A Success Profile - swlearning.comA Success Profile Bernice Fujiwara, CPS Administrative Secretary II First Hawaiian Bank Honolulu, Hawaii I attribute my success to a combination of

ASuccessProfile

Bernice Fujiwara, CPSAdministrative Secretary II

First Hawaiian BankHonolulu, Hawaii

I attribute my success to a combination of sev-

eral things: having a supportive family (including

my husband, my two boys, my parents, and my

sisters), working hard, being a member of the

International Association of Administrative

Professionals (IAAP), and being at the right

place at the right time.

My educational background includes asecretarial diploma from Cannon’s School of Business. I was inducted into Cannon’sBusiness College Alumni Hall of Fame inApril 1993. However, my education has not

2 Chapter 1: Title

stopped. I have completed a number ofcourses from the American Institute ofBanking: principles in banking, eco-nomics, law and banking, residentialmortgage lending, and analyzing finan-cial statements. I have also completedan in-house supervisory training pro-gram. In addition, I have attendednumerous workshops and courses onvarious computer programs, gainingproficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel,IBM WordPerfect, Lotus, andMacintosh Word. In 1986, I attainedthe Certified Professional Secretary rat-ing by passing a two-day, six-part exami-nation covering behavioral science inbusiness, business law, economics andmanagement, accounting, office admin-istration and communication, and officetechnology. I attained recertification ofthe CPS in 1996.

I have been with First HawaiianBank since 1974. My career began as a

steno-receptionist; I am currently theadministrative secretary to an executivevice president. My responsibilitiesinclude assisting in customer service,being a liaison between division andregional managers, composing andediting letters and memos, coordinatingbankwide branch managers’ meetings,taking minutes at various meetings,preparing and following up on man-agement reports, preparing itinerariesfor executive travel, and assisting theexecutive in nonprofit organizationalactivities. In addition, I supervise onesecretary.

The most enjoyable part of my job iscoordinating our semiannual branchmanager’s meeting. My responsibilitiesinclude making hotel reservations,preparing the meeting agenda, attend-ing the meeting, and assisting withdinner arrangements. The bank has 57 branches in Hawaii and 2 in Guam.

Part 1: Title 3

PART 1

UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGING WORKPLACE

CHAPTER 1: THE WORK ENVIRONMENTCHAPTER 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR A DIVERSE

ENVIRONMENT

▼

I enjoy meeting and talking with our branchmanagers.

I enjoy the challenge of using technologyto be more efficient at my job. I think admin-istrative professionals sometimes get into arut by doing a task the same way day in andday out. When I improve a procedure, eventhough it may be a simple one, I wonder whyI did not think of it sooner. When I am ableto save time doing mundane tasks, I havemore time to organize and plan for otherprojects.

The most stressful part of my job is havingto do ten things at once because my executiveis extremely busy and needs my support. Ihave learned that good communicationbetween an administrative assistant and anexecutive is vital to being productive. Theadministrative assistant needs to know thepurpose or reason for a project so he or shecan get organized and meet the deadline.(Many times the executive does not know theprocess or details necessary to get a job done.)The administrative assistant must use goodjudgment in deciding what to tackle first.Another stressful part of my job includesunhappy customers who scream at me overthe telephone. I have learned to listen and askthe right questions. I know my companywell—the organization, the people, and theproducts—so I can refer customers to theappropriate department.

My hobbies include needlepoint, ceram-ics, and Japanese washi paper dolls. I enjoymost craft work. I also enjoy taking aerobicclasses, walking, going to the beach to swim,and playing basketball with my sons.

I have been a member of the HawaiiChapter of IAAP since 1980. I have heldnumerous officer positions in our divisionand chapter, including president, vice presi-dent, and treasurer. Our club is involved inactivities such as offering scholarships to stu-dents in the administrative professional field(which means we do fundraising), assistingwith community service projects, and provid-ing continuing education for our members. Iam proud of the special recognition I havereceived through IAAP, including the follow-ing awards:

■ 2001 Outstanding Division President inMembership

■ 1992–1993 International Secretary of theYear for Professional Secretaries Interna-tional (now IAAP)

■ 1992–1993 Southwest District Secretary ofthe Year

■ 1992–1993 Hawaii Division Secretary ofthe Year

■ 1991–1992 Hawaii Chapter Secretary of the Year

I was also inducted into Cannon’s BusinessCollege Alumni Hall of Fame in April 1993.Hall of Fame inductees receive this awardbecause of their contributions to the college

4 Chapter 1: The Work Environment

and community and because of their accom-plishments since graduation.

BERNICE FUJIWARA’S CASE

The role of the administrative assistant haschanged and evolved over the years, in largepart because employers are doing business indifferent countries. When dealing with peo-ple from other countries or from other ethnicgroups, ask questions if you are unsure ofhow to handle a situation. Most people willappreciate your efforts at making them feelcomfortable. Here is a situation in which Iwas involved.

The SituationThe executive tells you he needs to organizea dinner within one week involving a groupfrom an important company in Japan. Thetotal number of people attending is 30, whichincludes spouses. You know very little aboutJapanese customs and language, althoughmost of the guests do speak English. Animportant contract hinges on the outcome of this dinner. What are some factors youshould focus on, and what are some items toinclude on your to-do list?

Decide how you would handle the situa-tion. Then turn to the end of Part 1 (page 00)to see how I solved the situation.

Part 1: Part Title 5

Will we ever live on Mars? This question is one that would not have enteredthe minds of our grandparents and may not have entered the minds of our parents. The possibility of such a happening was too remote to have entered our consciousness.Today such a question is not even unique, and the answer to this question is a possible“yes.” In an article in the April 2000 issue of Time, the question was asked and answeredwith this statement:

By 2017—about the time that children born this year approach voting age—mankind’s first tiny settlement on another world may be taking hold.

Scientists at NASA and in the private sector have been quietly scribbling outflight plans and sketching out vehicles that—so they say—could make mannedlandings on the Red Planet not only possible but also economically practical.1

Additionally, here are several less dramatic but nevertheless amazing changes thatare projected to have an impact on our everyday life.

■ Intelligent rooms in our homes with walls that can “see” us by the use of sensorsand recognize our voices, allowing us to speak our requests and see the resultspromptly

■ The ability in an emergency to call into the air “Get the ambulance!” and get animmediate response

■ Clothing and household linens made of smart fabrics that clean and press them-selves, making washing machines and ironing boards oddities of the past

■ Electronic image spots that display Van Goghs or any other art you dial up■ Homes you can enter and exit by using voice commands, making keys and locks

antiques■ Human gene therapy to revitalize damaged brain cells

6 Chapter 1: Title

LEARNING OBJECTIVES1. Describe the changing work environment.2. Identify the role and responsibilities of the administrative professional.3. Determine twenty-first century traits necessary for the administrative professional.4. Begin the development of a professional growth plan.5. Develop critical-thinking skills.

▼

1 Jeffrey Kluger, “Will We Live on Mars?” Time, April 10, 2000, 58–62.

CHAPTER 1

THE WORK ENVIRONMENT▼

■ Vehicles that run on magnetized tracks onthe interstates, traveling bumper to bumperat 100–200 miles per hour, with no realdriving involved

■ Onboard computers that monitor the work-ings of your auto and diagnose incipient oractual failures, automatically informing theshop of spare parts you need

■ Aircraft that take off vertically, reducingnoise and the size of airports2

■ Smart cards that contain such informationas Website passwords and addresses, driver’slicense information, medical insurance data,commuter passes, to name some of the pos-sibilities3

Just as our world is changing dramatically,so is the workplace and workforce. These aresome of the changes you are encountering ifyou are presently working or you will encounteras you enter the workforce.

■ A workforce that is more diverse than everbefore, with diversity present in ethnicitiesand cultures, gender, and age

■ A business environment where multina-tional corporations (corporations thatoperate both within and outside the United States) are the norm rather than the exception

■ Large corporations with merger mania(mergers occurring nationally and interna-tionally at rates never heard of previously)existing throughout the world

■ Workplaces with state-of-the-art technol-ogy (the latest available), including wirelesscommunications and voice-activated tech-nology

■ E-commerce (businesses that operate onthe Internet) expanding rapidly

■ More people engaged in telework (workthat can be performed anywhere and at anytime using technology)

To survive and thrive in this workplace, youneed to acquire the knowledge, skills, and qual-ities that allow you to become a valued part ofthe organization. This chapter will help youbegin that development; and throughout thiscourse, you will continue that development.

