Student Consulting Internship Report

SYNOPSIS OF INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

Introduction

     The externship was a challenge in bringing all the skills learned throughout the University experience.  To bring so many ideas and experiences into one course was definitely fun and tiring at the same time.  In the beginning the challenge was mostly with communication and lack thereof.  Whenever you bring on new staff it is always wise to introduce them to their supervisor and explain what their role in the company will be.  Neither of these were done with the new batch of interns as the experience quickly turned ugly.

     Being an intern in any company can be a daunting task as you are new and probably not sure of what is going on.  Having a good structure in place when bringing on new staff whether an intern or new employee is essential to giving them and you the best opportunity to see where the company can go.  The employee orientation program is designed to show new employees/interns what our company is about, what is expected of them and the organizational structure of the company.  We want to make any new employees transition into the company a smooth one.  That is why every company should have an employee orientation program in place and implemented effectively to reduce confusion, stress and anxiety of new personnel coming on board.

     The first week was the toughest with little communication from our supervisor and that means none at all.  Then when asking the professor for help also gave little to no relief to the interns.  Some were posting that they might have made a mistake in taking this externship as the problems seemed to out of control to make the experience fun and learning.  That is why some even questioned whether this course was actually real because to bring on new staff like that was horrible planning on their part.

     Since the first few weeks things have gotten better as those interns have gained more experience and we actually know who our supervisor is and what our roles are.  Part of the confusion was also the lack of information as to what our role would be in the company and our assignments.  It was required to have 10 hours of time for the company each week, yet the first week many had no idea how this would come to be.  There was even a few times mean things were being said about some interns that spoke out because they came off too hard and maybe a little rude.  But could you blame them for how things started and not at all what was promised when most were signing up for this course.  The experience has gotten better and allowed us to put our experience at University to good use.

    

Human Resources

     The first project given was to make a sales sheet when contacting customers.  Just like the introduction into this course there was little instructions other than go do it.  This made gathering information difficult as finding a starting point was difficult.  The answer came when questions were asked because the project seemed dead in the water without some assistance.  Once the answers were given, filling in the information was a whole lot easier.

     The second project give was to make the code of conduct for the University consulting company.  This was a little easier as we had more experience within the company and had a better understanding of what is expected of the interns.  The research wasn’t that difficult as most companies have posted their code of conducts online and many are almost copies of each other.  The only difference with University consulting was incorporating the online experience as part of the conduct.  This was a challenge as most copies that were read pertained to brick and mortar buildings verse one that is totally online.  With the help of the other classmates the project seemed to do well and was approved by our supervisor.

CHAPTER II: MEETING THE COURSE OUTCOMES

Information Management, Planning, & Controls

     Planning and controls is one of the most important aspects to a company and making sure things run smoothly.  Having in place ideas and procedures that allow new staff to understand the company, understand their roles and know how to conduct themselves is key to making and controlling what happens in the company.  Information management is the flowing of information in a company through e-mails, telephone, fax and basic communication.

     Planning is key to making a company run well like University consulting and was key to many of the issues felt in the first few weeks.  Our Vice President decided to take a vacation but left no one behind to help the new interns as they came on board.  The lack of communication with planning dealt University consulting a black eye for the first few weeks.  The information could have flowed from Kevin to others if it had been in place an employee handbook and orientation program for them.

     Evaluating information management, planning and control in the business world was fairly easy as they reflect many of what goes well or poor for companies.  Information management for the University Consulting appeared easy on paper as the information sharing today is so much easier than in years or decades past.  We can share information through e-mails, phone calls, conferences, meetings, customers and employees.  According to AIIM the community for information professionals,” managing this information throughout the information lifecycle regardless of source or format (data, paper documents, electronic documents, audio, social business, video, etc.) for delivery through multiple channels that may include cell phones and web interfaces” (AIIM, 2013).  The success seen with information management lies heavily on the organization and how it is set up. 

            Planning in the business world and especially with University Consulting you can see how the smallest detail can mean major ramifications to the process.  If a plan is not in place to cover each aspect of a situation, problem and then the business may suffer.  This was evident in the vacation of Kevin our President.  A vacation is needed by most in any business world but planning on knowing what should happen if that person is away is key to keeping your business flowing smoothly.  One thing I took from this week’s discussions and e-mails was that a better plan for bringing on new interns was definitely missing.  To achieve good planning for a business you need to make S.M.A.R.T plans.  This means specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.  The idea of bringing on new interns to help with the University Consulting is a great idea but needed to start with this and decided how best to use our talents.  If the planning showed who was coming on board, what are we expecting of them, how can we get them moving in a positive direction to help the company, make the actions realistic and provide a time table the interns should be up to speed.  All of these would make the transition of the new interns a better one and reduce confusion.  According to Small Business.com, “Your planning and organizational tools provide direction for your work efforts, allowing you to complete the most pressing tasks first” (Frost, 2013). 

