Principles of Management
Principles of Management
Henry Fayol, the Father of Management Thought was a French Mining Engineer. Based on his own experiences he developed his concept of administration. He propounded 14 principles in order to improve efficiency of managers and help them to adapt to the changing environment of business and take up new challenges. He strongly felt that managers should be guided by certain principles while facing problems in organisations. His general principles of management are still referred for successful functioning of an organisation. These are:
A) Division of Work: This principle suggests that work should be assigned to a person for which he is best suited. Work should be divided into small and simple jobs to be assigned to individuals. This facilitates specialisation and improves efficiency.
ii) Authority and Responsibility: Authority is the right to give orders to the subordinates and obtain obedience from them. Responsibility is the obligation of a subordinate to properly perform the given task or job, There should be proper balance between authority and responsibility.
Discipline: This principle emphasises that subordinates should respect their superiors and obey their orders. Discipline requires good and effective seniors at all levels. Both the workers and the management should honour their commitments.
iv Unity of Command: A subordinate should work under the supervision of one superior only from whom he gets instructions and to whom he is accountable It avoids confusion among subordinates and conflicts among the superiors.
v) Unity of Direction: Each group of activities having the same objective must have one head and one plan of action Otherwise, there may be wastage, over expenditure and useless rivalry among the managers. This ensures unity of action and coordination.
vi) Sub-ordination of Individual Interest to General Interest: While taking any decision, the collective good and collective interest of the organisation as a whole should be preferred to individual interests. The individual’s interest should be subordinated to the overall interest of the organisation. This ensures welfare of the organisation as well as its individual members.
vii) Remuneration: Management should try to give fair wages to the employees so as to ensure reasonable satisfaction of workers and reasonable standard of living. It should be just and equitable.
viii) Centralisation When a single person controls the affairs of an organisation. it is said to be complete centralisation In small concerns, a single manager can supervise the work of the subordinates easily, while in a big organisation, control is divided among a number of persons to facilitate operational decision making at various levels which is said to be decentralisation. Fayol’s opinion was that there should be a proper balance between centralisation and decentralisation of authority in an organisation.Elements of Delegation
According to Louis Allen, Delegation is the entrustment of responsibility, authority and creation of accountability. The elements of delegation are given below:
i) Responsibility: This is also known as entrustment of duties. Duties can be divided into two parts: one part, that the individual can perform himself and the other part, that he can assign to his subordinates to perform.
ii) Authority: Authority refers to the official powers and position required to get a job/task done. When duties are assigned to subordinates, then the required authority must also be conferred on them. For example, when a manager asks his subordinate to receive a guest of the company on his behalf, then he must also grant him some authority like, to use the company vehicle, booking the company guest house for accommodation etc.
iii) Accountability: This refers to the answerability on the part of the subordinates to whom responsibility and authority are granted to enswer that the work is done. In other words, the person who delegates the authority is fully answerable to his superior for performance of the task assigned to him. Thus, the superior ensures performance through accountability by his subordinate.IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
Communication is one of the most central aspects of organisational activities. It has been estimated that a Secretary spends most of the time in communicating – reading, writing, listening, guiding, instructing, approving, etc. Effectiveness of a Secretary depends significantly on her/his ability to communicate with the superiors, subordinates and external agencies such as bankers, suppliers, unions and government departments etc.
The following are the important functions of communication:
(1) It acts as a basis of coordination
() It provides coordination among departments, activities and persons in the organisation.
(iii) Communication makes possible for the smooth and unrestricted working of the enterprise. All organisational interactions depend on communications.
(iv) Communication provides needed information for decision making)
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(v) Communication is essential for quick and effective performance of managerial functions.
(vi) Communication is the basis of effective leadership.
(vii) An efficient system of communication enables management to motivate, influence
and satisfy the workforce.
3.6 ESSENTIALS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Effective Communication should exist in all organisations. Organisations keen on developing effective communication may adopt the measures are indicated below:
i) Clarify the ideas before communication: The ideas or information to be communicated to subordinates should be clear in all its perspective to theexecutive himself. The entire problem should be studied in depth, analysed and stated in such a manner that is clearly conveyed to subordinates.
ii) Communicate according to the needs of receiver: The level of understanding of receivers should be crystal clear to the communicator. The manager should adjust his communication according to the education and understanding levels of the subordinates.
iii) Consult others before communicating: Before actually communicating the message, it is better to involve others in developing a plan for communication. Participation and involvement of subordinates may help to gain ready acceptance and willing cooperation of subordinates.
iv) Be aware of language, tone and content of message: The contents of the message, tone, and language used, manner in which the message is to be communicated are the important aspects of effective communication. The language used should not offend the sentiments of listeners. The message should be stimulating to evoke response from the listeners.
