~~D Macmillan Modern Office D~~

Series Editor: Christine Simons

lifMf.N774R/1- 'Y-# r;/&w IN

WOnJ ?~OCfSSINq784clter's Book

l--...dl Helen Brown and Patricia Tiffney I~~

MMACMILLAN

© Helen Brown and Patricia Tiffney 1989

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmissionof this publication may be made without written permission.

No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copiedor transmitted save with written permission or in accordancewith the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended),or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copyingissued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 33-4 Alfred Place,London WClE 7DP.

Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation tothis publication may be liable to criminal prosecution andcivil claims for damages.

First published 1989

Published byMACMILLAN EDUCATION LTDHoundmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XSand LondonCompanies and representativesthroughout the world

British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataBrown, Helen

Elementary exercises in word processing.Teacher's book .1. Word processingI. Title II. Tiffney, Patricia652'.5

ISBN 978-1-349-10410-9 ISBN 978-1-349-10408-6 (eBook)DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-10408-6

D CONTENTS

Introduction iv

Biography v

Help Points 1

Exercises to 'Key-in' 11

Answers 38

iii

D INTRODUCTION

The main objective of Elementary Exercises in Word Processing is to providestudents with practice material on basic word processing functions. It will beparticularly useful for those students studying for Stage 1 Word Processingexaminations, such as RSA or Pitman, or where word processing is taught aspart of a course.

The book does not teach how to operate the word processor and it isassumed that students using the book will have already mastered operation ofthe keyboard.

The nature of the subject demands that a substantial amount of practicematerial needs to be input by the teacher for later recall by the student, thusthis book is designed to be used in conjunction with the student's book.

Elementary Exercises in Word Processing provides practice in specific areas ofword processing to supplement material found in manufacturers' manuals andthose manuals currently in use at colleges. The chapters have been structuredsystematically to allow for gradual learning.

We appreciate that many students will not have a background in secretarialtraining or indeed may be a bit 'rusty' on how to set out exercises. However, inan effort to be 'user friendly' we have provided numbered 'help points' at thebeginning of the book. These, we hope, will remind students about currenttypewriting conventions and may provide other useful guidelines. The 'helppages' are therefore designed to be an aid to both teaching and learning.

For your convenience we have selected the most complicated exercises fromeach chapter and printed the complete answer at the back of the book to assistin assessment of students' work.

Throughout the book we have instructed the student to print documents ineither Elite or Pica type. The purpose of this is to help the student recognisethe difference in pitch and to become aware of the usefulness and versatility ofthe printer, as well as to develop economy in using stationery.

A subsidiary objective of this book is to enable the teacher to discuss thesubject matter in the exercises with students. In this way their knowledge ofbusiness studies will be widened - thus recognising that the WP Operator isbecoming more versatile in the modern office.

iv

D BIOGRAPHY

Helen Brown lectures in Secretarial Studies. She previously worked for anInternational Bank where her work included foreign currency dealing andexport documentation, and she was section head of the computer department.She has an HNC in Business Studies from Liverpool Polytechnic.

Patricia Tiffney lectures in Secretarial Studies at the Calderdale College ofFurther Education. Before taking up lecturing she worked in seven departmentsof the Health Service as a secretary, and later as a PA in the finance andplanning department. She has 10 years' practical experience on three differentword-processing systems.

v

H E L P POI N T S

Many word processing packages have an 'on screen' help menu to assist youwith specific functions. Such a system is 'user friendly'. If you forgetyour typewriting rules and conventions, consult the following 'helppoints'. We hope you will find them 'user friendly'.

GOOD ADVICE

1 Techno-fear You are now a user. Do not be afraid of your wordprocessor - it is only a machine, the tool for your skill.

2 Keyboardthe capsfunction

Familiarise yourself with the keyboard. Note the position oflock key/special character keys/cursor direction keys/specialkeys, since these vary from machine to machine.

3 Wordwrap Consciously try BOT to press the return keyevery line - take advantage of the wordwrap facility.reference list of word processing terms at the end ofbook.

at the end ofSee the

the student's

4 Manuscript It is a good idea to read through handwritten script beforekeying-in so that you may get the sense of the text, and vague andillegible words may be deciphered.

5 Proof Reading The word processor operator must perfect the skill ofproof reading from the screen. This task must be undertakenmethodically, by checking word for word for spelling, spacing andgrammatical errors. An example of a grammatical error of agreement is:

The files~written to disk.

This should read:

The files were written to disk.

The RSA indicate such spelling, spacing and grammatical errors bycircling the incorrect word.

DO ROT be tempted to skim the text since errors will remain undetected.

When you have edited text altered by correction signs, or moved textwithin an exercise, remember adjustment of line spacing is oftennecessary. When proof reading, therefore, pay particular attention toline spacing between paragraphs.

When inserting a sentence within a paragraph, make sure the spacingafter any punctuation marks remains consistent. Make the necessaryadjustments if required.

As an aid to proof reading make use of the System's Spelling Checker ifavailable, but do realise its limitations.

Remember! Work containing errors is costly to an organisation both 1nstationery and reputation.

1

HEADINGS

6 Main Heading May be keyed-in in CLOSED CAPITALS with/withoutunderscore. SPA C E DCA PIT A L S with/without underscore,or Initial Capitals with Underscore. Main headings may be blocked atthe left-hand margin or centred. The bold function may be used inconjunction with any of these displays. At least one clear lineshould be left after the main heading.

7 Sub Heading A sub heading is keyed-in after the main heading. Leaveone clear line space before and after the sub heading, ie hit thereturn key twice. If a sub heading is typed with initial capitals itmust be underscored. Exercises 20, 21 and 22 illustrate a mainheading followed by a sub heading.

8 Paragraph Headings can suggest the subject matter of the paragraph.NOTE: When a paragraph heading is part of a sentence only one spaceis left between text and the heading. Display features may be usedto emphasise the heading, eg Exercise 12.

PARAGRAPH HEADINGS This is another example of a paragraph heading.NOTE: In this example two spaces have been left between the headingand the subsequent text as the heading does not form part of thefollowing sentence, eg Exercise 13.

9 Shoulder Heading

A shoulder heading is keyed-in at the left-hand margin and precededand followed by one blank line, eg Exercise 37.

SHOULDER HEADING

This is another example of a shoulder heading using blocked capitals.Any display feature may be used to emphasise the heading, eg Exercise29.

10 Side/Marginal Heading

Side Heading This is an example of a side heading. Sideheadings may be typed with/without underscore.

MARGINAL HEADING This is another name for a side heading. Thismarginal heading has been typed in CLOSED CAPITALS.

Wordwrap Identify the longest side heading. Set yourwordwrap tab at least one space after the longestmarginal heading.

SPACING AND LAYOUT

11 Spaced Capitals When you key-in a heading in spaced capitals youleave one space between each letter of the heading. Leave 3 spacesbetween each word keyed-in in spaced capitals, eg Exercise 8 theheading is SIT U A T ION S V A CAN T. (The RSA will accept2 spaces.)

2

12 Lines per inch

Therearesixtypinglinesper 1" (25 mm)

13 pitch pitch is the name used toindividual letter or character.are Pica, Elite and Micron.

describe the space occupied by eachThe three most common types of pitch

This is an example of Pica pitch - 10 characters to 1" (25 mm).

This is an example of Elite pitch - 12 characters to 1" (25 mm).

This is an exarrple of Micn:n pitch - 15 claracters to 1" (25 urn).

Can you see the difference?

Careful selection of pitch assists in the conservation of costlystationery.

14 Horizontal/Vertical Spacing Where you are instructed to leaveexactly 2" (50 mm) vertically you must press the return key 13 times.

Where you are instructed to leave exactly 2" (50 mm) horizontally youmust tap on with your space bar 25 (elite) or 21 (pica) spaces.

15 Line Spacing Where you are instructed to leave:

1 clear line - hit the return key twice2 clear lines - hit the return key 3 times3 clear lines - hit the return key 4 times

16 Double Line Spacing When text is printed out in double line

spacing the text appears on alternate lines, ie one clear line space

is left between lines, as in this example.

17 Line Spacing between Paragraphs Press the return key twice to leaveone clear line space between paragraphs.

18 Centring Word(s) are centred when they are placed exactly in themiddle of the typing line. Headings are often centred for emphasis.

"Centring is a form of display"

19 Underlining/Underscoringshould not extend beyondcorrect.

Underlining is a 'print enhancement' andthe word, eg word is incorrect, word is

3

20 Highlighting/Emboldening/Boldface This is another 'printenhancement' which may be used to emphasise text.

21 Justification A right-hand margin is said to be justified when alllines end exactly at the right margin, eg Exercise 32.

22 Leader Dots Leader dots are used to guide the eye -

from one point on a line •••••••••••••••••••••••••• to another

At least one space must be left between the text and the dots.

23 Tabulation Tabulation is a function which will enable text to beindented from the left-hand margin or displayed in columns atselected tab points. Where there are more than two columns you mustleave a consistent number of spaces between them. It is a good ideato check you have done this by counting the cursor spaces at thenarrowest point between each column.

24 Indented Paragraphs

The first word of an indented paragraph begins 5 spaces from theleft-hand margin. A tab stop must be set at this point, as in thisexample.

PUNCTUATION

25 Open Punctuation This is the omission of punctuation marks exceptwhere they contribute to the reader's understanding of thecorrespondence. See Exercise 4.

26 Punctuation Be consistent with your spacing after punctuation marks.We suggest the following:

Punctuation Mark Number of Spaces before/after punctuation

Comma No space before - 1 space afterColon No space before - I space afterSemi Colon No space before - 1 space afterFull Stop No space before - 2 spaces afterExclamation Mark I No space before - 2 spaces afterQuestion Mark ? No space before - 2 spaces after

27 Hyphen No space is left before or after a hyphen, eg hard-copy.

28 Dash One space precedes and follows a dash - never place a dash atthe left-hand margin when it is in the middle of a word or asentence, always place it at the end of the previous line. To key-inthe dash character you use the hyphen key.

29 Brackets No spaces are left between brackets and the word(s)enclosed within them, eg (solely for the purposes of wordprocessing). You will notice that no space is left before the's' ofsolely and no space is left after the 'gl of processing.

4

30 Quotation Marks Single or double quotation marks are acceptable.Follow the copy and be consistent in anyone exercise, eg Exercise 1"techno-fear", "hands-on" and Exercise 5 'Modern Office','Electronic Mail'. No space is left between the quotation mark(s)and word(s) enclosed within them as illustrated above.

When a quotation is part of a sentence the punctuation is placedafter the last quotation mark, eg Saving a file is sometimes called"writing to disk". In this example you will note the full stop isafter the last quotation mark. When a sentence is a quote thepunctuation is placed before the last quotation mark as in thefollowing example. "A bug is an error in a computer program."

31 Apostrophe

(a) The apostrophe is used to indicate the omission of a letter, eg"Floppy disks shouldn't be removed from a disk drive in use".The word 'shouldn't', means 'should not'.

(b) Apostrophes are used to indicate possession and may replace theword 'of', eg "The system's software" (the software of thesystem). Note the apostrophe is placed before the's'.

The apostrophe may be placed after the's' to indicatepossession of the plural, eg Exercise 17 Societies' complaintsand Directors' shareholdings.

NUMBERS/SYMBOLS

32 Sums of Money NO SPACE space 1S left between the pound sign and thefigure, eg £500, £8.50.

33 Percentages NO SPACEsymbol, eg 4.5%, 75%.the symbol as long as

is left between the number and the percentageYou may type the words 'per cent' in place of

your are consistent within an exercise.

34 Plus + and Minus - signs NO SPACK is left between the number and theplus/minus sign, eg +83 -250 unless in an equation, eg 6 - 3 + 3 = 6.

