Identifying internal control weakness in cash receipts

Pendley Productions makes all sales on credit. Cash receipts arrive by mail. Larry

Chipello, the mailroom clerk, opens envelopes and separates the checks from the

accompanying remittance advices. Chipello forwards the checks to another employee,

who makes the daily bank deposit but has no access to the accounting records.

Chipello sends the remittance advices, which show cash received, to the accounting

department for entry in the accounts. Chipello’s only other duty is to grant sales

allowances to customers. (A sales allowancedecreases the customer’s account receivable.)

When Chipello receives a customer check for \(575 less a \)45 allowance, he records the

sales allowance and forwards the document to the accounting department.

Requirements

1. Identify the internal control weakness in this situation.

2. Who should record sales allowances?

3. What is the amount that should be shown in the ledger for cash receipts?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The amount of cash shown in the ledger is $530.

Step by step solution

01

Definition of internal

Internal controls are those controls that affect the internal environment of the company. Internal controls enhance the smooth working of the company.

02

Missing internal control

In the given situation, the missing internal control is the segregation of duties because the duties between the accounting department and clerk are not followed. The lack of duties leads to weakness in internal control.

03

Recording of the sale allowance

The accountant must record the sale allowances, and all the duties of the accountant are clearly defined by the company. Good internal control on the segregation of duties leads to fewer chances of fraud and reduces risks for the company.

04

Amount is shown in the ledger of cash receipt

Cash Receipt

$575

Less: Allowance

-($45)

The amount is shown in the cash ledger

$530

Hence, the amount of cash shown in the ledger of cash receipt is $530.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Controlling petty cash Just Hangin’ Night Club maintains an imprest petty cash fund of \(150, which is under the control of Sandra Morgan. At March 31, the fund holds \)14 cash and petty cash tickets for office supplies, \(128, and delivery expense, \)15.

Requirements

1. Explain how an imprest petty cash system works.

2. Journalize the establishment of the petty cash fund on March 1 and the replenishing of the fund on March 31.

3. Prepare a T-account for Petty Cash and post to the account. What is the balance of the Petty Cash account at all times?

List some examples of timing differences, and for each difference, determine if it would affect the book side of the reconciliation or the bank side of the reconciliation.

Correcting internal control weaknesses

Each of the following situations has an internal control weakness.

a. Jade Applications has decided that one way to cut costs in the upcoming year is to

fire the external auditor. The business believes that the internal auditor should be

able to efficiently monitor the company’s internal controls.

b. In an effort to minimize the amount of paperwork, Ross Homes has decided that it

will not keep copies of customer invoices related to sales revenue. Ross believes that

this effort will minimize the amount of data storage the company will have to pay for.

c. Elle Bee, a trusted employee for many years, has never taken a vacation. The owner

believes that he’s lucky that she is so committed to her job.

d. The Medicine Chest Company keeps a small petty cash fund to handle small cash

transactions. Because no one wants to volunteer to be the custodian, the business

manager has decided that all employees should have access to the petty cash. She

figures that as long as each employee fills out a petty cash ticket, then there are

proper controls in place.

e. Due to the cost of maintaining the security cameras, Wings and More has decided

that it will remove the cameras that monitor the cash register.

f. Bryan Miller, manager of Hardware Emporium, prides himself on hiring

exceptionally skilled employees who need no training to do their jobs.

Requirements

1. Identify the missing internal control characteristics in each situation.

2. Identify the possible problem caused by each control weakness.

3. Propose a solution to each internal control problem.

Understanding internal control, components, procedures, and laws

Match the following terms with their definitions.

1. Internal control

2. Control procedures

3. Firewalls

4. Encryption

5. Environment

6. Information system

7. Separation of duties

8. Collusion

9. Documents

10. Audits

11. Operational efficiency

12. Risk assessment

13. Sarbanes-Oxley Act

a. Two or more people working together to overcome internal controls.

b. Part of internal control that ensures resources are not wasted.

c. Requires companies to review internal control and take responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of their financial reports.

d. Should be prenumbered to prevent theft and inefficiency.

e. Limits access to a local network.

f. Example: The person who opens the bank statement should not also be the person who is reconciling cash.

g. Identification of uncertainties that may arise due to a company’s products, services, or operations.

h. Examination of a company’s financial statements and accounting system by a trained accounting professional.

i. Without a sufficient one of these, information cannot properly be gathered and summarized.

j. The organizational plan and all the related measures that safeguard assets, encourage employees to follow company policies, promote operational efficiency, and ensure accurate and reliable accounting data.

k. Component of internal control that helps ensure business goals are achieved.

l. Rearranges data by a mathematical process.

m. To establish an effective one, a company’s CEO and top managers must behave honorably to set a good example for employees.

Evaluating internal control over cash payments Gary’s Great Cars purchases high-performance auto parts from a Nebraska vendor. Dave Simon, the accountant for Gary’s, verifies receipt of merchandise and then prepares, signs, and mails the check to the vendor.

Requirements

1. Identify the internal control weakness over cash payments.

2. What could the business do to correct the weakness?

See all solutions

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