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Principles of Auditing Other Assurance Services 21st Edition Whittington Solutions Manual
Principles of Auditing Other Assurance Services 21st Edition Whittington Solutions Manual
Accounts Receivable,
Notes Receivable, and
Revenue
Review Questions
11-1 The term "customer's order" refers to the purchase order received from a customer. The term "sales
order" refers to the document created upon receipt of a customer's order. The sales order is a
translation of the terms of the customer's order into a set of specific instructions for the guidance of
various departments, including the credit department, finished goods, stores, shipping, billing, and
accounts receivable.
11-2 The audit of revenue and receivables is of significant audit risk because (1) overstatement of revenue
has been a factor in many instances of fraudulent financial reporting, (2) the overstatement of revenue
results in a corresponding overstatement of net income, (3) the determination of the amount of
revenue recognized may be determined by the application of complex accounting principles, and (4)
significant accounting estimates may be involve in the determination of the financial statement
presentation of receivables and revenue.
11-3 Good internal control in the billing process requires that someone other than the employee preparing
the invoice shall review the accuracy of prices, credit terms, and other data on the invoice before this
document is released. In IT systems controls are established to ensure that product prices are
accurately in the system, such as reasonableness tests and input controls.
11-4 The objective of the billing process is to notify the customer of the amount due for goods or services
delivered. A most important document created by the billing department is the sales invoice.
11-5 The statement is incorrect. Personnel in the credit department should grant credit and decide when
accounts should be written off. The credit department is independent and is evaluated on its ability to
balance maximizing sales with the collection of accounts. If sales department personnel knew they
could grant credit and write off accounts, they may be inclined to make sales quotas by selling to
customers with questionable ability to pay; or worst they may conspire with customers to receive
kick-backs by agreeing to write off their accounts.
11-7 The statement is correct in suggesting that voided shipping documents should be cancelled.
However, they should be retained, and not discarded so as to assure that the numerical sequence may
be accounted for.
11-8 All sales invoices should be serially numbered. Each day the billing department should send copies
of the invoices prepared that day to the accounts receivable department accompanied by a transmittal
letter specifying the invoice numbers used and the total dollar amount billed. By comparing the
individual invoices with the list of serial numbers and comparing the total debits to accounts
receivable with the total figure for billings, the accounts receivable department can be sure that it has
received and recorded all sales invoices.
11-9 Other specific procedures which contribute to good internal control over the business processes
related to accounts receivable include (only three required):
(1) The separation of the duties of the accounts receivable accountant from all cash handling
functions.
(2) Regular balancing of the subsidiary ledger of receivables with the general ledger control
account by an employee other than the accounts receivable accountant.
(6) Serial numbering of shipping documents, sales invoices, and credit memoranda, and regular
accounting for all numbers in the series.
11-10 The auditors should confirm with the bank the loss contingency for notes receivable discounted. The
auditors also should send separate confirmation requests to the makers of the notes receivable which
were discounted to determine the genuineness and validity of the notes.
11-11 The write-off of small notes receivable from officers, directors, stockholders, or affiliated companies
is obviously irregular and unacceptable practice. Such notes are almost always collectible by virtue
of the positions held by the makers. The auditors should investigate these related party transactions
fully; they will probably find that the charges to the allowance for uncollectible notes were made in
error and were not authorized by management. If the amounts were large, there would be more
reason to suspect an intention of self-serving activities or fraud on the part of the management.
11-13 The client company should request (on its letterhead) the customer to confirm the account receivable.
The auditors have no authority to make such a request directly on their stationery. The return
envelope should be addressed to the auditors' office to assure that the auditors have control over
confirmation returns.
11-14 The audit objective of determining the existence of receivables is most directly addressed by the audit
procedure of confirming accounts receivable and notes receivable by direct communication with
debtors. In addition, written confirmation also addresses the completeness and valuation assertions,
but less effectively because it deals only with recorded accounts and provides limited information on
whether the receivable is collectible. The procedure also provides evidence of occurrence and
accuracy of revenue transactions.
11-15 If the auditors find post office box addresses for many individual customers whose accounts were
selected for confirmation, the auditors should consider the possibility that the customers may be
fictitious, and that dishonest employees of the client company plan to "answer" the confirmation
requests.
11-16 Alternative auditing procedures to verify accounts receivable when confirmation is not practicable or
possible include examination of customers' purchase orders or contracts; examination of client's
duplicate shipping documents and invoices; and review of payments received from customers
subsequent to the balance sheet date.
