#72 Debtors Turnover Analaysis

In auditing debtor balance, auditor will perform some analysis of the debtors turnover of the audit client, and compared the result to prior year to identify unusual fluctuations.

Debtors Turnover (day) is computed as below:

Average Debtor Balance / Sales x 365 days = Debtor Turnover (day)

Debtors turnover ratio indicates the velocity of debt collection of a firm. In simple words it indicates the number of times average debtors (receivable) are turned over during a year.

We will expecting a deteriorating debtor turnover (day) in this gloomy economy environment. To illustrate with an example, a customer of our audit client would take longer period to repay its outstanding balance due on time, and herein increase the number of day the receivable stays in the debtors balance.

Customers are squeezing their creditors by pro-longed their repayment period. Our audit client may, in another leg, delay the repayment to its (audit client's) suppliers.

A economy efficient would have been created, as the delaying in repayment has direct impact on the ultimate's suppliers decision on resource allocation. In afraid of selling items to doubtful customers, the ultimate suppliers might have cancel/ stop the supplies to our audit client.

As such, working capital need to be analyzed by auditor to identify unusual circumstances that might occur.

Ernst & Young Australia sacked nearly 100 staffs

The Big 4 accounting firms, once considered resilient to global economy slow down and credit crunch, have started to laid off its staffs. Apparently, it's not only the bankers are affected, but also the auditors/ consultants.

It's reported that Ersnt & Young Australia has sacked nearly 100 staffs recently.

Just yesterday, Treasuer of Australia Wayne Swan reported that Australia economy fell in to a recession trap, as evidenced by GDP shrank by 0.5 percent in 4th Quarter 2008. The economy is contracting for the first time in 8 years.

What about other Big 4 ( namely: Pricewaterhouse Coopers, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche)? Are they retrenching ?

Please feel free to comment on the blog, or drop us an email at myauditing@gmail.com.

#69- Implication of Credit Crunch on Money Market Fund

Before the spread of credit crunch, company's investment in money market funds are, in normal circumstances, classified as cash & cash equivalence. The classification is in view of the feature of high liquidity and easily/ readily convertible to known amount of cash.

However, the classifications above need to be challenge. We need to re-consider if the money market funds in current climate continue to meet the criteria of classified as cash & cash equivalence, by considering the following factors:

- short term
- hihgly liquid
- readily convertible