Basic business skills 2009 book 1 teacher guide

Basic business skills 2009 book 1 teacher guide

Basic BusinessSkills

Book 1

Units 1–6

1

Con tents

Unit 1: Office Organization

1 Maintaining Good Office Practices 1

2 Maintaining Office Security 7

3 Making a To-Do List 13

4 Prioritizing Tasks 19

5 Managing Your Tasks in Outlook 25

6 Scheduling Appointments in Outlook 31

7 Using Outlook Notes 39

8 Managing Your Contacts in Outlook 45

9 Maintaining Inventories 51

Unit 2: Office Resources on the Intranet 1 Introducing the Saudi Aramco Intranet 55

2 Using the Intranet Top Bar Links Section 63

3 Using the Intranet Side Bar Links Section 71

4 Using the Intranet Lower Bar Links Section 75

5 Using the Saudi Aramco Phone Book 85

6 Using the Corporate Identity Guidelines 97

7 Using the Industrial Relations Manual 103

8 Using the Management Guide 111

9 Using HR Online 121

10 Using Outlook Web Access E-mail 127

Unit 3: Office Equipment 1 Using a Calculator 133

2 Using a Photocopier 139

3 Using a Fax Machine 145

4 Using a Printer 155

5 Using a Scanning Device 161

6 Using a Shredder 167

7 Using an Office Telephone 173

Unit 4: Business Correspondence 1 Managing Your E-mail Correspondence in Outlook 181

2 Handling Incoming and Outgoing Mail 189

Unit 5: Customer Relations

1 Telephone Etiquette 227

2 Taking Messages 235

3 Answering Inquiries 243

4 Welcoming Visitors 251

5 E-mail Etiquette 259

Unit 6: Office Filing Practices 1 Using a Filing System 269

2 Using an Alphabetical Filing System 277

3 Using a Numerical Filing System 283

4 Using a Chronological Filing System 291

5 Using a Tickler File 297

Appendices A: My Checklist for Proofreading 303

B: Proofreaders’ Marks 305

Glossary 311

Unit 1

Organization

1 Maintaining Good Office Practices

2 Maintaining Office Security

3 Making a To-Do List

4 Prioritizing Tasks

5 Managing Your Tasks in Outlook

6 Scheduling Appointments in Outlook

7 Using Outlook Notes

8 Managing Your Contacts in Outlook

9 Maintaining Inventories

Discuss the questions with your

classmates and teacher.

2 Maintaining Good Office Practices

Read the passage about maintaining

good office practices Then discuss it

with your classmates and teacher.

You will learn and practice many skills in this course for example, filing, timekeeping, and business writing These are specific clerical skills you must learn in order to perform well in your job However,

in addition to these job-specific skills, you will be introduced to more general office practices, such as organization, safety, punctuality, and teamwork Adopting these practices will make you

a more efficient and professional employee

First, an organized office will make your job easier For example, do not have too many personal items in your office They clutter your space and distract you at work Keep your work area clean and neat If you spill coffee or water on your desk, clean it immediately Place items that you use frequently, such as pens, pencils, and stapler, near you Store papers and documents in folders Keep them in your drawers when you are not using them

Second, safety at the workplace is everyone’s responsibility Keep all electrical cords away from walkways Someone may trip on the cords Also, call maintenance to replace any worn electrical cords They may cause fires or electric shock Store supplies inside cabinets, not on top Open drawers only one at a time Close them after you use them Push your chair under the desk when you leave the office

Third, punctuality and teamwork are also important practices in the workplace You should be on time for work in the morning and after lunch Do not leave work early If you are going to miss work because of sickness, inform your supervisor first thing in the morning or as soon as possible.Finally, be a good team player Work well with your coworkers Do your share when working on a

3 Understanding Good Office Practices

Discuss these questions with your

partner Take notes Number 1 is

It disturbs others

1 Why is it not a good idea to play music in the office?

2 What are the four main office practices?

3 What should you do when you work on a team project?

4 What should you do if you have to miss work or are going to be late?

5 Why should you keep your drawers closed when you are not using them?

4 Identifying Office Practices

1 Maintain a clean desk and office

2 Keep electrical cords away from walkways

3 Always be helpful and polite

4 Do not leave work early

5 Place frequently used items near you

6 Do your share of the work when working

on a team

7 Do not bring music to the office

8 Store documents in folders

Identify the office practice Write

organization, safety, punctuality, or

teamwork Number 1 is the example

5 True or False?

Read the statements Are they true

or false? Write T for true and F for

false.