11-17 Alternate auditing procedures that may be used when customers have not replied to confirmation
requests include:
(1) Send additional requests by registered or certified mail, with return receipt requested.
(2) The auditors might telephone to ascertain the balance or the reason for failure to respond to
the written request.
(4) The auditors may examine any payments to the account made subsequent to the balance sheet
date. The auditors may also examine the duplicate invoices, shipping records, purchase
orders, etc., for transactions making up the unpaid balance.
11-18 To test the client's sales cutoff at June 30, the auditors should compare shipping records with entries
in the sales journal, and receiving records with entries recording sales returns, for several days prior
to and subsequent to June 30. The auditors will be alert for sales and sales returns recorded in the
wrong accounting period.
11-19 An unusually large number of sales transactions just prior to the balance sheet date should be fully
investigated by the auditors. This situation may result from a strenuous effort made during the
closing days of the period to get out shipments and meet a sales quota. On the other hand, it may
reflect an improper cutoff of sales transactions at year-end, or even the recording of fictitious sales.
11-20 Excessive sales returns or allowances may indicate shipments made without customers' orders,
shipments of defective merchandise, a misstatement of inventory or of sales and receivables, or
weaknesses in internal control. One purpose of a review of sales returns and allowances subsequent
to the balance sheet date is to uncover any facts which necessitate adjustment of inventories,
receivables, or sales in the statements being audited. Another purpose is to test internal control
effectiveness.
11-21 The credit memoranda should bear the date and serial number of the receiving report on the return
shipment. The credit memoranda selected by the auditors for testing can be compared with records of
the receiving department to determine that goods were actually returned.
11-22 In testing the adequacy of the client company's allowance for doubtful accounts receivable, the
auditors review the following:
(1) Large past-due accounts not paid subsequent to the audit date.
(2) An aged trial balance of accounts receivable and comparison with those of prior years.
(5) Opinions of the client's credit manager as to the collectible portion of each large past-due
account.
(6) Relationship of the valuation allowance to (a) accounts receivable, (b) net credit sales, and (c)
accounts written off during the year. These ratios should be compared with those prevailing
in past years and industry averages.
(7) Information from a retrospective review of prior year’s allowance that indicates whether
management might bias its estimates.
11-23 Examples of types of receivables originating without arm's-length bargaining include loans to insiders
(directors, officers, key employees) and loans to affiliated companies. These types of receivables
should be shown separately with disclosure of the nature of the relationships and the amounts of the
transactions.
11-24 A retrospective review is an analysis of the judgments and assumptions underlying a prior year
accounting estimate. With hindsight the auditors can evaluate whether there appears to be any
management bias in the prior year estimate. The purpose with respect to revenue is to provide
information about possible management bias to assist in the audit of the current year revenue
estimates.
11-25 (a) FASB ASC 606 establishes a five-step process for recognizing revenue from contracts:
Step 2: Identify the Performance Obligations. The promises included in a contract constitute
the performance obligations. Identifying performance obligations can be relatively
straightforward, such as when a department store contracts to deliver a large-screen television
to a customer. Alternatively, it can be more complex, such as a contract to provide a new
computer system with a three-year software license, a right to upgrades, and technical
support. Management evaluates whether to account for performance obligations separately,
or as a group. In some cases two or more separate contracts negotiated with the same
customer should be combined and accounted for as a single contract.
Step 3: Determine the Transaction Price. The transaction price is the amount of
consideration management expects to be entitled to receive from a customer in exchange for
providing the goods or services. A number of factors should be considered to determine the
transaction price, including whether there is variable consideration, a significant financing
component, noncash consideration, or amounts payable to the customer. If the amounts
under the contract are variable, the transaction price should be estimated at the expected value
of the amounts under the contract. Examples of terms that create variable contract amounts
include discounts, rebates, and guaranteed service performance level agreements.
Step 4: Allocate the Transaction Price to the Performance Obligations. If the contract
contains multiple performance obligations, the transaction price should be allocated to the
separate performance obligations based on the relative standalone selling prices of the goods
or services. Determining the relative standalone selling price can be challenging when goods
or services are not sold on a standalone basis. The revenue recognition standard sets out
several methods that can be used to estimate a standalone selling price when one is not
available. In principle, this allocation is made based on the relative value of the various
performance obligations.