v) Convey things of help and value to listeners: While conveying message to others, it is better to know the interests and needs of the people with whom you are communicating. If the message relates directly or indirectly to such interests and needs, it certainly evokes response from the person who communicates.
vi) Ensure proper feedback: The communicator may ensure the success of communication by asking questions regarding the message conveyed. The receiver of communication may also be encouraged to respond to communication. The communication process may be improved by the feedback received to make it more responsive.
vii) Communicate for present as well as future: Generally, communication is needed to meet the existing commitments, to maintain consistency, the communication should aim at future goals of the enterprise also.
viii) Follow up communications: There should be regular follow up and review on the instructions given to subordinates. Such follow up measures help in removing hurdles, if any, in implementing the instructions.
ix) Be a good listener: One should be a good listener. Patient and attentive listening solves half of the problems. Managers should also give indications of their interests in listening to their subordinates.Important Features of MS-PowerPoint
There are a number of features that are available in PowerPoint to make our easier. Some of the main features are:
(1) MS PowerPoint is a software application that has replaced 35mm slide sho by creating a series of of the past. One creates this presentation tool formatted”slide”. horizontal
(2) Each slide is created by putting a number of”placeholder” on each slide. The placeholders can be formatted to any size and hold either text or graphics
(3) One can add”special effect” for each placeholder, such as fly INS, fly OUT etc. to add interest and”sizzl” to the presentation.
(4) Video and audio can also be added.
(5) Adobe Flash and other applications can be used to add customized specia effects and interactivity.
(6) The uses of PowerPoint seem to be endless. Almost any presentation can be enhanced through visual and sound effects,
and this application has become the standard tool to do so.
11.9.2 Getting started with MS-PowerPoint
To start the program, click on the Start button in the task bar, select the Program option from the start menu, Click on the Microsoft Power Point option.
11.9.3 Components of a PowerPoint Presentation
PowerPoint presentation is a collection of slides, handouts, speaker’s notes and outline, all in one file. A presentation is created as a collection of individual slides
Slides: Slides are individual ‘sheets’ of a presentation. Slides consist of titles subtitles, text matter, graphs, freeform art, shapes, clipart, and visuals.
Handouts: Handouts are printed versions or copies of slides. This contains the text we want to pass onto the audience. It allows having two, three, four, sis or nine slides per page of handout.
Speaker’s Notes: This provides a speaking aid for the presenter. These notes can be created for each individual slide and can be printed for use by the speaker at the time of presentation. The top part of the notes contains the image and the bottom part contains the text or explanation of the same.
Outlines: In this option, only the titles and main text appear and not the art etc. A user can work in this outline mode without switching to the image mode of the presentation. PowerPoint is one of the presentation software, provides an easy to use method of creating a graphical presentation for a variety of users such as business people, academics, students, industry designers, who have no formal graphic design background. It allows a user to add text, provide borders, boxes, outlines, bulleted lists, including charts and graphics, draw and paint pictures, animate them and link all these things together with a lot of special effects. It also allows us to choose from a wide variety of formats that include sections such as titles, lists, images, or charts. Any of these can be incorporated into your presentation MS-Excel is a Windows based application package. It is useful in entering, editing, analysing and storing of data. Arithmetic operations with numerical data such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division can also be done with Excel. You can sort the numbers/characters according to some given criteria (like ascending, descending order etc.) and solve simple and complex financial, mathematical and statistical formulae.
11.8.1 Important Features of MS-Excel
There are a number of features that are available in Excel to make our task easier.
Some of the main features are:
1. Auto Format – It allows to choose many preset table formatting options.
2. Auto Sum helps to add the contents of a cluster of adjacent cells.
3. List Auto Fill – automatically extends cell formatting when a new item is added to the end of a list.
4. Auto Fill-feature allows you to quickly fill cells with repetitive or sequential data such as chronological dates or numbers, and repeated text. AutoFill can also be used to copy functions. You can also alter text and numbers with this feature.
5. Auto Shapes toolbar. It allows you to draw a number of geometrical shapes, arrows, flowchart elements, stars and more. With these shapes you can draw your own graphs.
6. Wizard-guides you to work effectively while you work by displaying various helpful tips and techniques based on what you are doing.
7. Drag and Drop – feature will help you to reposition the data and text by simply dragging the data with the help of mouse.There are many software packages for word processing. MS Word is taxes. The most important use of OFFICE you will find four main components in it. They are MS-WORD (for word umy, the Air Force and the Navy processing), MS EXCEL (for spreadsheet), MS ACCESS (for database management) process imigra It is a part of the package called MS OFFICE. In fact when you open up MS and MS POWERPOINT (for presentation purposes). However, we will limit ourselves to MS-WORD, MS-EXCEL and MS-POWERPOINT only in this lesson.
