economic enterprises, both for-profit and not-for- profit, generate revenues through business processes that constitute their revenue cycle. In its simplest
form, the revenue cycle is the direct exchange of finished goods or services for cash in a single transaction between a seller and a buyer. More complex revenue cycles process sales on credit. Many days or weeks may pass between the point of sale and the subsequent receipt of cash. This time lag splits the revenue transaction into two phases:
(1) the physical phase, involving the transfer of assets or services from the seller to the buyer; and
(2) the financial phase,
involving the receipt of cash by the seller in payment of the
account receivable. As a matter of processing convenience, most firms treat each phase as a separate transaction. Hence, the revenue cycle actually consists of two major subsystems:
(1) the sales order processing subsystem and
(2) the cash receipts subsystem.
This chapter is organized into two main sections. The
first section presents the conceptual revenue cycle system. It provides an overview of key activities and the logical tasks, sources and uses of information, and movement of accounting information through the organization. The section con- cludes with a review of internal control issues. The second section presents the physical system. A manual system is first used to reinforce key concepts previously presented. Next, it explores large-scale computer-based systems. The focus is on alternative technologies used to achieve various levels of organizational change from simple automation to reengineering the work flow. The section concludes with a review of personal computer (PC) based systems and control issues pertaining to end-user computing.
- Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should:
- Understand the fundamental tasks performed in the revenue cycle, regardless of the technology in place.
- Be able to identify the functional departments involved in revenue cycle activities and trace the flow
of revenue transactions through the organization.
- Be able to specify the documents, journals, and accounts that provide audit trails, promote the maintenance of historical records, support internal decision making, and sustain financial reporting.
- Understand the risks associated with the revenue cycle and recognize the controls that reduce those risks.
- Be aware of the operational and control implications of technology used to automate and re engineer the revenue cycle.
The Conceptual System
OVERVIEW OF REVENUE CYCLE ACTIVITIES
In this section we examine the revenue cycle conceptually. Using data flow diagrams (DFDs) as a guide, we will trace the sequence of activities through three processes that constitute the revenue cycle for most retail, wholesale, and manufacturing organizations. These are sales order procedures, sales return proce- dures, and cash receipts procedures. Service companies such as hospitals, insurance companies, and banks would use different industry-specific methods.
This discussion is intended to be technology neutral. In other words, the tasks described may be performed manually or by computer. At this point our focus is on what (conceptually) needs to be done, not how (physically) it is accomplished. At various stages in the processes we will examine specific documents, journals, and ledgers as they are encountered. Again, this review is technology-neutral. These documents and files may be physical (hard copy) or digital (computer-generated). In the next section, we examine examples of physical systems.
Sales Order Procedures
Sales order procedures include the tasks involved in receiving and processing a customer order, filling the order and shipping products to the customer, billing the customer at the proper time, and correctly accounting for the transaction. The relationships between these tasks are presented with the DFD in Figure 4-1 and described in the following section.
RECEIVE ORDER. The sales process begins with the receipt of a customer order indicating the type and quantity of merchandise desired. At this point, the customer order is not in a standard format and may or may not be a physical document. Orders may arrive by mail, by telephone, or from a field representative who visited the customer. When the customer is also a business entity, the order is often a copy of the cus- tomer’s purchase order. A purchase order is an expenditure cycle document, which is discussed in Chapter 5.
Because the customer order is not in the standard format that the seller’s order processing system needs, the first task is to transcribe it into a formal sales order, an example of which is presented in Figure 4-2.