            Control in business is a way management can set standards, goals and measure them to see where and how the company is doing.  Control for University Consulting is needed because of the online environment we are all in.  Being that we aren’t next to our fellow intern or director means that control must be that much more enforced.  Setting standards for University Consulting was key to showing people what is expected of them, how those expectations will be measured and what the outcome will be.  This week had some great examples of control or lack thereof as one the biggest factors to control is corrective actions.  Any company or business needs to have corrective actions to address problems, concerns or areas of confusion.  This week saw confusion on what was to be accomplished along with what was expected.  The right course of action should correct these problems to make going forward much smoother.

Organizational Processes & Procedures

     The difference between process and procedures is the way to go about doing things and then when will it be finished.  The process at University consulting  was the POAM which spelled out who was doing what project and when it was due.  The procedures were spelled out in the organizational meetings that each department held each week.  Overall the organization has worked well with how they process and expect projects to be done.

     The best way to analyze the processes of a business setting is to look at what we are doing in the University Consulting and with my current company.  The development of an employee in any company is only helpful it the organization and procedures that are in place allow him/her to expand.  With the University Consulting the organizational process is nice but not well thought out.  There was so much confusion at the beginning about who our contact, who was our supervisor was and what department we were in.  Then being placed in a department with little to no experience in didn’t help much either.  Then when we questioned Kevin’s choice of a vacation, his response was, “I can’t take a vacation”.  The process that broke down was that yes a vacation is needed by most but if you are a chairmen, vice president, you need to know that leaving your company without proper feedback with your employees is not acceptable.  Then not having a backup person that would take the new interns and welcome them.  The process and procedures should have been in place to understand what each person’s role is when at work or away.  In the current role as Inspection’s Manager for our office in Baltimore, Maryland, if the notion to  take off while new hires were coming on and had no one in place to assist them; there would be a new manager very soon.  “Business process guides are helpful with projects that require planning to control to coordinate the work of multiple locations, personnel, business partners and resources”, (Sessoms, 2014).

     Also we were given our first assignment on the Boy Scouts of America which was never asked my opinion if we felt ready or anything.  It was just given to us and then asked why we weren’t working on it.  In the real business world if you are a manager you should know your employees and their capabilities.  If in this situation my supervisor has known me for all of 1 week then hands me a large customer like the Boy Scouts of America, should have been handled better.  During our weekly meeting it should have been talked about and seen who wanted the project and who would offer support.  We would never have assigned a project to someone that was unaware of it first.  At least talk with them to see that this project is too much for them or if it needed to be divided among the other people.  In all the organizational processes and procedures in place have worked but just need time to develop correctly.

                                                                    

Ethics in Decision Making

     Ethics is one of the most talked about topics in the business world yet one of the most confusing. Ethics is all based on who you are, how you were reared and where you were raised.  University consulting has brought many peoples from all over the United States into an organization that is still learning itself how to function.  The employee handbook and orientation program would be the best idea for new employees to understand what is expected of them from the company.  By making them sign the code of ethics in the handbook and reading each section so it is clear what ethical decisions the company adheres to and which it doesn’t.

     The externship has been great in that learning about policies and framework for making ethical decisions in the business world.  Making ethical decisions is something every company should have in place for all employees, new and old.  Ethical decisions are very important because not everyone in the world has the same view of what is right and wrong.  It depends many times on how you were reared and what country you are from. “Simply stated, ethics refers to standards of behavior that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many situations in which they find themselves-as friends, parents, children, citizens, businesspeople, teachers, professionals”, (Santa Clara University, 2014).

            The first thing to giving each employee the knowledge of what ethical framework the company is has is through an employee handbook.  Every company big or small should have an employee handbook that holds information on many topics. According to the Small Business Administration, “A well-written handbook sets forth your expectations for your employees, and describes what they can expect from your company”, (SBA, 2013).  The current job has the section called, “Standards of conduct”.  Ethics can vary based on many factors and that is why standards need to be set with each company to show people what standards mean for this business.  By making each employee go through an orientation program before they are brought fully into the company, gives you an opportunity to make sure they are the right people.  This could be useful for University Consulting as they grow and bring in new customers. 

            The orientation program is set to not only show what the employees will be doing but give them the handbook and make sure they have read it.  Some companies even make quizzes or tests to show they have read and understood the material.  This also helps because if the employee later does something unethical, you have proof that they read and were aware of how the company views its standards of conduct for possible termination. 

            This all works for bringing on new employees but in a company that has been in operation for a long time, sometimes decisions have to be made that affect many.  Decisions that may affect many with ethics it is always good to ask people for advice. “A formal code of ethics can help you and your employees make decisions more quickly by conforming to a set of rules to which everyone agrees”, (David Ingram, 2013).  Most people would tell you it is better to ask for advice before making a huge decision, and then later find out you made an unethical decision that could affect many.  This is why most companies of any size have a Human resources department to assist in making the right decision.  University Consulting could definitely use an employee handbook along with a great HR department to help with any issues that might arise.  With this own experience this happened during the winter break at University.