35 Multiplication Signmultiplication sign,space is left before

A lower case 'x' may be used for theunless your package has a specific symbol.and after the sign, eg 297 mm x 138 mm.

One

36 Numbers in Text You may key-in a number as a word (three) or afigure (3). Either way is acceptable as long as you are consistentwithin an exercise, as shown in the following examples:

There are 3 Main types of word processing configurations; 1 isstandalone and the other 2 are shared logic and shared resources.

There are three types of word processing configurations; one 1S

standalone and the other two are shared logic and shared resources.

5

37 Enumerated Items Paragraphs or items are sometimes lettered (a) A ornumbered (1) 1. You must be consistent in the number of spaces youleave after typing a letter/number, eg Exercise 34 - three spaceshave been left consistently after typing the number. You may/may notleave one clear line between each numbered item. Be consistentthroughout a document with your spacing.

38 Roman Numerals These may be used for numbering paragraphs andsections of text and are sometimes enclosed in brackets.

Arabic Large Roman Numerals Small Roman Numerals

1 I i2 II l.l.

3 III iii4 IV iv5 V v6 VI Vl.

7 VII Vl.l.

8 VIII Vl.l.l.

9 IX l.X

10 X x

Large Roman Numerals

( I) Capital I l.S used for a large Roman Numeral 'one'(II) Capital V l.S used for a large Roman Numeral ' five'(III) Capital X l.S used for a large Roman Numeral 'ten I.

Spacing after Numerals In the above example the Roman numerals havebeen enclosed in brackets and blocked to the left. We suggest youleave two spaces after the longest numeral before setting a tab stop.

Roman numerals must be blocked either:

l. I to the left or to the right I il.l. II II iil.l.l. III III iiil.V IV IV l.V

39 Decimal Point The full stop key is used for the decimal point. Whenkeying-in columns of numbers with decimal points all decimal pointsshould be aligned. The decimal tab function allows this - ask yourteacher for an explanation.

40 Decimalised Enumerations

1 This is an efficient method of numbering items of text,particularly where many subdivisions are necessary, eg Exercise37.

1.1 Begin the first numbered subdivision at the first tab stop.

1.2 Be consistent with the number of spaces you leave between thenumber and the text.

1.3 You may/may not leave one clear line between each numbereditem.

6

41 Dates We suggest you key in dates as follows, either 1 May 1988 or1st May 1988. The RSA will also accept the date typed as 1.5.88 or1/5/88. Be consistent with your choice throughout a document onceyou have selected a particular style.

42 Times We suggest you leave one space between the number and pm/am,eg 8.00 pm or 5.00 am. To avoid ambiguity it is becomingincreasingly popular to use the 24 hr clock. We suggest you leaveone space between the figure and the hour, eg 1600 hrs or 0900 hours.(The word hours can be abbreviated). Be consistent with your choicethroughout a document once you have selected a particular style.

43 Postcode All letters in a postcode must be typed in CAPITALS. Leaveone space between the two halves of the postcode. Read Exercises 16and 34 for an explanation of the postcode.

44 Alignment of Figures/Sums of Money When keying-in figures or sums ofmoney align the figures in their appropriate columns.

(A) (B) (C) (D)£ £

9 10.95 1.06 1.0610 1.02 {).57 0.57

230 95.00 33.32 33.321,987 75.00 4.86 4.862 t236 181. 97 £39.81 39.81===== ------ ===== =====------

All the above examples illustrate the correct alignment of figures.Examples (C) and (D) illustrate two positions for the £ sign whenkeying-in columns of money. Remember - be consistent in your choice.In examples (C) and (D) note the alternative positions for the £sign.

45 Underscoring of totals Some machines have the facility to doubleunderline/underscore. Where this is not available the = (equal) signmay be used repeatedly.

ABBREVIATIONS

46 Standard Abbreviations It is acceptable to use the followingstandard abbreviations when keying-in text, eg, etc t ie t NB t viz,Messrs t Esq, Mr t Mrs t MS t @and %.

47 Standard Abbreviations with Figures The following abbreviations maybe used when keying-in figures, pm, am, ft, in t yd, sq.

48 Metric Abbreviations Punctuation is NEVER used in metricabbreviations and you must NEVER add an's' to indicate a plural.The following abbreviations are acceptable t g, kg, mm, m, km, cm. Wesuggest you leave one space between the figure and the metricabbreviation, eg 10 mm. Be consistent with your choice throughout adocument once you have selected a particular style.

7

49 Directory Abbreviationsused, Rd, St, Ln, Cres,keying-in.

The following abbreviations must never beClo, Sq, - always expand in full when

50 Abbreviations 1n Addresses

LimitedCompany

Abbrev

LtdCoBrosPIc

ExNo(s)

Definition

))

Brothers )Public Limited)

Company )andNumbe r I s )

Acceptable

May be typed in full or abbreviatedas long as you are consistent in anexercise

Used only in names and addresses offirms, eg

Smith Ex JonesNos 157 & 159 Firth Street

At all other times the abbreviationsNo(s) and Ex must be expanded

51 Manuscript/Longhand Abbreviations In the preparation of rough draftssome manuscript/longhand abbreviations are used. All suchabbreviations must be expanded in the final copy. -X-list of commonmanuscript/longhand abbreviations can be found in Chapter 4 of thestudent's book.

52 Acronym An acronym is an abbreviation in the form of a word, made upfrom initial letters, eg ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and ArbitrationService).

53 Educational Qualifications Key-in the person's name, followed by theabbreviation representing the educational qualification, egMr J Lamb BSc (Bachelor of Science). If a person has more than onequalifica~ion leave one space between each group of lettersrepresenting the qualifications, eg Mrs J wild BA MBIM (Bachelor ofArts, Member of British Institute of Management). Remember, since weare using open punctuation no full stops are necessary.

54 Confirming Information

To save time when preparing drafts authors often abbreviate nameswhen they are repeated. A wp operator is expected to look back 1nthe text to confirm the name and key this in accurately, eg:

t\tr ?"oh-.~e-.. ~ c~ek. 0<. -abff'~~ ~ ~c..U4-0off't.C-e ~o~t-i..o"" 0"- ~cl ,:ru..Nl. \~*. Mol" :r--­le'1~k ~t- '1"'" ~~'""'" ~,~ ~ ~ ~QOI\.\JeA.\~~.

Mr Johnson has called a staff meeting to discuss office auta.ation onWednesday 1 June 1988. Mr Johnson requests that you inform hi. ifthis is inconvenient.

8

FORMAT

55 Memorandum A memorandum is a typed internal communication betweenone person to another within the same organisation. Some companieshave printed memoranda but you may have to key-in the layout of amemorandum yourself. You must be consistent with the spacing ofinserted information after the headings in the memorandum. Either ofthe following is acceptable:

From Mr E Brown

To Miss A Gavan

Ref JM/PT

Date 15 June 1988

(two spaces have been left consistently before the insertion ofinformation)

From Mr E Brown

To Miss A Gavan

Ref JM/PT

Date 15 June 1988

(the inserted information has been blocked)

56 Forms When keying-in forms it isof full stops to represent lines.the same length. Leave one cleardots. This is necessary to allowinformation on the form. Leave aand after the dots:

Signature

advisable to use a continuous rowWhere possible lines must be all

line space between each row ofsufficient space for insertion ofconsistent number of spaces before

Date Age

Never begin a line with dots since some word processing packages mayintepret this as a 'print command'.

57 Agenda An agenda is a list of items to be discussed at a meeting.It is sent to the persons who will attend the meeting and should beprepared and despatched at least seven days prior to the date of themeeting. Usually the heading (AGENDA) is keyed-in in spaced capitalsAGE N D A - but further layout is either company or personalpreference.

58 Minutes Minutes are a brief, accurate summary of the businesstransacted at a meeting and are the official record of that meeting.The minutes are numbered and the layout is either company or personalpreference.

9

59 Addresses within text When keying-in names and addresses withintext, either of the following methods is acceptable:

Mr Andrew James Barclay, Personnel Manager, Bell R Freight Ltd,42 Water Street, Liverpool, LV2 6TB.

Mr Andrew James Barclay Personnel Manager Bell R Freight Ltd42 Water Street Liverpool LV2 6TB

The first example illustrates full punctuation in the address. Inthe second example two spaces have been left between each section ofthe name and address instead of a comma.

60 Layout of a Business Letter We suggest you keep to the followinglayout when keying-in business letters. Use OPEN PUNCTUATION andfully blocked layout (all paragraphs begin at the left-hand margin).

Your ref

Our ref

Date

Attention Line

Addressee

Salutation(Dear Sir/Madam)

Subject Heading

Body of Letter

Complimentary Close

SignatoryDesignation

Enc

Turn up 2 single line spaces

Turn up 2 single line spaces

Turn up 2 sing~e line spaces

Turn up 2 single line spaces

Turn up 2 single line spaces

Turn up 2 single line spaces

Turn up 2 single line spaces

Turn up 2 single line spaces betweenparagraphs

Turn up 2 single line spaces after the lastparagraph before typing the complimentaryclose

Turn up 5 single line spaces aftercomplimentary close to leave space forsignature. Turn up once only to key-indesignation of signatory. Turn up 2 singleline spaces to indicate enclosure(s)

(In some examinations the word "Enc" is deliberately omitted from theletter or memorandum. You are expected to read the text and key-inEnc(s) if required.)

REMEMBER TO BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR LINE SPACING

10

D EXERCISES TO 'KEY-IN'

• Exercise 5

Please 'key-in' the text below in double-line spacing. The words encircled areto be mis-spelt. Call the file I I(Line length 50 characters)

Today there is~carcl1)an organisation that does

not send or ~eciev~ some messages G::lectronica9.

A large part of the 'Modern Office' is the

~ffect*ansmisi~of messages in electronic

rather than in hard-copy form. The most common

method of~ransmiting)messages is known as

'Electronic Mail'.

Electronic Mail is any one~a number of ways to

send 0ite~ or printed information by electronic

means. It makes the the most~ for the

organisation that needs rapid Emunicat~within

C§?mpanY'~and between companies. Excluding of

course the parcel post, electronic mail is a

possible~lterniti~to almost all other types of

traditional mail. It is possible for any document

which can be stored electronically~o?)be

communicated electronically.

11

• Exercise 6

Please 'key-in' the text below in double-line spacing. The words encircled areto be 'keyed-in' as shown. Call the file I I(Line length 52 characters)

COMPUTER SECURITY

As more and more companies are becoming

'computer~penda~,~accounting and financial

dealings being carried out via digital systems,

computer fraud is a<§Onste~ fear. A recent estimate

claims that computer fraud in Britain in 1986 is

running at between £500 million and £2.5 billion per

year, but these figures~ssUmm~on1Y1 in(!iv])

frauds is detected of which 4% are prosecuted. How

can companies fight back against this electronic

Gbess1emen]? It seems that @imenta~ security is

a~cesari)first step. This involves shredding

printouts which are confidential, locking the

computer and/or computer room, putting disks in

locked ~uboar~and putting protection codes and

passwords on sensitive~oft wa~. In the final

analysis ~cessfu!>securitydepends on the integrity

and~legianc~Of the staff employed within the~

organisation.

