OFFICE STATIONERY AND FORMS
Stationery:
Is a general term referring to all writing materials used in the office. Almost the whole of the work done in an office involves the use of stationery. Stationery items include papers, stencils, pins, pens, clips, ruler, erasers, carbon papers, typewriter ribbon etc.
The purchase, storage and issue of stationery may be controlled by the office manager. It is an area where costs and wastage can be very high. It is therefore, necessary to maintain effective control on use of stationery to reduce cost and ensure that the stationery projects the correct image of the company.
Stationary control
The office workers should be provided with the best stationery items in order to produce the best work.
The following points are to be borne in mind in controlling office stationery.
i. Cost
The cost of the stationery not only includes the price paid but also includes the interest on capital tied up, labour cost of keeping the items, depreciation of storage equipment, etc therefore e, a proper control is essential to keep down the cost to the minimum.
ii. Avoidance of wastage
Wastage in stationery may happen because of careless handling, deterioration of items, poor quality, over-stocking etc. All these are to avoided. Proper control of stationery must be followed by proper issue control
iii. Standard
Standard items alone should be purchased substandard items bought have, less life and go waste soon. The envelope and letter if of poor quality will repel the readers.
Management of office supplies
In order to achieve effectiveness and efficiency in office operations, proper management of supplies is a must overstocking or under-stocking of supplies have their own demerits if they are purchased in abundance (over-stocking).
Demerits/disadvantages of overstocking
(i) Bigger amount of capital is blocked.
(ii) Extra storage space is needed.
(iii) Risk of obsolescence.
(iv) Risk of obsolescent.
Guide-lines to ensure that the stationery in the office is not overstocked or run out of stock
(i) The stationery should be bought centrally and in bulk to secure quantity discounts, but overstocking should be avoided.
(ii) The issuing system must be planned properly to eliminate wasteful consumption as fair as possible. Before issues are made requisitions
must first be received, signed by authorized officers and some sort of records kept to record the movement of stationery in a given period
and by each section.
(iii) The proper control over the use of stationery must be included in the duties of office supervisors. This is done by drawing a budget for
each section and section heads ensuring that they operate within the budget.
(iv) The stock must be maintained as little as possible, bearing in mind quantities for economic buying and constant supplies.
(v) The good quality paper must be used for important documents to customers so as to maintain the company’s good will. This is achieved
by avoiding false economies.
(vi) The possible re-use of stationery items ( like used envelops, for internal mail used pins and paper chips) should be explored.
(vii) The stationery storage must be arranged so as to prevent deterioration, and to save space, lighting and heating.
(viii) The stock levels must be set out to avoid running out of items of stationery which are important or over-stocking.
OFFICE FORMS
Definition:
A Form is a printed piece of paper or card on which entries are made against marked headings.
Or
A form is a standardized record used to accumulate and transmit information for reference proposes. Examples of forms are factory orders requisition, bills, quotations, orders etc.
Importance of forms
Forms serve as the vehicle by which various data are collected and brought together for use by management. That is why; they are also described as the basic tools of the office. Nothing happen in the office except to, or by means of pieces of paper. Forms are the medium to bear the record of the enterprise and save as the basis of records management. Information can be collected, processed and supplied in a systematic way with the help of office forms. Forms increase the efficiency of office work and help in achieving economy in office operations.
SIGNIFICANCE OF OFFICE FORMS
(i) Clerical work becomes easy.
(ii) Output can be increased.
(iii) Unnecessary information means waste of time. This can be avoided by adopting printed forms, with necessary queries.
(iv) Collection and compilation of statistical data become easier to study from the information form than form a letter.
(v) In a printed form, the writer has to fill in al the columns, so as to finish information without suppression.
(vi) The writer or the typist can be at ease in filling the forms in the appropriate place, by writing a few words.
(vii) Understanding and transmission of information from the forms are quick and clear.
(viii) They help to identify records and facilitate easy filing for future reference.
(ix) Data entry, processing and reference becomes easy.
