6. Premier Sports Memorabilia (Networks
Computer System with Manual Procedures)
(Prepared by Chris Polchinski, Lehigh University)
Premier Sports Memorabilia is a medium-sized, rapidly
growing online and catalogue-based retailer centered
in Brooklyn, New York. The company was
founded in 1990 and specializes in providing its customers
with authentic yet affordable sports memorabilia
from their favorite players and teams, past and present.
Traditionally, the company’s customers were located
in the northeast region of the United States.
Recently, however, Premier launched a successful an
ad campaign to expand its customer base. This has
increased sales, which has in turn placed a strain on
the organization’s operational resources. The company
currently employs 205 employees, who are spread out
among its three warehouses and two offices in the tristate
area.
The firm purchases from a large number of manufacturers
and memorabilia dealers around the country
and is always looking for additional contacts who
have new or rare items to offer.
The company has a computer network installed,
which, until recently, has served it well. The firm is
now, however, experiencing operational inefficiencies
and accounting errors. Your firm has been hired to
evaluate Premier’s business processes and internal
controls. The expenditure cycle is described in the following
paragraphs.
Purchase System Procedures
Premier’s purchase transactions are initiated when its
inventory levels for a certain item falls below the designated
reorder point. This is electronically monitored
through Premier’s inventory requisition system, which
is directly linked to the inventory file. Once an item
falls below the reorder point, an open requisition record
is automatically created. A valid vendor file is
used both to retrieve stored vendor information and
to check that items are being ordered through a preapproved
vendor with which the company has done
business in the past. Digital purchase requisitions are
made available to the clerks in the inventory control
department and the purchasing department via the
computer terminal.
When the purchasing department clerk views the
digital requisition, she prepares and prints five hard