...Recommendation Brief for an Internal Accountant Recommendation Brief for an Internal Accountant Internal accountants or auditors can be beneficial to a company when there are problems within their accounting functions that are causing harm to the financial records. Internal auditors are able to perform many different tasks for the company and if they are an employee of the company already, it can save time when there is an issue because he or she has the knowledge of the internal control systems and may be able to fix the bug or problem in less time. Internal auditors are usually employed because they can compare what the company has now and what it should be in order to stay in compliance with the SOX Act (Advameg, Inc., 2011). Internal accountants can review how reliable the financial information is, review the company’s systems to make sure they are in compliance, make recommendations to improve the system, check the assets of the company and how they are safeguarded, and advise the company if their resources are being used adequately (Advameg, Inc., 2011). Internal accountants can perform different types of audits for the company such as an operational, program, fraud, ethical business practices, compliance, financial, control self assessment audits as well as a systems development and life cycle review (Advameg, Inc., 2011). Employing an internal accountant can save the company money because the company will not have to hire auditors to perform the different...
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...Internal Auditor Recommendation Brief The client has mentioned that it has an out-of-control system and is in need of direction, organization, and establishing appropriate controls. Because of the increased attention surrounding increased operating expenses, speculative transactions and corporate fraudulent activities by legislators, shareholders and the media has caused United States companies to focus on implementing and maintaining a comprehensive and effective system of internal controls. These corporations have enlisted the services of internal auditors or created an internal audit department aimed at reducing potential risks that may yield unfavorable results or exposure for the company. The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) states the objective of an internal audit assists organizations to accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes (Louwes, Ramsay, Sinason, & Strawser, 2007). Benefits of employing the services of an internal auditor provide a certified individual who is familiar with the intricate details of the company and can integrate seamlessly into its established processes and controls. Also an internal auditor offers an independent and objective review of the company aimed at recognizing and developing controls, and while improving the efficiencies of various processes and controls with the company’s best interest in mind. In some...
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...Internal Auditor Recommendation Brief Since Somerset Company has an out-of-control system, the company would be subject to audits from the SEC about their financial statements. In order to prevent this from happening, Somerset should consider hiring an Internal Audit Team of three people. The main focus would be to hire an Internal Auditor that would communicate what is required to prevent fraud, safeguard assets, financial reporting standards and to ensure that the company is in compliance with the SEC regulations. The internal auditor would improve Somerset’s internal controls. In this an explanation of the benefits of hiring an internal auditor, describe the qualifications and qualities needed for an internal auditor for this type of company and a recommendation of an internal auditor that meets the benefits and qualifications for this company. An Internal auditor and the team can validate the company’s internal controls and perform tests for fraud, negligence or waste. Internal auditors ensure that the internal controls are adequate and evaluate the company’s financial and information systems for accuracy. In addition to the benefits of hiring an internal auditor would provide the company a variety of audit services such as operational audits, fraud audit, compliance audits and financial statements audits. Operational audits are the most beneficial to Somerset’s needs in controlling their out of control systems. “An operational audit is a systematic review and evaluation...
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...thing that comes to their mind is the IRS. Internal audits however, can help managers manage the organization profitably and more efficiently if internal audit procedures are completed on a regular schedule. Business risk is the risk an entity will fail to meet its objectives, (Louwers, Ramsay, Sinaso, & Strawser, 2007). If an organization fails to meet its objectives repeatedly then the company will fail. To minimize any type of risks decision makers will demand timely, relevant, and reliable information. Information professionals, such as auditors will help to fulfill these demands. According to the American Accounting Association (1973), “Auditing is a systematic process of objectivity obtaining and evaluating evidence regarding assertions about economic actions and events to ascertain the degree of correspondence between the assertions and established criteria and communicating the results to interested users.” Therefore, the following are four environmental conditions that increase user demand for relevant and reliable information: (1) Complexity, (2) Remoteness, (3) Time sensitivity, and (4) Consequences. Complexity Presently, transactions and events are far more complex, in a way that decision makers and investors do not have the expertise to handle them. However, a professional, such as an internal auditor is trained to collect, compile, and summarize the key operating information on his or her own. An internal auditor has the expertise to break down the complex...
