To:
Manager
From:
XYZ
Date:
April 20, 2019
Subject:
Internal Control Lapses and Recommendations
Implementation of effective internal
control system helps the management to reduce the risk associated with Asset
Management and help the management to make sure that the information provided
in the financial statements is reliable and accurate for the shareholders and
stakeholders of the company. It is important for the management to make sure
that the operations of the company are according to the provisions of provided
laws and regulations. Internal control system helps in management to achieve
these basic objectives.
One
of the most significant deficiencies related to internal control system is
inadequate documentation or inadequate Record Keeping. Documentation is
responsible for providing evidence for any kind of transaction and inadequate
documentation will enhance the risk of fraud chances in the organization. In
order to reduce the risk associated with inadequate documentation, it is
important for the management to make sure that it is financial documents should
be standardized by the management and it will help to improve the strength of
internal control system prevailing in the organization.
Another
significant deficiency related to weak internal control system is lack of
control associated with authorization of transactions. It is important to
provide the Employees with authorities relevant to their job responsibilities
and job description in order to make sure that there is proper authorization of
transactions. For instance, management can assign a specific manager to provide
approval for invoices above $1000. This will help to improve the internal
control system in the organization. It can be achieved by officially defining
the duties of the employees working in the organization and properly separating
their duties. Specifically for small organization, it is important to assign
two or three Employees with authorities related to critical task and operations
in order to serve the purpose and achieved the formulated objectives. It will
help the organization to improve the control related to authorization of
transaction.
Another
significant deficiency related to week internal control system is lack of
reviewing the financial as well as non financial operational activities and
transactions. It is important for the management to frequently review the
reports in order to detect frauds and to prevent potential frauds. In order to
resolve this deficiency of internal control system, it is important for the
management to formulate daily or weekly basis financial statements and trial
balance. It important for the management to make sure that the accounting
system is periodically reconciled in order to make sure that they chances of
error and frauds could be reduced and the prevailing internal control system
could be improved. It is important for the management specifically to analyze
the budgeted amount with the actual amounts in order to calculate the variances
and analyze them accordingly on frequent basis.
Another
significant deficiency related to internal control system is lack of physical
as well as logical security. Due to lack of logical and physical security,
business assets and resources can be negatively influenced. It is important
that access to essential equipments, petty cash and other important physical
Assets of the company should be restricted to defined and appropriate
individuals only. It is important to make sure that management should conduct
physical audit of Assets on frequent basis in order to make sure that the
physical assets balances are reflecting the balances of financial statements.
Frequent physical audit of assets must be accordingly updated in the accounting
system in order to make sure that the accounting system balances are matching
with the actual physical balances. This will help in management to reduce the
risk associated with security breaches and will help the organization to
improve their overall internal control system.
Yours
Truly,
ABC.