Office Automation
Personal computer-based office automation software has become an indispensable part of election management in many business environments. Word processing programs have replaced typewriters; spreadsheet programs have replaced ledger books; database programs have replaced paper-based electoral rolls, inventories and staff lists; personal organizer programs have replaced paper diaries; and the list goes on. In the last thirty years technology has made it possible to minimize time wasted on redundant tasks. The paperless work environment has become the goal of many businesses. The overall effect this automation revolution has had on business is getting harder to measure by the day.Starting with the introduction of basic word processing and spreadsheet programs in the 1970s, by the 1990s office automation programs had become very sophisticated. These programs have served to empower ordinary office workers by enabling them to complete tasks in-house that had previously been sent off-site to be completed by specialists. In most cases the increased efficiency has equated to more production and new job opportunities. For example, desktop publishing programs allow relative novices to produce professional-quality publications, where o
If a businesses current software suite is performing acceptably, there may not be any compelling reason to upgrade it as soon as an upgrade becomes available. Database and spreadsheet programs running on high-powered personal computers allow everyday users to input, store, process, and use data in ways that once would only have been possible on large main-frame computers operated by specialists. Upgrades generally provide more powerful versions of existing features, provide some new features, and fix known problems in previous versions of the software. Where many users are sharing systems and files, it is important to ensure that files are stored in logical locations using a standard set of file naming conventions. Also as the use of electronic communications grows, businesses must consider information security and abuse. Voice mail offers the advantage of answering your calls while you're on the phone, as well as when you're away from the office. Recently Merrill Lynch was involved with a highly publicized scandal that was the result of an email that was sent to a third party containing sensitive information. The cost of these automation tools are often a large investment of capital and effort. For example, a business user could use office automation for: * producing all or most of its publications in-house, including books, brochures, forms and newsletters * composing, editing and printing all correspondence in a standard corporate style, incorporating automatic printing of logos and corporate headers * developing computer-generated presentations for projection on overhead screens for seminars and training purposes * entering, storing and using data * capturing and analyzing optically scanned data * storing and manipulating employee records * automating large scale personalized mail-outs * keeping inventories * maintaining a corporate web site and an internal intranet * planning and monitoring all aspects of a major project * organizing a financial management system * sending individual and grouped electronic mail to internal staff and external clients * sharing files across a network As the use of office automation software expands, the need to apply standards becomes more and more important. (Notoriously, upgrades sometimes have their own set of new problems or 'bugs', which can be fixed by the next upgrade. The result was the loss of jobs as well as the company facing scrutiny from regulating agencies and potential clients. A typical 'suite' of office automation software we currently use at Merrill Lynch could include some or all of the following kinds of programs: * word processor * spreadsheet * database * desktop publisher * project manager * presentation designer* computer file manager * email * internet browser * internet publisher * personal organizer* financial management system * personnel management system In many cases, office automation software will be provided with the appropriate hardware, either as part of the purchase agreement, such as networking software for an office printer or fax machine. For more specialized software Merrill often times needs to develop its own tools to advance the process of office automation. In many businesses the office automation features will be common and no special training will be required.
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