Lesson 2: Office and Office

Automation
 Learning Objectives

• On completion of this lesson you will be able to :

• • define office
• • classify office objectives
• • outline the services of an office
• • know what office automation is
• • identify the benefits of office automation
• • find out the obstacles to the growth of office
automation.
 Office

• The office of today represents the largest and the most exciting area for
• the application of information technology. Normally, office may mean a
• central place where some sort of paper work is performed by the clerks
• on their desks. But this definition, though sounds correct, is incomplete.
• The office can be defined as :
• "A place where proper records for the purpose of control information
• and efficient and effective operations are prepared, handled and
• serviced".
• • A place where professionals like physicians, lawyers, or
• engineers conducts their business.
• • It may consists of a few tables, chairs, almirahs, typewriters,
• telephone, photocopier, computer and additional equipment like
• calculator, cyclostyle and Xerox machines.
• • People in the office can be executives, secretaries, clerks and
• peons.
• An office is primarily concerned with the records of organization -
• making records, using records and preserving them for future reference.
 Function

• The functions performed by an office may be

classified as primary and
• secondary.
• • Primary function of the office is to make,
preserve and use
• records of the organization.
• • The secondary functions may be divided into the
following five
• categories.
 i). Planning :

• Another major office function is planning.

Planning means scheduling
• the activities of the organization and lying down a
course of action.
• Effective performance of all office work requires
prior planning.
• Planning is necessary to avoid wastage and delay.
Planning reduces
• overall cost of office operation.
 ii). Communication :

• Arranging communications between different

individuals within
• premises of the office through interviews,
telephones and conference etc
• and with outsiders through letters,
telephones, telegrams and personal
• meetings etc is an important secondary
function performed by the office.
iii). Compilation and Presentation of Statistics :

• Compilation and presentation of data are also

office work. Collection
• and comparison of prices, compilation of
costs, analysis of sales and
• reckoning of payroll is also part of the office
work.
 iv). Systematization and Cost Reduction :

• Systematization is done by analyzing the

existing office routines and
• adopting improved ones. Office cost may be
reduced by using automated
• technology whenever necessary. Off-line cost
may also be reduced by
• adopting better office forms and other labour
saving devices.
• v). Creation and Management of Information :
• All offices, irrespective of their size and kind, create and manage
• information that is required for making decisions or providing services
• to people within or outside the organization. The creation and
• management of information involves the following activities :
• • Capturing facts and figures,
• • Classifying and sorting,
• • Calculating,
• • Summarizing,
• • Storing and retrieving,
• • Reporting.
 Services

• The services of an office are as follows :

• • Mailing service : Receiving, distributing and dispatching letters,
• notices, circulars, memoranda etc.
• • Drafting, typing and duplicating services : Making arrangements
• for drafting typing and duplicating letters, circulars etc.
• • Oral communication service : Providing all assistance for
• arranging interviews, conferences, meetings and receiving and
• making telephone calls.
• • Accounting service : Recording business transactions,
• maintaining cost and financial accounts.
• • Filing and indexing service : Maintaining, preserving and
• locating all office records and account books.
• • Billing service : Preparing bills, passing credit and recovery of
• outstanding accounts.
• • Statistical service : Collection, tabulation and interpretation of
• statistical data and preparation of charts and diagrams.
 Characteristics of Office Automation System

• Office automation is a widely used term today. It generally means the

• application of computer and communication technology to improve the
• productivity of "knowledge workers".
• • Office automation refers to the use of sophisticated electronic
• equipment and communication systems to carry out the "electronic
• tasks". The tasks include
• • Text processing,
• • Data processing,
• • Information storage,
• • Information retrieval and updating,
• • Message distribution,
• • Document transmission and reproduction,
• • Teleconferencing.
• • Office automation is a process that involves people, procedure and
• technology.
• • Office automation technology include word processor,
• telecommunication, reprographics, e-mail, e-filing, facsimile
• transmission, micro-graphics and voice technologies.
• Office automation involves the use of computers, in conjunction
• with other electronic-equipment to automate the basic secretarial and
• clerical tasks of office.
• • Basic office automation consist of word processors connected to one
• another by means of a local area network.
• • Office automation should be designed as a multifunction information
• system to provide executives decision support tools such as:
• • On-line access to databases,
• • Model building and forecasting,
• • Risk analysis,
• • Sophisticated graphics,
• • Integration of data and text,
• • Data communication.
• Some office automation systems go far beyond the function of
• providing word processing on networks. PCs or workstations are
• connected to a network.
• • Office automation supports a large number of software packages that
• could be used as decision support tools. Important ones are :
• • Word processor,
• • Database management systems,
• • Electronic spreadsheets,
• • Graphics packages,
• • Electronic mail systems.
• Benefits of office automation include increased productivity, greater
• accuracy, lower clerical cost, continuously decreasing cost,
• decreasing size and increasing capabilities, quality and flexibility of
• outputs, and ease of operations.
Obstacles to the Growth of Office Automation

• The problems which can obstruct the growth of office

automation are as
• follows :
• • Monotonous job specialization can lead to boredom,
frequent errors,
• high personnel turnover and high training cost.
• • People may be unable to locate records in large files
because the
• records may have been stored under a number of different
• classification schemes.
• Cost associated with storing and duplicating documents within an
• organization or office, as well as the cost of preparing and mailing
• documents are often very high.
• • Wrong management approach for a particular office.
• • Poor selection of equipment relative to the employee's skill levels.
• • Some argue that automated office will trend to dominate our lives
as
• a society as individuals.
• • On the economic front, the pessimists argue, more people will be
• displaced and then unemployed as the advances in technology are
• accelerated.
• Some administrators have lost their job or have suffered a loss of
• status and prestige when office automation systems were
installed,
• and others have suffered anxiety at being forced to give up
familiar
• surroundings and procedures and to learn new techniques.
• • Clerical employees, for example, have often been displaced by
• computers and production employees are being threatened (or
• sometimes displaced) by the rapidly increasing use of office
• automation technologies or computer controlled machines.
• System miscalculation have also victimized individuals.
• • Individuals may temporarily feel threatened by a change and
• reaction may be evidenced by open opposition and even destruction .
• Besides these, the following symptoms may be found, these are-
• • withholding a data and information,
• • providing inaccurate information,
• • distrusting computer outputs,
• • showing lowered morale.
• • The lack of control over office automation system security has
• resulted in :
• • economic loss, i.e. theft of money and goods,
• • misrepresentation of facts,
• • system penetration and espionage,
• • a loss of privacy for individuals,
• • inconvenience,
• • and dehumanization.