12

• Exercise 7

Please 'key-in' the text LCIUVV as shown. Call the file .....1 1.(Line length 50 characters)

S T RES S

The factors creating stress are very subjectivethings to quantify, and vary from individual toindividual. Working environments which are noisy,dirty, have bad air conditioning or lighting, havea lack of personal contact and involve boring,repetitive work may result in stress.

t laue '3 c,\toJ ~CAUSES OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS

Role ambiguityEquipment inadequate for the taskToo much workTask making too little demandLack of appreciationToo little scope for initiativeFear of redundancySize of work groupPoor working conditionsUnreasonable production targetsMachine pacingRepetitive workLong working hoursShiftworkAggressive bossSedentary job

13

• Exercise 10

Please 'key-in' the text below leaving space as indicated. Call the fileI I .(Line length 68 characters)

THE BRA D FOR DIN S TIT UTE 0 F

Leo-ve. 0 c\~ ~sYOU ARE INVITED

to

The Annual Dinner

at

on

Guest Speakers

"Cost-push Inflation"

MAN AGE R S

"New Technology and the Working Woman"

"Unemployment - A Waste of Human Resources"

14

• Exercise 14

Please 'key-in' the text as shown, emboldening words encircled.Call the file I I.(Line length 70 characters)

Once a company has decided which word processing system to purchasethe next task is the selection of a printer. Although manymanufacturing companies recommend a specific printer for their wpsystem, because of the large variety of printers on the market, caremust be taken to make sure the printer meets the criteria necessaryto achieve maximum use of the wp system. The(ihra€>main factors tobe taken into consideration are speed, quality an economy both ofpurchase and consumables.

Althou~ some machines and printers are able to carry outCbackgrouojp(£rinti~ (this means that the printing is direct from the system'smemory which then allows the operator to perform other tasks or usethe VDU to input more text whilst printing is taking place), by farthe most common is~ground prioti~ (where the operator may NOTcarry out other work).

The purpose of the printer is to produce a "hard copy" either fromthe screen or from disk, and the versatility of a printer can be avaluable asset to any company. The two main types of printers areImpact and Non Impact; the difference being that the Impact printerkeys strike the paper, the Non Impact printer keys do not. Below area few examples of the most commonly purchased printers.

QMPACT PRINTER§)

Golf Ba11DaisywheelDot Matr ix

(§B IMPACT PRINTER:D

Ink JetLaser

Thermal

15

• Exercise 15

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file 11...- -'1 .(Line length 68 characters)

ACRONYMS

An acronym is an abbreviation in the form of a word, made up frominitial letters. When typing abbreviations in this form full stopsare usually omitted. In fact many people who use acronyms often donot know what the letters stand for, even though they understand themeaning of the acronym.

The following is a list of acronyms and their meanings:

ClMA

MOD

NATO

TUC

LACOTS

UNESCO

NUPE

NALGO

COHSE

ROSPA

BUPA

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Ministry of Defence

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

Trades Union Congress

Local Authorities Co-ordinating Body on Trading Standards

United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganisation

National Union of Public Employees

National Association of Local Government Officers

Confederation of Health Service Employees

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents

British United Provident Association

16

• Exercise 17

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file IL... 1.(Line length of 76 characters)

THE BUILDING SOCIETIES ACT 1986

On the 25 July 1986 the new Building Societies Act recieved the RoyalAssent.

All Building Societies welcomed the new act since it enabled them toprovide a braoder and better range of services . The new act replacedlegislation which had served building societies well with few changessince 1875.

Most of the provisions of the new act came into effect on 1st January1987. The following is a list of the most important provisions:

The principal purpose of a building society was still to be savings andhome ownership -raising money from members for lending to members' onmortgages of residential property.

Building Societies had to adopt a Memorandum which set out both thereprincipal powers and purpose.

Societies' assets were divided into business assets and other assets.Commercail assets consisted of:

Class 1 - fully secured residential first mortgages onland to individuals,

Class 2 - other first or second mortgages wholly or partly secured onland,

Class 3 - other permitted assets such as personal loans, land held by theSociety for permitted commercial purposes (eg housing developments) andinvestments in subsidiary bod ies.

Other assets include assets, investments (including liquid funds) andcash. At least 90% of the commercial assets must consist of class 1mortgages. Class 3 assets must not exceed 5% of the total commercialassets.

Building Societies were now supervised by a known as the BuildingSocieties Commission instead of the Registry of Friendly Societies.

The former Cheif Registrar of Friendly Societies was appointed the FirstCommissioner and the Commission had six other members.

Their was a statutory investors protection scheme .

Societie's complaints will be by an independent adjudicator or ombudsman.Since the beginning of 1988, a Society hs been able to convert itself to alimited company at a General Meeting.

Limits were imposed on commercial assets, and Director's shareholdings.

17

• Exercise 20

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file .....1 --11 .(Line length 70 characters)

MEETINGS AND COItKITTEE WORK

Duties and Responsibilities of a Secretary

The maLn function of a Secretary is to service and support theChairman and Members and ensure efficient organisation andadministration of the meeting. She assists the Chairman in planningand preparation by agreeing date, time, place, membership,arrangement of agenda and then sends out notice of the meeting,programme, agenda, minutes of the previous meeting to all Members.She briefs the Chairman on all items on the agenda. The Secretaryshould arrive early at meetings to confirm arrangements, seatingplans, and deal with last minute queries. She must be an authorityon the Constitution, rules or standing orders, and ensure all suchdocuments are available on request. In formal meetings theSecretary has a number of statutory duties, ie reading the notice ofmeeting, agenda, minutes of the previous meeting, matters arisingfrom the minutes, correspondence, reports etc, and makingannouncements. At every meeting the Secretary takes notes fromwhich the minutes are compiled. She records motion amendments andresolutions verbatim (word by word). Occasionaliy she may berequired to draft a motion, amendment, or resolution, where theintention is clear, but the wording is not. After the meeting theSecretary drafts the minutes and gets them approved by the Chairman.She sends reminders to Members charged with specific jobs to do, anddeals with any other consequential matters from the meeting aspromptly as possible. At all times the Secretary must remainimpartial and tactful when dealing with Members' enquiries.

18

• Exercise 21

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file IL..-.. ----li .(Line length 70 characters)

MEETINGS AND COIDllTTKE won

Duties and Responsibilities of a Member

However efficient and skilful the Chairman may be, he cannot achievethe objectives of any meeting by himself.

A meeting, by its very nature is a co-operative effort, andtherefore the part played by the Members is crucial to its success.

Whether the Member is appointed, elected, or has volunteered, havingaccepted the position, he is under an obligation to attend meetingspunctually when required.

He should brief himself by studying the agenda, minutes or othermaterial sent to him before the meeting, and if necessary acquirefurther information so he is prepared to make an informedcontribution to the discussion.

A Member participates by giving the meeting the benefit of his ideasand experience, and by listening to, understanding, and respectingthe views of other Members even when he does not agree with them.

He must support 'the Chair' - ie recognising and accepting theauthority of the Chairman, whatever his personal opinion of him.

He assists the Chairman by knowing the rules, offering relevantcontributions, helping to resolve conflicts, offering specialisedknowledge or skills.

A Member supports other Members by co-operating with them to achievethe objectives of the meeting : by allowing other Members to voicetheir opinions and not dominating the discussion, and by avoidingpersonal feuds.

A Member supports the objective of the meeting by recognising thathe is bound by the conclusions of the me~ting, even if, indiscussion he has put an opposing view.

Except on occasions when, on grounds of 'conscientious objection' hehad registered dissent.

19

• Exercise 22

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file .....1 --'1 .(Line length 68 characters)

MEETINGS AND COMMITTEE WORK

The Duties and Responsibilities of the Chairman

The Chairman plans and prepares and is responsible for calling andholding the meeting.

Prior to the meeting he briefs himself by studying all relevantinformation, anticipating the needs and interests of the members.The Chairman should arrive early at the meeting to checkarrangements and welcome members. The meeting is conducted by theChairman and whilst recognising he is in control his primaryfunction is to serve his members.

His main tasks are to introduce the agenda, stimulate exchange ofideas and experience amongst members, remind members of theobjectives and guide the discussion towards the achievement ofthose objectives. He must ensure all members have an opportunityto express their views freely and supply a sense of drive andprogress. The Chairman participates in the meeting by askingquestions, clarifying misunderstandings, correcting mistakes,rejecting irrelevancies, co-ordinating the views of members,supplying information, listening so that he can analyse members'contributions and summarising the conclusions of the meeting. In ameeting the Chairman is the group leader and as such he hasbasically the same function as a leader of any other working group.

That is to plan, organise and control tasks, to maintain the groupby developing harmonious relationships and to motivate individualsby encouraging remarks and support in difficulties.

20

• Exercise 23

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file I I.(Line length 74 characters), with a justified right-hand margin.

INSURANCE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

An insurance policy is necessary to safeguard the trading of all smallbusinesses.

Owners and managers of all small firms should identify the risk theirfirms face from specific hazards and the amount of insurance they carryfor each risk. Advice on insurance may be sought from an insurance brokerwhose expertise, independence and financial integrity is backed by aregistration council set up by law.

A firm's property should be comprehensively insured to cover f ire, theft,loss of money, goods in transit.

Other perils may be specified in the policy - lightning, explosion,earthquake, storm, flood water damage, riot.

Cover should also include a firm's stock-i~-trade and work-in-progress. Afirm may further insure itself against the risk of dishonesty by staff.Some insurance is required by law. An 'Employer's Liability Clause'covers a firm for claims made by employees for injury at work. Motorvehicles of the firm must be insured for third party liability.

In firms where engineering equipment is used this must be insured. Somesmall businesses may require additional specialised policies depending onthe nature of their business, eg glass breakage, frozen foods or otherperishable stock, deterioration, computers, computer records. 'Loss ofGross Profit Insurance' provides cover if business is interrupted throughdamage to property by fire or other insured perils. It ensures thatanticipated net profit is maintained, pays employees whilst laid off, andpays additional working costs if alternative facilities have to be used.'Credit Insurance' protects a firm against non-payment of accounts bycustomers.

A small business must protect itself against liabilities and claims. 'APublic Liability Clause' covers the compensation to third parties forinjury or damage sustained through the activities of the business.'Product Liability' covers liabilities arising through injury or damage byproducts the firm makes or sells.

'Professionalbusiness isthrough their

Indemnity' covers individuals, partnerships and firms whoseto provide expert advice and who may face claims sustainednegligence or misconduct.

Insurance LS a protection against an uncertainty, assurance is aprotection against inevitability.

Sole traders and owners of small firms may take out life assurancepolicies to ensure the business continues to trade after their death.

Insurance can provide pensions, sickness benefits, and life assurance forstaff •

21

• Exercise 24

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file .....1 ---'1 .(Line length of 78 characters)

APPLICATIONS OF THE WORD PROCESSOR FOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Editing When alterations are made to a draft the operator only inputs theamendments and the wp will re-format the page. This is useful for lengthydocuments (contracts, reports, legal work).

Standard Paragraphs These can be coded, filed and recalled in a specificorder to compile documents. The operator keys-in the paragraph codes andtherefore does not have to re-input lengthy paragraphs (legal work ­agreements, guarantees, mortgage applications, specifications).

Boilerplating The term used when a document is compiled by taking standardparagraphs from other documents already on.disk.

Standard Letters and Forms The operator retrieves the required letter fromdisk and then inputs variables such as name, address, date. Standard formsmay be recalled and variables inserted (quotations, order forms, debit notes,advice notes, invoices).

Find and Replace Specified word(s) can be searched for within a document andwhen located other word(s) inserted. This is useful for correcting a repeatedspelling error in a proper name (updating job descriptions, staff records).

Print Enhancements Underscore, double strike, embolden/highlight, overstrike,superscript, subscript. These features are used to make correspondenceattractive and to bring attention to important points (agendas, minutes,notices).

Spelling Checker/Dictionary An aid to the operator to limit proof readingtime on all business documents.

MUltiple Column Printing Some word proce~sors possess this feature whichallows text to be split automatically into identical column widths (magazinearticles, newsletters).

