Introduction to Business Procedures Lecture Notes

Human Relations Objectives:
- Identify appropriate work habits, ethics, and dress.
- Evaluate and select training resources for employee programs.
- Develop work processes and procedures (prioritizing/organizing).
- Coordinate staff schedules and workload distribution.
- Contribute to job description development.
- Discuss and analyze employee performance evaluations.
- Maintain employee records and update policy/procedure manuals.
- Conduct new employee orientation and training.
- Create productive work relationships and participate in problem-solving teams.
- Exhibit leadership behaviors to motivate people.
Technology Concepts Objectives:
- Conduct needs assessments for hardware, software, furniture, and supplies.
- Evaluate hardware, vendors, warranties, and purchasing options.
- Install, remove, upgrade, and store computer hardware and software.
- Navigate operating systems and internet applications.
- Manage files, folders, and use help resources (e.g., help desks, manuals).
- Apply productivity and multimedia software to specific tasks.
- Select software specific to an organizational function or industry.

Communication Skills Objectives:
- Follow and compose oral/written instructions and identify listening skills.
- Interpret verbal and nonverbal cues.
- Manage telephone communications: locate numbers, screening calls, transferring, and conference calls.
- Evaluate emerging communication technologies.
- Process electronic communications (fax, e-mail, file transmissions).
- Greet visitors, make introductions, and deliver oral presentations.
- Foster positive relations with customers and employees.
- Compose business documents (agendas, reports, correspondence) and utilize tables/charts.
Decision Making/Management Objectives:
- Identify leadership styles, effective leader characteristics, and levels of management.
- Interpret organizational charts.
- Set priorities, monitor workloads, and develop workflow procedures.
- Build office teams and resolve conflicts.
- Examine business problems, alternative solutions, and contingency plans.
- Synthesize information to guide decision making.
- Write and monitor performance goals and quality-control processes.
Career Development Objectives:
- Explore careers via newspapers, agencies, and the internet.
- Develop a career plan and maintain a professional portfolio.
- Prepare application letters, resumes, and follow-up letters.
- Identify interview behaviors and resignation steps.
- Identify barriers for nontraditional groups and use career-advancement activities.

Business Operations Objectives:
- Organize workstations efficiently and recommend layout improvements.
- Choose reprographics methods and process mail (physical and electronic).
- Coordinate travel (reservations, itineraries) and meetings/events.
- Demonstrate time management and use Personal Information Management (PIM) apps.
- Troubleshoot and maintain office equipment (printers, copiers, fax machines).
- Implement purchasing processes for supplies and services.
- Identify types of business ownership.
Database/Information Management Objectives:
- Establish storage and retrieval systems for documents.
- Maintain inventory records of software and equipment.
- Index, code, sort, and file using alphabetical, subject, numerical, and chronological systems.
- Maintain tickler files, reference libraries, and historical records.
- Purge records and files, and convert data using scanning equipment.

Ethics/Safety Objectives:
- Identify causes of office accidents and establish security measures.
- Adhere to policies regarding privacy, acceptable use, computer crime, fraud, and student photos.
- Implement risk management and emergency/disaster plans.
- Discuss responsible technology use and legal consequences.
- Identify professional conduct (integrity, loyalty, honesty, courtesy).
- Analyze ergonomics and its importance.
- Interpret software license agreements and legal mandates such as ADA and Sarbanne-Oxly.
Finance Objectives:
- Prepare banking transactions (deposits, bank statement reconciliation).
- Complete payroll and financial transactions manually or electronically.
- Use numeric keypads to solve business problems.
- Develop budgets, manage expenses, and use purchase requisitions/vouchers.
- Implement expense-control strategies and maintain cash funds (petty cash).
Information Processing Objectives:
- Utilize software for document output, revision, and editing.
- Transcribe and dictate business correspondence (reports, minutes).
- Create and format tables, charts, and graphs.
- Perform word processing functions (merge, sort, search/replace, macros, templates).
- Convert files between operating systems or software programs.
- Edit spreadsheets and databases; integrate files across formats.
- Use search queries to generate reports.