Take a moment now to reread the learningobjectives given at the beginning of this chap-ter. It is very important for you to begin eachchapter understanding exactly what you areexpected to achieve. The learning objectiveswill help you focus your study and use yourtime efficiently. At the end of each chapter, youwill be asked the following questions:

■ Did you achieve the objectives?■ If so, explain how?■ If you did not achieve the objectives, why

not?

THE INFORMATION AGEWhy is the workplace constantly changing? Amajor part of the answer to that question is thatyou and I live in the Information Age. As theterm Information Age suggests, we are livingin a time of tremendous explosion of knowl-edge. As you read the introduction to this chap-ter, you were reminded of the changes that are

Part 1: Understanding the Changing Workplace 7

2 Susan Crowley, “Hello to Our Future,” AARP Bulletin, January, 2000, 3, 14–15.3 Anne D’Innocenzio, “Financial Powerhouses Pushing Smart Cards,” The Grand

Rapids Press, December 25, 2000, A9.© PhotoDisc, Inc.

Our nation may have a settlement on Mars by 2017.

Should folios/footers start here or onnext page?

projected in our world in the next few years—changes that our grandparents never imagined.Driving these changes is the technology that isan integral part of this Information Age.

Consider for a moment the tremendouschanges that have taken place in the workplacein a few short years. The microcomputer didnot exist; the mainframe computer performedall computer applications. The telephone wasthe standard piece of telecommunicationsequipment. The conference call was one of themost sophisticated techniques available whencommunicating with several people. Nowworkers use computers, voice mail, email, faxmachines, and printers/copiers. Cell phones areused by many people; instant communicationwith the workplace and our homes is impor-tant. Palm organizers (small handheld com-puters) allow us to make frequent changes andadditions to our calendar from any location,pick up our email, store our phone numbers,download information from the Web, checkour stock portfolios, and perform a number ofother functions. People may work from theirhomes or other locations outside the traditionalworkplace in a telework environment.

When you add to the technological changesadditional directions such as an increasinglydiverse population and the globalization of oureconomy, you begin to understand why we livein a world of constant change.

A Diverse Labor ForceFrom the period of 1998–2008, employment isprojected to increase by 23 million, approxi-mately 13 percent.4 This workforce will beincreasingly diverse, with minorities and immi-grants constituting a larger share of the work-force than they do today. White non-Hispanicswill make up a decreasing share of the laborforce, from 93.9 to 70.7 percent. The projectedpercentages for other ethnicities in the work-force by 2008 are

■ Hispanics—12.7 percent■ African Americans—12.4 percent■ Asians—4.6 percent5

The fastest-growing population group inour country today is Hispanic. The United

States Census 2000 results show that theHispanic population numbers 35.3 million(12.6 percent of the country’s 281 million peo-ple).6 The population numbers for Hispanicssurpassed previous projections and increased 58 percent from the 1990 census. It is projectedby 2050 that the distribution of our total popu-lation will change dramatically, with white non-Hispanics making up only 52.8 percent of thepopulation; African Americans, 13.2 percent;Hispanics, 24.3 percent; Asians and PacificIslanders, 9.3 percent; and American Indians, .8 percent.7

Women in the WorkforceMore women are in the workforce today thanin the past, and that number is projected togrow. In fact, the number of women in theworkforce is projected to grow between 1998and 2008, from 46.3 to 47.5 percent, while themen’s share of the labor force is expected todecrease during this same period of time, from53.7 to 52.5 percent.8 Women, both single andmarried, continue to enter the workforce ingreater numbers than in the past. Women who


4 U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, (Washington, D.C.:Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2000–01), 1.

5 Ibid, 1–2.6 “Census 2000,” (www.census.usatoday.com).7 “Futurework—Trends and Challenges for Work in the 21 st Century,”

(www.dol.gov/dol/asp/public/futurework).8 U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, (Washington, D.C.:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2000–01), 1–2.

© Digital StockSixty percent of women are in the workforce today .

Underscore Webaddresses infootnotes also?

have children are returning to the workforcetoday while their children are still preschoolage. This is particularly true for families main-tained by single women, a group that is grow-ing significantly. A recent survey of 700 U.S.working men and women found the numberone career-related concern for employees ofthe changing workplace is the ability to balancework and family demands.9

Senior WorkersThe number of workers 45 and older isexpected to increase from 33 to 40 percent ofthe labor force between 1998 and 2008 due tothe aging baby-boom generation. As medicaltechnology continues to make advances thatallow people to live longer, we can expect peo-ple to stay in the workforce beyond the tradi-tional retirement age of 65. In fact, theCommittee for Economic Development, basedin New York and Washington, states in a recentreport that it will be important for older work-ers to stay in the workforce to avert a sharpslowdown in economic growth due to a scarcityof workers as the American population agesover the next few decades. In 1950, there werefive people working for every person over 65and retired. Today there are only three workersfor every retiree, and in 30 years, it is projectedthat there will be approximately two workersfor every person over 65. Such demographicchanges will leave businesses scrambling to findworkers unless traditional attitudes aboutretirement change.10

Thus, you will probably work with peopleaged eighteen to well over sixty. Certainly, eachgeneration of our population grows up withdiffering national and local influences in theirlives. For example, the generation of Americanswho served in World War II and are now intheir mid-seventies have been characterized bywriters as a generation that was extremelypatriotic and pragmatic, putting personal goalsaside in order to serve the needs of our nation.That generation views the world from a verydifferent lens than do people who have neverserved in a world war. Consider still anotherexample of differences. Young people who arein their teens today have grown up in an age oftechnology; they are the digital generation.

They probably have played video games alltheir lives; thus, technology has become a partof their daily existence. The Internet is not amystery, but a way of researching, shopping,sending messages, chatting with people aroundthe world, and exchanging digital photographs.Whereas people in their forties or fifties had toacquire technology skills as adults; these skillswere not something they mastered as youngchildren or teenagers.

These age differences in the workplacemean that we may view the world from differ-ent perspectives. In order to work together suc-cessfully, we have to listen closely to each otherand accept each other’s different views. Ourtask is to accept the individual for who he orshe is.

Cultural DiversityAmerica has been racially and culturally diversesince its very beginning. We are a nation ofimmigrants—a nation who has welcomed andaccepted people from countries all over theworld. However, America is becoming moreand more diverse. You have already learned thatby 2050, it is projected that almost half of ourpopulation will be Hispanic, African American,Asian or Pacific Islander, or American Indian—with the Hispanic population growing muchfaster than the other groups. You will workwith people who are very diverse ethnically. Infact, if you are now working in California, NewYork, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona,you are probably already experiencing thisdiverse workforce.

Multiculturalism by definition means“relating to or including several cultures.”Culture is defined as “the ideas, customs, val-ues, skills, and arts of a specific group of peo-ple.” As you work in this diverse workplace,you need to be aware of and sensitive to thevarious cultural differences and backgrounds.You must understand that individuals, becauseof their different backgrounds, may view situa-tions differently than you do. Your openness to different ideas and perspectives is essential.


9 “Office of the Future: 2005,” accessed 15 January 2001; available fromwww.iaap-hq-org.

10 Christopher Conte, “New Focus on Older Workers,” AARP Bulletin, January,2000, 26.

It may not always be easy to remain open todifferences, but the results will be well worthyour effort. Only through awareness, under-standing, and acceptance of different culturescan we expect to work in a harmonious, pro-ductive business world.

Gender Roles in the WorkplaceMore than ever before women are assumingpositions of greater authority and responsibil-ity, and the positions traditionally filled exclu-sively by men are becoming more open towomen. For example, past assumptions werethat males would hold all supervisory positions.This assumption is no longer valid as more andmore females are assuming management posi-tions. As women assume higher-level positions,we must examine our assumptions about theway both men and women react in the work-force. For example, one of the fairly commonassumptions about women has been that theyare more emotional than men. Can we say thatsuch an assumption is categorically true? No,we cannot. People, with different backgroundsand different cultures, react differently to situa-tions, but it is not because they are male orfemale. The socialization process in variouscultures often encourages men and women todevelop different traits. For example, if youwere born in the United States and are female,you may have been encouraged to express yourfeelings openly. Males may have been taught tokeep their feelings to themselves. You noticethat “may have” is used in both sentences.