Mailing Lists A list of names and addresses can be stored on disk to form anelectronic address book or card filing system. This information can be usedto print addresses on labels, letters, envelopes.

List Processing/Mail Merge Allows the merging of information from a mailinglist into a standard letter. Personalised standard letters are the result,speedily produced without the need for repetitive input.

22

• Exercise 25

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file L..I ----'1 .(Line length 72 characters)

FRANCHISING

Franchising is the method by which the owner of a business (franchisor)contractually agrees to allow another independent person, or company(franchisee) to market its product or service within a specifiedgeographical area. In return the franchisee pays an initial fee to thefranchisor for the rights to the area and a royalty on sales.

Although presently less than 2% in the UK" franchising is the fastestgrowing sector in the small business world. In the USA, for example,franchising represents 30% of the retail market.

There are three main categories of franchises:

THE JOB FRANCHISE is usually the provision of a service, eg carpetcleaning t motor car tuning. The franchisee should be well trained 1nperformance of the service; will need to invest in the necessaryequipment and may expect to earn an income closely related to the hoursworked.

THE INVESTMENT FRANCHISE is usually entered into by a company ratherthan an individual because of the monetary size of the franchise.Typical examples are hotel chains t car rental services t soft drinksmanufacture. A profitable investment return rather than a dailypersonal income is the objective.

THE BUSINESS FORMAT FRANCHISE is likely to be operated from a shop orrestaurant. Here the franchisee will sell to the public anyone of awide variety of products bought from the franchisor and for which demandhas been created through marketing/advertising. Examples are: fast foodrestaurants and instant printing shops. As the business expands theworking hours will increase which results in employment of extra staff.In this case t ownership of more than one outlet is not uncommon.

The British Franchise Association (BFA) is an organisation representingresponsible franchising which requires its members to conform to astringent code of business practice.

23

• Exercise 26

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file ,-I ......1.(Line length 70 characters)

THE FORMATION OF A LIMITED COMPANY

A Company is an artificial legal entity with a separate existencequite distinct from that of its directors and members. It has a namein which it can sue and be sued and perpetual succession.

Companies may be incorporated in three ways:

Firstly by Royal Charter, eg The Chartered Institute of Secretaries,The Bank of England.

Secondly by statute, ie Special Act of Parliament, eg PublicUtilities.

Thirdly by compliance with the provisions of the Companies Act.

The legal documents to be drawn up on the formation of a Companyinclude the Articles of Association and the Memorandum of Association.

The Articles of Association are the internal rules of the Company. Itincludes issue and transfer of shares; the provisions for the generalmeetings of shareholders; the appointments and duties of directors andsecretaries; the provision for audit of accounts.

The Memorandum of Association is a deed stating and defining theconstitution and the power of the Company. It states the full name ofthe Company; the site of the registered office; the objectives of theCompany. Any act listed the Company can do and be legally responsiblefor is said to be 'intra vires', ie within its legal power. Any actbeyond these powers is 'ulta vires' and void. The 'AssociationClause' declares that each founder member will buy at least one sharewhen the Company is incorporated. The Memorandum also states whetherthe Company is a limited liability and gives a statement of sharecapital.

A completed copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association isfiled at the Companies Registry, Companies House, where a certificateof Incorporation is used. Thus the Company has become a separatelegal entity.

24

• Exercise 27

Please 'key-in' the text below. The words encircled are to be 'keyed-in' asshown. Call the file I I.(Line length 74 characters)

A DICTIONARY <SPELLING CHECKER)

Firs~ly, ~t is~sefui})to the operator because it cuts down proofread~ng t~me.

Secondly, it enables the(Operate!)to increase input speed withoutinhibition knowing that mis-spelt words can be easily corrected.

Thirdly, since the program will display suspect words on the~screenthe wp operator will have~look up repeatedly mis-spelt words, thusthe correct spelling may eventually be learnt.

The wp operator must appreciate the limitations of a spelling checker .Certainly it reduces proof reading time •. However, it will not identify aword that has been incorrectly input if bQth words are stored in itsvocabulary, eg form - from. Neither will a spelling checker identifyerrors of punctuation, grammar or spacing.

AG[ictione!)) <spelling checker) is an optional extra component of manyword processing programs. Such a program may compare files with itsdictionary at the rate of five thousand to ten thousand words perminute. The three main advantages of a spelling checker are as follows:

The limitation on the number of words contained in a program'sdictionary is obviously dictated by disk capacity but some dictionariescontain eighty~thousandwords or more.

~ei~are other systems which display a list of words for review. Theoperator corrects mis-spelt words as (iiecesarY) and uses thesearch/replace function to scan the file to correct mis-spellings of thesame word.

~ecailise~terms, proper names, or terminology specific to a businessmay he rejected by a spelling checker as they are not contained withinits vocabulary. The operator may create a~ersonnel)dictionary to storethese words. Special dictionaries can thus be created for individualprojects.

A typical dictionary allows the operator to compare a file of input witha program's dictionary. Any word that does not conform~displayedonthe screen. Some dictionaries offer an alternative word. The operatorhas the option of accepting the suggested alternative, correcting andsaving a corrected version or accepting it unaltered and adding to theprogram's dictionary.

The onus of rigorouslPEoofreadinjUfor production of a perfect copyremains with the operator.

Some software~stributors~market dictionaries for individualprofessions, ie law, medicine and foreign languages.

25

• Exercise 28

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file 1.-1 ----11 .(Line length 72 characters)

REDUNDANCY COD E

The Company is committed to creating as secure an employment environmentas possible in respect of manpower and services. Where the Companyconsiders it necessary to make organisational or other changes whichwill affect manpower levels within a department, then management willconsult with the appropriate staff.

The Company, in drawing up this redundancy code wishes to state thatwherever redundancies can be avoided, the Company would prefer thiscourse of action to be pursued. However, the Company recognises thatthis will not be possible on all occasions and therefore a procedure isnecessary for when employees have to be made redundant.

Where the Company proposes to reduce its labour force, the followingprocedure will become operational:

Consultation, including a meeting with the appropriate stafforganisations and the staff concerned will take place as soon asredundancies are envisaged, at least three months before any individualnotice is to be issued and in any event shall adhere to the periods forminimum consultation as laid down by relevant legislation andregulations.

The Personnel Officer will disclose to the full time Officer and BranchSecretaries of the staff organisations concerned in writing at thebeginning of the consultation period the proposed method of carrying outthe redundancies with due regard to this procedure, including the periodover which the redundancies are to take effect.

If possible at a mutually convenient time the Personnel Officer willconvene a meeting with staff representatives and full time officials assoon as possible and not more than four weeks after issuing management'sproposals.

Employees whose jobs are likely to be considered as at-risk will benotified by the Personnel Officer in writing as soon as practical.Management will meet all the employees likely to be affected andemployees may attend, during working hours, meetings called by theirstaff organisations to discuss the issue.

Preference will be given to those employees who have passed the age whenthey could receive superannuation benefits or who would qualify for animmediate pension. Applications for voluntary redundancy will be soughtfrom staff on the understanding that volunteers will only be acceptedwhen it provides a vacancy that allows for the redeployment of a personin a redundant post, with re-training being offered if required.

26

• Exercise 29

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file .....1 ----'1.(Line length 70 characters)

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

All forms of Industrial Action should be avoided and the status quoremain until all procedural means of solution are exhausted. TheCompany supports the view expressed in the Industrial Relations Codeof Practice that grievances should be settled as near as possible tothe point of origin.

If you feel that you have a grievance, this should be discussed withyour superior officer in the first instance. The following is aprocedure, agreed by both Management and Unions, which shouldencourage good Management/Staff relationships by ensuring that anygrievance you may have is settled fairly, simply, quickly and as nearto the point of origin as possible.

SECOND STAGE

The first step is for the Heads of Departments to try to resolve thegrievance within three working days. Thirdly, the Management Boardwill attempt to resolve the grievance within ten working days.Secondly, the Personnel Officer will attempt to resolve the grievancewithin five working days.

FIRST STAGE

In the first instance the individual should try to resolve the matterwith his/her immediate Supervisor and the individual may request theassistance of the Trades Union Representative at this stage. If theSupervisor is able to answer, he/she should do so within one workingday; if the Supervisor needs advice on the matter he/she will seekthat advice and give a reply within three working days.

If the individual continues to feel aggrieved he/she may refer thematter to the next stage in writing using the appropriate form(available from the Personnel Department).

COLLECTIVE GRIEVANCES

Collective grievances shall be raised by the employees concerned whomay involve and be accompanied by their Union Representative, if theyso wish. The same procedure as provided for individual grievanceswill be adopted. Management decisions will be conveyed to the partiesresponsible for activating the various stages of the grievanceprocedure. In the event of a failure and with the agreement of bothparties the assistance of ACAS can be sought.

27

• Exercise 47

Please 'key-in' the text below including the numbered entry points. Call thefile I I.(Line length 58 characters)

Our Ref: <1>

<2>

<3>

Dear <4>

Purchase of <5>

We have today been in contact with the Vendors concerningthe above mentioned property . I am pleased to inform youthat we have been successful in negotiating a reduction inthe price from <6> to <7> to allow for the cost of <8>.

I would be grateful if you would please call in to theoffice to sign the necessary documents at your earliestconvenience.

Yours sincerely

Longden-SmithEstate Agents, Surveyors, Valuers & Auctioneers

28

• Exercise 48

Please 'key-in' the text below leaving sufficient space as indicated. Call the fileI I.(Line length 64 characters)

GUARANTEE

THIS GUARANTEE DOES NOT AFFECT ANY STATUTORY RIGHTS WHICHYOU MAY HAVE BUT IS ADDITIONAL THERETO.

We hereby guarantee this clock for a period of @from the date of purchase against any defect in materialor manufacture. In the unlikely event of any fault pleaseforward the clock to:

@

where the clock will be repaired @as soon as possible.

This guarantee doesthrough @will be repaired atgiven beforehand.

The guarantee is applicable only 1n @

29

and returned

• Exercise 49

Please 'key-in' the text below including the entry points. Call the fileI I.(Line length 60 characters)

M S C (ELECTRONICS) UK LTD

<>

To: All Senior Managers

Dear Colleague

The next meeting of Senior Management Staff will take placeon <> at <> in the <>. The agenda is set out below.

Yours sincerely

D WildGeneral Manager

AGE N D A

1 Apologies for absence

2 Minutes of the last meeting held on <>

3 Matters arising

4 Financial position as at <>

5 <>

6 <>

7 <>

8 <>

9 <>

10 Date of next meeting

30

• Exercise 50

Please 'key-in' the text below including the entry points. Call the fileI I.(Line length 72 characters)

CONTRACT o F SAL E

Particulars

All that freehold property situate and known as <1>, registered withAbsolute Title under Title Number <2>.

This agreement is made the <3> day of <4> 19<5> between <6> and <7>.

Whereby it is agreed that the Vendor shall sell and the Purchaser shallpurchase the property described in the above Particulars subject to theSpecial Conditions of sale herein at the price of <8>.

Vendor's Solicitors, <9>.

Purchaser's Solicitors, <10>.

