Master's in Internal Audit of Organisations
"Our programme is based on the following fundamental principles:
- a close partnership with the professional world,
- courses that respond to requirements because they associate university auditing professors and
auditing professionals, - periods of training in the field in Internal Audit departments of sufficient size (6 months
minimum), - a pedagogic organisation with a quality approach in accordance with International EQUIS norms."
Jacques Vera, Programme Director
Objective
Our programme is totally oriented toward the preoccupations of our "Customers" who are Auditing students and professionals:
- Students: on one hand, providing them with the knowledge, know-how and inter-personal skills required for their future profession and on the other hand, favouring their professional insertion through numerous contacts organised with our partner firms (Internal Audit departments and External Audit consultants),
- Auditing professionals: through apprenticeship or internship contracts followed by possible subsequent hiring, by providing them with skilled junior auditors capable of performing auditing missions in their organisations without long periods of adaptation.
Admission Requirements
1st year of the Master's Programme (Master’s of Science in Management only):
For admittance: a first university degree obtained after at least 3 years of higher education (Bachelor or equivalent qualification or 180 ECTS in the EU context)
Admission based on the following: TAGE-MAGE or GMAT; TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS (DELF2 for non-French speakers); professional career goals; previous studies; an interview.
2nd year of the Master’s Programme:
For admittance into the Master’s in Management: a first university degree obtained after at least 4 years of higher education (Bachelor or equivalent qualification or 240 ECTS)
For admittance into the specialised Master’s of Science in Management: a first university degree obtained after at least 4 years of higher education in the field of Management Studies (Bachelor or equivalent qualification, or 240 ECTS in the EU context)
Admission based on the following: TAGE-MAGE or GMAT; TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS (DELF2 for non-French speakers for the Master’s of Science in Management only); professional career goals; previous studies; an interview.
Institutional Partnerships
Since its creation, the Master's of Science in Management "Internal Audit" has been conceived and performed in the framework of direct collaboration between the IAE Aix and The Institut Français de l’Audit et du Contrôle Interne (IFACI) (The French Institute of Internal Audit and Control). It is approved by "The Institute of Internal Auditors" (IIA), world organisation regrouping Internal Audit professionals.
Purpose of Internal Audit
"Internal Audit is an independent and objective activity that provides an organisation with an assurance of the level of mastery of its operations, with advice to improve them and contributes to the creation of added value.
It helps the organisation to reach its objectives by evaluating, through a methodical and systematic approach, its processes for managing risk, control and governance and by making proposals to reinforce their efficacy." (Definition of the Professional Norms of Internal Audit)
Internal Audit is inside an organisation and is an independent function of periodic evaluation of operations for the benefit of General Management. It is, in this domain, a control whose function is to estimate and evaluate the existence, pertinence and efficacy of the other control systems.
The aim of Internal Audit is to help Management effectively perform its duties by furnishing it with pertinent analyses, valuations, recommendations and comments concerning the controlled activities. An internal auditor is concerned with all phases of the activity of a firm that concerns Management. This implies going beyond the accounting and financial aspects in order to obtain full understanding of the operations being examined.
Reaching this final objective implies the following stages:
- Assessing the soundness, adequacy and application of accounting, financial and operational controls and promote effective internal control at a reasonable cost,
- Verifying the conformity of the actions taken with the policies, plans and established procedures,
- Verifying the justification and protection of the assets of the firm,
- Verifying the accuracy of the information used by Management,
- Evaluating the quality and efficacy of the implementation of assigned responsibilities,
- Recommending operational improvements.
The experience acquired from these duties over a period of several years in a large organisation is in itself an excellent preparation for future operational duties.
Organisation of Studies
First year of the Master's:
The first year of the Master's provides general courses on the Management of Organisations. It is the same for all of the students who will then choose their specialty for their second year. However, they will have the possibility, at the same time as the common-core syllabus, to discover the various specialties offered in second year through specific training courses called "Focus", "Audit Jobs".
Second year of the Master's:
It is not really until the second year that students begin training for the profession of internal auditor.
Programme overview:
- The student apprentice spends the first four months of the programme at the IAE Aix in order to acquire basic knowledge (methodology, techniques, tools, …) required to perform the profession of Auditor.
