The Office in a Changing Business World Chapter 1 Topic 1-1 Topic 1-2
Jan 14, 2016
The Office in a Changing Business World
Chapter 1
Topic 1-1
Topic 1-2
What is an Office?
The office is a place of work for many categories of workers
a place in which the affairs of a business, professional person, or organization are carried out
Offices Are Information Driven:
Creating information– Letters, reports, presentations– Making decisions based on information
Searching for information– Accessing databases, the Internet, the company
intranet– Using reference manuals and books
Offices Are Information Driven:
Processing Information– Opening incoming communications, photocopying,
preparing spreadsheets, orders, invoices Managing Information
– Maintaining calendars, databases, files, financial records
Communicating Information– Answering telephones, greeting callers and visitors,
delivering presentations
Thinking Critically
What do you think a bank president means when he says “…we are completely dependent on …office employees?”
Who Needs Office Competencies?
EVERYONE! Professionals (white collar workers) Blue collar workers
State-of-the-Art Technology
Exists in Modern offices Includes Intranets (within the business ONLY) Includes the Internet (world wide web and
beyond) Includes computers, fax machines, scanners,
security systems, etc.
Why do you think that being part of a world-wide business activity now is easier than it was even a decade ago?
Traditional Offices
Permanent–Located where the company does business
Hoteling–Assigning temporary office workspace to workers as needed
Non-territorial workspace:–Area not assigned to a specific person or task
What about a business that goes to where the customer is and/or isn’t permanent?
Alternate Choices:
Telecommuting– the practice of working and communicating with
others from a remote location. Virtual Offices
– the capability to perform work activities away from a traditional office setting; has no physical form but allows you to perform work activities as you would in a traditional office setting.
Thinking Critically:
What are some problem that could a telecommuter possibly encounter in their day to day career?
What are some possible technology that might be critical for effective and efficient telecommuting?
Do you know of any offices that continue to use technology of an earlier period, such as typewriters?
Why might the latest technology no lead to improved productivity?
Examples of Alternate Choices
Mobile offices like those found at construction sites.
Home offices for those who need to be at home, run the business from the home or who are self-employed (freelancers).
Thinking Critically
Why would a company choose to have non-territorial workplaces?
Do you know someone who works in a home office? What type of work does that person do?
Questions 2, 6 and 7
What kinds of employees need office competencies?– EVERYONE, blue and white collar workers, office workers,
factory workers, etc. How does a traditional office differ from a virtual office,
a mobile office, and a home office?– A traditional office is permanent, a virtual office has no
physical form but allows you to work as if in a traditional office setting, a mobile office moves when the work conditions move and a home office is space which allows you to remain at home and be productive.
What makes telecommuting a feasible way of handling office work?– Allows employees to be at remote sites but share necessary
information through alternate means.
Topic 1-2 Understanding the organization to help make sound decisions requiring judgment to successfully complete the work.
Types of Business Organizations
Single Proprietorship
Partnership
Corporation
Single Proprietorship
Also known as a Sole Proprietorship a business owned by one individual may be of any size sole legal and financial burden business usually ends when the owner dies or
sells
Partnership
a business that is not incorporated and has two or more owners
legal and financial burden shared must be legally recreated each time a partner
leaves or is added
Partnership
a business that is not incorporated and has two or more owners
legal and financial burden shared must be legally recreated each time a partner
leaves or is added
Corporation
a business organized under the laws of a particular state for which a CHARTER* was secured (*written grant of rights from a government)
many owners in the form of stockholder legal and financial burden fall to the business not
individual owners may be publicly or privately owned may be for profit or not-for-profit
Governmental Units
National– Department of the Treasury– Bureau of Labor– Environmental Protection Agency
State– Department of Commerce– Occupational Safety and Health Division
Local– Board of Education– Marriage License Bureau
Goals
Not-For-Profit– Provide necessary
services to meet the needs of the people
– To stay in business
For-Profit– To make money– To meet the needs of the
clients– To stay in business
“The Bottom Line”
Profit and Loss Statement or Income Statement shows the financial condition of a business
Revenue: income, money or other gainExpense: financial cost, fee, chargeProfit: the difference between revenue and
expenses shared among/distributed to owners
Balance Sheet
Presents the financial condition of a company as of a specific date
Assets: goods and property owned
Liabilities: debt; money owed to creditors; creditor equity
Owner’s equity: owner’s share of the worth of a firm; owner’s claim to assets; capital
Accounting Equation: Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity
Structure of Organizations
Hierarchical: in order of rank or authority
Different types of employees at various levels of the organization
Organizational charts help visualize the structure
Board of Education
Superintendent
High School Principal
Teachers
Junior High School
Principal
East Elementary
Principal
South Elementary
Principal
West Elementary
Principal
Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer
Sample Organizational Chart
Board of Directors– Establish the guiding policies of the business
Senior Management– Carry out the policies of the board of directors– Chief executive officer
Middle Management– Direct the day-to-day activities of the organization
Department Employees
Management Structure
Employee Empowerment
Enabling employees to make decisions for the business without review by higher-level managers
Movement toward working in teams with all employees involved in the decision making process