Local Authority, <11>.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF SALE

1 The property is sold subject to the Law Society's General Conditionsof Sale.

2 The Vendor is selling as Beneficial Owner.

3 The tenure is Leasehold.

4 The Contractual Completion Date is <12>.

5 The Vendor's title is registered with Absolute Title under TitleNumber <2> in the Nottingham District Land Registry.

6 The property is sold with vacant possession on completion .

7 The Purchaser confirms that he/she has inspected the said property.

SIGNED BY VENDOR<6>

SIGNED BY PURCHASER __<7>

31

• Exercise 51

Please 'key-in' the text below as shown. Call the file I'- ----11.(Line length 52 characters)

Quality Assurance

Quality has strong associations with sophisticationand high cost. The BSI define quality as fitnessfor purpose, ie if it does the job well, it is highquality no matter how expensive. If it does itbadly, then it is poor quality at any cost. Qualityassurance may be simply defined as 'all activitiesand functions concerned with the attainment ofquali ty' •

It is increasingly the practice for customers todemand a written assurance of quality, often backedup by an organisation independent of manufacturerand user interests. This is quality assurancecertification, as is available through schemesadministered by certification bodies such as theQuality Assurance Services of the BSI or LloydsRegister. The BSI offers several quality assurancecertification schemes, of which the kitemark isprobably the most familiar. A kitemark licence maybe applied for by a manufacturer producing goods incompliance with a British Standard. The licenseemust demonstrate that his organisation operates inaccordance with the National Quality Standard(BS 5750) and that independent tests upon theproduct demonstrate compliance with the Britishproduct standard. The BSI Inspectorate carry outongoing surveillance through routine factory visitsand the BSI certification mark (the kitemark) may beapplied to the product.

32

• Exercise 52

Please 'key-in' the text below, with a justified right-hand margin as shown.Call the file I I.(Line length 66 characters)

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS

The Company has emergedeffective organisationsatisfactory level ofoverriding objective.

from a turbulent year aequipped to achieveprofitability which

sharper and moreand maintain a1.S the Board's

At the pre-tax level, profits for the Company were 5% higher thanlast year. The Directors of the Company are recommending toshareholders a final dividend of 4.5 pence per share.

Exports have been strong and behind the successes of the Companyin this field are key factors of imaginative selling and concerteddrive on product quality.

Rand D has been substantially reduced, resulting in savings inadministration costs. The Company now only maintains a smallcentral research team.

On behalf of the Board I would like to extend my gratitude to allemployees of the Company for their co-operation and responsivenessin dealing with heavy workloads and meeting deadlines.

For the foreseeable future I expect to see world demand edge upslowly, notably in those markets where the Company is wellrepresented. The Company will fight for its market share byoffering competitively priced quality products. I have everyconfidence that the profitability of the Company will improve inthe current year.

Sir Henry RobertsonChairman

33

• Exercise 53

Please 'key-in' the text below. Call the file LI --11 .(Line length 74 characters)

JOB

General Characteristics

DES C RIP T ION

ACCOUNTANT

The Accountant provides financial advice to the Departmental Managers,Senior Managers and the Management Team. He/she is responsible forensuring that all financial services are provided for correct managementof the company. He/she co-ordinates preparation of the yearly budget andensures that all existing services and new proposals are on soundfinancial lines. As a member of the Management Team he/she isresponsible, with other members, for the functions delegated to it by thecompany.

Principal Responsibilities

Provides financial advice to the company and its members.

1 Advises the Management Team on the financial implications of policyissues and draws to their attention any financial matters that warrantnotice .

2 Advises and co-ordinates the Management Team on financial aspects ofits work.

2.1 Assists the Management Team on the preparation of planningguide lines.

2.2 Assists in the preparation, review and approval of companyplans.

2.3 Monitors the expenditure of Departmental Managers in regulationto their budgets, drawing deviations to the attention of theManagers concerned and if necessary to the attention of theManagement Team.

2.4 Monitors use of resources at unit and floor level in relation tothe service provided and identifies opportunities forimprovement. Ensures that where value for money is not beingobtained, or where there is unnecessary waste, those responsibleare made aware of the fact.

2.5 Advises the Management Team on the preparation of the company'scapital programme and on the financial implications of planningproposals.

3 Provides financial advice to Senior Managers and DepartmentalManagers.

3.1 Assists them to prepare their budgets.

3.2 Assists them to examine variations between expenditure andbudgets.

3.3 Ensures that they have adequate information by which to achieveeconomy, efficiency and effective use of resources.

34

• Exercise 54

Please 'key-in' the text below. Call the file L...I ....JI .(Line length 72 characters)

OCEANLINK LTD(Freight Forwarders)

35 Castle Street, Liverpool, L31 2RDTel 051-236-4571 Fax 3478

Our Ref JD/

Dear

We have pleasure in enclosing the following documentation covering yourrecent shipment of chemicals to Doha, Qatar:

Please endorse the documentation as necessary before sending forcollection through your bankers.

If you have any queries do not hesitate to contact me on extensionnumber.

Yours sincerely

J DennisonExport Manager

35

• Exercise 55

Please 'key-in' the letter as shown below. Call the file ,-I --11 .(Line length 75 characters)

VICTORIA BUSINESS EQUIPMENT LTD

Victoria House145/147 Nicholas CircleLEICESTER LEI 4LE

Our ref: RD/

Date:

Dear

We thank you for your letter dated •••••••••••• We are pleased to provideyou with the information you requested concerning our new electronictypewriter, model 'Panther 2670'. The details are as follows:

In the UK last year sales of this model topped over 250,000 and I think youwill find our model competitivelY priced.

There is an optional interface available for attachment to personalcomputers and thus the Panther 2670 may fulfil its dual role as a qualityimage printer.

Yours faithfully

Mr R DickinsonAssistant Sales Manager

36

• Exercise 56

Please 'key-in' the letter as shown below. Call the file L-I -----'1 .(Line length 76 characters)

Our ref

Mr D Griffin21 Martiff CloseFixbyHUDDERSFIELDHD6 4DR

Dear Mr Griffin

Reimbursement of Removal Expenses

In reply to your recent letter regarding the reimbursement of yourremoval expenses, please find enclosed a cheque for £1,526.42. Thisamount is made up as follows:

Your application for excess rent has been dealt with and payment willbe made with your next salary. You will note from the above that nopayment is included as reimbursement of legal fees on the purchase of21 Martiff Close, as proof of payment of these fees has not beenenclosed with the other documents you have supplied. If you wouldlike to forward the relevant documents I will arrange reimbursement ofthese fees as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely

S StirrupChief Financial Accountant

Enc

37

D Answers

38

• Exercise 4

OPEN PUNCTUATION

For those typists who were trained to use fullpunctuation, ie inserting commas, inverted commas,abbreviation points, in all correspondence, to see aletter typed using open punctuation is sometimes notpleasing to their eye.

Today the trend is towards reducing all punctuationto a minimum and thus speeding-up and simplifyingthe typist's work. Employing the open punctuationmethod means omitting all punctuation marks exceptin continuous prose, eg the body of the letter.Punctuation is, therefore, only used if itcontributes to the reader's understanding of theletter.

When typing abbreviations, eg National Associationof Local Government Officers, in full punctuationthis would be typed N.A.L.G.O. but using openpunctuation the full stops are omitted - NALGO.

The following illustrate the use of the two stylesof punctuation when addressing correspondence. (Acomma or full stop may be used after the final linebefore the postcode in the punctuated address.>

Mr S Smith15 Spindle Tree DriveOakwoodDERBYDBl 2PR

Mr. S. Smith,15 Spindle Tree Drive,Oakwood,DERBY.OBI 2PR

It is a personal preference as to which style ofpunctuation to use - the GOLDEN RULE is to beconsistent in your choice.

39

• Exercise 10

THE BRADFORD INS TIT UTE

YOU ARE INVITED

to

The Annual Dinner

at

o F MAN AGE R S

THE RORFOLK GARDERS HOTEL, HALLINGS, BRADFORD

on

26 October 1988 at 8.00 pm

Guest Speakers

"Cost-push Inflation"Mr Edward Brown BSc Econ MBIM

"New Technology and the Working Woman"Miss Louise Walker BA MBIM

"Unemployment - A Waste of Human Resources"Mr Thomas Wild BSc Econ

40

• Exercise 11

A BALANCE SHEET

A balance sheet is a statement of the financial position of a business "asat" a particular moment in time. It will show assets and liabilities. Anasset is some property or right acquired by the business which can beturned into cash or otherwise used for the future benefit of the business.Liabilities are the amounts outstanding at the balance sheet date whichthe business is under an obligation to pay.

FIXED ASSETS(Assets kept by the business on a permanent basis)

BuildingsMachineryEquipment

LandMotor Vehicles

CURRENT ASSETS(Assets regularly change and have a limited life)

StockDebtors

CashRaw Materials

Work-in-progress

LONG TERM LIABILITIES(Debts which need not be repaid for a considerable period of time)

MortgagesBank Loans

Debentures (Long-term Loans)

CURRENT LIABILITIES(Debts which have to be paid in the immediate future)

Trade CreditorsBank Overdraft

CAPITAL(Represents a claim on assets often referred to as)

Owner's Share of the BusinessOwner's Equity

Owner's Net Worth

41

• Exercise 14

PRINTERS

Once a company has decided which word processing system to purchasethe next task is the selection of a printer. Although manymanufacturing companies recommend a specific printer for their wpsystem, because of the large variety of printers on the market, caremust be taken to make sure the printer meets the criteria necessaryto achieve maximum use of the wp system. The three main factors tobe taken into consideration are speed, quality and economy both ofpurchase and consumables.

Although some machines and printers are able to carry out backgroundprinting (this means that the printing is direct from the system'smemory which then allows the operator to perform other tasks or usethe VDU to input more text whilst printing is taking place), by farthe most common is foreground printing (where the operator may NOTcarry out other work).

The purpose of the printer is to produce a "hard copy" either fromthe screen or from disk, and the versatility of a printer can be avaluable asset to any company. The two main types of printers areImpact and Non Impact; the difference being that the Impact printerkeys strike the paper, the Non Impact printer keys do not. Below area few examples of the most commonly purchased printers.

IMPACT PRINTERS

Golf BallDaisywheelDot Matrix

NON IMPACT PRINTERS

Ink JetLaser

Thermal

42

• Exercise 15

ACRONYMS

An acronym is an abbreviation in the form of a word, made up frominitial letters. When typing abbreviations in this form full stopsare usually omitted. In fact many people who use acronyms often donot know what the letters stand for, even though they understand themeaning of the acronym.

The following is a list of acronyms and their meanings:

CIMA

MOD

NATO

TUC

LACOTS

UNESCO

NUPE

NALGO

CORSE

ROSPA

BUPA

SWIFT

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Ministry of Defence

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

Trades Union Congress

Local Authorities Co-ordinating Body on Trading Standards

United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganisation

National Union of Public Employees

National Association of Local Government Officers

Confederation of Health Service Employees

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents

British United Provident Association

Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Transactions

43

• Exercise 16

WHAT THE POSTCODE REPRESENTS

Example HD6 3LY

The Postcode is a combination of letters and numbers,maximum 7, which identify different geographical units.

The largest geographical unit is known as the PostcodeArea and is represented by the first 1 or 2 lettercharacters of the Postcode. In the above example HDrefers to Huddersfield.

Each Postcode Area is divided into smaller geographicalunits called Districts, which are represented by thenumber in the first half of the Postcode - in this case6.

Postcode Districts are divided into smallergeographical units called Sectors. These aredesignated by the figure which begins the second partof the Postcode, in the above example - 3.

Finally the complete Postcode pinpoints 1 street, orpart of a street, with the last 2 alpha characters ­LY.

There are 22 million addresses in the UK. Around170,000 have their own unique Postcode because theyreceive large quantities of mail each day. They arecalled Large User Postcodes. The remaining addressesare called Small User Postcodes and on average thereare 15 addresses to each Small User Postcode.

44

• Exercise 17

THE BUILDING SOCIETIES ACT 1986

On the 2S July 1986 the new Building Societies Act received the RoyalAssent. All Building Societies welcomed the new act since it enabled themto provide a broader and better range of services.

Most of the provisions of the new act came into effect on 1 January 1987.The following is a list of the most important provisions:

The principal purpose of a building society was still to be savings andhome ownership - raising money from members for lending to members onmortgages of residential property.