- The next three months are devoted to performing auditing missions in an Internal Audit department of a large public or private firm. The student apprentice is associated with these missions as a junior auditor and his or her work is supervised by a Mission Director who is also Apprenticeship Advisor.
- Next, and for two months, the return to the IAE Aix is focused on the acquisition of more specific skills (sectional audits, thematic audits, presentations of experience by professionals, …). Moreover, additional courses are organised according to the requirements identified during the first stay in a firm (Ex: preparation for the "Certified Internal Auditor" exam by the IIA/IFAC, advanced courses in fundamental disciplines,…). Finally, students perform group projects with the help of University Tutors chosen from the IAE Aix faculty. The themes of these projects all aim to enable students to form ties with the professional circles of Internal Audit in order to favour their subsequent professional insertion.
- The last three months are devoted, as during the first stay in a firm, to the performance of new audit missions in the same Internal Audit Department under the supervision of the Apprenticeship Advisor.
- The year ends with a thesis viva voce in front of a thesis committee made up of Internal Audit professionals, IFACI representatives and faculty members.
- The directors of Internal Audit Departments of national or international private firms or public firms and organisations are closely associated with the programme to teach certain courses, relate their experience and play the role of Apprenticeship Advisor during student auditing missions.
The directors of Internal Audit Departments of national or international private firms or public firms and organisations are closely associated with the programme to teach certain courses, relate their experience and play the role of Apprenticeship Advisor during student auditing missions.
Status, numbers and schedule
For most participants, the second year occurs within the framework of Apprenticeship Contracts (Work contracts signed by the participant and our partner firms). The programme admits 30 to 35 students – apprentices who are occupied full time with courses, the internship and preparation of their thesis from September to September of the next year (at least). For the two internships in firms (from the beginning of January to the end of March, then the beginning of June to the date of the end of the apprenticeship contract), the student-apprentices are mostly based in the Paris area.
Structure and Content of the Programme
Courses provided
The Control Environment
The Methodology of Internal Audit
Basis Tools of the Auditor
Specific Tools of the Auditor
Accounting / Legal and Tax Auditing
Subsidiary and Information System Auditing
Sector-Based Auditing
Transverse Auditing
International Seminars (to be chosen from those proposed)
The International Seminars, designed to broaden participants' horizons, not specialise them, are taught in English by foreign guest lecturers. They are offered to all IAE participants from all degree programmes, ensuring a lively mix of diverse groups. These seminars are highly interactive.
Identifying a Career Path that suits you o Using psychological tests to look at yourself to see what kinds of jobs you would find congenial and where your personal qualities would bring you success o Looking underneath the job titles in your CV and the course titles of your formal studies and qualifications to understand the themes that run through your career o Looking underneath the job titles of careers you might pursue to appreciate the competences involved and interpersonal styles appropriate to those careers Organising yourself to get onto that Career Path o Preparing your CV and your interview ‘story’ to help you to secure a job that suits your career history, training, personality and abilities
As the volume and rate of technological and other business change increases, managers are faced with radically increased complexity. The pressure and stress of managing multiple initiatives across organisational and national boundaries, is already evident in many global organisations. Business leaders have long realised that implementation is at least as important as the creation of the initial vision for the business. The ability to translate strategy into reality is a requirement for today’s manager. In order to apply this approach successfully, managers need to understand the principles and techniques of project management, as well as its organisational and operational implications and the factors that influence project success. The management of projects comprises a blend of tools and techniques that focus on the planning, monitoring and control of the project tasks whilst blending these with the behavioural skills of team management and leadership. In addition the management of relationships across the organisation is essential as many organisations manage both functional and project activities in a matrix format. The seminar will cover both areas of the discipline in a very interactive style that will include both individual and group work. Project management is very much an applied discipline. Accordingly, in addition to more conventional learning approaches such as case studies and class discussions, the course places emphasis on “learning by doing” with a variety of exercises.
A good look at leadership from a brand new perspective. The seminar will emphasize a series of key factors that leaders must pay attention to to improve people’s performance and…happiness. The brainstorming will be bases on the use of a philosophical approach versus a psychological one.
Instill the students of IAE a sense of autonomy and responsibility by freeing their creative power. Allow students of IAE to develop their entrepreneurial culture by realizing their dreams.
