L e a r n I n g o b j e c t I v e s
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| specific authorization for them to occur. For example, management review and approval maybe required for sales in excess of $50,000. In contrast, management can authorize employees to handle routine transactions without special approval, a procedure known as general authorization. Management should have written policies on both specific and general authorization for all types of transactions. Employees who process transactions should verify the presence of appropriate authorizations. Auditors review transactions to verify proper authorization, as their absence indicates a possible control problem. For example, Jason Scott discovered that some purchases did not have a purchase requisition. Instead, they had been personally authorized by Bill Springer, the purchasing vice president. Jason also found that some payments had been authorized without proper supporting documents, such as purchase orders and receiving reports. These findings raise questions about the adequacy of Springer’s internal control procedures. control activities - Policies, procedures, and rules that provide reasonable assurance that control objectives are met and risk responses are carried out. authorization - Establishing policies for employees to follow and then empowering them to perform certain organizational functions. Authorizations are often documented by signing, initializing, or entering an authorization code on a document or record. digital signature - A means of electronically signing a document with data that cannot be forged. specific authorization - Special approval an employee needs in order to be allowed to handle a transaction. general authorization - The authorization given employees to handle routine transactions without special approval. CHAPTER 7 CONTROL AND ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS SEGREGATION OF DUTIES Good internal control requires that no single employee be given too much responsibility over business transactions or processes. An employee should not be in a position to commit and conceal fraud. Segregation of duties is discussed in two separate sections segregation of accounting duties and segregation of systems duties. SEGREGATION OF ACCOUNTING DUTIES As shown in Figure 7-5, effective segregation of Download 1.2 Mb. Share with your friends:
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