Building Societies had to adopt a Memorandum which set out both theirprincipal purpose and powers.

Societies' assets were divided into commercial assets and other assets.Commercial assets consisted of:

Class 1 - fully secured residential first mortgages on land toindividuals,

Class 2 - other first or second mortgages wholly or partly secured onland,

Class 3 - other permitted assets such as personal loans, land held by theSociety for permitted commercial purposes (eg housing developments) andinvestments in subsidiary bodies.

Other assets include fixed assets, investments (including liquid funds)and cash.

At least 90% of the commercial assets must also consist of class 1mortgages. Class 3 assets must not exceed S% of the total commercialassets.

Building Societies were now supervised by a new body known as the BuildingSocieties Commission instead of the Registry of Friendly Societies. Theformer Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies was appointed the FirstCommissioner and the Commission had 6 other members.

There was a statutory investors protection scheme.

Societies' complaints will be investigated by an independent adjudicatoror ombudsman.

Since the beginning of 1988, a Society has been able to convert itself toa limited company at a General Meeting.

Limits were imposed on commercial assets, and Directors' shareholdings.

45

• Exercise 18

THE COMPONENT PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

Business letters provide a channel for communication in the commercialworld. They must be informative and displayed to create a favourableimpression with the recipient. The following are the main componentsof a business letter :

REFERENCE References enable easy location of a letter. The referenceusually consists of the initials of the author followed by theinitials of the typist. A file number or departmental code can alsobe included.

DATE Every letter must include a date. If, for some reason, a letteris prepared in advance of mailing it may be appropriate to date theletter - 'Date as post mark'.

NAME OF ADDRESSEE This enables the secretary to match up the letterafter signature with the typed envelope in readiness for despatch. Ananonymous letter cannot be presented as evidence in the courts at anyfuture time.

SALUTATION The salutation is a greeting. It appears at the start ofa letter and is usually formal, Dear Sir, Dear Mr Brown, etc.

SUBJECT BEADING Subject headings are not compulsory but when usedthey enable the recipient to establish the content of the letterimmediately.

OPENING PARAGRAPH The opening paragraph is introductory andfrequently refers to a previous letter. It should always becourteous, but it should also set the tone of the letter.

BODY OF LETTER This is the main subject of the letter and should bespecific.

CLOSING PARAGRAPH The closing paragraph establishes the atmosphere ofcourtesy whatever the content of the letter.

COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely are mostfrequently used. Only the first word, 'Yours', is typed with acapital letter.

ENCLOSURES AND COPIES The body of the letter may refer toenclosure(s) or attachment(s) and is indicated at the foot of theletter by typing enc(s) below the signature.

Reference to carbon copies is shown by typing cc at the foot of theletter after any reference to enclosures.

46

• Exercise 19

HOUSEKEEPING

Having acquired sophisticated office machinery, we not only have todevelop the necessary skills in order to achieve the best possibleresults, we also have to develop efficient working methods and routinesto maintain a high standard of care when using the equipment. This isknown as 'Housekeeping' because of the comparison with domestic choressuch as cleaning, tidying, disposing, replacing, etc.

The following procedures must form part of the wp operator's workingroutine:

Care of the Equipment Particular attention must be paid to the care ofthe wp equipment. Screens should be cleaned regularly to maximiseclarity of text; all workstations must be free from 'clutter', therebyallowing sufficient space to work; no food or drinks must be placed nearor on the equipment, thus avoiding the possibility of accident anddamage to equipment; when machinery is noj; in use keep disk drive doorsclosed, unplug sockets and cover the VDU and keyboard to protect fromdust .

Disk Care Floppy disks must be handled with great care - do not touchthe exposed areas of the disk. Always return disks to their appropriateenvelopes when not in use and store upright in a strong container. Itis advisable to read the manufacturer's instructions on disk care.

Labelling All new disks must be labelled appropriately with suchinformation as the author's name and nature of work stored on the disk.Always write the information in full on the label before placing it onthe disk.

Formatting A disk is not usable until it has been formatted.Formatting puts a 'framework' for the operating system onto a blankdisk. The wp system uses this framework to write (store) and read(find) data on the disk and to keep track of where data has been stored .

Naming Documents When creating a new file or document this must begiven an appropriate name, such as author and topic. This informationwill enable quick identification of text.

Deleting Unwanted Files Files or documents that are no longer requiredshould be deleted from the disk to enable new text to be stored. Ifthis is not done regularly the wp operator will be working with moredisks than is necessary and locating particular files will be timeconsumlng.

Back-up Copies It is essential that back-up copies of disks are made atregular intervals. If a disk is damaged (corrupted) and can no longerbe used then access to information contained on that disk would beimpossible. Human or computer errors sometimes destroy valuable data.

47

• Exercise 23

INSURANCE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

An insurance policy 1S necessary to safeguard the trading of all smallbusinesses.

A firm's property should be comprehensively insured to cover fire, theft,loss of money, goods in transit. Other perils may be specified in thepolicy lightning, explosion, earthquake, storm, flood water damage,riot. Cover should also include a firm's stock-in-trade andwork-in-progress. A firm may further insure itself against the risk ofdishonesty by staff.

Some 1nsurance is required by law. An 'Employer's Liability Clause'covers a firm for claims made by employees for injury at work. Motorvehicles of the firm must be insured for third party liability. In firmswhere engineering equipment is used this must be insured.

Some small businessesdepending on the nature ofor other perishable stock,

may require additional specialised policiestheir business, eg glass breakage, frozen foodsdeterioration, computers, computer records.

ILoss of Gross Profit Insurance' provides cover if business is interruptedthrough damage to property by fire or other insured perils. It ensuresthat anticipated net profit is maintained, pays employees whilst laid off,and pays additional working costs if alternative facilities have to beused.

'Credit Insurance' protects a firm against non-payment of accounts bycustomers.

A small business must protect itself against liabilities and claims. 'APublic Liability Clause' covers the compensation to third parties forinjury or damage sustained through the activities of the business.'Product Liability' covers liabilities arising through injury or damage byproducts the firm makes or sells. 'Professional Indemnity' coversindividuals, partnerships and firms whose business is to provide expertadvice and who may face claims sustained through their negligence ormisconduct.

Sole traders and owners of small firms may take out life assurancepolicies to ensure the business continues to trade after their death.Insurance can provide pensions, sickness benefits, and life assurance forstaff •

48

• Exercise 24

APPLICATIONS OF THE WORD PROCESSOR FOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Editing

When alterations are made to a draftand the wp will re-format the page.(contracts, reports, legal work).

Standard Paragraphs

the operator only inputs the amendmentsThis is useful for lengthy documents

These can be coded, filed and recalled in a specific order to compiledocuments. The operator keys-in the paragraph codes and therefore does nothave to re-input lengthy paragraphs (legal work - agreements, guarantees,mortgage applications, specifications) .

Boilerplating

The term used when a document is compiled by taking standard paragraphs fromother documents already on disk.

Standard Letters and Forms

The operator retrieves the required letter from disk and then inputs variablessuch as name, address, date. Standard forms may be recalled and variablesinserted (quotations, order forms, debit notes, advice notes, invoices).

Find and Replace

Specified word(s) can be searched for within a document and when located otherword(s) inserted. This is useful for correcting a repeated spelling error ina proper name (updating job descriptions, staff records).

Print Enhancements

Underscore, double strike, embolden/highlight, overstrike, superscript,subscript. These features are used to make correspondence attractive and tobring attention to important points (agendas, minutes, notices).

Spelling Checker/Dictionary

An aid to the operator to limit proof reading time on all business documents.

Multiple Column Printing

Some word processors possess this feature which allows text to be splitautomatically into identical column widths (magazine articles, newsletters).

Mailing Lists

A list of names and addresses can be stored on disk to form an electronicaddress book or card filing system. This information can be used to printaddresses on labels, letters, envelopes.

List Processing/Mail Merge

Allows the merging of information from a mailing list into a standard letter.Personalised standard letters are the result, speedily produced without theneed for repetitive input.

49

• Exercise 27

A DICTIONARY (SPELLING CHECKER)

A dictionary (spelling checker) is an optional extra component of manyword processing programs. Such a program may compare files with itsdictionary at the rate of five thousand to ten thousand words perminute. The three main advantages of a spelling checker are as follows:

Firstly, it 1S useful to the operator because it cuts down proof readingtime.

Secondly, it enables the operator to increase input speed withoutinhibition knowing that mis-spelt words can be easily corrected.

Thirdly, since the program will display suspect words on the screen thewp operator will have to look up repeatedly mis-spelt words, thus thecorrect spelling may eventually be learnt.

The limitation on the number of words contained in a program'sdictionary is obviously dictated by disk capacity but some dictionariescontain eighty five thousand words or more.

A typical dictionary allows the operator to compare a file of input witha program's dictionary. Any word that does not conform is displayed onthe screen. Some dictionaries offer an alternative word. The operatorhas the option of accepting the suggested alternative, correcting andsaving a corrected version or accepting it unaltered and adding to theprogram's dictionary.

There are other systems which display a list of words for review. Theoperator corrects mis-spelt words as necessary and uses thesearch/replace function to scan the file to correct mis-spellings of thesame word.

Specialised terms, proper names, or terminology specific to a businessmay be rejected by a spelling checker as they are not contained withinits vocabulary. The operator may create a personal dictionary to storethese words. Special dictionaries can thus be created for individualprojects.

Some software distributors market dictionaries for individualprofessions, ie law, medicine and foreign languages.

The wp operator must appreciate the limitations of a spelling checker.Certainly it reduces proof reading time. However, it will not identifya word that has been incorrectly input if both words are stored in itsvocabulary, eg form - from. Neither will a spelling checker identifyerrors of punctuation, grammar or spacing.

The onus of rigorous proof reading for production of a perfect copyremains with the operator.

50

• Exercise 34

TYPING THE POSTCODE - POST OFFICE GUIDELINES

The postcode consists of a set of letters and numbers. Thefollowing is a list of Post Office instructions to help thetypist type the postcode correctly.

(i) Type alphabet characters in block capitals.

(ii) Do not use punctuation in the postcode.

(iii) Leave one clear space between the two parts of thepostcode.

(iv) Never underline the postcode.

(v) The postcode should always be the last item in anaddress, preferably on a line by itself for easyidentification by the Post Office computer.

(vi) If it is not possible to put the postcodeitself, it should be placed betweencharacters to the right of the lastaddress.

on a line bytwo and sixline of the

(vii) Letters from abroad should always include the postcodeas the last item in the address, preferably on a lineby itself.

(viii) If reference numbers are used when typing an addressthese numbers should appear above, or above and to theleft of the address.

(ix) Never type anything below and/or to the right of thepostcode

51

• Exercise 35

T Y PES o F PAP E R

The two most common types of paper in the office are BOND PAPER (a smooth,expensive paper used for top copies) and BANK PAPER (a thinner, 'flimsy'paper used for carbon/draft copies.)

Office Stationery Sizes and Uses

A3 - 420 mm x 297A4 - 297 mm x 210

AS - 210 mm x 148A6 - 148 mm x 105A7 - 105 mm x 74

mm - Balance sheets, legal documents.mm - Correspondence, invoices, price lists, agendas,

minutes.mm - Memoranda, notices, delivery orders.mm - Postcard size, receipts, itineraries, messages.mm - Business cards, labels, compliment slips.

Envelopes

The 'Post Office Preferred Sizes' (POp) are as follows:

Envelopes must be:

i) At least 90 mm x 140 mm and not larger than 120 mm x 235 mm.ii) Rectangular, with the longer side at least 1.4 times the shorter.iii) Made from paper weighing at least 63 grammes per square metre.

