Reference no: EM133205537
Tuju Utara Distribution Centre (TUDC) owns a number of distribution centres that would logistically link Klang Valley and the states in the northern region of Western Malaysia. The core business of the company is to provide third party logistic solutions and storage services to its clients. Most of the clients would physically come to the business premises to seek information on TUDC's services and some would contact via online.
On Credit Facility Approval
Some of the clients are cash clients, while some others are granted with a credit facility from the company. The credit clients will have to apply for the credit facility from the company's Credit Collection Department. Most of the times, the clients who have engaged with TUDC in highly valuable projects and those who are deemed as major clients would be granted a credit facility by the company. Prior to credit facility approval, the clients are asked to fill in an application form, providing information such as the company details, annual financial earnings, and the expected value of the clients' projects.
The clients will then submit the application form together with a copy of personal identity card (for an individual client) or company's registration details (for a business entity). There are no other additional supporting documents demanded upon submission of the application form. Once submitted, a clerk from the Credit Collection Department will review the applicants' documents within a day and grant the approval. The approval will be granted by the same clerk who process the credit application.
On Shipment and Billings
All shipments into the warehouse are managed by the Storage and Logistic Department. Upon arrival of the goods and cargoes from the client, the Marketing and Operation Department's personnel will forward the documents such as the consignment note, bill of lading, airway bill, custom declaration and shipping request to the clerk in the Storage and Logistic Department for further shipment process. Then, a job order will be created in the system and the job order sheet is issued by the same clerk on the same day.
The original job order sheet with relevant supporting documents will then be handed immediately to the Billing Department. Upon receipt of the job order sheet, the clerk of the Billing Department will then create sales invoices based on the respective job orders. Each issuance of sales invoices for the clients will be automatically updated in the billing system and will be simultaneously updated in the system accessed by the Credit Collection Department. A normal credit term of an invoice is within 30 days. However, there are special cases whereby the credit terms are for 15 days only.
On Credit Collection
The head of the Credit Collection Department would normally generate Debtors' Ageing Report from the system on a monthly basis for the department's performance review purpose. From the ageing report, further proactive actions will be taken in improving the department's collection performance. However, there are no clear procedures pertaining to the classification of bad debts that occurred among the clients. The personnel of the Credit Collection Department would call the bad paymaster clients who have long overdue amounts and deemed uncollectible as a reminder. However, there was no official letter of demand issued to the debtors by the department.
Required:
1. Discuss FIVE (5) weaknesses of controls in TUDC's revenue-related activities and the implications associated with each of those control weaknesses.
2. Suggest FIVE (5) corrective actions that can be used to overcome the weaknesses identified in (a).