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11.7.1 Important Features of M. S. Word
Some of the important features of MS-Word are listed below:
i Using Word you can create the documents and edit them later, as and when required, by adding more text, modifying the existing text, deleting/moving some part of it.
can gain various amounts of in Changing the size of the margins.
Cur. Purchasing on the Internet
Ivantages over the traditional
Font size and type of fonts can also be changed.
iv. Page numbers and Header and Footer can be included.
Railways, Insurance, Defence,
V. Spellings can be checked and corrections can be made automatically in the entire document. Word count and other statistics can also be generated.
vi. Text can be formatted in columnar style as we see in the newspaper. Tables and Text boxes can be inserted. lotter
t important program. It is vii. Graphical pictures can be created or taken from Clip Art Gallery. Downloaded pictures, graphics & text can also be inserted in a word document.
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viii. Word also provides the mail-merge facility.
With the coming of computer, every thing has changed. Every bank is now ung Banking: When there was no Computer, work was carried out manually, by INTEX a computerized system because it is very fast and user friendly.
Schools and Colleges: There are many uses of computer in schools and 3) collages e.g. details of admission, fee, staff salary, examination result etc. Every student details need to be stored, so a computer program could help in this way. Multimedia, animations, graphics and charts could be used to teach the students and many boring topics can be made interesting by using multimedia.
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Business: A Computer helps businessmen to predict their future sales, profits, d) Me costs etc. and in making companies more accurate in their accounts. Computers may also play a vital role in aiding thousands of organizations to make judgmental and hard-provoking decisions concerning financial problems and prospective trends.
Government Departments: Among other tasks, the government uses computers to forecast the weather, to manage parks and historical sites, to process immigrants, to produce social security checks and to collect taxes. The most important use of the computer system in this field is perhaps the Army, the Air Force and the Navy,
Health and Medicine: Doctors use computers to assist them in diagnosing certain diseases. Computers are used greatly in managing patients, doctors, wards and medicine records, as well as deal with making appointments and scheduling surgeries.
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Communication with the World: The computes are most popular for their uses to connect with others on the World Wide Web. Therefore, communication i between two or more parties is possible which is relatively cheap. email, teleconferencing and the use of voice messages are very fast, effective and cheaper as well. When connected to the Internet, people can gain various amounts of knowledge, and know about world events as they occur. Purchasing on the Internet is also becoming very popular, and has numerous advantages over the traditional F shopping methods.
Computers are used in almost all organizations such as Railways, Insurance, Defence, Tourism etc.Printers
A printer is an output device that produces text and graphics on paper. To take a
printout you should ensure that the printer is properly installed and connected to the Computer. There are following types of the printers:
Ink-jet Printer
I sprays ionized tiny drops of ink onto a page page to create an image. This is achieved by using magnetized plates which directs the ink’s path onto the paper in the desired pattern. ayold
Laser Printer
It is most popular kind of printer these days. It operates by sharing a laser beam to produce an image on a drum. Laser printers print very fast, and the supply cartridge work a long time.
Dot-matrix Printer
It uses a set of closely spaced pins and a ribbon to print letters or other characters on a page. These printers actually impact the page to print a character, much like a typewriter. Dot-matrix printers vary in terms of speed and the number of pins they have.
Network printer
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It is a printer that provides output capabilities to all network users.
11.4.5 Hardware and Software
Basics of Computer
A computer needs both hardware and software for proper functioning. Hardware consists of the mechanical and electronic devices, which we can easily see and touch. The software consists of programs, the operating systems and the data that reside in the memory storage device. Hardware and software together form a computer system. Computer cannot do anything on its own and has to be guided by the user. In order to do any specific job you have to give a sequence of instructions to the Computer. This set of instructions is called a computer program. Software refers to the set of computer programs, procedures that describe the programs and how they are to be used. Software guides the computer at every step where to start and stop during a particular job. The process of software development is called programming.
11.5
APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTER
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Computer is used every where in the world in every field of life. There are many applications of Computer. A Computer can perform any kind of calculations in no time; where as a human being would take months and years to do the same calculations. Computer is used in almost every day application of life, some of them are explained below: Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Puccisions, controling functions and all sort of calculation work are done by CPU. It has two parts-The You call CPU as the brain of computer systeme Control Unit (CU) and Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), as explained below:
Control Unit (CU)
This unit tells the rest of the computer system how to carry out program instructions It directs the movement of electronic signals between memory – which temporarily holds data, instructions and processed information and ALU. It also directs these control signals between the CPU and input/ output devices.em
Arithmetical & Logical Unit (ALU)
This unit, usually called the ALU, performs two types of operations – arithmetic and logical. Arithmetic operations are the fundamental mathematical operations consisting of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Logical operations consist of comparisons i.e. two pieces of data are compared to see whether one is equal to, less than or greater than the other.
