Accounting Information Systems
Assignment # 1. Family Support Center. Answer requirements a and b.
The Family Support Center is a small charitable organization. It has only four full-time employees: two staff, an accountant, and an office manager. The majority of its funding comes from two campaign drives, one in the spring and one in the fall. Donors make pledges over the telephone. Some donors pay their pledge by credit card during the telephone campaign, but many prefer to pay in monthly installments by check. In such cases, the donor pledges are recorded during the telephone campaign, and the donors are then mailed pledge cards. Donors mail their contributions directly to the charity. Most donors send a check, but occasionally some send cash. Most donors return their pledge card with their check or cash donation, but occasionally the Family Support Center receives anonymous cash donations. The procedures used to process donations are as follows:
Sarah, a staff member who has worked for the Family Support Center for 12 years, opens all mail. She sorts the donations from the other mail and prepares a list of all donations, indicating the name of the donor (or anonymous), amount of the donation, and the pledge number (if the donor returned the pledge card). Sarah then sends the list, cash, and checks to the accountant.
The accountant enters the information from the list into the computer to update the Family Support Center’s files. The accountant then prepares a deposit slip (in duplicate) and deposits all cash and checks into the charity’s bank account at the end of each day. No funds are left on the premises overnight. The validated deposit slip is then filed by date. The accountant also mails an acknowledgment letter thanking each donor. Monthly, the accountant retrieves all deposit slips and uses them to reconcile the Family Support Center’s bank statement. At this time, the accountant also reviews the pledge files and sends a follow-up letter to those people who have not yet fulfilled their pledges.
Each employee has a computer workstation that is connected to the internal network. Employees are permitted to surf the web during lunch hours. Each employee has full access to the charity’s accounting system, so that anyone can fill in for someone else who is out sick or on vacation. Each Friday, the accountant makes a backup copy of all computer files. The backup copy is stored in the office manager’s office.
Requirements
a. Identify two major control weaknesses in the Family Support Center’s cash receipts procedures. For each weakness you identify, suggest a method to correct that weakness. Your solution must be specific—identify which specific employees should do what. Assume that no new employees can be hired.
b. Describe the IT control procedures that should exist in order to protect the Family Support Center from loss, alteration, or unauthorized disclosure of data.
Assignment # 2: Diamond Manufacturing Company. Answer requirements a, b, and c at the end of the problem in one to two pages.
Last year the Diamond Manufacturing Company purchased over $10 million worth of office equipment under its “special ordering” system, with individual orders ranging from $5,000 to $30,000. Special orders are for low-volume items that have been included in a department manager’s budget. The budget, which limits the types and dollar amounts of office equipment a department head can requisition, is approved at the beginning of the year by the board of directors. The special ordering system functions as follows.
Purchasing A purchase requisition form is prepared and sent to the purchasing department. Upon receiving a purchase requisition, one of the five purchasing agents (buyers) verifies that the requester is indeed a department head. The buyer next selects the appropriate supplier by searching the various catalogs on file. The buyer then phones the supplier, requests a price quote, and places a verbal order. A prenumbered purchase order is processed, with the original sent to the supplier and copies to the department head, receiving, and accounts payable. One copy is also filed in the open requisition file. When the receiving department verbally informs the buyer that the item has been received, the purchase order is transferred from the open to the filled file. Once a month, the buyer reviews the unfilled file to follow up on open orders.
Receiving The receiving department gets a copy of each purchase order. When equipment is received, that copy of the purchase order is stamped with the date, and, if applicable, any differences between the quantity ordered and the quantity received are noted in red ink. The receiving clerk then forwards the stamped purchase order and equipment to the requisitioning department head and verbally notifies the purchasing department that the goods were received.
Accounts Payable Upon receipt of a purchase order, the accounts payable clerk files it in the open purchase order file. When a vendor invoice is received, it is matched with the applicable purchase order, and a payable is created by debiting the requisitioning department’s equipment account. Unpaid invoices are filed by due date. On the due date, a check is prepared and forwarded to the treasurer for signature. The invoice and purchase order are then filed by purchase order number in the paid-invoice file.
Treasurer Checks received daily from the accounts payable department are sorted into two groups: those over and those under $10,000. Checks for less than $10,000 are machine signed. The cashier maintains the check signature machine’s key and signature plate and monitors its use. Both the cashier and the treasurer sign all checks over $10,000.
Requirements
a. Describe the weaknesses relating to purchases and payments of “special orders” by the Diamond Manufacturing Company.
b. Recommend control procedures that must be added to overcome weaknesses identified in part a.
c. Describe how the control procedures you recommended in part b should be modified if Diamond reengineered its expenditure cycle activities to make maximum use of current IT (e.g., EDI, EFT, bar-code scanning, and electronic forms in place of paper documents). (CPA Examination, adapted)
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