Step 5: Recognize Revenue When the Performance Obligations are Satisfied. Revenue is recognized
when the performance obligations are satisfied. The revenue recognition standard provides
guidance to help determine whether a performance obligation is satisfied at a point in time or
over time. When a performance obligation is satisfied over time, the related revenue is
recognized over that same time period. A modification of the terms of a contract, depending
on its nature, is accounted for prospectively or through a cumulative catch-up adjustment.
(b) To overstate revenue the following techniques might be used by Processing Solutions’
management (only two required):
(c)
Overstatement Technique Audit Procedure
1. Recording of fictitious contracts with • Confirmation of contracts with
customers.
11-26 (a) When a company engages in bill and hold transactions there is a possibility that the company
is inappropriately recognizing revenue. The auditors must ascertain that any transactions
recognized as sales meet the criteria for revenue recognition as set forth in SEC Accounting
and Auditing Enforcement Release No. 108. In these circumstances, the auditors will review
the provisions of sales contracts and consider confirming the terms with customers.
(b) When a company sells goods or services using a multiple performance obligation
arrangement, the revenue must be allocated to the performance obligations based their
standalone selling prices. When the goods or services are not sold separately, management
must estimate the standalone prices using an appropriate method, such as the adjusted market
assessment approach or the expected cost plus a margin approach. Therefore, there is a
possibility that management may attempted to misstate revenue by inappropriate allocation.
In these situations, the auditors will review the sales contracts and evaluate the
reasonableness of management’s allocation of the revenue to the various performance
obligations. This requires the auditors to evaluate the appropriateness of the approach taken
and the reasonableness of the assumptions underlying the estimates.
(c) When a company uses the percentage-of-completion method, there is a risk that management
may misestimate the amount of revenue earned on uncompleted contracts. The auditors must
carefully evaluate the costs allocated to the contracts and the estimates of the percentage-of-
completion. In some cases, the auditors may decide to engage a specialist, such as an
engineer.
(e) When salespeople modify the terms of sales through various side agreements an issue may
arise as to whether any particular sale meets accounting criteria to be recorded as such, and
whether the allowance for returns needs to be adjusted.
11.27 (a) A number of data analytic applications might be used to audit the existence of receivables and
occurrence of sales, including:
(1) Identification of customer shipping addresses that are post office boxes.
(2) Identification of significant customer returns after year-end in relation to the sales in the
last month of the year.
(3) Identification of customers with a large percentage of total annual sales in the last
month of the year.
(b) A number of data analytic applications might be used to audit the valuation of receivables,
including:
(1) Creation of an independent aging of accounts receivables based on the records of
customer sales
(2) Identification of customers with balances that exceed credit limits.
(3) Creation of an analysis of receivable totals by customer credit rating.
11-28 (a) An audit confirmation request is a written communication received by the auditors directly
from a party outside the client organization. The written communication usually affirms the
existence of, and rights to, an amount recorded in the client’s accounting records.
(b) To be valid evidence, an audit confirmation response must be received directly by the CPA
firm from the outside party who has replied to the confirmation request.
(c) A positive confirmation request requires a reply from the client’s customer in every case. A
negative confirmation request requires a reply only if the balance for which confirmation has
been requested is incorrect.
(d) Negative confirmation requests may be used for situations in which (1) the combined
assessed level of inherent and control risk is low; (b) a large number of small balances are
involved; and (c) the auditors have no reason to believe that the recipients of the requests are
not likely to give them consideration.
11-29 The confirmation requests should go to the makers of the notes regardless of whether the notes have
been discounted. The act of discounting a note receivable does not reduce the importance of the note
being genuine and collectible. A company which discounts its notes receivable remains in a position
of sustaining a loss if the makers of the notes fail to make payment at the maturity dates.
11-30 Confirmation of accounts receivable by direct communication with debtors is usually essential to the
issuance of an unqualified audit report. Confirmation of receivables is a presumed procedure, and
failure to perform such a procedure when issuing an unqualified report requires justification in the
working papers. The auditors must generally disclaim an opinion on the client’s financial statements
when they have been forbidden by the client to confirm receivables.
(b) The Solar executive appears to believe the auditors are solely concerned with the valuation or
collectibility of accounts and notes receivable. In fact, the confirmation process is primarily
intended to establish that the receivables are valid and that the customers (or makers of notes)
exist. Other audit procedures are followed to determine proper valuation.
