ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The researcher wishes to show sincere appreciation and gratitude towards all the people who have assisted with the necessary information to complete this interesting and very educational research. Special thanks to my teacher Miss Forbes for her patience,

encouragement and guidance. I would also like to thank my family and friends who supported me, but the highest gratitude goes out to God who has guided and protected me throughout the collection of this data.

INTRODUCTION
This pro ect is based on !"#uipment and Methods of $lassification %sed in &ecords Management'. It contains uses of (ffice "#uipment, Functions of the &ecord )epartment, *usiness Forms, $ompanies &egulation and +olices. The main aim of the pro ect is to find out the methods of &ecords Management used in saving files. ,hile going through this pro ect I hope you will find it interesting and informative.

Table of Content
Title PAGES -cknowledgements...................................................................................I Introduction...............................................................................................II CRITER I PREPARATION Title of +ro ect........................................................................................... -ims of +ro ect.......................................................................................... Functions of the )epartment...................................................................... $orrespondence........................................................................................./ CRITERIA 2 GATHERING DATA Methodology.............................................................................................0 Interview 1uestions .................................................................................2 Schedules of activities...............................................................................345 &egulations and $ompany6s +olicies........................................................7 Governing in the Firm...............................................................................8 CRITERIA 3 PRESENTATION &eport........................................................................................................94.. *usiness Forms........................................................................................../ (ffice "#uipment.......................................................................................0 %se of *usiness Forms...............................................................................74.8 *ibliography::::::::::::::::::::::::....9

Title -n investigation into the ;"#uipment used in &ecord Management6 at the Ministry of <abour and Security Savanna4la4Mar (ffice.

Aim of P!o"e#t To become knowledgeable about the functions of the &ecord Management office To be aware of the responsibilities of the clerk in the &ecord Management office

$%n#tion of Re#o!& Mana'ement De(a!tment To ensure that files are stored in their appropriate order To ensure that files are stored for future reference

*ay &oad <ittle <ondon +( ,estmoreland .5 =ovember, />>9 The Manager Ministry of <abour ? Social Security Savanna4la4mar *ranch 35 Great George Street ,estmoreland )ear Sir@Madam I am currently pursing a course in (ffice -dministrations. -s a re#uirement of the $aribbean Secondary "Aamination $ouncil B$S"$C, the researcher is re#uired to do a School *ased -ssessment BS.*.-C. I am therefore seeking permission to visit your organiDation to conduct an investigation in your &ecords Management department. The topic being investigated is ;"#uipment and the method of classification used in &ecords Management6. In doing this investigation I would like to issue #uestionnaires to some of your employees and also to conduct interviews. I look forward for the opportunity to carry out this pro ect in your organiDation. Thanks in advance for your cooperation. Eours sincerely FFFFFFFFFFF Michael Munroe

METHODOLOG)
In gathering information to complete this pro ect, the researcher had to visit the organiDation !Ministry of <abour and Social Security (ffice' on several occasions. Most of the information was gathered from the employees and also by observing them at work. In order for the successful completion of this pro ect the researcher had to employ several strategies to gather the information. The methodologies used are as followG .. (bservation /. 1uestionnaires 0. Interview Ob e!*ation The method of observation was #uite simple. The information was recorded in a note pad. The researcher observed the tasks carried out by the clerk in &ecords Management and the reaction of other employees towards them. The researcher has now seen that the clerk in the &ecords Management is responsible for the preparation of records. +%e tionnai!e The researcher utiliDed #uestionnaires to gather information from a large number of persons. This was used because it was #uick, accurate and much easier to use. These #uestionnaires were issued on =ovember .>, />>9 to relevant personnel department. The #uestionnaires consist of ten B.>C #uestions which are open ended. These #uestionnaires

were collected =ovember ./, />>9. Inte!*ie, ,ith the interview, the researcher had face4face conversation with the employees. 1uestions were prepared to pose to the interviewees. The interview was conducted in the &ecord Management )epartment where the employees were relaAed and at ease. "ach interview lasted for about .>4.3 mins.

