GREEN POND NURSERY (STAND ALONE PC-BASED ACCOUNTING

SYSTEM)

Green Pond Nursery Supply (GPNS) is a garden center wholesaler in eastern

Pennsylvania that sells and distributes a wide range of garden products and equipment
including organic fertilizers, premium flower and grass seeds, organic pesticides, and
gar den spreaders. GPNS's customers are primarily small garden centers and
landscape companies in the Mid-Atlantic states. Sales are on credit.

GPNS's current information system includes manual procedures supported by

independent (non networked) PCs in each department. Communications between
departments are entirely through hard-copy documents. Recently, GPNS has been
receiving complaints from suppliers regarding payment errors. Management believes
that these com plaints stem, in part, from their antiquated computer system. You have
been hired to assess GPNS's procedures and internal controls. The following is a
description of GPNS's expenditure cycle.

Purchasing Process

The purchasing agent receives an inventory status report from the inventory control
department, which identifies the items that need to be reordered. The agent selects the
suppliers, enters this information into the computer terminal to create a digital purchase
order, and then prints three hard copies of the purchase order. He sends one copy to
the sup plier; one copy to the AP department, where it is filed temporarily, and files the
third copy in the purchasing department.

When the goods are received, the receiving department inspects and verifies them
using the packing slip, which is attached to the goods. The receiving clerk manually
prepares two hard copies of a receiving report. One copy accompanies the goods to the
warehouse for storage. The receiving clerk sends the second copy to the purchasing
agent who closes the open purchase order. The purchase agent then forwards the
receiving report to the inventory control clerk.

The inventory control clerk receives the receiving report and updates the inventory
subsidiary. At the close of business, the clerk prepares an inventory sum mary, which
he sends to the general ledger clerk.

Accounts Payable and Cash Disbursements

Procedures

The AP clerk receives the supplier's invoice and reconciles it with the purchase order in
the temporary file. From her computer terminal, the clerk records the purchase in the
purchases journal and records the liability by adding a record to the AP subsidiary
ledger. The purchases order and invoice are then filed in the department.
Each day, the AP clerk visually searches the AP subsidiary ledger from her terminal for
invoices that are due to be paid. The clerk prepares the check and records it in the
digital check register. The negotiable portion of the check is mailed to the vendor, and a
check copy is filed. The clerk then closes the liability in the AP subsidiary ledger and
prepares a journal voucher, which she sends to the general ledger clerk.

Upon receipt of the inventory summary and journal voucher, the general ledger clerk
updates the inventory control, AP control, and cash accounts.

Required

a. Create a data flow diagram of the current system.

b. Create a system flowchart of the existing system.

c. Analyze the physical internal control weaknesses in the system.

d. (Optional) Prepare a system flowchart of a rede signed computer-based system that

resolves the control weaknesses that you identified. Explain your solution.

This case is good for 50 points.