11-32 Conn should consider applying the following additional substantive audit procedures:
11-33 In testing the aging of accounts indicated as past due, the assistant indeed verified the aging of those
accounts. However, the assistant completely neglected the accounts indicated as current on the client-
prepared trial balance. Any number of "current" accounts might in reality be past due. By ignoring a
significant number of individual accounts, the assistant was deficient in the test and he had no basis
whatsoever for reporting to the senior auditor that the client's aging work was satisfactory.
11-34 The answer to this question will vary with the nature of the company that the students select.
However, almost universally these companies use the percentage-of-completion method for at least a
portion of their revenues. This obviously presents the auditors with the risk that management’s
estimates of cost to complete a project will not be reasonable, and revenue will be prematurely
recognized.
11-35 (a) When the auditors identify a risk as being significant and requiring special audit
consideration, they must:
(1) Evaluate the design of the related controls and determine that they have been
implemented;
(2) Not rely solely on analytical procedures to address the risk; and
(3) Not rely on evidence obtained from prior audits regarding the operating effectiveness
of the related internal controls.
(b) Examples of ways that Nelson may react to this particular risk include:
Objective Questions
(a) (4) Over-recorded sales due to a lack of control over the sales entry function relates to
control risk not inherent risk. The other three replies all relate to inherent risk.
(b) (4) Answer (4) is correct because receivables are valued at net realizable value, and
assessing the allowance for uncollectible accounts for reasonableness will help the
auditor determine the proper amount. Answer (1) is incorrect because the limited
information in the accounts receivable ledger will not make possible tracing details to
the shipping documents—also, the shipping documents may not even capture the
total sales price that is included in the accounts receivable ledger. Answer (2) is
incorrect because while comparing turnover ratios may provide some information on
the collectibility of receivables, it is very imprecise. Answer (3) is incorrect because
it relates to presentation and disclosure more directly than valuation.
(c) (4) A sale either shouldn’t be recorded or a proper allowance for returns should be
established when a customer is likely to return the goods. Thus, simply recording the
sale is an example of fraudulent financial reporting when the customer is likely to
return the goods. Answers (1) and (3) are examples of errors, while answer (2) is an
example of misappropriation of assets.
(d) (4) Theft of cash register sales is an example of misappropriation of assets. Answer (1)
is an example of an error while answers (2) and (3) are examples of fraudulent
financial reporting.
(e) (1) Receivables should be confirmed unless the combined assessment of inherent risk
and controls risk is at the low level, receivables are immaterial, or the existence of
circumstances in which the use of confirmations would be ineffective.
(f) (2) Answer (2) is not among the SEC criteria because of the portion of the answer that
states “scheduled to occur in the near future.” Ordinarily delivery must have
occurred. Answers (2), (3) and (4) all describe circumstances required to recognize
revenue.
(g) (1) The goal is to determine the population to be sampled from to determine that all sales
have been recorded; therefore, the sample should be taken from a population of
source documents, here the shipping documents file. None of the other three answers
represent source documents that may be sampled from to determine that all sales
have been recorded.
(h) (4) Detecting overstated sales is a primary reason the auditors' review of a client's sales
cutoff. For example, shipments made in the first part of January may be improperly
included in the December sales total.
(i) (3) The objective is to determine the population the auditors would sample from to test
the existence assertion for recorded receivables. The direction of testing should be
(j) (2) Comparing shipping documents to related sales invoices addresses the completeness
assertion relating to sales. More specifically, it addresses whether all items that have
been shipped have been recorded as sales.
(k) (1) The auditor would send positive confirmations rather than negative confirmations
because the fact that the balances are delinquent may indicate that amounts are in
dispute. Examining subsequent cash receipts, answer (3), is unlikely to be effective
since many of the accounts will not have been collected. Inspection of internal
records, answer (4), is likely to result in less credibility evidential matter than
confirming the accounts.
(l) (1) Write-offs of receivables should be approved by a responsible officer after a review
of the account by the credit department. Answer (2) is incorrect because accounts
receivable, a recordkeeping function, should not authorize such entries. Answer (3)
is incorrect because other procedures (e.g., a review of shipping documents) may be
used to determine that the goods were received and because the shipping department
would have no other information on whether the receivable is likely to be collectible.
Answer (4) is incorrect because the account need not be overdue by several months
as a "current" receivable may become worthless due to, for example, a bankruptcy.
