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OFFICE LAYOUT AND EQUIPMENTS

Meaning of Office

In common parlance, an office is understood to be a place where clerical

work is performed and where all kinds of paper work [Letters, correspondence,

files, records etc] is maintained and dealt with. It is “a central place where all sorts

of clerical work is done to co-ordinate and control the affairs of the whole

organization”. The office is the administrative center of a business.

Definition of Office

According to the random house dictionary of English language defines the

term “Office” as “a place where business is transacted”.

Office Work

Office work is concerned with records and statistics with communication,

with computing, with planning and scheduling. Every office task comes within the

scope of one or the other of these activities.

Office Management

Office management means the method of controlling a office to achieve a

given objective. In our modern society, all kinds of business are carried on by a

group of people, who have enough knowledge in their respective fields.

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Office Layout

Systematic and scientific arrangement of different departments and

equipments on a well-defined plan, so as to get the maximum benefit from the

space available can be called as office layout. In an average firm it is not possible

for the management or the owner to do all the jobs. Office layout should ensure an

office, steady and smooth flow of work.

Equipment

The term “office machines” includes anything from a data stamp costing a

few rupees to an “Electronic computer” costing several millions of rupees. The

basic tasks is an office are writing, calculating, filling, sorting analysis and these

jobs can be done more quickly with the use of machines. These machines however

require some amount of human operation and supervision and the work usually

requires special preparation before it can be dealt with by the machines.

Office machines not only play an important part in business organization

but also in service rendering organization such as the Life Insurance Corporation.

Some of the machines used in Life Insurance Corporation are briefly explained

below:

Typewriter

The typewriter is the most commonly used and best-known office machine.

It is used not only for printing neat and clean letters and reports but also for the

fact that a number of copies can be made with the use of carbons or stencils.
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Typewriters are available in different sizes and shapes and have different

technological sophistications.

Duplicating Machine

Duplicating is a process for obtaining a number of copies of a master

impression and is different from the photo copying where a master is not usually

created, but copies are made from the original. The duplicating process is an

substitute for printing, duplicating machines can be used economically when the

number of copies required is not more than 500 to justify printing or less than 10,

which can be done by using the carbon paper on the typewriter. Duplicators are

used for turning hour circulars, price lists, reports, office forms etc. When either

the question of cost or of urgency makes printing unsuitable. A wide ranges of

duplicating machines or processes are available.

Telephone

The telephone is the most common and effective mechanical device used

for oral communication. Telephone communication may be classified into major

types:

i. Internal that is to say between two people working in the same building or

group of buildings and

ii. External between the caller and some other subscriber to the post office

telephone service.

This system enables to contact the people at different places.

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Teleprinter

The Teleprinter is to the written word that what the telephone is in the

spoken word. It is a machine on which messages can be typed at a speed up to

about 66 words per minute, the text being reproduced at a distant place on a similar

machine. The sending and receiving machine are connected by means of an

electrical circuit over telegraph wires.

Adding machine

Adding machine may be either manually or electrically operated, most

adding machines have roll of paper on which the figures are typed and this is

known as a “Tall Role” with this addition the adding machine becomes on

adding/listing machine for it not only adds figures put in the machine but lists them

at the same time.

Calculating Machine
Calculating machines are used when calculations have to be made on a

large scale. These machines contribute greatly to business efficiency by

eliminating routine and tiring mental work and by eliminating errors etc.

Calculating machines are primarily used for multiplication and division and they

accomplish these functions by repetitive, high-speed addition and subtraction.

They perform operations of percentages, decimals, squaring, square roots,

logarithms etc.
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Cash Register

This is an effective safeguard against misappropriation of cash collected. It

records not only the amount of cash collected from each customer separately but

also automatically total up the amount.

Cheques writing machine

They print word, figures and crossing into the fibers of the Cheque papers

in such a way that it ensures almost perfect protection against frank and alteration

of particulars on cheque.

Electronic Date Processing System

Electronic date processing is one of the latest additions of the list of office

machine, which is replicate of human brain. Electronic data processing is the use

of a computer in the processing of the facts and information that have been

converted into a code consisting of electrical impulses. The code is based upon

binary language, a number system that uses two as its base instead of ten as in the

decimal system