Organizational Structure, Management, & Leadership

     The experience of how management, structure and leadership affect the organizational performance of a company is of great importance to many to see how they will do in the company.  To be good at management doesn’t mean you can also be good at being a leader.  According to small business, “Employees who believe they have a direct owner-style relationship with the organization often find ways to improve their attitude and productivity”, (Vitez, O, 2013).  If employees believe their position is to help the organization with a good leader, then usually this means good things for the company.  The employees will work harder to do great work and make improvements that help the company.  This is one thing that was tried to use with University Consulting, that the employees (interns) are shaping the future of the company.

            Structure is needed to succeed in any company as you need roles for each person and understanding of who is responsible for what tasks and abilities.  Management is needed for success in business because it offers a path for people to know who is in charge and that those people understand the plans for the company.  University Consulting has some great leadership and one is Chris, we spoke with regard about a situation and that both understood he was vice president but we made himself available which is great.  Being a great manager isn’t always easy as there are many demands on you to perform and bring in revenue for the company.  Chris gave his time and we both came to an understanding of what we needed to move forward.  Having respect for a manager like Chris because he was approachable; he listened and responded with guidance not criticism.

            “Basically, how productive you are is a direct result of the training, development and encouragement you receive from your manager — and how productive your manager is as a worker”,(V Giang January 29, 2013).  This comes from business insider and explains a lot of what managers need to know and understand.  Your team is only as good as you provide them with training, development and encouragement.  This is how managing in my current job as a department head of about 25 people.  Try to encourage rather than criticism, develop rather than put down.  If you want good production out of your team you need to be not only their manager but a good leader.  This is difficult for many to hold both because many think being a manager is a leader.  A leader is someone that not only tells you what to do but can show you, give you examples of how and why, and then shows you the next step in the process.  Someone you want to work for because of how they treat you and provide guidance into your training and motivation to do more for yourself and the company.

Cultural Literacy

     Cultural literacy is something that most people don’t understand but if they did would see how important it is to who and what we are.  After getting more information about cultural literacy you can see why it is important to know our history and the people and events that made it.  There used to be a segment on Jay Leno where they would walk the streets asking people about events and people and most had difficulty identifying people that most should know.  This is something that any person should see and understand is wrong.  Some people were asked was Idaho part of the US or questions like when did Pearl Harbor attack happen?  It was so surprising to see that many people had trouble with these questions. “In other words, you can't solve problems unless you have the relevant knowledge to do so”,(Jonathan Wai, May 23, 2011).   This explains so much about our learning as a society today.   You always here older people say our generation doesn’t understand how it was.  That is true because most children today can work a laptop or an IPAD but can’t pass an easy math test without a calculator. 

            Hirsch had some good points because cultural literacy is so important and he is right our schools are failing our students. According to Santa Clara University, Schools have emphasized "skills" and "child centered experiences," without teaching content “.”(Santa Clara 2013).  They are more worried about getting kids to pass the course rather than content.  This plays in everyday life including at the work place because some people come from different backgrounds and cultures.  If you ask someone at your work about ethical behavior and what is right and wrong, you might be surprised on what they say.  A test in my current company and asked some of my tech’s who our founding member of our company was?  It was asked 10 techs and none of them could answer it.  We told them that the history of our company was on our company website.  Cultural literacy also plays a factor when you have people of different ethic, age and country backgrounds.  Someone here from India would have little knowledge of our history, just like we would have little knowledge of their history.

            The business world is complex and to add so many people of so many different backgrounds, education levels, you can’t expect there to be always consensus on issues.  At University Consulting there is the same affect because of you people of all levels working on a start up with little contact and only electronic communication.  This has been interesting because usually for a business you have people in the next office or somewhere close.  Here we have people all over the United States interacting to make something work for this company.  My generation knows things about American Idol, reality TV shows, etc.  Someone like my old supervisor might know more about other items from an earlier time than me.  This doesn’t make us different but our upbringing makes us just a little different.

     Cultural literacy is important because it also ties in with the ethical atmosphere of the company.  If you don’t understand where people are from you won’t understand why their ethics are different than yours.  It is so important in this global economy that you know about your own culture along with that of others to make sure decisions won’t affect someone in the wrong way.  The day of companies dealing only with their own ethnicity are long gone.  In today’s market and evidence in our own company of University consulting is that people are from everywhere in this world and understanding where and how they will work in your company is of great importance.

CHAPTER III: CONCLUSION

Individual Testimonies

Matthew H. Bass

     The externship program is great because it gives students the opportunity to apply what they have learned.  The experience at first was not the smoothest but it did get better as more information was provided that made the experience better.  In all the externship could be rated as a success if you look at the big picture rather than looking at the first two weeks.  The first two weeks were probably summed up in one word, Confusing!  The confusing part was just due to lack of communication, which was better over time.