Classification
Procedure Audit Procedure of Audit
Procedure
a. Requested responses directly from customers as (2) (9)
to amounts due.
b. Compared total bad debts this year with the (1) (9)
totals for the previous two years.
c. Questioned management about likely total (3) (9)
uncollectible accounts.
d. Watched the accounting clerk record the daily (6) (10)
deposit of cash receipts.
e. Examined invoice to obtain evidence in support (4) (9)
of the ending recorded balance of a customer.
f. Compared a sample of sales invoices to credit (8) (10)
files to determine whether the customers were
on
the approved customer list.
g. Examined a sample of sales invoices to see if (4) (10)
they were initialized by the credit manager
indicating credit approval.
(a) Neither
(b) Strength
(c) Strength
(d) Deficiency
(e) Neither
(f) Deficiency
(g) Deficiency
(h) Deficiency
(i) Deficiency
(j) Strength
(k) Strength
(l) Strength
(m) Strength
(n) Strength
(b) (5) Answer (5) is correct because a review of the aged trial balance for significant past
due accounts will provide evidence on how much is expected to be realized on
receivables. This question addresses the valuation assertion.
(c) (8) Answer (8) is correct because vouching year-end accounts receivable balances to
supporting documents will provide evidence on whether there is an actual receivable
in existence as of year-end.
(d) (8) Answer (8) is correct because vouching year-end accounts receivable balances to
supporting documents will provide evidence on whether the client has rights to the
year-end receivables (e.g., through a valid sale).
(e) (3) Answer (3) is correct because a review of drafts of financial statements will help
assure that presentation and disclosure of receivables is adequate.
11-43 SOLUTION: Document Review Simulation—Keystone Internal Control and Tests of Controls
(time: 35 minutes).
Callout #1. d. We should age all uncollected accounts as of year-end, paying particular
attention to those to unauthorized customers to estimate likely doubtful accounts. Although all
accounts are ordinarily aged, most directly affected here are those related to the unauthorized
customers. Given these are unauthorized customers, an historic rate of 2% for overall sales may not
be appropriate, nor is there a reason to simply double that rate. The accounts need not be written off
at this point since many (or all) may ultimately be collectible.
Callout #2 c. Destination shortly prior to year-end to determine that the sale is recorded in the
period goods were received by the customer. The sample results show that goods shipped FOB
Destination (or shipping point) are recorded when the items are shipped, rather than when they are
received. Accordingly, sampling those shipped shortly prior to year-end will provide evidence on
whether they have been recorded in the appropriate period. Items shipped FOB shipping point are not
at issue here as the sale is appropriately recorded at shipping. Sales shipped FOB Destination after
year-end are subsequent year sales.
Callout #3. d. no sales recorded in year 5 that should have been recorded in year 6. The sales
in question are those shipped FOB Destination. But here, all sales shipped FOB Destination had been
received by customers prior to year-end of year 5. Two sales received by customers were received in
year 5 and recorded in year 6 sales; but this is appropriate since the items were shipped FOB shipping
point, and title passes at the date shipped for such items.
Callout #4. c. shipping documents and determine that related sales has been recorded in the
sales journal. Since the goods were shipped, beginning with the shipping document is appropriate.
Beginning with the invoices is not appropriate as no invoice was prepared for these goods (Exhibit 4).
Comparing authorized customers with their purchases provides no evidence addressing the issue.
Beginning with recorded sales is inappropriate as the issue is unrecorded sales. Similarly, beginning
with unauthorized customers and their sales will not reveal unrecorded sales.
Callout #5. b. 7.5%. The most likely deviation rate in the population is equal to the deviation rate
Problems
(a) Due to the fact that Halston has a number of new products and a liberal return policy, it may
be very difficult to estimate the allowance for sales returns. With new products it may be
difficult to use prior return history to estimate the amount of returns.
(1) Review any trade journals and industry data that might have information relevant to
sales of the new products.
(2) Review trends in sales returns in prior periods, especially when new products were
introduced.
(3) Make inquiries of sales personnel about customer feedback on sales of the new toys.
(4) Review sales returns given in the subsequent period and compare the amounts to
prior periods.
11-45 SOLUTION: Internal Control, Tests of Controls, Substantive Procedures (Estimated time: 20
minutes)
(a) (1) Checking the clerical accuracy of invoices is a procedure that is designed to improve
the accuracy of customer billings and, therefore, the accuracy of sales and accounts
receivable.
(2) Accounting for prenumbered shipping documents is a procedure that is designed to
reduce the risk of unbilled shipments to customers. Thus, the procedure serves to
insure that all sales and accounts receivable are recorded.