This primary purpose of the seminar is to examine how innovation can be a source of competitive advantage for firms. Seminar participants will learn the following: - The many types of innovation and why it is so difficult to innovate - How to identify an innovation’s potential impact on markets and competition - How customers and technology adoption cycles influence innovation adoption and success - How to utilize innovation strategically to foster a company’s growth and competitive success.
Macroeconomics is often considered a hard topic. Well, that’s true, but there are ways to make it both interesting and easy to understand. The objective of the seminar is to introduce macroeconomics to managers in a simple, intuitive and non formal way. At the end of this seminar the participant will have a clear understanding of the main mechanisms at work in the macro economy, and be able to predict the impact of various types of shocks (financial, commodity prices, etc.) and economic policies on the economy. The seminar is built around a core of simple tools and will blend theory, illustrations and discussions. The focus is on intuition and helping participants build their own understanding.
The objective of the seminar is to help participants understand the thoughts of Gandhi (Indian thinker, statesman and nationalist leader who led India out of the British Empire) on various aspects confronting individual, organizations, society and nations. The seminar will provide the opportunity to the participants to understand, reflect and discuss the relevance of these concepts in the present context.
Many management leaders mistakenly believe that branding is essentially a marketing problem, reserved primarily for companies that have big budgets to advertise and reach out to mass audiences. This perspective of branding is one sided, with focus being merely on the end user or consumer of the product or service. However, brands are the sum total of associations and promises offered to every stakeholder of the organization, whether he is the customer, employee, shareholder or channel partner. This integrated approach puts the subject of branding at the very heart of business strategy, where every decision of the organisation is steered and geared by the brand’s principles, promises and values. The subject of branding has been elevated to the level of corporate strategy today. Along with building the vision, mission, values and culture of the organization, it is essential to build the organization’s brand which essentially drives and synergises the company’s actions at the front and back end. The seminar objectives are : - To equip students to take a contemporary view of branding, demonstrating to them the power of branding as a company wide action strategy - To equip students to plan, strategise and implement integrated branding programs by means of live case studies
To provide students with: · an understanding of a sociological approach to business studies. · knowledge of Critical Theory. · an introduction to the dialectical enquiry approach to knowledge creation. · knowledge of sustainable business practices, corporate social responsibility and stakeholder management. · an appreciation of the role of whistleblowers in society.
The seminar objectives are: to become familiar with the importance of product innovation in modern organizations, to demonstrate the importance of taking into consideration stakeholders’ needs and requirements in innovation as well as in any management decision. to understand how diverse tools and techniques from different management fields might be combined to allow firms to compete in a complex and ever changing global context to learn: o how to create a successful innovation, o how to apply the process of technology-market transfer, o the process of new product development, o how to bring a product into a new market.
In Business Communication, the models depicting the Communication Process are designed along encoding & decoding, message & feedback, noise, etc. They tend to be simplistic; they offer only an intellectual paradigm that lays stress on skills. Communication skills are only the palpable tip of an iceberg. The lecture series utilises the techniques of the performing arts and offers opportunities to enhance the power (in self) of observation, sensing, listening, entering the inner world, and thereby thaw the iceberg- the world of innate creativity. It takes the participants through the complex process of communication in a simple experiential way and empowers us to communicate effectively and bring about change.
To understand how ethical decisions are made within a business context, we will have to… 1. Understand who are we and how we think as business decision-makers (WHO?) 2. Explore the formation of values and ethical models within organisations (WHAT?) 3. Practice certain ethical decision-making models and understand its limitations (HOW?) 4. Navigate intricate power relationships and stakeholder relationships within organisations (WHY?)
Negotiation is the art and science of securing an agreement. This seminar is designed to develop and enhance your negotiation skills. You will learn the most current negotiation theories and techniques while simultaneously employing your learning in a series of negotiation exercises and role-play simulations. The seminar focuses on understanding the behavior of individuals, groups and organizations in the context of competitive situations. The course is designed to be relevant to a broad spectrum of negotiation problems that are faced by any manager whose duties require interpersonal contact.
The object of this seminar is to explore the growing importance of “coaching”, as an effective management and leadership tool and familiarise participants as to how it can be used to improve individual and organisational performance. Specifically, participants will: • Explore the concept and practice of coaching as an appropriate approach to managing people in today’s organisations. • Become familiar with contemporary models of coaching and learn to apply them. • Learn how to structure a coaching session and practice key learnings.