Memory Unit
Memory or storage unit of the Computer consists of various devices used to store the information. Memory can be divided into two categories viz. Main Memory and Secondary Memory, as explained below:
ⅰ) Main Memory
Main Memory of a Computer provides storage for data and instructions on which control unit and arithmetical logical unit operate. When data is entered into a Computer from an input unit, it is stored in main memory. It holds the program and data currently being used. It also stores the intermediate results. It usually cotains two parts, Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM).
ii) Secondary Memory
Because of the volatile nature and limited capacity of the main memory, the secondary memory plays a very important role in computer system. Secondary memory devices are non-volatile in nature, i.e, the information stored on them can not be erased even if we switch off the Computer. Therefore, after working on the Computer, the program can be stored on the secondary devices so that it can be used later. Various devices used for this purpose are magnetic disks, hard disks, pen drives, floppy disks and compact disk (CDs).
11.4.3 Output Unit
Output devices are used to get output or processed information from the All the information inside the Computer is in the form of bon fry A Computer is a machine that manipulates data according to given instructions. It can also be defined as an electronic machine that accepts input (data), processes it and gives output/results (information). To accomplish its various tasks, the Computer is made of different parts, each serving particular purpose in conjunction with other parts. A Computer is primarily made of the Central Processing Unit, the Monitor, the Keyboard, and the Mouse.
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CPU itself consists of Arithmetic and Logic Units (ALU), Control Unit (CU) and Registers.
11.4 BASIC OPERATIONS OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM
11.4.1 Input Unit
Input devices are used to transfer the data and instruction to the Computer. These devices translate the information from a language in which the user is working, into a language which the computer machine can understand. Usually this language is in the form of binary codes i.e. 0 and 1. Mouse, Keyboard, Light Pen and Scanner are the examples of input devices the use of office machines. Relieve monito machine monotony of repetitiveoffice work is reduced with
Better services and goodwill: The use of office equipment results in
and public, which enhances the prestige of the organization improvement of office services. This helps in giving better services to customers
Office
control over various office operations. 6. Effective control: Mechanization enables management to exercise effective
b) Disadvantages:
1. Heavy investment: Most of the office machines require huge initial investment. Further, an idle machine is as wasteful as an idle labour.
2. High maintenance cost: Machines require high operational and periodical maintenance, which becomes an additional cost to the organization. Sometimes, breakdown of machine may cause considerable loss.
3. Risk of obsolescence: Machines tend to become obsolete in quite a short
period of time. Further, many-a-times, machines purchased for specialized jobs
cannot be adopted for new or changed office methods.
4. Cost of skilled operators: Skilled and trained staff that possesses special skills is required for operation of machines. This means additional and higher cost to the organization.
5. Employees resistance: Due to fear of losing jobs, employees generally do not like installation of machines. That is why the Trade Unions resist to the use of the machines in the offices. Basic Objectives of Mechanization O Mechanization in the office has the following basic objectives:
To Save Labour: There is saving of labour as large volume of work can be handled by fewer employees.
( ii) To Save Time: Machines work faster and give more output than what is manually possible. Thus, there is considerable saving of time.
(ii) To Increase Accuracy: Office machines minimize clerical errors and maintain accuracy of work especially in accounting, computation, calculations etc.
(iv) To Improve Quality of Work: Work produced with the help of machines is usually neat and uniform in appearance.
(v) To Reduce Monotony: The routine work which is of repetitive nature is generally monotonous and normally leads to boredom. Office machines help in relieving human labour of boredom.
(vi) To Reduce Chances of Fraud: Machines like Cash Register, Cheque Writing Machine etc. help in minimization of frauds and misappropriation of funds to some extent.
(vii) To Ensure Better Control: Mechanization in office enables the management to exercise effective control over office operations. For example, Time Recording Machine ensures better control over attendance of staff.
10.3.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Mechanization OΙ Office machines, rightly called Labour Saving Devices, offer a number of advantages and disadvantages, which are discussed below:
a) Advantages:
1. Higher efficiency: As the speed of work is greatly increased with the use of office machines, it results in higher efficiency on account of saving a lot of time.
2. Greater accuracy: Mechanization ensures greater accuracy of work produced. Clerical errors can be reduced considerably when accounting machines are used.
3. Reduced operating costs: Office machines are labour saving devices. They save manual effort and increase productivity and thus lead to overall reduction
Sine die: Meaning without an appointed day, or indefinitely.