We cannot say that all females born in theUnited States have been socialized in this man-ner. Neither can we say that all males have

been. The point of this entire section is toremind you that we cannot stereotype (a per-ception or an image held of people or thingsthat may be favorable or unfavorable) individu-als. We cannot assume that individuals havecertain characteristics because of their gender.Your role in the workplace is to be aware thatstereotyping can occur and not to let your atti-tudes or decisions be based on these stereo-types. Yo ur fo c us must b e o n understanding andac c epting differenc es.

Increased EducationDue to our ever-increasing technologicalworld, the level of education for jobs is higherthan in the past. Numerous employers requirean associate degree, while others require abachelor’s degree. Education is essential in get-ting a job, and ongoing education is a must inkeeping a job. Lifelong learning is necessaryfor all individuals who expect to remain pro-ductive workers. This education does notalways have to take a formal route (attendanceat a technical/community college or a univer-sity), although a formal education may be nec-essary. However, informal education throughreading, attending seminars and conferences,and being active in professional organizations isessential for maintaining and improving theknowledge and skills needed as work responsi-bilities change.


Communication Ti p :America is composed of a mosaic of different cultures, races, andethnicities. Our openness to eachother will help up build a moreharmonious world.

© PhotoDisc, Inc.The level of education needed for jobs is increasing.

A Changing Work EnvironmentOur work environment is constantly changingin numerous ways. Increasingly, there is a glob-alization of our economy. Mergers, bothnational and international, are commonplacetoday. Telework is growing, with the expecta-tion that it will continue to grow rapidly in thefuture. Companies are placing an increasedemphasis on using teams of people to deliverquality products and services. The traditionalworkweek is changing, and temporary employ-ees are becoming more and more a part of theworkforce environment.

Globalization of the EconomyYou merely have to pick up a newspaper, read abusiness magazine, or listen to the news on tele-vision to see and hear the many references toour global economy. If you follow the stockmarket, you hear references to downturns andupturns in the stock in Europe and Asia and theinterrelatedness of the markets to the UnitedState’s market. Go into an American electronicstore, and you notice the number of productsthat are manufactured in Asia. Look at the labels

on your clothes and shoes, and you becomeaware of the number of articles that are madeoutside the United States. Observe the automo-biles that we drive, and you will notice the carsthat are made by international firms. We alsohave a huge number of foreign investors in theUnited States. In fact, when the stock markettakes a downward turn in the United States, youhear financial experts expressing concern thatforeign investors may take their money out ofthe United States, thus impacting the stockmarket even more. Virtually everyone is affectedby the rapid globalization of the world econ-omy. It is estimated that 73 million people intoday’s global workforce work for foreign own-ers. This continued movement toward a globalworkforce merely increases the need to not onlyunderstand but also effectively handle culturaldifferences in the workforce.

Merger ManiaAlthough corporate mergers are not new, theyhave grown enormously since the late 1970s.These mergers are both national and interna-tional. One of the large international mergerswas Chrysler (one of the big three of the UnitedStates automobile industry) with Daimler-Benzin 1998. In early 2001, America Online mergedwith Time Warner (a $165 billion transaction)for the largest merger in the United States tothat point. The combined evaluation of the twocompanies at the time of the merger wasapproximately $290 billion. All indications arethat these kinds of mergers will continue in theforeseeable future. Many industries, bothnational and international, remain highly frag-mented. It is anticipated that the increasingpressure to globalize markets will result inincreased multinational mergers and larger andlarger multinational corporations. These inter-national mergers demand an in-depth under-standing of global issues and cultures.

Quality FocusWhether the organization is national or inter-national, its effectiveness and long life dependso the production of a quality product or serv-ice. Workforce teams have become an impor-tant part of producing quality work based on


© PhotoDisc, Inc. Our American economy is a global one.

the concepts of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, anAmerican statistician who developed the qualityconcept. He first introduced his concepts tobusinesses in the United States but failed toreceive their support. In the 1950s, he took hisconcepts to Japan, where industrialists receivedhim and his idea enthusiastically. Significantproductivity results began to emerge inJapanese industries. In fact, Japan began tosurpass the United States in certain areas ofproduction; e.g., technology and cars. As aresult, American businesses began to pay atten-tion to the processes being used in Japan andbegan to apply Deming’s principles in theirfirms. Deming’s concepts stressed the principleof continued improvement through total

quality management (TQM). This approachis also referred to as continuous qualityimprovement (CQI). Deming’s 14 principlesare listed in Figure 1-1.

How does TQM affect the administrativeprofessional? How does it change your work?Here are some possibilities. You may find thatyou are

■ More involved in decisions that affect thedirection of the organization

■ Part of a workforce team (perhaps evenleading a team) that is responsible forimproving a service or product

■ Expected to be a productive member of ateam, making your unique contributions


PRINCIPLES FOR AMERICAN MANAGEMENT

W. Edwards Deming1. Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive

and to stay in business and to provide jobs.2. Adopt a new philosophy. We are in a new economic age. Western management must awaken to the challenge,

must learn their responsibilities and take on leadership for change.3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate a need for inspection on a mass basis by building

quality into the product in the first place.4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag. Instead minimize the total cost. Move toward a

single supplier for any one item, on a long term relationship of loyalty and trust.5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and

thus constantly decrease costs.6. Institute training on the job.7. Institute leadership. The aim of leadership should be to help people and machines and gadgets to do a better

job. Leadership of management is in need of overhaul, as well as leadership of production workers.8. Drive out fear so that everyone may work effectively for the company.9. Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales, and production must work as a

team, to foresee problems of production and use that may be encountered with the product or service.10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the workforce, asking for zero defects and new levels of

productivity.11. Eliminate work standards on the factory floor. Substitute leadership. Eliminate management by objective.

Eliminate management by numbers, numerical goals, substitute leadership.12. Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of his pride of workmanship. The responsibility of the supervisor

must be changed from sheer numbers to quality. Remove barriers that rob people in management and engineer-ing of their right to pride of workmanship. This means, among other things, abolishment of the annual or meritrating and of management by objective, management by numbers.

13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.14. Put everyone in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everyone’s job.

Figure 1-1Excerpted from Out of the Crisis, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1993.

that assist the company in improving thequality of its goods and services

■ More involved in helping to solve the prob-lems of the organization

DownsizingDownsizing, reducing the number of full-time employees in an organization, has becomea large corporate movement. You merely haveto be aware of newspaper headlines to noticethis trend. Local newspapers carry downsizingstories of the area’s corporations, and The WallStreet Jo urnalcarries stories reflecting thenational movement. Many major companies(such as IBM, General Motors, Xerox, andIBM) have downsized their companies in thelast few years. There are two major reasons for downsizing—streamlining an organizationso that it is more manageable and cuttingoverhead costs (salary and benefit costs). Anemployee can no longer assume that an organi-zation is committed to lifetime employment.

OutsourcingOutsourcing, utilizing an outside company ora consultant to take over the performance of aparticular part of an organization’s business orto complete a project, is a cost-cutting measurebeing used extensively today. For example, anoutside computer firm may be hired to performthe computer operations of a company. Thisapproach can save the organization money insalary dollars and benefits often granted toemployees, such as health insurance and retire-ment options.

A number of organizations use the assis-tance of temporary agencies. These temporaryagencies supply the business with various typesof temporary help, including accounting assis-tants, administrative assistants, and humanresources assistants. Statistics show that twiceas many temporary workers are employed byorganizations today as in the past.

TeleworkToday many workers have traded in the tradi-tional work environment for telework, workthat can be performed at any place and at any

time using technology. The telecommuting-to-work lifestyle is here to stay. It is projected thatby the year 2005, there will be 30 million tele-workers in the United States.

The concept started several years ago astelecommuting, working from home oranother location via computer hookup. Todaywork can be performed using cellular phones,fax machines, modems, voice mail, email, lap-top and hand-held computers, and so on. Jobinterviews can even be held through telecom-muting centers with the interviewer, for exam-ple, being in China and the interviewee beingin Michigan. Today telework is the word mostfrequently used. Telework is a broad term thatmeans using telecommunications to work froma home office, a client’s office, or a multitude ofother locations. Telecommuting today refers tothose individuals who are full- or part-timeemployees of an organization and work fromhome for part or all of the workweek. Also,remote employment (any working arrange-ment in which the worker performs a signifi-cant portion of work at some fixed locationother than the traditional workplace) and the


Technology Ti p :To keep current on telework trends,browse the Web for recent informa-tion and read periodicals such as PCMagazine and Home Computing.)