Domestically and globally, the multicultural workforce has become a reality: Global firms must understand the cultural dynamics and have to manage cross-cultural interaction throughout the organization, from the shop floor to the executive committee. This course addresses the challenges managers face when working in international and multicultural environments. It is designed to develop cultural awareness, knowledge and competencies. Such skills are required in collaborative processes to deal with human systems as multinational teams or global organizations. This course will • provide the students with a theoretical background concerning culture, management and human resources • encourage cultural awareness, knowledge and competencies by self-experience • help to overcome intercultural communication barriers
This seminar is intended to be a practical approach to international marketing in the global marketplace. You will be introduced to concepts, practical applications and best practices to enable you to improve managerial decision-making, with particular emphasis on understanding international marketing at the consumer level. The seminar objectives are: 1) To provide appropriate concepts, models and other tools to help make international marketing decisions on a global basis; 2) To help develop skills in planning and evaluating international marketing strategies; 3) To encourage students to take an active role in the learning process by demonstrating a grasp of the conceptual and practical aspects of the subject matter. The following assessment tools will be used: 1) individual and team case analyses; 2) class participation, which will measure the individual’s grasp of concepts, theories and strategies, as well as communications skills and personal achievement; 3) presentation activities, which will measure individual presentation, communication and teamwork skills. Assignment: The capstone aspect of the seminar is a high-level, team – based exercise using the case method. Students will be divided into small teams and each team will be required to read, analyze and present their recommended responses to an international marketing situation with strategic implications. In this work, it is expected that the students will apply the concepts, techniques and strategies covered previously during the seminar. Sufficient time will be provided to review the real-time solution to the case, so that the students have the opportunity compare their recommended strategies with those of the “experts.”
The purpose of this seminar is to enable the participants to gain some insight into how the arts can • enhance their understanding of the experience economy trend • expand their approach to managing innovation and change • enrich their development as leaders The seminar will draw illustratively on multiple forms of art with diverse media inputs.
- Discover your own conflict resolution style, what are your assets and what skills you might need to develop. - Learn about the causes of conflict, the influence of individual perceptions, the place of feelings and needs. - Explore several conflict resolution tools to resolve workplace conflicts in a constructive manner: active listening, non-violent communication, “the evaporating cloud” process, mediation. - Improve your skills with practical exercises. - Assess your skills and progress with a daily journal and personal summary on the last day (this work will be considered as the seminar assignment).
Change management can be seen from two perspectives – from those implementing the change and from the recipients of change. The view of change management varies strongly if you are the manager demanding the change versus the employee who may be unsure what the consequences are for him. These two views of change management can be referred to as: • Organizational change management • Individual change management In this seminar the student will learn how to lead change processes in such a way to : • minimize the unfavourable and minimise the positive ones • avoid unnecessary turnover or loss of valued employees • eliminate any adverse impact on your customers • achieve the desired business outcomes as soon as possible
The course is aimed to give the participants a broader view of intercultural management and to prepare them for management positions in international organizations and firms. Particular emphasis is put on the similarities and differences between France and Germany as well as between Western and Asian countries. Specifically, participants will: · Understand the influence of culture on management decisions. · Become familiar with important concepts of culture. · Explore problems in intercultural communication and negotiations. · Learn how to use methods of intercultural training. · Develop their own intercultural competence.
The objective of this seminar is to help participants better understand the complexities and issues facing companies which acquire. These topics covered will be: Target selection and strategy Pre-acquisition planning The psychology of acquiring Communication during acquisition Acquisition implementation Approaching joint ventures and alliances The information will be illustrated through theories, case studies, practical consulting tools, exercises and debate.
The course aims to train professionals in order to develop business strategies in which are incorporated the interests of all stakeholders: clients/customers, employees, shareholders and the communities under the area of influence of the organization, besides considering the environmental aspects and impacts of their services and products, in all their production stages. The course offers theoretical and practical notions based on case studies of different public and private organizations. During the course the following topics will be discussed: Evolutionary historic of business mentality in the organizations all over the world. Benefits of the Corporate Responsibility in the organizations. Definition of the main concepts related to the partner-environmental responsibility (triple bottom line, etc). The application of the Corporate Responsibility in the whole supply chain. Supporting tools for the development of a sustainable corporate strategy and monitoring of results sustainability indicators and elaboration of Corporate Responsibility reports (A large variety of case studies related to the application of the Corporate Responsibility in different organizations in the world will illustrate theses discussions.