Standing orders: These are the rules compiled by the organization regulating the manner in which its business is to be conducted. It may also have the title ‘Constitution’.
Status-quo: Used to refer to matter in which there is to be no change.
Teller: A person who counts the votes at a meeting.
Ultra-vires: Beyond the legal powers or authority of a Company or organization.
Unanimous: When all members of a meeting have voted in favor of a resolution, it is said to be carried ‘unanimously’. As a Secretary, you will frequently come across, in the course of your duties many technical terms connected with business meetings. Some of the most commonly used terms are:
Ad-hoc: This means ‘arranged for this purpose’. An Ad-hoc Sub-Committee is appointed for the purpose of carrying out one particular piece of work, such as the arrangements for the visit of a VIP. These committees are also called special or special purpose committees.
Addressing the Chair: All remarks must be addressed to the Chairperson and members must not discuss matters between themselves in a meeting.
Attendance Sheet: A record of people present in the meeting, usually provided by the attendance sheet which is passed around for signatures by members.
Casting Vote: A vote usually allowed to the Chairperson, except in case of a company meeting. A casting vote is used only when there are equal number of votes ‘for’ and ‘against’ a particular motion..
Convener: A person authorized to call a meeting.
Co-opted Member: A person who serves on a committee as a result of the committee’s powers of co-option, i.e. the committee approves of the appointment of a co-opted member by a majority vote in order to engage the services of a person qualified to assist them in their work.
Ex-officio member: A person who is a member of a committee by virtue of office.
In camera: A meeting which is not open to the public.
Intra vires: Within the powers of the person or body concerned.
Memorandum and articles of association: These are regulations drawn up by a company setting out the objects for which the company is formed and defining the manner in which its business shall be conducted.
Nem con (nemine contradicente): This means ‘no one contradicting’ i.e. there are no votes against a motion, but some members have not voted at all.
Poll: Poll is the term given for the method of voting at an election and in a meeting this usually takes the form of a secret vote by ballot paper.
Proxy: A person appointed to attend a meeting and vote on behalf of a member who is unable to attend.
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Rider: A rider is an additional clause or sentence added to a resolution after it has been passed.
. To supply necessary information regarding rules of procedure, papers and documents required by the Chairperson while conducting the proceedings of the meeting.
7. To take notes of the proceedings of the meeting.
(Most of the above mentioned duties are performed by the Executive/Secretary and his PA/PS assists him/her)
After the meeting:
1. To see that the meeting room is left in good order, to check the room in order to ensure that nothing is left in the room by the departing participants, to arrange to return borrowed equipment, to have unused supplies and exhibits picked up.
2. To prepare draft minutes and when approved, get the same typed in proper form.
3. To arrange for carrying out decisions taken in the meeting and to ensure that proper intimation is given to those who are given assignments. Formal notification should be given to all the members irrespective of the fact whether they were present or not in the meeting.
is the Secretary of the Company or the Association concerned or he has convened the meeting or has to Chair the meeting, it is the duty of PA/PS to assist the Executive in the performance of all the secretarial work relating to meetings.
Secretarial work relating to a meeting can be classified under three headings:
Before the meeting:
1. To ascertain the date and time i.e. when and where the meeting is to be held and take steps to make preparations accordingly e.g. booking the Committee Room, or hotel accommodation etc.
2. To draft the notice and agenda and get it approved.
3. To get adequate number of copies of the notice, agenda and reports etc., if any required to be sent along with the notice and send the same to all the members who have a right to attend the meeting.
4. To send invitation letters to those who are required to attend the meeting such as Branch Manager, Accountant, and Auditor etc.
5. To check in advance the air-conditioning system, blowers etc. in the meeting room and to arrange for public address system, OHP/LCD/Screen and other equipment that may be required and to see that sufficient number of chairs are made available in the meeting room, keeping in view the number of invitees.
6. To book in advance necessary orders for refreshment and lunch.
7. To keep ready (i) the items of stationery such as writing paper, pen, pencil, (ii) spare copies of agenda, (iii) minutes of the previous meeting, (iv) the relevant papers, reports, statements and other documents likely to be required at the time of the meeting including letters of apology received from the members unable to attend the meeting, (v) attendance sheets or register, (vi) any books of reference, standing orders etc.
During the meeting:
1. To obtain signatures of the members present in the Attendance Book or in the Attendance Sheets.
2. To help the Chairperson in ascertaining the quorum.
3. To keep before the Chairperson the necessary papers, files and documents for ready reference and to distribute papers and documents, if any, to the members
4. To read the notice of the meeting, apologies for absence, minutes of the last meeting and Auditors’ Report etc., if directed by the Chairperson to do so.
