiting such high caliber students saves both on-the-job and formal training costs and accelerates the speed at which the students move up the new employee productivity curve.

At Boise Cascade Internal Audit we hire future leaders. We, therefore, compete with the top accounting firms for the best students. It is a challenge to identify and attract top students whose interests and skills are a match for our organization.

After spending a year in Boise Cascade Internal Audit, Denise can provide very effective counseling to students who might be interested in our company. based on first-hand experience, she can tell them what it's really like. Denise can describe her experiences with our culture, travel schedule, and training program; and she can convey the importance of strong communication and interpersonal skills, along with other skills necessary for success. As a direct result of Denise's internship and our other cooperative efforts, students are better able to make an informed decision on their career options; and we have a stronger opportunity to identify students who will be long-term contributors to Boise Cascade's success.

BEYOND RECRUITING

We chalked up additional significant benefits during Denise's internship with Boise Cascade. For example, Denise combined her research skills and real-life audit experiences to help us dramatically improve our training initiative. She developed a Microsoft Powerpoint-based internal control training program that addressed coso, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, white collar crime, the elimination of non-value added controls, control self-assessment, internal control best practices, and other key control related topics. Boise Cascade will enjoy the benefits of this training development for years to come.

In addition, we've implemented her presentation to present modern concepts of internal control and improve the training of our audit staff and key employees throughout the company. This effort significantly leverages our goal of improving controls, because the owners of the processes draw on their clear understanding of internal control as they maintain and improve key processes.

We view the faculty internship as a highly successful experiment for Boise Cascade, BSU's students and accounting department, and for Denise English. From our perspective, it is a glowing example of the power of collaboration and win-win partnerships.

When I earned sabbatical leave eligibility as an Associate Professor of Accountancy at Boise State University, I conducted a self-assessment of sorts and established specific objectives for my first sabbatical. I wanted to enhance three areas that represent my primary responsibilities as a faculty member: research, teaching, and service.