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...Recommendation Brief for an Internal Auditor Candace L. Beard ACC 544 May 23, 2011 Joseph Poletti Recommendation Brief for an Internal Auditor Internal auditing helps companies to look at ways of improving and achieving short-term and long-term objectives. Internal auditors are hired to perform internal audits that look at a company’s operations, investigating fraud, financial reporting, safeguarding assets, and compliance of the laws and regulations set for companies. The internal auditors are employed to improve a company’s internal controls. Effective working internal controls detect and prevent fraud that is tested by internal auditors. Benefits of Internal Auditor Understanding the benefits of an internal auditor will help in the decision of hiring an internal accountant. Internal auditors verify the effectiveness of their organization's internal controls and check for mismanagement, waste, or fraud. They examine and evaluate their firms' financial and information systems, management procedures, and internal controls to ensure that records are accurate and controls are adequate. They also review company operations, evaluating their efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with corporate policies and government regulations (Bureau of Labor Statistics). As an internal auditor he or she will be able to look for any mistakes and address them in the reports. Finding a professional to fill the role of an internal auditor benefits the structure of a growing business...
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...Recommendation Brief for an Internal Accountant Internal auditing helps companies to look at ways of improving and achieving short-term and long-term objectives. Internal auditors are hired to perform internal audits that look at a company’s operations, investigating fraud, financial reporting, safeguarding assets, and compliance of the laws and regulations set for companies. The internal auditors are employed to improve a company’s internal controls. Effective working internal controls detect and prevent fraud that is tested by internal auditors. Benefits of Internal Auditor Understanding the benefits of an internal auditor will help in the decision of hiring an internal accountant. Internal auditors verify the effectiveness of their organization's internal controls and check for mismanagement, waste, or fraud. They examine and evaluate their firms' financial and information systems, management procedures, and internal controls to ensure that records are accurate and controls are adequate. They also review company operations, evaluating their efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with corporate policies and government regulations (Bureau of Labor Statistics). As an internal auditor he or she will be able to look for any mistakes and address them in the reports. Finding a professional to fill the role of an internal auditor benefits the structure of a growing business, because it prevents the creation of faulty processes and limits the liability the company may be exposed...
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...Recommendation for an Internal Accountant University of Phoenix ACC/544 Facilitator: Michael Meyer June 6, 2011 Recommendation for an Internal Accountant Internal Auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization’s operations (What is internal auditing?, 2010). Internal accounting control is a series of procedures designed to promote and protect sound management practices, both general and financial that will increase the likelihood that: * Financial information is reliable, so that managers and the board can depend on accurate information to make programmatic and other decisions * Assets and records of the organization are not stolen, misused, or accidentally destroyed * The organizations policies are followed * And government regulations are met (Internal Accounting, 2011). It is important to have an internal accountant available to help instill these controls and ensure compliance with Generally Accepted Principles. Internal Accountants Management accountants and internal auditors are both imperative to a company to help with internal controls. Management accountants study and interpret business numbers, and decide on how money should be spent and advise management on key business decisions (Career: Management Accountants and Internal Auditors, 2011). Internal auditors check the records of management accountants to make sure they are accurate and that the controls are...
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...Journal of Accountancy Title: 10 Imperatives for Internal Audit Author: Ken Tysiac This article discussed how internal auditing professionals must be go above and beyond to combat risks and threats in the business world of today. The Institute of Internal Auditors issued a report outlining ten main areas that internal auditors can improve upon to meet these challenges. The ten key areas were as follows: anticipate the needs of stakeholders; develop forward looking risk management practices; continually advise the board and audit committee; be courageous; support the business objectives; identify, monitor and deal with emerging technology risks; enhance audit findings through greater use of data analytics; go beyond the IIA’s standards; recruit, motivate, and retain great team members; and invest in yourself. The first item up for discussion in the report is anticipating the needs of stakeholders. Internal Auditors should communicate more with business heads and other audit committees to better serve the clients expectations when developing audit plans. Another one of the ten key points that was addressed is being courageous in reporting to the stakeholders. Internal auditors should not be afraid to provide constructive criticism to the stakeholders and also be able to take what comes in return. The article states that Internal Auditors must be prepared to handle conflict. The last item in the report states that internal Auditors should recruit, motivate, and retain great...