© PhotoDisc, Inc.Telework can be performed from virtually anywhere atany time using technology .

virtual office (the operational domain of anyorganization that includes remote workers) areterms used in describing the concept of workthat is done through technology where an indi-vidual is physically present in one location andvirtually present in another. You will learnmore about telework in Chapter 3.

The WorkweekAs you have already learned, the workplace maybe the traditional office, the home office, orany number of other locations. Just as theworkplace has changed, so has the workday.The workday may be nine-to-five or it mayinvolve flexible hours. In addition to the flexi-ble workday, the workweek may be compressed,may involve flextime, or may involve job shar-ing with another individual.

With a compressed workweek, employeeswork the usual number of hours (35 to 40);however, the hours are compressed into fourdays. For example, a 35-hour week consists ofthree days of nine hours each and a fourth dayof eight hours.

Another departure from the workday is theflextime approach (the staggering of workinghours to enable an employee to work the fullquota of time but at periods defined by thecompany and the individual). Flextime helps toreduce traffic congestion at the traditional peakhours and allows employees needed flexibilityin their schedules.

Still another departure from the traditionalworkday is job sharing. Under this arrange-ment, two part-time employees perform a jobthat otherwise would be held by one full-timeemployee. Such a plan may be suitable for amother or father with small children or work-ers who want to ease into retirement.

THE ADMINISTRAT I V EP R O F E S S I O N A L’S ROLEAND RESPONSIBILITIESWith the availability of technology and theemphasis on greater efficiency and productivitythrough flattened organizational structures

(fewer management levels than the traditionalstructures of the past) and teams, administrativeprofessionals of today and tomorrow will findthat their role is continually shifting. With this shifting role generally comes greaterresponsibility.

The Shifting RoleFor years the administrative professional’s titlewas confined to secretary, receptionist, andsuch specialized titles as legal and medical sec-retaries. Although the titles mentioned here arestill used to a limited extent, the emerging titlestoday reflect the shifting role of the administra-tive professional. A few of these titles are:administrative assistant, executive assistant,marketing assistant, payroll assistant, humanresources assistant, and office manager. Theshifting role is reflected in the duties of theadministrative professional, which include:

■ Researching and preparing reports (usingthe Web, as well as traditional researchmethods) complete with graphics andspreadsheets

■ Assisting with the planning and direction ofthe company through leading TQM teamsand working on organizational teams

■ Supervising support staff


© PhotoDisc, Inc.The administrative professional today may have theresponsibility of managing a Website.

■ Administering computer networks■ Helping to upgrade and recommend office

software■ Providing computer and software training■ Managing Websites■ Working with outsourcing companies such

as accounting and staffing firms

Although job roles and responsibilities dif-fer among the various positions, certain skillsand knowledge sets are essential in all adminis-trative professional roles. These skills andknowledge sets will be discussed in the nextsection and emphasized throughout this course.

The term administrative professional willbe used consistently throughout the text todenote the workplace support person.

Job ResponsibilitiesAs was mentioned in the previous section, thejob responsibilities of the administrative profes-sional have increased in complexity andaccountability as compared to several years ago.With technology, many executives now answer

their own voice mail and email, key certain cor-respondence directly on the computer, andhandle much of their own scheduling usingelectronic schedules provided with computersoftware. This change frees the administrativeprofessional to become more involved in creat-ing correspondence and in becoming a valuedmember of the office team.

Job responsibilities of the administrativeprofessional vary depending on educationallevel, work experience, and even the initiativeof the employee. Figure 1-2 lists some of thebasic responsibilities that are fairly generic toall administrative professional positions.

T W E N T Y- F I R S T- C E N T U RYSKILLS AND QUALITIESIf the administrative professional is to succeedin a world of technology and rapid change, heor she needs certain skills and qualities. Youshould begin now to develop these skills andqualities.


BASIC JOB RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONAL

■ Composing and keying various types of corre-spondence, including letters, memorandums, and reports

■ Researching report information within the definedparameters set by the employer

■ Participating in quality teams, with the more experi-enced administrative professional serving as teamleader

■ Administering computer networks■ Helping to upgrade and recommend office software■ Providing computer and software training■ Managing Websites■ Working with outsourcing companies such as

accounting and staff firms■ Solving day-to-day problems within the role of the

administrative professional■ Communicating both orally and in writing with

individuals both within and outside the office■ Scheduling appointments■ Setting up meetings and conferences

■ Organizing time and work■ Maintaining correspondence and records in both

electronic and manual files■ Making travel arrangements for the executive■ Using telecommunications technology, including

the telephone, voice mail, and fax■ Interviewing and making recommendations on the

employment of office support personnel■ Supervising office support personnel■ Taking and transcribing minutes from various types

of meetings■ Making recommendations on equipment purchases■ Purchasing office supplies■ Handling incoming and outgoing mail■ Processing paperwork that involves mathematical

calculations (expense reports, budgets, invoices,purchase orders, petty cash, and so on)

Figure 1-2

Success SkillsIn 2000, the National Association of Collegesand Employers (NACE) identified importantskills that employers seek in new hires. The topnine skills listed by employers were as follows:

■ Interpersonal skills■ Teamwork skills■ Verbal communication skills■ Critical thinking/analytical skills■ Technology/computer skills■ Written communication skills■ Leadership skills■ Time, stress, and organizational manage-

ment skills■ Verbal presentation skills

The next section covers these skills in detail.

Interpersonal SkillsFor years, surveys have shown that moreemployees lose their jobs due to poor interper-sonal skills than poor technology skills. As anadministrative professional, you come in con-tact with a number of people. Within the com-pany, you work with coworkers, your supervi-sor, and other executives. Contacts outside thecompany include customers and other visitorsto your office, all with different backgroundsand experiences. If you are to be effective, youneed to understand and accept and then be ableto work with them. Interpersonal skills are likemost of our other skills. We must constantlydevelop and improve these skills if we are togrow in our abilities. Take the interpersonalskills Self-Check and compare your answers to the suggested responses at the end of thischapter. Where do you need to improve?Commit now to improve these areas duringthis course. You will have an opportunity tolearn more about the importance of interper-sonal skills and to continue to develop yourskills throughout this course.

Teamwork SkillsYou have learned in this chapter that organiza-tions are using teams more and more in pro-ducing work. Obviously, if these teams are tobe successful, individual team members must

possess the ability to work well together. Theword team can be traced back to the Indo-European word deukI, meaning “to pull.”Successful teams in the work environmentinclude groups of people who need each otherto accomplish a given task. Teamwork skills arevery similar to interpersonal skills in that theydemand that you understand, accept, andrespect the differences among your team mem-bers. Teamwork also demands that you engagein the following behaviors:

■ Behave courteously to all team members■ Build strong relationships with your team

members so that the team’s goals can beaccomplished

■ Learn collectively with your team. Youmust start with self-knowledge and self-mastery, but then you must look outward todevelop knowledge and alignment withyour team members

■ Take responsibility for producing high-quality work as an individual team memberand encouraging a high-quality team project


Self-Check

Respond to the following comments with a yes or noanswer.

YES NO1. I understand that differences exist

in culture, race, and ethnicity.2. I respect others’ differences in culture,

race, and ethnicity.3. I expect all individuals to react to

situations just as I do.4. I listen carefully when others

are talking.5. I ignore body language when others

are talking.6. I am conscious of the words I use

in my written communications.7. I avoid dealing with conflict.8. I evaluate individuals when they

are talking to me.9. I trust people who are older than

I am.10. Men are better supervisors than

women.

Verbal Communication SkillsIf you are to be an effective verbal communica-tor, you must be able to express yourself accu-rately, concisely, and tactfully. Additionally, youmust be a good listener. Although most of usthink we spend an inordinate amount of timelistening, research studies show that we onlylisten with 25 to 50 percent efficiency. In otherwords, 50 to 75 percent of what we hear is neverprocessed. Moreover, even when we do processwhat we hear, we may not grasp the full implica-tion of what has been said. As you have alreadydiscovered, the office continues to become morediverse in the ethnicity, gender, and age of theworkforce. This diversity demands your con-stant improvement in verbal communication soyou can effectively work with a diverse group ofpeople. You will learn more about verbal com-munication in Chapter 2.

