Office procedures for the 21st century

629 Pages·17.683 MB·English

by  Burton, Sharon;Shelton, Nelda J

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Office Procedures for the 21st Century
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ISBN 978-1-29204-209-1
9 781292 042091
Pearson New International Edition

Office Procedures for the 21st Century
Sharon C. Burton Nelda J. Shelton
Eighth Edition
International_PCL_TP.indd 1 7/29/13 11:23 AM
ISBN 10: 1-292-04209-5
ISBN 13: 978-1-292-04209-1
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ISBN 10: 1-292-04209-5
ISBN 10: 1-269-37450-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-292-04209-1
ISBN 13: 978-1-269-37450-7
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P E A R S O N C U S T O M L I B R AR Y
Table of Contents
1. Understanding the Changing and Challenging Office
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 1
2. Developing Professional Skills
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 37
3. Preparing for Your Employment
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 85
4. Time Management
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 137
5. Telecommunications
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 181
6. Building Communications Skills
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 221
7. Processing Mail
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 269
8. Records Management
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 313
9. Banking and Accounting Procedures
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 361
10. Scheduling Appointments and Receiving Visitors
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 401
11. Making Travel Arrangements
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 437
12. Planning Meetings and Conferences
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 467
13. Developing Effective Oral Presentations
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 511
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555646911315
14. Working in a Medical Office
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 541
15. Working in a Legal Office
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 563
16. Preparing to Meet the Challenges
Sharon Burton/Nelda Shelton 591
Index 615
II
Understanding
the Changing
and Challenging Office
From Chapter 1 of Office Procedures for the 21st Century, 8/e. Sharon Burton. Nelda Shelton. Copyright © 2011 by Pearson
Education.Published by Prentice Hall.All rights reserved.
1
Understanding
the Changing
and Challenging Office
AndresrShutterstock
2
chapter outline
Your Company
Know Your Company
Mission Statement
Ethics in Business
Current Office Trends
Organizational Structure
You and Your Manager
learning outcomes Your Role
Job Titles
Office Support Functions
When you have completed this chapter,
Telecommuting
you should be able to:
Job Prospects for the Future
Your Workspace
• Describe the purpose of a company
Ergonomics and the Environmental Office
mission statement.
International Employment
• Explain the purpose of a company
code of ethics.
• Define and explain the classifications
of authority.
• Explain the importance of
developing a good working
relationship with your manager.
• Explain the role of the office
professional.
• Identify common office support
functions.
• Define the elements of appropriate
ergonomic design in the workplace.
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Understanding the Changing and Challenging Office
Electronics are smaller,faster and wireless is the name of the game.The twenty-
first century office is high tech; office procedures are changing rapidly and are
influenced greatly by these technological changes.Today’s office professional
must possess a broad array of both technical and interpersonal skills.To keep pace
with changes, this means the office professional must be committed to lifelong
learning.The future promises to be an exciting one!
The purpose of this chapter is to help you understand how you will contribute
to today’s changing and challenging office.You will study how your role supports
the company,its mission,and your manager by the functions you perform and the
workspace you use.
Throughout the remainder of this text,the words manager or supervisor will
be used to refer to persons at all levels of management, and office assistant,
administrative assistant, and office professional will be used to refer to support
personnel.
Your Company
To project the image that you are a professional who knows what is going on in
your company, you must first spend some time getting to know all about the
business.With the economic changes that have occurred in the past few years,
companieshavebeendownsizingandrestructuringtomaintaincompanystabil-
ity, which has meant a reduction in the labor force.These changes have caused
management to evaluate each employee’s contribution and value to the com-
pany.You must look beyond the job you are required to do and keep abreast of
company happenings and project an image that shows you make a valuable con-
tribution to the company.
KNOW YOUR COMPANY
Knowing about your company allows you to leave the impression
with others that you are knowledgeable and can be a source of reli-
able information.Much of this information is available in annual re-
ports,files,and the company intranet system.Your experiences and
inquiries will also increase your knowledge. Remember, you repre-
sent your company’s image (see Figure 1).
You should know the answers to the following questions:
• Is my company a national or international company?
• Where are its various plants or offices located?
• Who are the top executives?
• What products does my company sell or manufacture or what
services does it provide?
• Who are my company’s competitors?
• How does my company rank in its industry?
• Is my company publicly or privately owned?
Learn as much as possible and stay informed about your com-
FIGURE 1 • You represent your pany’s progress.Showing interest in learning about the business can
company’s image. enhance your advancement within the company.
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Understanding the Changing and Challenging Office
MISSION STATEMENT
A mission statementpresents the goals,strategic intent,and business direction for
a company. Having a mission statement can be one of a company’s most impor-
tant plans.By affirming the company’s primary goals,this statement assures that
everyone in the company is working toward the same objectives. Common ele-
ments found in mission statements are concern for public image; quality; commit-
ment to survival, growth, and profitability; identity of customers, markets, and
services; a statement of company philosophy; and the traits that set the company
apart from its competition.Each company’s mission is different.
If your company has a Web site,the mission statement usually appears on it.
For example, Ben & Jerry’s (Figure 2) shares its mission statement online (www
.benjerry.com). Notice that the mission statement (Figure 3) is divided into three
FIGURE 2 • Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory located near Waterbury,Vermont.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
Ben & Jerry’s is founded on and dedicated to a sustainable corporate concept of prosperity.
Our mission consists of 3 interrelated parts:
Product Mission Economic Mission Social Mission
To make, distribute & sell To operate the Company on a To operate the Company in a
the finest quality all natural sustainable financial basis of way that actively recognizes the
ice cream & euphoric profitable growth, increasing central role that business
concoctions with a continued value for our stockholders & plays in society by initiating
commitment to incorporating expanding opportunities for innovative ways to improve
wholesome, natural development and career the quality of life locally,
ingredients and promoting growth for our employees. nationally and internationally.
business practices that
respect the Earth and the
Environment.
Central To The Mission Of Ben & Jerry’s is the belief that all three parts must thrive equally in a manner
that commands deep respect for individuals in and outside the company and supports the communities
of which they are a part.
FIGURE 3 • Ben & Jerry’s mission statement.
(Source:Reprinted with permission of Ben & Jerry’s.)
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