CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Internship Background
Generally, when we talk about globalization, we see the cultures of foreign

countries only on the issues published in the mass media. If this trend continues, it
will potential create misunderstanding since we get the information only through
one point of view or perception. For the example is the global economic crisis, has
implicated on the development of business in the world generally and Indonesia in
particular. It will be closely related to the need for qualified labor force. In
Thailand, the opportunity of getting job is decreasing along with the increase of
population density. Therefore, to win the competitive world of job opportunities,
Thailand students are not satisfied by graduating from S1 degree only, it is
necessary to continue to the next stage even many of them want to increase their
added value by studying abroad.
The circumstance in Indonesia is different, the thing that make it similar
are the competition and the large number of Indonesia's population that exist. One
of Indonesia's labor supplies comes from the world of University producing young
intellectuals. However, will the college graduates be able to meet the demand for
quality and not just for quantity? It is still a common question to be answered with
a variety of arguments and explanations. Data collected by Vibiz Consulting
showed unemployment increased till the level of 10 million in 2009 while
according to BPS, the number of unemployment in Indonesia reached about 9.4

million. Explained further, based on the composition of education degree, those

below the Elementary School are 547 thousand, elementary school 2.1 million,
junior high school and the equals 1.973 million people, high school and equals
3.81 million people, Diploma and the equals 362 thousand and University and
equivalent 600 thousand people. If the data is calculated, approximately 6.82%
of University graduates status is still unemployed.
According to Akbarwati (2009) in her article published in vibisnews.com,
there are several factors that cause a lot of labor cannot satisfy the needs of the
business. Two of the most dominant factors, first the graduates capacities cannot
directly be used, but the company

should invest to make them be able to truly

work. The second dominant factor is the graduate ability in terms of managerial
competencies, such as: leadership, problem solving, ability to communicate well,
ability of team work, ability to deal with changes etc.
Ironic circumstances that may be experienced by some graduates are
when some very modern science has been applied in several developed countries,
but yet to be developed in Indonesian education. Meanwhile, multinational
companies in which the fresh graduates dreams to work should have applied up to
date degrees of science and technology so that these graduates are difficult to be
accepted in the corporate world. Universities deal with

this problem by holding

Field Work Profession program (KKNP). A form of program which is also

applied in many foreign universities called internship program, placing students to
the professional realm of work place. Public and private companies become the
students arena to apply theories to the real situation at the field. KKNP is not

only for work practices in the company, but can also activities that can be
equalized with the KKNP work practices in the company or institution.
Currently student at every University are required to have knowledge and
experience in interacting with wider community. This interaction is necessary for
students to support them I the work world. This interaction can be known as
directly understanding the environment or student can also do the work practices
in the company for certain period. Therefore Brawijaya University gives students
the option to take the internship program. Internship is one means to introduce
students about the field of work that will be done in the real world of work, as
well as training for students to add insight and knowledge.
Through this Internship Program, students get the opportunity to visit and
observe a foreign country directly in order to broaden their exposure to the
business theories, practices and concerns of the International community, and
immerse students in foreign cultures. Student will be absorbed into different
cultures, meeting people from other parts of the world, learning from a new
perspective and taking on exciting new surroundings. Internship at University of
Brawijaya is one of the option shall be granted for students who meet certain
criteria in making thesis subject. Students are required to do an internship at
certain company partners, they make a report covering the activities, problem and
problem solving alternative.
International program in Faculty of Economics and Business provides the
requirements for students in the program to choose to take internship in
companies or to follow the Overseas Academic Program (OAP). Overseas

Academic Programs are programs that are awarded to international students to

obtain international practice and experiences. As one student of the International
Program in Faculty Economics and Business, The author was required to take
internship in seventh semester and also to follow Overseas Academic Program.
Internship Program exposes students to the people from diverse cultural
backgrounds, religion, geographic and socioeconomic, and provides opportunities
for students to develop a greater understanding of the cultural diversity around the
world. This program allows students to learn and interact with people different
from themselves, and to participate in a new and unique experience outside their
own communities. Internship Program helps students to develop positive
relationship with other, understand the broader perspective, and develop the
knowledge and skills necessary for participating in a multicultural society.
By participating into The Internship Program, students are faced with
another impressive and tense reality. It is impressive because we can meet many
friends and people from foreign countries with different backgrounds. It is tense,
because as the guest, we should be able to adopt and bring ourselves to the
environment around us.
There are least three benefits that can be directly perceived by the
participants of Internship Program. The first is to intensify the independence and
maturity. Independent to live and be able to survive in a different culture and
environment. The second is to be more respectful towards human relations with
empathy, care and awareness that we live in one earth. And the third is to acquire
foreign language skills and foreign friends. The ultimate benefit expected after

those three previous benefits is the ability to eliminate the boundaries of

difference constraints, thus we can work together with other people from different
countries and cultures as well.
Therefore, the International Undergraduate Program of Accounting of
Brawijaya University sent thirteen students off to attend lectures and field trip
study for one month, in the period of November-December, at Burapha University
(BUU) in Chon Buri, Thailand. Students who participated in this program took
courses in BUU and they also lived in student dormitories of BUU. All
assessment results of this study was also conducted by BUU, which later it will
become their current grade when returned to Brawijaya University. The
Economics and Business Faculty of Brawijaya University, especially International
Undergraduate Program, has regulations to prepare students to apply the
knowledge they have acquired in the classroom through Internship Programs or
other activities that can be equalizes before Thesis.
Internship program is a credit transfer program where students will attend
courses and stay in the destination country. In the Academic Guidelines,
internship is the implementation of knowledge that students get from the lectures
in class, in organizations or in companies whose business are in line with students'
background knowledge. This program can be replaced by other activities such as:
being an assistant of lecturer in the faculty, participating in scientific activities
such as seminars or workshops, being an executive board of organization, having
working experiences, representing the faculty or the university in sport or art
events and taking charge of organizations, and becoming a student exchange

participant in a global exchange program. In this occasion, the author chose to

convert Internship with an activity the author has done, which participating in the
international student exchange program (internship program) is named "The
Internship in the Field" conducted in Faculty of Management and Tourism,
Burapha University, Chon Buri, Thailand. On this occasion, the writer chose to do
the conversion of KKNP with activities that the writer do during study time in the
Department of Accounting Brawijaya University.

1.2

The Objective of Internship

The purpose of writing internship report with equalization system follows:

1. To fulfill requirement in the assessment of Internship program and the

Overseas Academic Program.
2. To boarded the students having International practices and experiences by
visiting overseas universities partners of University of Brawijaya.
3. To improve students ability to adapt to society.
4. As a form of students self-actualization to apply their academic knowledge to
the real life.
5. As a means for students to add their insight and knowledge about the realm of
activism and intellectualism.
6. To meet one of requirements in the assessment of equalized Profession Field
Work (internship)

1.3

Benefits of Internship Program

The benefits of conducting internship program are as follows:

1. Benefits for Students
a. To increase competence, intellectuality, and emotional stability.
b. To apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in education programs at the
various cases of real company, organization or other institution.
2. Benefit of KKNP for Brawijaya University
a. To expand the cooperation network with companies and other related
institutions.
b. To improve the relevance of the curriculum applied in the Department of
Accounting, Faculty of Economics, with the realm of working.