administrative office managemnt

1. ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE MANAGEMENT
An administrative office manager handles a wide range of administrative responsibilities in the
workplace, ranging from providing administrative support to managing office facilities to
supervising entry-level administrative staff. Smaller offices that only employ one administrative
professional will often designate that person as the office manager to reflect his or her role as a
jack-of-all-trades, handling tasks that fall outside the job description of other staff members.
Other job titles that are sometimes used include office administrator, administrative
manager, administrative officer, and office coordinator.
The level of administrative support provided by these managers depends on the number of other
administrative support professionals in the office. For example, if an office also employs
executive assistants who provide administrative support to senior management, then the office
manager will likely work with the office as a whole rather than working closely with any one
individual. In an office without executive assistants, this person may be called upon to manage
expense reports for one or more members of management, as well as arranging their meetings
and travel accommodations. If the office also employs a receptionist or front-desk clerk, the
office manager may supervise or delegate administrative tasks to these staff members, such as
opening mail, answering phones, typing, printing, collating, and data entry.
Administrative Officers are responsible for providing comprehensive administrative services,
including budget and financial management; purchasing, procurement, and contract
administration; general administrative services; facilities, property, safety, or space management;
or human resources services. Administrative Officers serve as principal advisors to important
agency organizations and participate in developing and implementing administrative
management policies, working with management on planning organizational needs, and
preparing plans, goals, objectives, or criteria for management processes. These positions require
knowledge of a wide range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods for the development and
management of major administrative programs, demonstrated analytical ability, and strong
written and verbal communications skills
OFFICE ENVIRONMENT
An office is generally a room or other area where administrative work is done, but may also
denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it (see officer, office-
holder, official); the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the
location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the term "office" may refer to business-related
tasks. In legal writing, a company or organization has offices in any place that it has an official
presence, even if that presence consists of, for example, a storage silo rather than an office.
THE IMPACT OF THE OFFICE ENVIRONMENT ON EMPLOYEES: Impact of not
paying attention to the office environment: in the sense that it reduces the employee productivity,
morale and also leads to absenteeism and tardiness, it can also lead to error in work done and the
physical well-being of the employees may be jeopardized.
Suggestions designed to improve employees well-being are;Designing the job to fit the employee
rather than forcing the employee to fit the job, Maintain a comfortable distance from the

2. computer monitor, perhaps around 20 inches, Maximize the comfort of employees who have
access to adjustable furniture, and Suggest that employees have proper vision correction for the
type of work they do on the job
LIGHTNING: characteristics of lightning systems; Equivalent spherical illumination: is
influenced by glares and reflections and is affected by the degree of contrast between the work
surface and the materials with which the employees works, Visual comfort probability: is
affected by visible bright light or visible reflectors, and Task illumination is expressed in raw
foot candles, which is the amount of light produced one foot from a candle
TYPES OF LIGHTNING SYSTE: Direct, General diffuse, Semi direct, Semi indirect
andIndirect
COLOR: Has both a physical and psychological impact on humans, in the sense that it affects
productivity, fatigue, morale, attitudes and tension
Effect of light on color: Different types of artificial lightning have different color spectrums,
Fluorescent lightning does not enhance reds or oranges, and Incandescent lightning does not
enhance purple and blue schemes.
Impact of color:Cool color create calm and retiring moods, Warms colors create warm and
cheerful moods, Gray has a sleep-including effect, and Natural tints are mildly stimulating
NOISE CONTROL: is the unit measure of sounds and is the smallest change in sound
detectable by the human ear. Ways to control office noise: Proper construction, Sound
absorbing materials, Sound absorbing devices, and Masking techniques
ELEMENT AFFECTING THE CONDITIONING OF AIR: Air temperature, Humidity level,
Circulation of the air, and Cleanliness of the air
BENEFITS OF MUSIC: Helps increase job satisfaction and productivity, Reduces boredom,
Relives mental and physical fatigue, and Reduces tension and strain
OFFICE SECURITY: Protection of the organization’s property and vital information of the
company.
OFFICE EQUIPMENT AND FURNITURE
Planning consideration: the purpose of the equipment can either be partially or wholly
determined by the work and also to meet up with the needs of the consumer. And also there are
factors to consider when selecting new office equipment, which are; equipment considerations,
vendor considerations, maintenance considerations. When we want to plan for new equipment,
there are some things we need to consider before purchasing the equipment, which are
Specification of the equipment: refers to installation requirement, electrical requirement and the
size, Cost of the equipment: will give a significance impact on the organization return on

