M. B. I., a major manufacturer of word processing equipment, has made a presentation to your boss, Ms. A. J. Wainwright executive vice-president of the American Automobile Association club in your area.  M. B. I. is encouraging the club to establish a Word Processing Center which would bring 12 of the current 18 departmental secretaries together in one area.  Department members, who previously had a departmental secretary, would simply pick up the telephone, push the dictation button, and dictate material to the Center where a supervisor would distribute dictated tapes to secretaries for transcription.

 

M. B. I. claims that 12 secretaries working in the Center would be able to do the work of all 18 departmental secretaries, which would allow the club to reduce its work force by 6 secretaries if the secretaries were released.  The equipment needed to operate the Center would only cost $75,000, and the total yearly salary of six secretaries would be $180,000.  The equipment would need to be replaced about every five years, so the savings gained by implementing the Center would be significant.  Quality control over secretarial production would also be improved because the individual secretaries would be in a common area under one supervisor; morale too, it is claimed would be high once the secretaries adapted to the idea of working in the Center.

 

Morale is the problem that bothers Ms. Wainwright.  Rumors about the proposed Center have started, and the grapevine message is that the secretaries are up in arms and several plan to quit if the Center becomes reality.  Additionally, several department heads who have had secretaries in the past are very upset about having their routines changed.  Ms. Wainwright has asked you to take a survey of the secretaries and their bosses to determine just what their attitudes are regarding the Center.

 

You developed a questionnaire which you distributed to the 18 departmental secretaries.  You asked them to answer six questions and to add any comments.  You briefly described what the Center would be like if it came to reality.  It would have soundproofing, air conditioning, music, plush carpet, and all new secretarial desks and chairs.  Here are the results of the questionnaire as you recorded them after the secretaries completed them.

 

1.         Do you believe you’ll be one of those moved to the Center?

Yes:  14           No:  4

 

2.         Do you think the work load will be greater in the Center than it is for you now?

Yes:  16           No:  2

 

3.         Have you talked with other secretaries about the Center?

Yes:  18           No:  0

 

4.         Do the ones you talk with like the idea of the Center?

Yes:  3             No:  15

 

5.         Have you thought about quitting if the Center becomes a reality?

Yes:  7             No:  11

 

6.         Would you definitely leave if transferred to the Center?

Yes:  3             No:  15

 

7.         Sample comments included the following:  “We’ll certainly lose a lot of our present harmony with our bosses.”  “Who will be fired?” “Will we get a raise if we are moved to the center?” “Sure sounds great to me!”  “I’ll bet some of the supervisors can’t dictate to a machine.” “Wearing those earphones all day would drive a person crazy.”

 

Your interviews with each of the department heads were more direct, and you asked them

four questions which are tabulated below:

 

1.         Do you like the idea of the Center?

 

Yes:  3             No:  9              Undecided:  6

 

2.         Are you satisfied with the current arrangement?

 

Yes:  8             No.  10

 

3.         If the answer to item 2 was “no,” what is not satisfactory?

(Several listed more than one unsatisfactory item.)

 

a.  Quality of work: (3)

 

b.  Secretary is often busy with others when needed: (5)

 

c.  Answering the phone keeps the secretary busy when there are word processing job to do:  (6)

 

d.  Secretaries need to be available before and after work:  (8)

 

4.         How would your office be affected if the secretary were moved to the Center?

 

a.  We would need a clerk/typist for the office: (15)

 

b.  We would need a receptionist for the office:  (12)

 

c.  We would need a system to make sure we’d always have an open line to the Center:  (14)

 

 

Prepare a report for Ms. Wainwright.  Include a title page and 2 – 3 pages in the body.

Include the following main headings:  INTRODUCTION, FINDINGS,

CONCLUSIONS, and RECOMMENDATIONS (centered on the page).

 

The subheadings in the INTRODUCTION section should be Report Background, Report

Purpose, Report Scope, and Research Methodology (subheadings are on the margin, the

first letter of key words capitalized, and should be underlined).

 

Include at least two subheadings in the FINDINGS section.  The CONCLUSIONS and

RECOMMENDATIONS sections will not need subheadings.  The first page of the body

should start with the title, then a triple space (two blank lines), then the first main heading

INTRODUCTION.  Triple space (two blank lines) before all main headings.  The top

margin for the report will be one inch.  The left margin should be 1.5 inches, and the right

margin should be 1 inch.

 

Number the pages (starting with the first page in the body) at the bottom of the page—

about one inch from the bottom.  Double space (one blank line between each line) the

report, and write it in third person. Include at least one visual aid in the body of the

report.

