Improve Your Business: Workbook (ILO, 1986, 96 p.) 7. OFFICE WORK Part 1 - Questions Part 2 - Business practice Part 3 - Action programme How to construct your action programme Answers to business practice

Improve Your Business: Workbook (ILO, 1986, 96 p.)

7. OFFICE WORK

Part 1 - Questions

	Yes	No
1. Do you have a room or a separate place which is used for the office work in your business?
2. When someone telephones you in your office asking for information which must be on the files, can you generally find it while the caller holds the line?
3. Do you think the filing of your business documents is as good as it could be?
4. In your office, do you have one person responsible for ail filing of records? (If it is yourself - write “myself”.)
5. Do you keep a separate file or binder for business documents relating to the way your business is run such as annual reports, insurance policies and so on?
6. Do you have a typewriter to type your business letters?
7. If you look at the letterhead and typing of the business letters you recently sent, do you think they create a good impression of your business?
8. Do you think the appearance and layout of your office would give a good impression of your business to a visitor?
9. Do you use a stamp marked “Paid” to cancel all invoices and vouchers when you have paid them?
10. Do you use a simple calculator for calculating prices and checking on the additions and multiplications on invoices, ledgers, payrolls and so on?

Part 2 - Business practice

1. Given below is a list of things that you might find in a business office. Choose from the list the twelve which you think are essential for you to have in your office. Write them down against the letters below in the order of priority in which you would introduce them.

· a safe
· a calculator
· a photocopying machine
· a telephone
· a typewriter
· a desk and chair
· a desk diary
· a waste paper basket
· a calendar
· a file for important business matters
· business cards to give to people
· printed letter-head stationery
· an easy chair for visitors
· a wages file
· an expenses claims file
· a tax file
· data for invoicing
· copies of your own invoices
· a file for suppliers' invoices
· a general voucher file or paid invoice file
· an alphabetical letter file
· shelves for the files
· a wall chart showing your sales targets

Figure

(a) ______________________________
(b) ______________________________
(c) ______________________________
(d) ______________________________
(e) ______________________________
(f) ______________________________
(g) ______________________________
(h) ______________________________
(i) ______________________________
(j) ______________________________
(k) ______________________________
(l) ______________________________

2. Write down the names of three documents which you would put in a file called “The business”:

(a) ____________________________
(b) ____________________________
(c) ____________________________

Now that you completed the business practice exercises, turn to the page which follows the action programme. There you will find the answers. Check your answers against the answer solutions which are given. How many correct answers did you get?

CHECK YOUR ANSWERS!

THEN GO TO THE HANDBOOK FOR MANAGEMENT IDEAS

Now go to the Handbook and read thoroughly the management ideas in the same section there. You will then find that all the business practice exercises become easier to answer.

Part 3 - Action programme

How to construct your action programme

Count the number of times you answered “yes” or “no” to the set of ten questions. How many times did you answer “yes”? The more “yes” answers, the better you are in business management. Now look again at those questions you answered with “no”. Those are possible problem areas in your business. Choose the one which you think is the most important for your business. Take the most urgent problem first. Don't try to solve everything at once.

Now write the problem into the action programme opposite, as we have done with the example. Then write in What must be done, By whom and By when in order to solve your problem.

Finally, go back to your business and carry out the action programme.

Figure

Problem	What must be done?	By whom?	By when?
Example:
The place where we do the office work is too noisy and dirty.	Must organise a better place for the office work.	Myself and one worker.	Start on Monday next week, 5/8/86

Answers to business practice

1. This is only one suggestion about the important things in a small business office. Discuss your list of ideas with another business person.

(a) a desk and chair
(b) a telephone
(c) a typewriter
(d) a calculator
(e) printed letter-head stationery
(f) a waste paper basket
(g) a desk diary
(h) a file for important business matters
(i) data for invoicing
(j) copies of your own invoices
(k) a file for suppliers' invoices
(l) a general voucher file or paid invoice file

2.	(a) The partnership agreement, if any, or the memorandum and the articles of association, if a limited company.
	(b) Balance sheets and profit and loss accounts; bank statements.
	(c) Loan documents and insurance policies.

Figure