This seminar was originally developed for the key commercial managers of international advertising agencies who wanted to able to acquire an easy, fast yet effective approach to making presentations. Since then, it has been offered in multinationals for managers from more than 25 countries who work with colleagues and clients from around the world. Indeed, making presentations in front of international audiences has become a skill that managers are expected to master and yet many are unprepared for the challenge. This course, for the students of IAE, allows them to hone their presentation skills for international audiences. At the end of the session, they should be able to: - gain awareness of diverse cultural expectations in communication and set realistic objectives for their presentation, - adapt their presentation style for an international audience and acquire techniques to structure it in an appropriate way, - overcome « stage fright » and enjoy speaking in public. Participants will be able to use what they have learned in the seminar not only at IAE but also in their future professional context.
The main objectives of this seminar are to introduce participants to a number of approaches which are of use when thinking through and making decisions strategically in complex situations, and to give participants the skills to use them. At the end of the course, you will be able to: - Understand and discuss how these problem structuring methods aid decision making and the way in which the different methods work; - Identify appropriate situations in both business and personal life in which to use these approaches; - Use problem structuring methods individually and in groups to make decisions strategically.
The object of this seminqr is for each participant to take a step towards his own happiness. In three days, the participants will : - clarify their personal idea of happiness and start to explore what is the reality hidden behind it; - - experience how an active and positive interaction with others is crucial to living and working happily; - Discover the “happy attitude” they can adopt to enjoy more efficiency in their work. Through a balances combination of key concept presentations, short introspective reflexions, interaction with others and practical exercise, the participants will feel, personally and in groups, the intererior “capacity of happiness” they have, they can activate, they just have to want it. To take a step away from the “naïve dream” to the “project for life” is the main target of this seminar.
The seminar objective is to examine the characteristics of information that are valued by decision makers and how organizations can assure quality information is being used for both internal (e.g., management) and external (e.g., investors, creditors, suppliers, customers, regulators, etc.) decision making. From the perspective of a manager of an organization, specific objectives include: · How do I know my organization can provide relevant and reliable information for decision making by me and by others? · How do I know that information used within my organization adequately considers possible external environment changes that could threaten achievement of my business objectives? · How can I reduce the costs of capital, production, storage, selling and distribution by credibly informing outsiders of my firm’s condition and prospects? · What “tools” do I have at my disposal to assure me and others that information is relevant and reliable? (Note that these “tools” include internal controls and assurance from third parties, so these topics will be covered in the context of how they help with respect to information quality demands).
Sustainability, despite being a relatively new term, has already been overused and corrupted, and Business is generally considered as greatly being responsible in the present failure of sustainable development. This is right and wrong: There are a lot of bad, but also good examples, but it is clear that what has been positively done is far from being enough. The seminar is intended • to define what actually is sustainable development: the only way to leave a viable heritage to future generations, and therefore a major objective for human being • to analyse the drivers and the effects of business activity, and particularly in global companies • to discuss sustainable indicators and ways to address value creation • to design a practical management process that can be useful for any decision-maker who intends to contribute to building a more sustainable world
The seminar objective is to provide a straightforward and practical introduction to Risk Management. More specifically, the participants to the seminar will: · Understand why risk management is at the heart of every organization and why it affects most day-to-day business processes. · Acquire the basic skills to identify risk in its many forms, and to distinguish between market, credit, operational, event, liquidity and systemic risk. · Learn why the risk management department must be organized independently from other business lines and why it should report directly to the CEO or CFO. · Be able to create a secure working environment with sufficient checks and balances in place to effectively manage risk. · Study and apply some of the main risk quantification and mitigation methods. · Analyze the interaction between the risk management department and other departments, like Human Resources, Communication, and Treasury.
Provide participants with the necessary skills for negotiating, managing and doing business in almost any context. The course will also attempt to improve participant people skills which could significantly contribute to their ability to negotiate, manage and do business in almost any environment. Specifically, participants will learn negotiating and people skills and apply them in games and role plays.
