An integrative action research (IAR) on engineering a virtual internship experience in management consulting practice through a project management approach

• Main Author: Aguila, James Robert D.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Engineering—Study and teaching (Internship); Internship programs—Technological innovations
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_manorg/115
• Institution: De La Salle University

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the workplace has undergone tremendous changes. As technology becomes more advanced and business issues become more complex, so are the skills required from the workforce. These phenomena make the gap between the academe and industry more pronounced. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a public health crisis which restricted mobility of most people. As a result, it changed the way we work. For businesses to continue operating as usual, health protocols required many employers to shift from a largely location-based workplace to a virtual workplace in a short span. In response to the changing needs of the industry, the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) prescribed a minimum of 400-hour internship for Accountancy students. However, the ongoing health crisis precludes in-person engagements from taking place. This action research project aims to engineer a worthwhile virtual internship experience in management consulting practice for Accountancy students. Using first-, second-, and third-person inquiry, the lead researcher and the collaborators planned and deployed a series of activities to build the interns’ consulting macro skills for the “workplace of the future.”