5. To see that tea/coffee/snacks etc. are served to the members present in the meeting.
Minutes: The term ‘minutes in literal sense means a note to preserve the memory. In relation to meetings, minutes may be defined as a record of the proceedings of the meeting and are kept to preserve a brief, accurate and clear record of the business transacted.
The Secretary is responsible for attending the meeting and taking down, in note form, details of the decisions reached. It is necessary to record the exact wording of every resolution passed and the names of the proposers and seconders. The primary responsibility of preparation of minutes is that of the Executive (Company Secretary or the Secretary of the Association or Club concerned). PA/PS will take down dictation and type it out neatly. She/he should know the form in which minutes are typed. Minutes may be of two types:
a. Minutes of Resolution: In the ‘Minutes of Resolution’ only the resolution passed at the meeting are recorded. They always start with the word ‘resolved’ followed by the verbatim i.e. exact wordings of the resolution. The names of the proposer and seconder may also be indicated. e.g. Mr. A proposed, Mr. B seconded and it was RESOLVED: That
Agenda: It is customary to send an agenda along with the notice to the members who have to attend the meeting. (An agenda is a programme of the items of the business to be discussed at a meeting in the order in which they are to be taken, The agenda is sent to all the members of the committee or the organization to give them adequate notice, and to enable them, prior to the meeting, to ponder over the items of business to be discussed in the meeting.
The agenda is prepared by the Secretary in consultation with the Chairperson and the items of business dealt with at the previous meeting are taken into consideration) The Secretary should make a note of matters requiring the attention of the members. so that these may be included in the agenda for the next meeting.
. Minutes of Narration: These minutes are given in a narrative form and are used to record events or items of business which require no formal resolution e.g. ‘the notice was read’ ‘the directors’ report was taken as read’.
Purposes of Meeting
Meetings may be held for the following purposes:
To convey information to a group at one time and thus save time on communication.
To brief members on plan already made or work already done.
To discuss and make arrangements for a specific event.
To review the progress being made on a particular front.
To exchange information on topics of relevance to the organization.
To take some kind of action and make major decisions.
To get and give new ideas.
To discuss and solve problems.
To resolve conflicts, confusions and disagreements.
To take or arrive at widely accepted major decisions.
To change the existing policies and procedures.
To motivate staff by generating enthusiasm and positive attitude.
After confirming with the Executive, the PA/PS should escort the visitor to the room of the Executive concerned and should be readily available for any information/paper to be provided during the meeting/ The visitor should not be interrupted unnecessarily by other internal staff of the office by entering the room of the Executive without valid reasons. It should also be noted that there is not much telephone disturbance and if there is any urgent message, then a written slip should be sent to the Executive informing the message. It is the duty of the PA/PS to see that the meeting ends as per the schedule, so that the Executive is free for the next appointment and has sufficient time in between to make arrangements for the next appointment.
7.5.4 Follow-Up:
The visitor may like to fix up another appointment at a later date, for which the PA/ PS should note it down on the relevant date in the Engagement Diary. After the successful meeting, the PA/PS may write a Thank you note or make call up to inform some important decision etc./ VILA
7.5.5 Rescheduling or Cancelling Appointments:02uda.r
Appointments may to be cancelled or rescheduled due to various reasons. The rejection or reschedule can be by either party i.e. from the Executive or from the visitor Short notice cancellations should be handled by telephone. Other appointments can be cancelled by sending mail. A letter confirming the cancellation should be written. While writing letters for cancelling or rescheduling appointments, the PA/PS must express regrets that it was unavoidable and therefore, it was necessary to cancel the original appointment.
An Executive whether working in a private or government sector has to meet a number of persons during the day. The number of visitors may, however, vary from one office to another. Small firms may deal with fewer visitors and big firms have more visitors due to large area of network or correspondence.
It is very essential that a time schedule is made and followed for each meeting of the Executive so that the work and the meeting can be very well organized and the ultimate objective of the meeting is achieved.
However, such appointments are mostly done for the outside visitors but at times appointments may be needed for internal staff members also. The meeting of each visitor needs an appointment so that the meeting can be organized in a systematic manner. Take for example the following two cases:
iii. Principle of Accessibility: The records should always be kept in such a way that they are easily accessible. The system should be such as to allow easy retrieval and making of insertions without disturbing the order of files.
iv. Principle of Simplicity: The filing system should be simple to understand and operate. Complicated procedures should be avoided, But at the same time usefulness should not be sacrificed in the name of simplicity.
v. Principle of Flexibility: The filing system should be flexible so that it can be expanded or contracted as per the needs of the organization
vi. Principle of Economy: The filing system should be economical. The principle of economy should be maintained in all aspects, i.e., time, space, money and operation.