      As more of us spoke up about the experience and how it was not what we signed up for, the managers did see the need for change and improvement.  As the weeks, progressed communication got better along with the understanding of our role in the company.  The projects also started off slow in the sales and marketing department and part of that was due to our manager.  She liked to just assign projects without really asking if it was something that could be handled by one person or needed assistance.  After the next manager was in place things went much better as a few changes were made to improve the department.  The best change that happened was going away from the Adobe classroom to the teleconference which helped with hearing everyone.

     The experience could be helped by the addition of an orientation program that could help new interns know and understand what will happen within the company.  Because everything is online it helps to send the package out at least a few weeks before they start the externship.  This would help reduce confusion and keep the students interested in this process.  From the dialogue in the discussion posts the next batch of interns had the same problem.  Therefore, it is even more clear that something needs to change when bringing on the new interns.  The orientation package that has been spoken off all during this paper is sorely needed as the continuation of problems needs to stop if this company ever wants to get off the ground.  The skills gained during the externship are one of patience and communication.  By having better patience with people who are not just like myself, has led to better understanding of how people work or lack thereof.  You cannot clone yourself so you need to practice patience with people who might see projects and communication different from yourself.

     Being a manager this externship has helped in making the process and procedures work well in the company as a whole.  The best experience that was had dealt with conflict resolution.  This is probably the hardest topic for people to handle as it usually deals with upset people.  This was handled great with the help of the vice president Chris who spoke on the phone at length to why communication is integral to our success as a company.  The conflict was resolved and it helped in my own experience as a manager in a company.  This course should be offered to all students at University as a way to apply most that they have learned.  Especially those in the business administration program, this experience was one that has shaped and molded the learning’s from the past two years into one great experience.

References

Frost, S (2013). Tips for Effective Planning & Organization, Retrieved (December 10, 2013) from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/tips-effective-planning-organization-11224.html

Management control (2013).  Retrieved (December 10, 2013), http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/management-control.html

What is Information Management? (2013). Retrieved (December 8, 2013), http://www.aiim.org/what-is-information-management

Zahorsky. D (2013). The 5 Steps to Setting SMART Business Goals, http://sbinformation.about.com/od/businessmanagemen1/a/businessgoals.htm

Capozzi, C (2013). What Is the Importance of Establishing & Assigning Responsibilities for Project Team Members?, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-establishing-assigning-responsibilities-project-team-members-18128.html

Lorette, K (2013). Importance of Good Communication in Business, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-good-communication-business-1403.html

Loretto, P (2013). Unexpected Challenges Found in an Internship, http://internships.about.com/od/internshiptip1/a/internshipchallenges.htm

Ingram, David (2013) How to Make Ethical Business Decisions,  http://smallbusiness.chron.com/make-ethical-business-decisions-445.html

Santa Clara University (2014).  A Framework for Thinking Ethically, http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/framework.html

 SBA.Gov (2013) Writing Employee Handbooks,  http://www.sba.gov/content/employee-handbooks

Giang, V (January 29, 2013).  Managers Have An Even Bigger Effect On Productivity Than We Realized, http://www.businessinsider.com

 McGrory-Dixon, A (February 15, 2013).  Purpose-driven performance management leads to organizational success,  http://www.benefitspro.com/2013/02/15/purpose-driven-performance-management-leads-to-org

 Vitez, O (2013). The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance,  http://smallbusiness.chron.com/impact-leadership-organizational-performance-2970.html

Andre, C (2014).  What Johnny Should Read,  https://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v1n4/

Patterson, T (October 3, 2013).  What Does Every American Need to Know Today?, http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/10/03/cultural_literacy_list_in_common_core_era_e_d_hirsch_book_needs_an_update.html

 Wai, J (May 23, 2011).  Are You Culturally Literate?,  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/finding-the-next-einstein/201105/are-you-culturally-literate

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Internship Reflections

Internship Reflections

Executive Summary

            The business world is constantly moving and constantly changing. It is important to keep up with work and maintain good relationships to the best of your ability. Businesses always run smoother when the workers can work as a team. We have all had some coworkers that we do not agree with or do not get along with but it is important to put those differences aside while at work and work together so that everyone has a smooth and productive day. It is important that when on a team to be willing to help others. If you accomplish your work early always be willing to help out others on the team to ensure that all of the work gets done and no one gets left behind.

Introduction

            Things are finally starting to get into full swing with the internships. Each week an assignment is given to work on from the project controller to everyone, we also have to stay in contact with our clients and make sure that all of their wants and needs are being fulfilled throughout the week. It is important that everyone works together and is willing to help one another if someone is confused about some of the work. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” (Maxwell, J. C. 2002).