The aim of this seminar is to provide an overview of the basic structure of the U.S. residential home mortgage market as it has existed from 2002 to the present. This will allow participants to better understand the incentive structures and risk management policies that allowed (indeed fostered) the creation of poorly underwritten mortgage loans. Specifically, seminar participants will: · Gain knowledge of the various players involved in originating, servicing, and repackaging residential mortgage loans for resale as investment securities · Learn the basics of constructing these various securities and the process by which they are then evaluated for credit-worthiness by the ratings agencies · Understand the structural difficulties of disentangling these investment securities to restructure loan terms and forestall home foreclosures · Explore various proposals to mitigate further damage within the global financial sector and the broader global economy
One of the effects of globalisation has been the increase in the number of global brands, which are representing a higher percentage of the earnings of multinational or global firms. Effectively managing and marketing these global brands is a challenge for many organisations at a time where companies are becoming more and more complex. This seminar sets out to provide some clues on the challenges an international marketer may face in trying to manage and market a brand in the global market. Real and current case studies will be discussed in the seminars. Students are therefore advised that they are expected to read and prepare the cases and the seminar materials before and during the seminar. By the end of the seminar, students should be able to analyse the competitive position of a brand in the global market, design alternative marketing strategies, and develop the corresponding marketing mix for a global market.
The objectives of the seminar are: a. To explore the meaning of globalization. b. To understand its multi-dimensional nature. c. To learn a framework to analyze issues in the context of globalization.
After completion of the seminar students should be able to: · understand structure and organisation of the Russian political and administrative system · understand key trends of Russia’s economic and social development · know and understand industries playing the most important role in different regions of Russia · understand the most growing business segments in Russia · understand quality and level of social and market infrastructure development in Russia · understand different legal forms of doing business in Russia · understand current status and future trends of Russia-EU relationships in key areas · know and understand general peculiarities of Russia as a marketplace · understand how to consider these peculiarities for successful marketing of products/services to Russian customers · get basic understanding of Russian mentality · become familiar with Russian business culture and cross-cultural business challenges in Russia · get basic skills of running business negotiations with Russian counterparts.
Change management can be seen from two perspectives – from those implementing the change and from the recipients of change. The view of change management varies strongly if you are the manager demanding the change versus the employee who may be unsure what the consequences are for him. These two views of change management can be referred to as: · Organizational change management · Individual change management In this seminar the student will learn how to lead change processes in such a way to : · minimize the unfavourable and minimise the positive ones · avoid unnecessary turnover or loss of valued employees · eliminate any adverse impact on your customers · achieve the desired business outcomes as soon as possible
The seminar objective is to provide students with a broader understanding of the World around them and beyond, develop a global mind set and relate it to development of new businesses and market opportunities Specific objectives are: - Develop an understanding of the people of different cultures and ways of their living. - understanding the context and environment - Identify their material needs / problems and - Provide acceptable solutions to these problems through
The capacity to be creative is in all of us. Unfortunately, being efficient in our day-to-day activities forces us to think in a less creative way. If we don’t know how to force ourselves to stop being “just” efficient and start being creative, we will not be able to properly identify and define problems and the corresponding solutions. This course provides the students with practical techniques to help them develop creative thinking and problem solving. The course also aims at helping the students learn how to manage creativity within their current or future organization.
The seminar objective is to provide participants with an understanding of the technological forces that have impacted on marketing since the start of the digital revolution in the 1990s. It will focus on how marketers have adopted to these changes and the strategies they will need to develop as the pace of change increases. Specific objectives are: To provide an understanding of the digital revolution and the shift that it has brought about in the way marketing is conceptualized and practiced. To provide an understanding of the impact of these changes on marketing strategies including: o Marketing targeting – from market segmentation to one-to-one marketing o Product customization, value co-creation, branding strategies, pricing strategies, go-tomarket strategies. advertising and other integrated marketing communication strategies including on-line and wireless advertising o Customer service and relationship management including customer advocacy To provide a preview of the latest development in digital technology that will impact on future marketing strategies.