1 You should call another clerk if you are going

to be late for work

2 You can leave work at 3:30 if you take a hour lunch

3 You should place frequently used items in your desk drawers

4 You should do your share of the work when working on a team

5 You can leave work early if you have to go to the shopping center

6 You should always be polite and help your coworkers

7 You should keep important documents on top

F

T

F

F

Notes

Discuss the questions with your

classmates and teacher.

2 Maintaining Office Security

Read the passage about

maintaining office security Then

discuss it with your classmates and

teacher.

Not everyone is authorized to know of management’s plans and decisions about the company or about other employees’ personal data However, because of your job, you may become aware of this private information Maintaining documents and information safe and confidential will be, therefore, an essential part of your office duties

To protect sensitive information, such as salary and employment actions, employees’ personal health problems, tests, and performance reviews, do not leave confidential documents where others can see them Keep them in folders Always lock your desk and filing cabinets when you are away from your work area And when you print, photocopy, or fax any of these documents, pick up the papers immediately Shred any extra copies you may have Also, remember not to discuss confidential company information with others

In addition to keeping documents safe, you should lock your computer when you are not at your desk Use your password to lock it Also lock removable storage media away when you are not using them Protect your Internet access Log off when you leave the office You will be held responsible for the sites accessed under your user ID So do not give your password to anyone Taking these precautions will make you a reliable and responsible professional

3 Understanding Good Office Security Practices

Discuss these questions with your

partner Take notes.

My Notes

1 What should you do with extra copies of confidential documents?

2 How can you lock your computer?

3 Where should you keep confidential documents?

4 What should you do when you print confidential documents?

5 How can you protect your data on removable storage media?

Shred them

Using a password

In folders

Pick them up immediately

By locking such items in a desk drawer

4 Confidential Situations

1 A coworker gives you his travel order to type

2 Your supervisor asks you to type a warning letter about another employee

3 Another clerk wants to use your Internet password

4 You have a CD containing performance reviews in your computer

5 You print a memo about an employee’s salary action

6 You have a materials order on your desk for your boss to sign

7 A group leader asks you to photocopy his baby’s birth certificate

8 You hear your supervisor talking to his boss

on the phone

9 Your supervisor asks you to give him an employee’s personnel file

Read the situations Are they

normal or confidential? Write N for

normal and C for confidential.

N C

C C

5 Creating a Document Password

Access Microsoft (MS) Word to

create a password to protect a

document Follow the steps in the

exercise. 1 Open Word

2 Type the note shown below in a new document

“If you forget the password, you will not be able to open the document!”

3 Click the office button and choose Save As.

4 Click the Documents link in the Navigation pane.

5 Type the file name “Create Password”

6 Click the Tools menu and choose General Options.

7 Type a password in the Password to Open

field

8 Type the password again in the Reenter

Password to Open field Then click ok

9 Click save, and then close the document

Notes

Discuss the questions with your

classmates and teacher. 1 Have you ever written lists of things you have to do?

2 Do you think that writing lists of things

to do might be helpful?

3 Could the same practice

be helpful at work, too? How would it be helpful?

Read the passage about making a

to-do list Then discuss it with your

classmates and teacher.

To be efficient in your job you must plan your workday Keep a list of all the things you have to do and the time when they are needed This will help you remember all your tasks and their deadlines Add new tasks to the list as they are given to you Then cross out the tasks as you complete them For example, every morning check your list to see if there are any meetings planned for the day

or if any photocopying needs to be done

In your list consider the time you will need for each job and the time when it is needed Allow time for regular duties such as handling of incoming and outgoing mail, answering telephone calls, and getting signatures But also set aside, or reserve, time for unplanned work This will leave you time for rush jobs, that is, jobs given to you at short notice If nothing urgent comes up, you can always use that time for routine, or everyday, jobs such as filing

Plan for not only a day’s time, but for the week—even for the month Any item you are asked to

do that is not needed that day can be scheduled for a later date Check your list frequently to make sure all necessary work has been done This way you can also see how much you have achieved

Do not hurry If you rush, you will probably make mistakes Then you will waste time correcting them You should always check your work for accuracy and correct any mistakes

2 Making a To-Do List

3 Understanding Good Practices Using To-Do Lists

Discuss these questions with your

partner Take notes.