Body

            Each week we are all given an assignment to work on by the Project Coordinator. This will give us something to help us get our hours for the week in case our clients are not contacting us. Sometimes the clients do not respond quickly or they do not have much for us to do. This week we were all asked to write a SWOT report on University Consulting. We were allowed to either write an essay or create a PowerPoint. I chose to write a PowerPoint for the project. Research always needs to be done and so I have been evaluating University Consulting trying to discover their pros and cons to write the best SWOT report that I can.

            Each week we must also keep in touch with our clients to ensure they are being helped with everything that they have asked for help with. I am currently working as an Operations Consultant and I personally have two clients that I am helping. My first client is Better Brodhead they are a non-profit organization out of Wisconsin that help troubled teens with sexual assault and drug problems. They have asked for help with creating a Volunteer and Recruitment Plan for their organization. I personally did not know where to even begin with this so I started doing research to see what information I could find. I also asked my team for help, I contacted my Project Coordinator and asked him where he thought I should begin I also asked another women who has been helping me to get acquainted with my other client. My Project Coordinator informed me to ask the client if they have anything in place right now and what the volunteers will be needed for. We also have to create a sign-up sheet and advertise for volunteers. The other women that I asked for help from told me she hadn’t done much work with this kind of thing before but to start with research and advertising and gave me the name of someone I could contact for help. My team helped me to find somewhere to start helping the client so that now I can proceed forward. According to Root III, G. N. (2016) “An efficient team can be trained as a group, help each other maximize their job performance, and help to make an inviting and productive atmosphere for new team members.” This internship has definitely accomplished that, everyone on my team has been exceedingly helpful with everything that I have asked for help with.

            My other client is The Parenting Place and The Children’s Museum located in Wisconsin. They help parents with learning to handle children and learning to protect and help their children grow. They are working on a coupon book to help promote business for themselves and their communities. They were given to me by another intern because my other client had not contacted me in some time and I did not have anything to do so I asked for work to ensure that I could be getting my hours. The PP & CM has contacted me to help them with getting phone numbers for potential donors to the coupon book and to help with follow up calls to the donors. I have received the list of donors and I have been finding phone numbers until the coordinator and I can speak over the phone about what it is she would like me to be asking the potential donors. I have noticed during these projects that everyone within University Consulting really works together and helps each other throughout everything. Everyone has been very willing to help me when I have questions and concerns. University Consulting has done an amazing job with adapting to the changing times and creating this internship online for the working students. According to Tollman, P., Toma, A., Roghe, F., Morieux, Y., Maaseide, S., Tamboto, E., and Koike, J., (2016) “the priority concern for many business leaders is to adapt to the changing conditions in order to boost their company’s performance.” This is a great explanation of what University Consulting has done they have allowed students to finish their degrees with their internship without taking time off of their jobs because at this point most people have to be working in order to support themselves.

Conclusion

            Businesses are always going to have difficulties and are always going to be striving to do the best they can but teamwork is what will push them to get there. Most people have had good and bad jobs and know what good and bad teamwork looks like so striving for good teamwork is what all businesses should be doing. I have found that while being an intern with University Consulting everyone really does work as a team and is always willing to help each other and get all of the work done that is necessary.

Recommendations

            Research is always the best recommendation for any issue. Doing research to help you understand an issue and then how to solve it is always where you should start. In a business asking for help from your team members is also a great place to start because everyone always has different opinions and this can help you to find the best answer. In my current projects within in my internship I asked my team members for advice on where to start and I got a lot of great advice and I started doing research to find any information that is available to me.

Internship Final Report

 Internship Final Report

Table of Contents

Introduction                                                                            3

Ch. 1               Management, Planning, & Control                                         4

Ch. 2               Organizational Processes & Procedures                                 6

Ch. 3               Appropriate Means for Ethical Decisions                             8

Ch. 4               Organizational Performance                                                    10       

Ch. 5               Value Creation in a Global Context                                        12

Ch. 6               Career Skills                                                                            14

                        Conclusion                                                                              17

                       

                                                                                               

Introduction

            The University Finance internship has been an incredible learning experience.  The internship uses experiential learning as a base for the academic work.  Kolb (1984) described the cycle of experiential learning.  After completing a task time is taken to reflect and document what has been done.  Theories are used for comparison to allow for evaluation.  The career skills and professional competencies needed for a career in accounting will be evaluated.

Chapter 1

            The goal of a business is for sustained profitability.  Customers, competitors, and company should be the focus of the company’s future plans (Elkin, 2007).  The way the company manages information, plans, and controls will affect the focus on the customers, competitors, and company. 