Stationery and the Word Processor

Continuous stationery often is most used on wp printers to producenumerous copies of documents efficiently. This stationery varies inquality and size . It may be fed into the printer via a tractor/sprocketfeeder or hopper/sheet feeder. Single pieces of paper may be 'frictionfed' into the printer if required but this manual process is timeconsum1ng.

The following procedure may be adopted by the wp operator when usingcontinuous stationery:

a) Ensure the exact size of the paper 'page layout' is keyed-in to thewp memory; A4 paper consists of 70 horizontal lines , whereas sometractor fed paper consists of only 66 horizontal lines.

b) Place paper accurately and smoothly onto the sprocket guides,checking that there is no possibility of paper jamming in the printer.

c) Instruct the wp to print and then ensure the printhead 1S printinglegible characters. If bulk copies of a document are being producedan undetected error would prove costly to the organisation.

d) Remove perforations from the paper after completion of printing.Tear off sheets carefully.

52

• Exercise 39

Institute of Bankers (Yorkshire Area)

COMKITTEE MEMBERS

F A BarkerR G CravenK DavisonJ B GibsonB GreenB M RobinsonA SowerbyM Tomkinson

Honorary TreasurerHonorary Secretary

Southern DivisionNorthern Division

Regional Courses Co-ordinatorStudents' Society

Vice-ChairmanChairman

FUTURE EVENIS

Date

7 January 1988

5 March 1988

14 May 1988

10 July 1988

Venue

Salisbury

Sheffield

Hull

London

Subject

"Management Budgeting"Address by A WoodhouseHeadquarters Section

"Value for Money"Address by J G JenkinsNorthern Division

"Information Technology"Address by P WaterhouseSouthern Division

"Financial Responsibility"Address by G LillywhiteStudents' Society

The Institute of Bankers is a professional body consisting of membersengaged in a variety of banking services throughout the world. Foundedin 1879 its two main objectives are: to provide an education in bankingand to maintain the standard of the profession. The Institute isdirectly involved in running a number of courses for senior management.In recent years it has promoted scholarships and study-tours to enableyounger members to learn about the banking systems of other countries.In short, the Institute provides something for every bank employeewhatever the stage of their career.

53

• Exercise 40

INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT PROCEDURE

In accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act everyCompany is required to formulate a Health and Safety WorkingPolicy. In compliance with this legislation our Company hasset up a Safety Committee which now meets on the firstMonday of every month. Any matters appertaining to healthand safety should be notified to a member of the SafetyCommittee for discussion at the monthly meetings.

In conjunction with these new procedures four members ofstaff have recently undergone training in First Aid and theyare now qualified to deal with minor accidents sustained onthese premises.

First Aid Officers

Mr J T Stanley .Mr D P Smi th .Mrs T Scholes •..•••.•••.••.•••••••••Miss V Humberstone

Safety Committee

Sales DepartmentPersonnel DepartmentExport DepartmentAccounts Department

Mr G A Hirst ••••••••••••••••••••• Assistant ManagerMr A Larkin •••••••••••••••••••••• Functional ManagerMiss V Papworth •••••••••••••••••• SecretaryMiss S Stirrup ••••••••••••••••••• Import ManagerMr A Gwizdak ••••••••••••••••••••• Shop Floor Manager

If a minor accident occurs on the premises the followingprocedure should be followed:

1) Request a First Aid Officer to attend the scene

2) Notify a member of the Safety Committee

3) Locate First Aid Box situated on the wall at Reception

4) Record details of the accident in the Accident Book

54

• Exercise 41

WORLD MARKET INDICES

(as at 26 November 1986)

AmsterdamBrusselsFrankfurtHongkongNew York (1500 hrs)ParisSingaporeSydneyTokyoZurich

ANF CBS GenStock IndexCommerzbankHang SengDow JonesCAC GeneralStraits TimesAll OrdinariesNikkei DowCredit Suisse

283.301002.922057.402377.401908.75

393.20882.68

1362.6017727.91

556.80

-1.50-5 .43-8.10

+16.59-3.37+0.30-5.58

+12.80-19 .59-1.00

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is one of the most popularindicators of overall day-to-day stock market direction onWall Street (the American equivalent of the City). In 1884Charles H Dow, one of the founders of Dow Jones Company andfirst editor of the 'Wall Street Journal', wished toexpress the general level and trend of the stock market byusing the average prices of a few representative stocks.To this day the DJIA, which comprises 30 major companies,is recognised and quoted worldwide. The DJIA is calculatedby computer several times each day, but at the close oftrading the result is expressed in 'points' rather thandollars. When it is said 'the market was up 6 points todayto close at 1907' this means that the 'Dow Jones 30Industrial Stocks averaged 1907 when calculated at 4 pm atthe end of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) trading, anincrease of 6 points from 1901 at the close of the sessionthe previous day'.

Like the DJIA each major world market has its own index,calculated on a similar basis. The names of these arelisted in the above table. The fluctuations from theprevious day are shown in the fourth column.

55

• Exercise 44

IN CONFIDENCE

Extract of Salaries and Wages Record 1987

Payments made to Mrs J Tindal from May to November 1987

Date Basic Supn Tax NI Nett

May 918.13 50.78 170.70 66.06 624.46June 910.15 54.61 176.10 65.51 607.80July 852.79 49.32 160.50 61.58 575.26August 743.00 44.58 129.00 54.20 509.09September 651.91 39.11 95.70 47.96 465.39October 404.65 24.28 26.40 31. 02 319.20November 693.35 41.60 107.40 50.80 489.80

National Insurance Number - YY887126C

Employer's Personal Number - 211012

The above information is an accurate record of the salarypayments made to Mrs J Tindal from May to November 1987.

J McLoughlinSalaries and Wages Officer

56

• Exercise 46

MINUTES OF THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT STAFF MEETINGheld on Friday 22 January 1988 in the Board Room

Present : Mrs R BarrattMrs P BettsMr L GledhillMr M GrattanMr D HoyleMr G Walker

1 Apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received from Mr KLumb and Mr T Martin.

2 Minutes of the last meeting held on 1 December 1987

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 December 1987 were approved as acorrect record.

3 Matters ar1s1ng

It was noted that Mrs Barratt did attend the last meeting and theminutes were amended accordingly.

4 Financial position as at 21 December 1987

Mr Hoyle reported that there had been across-the-board acceleration inspending and that he now felt unable to commit the £29,000 held ininvestment funds.

The accounts for payment from 1 to 31 December 1987, as laid on thetable, were approved as follows:

Imprest Account: Folio 19/21Drawings Account : 5 December 1987

19 December 1987

5 Treasurer's Report

1,684,868.27847,252.32139,777.56

£2 , 671 ,898 •15============

Mr Hoyle reported an underspending on pay for the period 1 July 1987 ­31 December 1987 of £113,191. He stated that almost all the payawards at every level were now known and anticipated that the Companywould be able to meet its cash limit comfortably for the year 1987/88.A review of the position would be presented in much greater detail atthe next meeting.

57

6 Performance Appraisal

There was an acceptance of the philosophy of Performance Appraisal andagreement to develop it. Officers were aware of the great timeimplications involved with this project and expressed theirwillingness to co-operate where necessar~.

As all grades of staff will be affected with the final introduction ofPerformance Appraisal it was decided to produce Progress Reports atthe end of every month until its completion.

7 Creche Facilities

Mrs Betts suggested that the introduction of creche facilities wouldalleviate the increasing problem of staff recruitment. A solutionwhereby the creche would be housed in rented accommodation and allservices would be managed by Agents, was put forward.

It was agreed that further investigation should be made into thefinancial implications involved and a decision would definitely bemade as to its viability at the next meeting.

8 Security - Summary of the Gavan Report

The outcome of the Gavan Report on security was discussed. It wasagreed that although some of the criticisms needed clarification,implementation of the recommendations such as identity badges for allstaff and panic buttons situated in various areas throughout thebuilding should be carried out immediately. It was agreed that MrWalker and Mrs Barratt would liaise on this matter and organise theissue of badges as soon as possible.

9 Health and Safety - Fire Report

Mr Grattan tabled reports on his recent visits to departments withinthe building. The outcome of his visits was favourable. The alarmsystems had been tested and written verification received from theRegional Fire Service as to the satisfactory condition of the buildingand the fire safety procedures employed.

The next assessment will take place in 6 months.

10 Date of Next Meeting

It was agreed that the next meeting will be held on Thursday 23 March1988 at 10.15 am in the Board Room.

58

• Exercise 48

GUARANTEE

THIS GUARANTEE DOES NOT AFFECT ANY STATUTORY RIGHTS WHICHYOU MAY HAVE BUT IS ADDITIONAL THERETO.

We hereby guarantee this clock for a period of One Yearfrom the date of purchase against any defect in materialor manufacture. In the unlikely event of any fault pleaseforward the clock to:

The Woodrow Company LtdClock Services DepartmentWoodrow House57 Old Hall StreetLONDON EC2V 8BS

where the clock will be repaired free of charge and returnedas soon as possible.

This guarantee does not cover damage which has occurredthrough accident, misuse or neglect in which case the clockwill be repaired at a reasonable charge and an estimategiven beforehand.

The guarantee is applicable only in The UK.

59

• Exercise 50

CONTRACT o F SAL E

Particulars

All that freehold property situate and known as 52 Carr Green Avenue,Rastrick, Brighouse, West Yorkshire, registered with Absolute Title underTitle Number WYK184868.

This agreement is made the Third day of February 1988 between DavidRobertson Brown and Philip John Rowles.

Whereby it is agreed that the Vendor shall sell and the Purchaser shallpurchase the property described in the above Particulars subject to theSpecial Conditions of sale herein at the price of Twenty Five ThousandPounds.

Vendor's Solicitors, Rice Jones & Johnson, 110 Commercial Street,Brighouse.

Purchaser's Solicitors, Winnard & Smith, 27 Barnet Street, Wakefield.

Local Authority, Calderdale MBC, Crossley House, Crossley Street, Halifax.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF SALE

1 The property is sold subject to the Law Society's General Conditionsof Sale.

2 The Vendor 1S selling as Beneficial Owner.

3 The tenure is Leasehold.

4 The Contractual Completion Date is 26 February 1988.

5 The Vendor's title is registered with Absolute Title under TitleNumber WYK184868 in the Nottingham District Land Registry.

6 The property is sold with vacant possession on completion.

7 The Purchaser confirms that he/she has inspected the said property.

SIGNED BY VENDORDavid Robertson Brown

SIGNED BY PURCHASER ------------------Philip John Rowles

60

• Exercise 53

JOB

General Characteristics

DES C RIP T ION

ACCOUNTANT

The Accountant provides financial advice to the Departmental Managers,Senior Managers and the Board of Directors. He/she is responsible forensuring that all financial services are provided for correct managementof the company. He/she co-ordinates preparation of the yearly budget andensures that all existing services and new proposals are on soundfinancial lines. As a member of the Board of Directors he/she isresponsible, with other members, for the functions delegated to it by thecompany.

Principal Responsibilities

Provides financial advice to the company and its members.

1 Advises the Board of Directors on the financial implications of policyissues and draws to their attention any financial matters that warrantnotice.

2 Advises and co-ordinates the Board of Directors on financial aspectsof its work.

2.1 Assists the Board of Directors on the preparation of planningguidelines.

2.2 Assists in the preparation, review and approval of companyplans.

2.3 Monitors the expenditure of Departmental Managers in regulationto their budgets, drawing deviations to the attention of theManagers concerned and if necessary to the attention of theBoard of Directors.

2.4 Monitors use of resources at unit and floor level in relation tothe service provided and identifies opportunities forimprovement. Ensures that where value for money is not beingobtained, or where there is unnecessary waste, those responsibleare made aware of the fact.