(x) They facilitate rapid processing of data since information appears in a standard form and at fixed places.
ADVANTAGES OF FORMS
(i) Only necessary information can be had through the form and irrelevant information can be avoided.
(ii) The work of the writer or the typist who is to write or type the information in few words is made easy. It is easy for him to fill in the
required information correctly.
(iii) There will be no difficult in analyzing the data collected through the forms. If it is in a letter form, there will be much difficulty in
analyzing and understanding the data collected.
(iv) The presentation of information will be uniform which accelerates the clerical job.
(v) Forms reduce the cost of operation work in the office.
(vi) Forms are helpful to fix the responsibility of the work done( forms are duly signed by the writer).
(vii) Transmission of information, which is based on the forms will also be correct.
(viii) Forms make for uniformity in appearance and format. They facilitate identification of records and simplify filling and sorting operation.
(ix) Forms make clear what information should be gathered. Thus, office forms simplify office systems and routine.
(x) Since forms preserve records, they aid the organization in better planning.
To make the forms more effective
(i) Forms should be properly designed and drawn up, to avoid confusion in the mind of the writer.
(ii) Forms should be predetermined with all necessary columns, to avoid waste of energy and time.
(iii) Forms must be simple and easy to understand; otherwise it will be tedious to fill in.
TYPES OF FORMS
Forms may be classified as follows
- On the basis of operation or function on performed by the form, as function performed by the forms, as for instance, purchase form, material requisition form, application form. Etc
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- On the basis of use of forms
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(a) Internal office forms.
Which are received or used by the employee of the business, for examples accounting forms, application form, memorandum form,
requisition form etc.
(b) External contact forms.
Which are sent to customers, creditors etc for examples, form purchase order form etc.
- On the basis of copy
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(a) Single copy form
Which are complete in themselves and often become the source documents.
(b) Multiple copies forms
Which are made in duplicate or more copies and which may be used to transmit information or serve the function of providing additional
records.
FORM CONTROL
Meaning;-
Forms control is a means of exercising management control over the costs of producing and processing forms. Forms are important in
any organization, therefore, there should be proper management control of them to ensure that they are efficient and economical in
design as well as in use.
Objectives of form control
The following are objectives of form control, in brief
(i) To ensure regular supply of various forms.
(ii) To economical use of forms for the firm.
(iii) To reduce clerical work.
(iv) To minimize the use of number of forms.
(v) To make necessary changes in the existing forms if they are not satisfactory.
(vi) To make reviews, whenever needed.
(vii) To introduce new forms which are really necessary.
(viii) To retain and use only those forms that are necessary for office systems.
(ix) To study where the introduction of new forms or revision of old forms is essential.
(x) To evaluate forms design on the basis of time required to use them
(xi) To review periodically all forms in use to find out their current utility.
(xii) To eliminate absolute and irrelevant forms, to consolidate different forms doing the something and to introduce only such
forms that really necessary.
The form no longer required, should be disposed of after obtaining proper approval of the officer concerned, the approval
will be pasted on the form. In the form book, marked as dead if possible along with date.
QUESTIONS
- Discuss the need for and importance of stationery and supplies in office work.
- Describe the complete plan of stationery control.
- Forms are the basic tools of all office works discuss the statement.
- Forms are foundations of clerical system explain.
- Why is control of forms desirable?
- What are the advantages to be driven from the use of office forms?
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QUESTIONS
(Office machines furniture and equipments)
- What factors would you take into account in deciding whether to go for the purchase of labour-saving devices for office?
- Describe the important labour-saving devices for smooth running of the office work.
- What are the objects of introducing office machine? State the relative advantages
- In selecting a machine, what are the points to be considered?
- State the criteria for the selection of office machines?
- What are the uses of computer?
- What are the benefits obtained from the use of computer and show its limitations.
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of office machines?
- Explain the uses of a computer and how it helps in the modern business.
- What is office furniture? Discuss the main components of office furniture.