            Plans are forecasted desired outcomes.  Nolan, Goodstein, and Goodstein (2008) describe strategic planning as the ability of a company to plan for an uncertain future by preparing for multiple future possibilities.  The vision for University Finance’s future is to work with non-profits to help with their accounting needs.  The Finance department isn’t prepared to meet the vision for the future because the planning process wasn’t completed.  The vision was set in place but a formal plan isn’t in place for the organization to move forward toward the vision.  The lack of planning has the organization stuck focusing all of its attention on the company and none on the customers and competitors.  The organization will not reach its vision until it puts multiple plans in place to account for an uncertain future. 

            University Finance has serious concerns with control.  For proper control consistency is necessary.  In the internship promotions are occurring every month.  Management is constantly changing.  The business environment can’t have the control necessary for sustained success with the constant movement of interns.  Each new manager and intern will have different approaches, priorities, and means for completing tasks and documentation.  The precision of execution and small details will be lost as interns move in and out of positions.  Organizational control will decrease until each intern becomes accustomed to the proper techniques necessary for the positon.  Loss of control means a loss of focus within the organization.  A solution for this concern is to lengthen the time spent in the internship.  Communication is important as interns need to reach out others if they are uncertain about what to do and good leaders will reach out to interns to effectively communicate what needs to be done.

            Information management plays a role in the business environment.  Information should be organized, easily located, and consistent.  The ability of Finance interns to access accurate, up-to-date information in a timely manner will improve decision making.  Currently all the information for the University Finance is stored in Google Drive.  Google Drive has files which are outdated, inconsistent, and difficult to locate.  As research of files is often done in Google Drive one may encounter a several similar files with slight differences.  Poor information management leads to decisions based on outdated or missing data and wasted research time.  An information filing system designed for University Finance would improve the management of information.

            The focus of University Finance should be on meeting the customer’s needs, keeping the competitive edge over competitors, and improving the company.  The company is slowly moving toward its vision of the future.  The inefficiencies of the organization’s information management, planning, and control are detrimental to the organization focusing on the customer’s needs and beating competitors.

Chapter 2

            Organizations have procedures in place for completing tasks and processes in place to achieve business objectives.  Having processes and procedures in place allows the business to have a uniform application of procedures and processes across the globe.  A customer can have the same experience with the organization no matter which branch or office they go to.

            Each week interns are continually learning how to use the processes and procedures in place.  Not everything learned by interns are documented and presented to the new intern replacing the current one.  Robertson, Daniel, and Beruvides (2015) believe maintaining the knowledge gained by the current intern and having the knowledge accessible to the next intern is critical to being successful.  Mistakes are often made by new interns and without having the knowledge passed down the next intern will make the same mistake.  The documentation needs to be easily understood.  The current documentation for University Finance procedures and processes is often generic and doesn’t provide the detail necessary.  The documentation could be a how to guide, notes, or information about the process or procedure.  Without accessible documentation of processes and procedures the constant in and out flow of interns will negatively affect the performance of the organization.  A solution to this problem is for interns to continue the process of documenting what needs to be done.

            One procedure that has been effective is the time necessary for the internship.  Interns must complete ten of hours of work for the internship each week.  The ten hours is normally more than enough time to complete all the required tasks, attend meetings, check e-mail, and complete other unproductive tasks.  Interns can use the remaining time of the ten hours to find other productive tasks to complete or ride out the clock.  Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is explained by Lester (2013).  Interns have a list of needs they desire to fulfill in order of importance.  When each need is fulfilled the intern will move on to the next need.  Every intern has different levels of needs they will fulfill.  The two end needs of the internship are the need to graduate and the need to learn and grow from the internship experience.  If an intern only desires to graduate then they will most likely chose to ride the clock out with their extra available time.  Interns with the desire to learn and grow from the internship experience will reach out to management or other interns for tasks or find a topic to research and consider for improving or implementation.  Completing tasks on time and reaching out for extra tasks demonstrates an intern’s personal presentation.  The ultimate need of the student will affect how much is accomplished and how much the intern gains from the internship experience.   

The procedure for granting Wave accounting software access has excellent documentation.  The instructions are a step by step guide on how to grant access.  The guide includes screenshots showing the web pages.  Notes are given by the guide creator to pass along the details of completing the task correctly. 

            The organization will continue to grow and move closer to its goals.  Documentation of processes and procedures is essential to maintain and pass along the knowledge from one intern to the next.  Documenting processes and procedures is an excellent way for interns to spend their extra hours each week.  Without proper documentation and access the organization will repeat the same mistakes and lose efficiency.

Chapter 3

            Organizations have different levels of ethics.  Decisions made in the internship should be made with a high level of consideration for ethics.  The internship is a part of the education process by University University.  Any decisions made by interns are reflections of the University and of University’s ethical guidelines.

            Interns must make daily decisions regarding the internship.  These decisions can be based on consequential or non-consequential theories.  Kant’s Categorical Imperative is a non-consequential theory.  Johnston (2006) describes Kant’s theory as using morals to make decisions.  Kant believed decisions should be based on morals and reasons and to ethical these decisions can’t be based on the future consequences of the decisions.  Business decisions need to be made with ethics in mind.  For interns to gain benefit from the decision making process then they must make ethical decisions.  University has diverse group of students coming from different cultures and backgrounds.  Consideration should be given to how decisions affect everyone.  Unethical decisions could have a negative impact on other interns and University University.