(3) Approval of credit prior to shipment reduces the risk of sales to customers in amounts
in excess of their credit limits. The procedure helps to prevent excessive credit
losses.
(b) (1) Clerical checking of invoices could be tested by examining a sample of sales invoices
processed throughout the year for indication (e.g., the checker's initials) of
performance of the procedure. Of course, the auditors should verify the clerical
accuracy of the sample invoices themselves to obtain evidence that the checker
effectively performed the procedure.
(2) Accounting for prenumbered shipping documents might be tested by reviewing the
numerical file of shipping documents (typically maintained in the billing department)
for missing items.
(c) (1) Failing to check the clerical accuracy of sales invoices results in an increased
probability of errors in sales and accounts receivable. The auditors might
compensate by increasing the number of accounts receivable selected for
confirmation, or by shifting the confirmation date from an interim date to year-end.
Also, analytical procedures applied to the client's sales or gross margin might provide
evidence that sales are not materially misstated. For example, monthly sales for the
year under audit could be compared to forecasted amounts, or similar amounts from
prior years.
(2) Lack of control over shipping documents may result in an understatement of sales
and accounts receivable. To test for this understatement the auditors could select a
sample of shipping documents processed during the year and trace the details to a
recorded sales transaction. Again, analytical procedures for sales or gross margin
percentages might provide an indication of whether sales are understated by a
material amount.
(3) When credit approval is not obtained prior to shipment of goods, the amount of
uncollectible account expense as a percentage of sales is not likely to be as stable.
Thus, loss percentages of prior years are less useful in testing the adequacy of the
current year's allowance for doubtful accounts. To compensate, the auditors might
examine more credit information for specific accounts, especially for those that are
larger in amount or past due.
The journal entry recording Martin's sale of land to Ardmore is not acceptable, for it fails to recognize
the discount implicit in the transaction. The fair value of the note receivable from Ardmore is not
$550,000; because Ardmore refused to pay more than $770,000 principal and interest. By
acquiescing to an 8 percent interest rate, Martin's management tacitly acknowledged that the fair
value of the land was less than the $550,000 face amount of the note. The auditors should propose
the following adjusting entry as of March 31, 200X:
To correct entry recording sale of land to Ardmore Corp. Note receivable from Ardmore
($550,000) has a present value of $436,590 when its $770,000 maturity value is discounted
at 12%; as a result a loss of $63,410 ($500,000 cost less $436,590 fair value of note) was
realized on the sale.
(1) A contingent liability of $50,000 exists with respect to the discounted 60-day note from the
customer of unquestioned financial standing and this contingency should be disclosed by a
note to the balance sheet.
(2) The contingent liability to the bank for the $60,000 note receivable discounted should be
disclosed by a note to the financial statements. This disclosure should include a statement of
the intention to make an advance of $80,000 to the affiliate from which the affiliate will make
Current Assets:
Accounts receivable:
Commercial, less allowance
for uncollectible accounts $75,000 $ 542,000
U.S. government, including $320,000
claims under terminated contracts 3,502,000
Other Assets:
Due from Harwood Co., investee 480,000
(b) The claims receivable from public carriers and the trade notes receivable are immaterial, and
may be included with commercial accounts receivable. The allowance for doubtful accounts
and notes relates to the commercial accounts and trade notes, since receivables from the U.S.
government are collectible. Receivables from the U.S. government are of sufficient
materiality to warrant presentation. Since the termination claims are different from the
regular receivables and are themselves material, they should be disclosed.
The amount due from the investee should be shown separately because it is a related
party receivable. It also may need to be classified as a noncurrent asset, since it may be
collected at the convenience of the borrower.
# 5 Zimber should determine that the check was deposited on December 28 by examining the
supporting documentation (e.g., entry in cash receipts journal, deposit ticket, bank statement).
He should also determine (1) that the error has been corrected, (2) why the account was
recorded improperly, and (3) whether it is indicative of broader problem. This account should
have had a balance of zero as of year-end.
#22 Zimber should determine whether these goods were ever shipped, and if so, whether they
have been returned. The existence (or nonexistence) of a shipping document will in this case
provide a starting point for the analysis. It seems likely that the balance of the account should
be zero, but, prior to performing the above procedures, this is uncertain.
#47 Zimber should send a second request to The Big Edge. This second request should include
individual invoice numbers and amounts. It might also be helpful to send copies of the
#51 Zimber should determine whether (and when) the check was received and recorded in the
cash receipts journal. If it was received after year-end, the account is a valid receivable as of
December 31.
