OBJECTIVES:  At the end of the course, the students will be able to

• explain management functions and principles, and relate the management principles to the activities and role of an office supervisor in the present organizational environment.
• explain the nature and purpose of administrative office systems and the basic systems concepts.
• describe the principal elements in the problem-solving process and apply the systems concepts in discussing or solving administrative office problems.
• identify the purposes of communication and the uses of communication channels in the office.
• describe methods and procedures for recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, appraising, and promoting office employees.
• explain the purpose and uses of job analysis.
• explain the importance of ergonomics and of maintaining a safe and healthy working environment.
• describe how office productivity may be improved through work measurement and standards, and quality management.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  This course is designed for prospective office professionals who may be expected to assume some of the duties of an office supervisor.  It will provide students with a broad understanding and appreciation of the fundamentals of effective management needed to administer the office function.  Students will also be introduced to human resource work, with emphasis on the role of people in increasing office productivity and paying particular attention to the ergonomic environment required for the new networking technology.  Work measurement and standards as well as the role of the total quality management in improving office productivity will be discussed.  The "systems way of thinking" will be emphasized throughout the course so as to help students understand the interaction of the main elements in the process of administrative office management.

SYLLABUS CONTENT

• FUNDAMENTALS OF EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT
• Principles of Administrtive Office Management
• Functions of management and administrative office management.
• Role of the office.
• Responsibilities and skills of administrative office manager.
• School of Management Thought:
• The Classical School
• The Behavioural School
• The Management Science School
• The Quality Management School
• The Systems School
• Basic organizational principles and techniques.
• Organizational structures.
• Centralization vs decentralization of managerial authority.
• Physical centralization and decentralization of office operations.
• Administering Office Systems
• Administrative office systems functions:
• key elements in administrative office systems.
• major systems and subsystems.
• objectives of administrative office systems.
• General systems model.
• The human system in the office.
• Solving Problems in Office Management
• Definitions of problem.
• Relationships between problem solving, decision making, and choice making.
• Problem solving and productivity.
• Problem solving processes.
• Barriers in solving office problems.
• Communicating in the Office
• Purpose of communication.
• Communication networks.
• Flow of communication:
• upward, downward, lateral, and diagonal communication.
• factors in selecting channels of communication uses and problems.
• Suggestion systems and grievance handling procedures.
• MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES
• Recruiting and Orienting Office Staff
• Steps in the recruitment process:
• personnel requisition.
• job specifications.
• locating potential office workers.
• Selecting office workers:
• application forms.
• interviewing.
• checking references.
• testing.
• Orienting the office staff:
• purpose of orientation.
• implementing the orientation programme.
• Training, Appraising, and Promoting Office Personnel
• Training:
• objectives.
• outcomes of effective training.
• Entry-level training:
• instructional staff.
• training methods and techniques.
• Appraising office workers' performance:
• objective.
• uses of the information obtained from performance appraisal.
• Promoting office workers.
• Analyzing Office Jobs
• Job analysis and means of gathering job information.
• Uses of office job analysis.
• Uses and contents of job description and job specification.
• Office Environment
• Elements and office designs.
• Concerns for ergonomics in the office.
• Ergonomic factors required to achieve an effective office ambiance.
• IMPROVING OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY
• Measuring Office Productiving:  Work Measurement and Work Standards.
• Objectives and benefits of work measurement and work standards programs.
• Difficulties in applying work measurement in the office.
• Office operations that can be measured.
• Improving Office Productivity Through Total Quality Management (TQM)
• Definition of TQM.
• TQM strategies.
• TEACHING METHODOLOGY
• Lecture
• Case Studies
• Guest Speaker
• ASSESSMENT
• Continuous Assessment (50%)
• Quizzes
• Projects
• Common Test
• Final Examination (50%)

• TEXTBOOKS
• Quible, Zank K. (2001). Administrative Office Managaement:  An Introduction (7th Edition).  Prentice-Hall International Inc.
• Kallaus, Norman F. and Keeling, Lewis, B (1996).  Administrative Office Management. South Western Publishing Co.

Faculty of Office Management and Technology, UiTM Shah Alam.