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 equipment, 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.