My Notes

1 How will a to-do list help you at work?

2 What should you do after you finish a task?

3 Why should you plan for more than one day at a time?

4 What might happen if you rush through a job?

5 What can you do with the time you reserved for an unplanned job if nothing urgent is needed?

It will help me remember tasks and deadlines

Cross it out; check work for accuracy

To schedule tasks as needed throughout

a time period

Mistakes

Routine jobs

4 Making a To-Do List

Ali has been very forgetful lately Three times this week his supervisor asked him about a project Every time, Ali had to say that he had forgotten to do it Ali’s supervisor was angry He advised him to always write down all his jobs This is what Ali has to do on Monday

Ali has to open the mail every morning He does lots of filing every day, too The letter he has been typing for his supervisor has to be finished by Monday Then Ali has to give it to him and get him to sign it Ali has to mail it that same afternoon His group has a meeting on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays Ali is in charge of getting the key for the conference room He also has to make sure that a fresh pot of coffee is ready for the meeting On Sundays Ali collects the weekly progress reports from all the employees in his unit He turns them in to the supervisor the following day

Help Ali finish his to-do list for Monday

Read the situation Then write Ali’s

to-do list The first one is done for

5 Check what you know

Match the first part of the sentence

to the final part of the sentence

Write the letter in the correct box

The first one is done for you. 1 A list of tasks with their deadlines

is

2 If you have free time, you should

3 When you are given new tasks to

do, you should

4 Routine duties include

5 When you prepare a To-do list, you should consider how much time

6 When you complete a task, you should

7 If you rush through a task, you might

a use that time for routine jobs such

as filing

b a To-do list

c you will need to do each job and when it is needed

d check it for accuracy and then cross

it off the To-do list

e add them to your To-do list

f make mistakes

g handling incoming and outgoing mail, answering telephone calls, getting signatures, and filing

B

A E G C

D

F

Notes

Discuss the questions with your

classmates and teacher. 1 Did you ever have to leave something you were doing because something else needed

An efficient office worker knows how to prioritize That is, he knows how to organize his work, from the most important to the least important, so that each job is completed on time.

In your job you will have to take care of urgent, important, and routine tasks Unplanned situations may interrupt your work Or you may have to stop a job you were doing because your supervisor asks you to do something else immediately Learning how to prioritize each task, therefore, will help you to complete all jobs on time and meet deadlines

To help you in your prioritizing decisions, remember that urgent tasks are done immediately Important tasks are done as soon as possible, but after urgent tasks Routine tasks are done as you have time throughout the day, but after urgent and important tasks An exception to this simple rule may be the office mail, which is usually opened first thing in the morning

Read the passage about prioritizing

tasks Then discuss it with your

classmates and teacher.

3 Understanding Good Practices for Prioritizing Tasks

Discuss these questions with your

partner Take notes.

My Notes

1 Does an office worker usually work on planned tasks only?

2 Are all jobs equally important or urgent?

3 What jobs should a clerk take care of first?

4 Are all routine tasks done first thing in the morning?

5 How will prioritizing tasks help you do your job?

No—planned and unplanned

No—some jobs are more important than others

Urgent jobs

No—only opening the mail

Complete jobs on time; meet deadlines

4 Prioritizing Tasks





It is 7:15 a.m Below are some tasks

which include deadlines where

applicable Indicate the priority

of each task as urgent, important

or routine by checking () the

appropriate column Be prepared to

justify your reason for each The first

two are done for you.

TASK

1 Type report - supervisor needs it now

2 Type report - supervisor needs it by 3:30 p.m today

3 Read manuals to learn more on company rules

4 Call maintenance to repair AC (It has just stopped working and is 40 degrees outside)

5 Read the weekly company newsletter

6 Photocopy report - needed by 3:00 p.m.

7 Order more items for stationery cupboard

8 Reserve conference room for meeting at 8:30 a.m

tomorrow

9 Prepare a travel order for an employee’s emergency

leave (he leaves this afternoon)

10 File documents

11 Type memo - needed immediately

12 Call maintenance - photocopier needs repairing

(People will start complaining by the end of the day if

it has not been repaired)

13 Get key for conference room (People are waiting to attend a presentation now but can’t get in)

PRIORITY Urgent Important Routine

12345

5 Revising Your To-Do List

My Original To-do List

Read the situation Revise your

original to-do list to include the

new unplanned tasks.





As your original to-do list indicates, you have already prioritized your tasks and

completed the first two It is now 10:30 a.m Your supervisor just gave you three

more tasks to do:

12345678

Read the note Then discuss the

questions with your classmates and

Read the passage about managing

your tasks in Microsoft (MS)

Outlook Then read the statements

Are they true or false? Write T for

true and F for false.

