Question Tag: Legal Proceedings

Your firm was recently appointed the statutory auditors of Foodys, a limited liability company in Nigeria, for the year ended December 31, 2015. The previous auditors, from whom your firm has received professional clearance, did not wish to be re-appointed as auditors.

The principal activities of the company are the distribution and retail of fine Spanish food products. All products are imported from suppliers based in Spain and delivered to Foodys’s central warehouse in the southwest of Nigeria. The company has its own retail outlets but also supplies national supermarket chains and small independent retailers in Nigeria. Sales through Foodys’s retail outlets are on a cash basis, and sales to supermarkets and independent retailers are on credit basis.

The company maintains computerised records for inventories held at the distribution centre and retail outlets. The inventory records are supported by continuous counting procedures, and as a result, the company does not undertake a physical count at the year end.

Foodys’s retail outlets are equipped with computerised tills. As each sale is recorded, the computer updates the quantity sold and the inventory balance. The manager at each outlet is responsible for banking the takings on a daily basis.

During the year, the company engaged consultants to design and implement the company’s new website with online ordering facilities. Under the terms of the contract, the website was scheduled to be operational by the end of September 2015 in order to take advantage of the high seasonal demand at this time of the year. Due to technical problems, the website was not launched until the end of November 2015. The consultants have been paid in full for their work. However, the company has commenced legal proceedings for breach of contract.

Despite failing to meet its sales targets in respect of online sales, the management accounts for the 11 months to November 30, 2015, indicate an increase in sales revenue of 12% compared with the same period in 2014. Inventory and receivables balances are significantly higher than the previous year as a result of the increased level of activity.

Management is planning to expand the retail activities of the business by opening additional retail outlets. It is hoping to fund the expansion with a bank loan and has approached the company’s bankers to provide the funding. The bankers require the audited financial statements before making a decision. Management is keen to have the funding in place to progress with the expansion and would like to have the audit completed by February 28, 2016.

Required:

(a) Identify the key business risks from the circumstances described above.
(b) List the factors which have led you to identify that risk.
(c) Outline the audit work you would perform to address the risk.