Engaging office staff

Despite the almost universal use of computers and other electronic and mechanised methods of carrying out office work of all kinds, the most important factor in office administration remains the human one. The people in the office are still the most vital element in achieving a satisfactory and efficient office service, without which no

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Managing office staff

The effective management of office personnel, as with other groups of employees, is very much influenced by whether staff feel they are fairly and equitably treated, particularly in regard to pay scales relative to the type of work they do and the personal effort they put into their work. 1. Job Evaluation Because of

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Filing and indexing as services provided by the Office

1. Filing Filing is a commonplace feature of clerical work and is given little consideration until a document is urgently needed and cannot be produced: then its importance is recognised. It has been termed ‘the memory of the business’ which is a very apt description. Filing has two main functions (a) to preserve documents;

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Office Communication

It can be said with truth that nothing can be done without communi­cation: orders, instructions, information, requests all have to be commu­nicated in order that action may be taken on them. Communication is a vital service that the office provides to the organisation. The efficiency with which this function is carried out has a

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Some practical aspects of office communication

Communication takes many forms, some oral and some written, from face-to-face conversations, meetings and the telephone to typewriting and the teleprinter. Communications are conveyed in many ways from dictated tapes to pneumatic tubes, radio to messenger services. Which method to use depends upon circumstances and the factors on which to judge whether any particular

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Office Correspondence

We have discussed the importance of communication and the significant part letter-writing plays in this function. Correspondence is, indeed, an area where the office administrator should pay particular attention. Letters are written to perform two main functions: (a) that of communicating ideas and information; and (b) the recording of that communication in permanent form.

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Office Report writing

According to the dictionary a report is ‘an account or opinion formally expressed, after investigation or consideration’. It will be seen from this definition that a report is considered to be formal and is required to give an account of the matter covered or to state an opinion on it. Sometimes both are required.

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Office systems

An office system may be defined as a series of procedures designed to attain a specific objective. A procedure is a group of related tasks which, together, provide a routine. The differences between a task, a procedure and a system may be stated as follows: A task is a basic operation which, normally, cannot

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Office Organisation and method

Organisation and method has been defined in many ways but perhaps the most succinct is that it is ‘the organised application of common sense applied to office work to avoid or eliminate waste’. The use of the term ‘common sense’ is very relevant here because so many of the problems encountered in O and

Control of work in the office

In order that the office may run in a smooth and efficient manner it is essential that the work carried out be adequate to provide an effective service both from the point of view of quality and of quantity. This being so, it is necessary to establish certain controls to ensure the attainment of

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Office Forms

1. The Purpose of Forms An organisation works by communication, very largely recorded on paper. If variable information under fixed descriptions is frequently required it is most quickly and efficiently dealt with if the information is provided in the same fashion and in the same order on all occasions. Hence the use of forms.

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Minimising fraud and loss in Office

1. The Chief Areas of Fraud One of the duties of the office is to safeguard assets. This, of course, includes the steps taken to minimise fraud and theft and the provision of security methods where required. Complete prevention of fraud and other misdemeanours is virtually impossible but, nevertheless, every endeavour must be made

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Office Risk management

Risk management is a relatively new term which is used to embrace the practice of identifying serious risks which may beset an organisation, deciding on their relative importance and advising the most advan­tageous ways of combatting them or mitigating their effects. At one time it was the practice to take out insurance to cover

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A Brief History of International Trade

1. Ancient Period International trade based on the free exchange of goods started as early as 2500 BC. Archae­ological discoveries indicate that the Sumerians of Northern Mesopotamia enjoyed great prosperity based on trade by sea in textiles and metals. The Greeks profited by the exchange of olive oil and wine for grain and metal

Importance of International Trade to the Global Economy

International trade allows manufacturers and distributors to seek out products and services produced in foreign countries. Companies acquire them because of cost advantages or in order to learn about advanced technical methods used abroad, for example, methods that help reduce the cost of production, lower prices, and in turn, induce more consumption, thus producing

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Determinants of International Trade

Why do some countries export or import more than others? Several studies have been con¬ducted to establish major factors that influence exports. The trade and exchange-rate re¬gime (import tariffs, quotas, and exchange rates), presence of an entrepreneurial class, and efficiency-enhancing government policy, as well as secure access to transport (and reasonable transport costs) and

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Volume and Direction of International Trade

In 1990, the world reached a milestone when the volume of international trade in goods and services measured in current dollars surpassed $4 trillion. By 2012, the volume of exports of goods and services was more than four times the 1990 levels, approaching $19 trillion. The dollar value of total world trade in 2012

Important Developments in International Trade

Regional Trade Agreements After the implementation of the Uruguay Round, members of the World Trade Organi­zation (WTO) launched a subsequent round in Doha, Qatar, in 2001 to further reduce trade barriers. The focus of this round has been on the reduction of trade-distorting agricultural subsidies provided by developed countries and the introduction of equi­table

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The Limitations of Export-Led Growth

International trade played an important role in the economic development of North America and Australia in the nineteenth century and that of East Asian economies in the second half of the twentieth century. East Asia’s growth contrib­uted to increased living standards and reduced inequality as the new prosperity was widely shared among its population.

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The Impact of the Financial Crisis on Exports

In view of the higher risk and working-capital needs of exporting, firms rely more on banks for their exports than for their domestic sales. As a consequence, finan­cial crises are likely to affect exports more negatively than domestic sales. One of the most striking features of the financial crisis of 2008 was the col­lapse

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