Joan Hacker, CPA, is the CFO of Smooth Ride, a publicly held boat
trailer manufacturer. At the close of the second quarter of 2010, Joan received the
physical count of raw materials inventory amounting to $2,695,872. At the same time,
Joan’s self-designed computer model for deriving inventory figures showed a
raw materials inventory calculation of $3,374,024, which was $678,152 higher than
the physical count calculation. Since Joan was rushed to prepare the financial
statements, she used the computer model figure, resulting in a $181,000 net income and
$0.03 per share earnings. She adjusted the inventory to equal the correct count for the
end of the third quarter when she had more time. The result for Quarter 3 was a net
loss of $253,000 and a loss of $0.04 per share.
What are the control ramifications of Joan’s actions?
Financial statement audits of state and local governments are normally performed by
internal auditors.