Critical-Thinking SkillsCritical thinking can be defined as “a uniquekind of purposeful thinking in which the thinkersystematically chooses conscious and deliberateinquiry.” Critical comes from the Greek word,krinein, which means “to separate, to choose.”When we think critically about a subject, we tryto see it from all sides before coming to a con-clusion. Critical thinking requires us to seethings from perspectives other than our ownand to consider the possibleconsequences of the positionswe take. Critical thinking isconsidered a soft skill (a busi-ness-related nontechnicalskill). Other soft skills youhave been introduced to inthis section are verbal communication; humanrelations; and time, stress, and organizationalmanagement skills. You will continue to learnabout soft skills in each chapter of this book.Although these skills are known as soft skillsbecause they are nontechnical, do not make themistake of assuming they are nonessential skills.In fact, job studies show that people are firedmore because of their lack of understanding ofsoft skills and their inability to produce on softskills than their lack of ability to produce in thetechnical area. Commit yourself now to improv-ing your soft skills in this course and continuingto work in these areas throughout your career.Just as you must constantly learn new technicalskills throughout your career due to changes intechnology, so must you continue to improveyour soft skills.

In each chapter throughout the course, asoft skill is emphasized. Soft skills are identifiedin two ways. In the Learning Objectives at thebeginning of the chapter the soft skill is itali-cized. Did you notice that Develop criticalthinking skills is italicized in the LearningObjectives for this chapter? Within eachchapter, soft skills are identified by the soft skill icon . This icon will serve to remindyou of the importance of soft skills and the needfor you to concentrate on developing them.

If you are to succeed in the complex worldof the twenty-first century, you must be able tothink critically about the day-to-day decisionsyou make in the workplace. The Critical-


© PhotoDisc, Inc.The administrative professional must have excellentverbal communication skills.

Thinking Activities and Projects in the courserequire that you demonstrate your continualgrowth in critical thinking. At the end of eachchapter, a workplace situation is given in theCritical-Thinking Activity. You will be asked tocritically analyze the activity and determinehow it should be handled, using a critical-thinking approach. To help you understandmore about how critical thinking is approached,read the list of questions in Figure 1-3. Youshould ask yourself these questions when youare attempting to critically analyze an issue.

Technology/Computer SkillsSuccess today demands that you be technologi-cally competent. You must be

■ Proficient on a computer■ Knowledgeable about the most current

software packages, including word process-ing, spreadsheets, databases, graphics, andpresentation software

■ Competent in using telecommunicationsequipment

■ Competent in using printers/copiers■ Willing to continually learn new workforce

technology

Chapters 4, 5, and 6 will help you continueto develop these important skills.

Written Communication SkillsAdministrative professionals spend a majorityof their time communicating with others. Suchcommunication may be in written form, such asletters, memorandums, reports, email, andfaxes. Written communication skill implies thatyou have a mastery of the English language.The administrative professional must be able toapply the rules of grammar, punctuation, andcapitalization. Many times the employerexpects the administrative professional to bethe English expert, relying on the professionalto correct any grammatical errors that theemployer may make.

Software packages today identify incorrectlyspelled words and grammar errors as you arekeying by underscoring the errors in color, withred used to identify spelling errors and greenused to identify grammar errors. Although thisfunction is an extremely helpful aid, you shouldrecheck the entire document using the spell andgrammar check program once you have fin-ished keying.

The spell checker does have limitations.For example, if you key o ff when you actuallymean o f,the spell checker will not identify theerror because the word is not spelled incor-rectly. This means that you must be anextremely good proofreader even with the toolsthat are provided on your computer software.Take the time to proofread thoroughly andcarefully each document you produce.

Included in your software package “tools”are also readability statistics that give you thefollowing information on the document youhave keyed:

■ Number of paragraphs■ Sentences per paragraph


CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

■ What is the purpose of my thinking?■ What problem or question am I trying to answer?■ What facts do I need to address this problem or

question?■ How do I interpret the facts or information I receive?■ What conclusions can I make from the information I

received?

■ Are my conclusions defensible?■ Have I dealt with the complexity of the situation?■ Have I avoided thinking in simple stereotypes?■ What will be the consequences if I put my conclu-

sions into practice?

Figure 1-3

Human Relations Ti p :Commit to learning something newevery day. Constantly set new goalsfor yourself.

■ Words per sentence■ Readability statistics, including passive sen-

tences and the Flesch-Kincaid readabilitylevel of the document

These statistics are helpful in knowing howeasy or difficult your document will be to read.For a general audience, you usually need towrite at the eighth- to tenth-grade level.However, if you are writing technical materialfor a highly educated audience, you may writeat the twelfth-grade level or above. You willlearn more about written communication skillsin Chapter 9.

Leadership SkillsLeadership skills are developed over time. Theyare not something that we automatically have atbirth. You begin to develop your leadershipskills by seeking out and/or accepting leader-ship opportunities. For example, accepting thechairperson position of a committee helps youdevelop leadership skills. Accepting an office inone of your college organizations or in a pro-fessional organization to which you belonghelps you develop leadership skills. The essen-tial strategy for you to remember is to look forleadership opportunities and take advantage ofeach one. As you pursue and are granted certainleadership opportunities, learn from each one.Evaluate yourself or ask a close friend to evalu-ate your performance. What mistakes did youmake? How can you correct your mistakes?

As you are promoted to higher-level posi-tions, you may also have the responsibility ofsupervising one or more employees. Being aneffective supervisor, one who is able to inspirepeople to produce at their maximum, demandsthat you understand and apply effective leader-ship and management principles. Chapter 15will help you learn and apply these skills.

Time, Stress, and OrganizationalManagement SkillsAs an efficient administrative professional, youmust be able to organize your time, your work-load, and your stress. You must be able toestablish priorities, determining what needs to be done first. You must organize your work-station and files, whether they are paper orelectronic. You must organize your time soyour work flows smoothly and tasks are fin-ished as needed. Chapter 8 will help youunderstand more about these important skillsand give you a chance to practice them.

Verbal Presentation SkillsAdministrative professionals today serve onproject teams and may even chair a team.These project teams often make presentationsof their findings and recommendations to peergroups or to executives within the workplace.You may also have occasion to speak at profes-sional organizations to which you belong. Ifyour presentations are to be successful, youmust develop verbal presentation skills.Chapter 10 will help you develop these skills.

Success QualitiesIn addition to the skills that have been identi-fied, there are certain qualities that are essentialfor the success of the administrative profes-sional. These qualities include openness tochange, dependability, confidentiality,integrity/honesty, initiative/motivation, andflexibility/adaptability.

Openness to ChangeSince change will continue to play such animportant role in the workplace, you mustlearn to cope with change as well as embrace it. Embracing change means accepting andpreparing for change and being creative andflexible. Try to predict the changes you willface, and prepare yourself for them. For exam-ple, since you know technology will continue toplay an important role in the workplace, keepcurrent on the latest technological changes thatmight impact your workplace.


Communication Ti p :Always proofread all documents youkey using your spell and grammarcheck.

Be creative when dealing with change.Creativity is as the ability to approach existingideas or things in new ways. When a changeoccurs, you can usually connect that change tosome already existing idea or way of doingsomething. Review the steps listed in Figure 1-4 to help you understand how to deal withchange.

DependabilityDependability means many things. It meansbeing at work on time if you are working at anestablished location. If you are engaged in tele-work, it means being productive in performingyour job. Dependability is the willingness toput in additional time on important assign-ments. It also means doing what you say youwill do and when you say you will do it.

ConfidentialityAs an administrative professional, you haveaccess to information that is extremely confi-dential. For example, if you are working in thepersonnel department of an organization, youhave access to information about employees—their work history, performance evaluations,salaries, ages, and so on. If you work for acriminal attorney, you may have access to infor-mation about a client’s case. If you work for anMD, you may have access to patients’ files con-taining highly personal and confidential infor-mation about health issues. Your employer mayoccasionally talk with you about informationthat is highly confidential—perhaps a mergerwith another company that is pending. Youmay also overhear confidential conversationsbetween executives. You must always maintain

the confidentiality (secrecy) of the informationreceived or the confidences shared. To let anyconfidential information leak outside youroffice may cause irreparable damage to youremployer, to others within your organization,to customers, and to your organization.

