Segregation of duties is an important concept in internal control. However, segregation of duties is often a challenge for smaller businesses because they do not have sufficient staff to always segregate duties. Normally, the segregation of duties identified below is either a significant deficiency or material weaknesses in internal control.

Required
For each segregation of duties problem identified below:
a. Identify the risk to financial reporting that is associated with the inadequacy of the segregation of duties.
b. Identify other controls, if any that might mitigate the segregation of duties risks.
c. If a control is identified that would mitigate the risks, briefly indicate what evidence the auditor would need to gather to determine that the control is operating effectively. The inadequate segregation of duties to be considered is as follows:
• The same individual handles cash receipts, the bank reconciliation, and customer complaints.
• The same person prepares billings to customers and also collects cash receipts and applies them to customer accounts.
• The person who prepares billings to customers does not handle cash, but does the monthly bank reconciliation which, in turn, is reviewed by the controller.
• The controller is responsible for making all accounting estimates and adjusting journal entries. The company does not have a CFO and has two clerks that report to the controller.
• A start-up company has very few transactions, less than $1 million in revenue per year, and only has one accounting person. The company’s transactions are not complex.
• The company has one computer person who is responsible for running packaged software. The individual has access to the computer to update software, but can also access records.