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As an internal auditor, our job is to add value to the company. I would consider the issue from another point of view. What are the terms and conditions of our sales contract? How to establish an oral contract that will be favourable to our company when disputes arise? How is the sales assumed to be complete? When the client pays the money, does he issue a check with invoice number marked at the back? Or your salesman collect cash from him? ......How can you demonstrate that the payment is for the invoice but not an advance payment or deposit. Try to establish the transaction pattern and payment pattern that will be favourable to your company. Can we voluntary give a 2% discount and bill an addition 2% for storage and custody fee...... Am I going too far behind an internal auditor? --- "Arceo, Ritchie A." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ���l�e�G> Hi Kishan/ Kashif. > > Revenue should be recognised when (IAS 18): > > 1. significant risks and rewards of ownership are > transferred to the buyer; > 2. managerial involvement and control have passed; > 3. the amount of revenue can be measured reliably; > 4. it is probable that economic benefits will flow > to the enterprise; and > 5. the costs of the transaction (including future > costs) can be measured reliably. > > Taking off from Kishan's narrative and Kashif's > insights on inventory treatment, it seems that real > ownership (such as that provided in condition #1 > above) is not yet with the buyer until the item is > physically in his possession (Kashif's insight on > separating stock from inventory). Further, > managerial involvement and control over inventory > have not passed on to the buyer yet because Kishan's > company still needs to monitor and store the > inventory set aside for the said buyers. On the > other hand, the amount of revenue can be measured > reliably because the company can collect immediately > from the invoice issued (thus the revenue measure), > and the economic benefit. This satisfies several > conditions above. > > The question really is on what basis do you > recognize revenue? If you practice cash accounting, > it seems you are properly recognizing revenue. If > you practice accrual accounting, then I would > suggest you look at the following. > > 1. You may have measured the cost of sale, but the > company really hasn't sold anything yet because to > recognize revenue, the significant risk and > ownership should transfer to the buyer, which based > on the narrative may not be so (i.e. keeping of > stock, probable choice of buyer to select a fresh > lot of items, etc.) unless transfer of ownership is > explicit and loss or damage of the items transfer to > the buyer upon invoicing (which should probably be > covered by contracts). > > 2. Relating it to matching of costs and revenues, > and taking Kashif's insight further, if the buyer > can choose "fresh" items and the company cannot sell > the items previously set aside for the buyer to the > same buyer, actual costs may not be matched against > revenues received because it would seem that the > majority cost (cost of sales) of the sale is > incurred and can only be measured properly upon the > decision of the buyer. > > 3. The company would be exposed to tax issues. You > would be recording revenues that do not match costs > actually incurred due to the choice of the buyer and > may pay either over or understated taxes. I > wouldn't know your tax laws so this is purely an > assumption. > > 4. Lastly, the company will need to address > physical inventory issues. The items segregated are > not consigned, and the company cannot say that these > items are not owned by them, unless an agreement > states otherwise. > > I think that a way to address this issue on > recording revenue would be: > > 1. Upon collection, record the receipt as a payable > to the buyer instead of revenue, as a non-trade > payable. You may maintain an AP subsidiary ledger > for this. > 2. Upon notification by the buyer of his intent to > obtain the item, prepare an entry to record the > sale, debiting AP-Non Trade. > 3. Of course, the corollary entry to record cost of > sales will follow (on a perpetual inventory method). > Because you know the lot from where the item was > taken, proper matching of costs and revenues will > ensue and you will have less exposure to tax and > inventory obsolesense. > > On inventory concerns, I think that it all boils > down to carrying cost and opportunity to manage > inventories better. I believe it would make better > business sense to not just set the said items aside > because unless the order came, the items will waste > away in storage incurring additional carrying and > maintenance cost, as well as obsolesence, unless > these are high-turnover items. If the company > initally treats these items as theirs, (ensure > though that proper safety stock level is monitored), > they have better hold of planning stock levels, > managing inventory lots, and ensure that items > received by their customers are relatively fresh, > and even avoid charging additional differential > prices adding better value to the services thay > provide. > > Hope this helps. > > Regards, > > > Ritchie A. Arceo > Finance - Management Accounting > Caltex Philippines, Inc. (A ChevronTexaco Company) > 10th floor 6750 Ayala Avenue 1226 Makati City, > Philippines > Direct: (632) 841-1811; Fax: (632) 841-1981 > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Kashif Marvi [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 5:22 PM > To: Kishankumar Solanki; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Audit of Inventory - Accounting for > Invoiced Items (moneycollected) but not delivered > > > > Dear Kishan, > > I think that as far as the system is concerned it is > correct upto recognition of the revenue, because it > seems that your company recognizes revenue on the > basis of raising an invoice and not on issuance of > stock, which is one of the recognized accounting > treatment. > > However, I feel that raising a DO and its > corresponding entry in the Inventory system is not > correct to be done. Firstly because the inventory > has not physically been despatched and is still in > the custody of the company to be delivered later, > and secondly because it will give a wrong inventory > figure at the time of stock take. > > Your company also keeps the stock seperately which > in my opinion is also not correct considering the > situation that the client asks for his goods after > the expiry of the item, in which situation he will > want a fresh stock to be delivered to him, whereas > the company cannot say to the client that as he had > paid in advance and his goods were seperated > therefore he can only have that expired good which > has long been saved for him in a seperate warehouse. > > If your company does imply the above procedure then > a situation will arise when lets say a customer has > already paid for the goods and when he comes for the > delivery of the goods he is given a fresh piece of > item which in fact is worth more due to revision of > the price, improvement, exchange difference etc. > > In this situation, I think, from the view point of > the inventory, the management of the company should > take one of the two decisions. Either they should > deliver a fresh piece of stock to the customer > without charging a higher price or should charge a > differential price at the time of delivery of the > goods. As far as the matching of the inventory with > the revenue is concerned, the management can always > prepare a reconciliation of the inventory with a > cushion of 5% for such undelivered stock. > > As far as the recognition of the revenue is > concerned, the procedure in vougue is correct if the > policy is to recognize revenue on the basis of > raising the invoice. > > Kashif Ali Marvi > Regional Internal Auditor > Scancom Limited (Spacefon) > Auto parts building, Graphic road, > Accra, Ghana > Mobile : +233-24-301123 > Email : [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Website : www.spacefon.com > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Kishankumar Solanki > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 8:29 AM > Subject: Audit of Inventory - Accounting for > Invoiced Items (money collected) but not delivered > > > Hello everybody, > > I have come across an interesting situation relating > to === message truncated === _________________________________________________________ �^�����l�A�Ӹ��A�n�ߤ���A�����B���i�ӭ�... �V800���ܷs��Hit����a�n! 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