Integrity/HonestyIntegrity is defined as “the adherence to a codeof behavior.” In the workplace environment,the code of behavior means in part that you arehonest. It means you do not take equipment orsupplies that belong to the company for yourown personal use. It means you spend yourtime on the job performing the duties of thejob—not making and receiving personal phonecalls or writing personal emails. It means youuphold high standards of ethical behavior. Youdo not engage in activities in which yourmorals or values may be questioned.

Initiative/MotivationInitiative is defined as “the ability to begin andfollow through on a plan or task.” Initiative istaking the tasks you are given and completingthem in an appropriate manner. It means hav-ing the ability to set appropriate work goals foryourself. The most highly valued administrativeprofessional has the ability to analyze a task,establish priorities, and see the work through tocompletion. The professional takes the initia-tive to make suggestions to the employer aboutneeded changes or revisions and is truly worthhis or her weight in gold.

Motivation is closely related to initiative.Motivation means that someone is providedwith an incentive to act—a move to action. In


DEALING WITH CHANGE

Follow these steps in dealing effectively with change.■ Understand why change is necessary. Determine

what circumstances have occurred that have neces-sitated change.

■ Determine what objectives will be achieved by thechanges that are proposed.

■ Establish guidelines for achieving those objectives.

■ Determine the benefits or rewards that will occur asa result of the change.

■ Once the change has occurred, evaluate the effec-tiveness of the change and your effectiveness inworking through the change.

Figure 1-4

taking the initiative to begin a task, you may bemotivated extrinsically (from outside) orintrinsically (from within). For example, youmay be motivated to perform a task because itprovides a monetary reward for you or externalrecognition from your supervisor. Additionally,you may be motivated to perform a taskbecause you are committed to learning andgrowing. You understand that each task youperform provides you the opportunity to learnsomething new.

Flexibility/AdaptabilityFlexibility is being responsive to change.Adaptability is being capable of adjusting. Asyou can readily determine, the two terms areclosely related. In our fast-paced global andtechnology-driven world, we must respond andadjust to the changes that are constantly occur-ring not only in our work world but also in ourpersonal life. You learned earlier in this chapterabout the importance of being able to workwith a diverse workforce. You also learned thatmergers, downsizing, outsourcing, and tele-work can and often do make our work environ-ment very different from the work environmentof the past. All of these changes demand yourflexibility and adaptability.

A PROFESSIONAL IMAGEThe administrative professional with a profes-sional image constantly presents to the publicthe essential skills and success qualities dis-cussed in the previous sections. In addition, theadministrative professional must present a posi-tive personal appearance. He or she dresses inappropriate business attire and is well groomed.The administrative professional pays attentionto hairstyle, personal hygiene, appropriate jew-elry and accessories, physical condition, goodposture, and proper eating habits. Dependingon the office, appropriate business attire mayinclude a suit and tie for males and a suit ordress for females. Some workplaces may bemore relaxed, allowing shirts without a tie formales and skirts or slacks and blouses orsweaters for females. A number of workplaces

have a day once a month or even once a weekwhen casual dress is appropriate, even if theremaining days are considered standard busi-ness attire. Some organizations allow employ-ees to dress in business casual on a daily basis.Many organizations are becoming more casualin their dress considerations than in the past. Ifyou are uncertain about the appropriate dressstyle in your organization, notice howrespected people in the organization dress. Youcan generally follow their lead.

A professional image is more than dressingappropriately, however. A positive personalappearance without the necessary skills andqualities is meaningless. If the administrativeprofessional expects to succeed, he or she mustcombine the necessary skills and qualities withan appropriate personal appearance. A profes-sional image is a combination of all of theseareas.

PROFESSIONAL GROWTHIn our constantly changing world, you must bewilling to continue your professional growth.This professional growth can be through

■ Attending classes at a college or university■ Attending seminars and workshops pro-

vided by your company or outside firms■ Reading business periodicals■ Participating in professional organizations


© PhotoDisc, Inc.The administrative professional dresses in appropriatebusiness attire and is always well groomed.

PeriodicalsNumerous periodicals are available with articlesto assist you in enhancing your knowledge andskills. Several of these periodicals are listed inFigure 1-5. Begin now to become familiar withthem by reading selected articles. Visit yourschool or local library to see what periodicalson this list are available.

Professional OrganizationsListed here are several professional organiza-tions that provide growth opportunities for theadministrative professional.

■ IAAP (International Association of Admin-istrative Professionals)—This organizationis the world’s largest association for admin-istrative support staff, with nearly 700chapters and 40,000 members and affiliatesworldwide. IAAP administers a certificationprograms for entry-level and advancedskills. The entry-level skills program isavailable through the Office ProficiencyAssessment and Certification program. Theadvanced-level certification program awardsthe CPS (Certified Professional Secretary)designation on the successful passage of the

exam plus the required work experience.The letters CPS after an administrativeprofessional’s name are indicative of theachievement of the highest professionalstandard within the field. Figure 1-6 givesmore details about this certification. IAAPpublishes Offic ePro magazine. The Webaddress for IAAP is www.iaap-hq.org.

■ National Association of Legal Secretaries(NALS) and Legal Secretaries Interna-tional—NALS sponsors an Accredited LegalSecretary (ALS) examination and certifica-tion program administered by the CertifyingBoard of the National Association of LegalSecretaries. This organization also adminis-ters an examination to certify a legal secre-tary with three years of experience as aProfessional Legal Secretary (PLS). LegalSecretaries International confers the desig-nation Board Certified Civil Trial LegalSecretary in specialized areas such as litiga-tion, real estate, probate, and corporationto individuals who have five years of law-related experience and pass the exam. TheWeb address for NALS is www.nals.org;the Web address for Legal SecretariesInternational is www.legalsecretaries.org.

■ American Association for Medical Tran-scription (AAMT)—This organization isfor office staff, assistants, and techniciansemployed by physicians or hospitals. Itsponsors a certification program, CertifiedMedical Transcriptionist (CMT), andpublishes a magazine called the Jo urnal o fthe Americ anAsso c iatio nfo rMedic alTran -sc riptio n.The Web address for the AmericanAssociation for Medical Transcription iswww.aamt.org.

■ National Association of Education OfficeProfessionals (NAEOP)—NAEOP (atwww.naeop.org) sponsors a program thatissues certificates based on education, expe-rience, and professional activity. It alsopublishes Natio nal Educatio nal Sec retary.

■ ARMA International, the Association forInformation Management Professionals—This association sponsors the CertifiedRecords Manager (CRM) designation. Itpublishes The Info rmatio n ManagementJo urnal. Their Web address iswww.arma.org.


PROFESSIONAL PERIODICALS

OfficePro MagazinePublished by International Association of

Administrative ProfessionalsThe Information Management JournalPublished by the Association of Records Managers

and AdministratorsBusiness WeekFortuneU.S. News & World ReportTimeThe Wall Street Journal (a newspaper)PC MagazinePC WorldHome Computing

Figure 1-5

C O M PANY SCENEThroughout this course, you will be workingfor AmeriAsian Airlines, 5519 Reeds Parkway,Grand Rapids, MI 49509-3295. AmeriAsian isthe result of a merger in March 2000 betweenAmeriAir, founded in 1970 in Grand Rapids,Michigan, with only 30 employees, and ChinaAirlines, founded in 1975 in Beijing, China,with 40 employees. Presently China is theworld’s third largest aviation market, after theUnited States and Japan, with airline trafficgrowing by 20 percent per year. Before theirmerger, AmeriAir had grown to the fourthlargest airline in the United States, garnering11.7 percent of the market. China Airlines hadgrown to the second largest airline in China,with 30 percent of the market. AmeriAsian

Airlines now employs over 39,000 people. TheUnited States hub office is located in GrandRapids at the address given above. The Chinahub is located in Beijing. Net earnings this pastyear for the combined company were $5.6 bil-lion, a slight drop in net earnings from thecombined net earnings of both companiesbefore the merger in 2000. AmeriAsian is listedon the New York Stock Exchange and currentlylists for $62 per share of common stock.AmeriAsian is presently developing strategies toincrease its overall market share by decreasinglabor costs, increasing its on-time performance,lowering ground-handling costs, and providingcertain incentives. The company is looking atadding a frequent flyer program for the Chinaoperation and improved in-flight customerservice for the total company.


