You have been recently employed as an accountant for Motherboards and More Pty Ltd. The CFO has tasked you with reviewing the revenue cycle and providing advice to management regarding the recent ‘Ransomware Outbreak’ in May 2017. The CFO has provided you with the following:
- a narrative providing an overview of the revenue cycle;
- a level 0 data flow diagram depicting the revenue cycle; and
- a recent article regarding the Ransomware Outbreak.
These are all available in Interact resources.
Using the information provided to you by the CFO, you need to prepare a business report to him including the following:
- A summarised overview of the Revenue Cycle, from order to invoicing, for Motherboards and More [this should be no longer than one (1) paragraph. The CFO is already aware of the cycle, but this overview helps bring your report together for other readers] (1 mark)
- Identification of;
a. internal control weaknesses in Motherboards and More Revenue Cycle; (2.5 marks)
b. the impact these weaknesses could have on the organisation? (2.5 marks)
c. specific internal controls which could be implemented by Motherboards and More in the coming weeks to mitigate the risks posed by the internal control weaknesses you have identified. Your CFO does not want theoretical controls suggested. They want practical controls that they can implement within the organisation. (5 marks) [Note: all three (3) parts of question two (2) should be included as a table in your report] - A brief overview of the Ransomware attack. (2 marks)
- A detailed review of appropriate controls which you would recommend be implemented at Motherboards and More to protect the organisation from a potential Ransomware attack similar to the one experienced in the article provided to you by the CFO. These could consist of both application and general controls. In your recommendations, you need to consider which controls are the most appropriate for your client. (5 marks)
The application of appropriate academic writing skills (2 marks). This includes use of appropriate grammar and spelling, application of APA referencing and a report presented in a professional manner.
Rationale
This assessment task has been designed to assess your ability to:
- be able to evaluate accounting information system architecture; and
- be able to identify organisational risk and generate systems that control that risk.
Marking criteria
| Marking Criteria | HD | DI | CR | P |
|---|
| Analyse and evaluate business processes and model them using systems documentation | Ability to write a clear and concise overview of the given process and issue; essential details captured; language suitable for the desired audience. | Ability to write a clear and concise overview of the given process and issue; almost all essential details captured; language suitable for the desired audience. | Ability to write a concise overview of the given process and issue; almost all essential details captured; language is mostly suitable for the desired audience; minor errors. | Ability to write an accurate overview of the given process and issue; key details captured; language is mostly suitable for the desired audience; minor errors. |
| Be able to analyse organisational processes and identify relevant risks. | Outstanding evaluation of the key relevant risks and of how they impact the organisation. | An analysis of the key relevant risks and how they impact the organisation. | An above satisfactory analysis of the key relevant risks and an explanation of how they impact the organisation. | A satisfactory analysis of relevant risks, explaining how they impact the organisation. |
| Ability to recommend and discuss relevant internal controls to mitigate the identified risks | Provision of relevant recommendations for each identified risk, providing an outstanding level of detail regarding how they each mitigate the risks identified. | Provision of relevant recommendations for each identified risk, providing a high level of detail regarding how they each mitigate the risks identified. | Provision of relevant recommendations for each identified risk, providing above satisfactory detail regarding how they each mitigate the risks identified. | Provision of recommendations for each identified risk, providing satisfactory detail regarding how they each mitigate the risks identified. |
| Academic writing skills | Outstanding use of syntax, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation; succinct and effective use of vocabulary; correctly formatted using APA style referencing. Outstanding presentation of findings in the correct report format. | A high level use of syntax, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation; correctly formatted using APA style referencing. A high level presentation of findings in the correct report format. | An above satisfactory use of syntax, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation; reference list formatted in APA style, with few or no errors. An above satisfactory presentation of findings in report format with minimal errors. | Satisfactory use of syntax, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation; reference list used, formatted in APA style, with minor errors. Satisfactory presentation of findings, report format attempted, some errors or omissions present. |
Presentation
Your assignment needs to be presented as a business report to the CFO of Motherboards and More Pty Ltd. A business report includes;
- a cover page addressed to your required audience;
- an Executive summary (refer to the note below regarding an executive summary);
- a Table of contents (linked to the headings in the report);
- headings and sub headings clearly identify what is being discussed;
- a conclusion, including recommendations as required; and
- referencing (using APA style).
Note: an Executive Summary is not an introduction. An Executive Summary should be an overview of the entire report, including recommendations, and no longer than one (1) page in length. This may be the only page read by busy managers.
Requirements
APA must be used to reference all sources you have used for your assignment.
The CSU Library site provides an on-line guide to APA style referencing. This is the referencing style adopted by the School of Accounting and Finance. The guide can be found at: http://student.csu.edu.au/study/referencing-at-csu.
Review the rules regarding plagiarism and if you are not sure contact your lecturer or student learning skills advisor for advice. There is no excuse for presenting the work of others as your own; this includes cutting and pasting material from the web without properly referencing the source.
Your assignment must be submitted via Turnitin in word format only.
Any difficulties in submitting your assignments online electronically using Turnitin should be immediately reported by email. Include your name and student number in the header or footer of all documents submitted. Retain a copy of your assignment for your records.