#62 Zimber should determine Pibson Gonker Corporation's address. This may be available, for
example, from the purchase order Pibson sent initiating the order. Zimber might wish to
further examine the propriety of this address through various databases on the Internet.
While the return of a confirmation request such as this might simply be due to misprocessing
the address, it might also have resulted from the company going out of existence or never
having existed in the first place. The proper balance is very much in question, although it
may well be found to be proper.
#68 Zimber should simply determine that the check was received early in January. The balance
of $66,000 has been confirmed without exception.
#72 While this receivable would seem to be confirmed without exception, the note might lead the
auditors to an investigation of whether the right of return on these and other goods is typical
for the industry and whether any sort of allowance for returns is necessary.
# 77 Zimber should examine the terms of the documents supporting the transaction to determine
whether this is a sale or a consignment. If it is a sale, it represents a receivable, although the
customer's misunderstanding may cause the auditor to question whether an allowance for
returns is necessary. If it is a consignment, the transaction should be recorded at cost with a
debit to Consigned Inventory and a credit to Inventory--in such case the receivable is
misstated.
# 79 Zimber should consider the terms of shipment to determine whether a valid sale has occurred.
For example, if goods were shipped "FOB shipping point" on December 31, or before, the
receivable is properly recorded as of year-end. If shipped "FOB destination" no sale should
be recorded until the goods are received by the customer. Students will probably have
learned about shipping terms in prior classes; the information is subsequently presented in
this text in Chapter 13. The only real knowledge necessary is that for transactions such as
this title ordinarily passes as follows:
FOB shipping points--title ordinarily passes when the goods are shipped.
FOB destination--title ordinarily passes when the goods are received by customer.
Ethics Case
• This explanation may be acceptable if the auditor has reasonable assurance that no
material misstatement is likely to exist. Any unrecorded liability relating to these flights
at year-end must be immaterial in order to justify the treatment.
• While booking the sale may be critical, the service provided by this company is
• The difficulty of obtaining the information does not justify a departure from GAAP that
materially distorts results.
(b) While under circumstances of relatively small changes in sales one might expect an
“averaging out” to occur, there seems to be no reason to expect this to be so when sales are
up 30% as compared to the previous year. How significant the 30% change is depends upon
the dollar amount of advance sales.
(c) To determine whether this averages out, one approach is to randomly select a sample of sales
late in each year (depending upon how far in advance passengers typically book tickets) and
attempt to determine whether they approximate one another. Also, an estimate might be
based on number of reservations booked in the new year if it is possible to efficiently capture
that information from the preceding year (which seems doubtful). Using that approach one
still needs to make an estimate of revenues related to the bookings. Another approach that
might or might not be possible, is to obtain assistance from the sales department (reservation
department). For example, the sales department could have helpful reports that could help the
accountant to make an estimate of sales for next year’s flight.
(a) A significant deficiency is a deficiency that adversely affects the company’s ability to initiate,
authorize, record, process, or report external data reliably in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles, such that there is more than a remote likelihood that a
misstatement of the company’s financial statements which is more than inconsequential will
not be prevented or detected. Whether the deficiency is material or not depends on the
potential effect on the financial statements, i.e., the potential misstatement from the
unrecorded liability. If the auditor considers it a significant accounting policy it should be
communicated to the audit committee.
(b) There is no requirement to report it elsewhere. It is doubtful that this policy is illegal. If
material refunds are expected a liability for potential refunds entry might be necessary.
(c) The policy might cause one to question the integrity of the firm’s management. It also seems
shortsighted as the airline’s success must in part be due to repeat customers. Future customer
or press awareness of this policy is not likely to have a positive impact on sales.
(1) Discuss the somewhat incomplete nature of auditor responsibilities in a case such as this.
The client’s policy does not seem ethical, and one might question what other similar policies
exist.
(2) What response is appropriate if the accountant’s assistant, Jane McClain, believes that
someone should be informed or, at a minimum, the financial statements should include a note
regarding the policy. Arguments for such a note would be that it is a significant accounting
policy or that a possible liability exists. Both of these seem doubtful.
(3) In recent years, auditors have increasingly attempted to provide value-added services to
clients in addition to the audit itself. The problem described in this case is a flaw in the
client’s business process and should be brought to the attention of management.