3. investment, Operational processes of the equipment, Safety features, Flexibility of the
equipment, Ease of equipment operations, Speed, Cost of equipment operation, Input of the
equipment, and How good is the equipment and how it tends to meet the importance of the
consumer
Vendor consideration: reputation of the equipment vendor need to be taken into consideration
like age of firm, size, services provided by the firm and also financial stability of the firm.
Planning considerations- maintenance: Servicing the equipment, and Equipment maintenance
Use of comparative analysis form: when several brands are being considered, the equipment
has to be compared on a systematic and objective basis. It is also used in order to facilitate the
task of comparing various features of various brands of equipment. There are so many ways in
obtaining office equipment, which are leasing and purchasing.Factors to consider when
deciding on equipment maintenance options are; Cost and provision of service contract,
Frequency of equipment repair, Types of equipment to be maintained, Cost of paper work
associated with equipment maintenance, Speed with which the equipment would be repaired
Factors that guide the selection of office furniture: What the furniture is to be used for,
Appropriateness of furniture in relation to decoration of office, Suitability of furniture for its
users, Versatility of furniture, Durability of furniture, Hierarchical level of furniture user
System furniture: is a type of furniture comprised of components that accommodate the user
and the task he or she performs.Characteristics of system furniture; Modular design: comprise
of desk or working space, storage space, file space, and shelf space, Portable design: it makes use
of movable panels and screens, Functional design: based on individual needs, and Ergonomics
design: based on analysis of the relationship between employees and their physical environment.
SYSTEM ANALYSIS
System is a series of subsystems comprising of interrelated procedures that help achieve a well-
defined goal, whereby procedures consist of related methods necessary to complete various work
processes.
Objectives: To improve operating efficiency, to maximize the efficient utilization of
organizational resources, to help carry out the various functions of the organization, to help
achieve objectives of the organization, and to control operating costs
Advantages: Improves the efficiency of the organization, and Wasteful, unproductive and
uneconomical activities are eliminated
Disadvantages: any inefficiency that is built into the system will likely be increased
disproportionately as work flows through the system, totally integrated systems may be affected
overall when charges are made in one of its subsystems.

4. Characteristics of a system: it is simple, functional, resourceful, responsive, adaptable,
systematic and flexible
Elements of a system: processing: transformation of the input into desired output and takes
place during the processing element, output: output is produced due to interaction between the
input and processing elements, input: the flow of work through a system begins with the input
from some type of resource, feedback: enable the system to determine whether results and
expectations are consistent with each other, and control: vital element of some systems which
has both internal and external dimensions
QUALITY AND QUANTITY CONTROL
STEPS IN CONTROL PROCESSES FOR QUALITY AND QUANTITY EVALUATION:
Define the parameters of the work being subjected to the control process, determine the actual
result, Evaluate actual results, Compare actual result with expected results, and Apply corrective
measures when needed
Objectives: To increase the operating efficiency, To assess the degree to which anticipated
results and actual result conform, To coordinate the various elements of program or task, and To
assist the office employees in performing their jobs more efficiently
Advantages: It helps employee improve their productivity
Elements of control, Factors to control, Identification of anticipated results, Measurement
devices, Application of corrective measures
BUGETARY AND COST CONTROL
BUDGETING: Budgeting is a process. This means budgeting is a number of activities performed
in order to prepare a budget. A budget is a quantitative plan used as a tool for deciding which
activities will be chosen for a future time period.
Purposes of budgeting
COORDINATION: Different units in the company must also coordinate the many different tasks
they perform. For example, the number and types of products to be marketed must be
coordinated with the purchasing and manufacturing departments to ensure goods are available.
Equipment may have to be purchased and installed. Advertising promotions may need to be
planned and implemented. And all tasks have to be performed at the appropriate times.
PLANNING: A budget is ultimately the plan for the operations of an organization for a period of
time. Many decisions are involved, and many questions must be answered. Old plans and
processes are questioned as well as new plans and processes. Managers decide the most effective
ways to perform each task. They ask whether a particular activity should still be performed and,

5. if so, how. Managers ask what resources are available and what additional resources will be
needed.
CONTROL: Once a budget is finalized, it is the plan for the operations of the organization.
Managers have authority to spend within the budget and responsibility to achieve revenues
specified within the budget. Budgets and actual revenues and expenditures are monitored
constantly for variations and to determine whether the organization is on target. If performance
does not meet the budget, action can be taken immediately to adjust activities. Without constant
monitoring, a company does not realize it is not on target until it is too late to make adjustments.
EVALUATION: One way to evaluate a manager is to compare the budget with actual
performance. Did the manager reach the target revenue within the constraints of the targeted
expenditures? Of course, other factors, such as market and general economic conditions, affect a
manager’s performance. Whether a manager achieves targeted goals is an important part of
managerial responsibility.
Cost control: The practice of managing and/or reducing business expenses. Cost controls starts
by the businesses identifying what their costs are and evaluate whether those costs are reasonable
and affordable. Then, if necessary, they can look for ways to cut costs through methods such as
cutting back, moving to a less expensive plan or changing service providers. The cost-control
process seeks to manage expenses ranging from phone, internet and utility bills to employee
payroll and outside professional services.
REFERENCES
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/techniques-cost-control-workplace-2198.html
http://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/cost-control-and-reduction.html
Administrative Office Management :: Complete Course 13TH EDITION by Pattie
Gibson (Author)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Bain Study Outlines Strategic Importance of Continuous Cost-Reduction Program." The
Controller's Report. February 2004.
Cost Reduction and Control Best Practices: The Best Ways for a Financial Manager to Save
Money. Second Edition.Institute of Management and Administration (IOMA), 2005.
Covington, Donna. "Cost Reduction Essential to Competition: A Global Look at Costs Gives the