Office Automation

Unit 8
 Objectives
• state the purpose of automation
• recommend telecommunication
technology(ies) for a given situation
What is Office Automation
• This is the application of
computer and communication
technology to improve clerical
and managerial productivity in
the office.

• It is also the result of the merger

of computer, office devices and
telecommunication technology.
 THE INTEGRATED OFFICE
This may be described as a computer office (that is, an office which is
very adequately equipped with the latest electronic equipment to
effectively meet all its processing and communication requirements
that would normally require extensive manual operations

The move from the paperwork age into the electronic age allows a
traditional office to combine diverse elements of hardware and
software into a unified system so as to boost its productivity and
efficiency considerably, speed up information flow and reduce costs.
Some of the following are technologies used in
the automation of the office:
• Facsimile;
• voice mail;
• voice messaging;
• telemarketing;
• teleconferencing;
• video conferencing
• telecommuting;
• electronic funds transfer;
• e-commerce;
• electronic mail
• cloud computing
 ELECTRONIC MAIL (EMAIL)

This permits the

transmission of letters,
memos and other
documents from a
computer or terminal to
another in a different
office or device.
FACSIMILE (FAX
The fax machine is a system of
transmitting and producing a
graphic matters (such as,
printing or still pictures) by
means of signals sent over
telephone lines
 VOICE MAIL
This is closely related to email and
message systems. In voicemail
however, voice messages are spoken
into the telephone, digitized, recorded
and transmitted. They may be played
back when the intended receiver
 

accesses his/her mailbox. A recorded

message may be sent to any number of
recipients.
 
 TELEMARKETING
It is sometimes referred to as (inside sales/
telesales) This is a method of direct marketing in
which a sales person solicits prospective customers
to buy products or services, either over the phone
or through a subsequent face-to-face or web
conferencing appointment scheduled during the
call.

It can also include recorded sales pitches

programmed to be played over the phone via
automatic dialing.
 TELECONFERENCING & VIDEO
CONFERENCING
Teleconferencing utilizes telephone
equipment to permit one or more
persons to talk to groups of people in
remote locations

Video Conferencing permits groups

in different geographical location to
see as well as to hear each other
 
TELECOMMUTING:

This is using a terminal or

personal computer to
communicate work to an
office.
ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER
& E-COMMERCE

EFT : This is an electronic exchange,

transfer of money from one account to
another, either within a single financial
institution or across multiple institutions
through computer based system

E-commerce: A Financial business

transaction that occurs over an electronic
network such as the internet
 
Cloud computing is an internet based computing in which large groups of remote services are networked to
allow the centralized data storage and online access to computer services/resources.
a. Clouds can be classified as public, private or hybrid.
 
 Question
• Ms. Nelson has been employed to make the Student Affairs office in a small college
more efficient. The office also sells textbooks and stationery to students at a
discounted rate. Due to a national health issue, the students will not be able to
travel to the office to benefit from the services they will office, so she wants to
automate the office.
• On advice from colleague, she wants to use the following telecommunication technologies to deliver
services to students:
–Facsimile
–Voicemail
–Telemarketing
–Video conferencing
–Telecommuting
–Ecommerce
–Electronic funds transfer
–Electronic mail
• Define the term office automation to Ms. Nelson (2 marks)
• Tell Ms. Nelson the purpose of office automation (2marks)
• Explain how each telecommunication technology listed above can make the Students’ Affairs
office more efficient. Limit your response to 1 paragraph each. (16 marks)
 Networking Revision
• Define the term Computer Network (2 marks)

• State TWO (2) advantages and TWO (2) disadvantages of using

computer networks. (8 marks)

• The following are transmission media which may be used to

connect one or more devices: twisted pair, fiber optic, microwave,
satellite, and coaxial. For EACH transmission medium:

– Give the characteristics that can be used to identify it. (5 marks)

– Using examples, give the situation in which it is best used. (10 marks)
 Securities Revision
• Briefly define the term encryption. (2 marks)
 
• In order to secure its data, a computer uses the following method for encrypting text:
A letter is replaced by the letter five letters later in alphabetical order. For example, the letter ‘A’ is
replaced by ‘F’, ‘B’ is replaced by ‘G’, and so on. Note that the letter ‘A” is considered to follow the letter
‘Z’.
 
– What would the word ‘ESSAY’ be stored as? (2 marks) 
– What is the meaning of the following text? N LTY NY (2 marks)
 
• What is the purpose of a password? (2 marks)
 
• Within many organizations, data on personnel are stored in a central location from which various
departments can access relevant information. State THREE problems that may arise because of the
sharing of this type of data. (6 marks) 
• “Physical access restrictions are better than passwords or encryption”. Give ONE argument in
favour of the statement given. (2 marks)

• Identify TWO methods of protecting oneself from computer viruses. (4 marks)

(Total 20 marks)
The end