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...Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes.[1] Internal auditing is a catalyst for improving an organization's governance, risk management and management controls by providing insight and recommendations based on analyses and assessments of data and business processes. With commitment to integrity and accountability, internal auditing provides value to governing bodies and senior management as an objective source of independent advice. Professionals called internal auditors are employed by organizations to perform the internal auditing activity. The scope of internal auditing within an organization is broad and may involve topics such as an organization's governance, risk management and management controls over: efficiency/effectiveness of operations (including safeguarding of assets), the reliability of financial and management reporting, and compliance with laws and regulations. Internal auditing may also involve conducting proactive fraud audits to identify potentially fraudulent acts; participating in fraud investigations under the direction of fraud investigation professionals, and conducting post investigation fraud audits to identify control breakdowns and establish financial...
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...non-profit organizations need because it deals with recording the progress of the organizations or institutions, analyzing figures and more importantly determining the future of a firm. This is achieved through analyzing and scrutinizing the current financial records and the previous years’ financial records. Accounting integrates various financial statements such as income statement, balance sheet and also the statement of owners’ equity (Lasser Tax Institute, 2010). This implies that there are various careers that are linked to accounting, and these are with inclusion of accounting clerk, accounting assistants, budget analyst, accounts payable clerk and chief financial officer (CFO). It also has careers such as staff accountant, Certified Internal Auditor and forensic accountants. Career Options Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is very important personnel in determination of the overall success of an organization. The officer is obliged to offering advice to the board members and an organization’s Chief Executive Officer in connection to the financial transactions that directly affects the direction to which the organization takes (Backer, 2009). The chief financial officers need to have varied skills and experiences, and also specified academic qualifications to enable them perform their duties effectively and efficiently. They are...
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...planned expenditures, is an integral part of accountability, and the extent to which a governmental entity adheres to its budget is a major consideration when assessing accountability. In August 2005, Violet Bay1 taxpayers were informed that their school system had run a $7 million deficit after several previous assurances that the system was fiscally sound and would finish the year with a surplus. By November 2005, an external audit determined that the actual deficit was $12.1 million. Three months later, a special grand jury report was released describing the causes of the financial crisis and addressing the means to correct the situation. What went wrong? Place yourself in the role of an auditor or a consultant and identify the problems. As you do so, you will better appreciate the importance of internal control and will gain experience in identifying and assessing client risks. While this case involves a governmental entity—a school district—no prior coursework in governmental accounting is required to complete case requirements. PART I – THE BUDGET PROCESS The Violet Bay School District (hereinafter, the “VBSD” or the “School”) provides public primary and secondary education to local students. The VBSD, with its elected 11-person School Board, is a separate legal entity, but is fiscally dependent on the City of Violet Bay (hereinafter, the “City”). The constitution and code of the state place responsibility for developing the School budget with the...
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...work the day shift but only one works the night shift from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Ms. Cooper manages the company’s overall operations from head office. Customer satisfaction has always been important to Mary and she visits each store at least once a week and spends several hours serving customers and working alongside her employees. This gives her the opportunity to evaluate customer satisfaction and assess the quality of service provided by the employees. Recently, Mary has noticed an increase in the number of credit card transactions declined by the bank. An analysis of the reasons given by the card issuers showed that several cases occurred after the customers had disputed the transactions. Mary has asked you, in your capacity as an internal auditing expert, to analyze the situation and inform her of your findings. Here is a description of sales for each of Ms. Cooper’s stores: 1. All sales are recognized on a cash basis, and the company accepts major credit cards and debit cards. 2. Each store has its own cash register which records all transactions. The files are uploaded once a week to the central system server located at the company’s head office. 3. At the head office sales data from each store are consolidated, and the files are then archived and permanently stored. 4. At the end of each month, the bank sends an electronic statement of all credit card and debit card transactions. This file contains a summary of transactions and a detailed list of transactions...