M. B. I., a major manufacturer of word processing equipment, has made a presentation to your boss, Ms. A. J. Wainwright executive vice-president of the American Automobile Association club in your area.  M. B. I. is encouraging the club to establish a Word Processing Center which would bring 12 of the current 18 departmental secretaries together in one area.  Department members, who previously had a departmental secretary, would simply pick up the telephone, push the dictation button, and dictate material to the Center where a supervisor would distribute dictated tapes to secretaries for transcription.

 

M. B. I. claims that 12 secretaries working in the Center would be able to do the work of all 18 departmental secretaries, which would allow the club to reduce its work force by 6 secretaries if the secretaries were released.  The equipment needed to operate the Center would only cost $75,000, and the total yearly salary of six secretaries would be $180,000.  The equipment would need to be replaced about every five years, so the savings gained by implementing the Center would be significant.  Quality control over secretarial production would also be improved because the individual secretaries would be in a common area under one supervisor; morale too, it is claimed would be high once the secretaries adapted to the idea of working in the Center.

 

Morale is the problem that bothers Ms. Wainwright.  Rumors about the proposed Center have started, and the grapevine message is that the secretaries are up in arms and several plan to quit if the Center becomes reality.  Additionally, several department heads who have had secretaries in the past are very upset about having their routines changed.  Ms. Wainwright has asked you to take a survey of the secretaries and their bosses to determine just what their attitudes are regarding the Center.

 

You developed a questionnaire which you distributed to the 18 departmental secretaries.  You asked them to answer six questions and to add any comments.  You briefly described what the Center would be like if it came to reality.  It would have soundproofing, air conditioning, music, plush carpet, and all new secretarial desks and chairs.  Here are the results of the questionnaire as you recorded them after the secretaries completed them.

 

1.         Do you believe you’ll be one of those moved to the Center?

Yes:  14           No:  4

 

2.         Do you think the work load will be greater in the Center than it is for you now?

Yes:  16           No:  2

 

3.         Have you talked with other secretaries about the Center?

Yes:  18           No:  0

 

4.         Do the ones you talk with like the idea of the Center?

Yes:  3             No:  15

 

5.         Have you thought about quitting if the Center becomes a reality?

Yes:  7             No:  11

 

6.         Would you definitely leave if transferred to the Center?

Yes:  3             No:  15

 

7.         Sample comments included the following:  “We’ll certainly lose a lot of our present harmony with our bosses.”  “Who will be fired?” “Will we get a raise if we are moved to the center?” “Sure sounds great to me!”  “I’ll bet some of the supervisors can’t dictate to a machine.” “Wearing those earphones all day would drive a person crazy.”

 

Your interviews with each of the department heads were more direct, and you asked them

four questions which are tabulated below:

 

1.         Do you like the idea of the Center?

 

Yes:  3             No:  9              Undecided:  6

 

2.         Are you satisfied with the current arrangement?

 

Yes:  8             No.  10

 

3.         If the answer to item 2 was “no,” what is not satisfactory?

(Several listed more than one unsatisfactory item.)

 

a.  Quality of work: (3)

 

b.  Secretary is often busy with others when needed: (5)

 

c.  Answering the phone keeps the secretary busy when there are word processing job to do:  (6)

 

d.  Secretaries need to be available before and after work:  (8)

 

4.         How would your office be affected if the secretary were moved to the Center?

 

a.  We would need a clerk/typist for the office: (15)

 

b.  We would need a receptionist for the office:  (12)

 

c.  We would need a system to make sure we’d always have an open line to the Center:  (14)

 

 

Prepare a report for Ms. Wainwright.  Include a title page and 2 – 3 pages in the body.

Include the following main headings:  INTRODUCTION, FINDINGS,

CONCLUSIONS, and RECOMMENDATIONS (centered on the page).

 

The subheadings in the INTRODUCTION section should be Report Background, Report

Purpose, Report Scope, and Research Methodology (subheadings are on the margin, the

first letter of key words capitalized, and should be underlined).

 

Include at least two subheadings in the FINDINGS section.  The CONCLUSIONS and

RECOMMENDATIONS sections will not need subheadings.  The first page of the body

should start with the title, then a triple space (two blank lines), then the first main heading

INTRODUCTION.  Triple space (two blank lines) before all main headings.  The top

margin for the report will be one inch.  The left margin should be 1.5 inches, and the right

margin should be 1 inch.

 

Number the pages (starting with the first page in the body) at the bottom of the page—

about one inch from the bottom.  Double space (one blank line between each line) the

report, and write it in third person. Include at least one visual aid in the body of the

report.