- Discuss the factors which influence the choice of office equipment.
- Discuss the importance of the records of equipment, machines and stationery.
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RECORDS OF EQUIPMENT, MACHINES AND STATIONERY
Proper records of office equipment, machines, furniture and stationery must be maintained adequately. These records serve the following
purposes:
- These records ensure the proper use of all assets of the firm.
- These records prevent the theft or misuse of some items are missing the appropriate action can be taken to locate them without delay.
- The records help to find out the correct value of assets of the company.
- These are needed to ensure the expenditure incurred on these items.
- These avoid the wastage or inappropriate use of stationery.
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RECORDS MANAGEMENT
Records
Meaning
Records are written data that are made for possible future use.
The records may be classified into:
(a) Personnel records
(b) Correspondence records
(c) Accounting records
(d) Legal records
(e) Other business records
Record s management
Is the management control of records much more than the methods of filling or the systems of classifications, important of these are indexing,
central filling, records retention follow up and micro-photography, all these receive attention in the present day office.
OBJECTS(PURPOSE) OF MAINTAINING BUSINESS RECORDS
(i) Policy making.
Past records event, progress, etc are very necessary to decide future policies and plans. in the absence of records, the policies and
plans may not be successful.
(ii) Comparison of business ( period wise/state wise)
Past records make it easy and possible to compare the performance of one period with that of another period, one place with
another, one result with another, etc by comparison, one can know wether there is progress or not.
(iii) Proper study of the position of the firm.
Records of past transactions are the basis on which further study can be made. The preserved records are the contributory factors,
without which a good and proper study of the position of the firm cannot be made and statement can not be prepared.
(iv) Accounts of progress kept in an orderly way.
To measure the progress of the concern or to find out other facts, a history of the firm is needed. And the past records, history of
the business, recount the dealings.
(v) In case of disputes.
The need for referring to these records or documents often arises for the settlement of disputes in transaction. All information can
not be remembered.
(vi) Legal requirements.
Certain records are to be kept for a number of years from the legal point of view.
(vii) Evidence
Records are good evidence in the court of law, in the case of suits.
(viii) General use
Some customers may simply refer to the previously correspondence by quoting the number and date. In such case, if the letters have
been filed properly, it easy to comply with the needs of the customers otherwise, there is a wastage of time and money.
(ix) Facilitate to detect errors and wastes and identifying the wastes occurring in the organization. Thus management can eliminate the
errors or wastes.
PRINCIPLES OF RECORD MANAGEMENT
In order to be successful, the record management must be based on the following principles
- Verification.
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Records can be verifies whenever needed.
- Justification.
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Records must be maintained with some justifiable purpose. Otherwise, it will be a waste of money, space and time.
- Classification.
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Records must be classified according to their use. It may be classified according to time or chronological or subjects.
- Information.
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The required information must be available whenever needed.
- Elasticity.
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The record system must be elastic in capacity so that expansion or contraction of records is possible.
- Reasonable cost
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The cost of record management must be reasonable one. For more important records larger amount may be spent and for less important
records only small amount should be spent.
Other definition of records management
Records management refers to the activities designed to control the life cycle of record for its creation to its ultimate disposition
Stages of life cycle of records
- Creation stage
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The first stage involves design and control of office forms. Data should be recorded in the forms accurately and completely. The time period
for which the records are kept should also be determined properly.
- Storage stage
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Under this stage records are properly classified and put into appropriate file covers. The records should be stored at accessible location and
arrangements should be made for their protection.
- Retrieval stage
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The purpose of maintaining records is to make them available for future is to make them available for future reference. Therefore,, an efficient
filling procedure should be designed to retrieve the records in time. There should be a proper procedure for the issue of files.
- Disposition stage
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This stage is concerned with disposition of obsolete and unnecessary records valuable documents are preserved, in water- proof and fie- proof
cabinet. The documents which are no longer required should be destroyed. Less important records which are not in current use should be
transferred from high cost storage area to low cost storage area.