2.5 Advises the Board of Directors on the preparation of thecompany's capital programme and on the financial implications ofplanning proposals.

3 Provides financial advice to Senior Managers and DepartmentalManagers.

3.1 Assists them to prepare their budgets.

3.2 Assists them to examine variations between expenditure andbudgets.

3.3 Ensures that they have adequate information by which to achieveeconomy, efficiency and effective use of resources.

61

• Exercise 54

OCEANLINE LTD(Freight Forwarders)

35 Castle Street, Liverpool, L31 2RDTel 051-236-4571 Fax 3478

Our Ref JD/HB

6 July 1988

For the attention of Mr Clarke

Pennine Chemicals PIcDrummond RoadOLDHAMLancs OL14 5RT

Dear Mr Clarke

We have pleasure in enclosing the following documentation covering yourrecent shipment of chemicals to Doha, Qatar:

Number

42/2111

Document(s)

Commercial InvoicesOriginal Bills of LadingCertificate of InsuranceCertificate of OriginBlacklist Certificate

Reference

51467BL 36562CI 3800/13520CO 367BL 24560

Shipping Marks/Carrying Vessel

CC/1478/Liverpool/Doha/"Victoria".

Description of Goods

100 x 190 litre drums said to contain NON-TOXIC SYNTHETICDYES/CHEMICALS.Gross weight 24,500 kg.

Terms of Delivery and Payment

CIF Doha, Qatar, Sole B/EX 30 days date.

Please endorse the documentation as necessary before sending forcollection through your bankers.

If you have any queries do not hesitate to contact me on extensionnumber 372.

Yours sincerely

J DennisonExport Manager

Enc

62

• Exercise 55

VICTORIA BUSINESS EQUIPMENT LTD

Victoria House145/147 Nicholas CircleLEICESTER LEI 4LE

Our ref: RD/PAT

11 July 1988

Mrs C ClarkLazard EnterprisesMarlborough WorksBroughtonChester

Dear Mrs Clark

We thank you for your letter dated 6 July 1988. We are pleased to provideyou with the information you requested concerning our new electronictypewriter, model 'Panther 2670'. The details are as follows:

SPECIAL FEATURES

Automatic paper feedAutomatic line spacingAutomatic underscoringParagraph indenting

PRINT UNIT

Relocation functionCentre functionHa 1£ space keyEnd of page indicator

Speed = 12 characters per secondMaximum typing line = 280 mmMaximum paper width = 340 mm (C4 horizontal)Type carrier = Daisywheelpitch = 10, 12, 15 (Pica, Elite, Micron)Line spacing = Single, Double, TrebleImpact control = 3 settings

MEMORY

Correction memory = 2 lines of 255 characters each.

In the UK last year sales of this model topped over 250,000 and I think youwill find our model competitively priced.

There is an optional interface available for attachment to personalcomputers and thus the Panther 2670 may fulfil its dual role as a qualityimage printer.

If you have any further enquiries do not hesitate to contact us.

Yours faithfully

63

• Exercise 57

<1>

<2>

Dear <3>

COMPANY REMOVAL EXPENSES

Many congratulations on your recent upgrading to <4> whichwill take effect from <5>.

As you may be aware Company policy is to assist employees withremoval expenses when moving to a new area as a result ofpromotion. An initial sum of <6> will be made availableimmediately, but to enable me to reimburse you your fullentitlement I need you to complete the enclosed RemovalExpenses Claim Form. Point 6.2 requires you to state thevalue of your present property and the value of the propertyto which you are moving.

Once you have completed the Removal Expenses Claim Form, signthe bottom and have it authorised by <7>, then return it tothis office at your earliest convenience.

On behalf of the Company I would like to take this opportunityto wish you every success in your new position.

Yours sincerely

T G WalkerTreasurer

Enc

64

• Exercise 62

M E M 0 RAN DUM

From

Date

P Bowden

6 July 1988

To

Ref

Secretarial Staff

PB/PAT

CONSERVATION OF STATIONERY

At a recent meeting of Senior Officers the Chief Supplies Officer drewmy attention to the large quantities of stationery being consumed by thesecretarial department. I feel it necessary to stress the importance toration stationery to the essentials. I have made a list of ways ofconservation and hope these will be noted.

1 If a document has to be circulated to several members ofstaff the original should have a circulation slip withrelevant names typed on the front - this will cut downon photocopying.

should be retainedcan be used again

by obliterating

2 All envelopesto S1ze. Thesefiling purposessticky label.

and bundled accordingfor internal mail andthe address using a

3 Particular attention should be paid to selecting thecorrect size of paper when typing letters. Remember wedo have AS headed note paper! Also, careful selectionof pitch assists in the conservation of costlystationery.

4 It is emphasised that all word processer operators proofread their work carefully from the screen to identifyand correct errors before printing. It is evident fromthe overspill in the wastepaper basket that this is notbeing done. Please avoid tearing-off printed workimmediately from the tractor feed since this results ina sheet of paper being left unused.

S Stationery should always be stored neatly to assistlocation and cut down on dirty, crumpled paper.

Please remember that stationery is stock and therefore an asset of thecompany . Rigorous controls must be implemented to avoid unnecessarywastage of company funds in the present economic climate .

The situation is to be rev iewed i n six months.

P BowdenSupervisor

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• Exercise 63

THE OFFICE OF THE FUTURE

Our working lives are being transformed by computers and moderntelecommunications. Word processing is becoming the basic officeskill; filing is increasingly carried out on magnetic disks andoptical laser equipment; desk-top laser printers produce documents ofthe highest printing quality.

The office of the future is one of instant communication - instantaccess to information.

A Facsimile ('Fax') machine enables a copy of an image (on paper) tobe transmitted from one office and produced electronically at anotherlocation, using the telephone network as the connection mechanism. Itis proving a significant component of the modern electronic office.

Electronic mail systems will be thenormal way of communicating insidedepartments of companies and betweeninternational branches of companies.

Although the 'Paperless Office' willstill remain a concept rather than areality, memos, letters and generalpaperwork can be reduced to a minimum,while communication is via computerterminals and word processors.

The post will be called up on screens in the morning and regularlyupdated throughout the day as operators key-in a password from theoffices of other users within the network.

No need to call and discover when a colleague is free, tap into hiselectronic diary and if you are granted access, suggest a meeting.

You can even have your own personal computer running on batteries, soyou can type in data or messages on a train or plane. Then plug intothe telephone later and send the contents to your office terminal.

Shortly we will be able to call up our office mail at home on modifiedtelevision screens. Ultimately the office of the future will be ourown front room!

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• Exercise 64

BILL OF EXCHANGE

"A Bill of Exchange is an unconditional order in writingaddressed by one person to another, signed by the persongiving it, requesting the person to whom it is addressed,to pay on demand or at a fixed or determinable futuretime, a sum certain in money, to, or to the order of, aspecified person or bearer." (Bill of Exchange Act 1882.)

A Bill of Exchange has to be'accepted' (endorsed) by thedrawee before it becomesnegotiable. This function isnormally performed by anAccepting House, but bills mayalso be accepted by a bank (bankbills) or by a trader (tradebills) •

Bills of Exchange were first used by traders in Italy aslong ago as the Twelfth Century and today they are ofgreat importance in International Trade.

Import and Export departments encounter many Bills ofExchange in their daily routine. The following pointsshould be noted.

(1) All bills must be dated.

(2) Any alterations must be initialled by the drawer.

(3) Amounts are typed in figures and words.

(4) The drawer must sign the face (front) of the bill andendorse the back.

If a company has regular shipments to an overseas customerwith specific payment instructions, it is advisable forthe word processor operator to store a specimen Bill ofExchange on disk and then she need only fill in thevariables - date, amount, tenor, when required.

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• Exercise 65

THE STOCK EXCHANGE

The Stock Exchange is an integral part of the financial machinery of theCity of London. Essentially it is a market place where people meet to buyand sell. It differs from other markets since the goods on sale have nointrinsic value. Stock and share certificates are evidence of a stake ina company or in the case of "gilts" evidence of a loan to the Government.

The Stock Exchange exists to provide a channel through which savings canreach those who need finance.

Large companies need a way to tap thesavings of the public. For example,an oil field in the North Sea can costhundreds of millions of pounds tobring it into production. Not untilthe oil is flowing can it contributeto the profits of the company. Thesame problem faces practically everycompany trying to develop newproducts - they need finance on apermanent basis for long-termprojects.

As a result companies turn to thepublic inviting them to lend money, ortake a share in the business, inexchange for a share of future

profits. This they do by issuing stocks and shares in the businessthrough the Stock Exchange. Thus they can mobilise the savings ofindividuals in institutions both in the UK and overseas. If, at any timethe saver needs his money back, he simply sells his shares to some othersaver who is seeking to invest his money.

Without hospitals, roads, electricity, railways, the country could notfunction. All these require continuous expenditure on new equipment andnew development if they are to serve us properly, requiring more moneythan is raised through rates and taxes alone. Local Authorities , theGovernment and nationalised industries therefore frequently need to borrowmoney to finance major capital spending and they too come to the StockExchange.

Besides the small investor other savings media include unit trusts,investment trusts, insurance companies, Trades Unions benevolent funds,employer's pension schemes all invest through the Stock Exchange inorder to earn profits for their shareholders, policy holders, pensioners.Therefore, almost every individual has direct or indirect interest in theStock Exchange.

Since the "Big Bang" in October 1986 the traditional premisesof the Stock Exchange have become somewhat deserted asincreasingly share dealing has become a 24-hr business viacomputers and telephone lines in the large stockbroking housesin the City.

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• Exercise 66

SEC URI T Y SURVEY

A security consultant was recently contracted to survey and report onvarious aspects of security within our Company. The survey wasundertaken over a period of 3 to 4 weeks and included regulardiscussions with all grades of staff, workshops and personal observationby the consultant at all times of the day and night covering the full 7days. All groups of staff responded positively and the result is afairly comprehensive report which both identifies problem areas andoffers solutions to minimise the risk to both staff and resources.

To put the position of the Company into context the report drawscomparison with a division of a large Public Company with similarturnover and manpower. The latter employs a multi-manned contractedsecurity force, a radio communication .system, specialised alarm andpetrol equipment, and regular access to security advice. Our Companyrelies upon individual managers and portering staff as its deterrent.

Specific comment has been made on the following:

Staff Identification

Identification badges (includingphotograph) should be issued to allstaff without delay. A start hasalready been made - a firm has beencommissioned to photograph allmembers of staff and issue them withsealed perspex badges displayingrelevant details concerning theiremployment with the Company.

Access to Site

Multi-point access to all sites should be reviewed and recommendationsare made in the report regarding certain immediate improvements.

Access to Buildings

Specific recommendations were made regarding control of access to allbuildings.

Key Control

A number of examples were given of inadequate key control andrecommendations made to improve the situation.

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Parking

Certain recommendations have been made which are designed to help in thecontrol of car parking.

Staff Safety

Certain groups ofcapacity. Thesebuilding and alloutside the various

Theft

staff have been identified as being in a higher riskinclude on-call staff working in remote areas of thestaff concerned with the movement of cash in andprem1ses.

Various examples of potential risk were cited from personal observation.Emphasis must be made of staff responsibilities to safeguard personaland Company property.

Patrols

Many of the recommendations have the support of the Management Board butalmost all of them will require resource input, both of a permanent andnon-recurring nature. A sum has been earmarked in the 1988/89 budget tocontinue implementation of some of the recommendations. It is obviousthat additional resources will be needed in future years to complete theproject and it is hoped that this is given consideration by the Board ofDirectors.

Managing Director

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