Introduction to office administration
CONGRATULATIONS TO the many students who were successful in the recent examinations. Surely, hard work has paid off. To those who have to take the journey again, remember to be more focused this time, and at least you already have the basic concepts and principles of the subjects. New students, I would also implore you to be focused in order to achieve your goals.
Let me use this opportunity to commend The Gleaner Company for its thoughtfulness in supporting education by having the study guide published weekly so that you can have additional material to assist with your studies. I hope you will fully utilise these lessons.
For you students sitting the examinations at the end of this school year, you should be mindful that you will need to manage your time well. There are so many choices and priorities competing for your time. Stretch yourself too thin and you may find yourself feeling stressed out. I encourage you to fully embrace the moment and urge you to take the time to create a homework-friendly home environment that will allow you to excel. To regain control you should:
PLAN AHEAD
Get a calendar or personal planner. Mark the dates of midterms, internal examinations and regular tests. Note the due dates of your SBA and other projects as they are assigned. List any other time commitments you have, like a football or netball match.
STAY AHEAD
Try not to fall behind. If you find yourself falling behind and starting to feel frustrated, let your teacher or parents know. It’s better to get help early than to wait and think you can use a few nights to cram everything. If you are having trouble with your SBA, ask your teacher for extra help.
LISTEN
Paying attention in class can actually pay off in the long run. Sure, it’s often easier said than done, but actively listening and taking notes during class can make recalling information easier when it comes to the time to write for a test or an examination.
TAKE NOTES
If you take notes and review them before class begins (or while studying for an exam), you can ask a teacher to go over anything you don’t understand. It can also be helpful to go over notes with a classmate after class.
Students, have you ever thought about why you chose to do the subject office administration? Well, whatever your thoughts may be, I will briefly give the main idea of this subject.
Office administration is a business education subject concerned with the study of administrative principles, policies and procedures governing the office environment. Modern offices have become automated and the responsibilities of office personnel today bear little resemblance to what they were some time ago.
The office administration syllabus is designed to provide students with the knowledge and the technical and interpersonal skills to function effectively within a modern office.
In this series, we will look at the following topics – Office orientation; communication; recruitment and orientation; records and information management; reception and hospitality; meetings; travel arrangements; human resource management; accounts and financial services; procurement and inventory management; sales, marketing and customer service; operations, despatch and transport services. In addition to the topics, I will also look at the SBA and the Paper 03/2.
Tests and answers will be given at the end of each unit so that you can adequately prepare yourselves for your examination.
Be reminded that these lessons are designed for students who will do their exam in May/June 2019 as we would not have adequately covered the topics for the January sitting.
As we work throughout this school year, let me emphasise the importance of TIME. You can do one of two things – WASTE TIME or USE TIME EFFECTIVELY – the choice is yours.
I look forward to working with you this school year. Next week, I will outline the format of the examination and give pertinent information on the School-Based Assessment.
Have a wonderful week.
Hyacinth Tugman is an independent contributor. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com.