-- Protiviti Inc., a leading internal audit and business and technology risk consulting firm, announced today it is partnering with Bisk Education, a worldwide leader in online and interactive continuing professional education, and Tulane University Law School, one of the nation’s leading law schools, to produce “Excellence in Corporate Governance,” an online program and resource center.
This series of educational programs, which will be available starting September 1, 2003, will be delivered exclusively online with streaming video and audio. It will offer participants approximately 15 hours of in-depth analysis and strategies for meeting new corporate governance standards, including those established by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
The Excellence in Corporate Governance online program will examine the rules and regulations by which companies must abide to protect their organizations and stockholders. Specific topics addressed will include: issues facing boards of directors and audit committees; financial reporting; internal control reporting by management (Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley); management responsibilities; legal implications; and implementation and execution practices. Certified public accountants participating in the courses can receive continuing professional education (CPE) credit.
Featured speakers for the online program series will include:
- Carol Beaumier, managing director, Protiviti
- John Cherpock, managing director, Protiviti
- J. Michael Cook, chairman and chief executive officer emeritus,
Deloitte & Touche, LLP
- James DeLoach, managing director, Protiviti
- Gregory Hedges, managing director, Protiviti
- Robert Hirth, managing director, Protiviti
- Thomas E. Jones, vice chairman of the
International Accounting Standards Board
- Glenn M. Renwick, president and CEO, Progressive Insurance
- David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States
Experts practicing in the areas of finance, accounting, law, public policy and management will also appear in the online programs.
One of the more prominent distribution channels for the series will be through the Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF), a nonpolitical, nonprofit, educational organization providing leading-edge content and solutions for financial management professionals.
The Excellence in Corporate Governance curriculum will be available anytime and anywhere, and lectures can be reviewed as often as needed. Subscriptions are available on an annual licensing basis. Protiviti clients will receive a 15 percent discount off the list price.
The programs, which are delivered online by Bisk Education’s state-of-the-art e-learning technology, are particularly beneficial to busy financial executives, boards of directors and audit committees, as they reduce or eliminate the time and costs associated with attending conferences or seminars in person. Participants can view information in both lecture and PowerPoint formats. In addition, they have the opportunity to address questions to the speakers via message boards and e-mail, and will receive periodic updates on issues relating to course content.
“We are excited about partnering with Bisk to share our expertise in corporate governance practices using their advanced distance learning capabilities,” said Phillip Fretwell, a managing director with Protiviti. “The comprehensive yet convenient format should be extremely attractive to companies seeking to achieve compliance with reforms in a cost- and time-effective manner.”
“Events of the past year highlight the critical need for a renewed focus on teaching corporate ethics and the principles of proper corporate governance to a new generation of business leaders. The very foundation of the American market-based economy depends on it,” said Nathan Bisk, chairman and founder of Bisk Education. “Bisk is proud to be working with Protiviti and Tulane University Law School to bring the Excellence in Corporate Governance series and resource center to the nation’s leading executives and their employees in an exclusive online, distance learning environment.”
Gary Roberts, deputy dean and Sumter Davis Marks professor of business and corporate law at Tulane University Law School, said, “This is a period of enormous change and discomfort for corporate officers and directors as a result of the legal fallout from the high-profile scandals of the last few years. Tulane Law School is excited and pleased to have the opportunity to partner with Bisk and Protiviti to provide corporate officials with the vital information they need to avoid the risks and legal pitfalls of the new corporate legal landscape.”
Founded in 1971, Bisk Education is a world leader in e-learning and distance education offering professional continuing education and online degree programs from leading nationally and regionally accredited universities. Bisk Education is also a leading provider of continuing education and testing preparation for certified public accountants.
With more than 30 locations in the United States, Europe and Asia, Protiviti is a leading provider of independent outsourced and co-sourced internal audit and business and technology risk consulting services. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE symbol: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half International is a member of the S&P 500 index.
For more information on the Excellence in Corporate Governance series,
call 1-800-983-6488 or visit www.corpgovonline.com.
