The CEO of a firm telephoned the director of internal auditing and began the conversation something like this: "Ed, I have come to have a great deal of confidence in your judgment because of the work I have seen come out of your department. You obviously understand the direction that this company is moving in and how to get there. We are having an executive committee meeting next Monday to decide if we should open a new plant in our eastern market area and close down the one that has given us so many problems up north. I would like for you to be at that meeting."

Required:

a. How might the director of internal auditing reply, remaining consistent with the principles outlined in this chapter?

b. Realistically, how do you think the director of internal auditing should react?