Filing is the process of arranging and storing records in a neat, orderly and efficient manner so that they can be located easily and quickly when they are required.
All relevant papers like notes, correspondence, reports on a given subject are filed in one folder so that they may be available for use at any point of time in future. In other words, it can be said that records are maintained in different files on the basis of the subject.
In order to maintain records efficiently, the Secretary should follow standard rules and procedures of filing. To be a successful Secretary, not only the knowledge of rules of filing is a must but one should keep the files up to date by allocating some time every day for filing; otherwise documents will be in a chaos and non-traceable at the time of requirement. Importance of filing can be further understood with the help of following points:
i Ready Reference: Filing system serves the purpose of reference regarding various matters.
ii. Proof in law Courts: Previous records provide documentary evidence of facts and may be used as a legal proof in settling disputes.
iii. Protection of Records: An efficient filing system protects the documental records
against possible loss or damage.
iv. Follow up Action: Properly filed records help in taking follow up actions on pending matters.
6.7.1 General Principles of Filing System:
A systematic preservation and retrieval of record is made possible only by a good filing system. To attain this objective, it is important that essential principles of good filing system are followed. The general principles of filing are:
i. Principle of Relevance: Filing of selective and essential documents is the basis of a good filing system. In case each and every paper received in the -office is filed, it will become very bulky to manage the records and non-record papers will occupy precious space in the Records Section of the office.
ii. Principle of Safety: The documents should always be filed in a tidy manner and well in time so that they do not get damaged or lost because of lying loose Further, it should be ensured that filing system is safe from insects, dust, water, fire, theft, etc.
Complaint Letter
A complaint letter is written when the purchaser does not find the goods up to his satisfaction.
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It is normally written by the purchaser when he receives wrong, defective or damaged goods or receives incorrect quantity of goods. Thus, we may define a letter of complaint as the letter that draws the attention of the supplier or any other party on account of supply of defective or damaged goods.
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The letter written by the firm for collection of money for the goods supplied to the buyer is called recovery letter. The aim of recovery letter is to collect money without embarrassing the customers. The letter should include information regarding the amount and last date for payment. The language of recovery letter should be polite, so that the customer is not offended and future transactions with him are not adversely affected.
Business Enquiry Letters
These letters are written by the prospective customer to the company to enquire about the details of the goods which they want to buy like quality, quantity, price, mode of delivery and terms and conditions of payment, etc. Sometimes the prospective customer may also ask for samples of the goods to be bought. The letter written to firms with one or more of the above purposes is known as enquiry letter.
Quotation Letter
After receiving the reply of letter of enquiry from a prospective buyer, the firm renders the relevant information by writing a letter that is called quotation letter. These letters are written keeping in mind the information asked for like price list, mode of payment, discount to be allowed etc.
Order Letter
The prospective buyer after receiving the reply to his enquiry letter may decide to place an order with that business house which offers goods at minimum price and at favorable terms and conditions. Letters written by a buyer to the seller giving the order to purchase the goods is called order letter. Sometimes orders are given on specific forms meant for this purpose.
Simplicity – The letter should be always written in a simple language so that it can be easily understood by the reader. It should, therefore, be polite and communicative.
b. Clarity Both in thought and expression we have to be clear in our correspondence. The writer of the letters should be clear about what information he is seeking or wishing to give. Therefore, the letter would serve its purpose only if the receiver also understands it in the same manner as is intended by the sender.
C. Public relations aspect – The business correspondence also aims to form a positive image of the company in the eyes of the public. Therefore, it should have a broad objective of enhancing the company’s public relations. Use of positive language in our letters builds up the best of human relations and earns business.
d. Accuracy The contents of the letter should be accurate and correct since these are kept as permanent record and may also be used as evidence in case of disputes.
e. Complete -The business letter should be complete in all respects as incomplete information may lead to confusion or miscommunication.
Business Correspondence
f. Courtesy-The tone of the letter should always be courteous as it impresses the reader.
g. Sincerity-Sincerity means that our readers must believe what we say. They must be convinced that we are genuine in our approach.
2. External Attributes The external attributes of a letter refers to the appearance of the letter. It includes the quality of paper used, color of the paper, size of the paper etc. Good quality paper gives a good impression to the reader) Let us discuss the various outer qualities of a good business letter.
a. Quality of paper – Good paper should be used for original copy and ordinary paper may be used for duplicate copy/office copy.
b. Color of the Paper – It is better to use different colors for different types of letters, so that the receiver may identify the letters quickly and prompt action can be taken.
c. Size of the paper – Standard size paper (A4) may be used while writing business letters.
d. Folding of letter – The letter should be folded properly and uniformly. Care should be taken to give minimum folds to the letter so that it will fit the size of the envelope. If window envelope is used then folding should be done in such a way that the address of the receiver is clearly visible through the transparent
Given below are certain statements. Write 1 and ‘F’ against false ones.
a. Letters are economical and convenient mode of communication.
b. Telephone is a means of business correspondence.
c. Letters do not provide permanent records.
d. Business correspondence is done to exchange ideas, suggestions and views amongst business houses.