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...of $31 Million Internal Control Issues Joseph Chung Professor Jay Ranade ACC 628 Internal Auditing Overview of the Case An Illinois couple allegedly swindled computer giant Best Buy Inc. out of $31 million dollars over the duration of four years (2003-2007). Russell Cole and his wife Abby was allegedly accused of masterminding a multi-million dollar online bid-rigging scheme along with former Best Buy employee Robert Paul Bossany, who pleaded himself guilty in February 2009 to 29 counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering. Investigators found that the Coles had reported $15.5 million dollars in income from 2003-2007, with $14.2 million suspected to be in connection with the fraud. The Chicago Tribune said that Russell Cole called his $2.75 million dollar home in Deerfield, IL "the house that Best Buy built," but was under scrutiny by investigators who claim that the money was obtained through fraud. The Coles lavish lifestyle also included owning a Ferrari coupe, a Lamborghini convertible and nine other luxury/high performance vehicles with a total worth of about $2.8 million dollars that was confiscated by authorities. The Coles' attorney told the Chicago Tribune that the Coles' "did not engage in a fraud against Best Buy...We intend, at this point, to present evidence to the contrary if they've ever charged." As for Bossany, he cooperated fully with authorities in exchange for a recommendation of leniency from...
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...rationalization does a company make to justify a corporate culture where ethics are ignored? In recent years, greed, fraud, and a lack of ethical conduct have led to the collapse of many organizations. A variety of internal and external pressures can lead companies down the wrong path. And once the first misstep is taken, it’s a slippery slope to hurting stakeholders, the community, and your reputation. This turmoil and damage could have been avoided if organizations had chosen to maintain an ethical corporate environment, exercising integrity-rich behavior and ensuring the tone at the top was above reproach. This issue of Tone at the Top presents suggestions for creating and promoting an ethical corporate climate and the role internal auditors can play in helping ensure the environment supports ethical decisions and behavior. Code of Ethics It’s important to note that internal auditors adhere to their own Code of Ethics, which is included in The IIA’s International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF). The Code of Ethics mandates that internal auditors behave and practice with: n Integrity. n Objectivity. n Confidentiality. n Competency. It also delineates rules of conduct under each of the principles. A code of ethics is necessary and appropriate for the profession of internal auditing, founded as it is on the trust placed in its objective assurance about governance, risk management, and control. Ethical Values According to the Institute for Global Ethics (IGE), five ethical...
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...The Art Of Auditing Internal Auditor, August, 2000 by Lawrence Metzger "Creativity" and "auditor" are not contradictory terms. In fact, creative thinking is the linchpin of effective internal auditing--and it's a skill you can learn and polish. The work of internal auditors is as much an art as it is a science or technique. The internal audit process encompasses far more than a series of rote checklists; it is much more akin to an archeological dig, where layers of information are methodically uncovered. To connect and understand the layers of organizations, the internal auditor must be able to think creatively. Not only is creativity an inherent aspect of successful internal auditing, but it has become a hot, sought-after commodity in all fields. In his book Jamming, John Kao observes that we are living in an age of creativity. He argues, for example, that global competition is increasingly about a company's ability to mobilize its ideas, talents, and creative abilities. Kao maintains, along with other observers, that companies will increasingly be measured by their knowledge, and he emphasizes that creativity is the crucial variable in the process of turning knowledge into value. Knowledge is more than mastery of facts and data; it is also insight-the ability to see into a situation and make connections. Ideas are interconnected insights that we can grab and run with. And it is creativity that enables the transformation of one form of knowledge to the next. Kao states that...
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