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The importance of internal controls in accounting systems for small business.

 

Internal controls protect a company from fraud and also allow a company to be in compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or more often referred to as GAAP. 

What is internal control?

Overall, it a process implemented by a company’s Board of Directors and Management, designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding objectives in the following areas:

1.       Effectiveness and efficiency of operation in the business

2.       Reliability of Reporting

3.       Compliance with applicable rules, laws, and Regulations governed by GAAP, FASB, and GASP

Accounting systems provides businesses with a uniform way to use a company’s data and financial information to strategize in the areas listed above.

There are four key elements of implementing internal control:

1.       1.Environmental control

2.       2.Risk Assessment

3.       3. Control Procedures

4.       4.Monitoring  of all of the above – the overall system

The reason these issues are so important is that it ultimately protects the company from fraud and collusion.   In addition to criminal injuries, good internal control is necessary to inform the management of abuses or inconsistencies vis a vie over-production, poor production, or inadequate production by both personnel and equipment.  For example, manufacturing production controls must be stringently adhered to.  If a machine is off by 5% in making a product, the ramifications of this downturn could be a disaster.  Simiiarly with people.  People in an organization need to know what is expected of them up front.  This comes with good controls.  It then becomes easier to monitor their commitment, production and success at their job.  Numbers do not only belong in the front office.  For a business to run successfully, all employees need to know production numbers, reality of achieving those numbers and  can contribute mightily to enable production to increase based on their input.

In short, we could write pages about internal controls.  Suffice to say that this is just a snippet  of information  about running a business.  If you are a small business owner, an example of internal controls would be the issuance of a purchase order to your supplier, a receiving ticket created by you when product is received, and matched to an invoice when received.  Although internal controls can sound sophisticated and overly-complicated, the bottom line is that you must know your business, understand all facets of your business, and in general ALWAYS control the money.  Start with that and then we can go to using GAAP and FASB.  Good luck!

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Internet Marketing Crap!!!!!

Let me first start out and say that I am an internet marketer. Fairly new. That seems to be the problem. I am also a business coach and a dyed-in-the-wool entrpreneur. I have built two relationships with some internet experts online. I have paid for their packages and even looked at who they recommended. But what is going on with the push, push, push!!! Being fairly well-educated, I know how to read. If I don’t buy something at the original price of $399. how can it be reduced to $49.? This is a con and I for one am getting a little tired of being pushed into buying more and more and more on this subject. Instead of talking to me as an intelligent person and selling as an intelligent person with a legitimate product, I am getting inundated with crap. How do I know it’s crap? I don’t know for sure, but the example above gives me a clue. If a product is legitimate, it should have a legitimate price, maybe a sale, but that’s it. Who are we kidding here. Just get enough suckers to click on a site and give them a crap ebook that doesn’t really show them anything because you have to be an expert anyway.

Luckily I think I have found some good resources, but it wasn’t easy. Yes I would like to make money on the internet. Yes as much as I can. But don’t throw stupid numbers at me that a new person could NEVER hope to achieve in the beginning. I know business and I am prepared to LEARN the internet business. I don’t expect miracles but I resent these get rich schemes that prey on anyone that expresses an interest in learning this industry. Vultures is too kind of a word. So for those of you who are interested in this business, let me give you some legitimate resources that offer a real product for a fair price. No I’m not an affiliate and get no money for this. I just want you to have good resources.

FYI

www.thirtydaychallenge.com

This course if free given by Ed Dale and Dan Ranies and is truly a gift. They are giving back to the internet community in an most honorable way.

WordPressDirect.com

Run by fair people for a very fair price. Great source for finding key words.

TrafficGeyser.com

Again, very fair price and tremendous information about using video and audio on your sites.

With these 3 sites, you can begin to understand what’s going on in the internet world and start your business with confidence. Also, when you start getting billions of offers for other products, be careful what you buy. You might not need it. Inform yourself first by reading blogs. Happy Holidays Lorna

 

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