            The time clock manager decision was based on ethics.  The time clock has two settings: employee and manager.  Managers and leadership were given the status of time clock manager.  With time clock manager status interns could review every intern in across University Finance and University Consulting making corrections or editing the time clock data.  More than half of the interns in Finance had manager status.  Too many interns had unrestricted access to the time clock data and could edit their time or other intern’s time clock.  The decision was made to restrict access to the time to leadership and to interns with essential needs of accessing the time clock data.  The decision affected managers and leadership.  Managers were unable to adjust their own or department members’ time clock data.  Directors were tasked with being responsible with making the time clock adjusted requested by interns.  The decision was the correct one because it eliminated many opportunities for interns to make the unethical decision to adjust their own or any intern’s time clock without completing the time. 

            A major concern of the Finance department is the lack of accounting principles being followed.  One principle incorrectly being followed is revenue recognition.  Bloom and Kamm (2014, p51) describe the point of revenue recognition as “when a good or service is transferred to the customer, meaning the customer has control of that good or service, revenue should be recorded.”  The accounts receivable department receives invoices from other departments concerning the amounts the other organizations owe to the University organizations.  A framework doesn’t exist for recording the revenue properly.  When an invoice is received by accounts receivable it is entered in the system without knowledge of the transfer of ownership to the customer. 

            Decisions should be based on the appropriate principles, concepts, and framework.  University Finance should use the framework from the major accounting boards and associations to guide them on proper accounting.  By considering the ethics of a decision and not the consequences better decisions will be made by Finance interns.

Chapter 4

            Organizational performance can be affected by the structure, management, and leadership.  Organizations should be structured to meet the needs of the business.  Management and leadership can make necessary changes to the structure to improve performance.

            The structure of an organization depends on the needs of the business.  The organization could use a functional, divisional, or matrix structure.  Organizations using functional structures are divided by department or duties.  The use of a functional structure can reduce the amount of communication and collaboration amongst departments.  University Finance operates as a functional structure.  To reduce concerns with communication amongst departments Randal and Jaussi (2003) suggest using cross-functional teams for projects or problem solving.  By obtaining ideas from multiple departments the team will have multiple perspectives and an increased diversity of ideas and solutions.  The increased amount of ideas and solutions means the possibility of taking the correct action is increased.

            Management and the amount of experience in those positions can affect performance.  The first new interns of this year came into a situation where two departments had new interns for manager and clerks.  This situation creates a department with no experience in how the department is supposed to function.  The quality of the performance of the department is reduced and knowledge is lost.  To counter the chances of this situation occurring again the next set of new interns were spread across the departments.  The spread of interns created a situation where there would be an intern in the department to take over the responsibilities when the managing intern left.  The outgoing manager would have the time and opportunity to instill the necessary knowledge to the incoming manager. 

            Leadership is ultimately responsible for the performance of an organization.  Leadership provides the guidance necessary to achieve the goals of the company.  The goal setting theory described Locke and Latham (2006) believes setting higher goals will result in greater achievements by the employees.  University Finance leadership has a lofty goal of working as an actual company and a lessor goal of assisting small non-profits.  The Finance department can reach these goals but the issue is in how to achieve them.  The most recent outgoing Finance Vice President and Director didn’t have any accounting experience or background to base decisions on.  A formal plan wasn’t in place to help guide the leadership team in making the appropriate decisions.  Little communication came from the top leadership.  The result is the strides being made for the organization to reach its goals are unconnected.  Leadership sees a need to address and finds out how to address the need.  The need of sending out W-2 tax forms was identified.  The issue with sending out W-2 forms is that a cumulative total of wages and taxes for last year wasn’t maintained for each employee.  If the W-2s are sent out they could have incorrect data because of the information not being maintained.

            Structure, management, and leadership have an effect on performance.  The organization has a lack of consistent leadership and management.  The negative affect on performance will slow the organization down from reaching its goals.

Chapter 5

            University Finance could have the opportunity to expand globally.  Each potential global market has different economics, government, and laws affecting value creation.  How University Finance operates to create value in each global market will be affected by each market’s economics, government, and laws.

            Each market operates in a different economy.  University Finance currently operates in a country with a robust economy and growing market for accounting and financial services.  In order to expand to smaller countries University Finance will have to understand where it fits into the market.  A couple of the University organizations have the current ability to help small non-profits and would be able to expand globally.  The radio and ELV department has the ability to expand globally.  The services of University are essentially free of charge to customers so it wouldn’t have to be concerned about the economy of other markets to compete with competitors.