The sales order captures vital information such as the customer’s name, address, and account number;
the name, number, and description of the items sold; and the quantities and unit prices of each item sold. At this point, financial information such as taxes, discounts, and freight charges may or may not be included. After creating the sales order, a copy of it is placed in the customer open order file for future reference. The task of filling an order and getting the product to the customer may take days or even weeks. During this period, customers may contact their suppliers to check the status of their orders. The customer record in the open order file is updated each time the status of the order changes such as credit approval, on backorder, and shipment. The open order file thus enables customer service employees to respond promptly and accurately to customer questions.
economic enterprises, both for-profit and not-for- profit, generate revenues through business processes that constitute their revenue cycle. In its simplest
form, the revenue cycle is the direct exchange of finished goods or services for cash in a single transaction between a seller and a buyer. More complex revenue cycles process sales on credit. Many days or weeks may pass between the point of sale and the subsequent receipt of cash. This time lag splits the revenue transaction into two phases:
(1) the physical phase, involving the transfer of assets or services from the seller to the buyer; and
(2) the financial phase,
involving the receipt of cash by the seller in payment of the
account receivable. As a matter of processing convenience, most firms treat each phase as a separate transaction. Hence, the revenue cycle actually consists of two major subsystems:
(1) the sales order processing subsystem and
(2) the cash receipts subsystem.
This chapter is organized into two main sections. The
first section presents the conceptual revenue cycle system. It provides an overview of key activities and the logical tasks, sources and uses of information, and movement of accounting information through the organization. The section con- cludes with a review of internal control issues. The second section presents the physical system. A manual system is first used to reinforce key concepts previously presented. Next, it explores large-scale computer-based systems. The focus is on alternative technologies used to achieve various levels of organizational change from simple automation to reengineering the work flow. The section concludes with a review of personal computer (PC) based systems and control issues pertaining to end-user computing.
- Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should:
- Understand the fundamental tasks performed in the revenue cycle, regardless of the technology in place.
- Be able to identify the functional departments involved in revenue cycle activities and trace the flow
of revenue transactions through the organization.
- Be able to specify the documents, journals, and accounts that provide audit trails, promote the maintenance of historical records, support internal decision making, and sustain financial reporting.
- Understand the risks associated with the revenue cycle and recognize the controls that reduce those risks.
- Be aware of the operational and control implications of technology used to automate and re engineer the revenue cycle.
The Conceptual System
OVERVIEW OF REVENUE CYCLE ACTIVITIES
In this section we examine the revenue cycle conceptually. Using data flow diagrams (DFDs) as a guide, we will trace the sequence of activities through three processes that constitute the revenue cycle for most retail, wholesale, and manufacturing organizations. These are sales order procedures, sales return proce- dures, and cash receipts procedures. Service companies such as hospitals, insurance companies, and banks would use different industry-specific methods.
This discussion is intended to be technology neutral. In other words, the tasks described may be performed manually or by computer. At this point our focus is on what (conceptually) needs to be done, not how (physically) it is accomplished. At various stages in the processes we will examine specific documents, journals, and ledgers as they are encountered. Again, this review is technology-neutral. These documents and files may be physical (hard copy) or digital (computer-generated). In the next section, we examine examples of physical systems.
Sales Order Procedures
Sales order procedures include the tasks involved in receiving and processing a customer order, filling the order and shipping products to the customer, billing the customer at the proper time, and correctly accounting for the transaction. The relationships between these tasks are presented with the DFD in Figure 4-1 and described in the following section.
RECEIVE ORDER. The sales process begins with the receipt of a customer order indicating the type and quantity of merchandise desired. At this point, the customer order is not in a standard format and may or may not be a physical document. Orders may arrive by mail, by telephone, or from a field representative who visited the customer. When the customer is also a business entity, the order is often a copy of the cus- tomer’s purchase order. A purchase order is an expenditure cycle document, which is discussed in Chapter 5.
Because the customer order is not in the standard format that the seller’s order processing system needs, the first task is to transcribe it into a formal sales order, an example of which is presented in Figure 4-2.
The sales order captures vital information such as the customer’s name, address, and account number;
the name, number, and description of the items sold; and the quantities and unit prices of each item sold. At this point, financial information such as taxes, discounts, and freight charges may or may not be included. After creating the sales order, a copy of it is placed in the customer open order file for future reference. The task of filling an order and getting the product to the customer may take days or even weeks. During this period, customers may contact their suppliers to check the status of their orders. The customer record in the open order file is updated each time the status of the order changes such as credit approval, on backorder, and shipment. The open order file thus enables customer service employees to respond promptly and accurately to customer questions.
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