2. Asset custody should be separate from the task of asset record keeping.
The physical assets at risk in the revenue cycle are inventory and cash, hence the need to separate asset custody from record keeping. The inventory warehouse has physical custody of inventory assets, but inventory control (an accounting function) maintains records of inventory levels. To combine these tasks would open the door to fraud and material errors. A person with combined responsibility could steal or lose inventory and adjust the inventory records to conceal the event.
Similarly, the cash receipts department takes custody of the cash asset, while updating AR records is an accounts receivable (accounting function) responsibility. The cash receipts department typically reports to the treasurer, who has responsibility for financial assets. Accounting functions report to the controller. Normally these two general areas of responsibility are performed independently.