IMIS F06 Office Practice

F06 OFFICE PRACTICE

Prerequisites

None

Assessment

By a single 21/2 hour externally set examination paper.

Aims

• Be aware of the ways in which an office may be organised and the place of the office within the structure of the company.
• Be aware of the services provided by an office and the duties undertaken by its staff.
• Be aware of the varying forms of communication used in the office environment and between offices and individuals. Eg. Inter-company Intranet.
• Be aware of and be able to use a wide variety of information sources.
• Appreciate the merits of different reprographic devices.
• Be familiar with a variety of office machines and accessories and be aware of IT and Internet Services.
• Be familiar with methods of storing information.
• Be aware of the importance of maintaining business records and the forms that these may take, to include various methods of payment to a company for goods and/or services.

Objectives

1.1 Define the purpose of an office.

• Define the main types of organisation, both public and private, sole proprietors, partnerships and franchises.
• Define the obligations of an organisation to its customers/clients, its suppliers, its employees and the community and environment at large.
• Describe the role of major departments which exist in most organisations including Human Resources (Personnel), Training, Legal, Accounts, Sales, Marketing, Information Technology, Production, Distribution and Management Services.
• Be aware of the structure and hierarchy of a company - depending on the type of organisation.
• Describe the job role of the Chairman of a Company, the Board of Directors, the Company Secretary, Managers and other members of staff, depending on the type of organisation.
• Define safe working practices with regard to health and safety in the office environment, including evacuation and fire procedures and regulations regarding the safe use of VDU’s.

2.1 Appreciate the differences between centralized and decentralized services.
2.2 Be able to consider the office layouts to suit status and differing purposes.
2.3 Be aware of the functions undertaken within an office, filing information, dealing with incoming
and outgoing mail, correspondence of information to others, data collection, recording information, processing data and handling money. Be able to describe the instructions given to staff when welcoming and managing visitors to the organisation.
2.4 Understand the qualities required and the duties carried out by the different staff in an office, copy audio and shorthand typists, secretaries, IT and word processor operators, filing clerks, telephonist/receptionist, office juniors, cashiers, wages clerks, and office supervisors.
2.5 Be aware of the safeguards necessary to reduce accidents in the office and the steps to be taken when an accident does occur.
3.1 Be familiar with the external postal services, including being able to look up postal costs for
documentation from information supplied. Be able to identify the special postage and delivery
services available.
3.2 Be familiar with the different types of postage services available - including reply paid envelopes, Freepost, and the requirements of customs and overseas post.
3.3 Be able to describe how to use a Franking Machine when dealing with outgoing post. Be able to state a suitable alternative to the use of a Franking Machine and how to record the cost of outgoing mail.
3.4 Be able to list the procedures for the distribution of all incoming mail, noting time scale allowed and the way in which damaged or suspicious items of incoming mail are normally dealt with by a member of staff within the company.
3.5 Be familiar with the commonly-used forms of written communication including letters, memoranda, circulars, reports and summaries.

Objectives

3.6 Be familiar with the forms of written communication relating to meetings, including agenda and minutes.
3.7 Be familiar with the use of WANs and LANs in the office environment as well as modern communication methods such as teleconferencing, electronic mail, bulletin boars and Internet services.
3.8 Be able to identify and describe scheduling aids (including new technology) that can be used effectively and efficiently throughout the company.
3.9 Be aware of both internal and external telephone systems within a company and the charges for external calls and be aware of international telephone dialling codes.
3.10 Be aware of the use of telephone services directory enquiries, weather, traffic, emergency services etc.
3.11 Be able to use telephone message pads, record messages and pass to the correct location.
3.12 Be familiar with methods for payment of telephone services, including transferred call charges, person-to-person calls, credit card, phone cards, call logging.
3.13 Be aware of the telegraphic services including telex, facsimile, telex and teletext.
3.14 Describe how to use pagers, voice mail systems and the use of a telephone answering machine.
4.1 Be aware of the variety of works of reference, including dictionaries, telephone directories, year books, public transport timetables and guides, street guides, atlases, trade directories and the use of reference sections in public libraries or other equivalent sources e.g. the Internet.
4.2 Be familiar with reference services available via the medium of television, the telephone, the computer or other media, notably newspapers.
4.3 Be able to use the reference sources, both manual and computerised to deal with simple enquiries relating to business and business transactions.
5.1 Be familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of various forms of reprographic equipment.
5.2 Be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of using carbon and NCR paper.
5.3 Be familiar with the use of facsimile reproduction.
5.4 Be familiar with the various types of printers available - used in conjunction with a computer for
producing documents.
6.1 Be familiar with different types of computer software used in an office and the use of IT and Internet Services.
6.2 Be familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of using a word processing package on the computer as opposed to a typewriter.
6.3 Be familiar with the advantages/disadvantages of:

• spreadsheets - v - manual accounting systems
• database systems - v - manual files/cards etc.

6.4 Be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of using audio equipment to produce documentation.
6.5 Be familiar with equipment used in various departments - Post Room, Filing Department and
Reprographics Department.
6.6 Be aware of the various forms of calculating machine and other ancillary equipment.
6.7 Be aware of the correct procedure to follow when operating machinery within the office.
6.8 Be aware of the procedure to follow when machinery breaks down.
7.1 Be familiar with methods for filing and indexing information both manually and computerised.
7.2 Be familiar with equipment used for filing and indexing records, and information.
7.3 Be familiar with the methods of storing computer data.
7.4 Be familiar with the use of microfilm and microfiche for storing records.
7.5 Be aware of the need to archive information and the need to retain and/or destroy information.
8.1 Be aware of the nature of a business transaction and of the stages involved from enquiry, through quotation to order and of the processes of supply, delivery and invoicing.
8.2 Be familiar with the documentation necessary to support the stages of a business transaction,
advertisements, catalogues, orders, packing notes, advice notes and invoices.
8.3 Be familiar with the documentation involved in the settlement of business accounts, credit and debit notes, statements, receipts, cheques, and proforma invoices.
8.4 Be aware of the different methods of payment to a company - to include cheques, post-dated cheques, cash, credit and debit cards.
8.5 Be aware of the reasons for the application of special discount and trade and cash discounts.
8.6 Be aware of the abbreviated references used in connection with business documents.
8.7 Be familiar with the need for a Petty Cashing System and how the system operates.
8.8 Be able to maintain simple stock records.
8.9 Be familiar with the operation of a Stationery Stock System and be aware of the documentation involved.
8.10 Be able to appreciate produce and understand elementary descriptive material to record the levels of business activity using bar charts, pie charts and line graphs.