THE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL SECRETARY

WHY CERTIFICATION? Job Advancement—The CPS rating gives you a competitive edge for promotionand hiring.Professional Skills—You will learn more about office operations and build yourskills by studying for and taking the CPS exam.Salary—An IAAP Membership Profile study shows that CPS holders earn an aver-age of $2,228 more per year than those who do not have certification.Esteem—Attaining the CPS certification demonstrates to your employer and your-self that you are committed as a professional.College Credit—Many colleges and universities offer course credit for passing theCPS exam.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE? You may take the CPS exam if you are employed as an administrative professional orhave at least two years of work experience as an administrative professional, varyingaccording to your level of college education. Students or teachers in a college busi-ness education program also may qualify.

WHEN AND WHEREIS THE EXAM GIVEN? The CPS examination is a one-day exam, administered each May and November at

over 250 locations across the United States, Canada, and other countries.

WHAT ARE THE PARTSOF THE EXAM? The exam has three parts:

■ Finance and Business Law■ Office Systems and Administration■ Management

Figure 1-6Excerpted from www.iaap-hq.org/cps/

Should Web addresses in figures(including source lines) be underscoredto match basal text?

Your job title is executive assistant. Youreport directly to Martin Albertson, VicePresident of Corporate Marketing andCommunications in Grand Rapids. Since themerger, executives in both companies havebeen discussing how they might assume moresocial responsibility in the hub office cities.They intend to take an active role in the educa-tional, environmental, and social concerns ofthe community, both in the United States andChina. Before the merger, each community sawthe airline as a good corporate citizen.Executives want to assure that their companiesremain respected corporate citizens. Althoughtheir profitability picture has been good sincethe merger, there has been a slight downturn.As a result, the Grand Rapids hub has laid off50 employees in the corporate office. Theresult has been a slight morale problem.However, steps have been taken to make theemployees feel more a part of the decisionmaking through TQM.

Your duties are extremely varied. Theyinclude assisting Martin Albertson with settingup meetings with government and educational

leaders within the local communities to deter-mine issues of common concern. At one point,you traveled to China with your employer andtwo other support staff to help set up a com-munity conference there. This is the only timeyou have traveled outside the company; how-ever, you do communicate frequently withChina through fax, email, and computer con-ferencing. Other duties include the following:

■ Researching and preparing all types of cor-respondence

■ Participating in TQM teams■ Organizing your employer’s schedule■ Scheduling meetings■ Making travel arrangements■ Handling the mail■ Filing correspondence■ Supervising two assistants

You have two assistants that report to you—Juan Mercado (who has been working forAmeriAsian Airlines for slightly over a year)and Luyin Wu (who has been working forAmeriAsian Airlines for six months).


Figure 1-7 AmeriAsian Flight Hubs and Flight PatternsChanged color of figure number/title toblack and deleted rule for line art. OK?

■ The workforce of the twenty-first century will (1) bemore diverse than ever before, (2) be more globalthan in the past, with both national and internationalmergers continuing at a rapid pace, (3) have state-of-the-art technology, with e-commerce expanding rap-idly, and (4) have a large percentage of the workforceengaged in telework.

■ It is projected that by 2050 the distribution of ourtotal population will change dramatically, with whitesmaking up only 52.8 percent of the population;African Americans, 13.2 percent; Hispanics, 24.3percent; Asians and Pacific Islanders, 9.3 percent;and American Indians, .8 percent.

■ Women will continue to be a growing part of theworkforce; they will occupy diverse positions in theworkforce, including all levels of management.

■ The workforce will be older, with workers 45 andolder expected to increase from 33 to 40 percent ofthe labor force between 1998 and 2008. Many peoplewill work longer than the traditional retirement age of65, working until they are seventy or eighty.

■ As you work in the diverse office, you need to beaware of and sensitive to the various cultural differ-ences and backgrounds.

■ We cannot assume that women and men react differ-ently to situations because of their gender.

■ Age differences may mean that we view the worldfrom different perspectives.

■ The level of education for jobs is increasing, with therequirement for an associate degree growing fasterthan all other levels of education.

■ The quality concept developed by W. EdwardsDeming is now used by numerous American busi-nesses in an effort to improve quality and productiv-ity. As a result of this emphasis, employees nowoperate in teams more often than in the past.

■ Downsizing and outsourcing are two methods usedto cut organizational costs.

■ Temporary employees are used extensively to get thework of the organization done as economically aspossible in an extremely competitive world.

■ Today a number of workers have traded in the tradi-tional office environment for a telework environ-ment—one in which work may be done at any timeand in any place.

■ Workweeks today may be flexible, with hours varyingfrom the traditional eight- or nine-to-five workday.The compressed workweek, flextime, and job sharingare all examples of flexible workweeks.

■ The administrative professional’s role is shifting dueto technology, with duties that include researchingand preparing reports complete with graphics andspreadsheets, assisting with the planning and direc-tion of the company through TQM teams (and evenleading these teams), supervising support staff,administering computer networks, helping to upgradeand recommend office software, providing computerand software training, managing Web sites, andworking in a liaison capacity with outsourcing com-panies such as accounting and staffing firms.

■ The administrative professional needs these skills:interpersonal skills; teamwork skills; verbal commu-nication skills; critical thinking; technology/computerskills; written communication skills; leadership skills;time, stress, and organizational management skills;and verbal presentation skills.

■ The administrative professional must develop thesequalities: openness to change, dependability, confi-dentiality, integrity/honesty, initiative/motivation, andflexibility/adaptability.

■ A total professional image (including knowledge,skills, qualities and personal appearance) is essentialfor success.

■ Professional growth can occur through attendingclasses or seminars/workshops, reading businessperiodicals, and participating in professional organi-zations.


CHAPTER SUMMARYThe summary will help you remember the important points covered in the chapter.

■ Multinational corporations (p. 0)—corporationsthat operate both within and outside the UnitedStates.

■ Merger mania (p. 0)—mergers between businessthat occur nationally and internationally at rateshigher than normal.

■ State-of-the-art technology (p. 0)—the latesttechnology available.

■ E-commerce (p. 0)—businesses that operate onthe Internet.

■ Telework (p. 0)—work that can be performed any-where at any time using technology.

■ Information Age (p. 0)—an age when there hasbeen a great explosion of knowledge, due mainly tothe technological revolution.

■ Palm organizers (p. 0)—small handheld comput-ers that allow us to make frequent changes and addi-tions to our calendar from any location, pick up ouremail, store our phone numbers, download informa-tion from the Web, check our stock portfolios, andperform a number of other functions.

■ Telework environment (p. 0)—work that is doneoutside the traditional workplace through the use ofelectronic equipment.

■ Multiculturalism (p. 0)—relating to or includingseveral cultures.

■ Culture (p. 0)—the ideas, customs, values, skills,and arts of a specific group of people.

■ Stereotype (p. 0)—a perception or an image heldof people or things that may be favorable or unfavor-able.

■ Total quality management (TQM) or continu -ous quality improvement (CQI) (p. 0)—empha-sizes continued improvement of both goods andservices through team approaches within a business.

■ Downsizing (p. 0)—reducing the number of full-time employees in an organization.

■ Overhead Costs (p. 0)—salary and benefit costs.■ Outsourcing (p. 0)—utilizing an outside company

or a consultant to take over the performance of a par-ticular part of an organization’s business or to com-plete a project.

■ Telecommuting (p. 0)—working from home oranother established location via computer hookup.

■ Remote employment (p. 0)—any workingarrangement in which the worker performs a signifi-

cant portion of work at some fixed location other thanthe employer’s office.

■ Virtual office (p. 0)—the operational domain ofany organization that includes remote workers.

■ Compressed workweek (p. 0)—regular workweekhours compressed into four days.

■ Flextime (p. 0)—the staggering of working hours toenable an employee to work the full quota of time butat periods defined by the company and the individual.

■ Job sharing (p. 0)—two part-time employees per-forming a job that otherwise would be held by onefull-time employee.

■ Flattened organizational structur e (p. 0)—fewer management levels than the traditional organi-zational structures of the past.

