ACCA AA Syllabus C. Internal Control - Is there a need for Internal audit? - Past Papers ^{1 / 3}

Sunflower Stores Co (Sunflower) operates 25 food supermarkets. The company’s year end is 31 December 2012. The audit manager and partner recently attended a planning meeting with the finance director and have provided you with the planning notes below.

You are the audit senior, and this is your first year on this audit. In order to familiarise yourself with Sunflower, the audit manager has asked you to undertake some research in order to gain an understanding of Sunflower, so that you are able to assist in the planning process. He has then asked that you identify relevant audit risks from the notes below and also consider how the team should respond to these risks.

Sunflower has spent $1•6 million in refurbishing all of its supermarkets; as part of this refurbishment programme their central warehouse has been extended and a smaller warehouse, which was only occasionally used, has been disposed of at a profit. In order to finance this refurbishment, a sum of $1•5 million was borrowed from the bank. This is due to be repaid over five years.

The company will be performing a year-end inventory count at the central warehouse as well as at all 25 supermarkets on 31 December. Inventory is valued at selling price less an average profit margin as the finance director believes that this is a close approximation to cost.

Prior to 2012, each of the supermarkets maintained their own financial records and submitted returns monthly to head office. During 2012 all accounting records have been centralised within head office.

Therefore at the beginning of the year, each supermarket’s opening balances were transferred into head office’s accounting records. The increased workload at head office has led to some changes in the finance department and in November 2012 the financial controller left. His replacement will start in late December.

The finance director of Sunflower Stores Co is considering establishing an internal audit department.

Required:

Describe the factors the finance director should consider before establishing an internal audit department. (5 marks)

You are a manager in the audit firm of Ali & Co; and this is your first time you have worked on one of the firm’s established clients, Stark Co. The main activity of Stark Co is providing investment advice to individuals regarding saving for retirement, purchase of shares and securities and investing in tax efficient savings schemes. Stark is regulated by the relevant financial services authority.

You have been asked to start the audit planning for Stark Co, by Mr Son, a partner in Ali & Co. Mr Son has been the engagement partner for Stark Co, for the previous nine years and so has excellent knowledge of the client.

Mr Son has informed you that he would like his daughter Zoe to be part of the audit team this year; Zoe is currently studying for her first set of fundamentals papers for her ACCA qualification. Mr Son also informs you that Mr Far, the audit senior, received investment advice from Stark Co during the year and intends to do the same next year.

In an initial meeting with the finance director of Stark Co, you learn that the audit team will not be entertained on Stark Co’s yacht this year as this could appear to be an attempt to influence the opinion of the audit. Instead, he has arranged a balloon flight costing less than one-tenth of the expense of using the yacht and hopes this will be acceptable. The director also states that the fee for taxation services this year should be based on a percentage of tax saved and trusts that your firm will accept a fixed fee for representing Stark Co in a dispute regarding the amount of sales tax payable to the taxation authorities.

Required:

Discuss the benefits of Stark Co establishing an internal audit department. (8 marks)

MonteHodge Co has a sales income of $253 million and employs 1,200 people in 15 different locations. MonteHodge Co provides various financial services from pension and investment advice to individuals, to maintaining cash books and cash forecasting in small to medium-sized companies.

The company is owned by six shareholders, who belong to the same family; it is not listed on any stock-exchange and the shareholders have no intention of applying for a listing. However, an annual audit is required by statute and additional regulation of the financial services sector is expected in the near future.

Most employees are provided with on-line, real-time computer systems, which present financial and stock market information to enable the employees to provide up-to-date advice to their clients. Accounting systems record income, which is based on fees generated from investment advice.

Expenditure is mainly fixed, being salaries, office rent, lighting and heating, etc. Internal control systems are limited; the directors tending to trust staff and being more concerned with making profits than implementing detailed controls.

Four of the shareholders are board members, with one member being the chairman and chief executive officer. The financial accountant is not qualified, although has many years experience in preparing financial statements.

Required:

Discuss the reasons for and against having an internal audit department in MonteHodge Co. (12 marks)