            University Finance currently operates in a capitalist market in the United States.  Markets across the globe operate with different levels of government influence or control.  In China the government controls which foreign companies are allowed to operate, where they operate, and what services they can provide (Schuman, Jiang, & Ramzy, 2012).  University Finance would have to get approval from the Chinese government to operate.  The government would then license University Finance to only operate in certain places and offer only certain services. University Finance can expect more government regulations and restrictions placed on them than the domestic companies they are competing against.  The cost of successfully operating in China could outweigh the potential gains. 

            Most countries across the globe have laws based on one of two systems: civil law or common law.  The United States operates under common law.  In common law countries the legislative body makes the laws but the judicial system interprets the laws.  Civil is a system where the judicial branch must base decisions on the written codes and judges are less likely to protect individuals and corporations (Shakar, 2011).   University Finance has more protection under the common law system.  Common laws are based on the precedents of previous decisions and how the law is interpreted.  Countries with similar laws as the United States would offer the easiest transition.

            Expanding globally offers great opportunities but many hardships.  The University organizations could find the most lucrative market and expand into it.  Careful consideration must be made as economies, governments, and laws could make profitability difficult in certain global markets.

Chapter 6

            Professionals with successful careers not only have the skills needed but use them to drive business results (Morgan, 2011).  The internship offers many opportunities to learn, use, and improve my career skills.  The skills gained and improvements made will be valuable for my career.

            Active Listening involves giving others full attention to understand what they are saying.  The director of finance has to be able to help the managers in the different departments solve problems.  I didn’t have experience in all the departments so it was important for me to listen to the managers as they explained their issues and ask questions to determine what exactly the issue was. The accounts payable department had an issue concerning invoices.  I was able to listen to the issue and determine the problem was concerning what to do with the invoices received.  I have learned to make sure I have all the information I need and have asked any questions before I attempt to solve the issue.

            Judgment and decision making is weighing the costs and benefits of actions and making the correct choice.  Decisions have positives and negatives.  One decision made was to have one manager for the audit and tax department.  The decision benefits the organization by allowing it to operate effectively with one less intern.  The downside is this gives one less manager position for an intern to promote up to and more responsibilities for the manager for both departments.  The most important part of the decision making was keeping University Finance running efficiently.  The correct decision was made to combine the tax and audit manager position.  To make the best decision I needed to consider what was most important, positive and negative effects.

            Critical thinking is an effective way to solve problems.  The problem was too many interns had edit access to the time clock.  The strength of the decision was to reduce the number of interns who had edit access to everyone’s time clock.  The weakness of the decisions was now department managers couldn’t see their interns’ time and documentation for their time.  If the time clock status for the department managers had been left as is then the strength and weakness of the decision would have been reversed.  Another part of the decision was our ability to provide access on an as needed basis.  

            Communication is one of the most valuable skills for any career.  After a few emails I realized I needed to include more information in e-mails.  The delays in responses back and forth made it difficult to solve problems or get information from others quickly.  E-mails need to be clear and concise in order to eliminate a misunderstanding or having to send several responses to inform the recipient.

            Time management is the skill I practiced the most during the internship.  I have ten hours of internship time to put in and the time it takes for completing coursework to account for each week.  I must consider how to allot my time between the coursework and the internship.  As manager and director I must consider other interns time.  I must assign tasks for interns to get their time in but not overly burden them so they don’t have time to work on academic assignment. 

            Today’s business environment is constantly changing.  The ability to adapt to change is about learning new information and using it for decisions and future problems.  The internship is over a short amount of time.  I only spent two weeks as an audit clerk, two more weeks as a manager, and four weeks as director.  As soon as the change happens I must be ready to make the decisions and solve the problems that come with the position.

            As accounts payable manager I had one of my most valuable experiences of being thrown into a situation and asked to improve the situation.  The accounts payable department had new interns as manager and clerk.  The department wasn’t performing.  I replaced the accounts payable manager to get the department moving again.  I worked with the clerk to learn about the department and figure out what needed to be done.  I was able to contact the senior advisor for support and was able to take control of the department.  I enjoyed successfully completing my task and learned from being in an uncertain situation.  The challenges I face will be like this one.  I will be tasked to complete assignments I am not certain about and look forward to competing them well.

            Communication is one of the most valuable skills.  I have to learned how better use written communication.  I was also able to speak during Finance meetings.  Speaking online to others was a different experience and offered a chance to speak publicly in a different environment.  The speaking opportunity was another chance to work on a skill I am not fully comfortable with.  Because I am a shy and introverted person I will continually be faced with communication challenges.

            My strengths are teamwork and hard work.  I enjoy helping others and working hard to get the job done.  I hope my strengths can help me prosper in my career.

Conclusion

            The internship has been a journey.  Reflecting back on what was accomplished and what could have been better is very beneficial to the learning experience.  Mistakes are made but there is the opportunity to learn from them.  The experience has will prove to be a worthwhile undertaking.

                       

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