■ Administrative professional (p. 0)—a term usedto denote a workplace support position. In this text, itis used as a means of clarifying the position.

■ Team (p. 0)—Comes from the Indo-European worddeuk meaning “to pull.” Teams are people who pulltogether to perform a task.

■ Critical thinking (p. 0)—a unique kind of purpose-ful thinking in which the thinker systematicallychooses conscious and deliberate inquiry.

■ Krinein (p. 0)—the Greek word meaning “to sepa-rate or choose.”

■ Soft skill (p. 0)—a business-related nontechnicalskill.

■ Creativity (p. 0)—the ability to approach existingideas or things in new ways.

■ Confidentiality (p. 0)—the ability to keep secrets;not revealing information, such as legal information,that is needed only by certain people within theorganization and could be harmful to individuals andthe company if revealed to others.

■ Confidentially (p. 0)—secrecy.■ Integrity (p. 0)—the adherence to a code of behav-

ior.■ Initiative (p. 0)—the ability to begin and follow

through on a plan or task.■ Motivation (p. 0)—provided with an incentive to

act, a move to action.■ Extrinsically (p. 0)—motivation from outside.■ Intrinsically (p. 0)—motivation from within.■ Flexibility (p. 0)—being responsive to change.■ Adaptability (p. 0)—being capable of adjusting.


CHAPTER GLOSSARYThe following terms were introduced in this chapter. Definitions are provided to help you review the terms.

1. Explain how the work environment of the future willbe more diverse. What does this diversity suggest foryou as a future employee?

2. How is our work environment changing?3. Where is the workplace of the twenty-first century? In

your response, explain what is meant by telework.

4. How is the administrative professional’s rolechanging?

5. What skills are needed in the twenty-first century? Inyour response, explain the meaning of each skill.


DISCUSSION ITEMSThese discussion items provide an opportunity to test your understanding of the chapter through written responsesand/or discussion with your classmates and your instructor.

AmeriAsian Airlines has introduced TQM in an effort toimprove quality and productivity. You were asked to bepart of a team that looks at the improvement of internalcommunication, and you took the assignment seriously.Before the first meeting, you had identified several com-munication problems that seem to be ongoing in theorganization. You brought these communication problemsup at the meeting; i.e., failure to respond to email (elec-tronic mail) promptly, failure to respond to voice mail,and airline ticket customers who have long waits whenattempting to buy tickets by phone. Two of the individualswho work in your department became upset with you.They assumed that your statements referred to situationsyou had encountered with them. They exploded in themeeting, making these comments:

I can’t answer the email you send me within the hour.Get off my back.

The next time you have a complaint about me, talk withme personally.

The manager in charge of the airline ticket sales depart-ment asked exactly what you meant by “long waits” withairline customers attempting to buy tickets. He did notseem upset but was merely asking for clarification of yourcomment.

You let the two individuals in your department know thatyou were not talking about individual cases. You wereattempting to identify problems that needed to be

addressed so the customer might be better served. Youanswered the manager’s question with “I don’t know theexact length of time; I have just heard complaints.” Sincethe meeting did not get off to a good start, you feelresponsible. You want to be a contributor to the process?What should you do? Think through the following itemsand prepare responses.

■ What is the problem?■ Do the upset employees have cause to be concerned

about your behavior?■ Should you talk to these employees before the next

meeting? If so, what should you say?■ Did you have enough information about the customer

ticket issue to bring it up? How should you handlethis type of issue in the future?

■ How should you identify problems/issues that arenegatively affecting office communication?

■ How can you present problems/issues at the nextmeeting without causing the volatility of the lastmeeting?

Remember, your task is to critically analyze the situationgiven here. Before you attempt to answer the questions,review Figure 1-4 on page 00 of your text. Additionally,study the information given below on thinking and analyz-ing situations critically.

CRITICAL-THINKING ACTIVITY

■ Imposes criteria and intellectual standards upon thethinking

■ Takes charge of the construction of thinking■ Guides the constructions of the thinking according to

the standards■ Assesses the effectiveness of the thinking according

to the purpose, the criteria, and the standards

QUESTIONS TO ASK:

■ Is this belief defensible or indefensible? What is thebasis for this belief?

■ Is my position on this issue reasonable and rational?

■ Am I willing to deal with complexity, or do I retreatinto simple stereotypes to avoid it?

■ Is it appropriate and wise to assume that my ideasand beliefs are accurate, clear, and reasonable if Ihave not tested them?

■ Do I ever enter sympathetically into points of viewthat are very different from my own, or do I justassume that I am right?

■ Do I know how to question my own ideas and to testthem?11


CRITICAL THINKINGCritical thinking is a unique kind of purposeful thinking in which the thinker systematically and habitually

1. Yes 3. No 5. No 7. No 9. Yes2. Yes 4. Yes 6. Yes 8. No 10. No

RESPONSES TO SELF-CHECKThe most appropriate answers are as follows:

Project 1-1 (Objective 1)Online Project

Browse the Web for the following information:

■ Articles on the changing office. At the IAAP Website(www.iaap-hq.org), check the OfficePro magazine forarticles.

■ Determine the diversity statistics in your state asreported by the United State Census 2000; here is a Web address you can use:www.census.gov/dmd/www/2Kresult.html.

Prepare a short summary of the articles, giving the Webaddresses; submit your summaries to your instructor.

Project 1-2 (Objectives 2 and 3)Collaborative Project

In teams of two or three, interview two administrative pro-fessionals. You do not have to interview these people inperson; you may choose to do it by email. Ask them thefollowing questions:

■ What are your roles and responsibilities?■ What skills and qualities do you need in order to be

successful?■ What types of technology changes have occurred in

your organization in the last five years? two years?■ Describe the diversity of personnel within your

organization. Have there been any issues in dealingwith this diversity? If so, what were those issues andhow were they handled?

Report your findings verbally to the class.

PROJECTS

11 Richard Paul, Critical Thinking: How to Prepare Students for a Rapidly Changing World (California: Foundation for Critical Thinking, 1993), 17–36.

Underscore Web addresses in chapterrear matter also?

Project 1-3 (Objective 4)

Begin the development of a Professional Growth Plan,which you will add to in each chapter. This plan shouldidentify the periodicals you will read and/or the profes-sional activities you will attend. For example, you mightdecide to attend two meetings of your local chapter ofIAAP or some other professional organization. Preparethis plan and save it on a disk under “Progro1-4.” Youwill be adding to this disk throughout the course. Thisportion of your Professional Growth Plan is to be titled“Improving My Knowledge of Today’s Business World.”You will be asked at the end of the course whether youaccomplished the items listed on your professionalgrowth plan.

Project 1-4 (Objective 5)

Read the Critical-Thinking Activity at the end of this chap-ter, p. 00, and respond to the items at the end of the activ-ity. Submit your responses to your instructor.


1. Not only my supervisor but also the president of thecompany was present at the total quality meeting inJune.

2. Neither Mr. Tamorui nor the Asian employees waswilling to discuss the multicultural issues in thecompany.

3. The quality committee has agreed unanimously torecommend the adoption of a flexible workweek.

4. The number of employees who endorsed the plansuggests the consensus of opinion in the group.

5. A number of requests for written materials on totalquality management were made.

ENGLISH USAGE CHALLENGE DRILLCorrect the following sentences. Cite the grammar rule that is applicable to each sentence. Before you begin, refreshyour memory of grammar rules by reviewing subject/verb agreement in the Reference Guide of this text.

ASSESSMENT OF CHAPTER OBJECTIVESNow that you have completed the chapter and the projects, take a few minutes to review the chapter learning objectives.For your convenience, the objectives are repeated here. Did you accomplish these objectives? If you were unable toaccomplish the objectives, give your reasons for not doing so.

1. Describe the changing work environment. Yes ____ No ____

2. Identify the role and responsibilities of the administrative professional. Yes ____ No ____

Is this set-up OK? In original designthere was additional information used.

3. Determine twenty-first century traits necessary for the administrative professional. Yes ____ No ____

4. Begin the development of a professional growth plan. Yes ____ No ____

5. Develop critical-thinking skills. Yes ____ No ____

Submit your responses in writing to your instructor, using the memorandum form on the Student CD, SCDAP1-1.


ASSESSMENT OF CHAPTER OBJECTIVEScontinued

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