The first weakness is that sales invoices are prepared and mailed prior to delivery of goods. Errors
may occur in that different quantities of goods may ultimately be delivered than have been ordered, or
goods may not be delivered at all. A related problem, at year-end, is that sales may be recorded for
goods not delivered until subsequent to year-end, thus overstating sales and accounts receivable for
the year.
The second weakness is that accounts receivable are not written-off on a regular basis. This may
result in an inadequate Allowance for Doubtful Accounts, with an associated understatement of Bad
Debt Expense. Also, if management is not monitoring receivables collections, the company may
currently be selling goods on credit to uncreditworthy customers.
(a) Audit sampling for tests of controls can be used when performance of the internal control
procedure leaves some evidence of performance, such as a completed document or the initials
of the person performing the procedure. This evidence of performance allows the auditors to
determine whether the control procedure was applied to each item included in the sample. In
addition, sampling will only be used in circumstances in which (1) the auditors wish to assess
control risk for an assertion below the maximum, and (2) the likely rate of deviation from the
control is less than the tolerable deviation rate.
(b) The appropriate table for determining the required sample size is illustrated in Figure 9-4.
Using the row for a 1 percent expected deviation rate, and the column for a tolerable
deviation rate of 15 percent, we find a required sample size of 30 items, with 1 allowable
deviation.
(c)
Keystone Computers & Networks, Inc.
Attributes Sampling Summary—Revenue Cycle
December 31, 20X5
1. 1. Matching of
2. sales invoices 15% 1% 30
3. with delivery
4. receipts
(a) “KCN has engaged in a strategy to sell to customers with higher credit risk.” The implication
of this risk is that the company may experience significant additional amounts of bad debt
expense. The audit team addressed this risk primarily with the following steps:
10. Review the adequacy of the allowance for uncollectible accounts by performing the
following procedures:
(a) Review the aged trial balance of accounts receivable with the president.
(b) Review confirmation exceptions for indications of disputed amounts.
(c) Analyze and review trends in the following relationships:
(1) Accounts receivable to net sales.
(2) Allowance for bad debts to accounts receivable.
(3) Bad debt expense to net sales.
13. Review credit memoranda for sales returns and allowances through the last day of
fieldwork to determine if an adjustment is needed to record the items as of year-end.
14. (c) Compute the accounts receivable turnover.
(b) “The officers of the company receive significant bonuses based on quarterly results.” The
implication of this risk is that management may be inclined to misstate quarterly results to
maximize bonuses. The audit team addressed this risk primarily with the following steps:
• The confirmation procedures for accounts receivable, which include steps 2., 4., 5., 6.,
and 7.
• Review credit files and investigate any indications of fictitious accounts, step 8.
• The cut-off procedures for sales, steps 11., 12., and 13.
• The analytical procedures in step 14., especially the sales by month by salesperson.
11B-2 (a) Examining the sales by month schedule provides an indication that management may be
overstating revenue to meet quarterly and annual sales budgets. From the schedule, we see a
pattern of increases in sales in the months of March, June, September, and December, with
respect to computer sales. Also, note that the amount of sales tends to fall off in the month
following the end of the quarter. This pattern is even more pronounced with respect to
consulting revenue. The pattern is illustrated more dramatically with the following two
tables. Schedule I presents monthly sales amounts as a percentage of total sales for the year,
and Schedule II presents changes in monthly sales from the same quarter in the previous year.
Schedule II
Keystone Computers & Networks
Changes in Sales from the Same Month in the Prior Year
(b) The procedures that would address the risk of management overstatement of revenue in the
existing audit program include:
(c) Other procedures that might address the risk of management overstatement of revenue
include (only two required):
(1) Review contracts for consulting jobs performed during the period and examine time
records or other records that serve as a basis for billings. Ascertain that actual
billings agree to these records.
(2) Consider confirming consulting contract terms with customers and progress on
existing contracts.
(3) Make inquiries of salesmen regarding modifications to typical sales terms, e.g., right
to return goods for an extended period of time.
(4) Review sales recorded near the end of each quarter and inspect the related delivery
receipts.
1. $120,000 $120,000 ----- The book value is correct because the cash
receipt was not received by KCN prior to
year-end.
3.00
4.75 1.75 .75 1,182.00 886.50
6.30 1.55 .55 433.40 238.37
$1,124.87
Since the upper limit on misstatement is less than the tolerable misstatement
($150,000), the results indicate that the auditors would accept the population as being
materially correct.