4.5 TYPES OF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE
The correspondence has been classified into three kinds, which are as follows:
Business Correspondence
Official Correspondence
Private/Personal Correspondence
Though the official correspondence has been further classified into various forms such as Official letters, Demi- Official letters, Office Memorandum, U.O. Note, Office Order, Notifications and Endorsement etc., in this lesson you will study about business correspondence in detail.
4.6 ESSENTIALS OF EFFECTIVE BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE
Letters are the most important means of written communication. They are always important for any organization or individual for the purpose of giving or seeking information. We can say that the success or failure of an organization depends greatly on its communication with its stakeholders like suppliers, customers, employees, shareholders and others. It is, therefore, essential for a Private Secretary or Personal Assistant to learn the art of writing effective letters in order to do independent correspondence as sometimes desired by his/her employer or organization. We may categorize the qualities of a good business letter as:
1. Internal Attributes
2. External attributes
The above attributes are discussed below in detail:
1. Internal attributes -The internal qualities of a letter refer to the qualities such as simplicity, presentation and language used It projects the purpose of the letter so that a prompt feedback can be sought. Let us find out what the internal qualities of a good letter could be:-
Telephones: Telephones are another common means of communication. Every organisation has this facility with STD calls and ISD calls. The ISD code of India is 91. In order to make an international call, one can dial 00 (international access code from India) followed by code of the country one is calling, followed by the area code and then local number.
(iii) Cell Phones: Another option is to buy a Cellular Phone also known as Mobile Phone or Cell Phone. One can buy a Sim Card of the local area, get it activated and be in touch with his clients, executive, family and friends through calls and SMS.
(iv) Internet: One can get connected to the world through the Internet also. Almost every organisation has access to high speed Internet. Now-a-days, Internet has also reached rural India and people living at the grass root level are learning how to communicate and move with the world. One can send and receive e-mails and surf the net in “Cyber Cafes” that have come up at every nook and corner in all cities, which offer Internet services at minimal costs.
(v) Fax: To fax or faxing is “a method of encoding data, transmitting it over a telephone line or radio broadcast, and receiving a hard copy of the text, line drawings, or photographs at a remote location. Fax services are used by all the organisations. Written communication can be transmitted within seconds from one place to another.
(vi) Telegraph: A telegraph is a machine which is used for transmitting messages in the form of electrical impulses which can be converted into data. A message sent via telegraph is called a Telegram or Cablegram, while someone who operates a telegraph machine is known as a Telegrapher. These Telegraph Offices are run by the Government and provide good services at affordable price. Most of these offices are open round the clock, ready to help those in need.
(vii) Postal Services: Postal Services are also excellent means of written Comunication. Letters are delivered to their respective destinations on time. Registered mail is necessary only if you intend to send valuables. The Indian Postal Service also offers Airmail services to other countries.
viii) Private Courier Services: A courier is a person, a Company or a Firm which delivers messages, packages and mails. The details about courier have also been discussed in one of the lessons.
ix) Web Conferencing: Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings,
training, or presentations via the Internet. In a web conference, each participant sits at his own computer and is connected to other participants via the internet. The participants access the meeting by clicking on a link distributed by e-mail (meeting invitation) to enter the conference.
Written Communication: Written communication is that which entails the written words, letters, e-mails, and manuals. In this type of communication, messages are sent internally/externally through written words, reports, memorandums, etc.
The advantages of written communication are given below:
Written communication is good for complicated and vital instructions, which can be given in a precise and uniform manner.
There is a lesser chance for the message to be misunderstood.taliv
Written instructions can be checked at a later date. It serves as a useful reference.
Authority is transmitted more effectively with a written order than with an oral one.
The disadvantages of written communication are given below:
It is impersonal.
People may not always read the communications.
It does not answer questions and there is no immediate feedback.
Oral Communication: Oral communication is information spoken by mouth; the use of speech, face to face conversation or through devices like telephone, loudspeaker, dictating machines etc.
The advantages of oral channels of communication are:
Fast and useful for obtaining very recent unpublished information.
Being based on two-way communication, they promote an understanding of the real information need(s) and the communication of relevant information.
Flexible and facilitate the transmission of information between people working in different subject areas (useful in interdisciplinary studies).
Easy and pleasant to use.
The disadvantages of oral channels of communication are:
The immediate feedback is not recorded, pl Sisteminode of instag