Microsoft Outlook is a software application that can help you manage e-mail correspondence and manage the scheduling of appointments, meeting and tasks, as well as all of the associated information You can use the calendar feature to help you organize your day much more efficiently than a paper or desk calendar

In this lesson you will learn about managing your tasks in Outlook A task in Outlook is an activity that involves only you and does not need a scheduled time You can add your tasks into Outlook and specify a start date, due date, reminder or any other additional information Reminders are especially useful in helping you not to forget to do something

You will learn about the other features of Outlook in future lessons

1 MS Outlook is only used for managing e-mail correspondence

2 A task in Outlook is an activity that involves you and members of your team

3 A task in Outlook does not need a scheduled time

4 If do not want to forget to finish a task,

F

F

T

3 The Outlook Calendar and To-Do Bar

Study the screen capture illustrating

some features of the Outlook

calendar and answer the questions.

1 What calendar date is shown?

2 Which calendar view is shown (day, week

or month)?

3 How many tasks are due today?

4 How many tasks are shown as completed?

February 09, 2009 Day 4 2

4 Working with Tasks

Entering simple task details

1 Open Outlook Click on the calendar icon on the navigation pane at the lower left of the screen

2 If the To-Do Bar is not displayed on your screen, go to the View menu, point to To-Do

Bar, and then click Normal.

3 In the To-Do Bar, click in the field Type a New Task.

4 Type the task subject

5 Press enter The task is added to your list with a default due date of the current date

Task options

You can enter more details about a task by double-clicking the task to open the task window

Remember to save any modifications when you finish

(A) Start Date If you want, you can choose to begin a task on a future date.

(B) Due Date The date the task needs to be completed.

(C) Status The progress of this task For example, you can choose status “Not yet started”

or “In Progress”

(D) Priority The priority level for this task—Low, Normal, or High The default setting for a

task is Normal

(E) Reminder A date and time to remind you to work on the task Check the reminder box

and enter the reminder date and time

(F) Notes Any extra information you need to help you complete this task

Marking a task complete

Follow the instructions for working

with tasks Then, look at the two

screen captures and answer the

questions.

a b e

f

c d

1 When is the task due?

2 What is the status of the task?

3 Is this task urgent/important?

4 Has a reminder been set?

5 Are there any notes?

6 How many tasks have been completed?

Tomorrow or Tues 2/10/09

In Progress Yes It is high priority

Yes Yes 2

5 Using the Outlook Calendar—Computer Practice

1 “Type Report for Supervisor”

Start date today

No due date

2 “File the Pay slips”

Start date today Due date tomorrow

3 “Photocopy agenda”

Start date today Due date tomorrow Set a reminder for 07:00 a.m tomorrow

4 “Check conference room is ready”

Start date today Due date next Wednesday Set a reminder for 08:30 a.m Wednesday Set status as “In Progress”

5 “Prepare for visitors”

Start date today Due date one week from today Set a reminder for 07:00 a.m one week from today Set status as “In Progress”

Set priority as “High”

6 “Update the Weekly Report”

Start date today

Open Outlook and create the

following tasks.

Study the calendar entries and discuss

the questions with your classmates

Read the passage about managing

your appointments in Outlook Then

read the statements Are they true

or false? Write T for true and F for

false.

In this lesson you will learn about using appointments in Outlook to help you manage your time better An appointment is an activity that involves only you, but it does have a scheduled time You can designate the time of the appointment as busy, free, tentative, or out of office and add reminders so you won’t forget to attend

Using the appointment function with the calendar can help you save time when scheduling, giving you alerts and warnings when you schedule two appointments concurrently Appointments that are held the same time every day, week, or just once a month can be entered as a recurring appointment

1 Using the appointments feature in Outlook can help you manage your time better

2 An appointment in Outlook is an activity that involves you and members of your team

3 An appointment in Outlook is the same as a task in Outlook

4 An appointment in Outlook has a scheduled time as well as a date

5 If you do not want to forget an appointment, set a reminder before

it is due

6 If you try to schedule two appointments for the same time and

T F F T T

T

Study the diagram illustrating some

features of the Outlook calendar and

answer the questions.

1 Which calendar view is shown (day, week or month)?

2 How many appointments are there today (Feb 9, 2009)?

3 How long does the appointment

“Dinner with AJD” last?

4 How many appointments are on the next day?

5 What is the subject of the recurring appointment?

6 Where is the recurring appointment being held?

Week 2

1 hour

1

Maps Seminar

West Park 2