This seminar aims to serve as a mirror for the participants to explore and assess their interpersonal skills and thereby pave the way for further development. The course adopts a training approach, using simulated group exercises, puzzles and games, with self-rating inventories to supplement the learning process. The specific interpersonal skills to be addressed are: · Interpersonal communication · Decision making and leadership · Achievement motivation · Conflict and team building · Creative problem solving
The primary purpose of the seminar is to analyze the global competitiveness and strategies of U.S. firms and compare their experience with and applicability to non-U.S. firms. · To provide participants with a general understanding of the process of strategy formulation and implementation by U.S.based global companies. · To examine the strategies by which these firms enhance their global competitiveness. · To review their performance in the context of their strategic objectives in the current global economic environment. · To assess the relevance of traditional models of strategy formulation and environmental scanning.
The purpose of this seminar is to introduce students to international aspects of human resource management such as different legal, sociopolitical, and economic conditions for HR functions in the multinational context, cultural issues, and varying management practices and systems critical for business expansions and individual career aspirations across borders. Through firm/country specific cases, students will explore the complexity of challenges that firms are faced with and strategies they use to effectively develop and manage their international workforce and operations in culturally and geographically diverse environments. Principle among these is the attainment of organizational competitive advantage through the international development of a cadre of cross-culturally savvy managers.
The objectives of this seminar are to · understand the reasons organisational changes fail and the communication processes underlying failed change initiatives; · understand important ways that change conceptualizations, practices, and research have differed historically and culturally; · understand how to analyze change contexts and develop communication strategies for o laying the groundwork for a change initiative o announcing change to stakeholders o implementing change processes o managing resistance, and o institutionalizing change; · understand diverse tools, techniques, and strategies that may be used to increase the likelihood of successful change initiatives
Preparation for the CIA: Certified International Auditor
Testimonials of experience by Directors of Internal Audit Departments in our partner firms
Thesis and Research Project
The research project and more importantly, the thesis constitute a true professional reflection on auditing issues. Parallel to the acquisition of the practical knowledge required for the profession of auditor, the aim of these research works is to give students the possibility to contribute to the development of their future profession. Student theses are a valuable contribution for auditing professionals. The contacts made by students with auditing professionals in the framework of this research often lead to job opportunities.
The thesis is presented to a panel of professionals.
Internship – Apprenticeship contract or traditional internship
The internship lasts six months (two periods of at least three months). The apprentice is attached to teams of auditors under the supervision of the Mission Manager. He or she is systematically associated with one or several auditing missions during the entire internship. He or she participates in all of the stages of the audit from the preliminary survey work in the field to the writing and presentation of the audit report to the audited department.
Examples of Missions Entrusted to Students
Audits of subsidiaries, Accounting and Financial Audits, Management Audits (Purchases, Management Control, Fixed Assets, Marketing, Payroll, Stocks, Sales, …), Thematic Audits (Software applications, Inspection of banking networks, Stock Market rooms, Security,…).
Programme Partners Firms
Institutional collaboration with the IFACI places our programme in direct contact with all of the large firms with Internal Audit Departments.
Several firms have prolonged the internship by direct or indirect hiring in Internal Audit:
Alcatel, ALD International , Amec Spie, Air Liquide, ANPE, Areva, Assedic, Banque Chaix (Groupe HSBC), Banque de France, BNP Paribas, Banque Postale, Banque Sofinco, Bouygues, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignation, Caisses Régionales d'Assurance Maladie, Carrefour, Casino, CEA, Cégetel, CMA CGM, CNP Assurances, Club Méditerranée, Conforama, Crédit Lyonnais, Crédit Agricole, Danone, Deloitte, EDF, Ernst & Young, France Boissons, France Télécom, General Electric, Gie Elis, Groupama, Groupe Médéric, IBM, Imaje, I3F, KPMG Audit, La Poste, Louvre Gestion, Natexis Banque, Nexans, Philips, PPR, Price Waterhouse Coopers, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault, SNCF, Société Générale, Société Marseillaise de crédit, Système U, TDF, Unesco,…
Faculty Advisor:
Jacques VERA
Masters Information:
+33 (0)4 42 28 09 20
masters(at)iae-aix.com
Continuing Education Information:
Sylvie PENNES
+33 (0)4 42 28 08 56
fcontinue(at)iae-aix.com
+33 (0)4 42 28 08 28