INTER-IEW +UESTIONS

The following #uestions were directed to the Manager of the Ministry of the <abour ? Social Security (fficeG

.. State the type of filing system used in the businessH

/. State the types of "#uipment used by the business to store records and how they aid in good &ecords ManagementH

0. ,hy do you consider the e#uipment used cost effectiveH 2. Iow does the e#uipment use affect the efficiency of employees in records managementH 3. In what way might a single alphabetical file incorporate numerical orderH

SCHEDULE O$ ACTI-ITIES
DATES =ovember 2, />>9 ACTI-ITIES Select topic for pro ect. COMMENTS Topic chosen was relevant to the syllabus. =ovember 2, />>9 Typed correspondence. )id not have a printer but copies were printed. =ovember 8, />>9 ,rite #uestionnaire and submitted to teacher. =ovember 8, />>9 - copy of the correspondence was printed and submitted to the Ministry of <abour and Social Security office. =ovember.., />>9 1uestionnaire was typed and twelve copies were printed. &esearcher had to pay to print copies of #uestionnaire and it cost a lot. =ovember.., />>9 1uestionnaires were distributed to employees. &esearcher waited about / hours before collecting #uestionnaires. Teacher made the necessary corrections. &esearcher was given the permission to carry out the investigation.

DATES )ecember 7, />>9

ACTI-ITIES &esearcher visited the organiDation to observe the effectiveness of the records

COMMENTS There were regulations that the researcher had to abide by. (nly eleven copies were returned as one employee was absent from work. 1uestionnaire as collected. The pro ect was completed.

)ecember 8, />>9

management system. &esearcher went to collect #uestionnaires.

)ecember 9, />>9 )ecember .> />>9

,ent back to collect neAt copy of #uestionnaire. +resented the final draft to the teacher.

COMPAN) POLICIES AND REGULATIONS

In every organiDation there are regulations and policies set to govern the activities that are carried out.

Legislation
)uring observation the researcher noticed that there were fire eAtinguishers at strategic location as well as smoke detectors. The researcher was told not to remove any of the e#uipments that were plugged in from the sockets as this may cause serious shock to the body which could be fatal.

Health and Safety Rule

)uring my investigation at the organiDation I observed a health and safety rule governing the business is the fire alarmG with this the staffs will be safe when doing their particular task.

Staff Rule Observation

(ne of the staff rules is that all employees must wear their name tags printed on them on the upper right side of their uniforms to show the department they work. I have to comply with this as I had to wear one also. The name tag was given to me by the receptionist. I had to abide by themJ when visiting the organiDation, I wear a visitor6s badge.

REPORT

&ecords management involves storing records on paper, disk or film, but also managing the files, retrieving information from them and ensuring their availability, security and retention. There is a wide variety of filing e#uipment which helps to improve the efficiency of records management.

This investigation is based on finding out the types of e#uipments and the method of classification used by the Ministry of <abour and Social Security to store records and@ or manage records. *ased on the results the researcher6s aims were accomplished. The Ministry of <abour and Social Security used mainly computers and filing cabinets to store records in the office.

The organiDation utiliDes a centraliDed system in which all e#uipments used in records management is kept in one place. $entraliDed filing may be an effective system for filing documents which are needed by many departments. This section is known as the &egistry. The registry allows for documents to be better supervised and staff better controlled by management. $entraliDed filing allows for the greatest utiliDation of the most up4to4date filing e#uipment and specialist staff can be employed to manage the department most cost4effective.

The computer was found to be cost effective as it lowers the operating cost of the organiDation while giving greater efficiency.

The e#uipment also improves the efficiency of the employees as it allow for easy retrieval and therefore helps to reduce the time needed to access records.

+apers are filed to keep them safe, tidy and easy to find again. This means that a filing system must be held in storage places that are lockable and offer some protection against haDards of burglary, fire and pests, as well as maintaining confidence of information stored. It is particularly important that legal papers and deeds are protected. The method of filling must be simple and systematic so that documents can be easily and #uickly retrieved when re#uired.

In many offices, papers released for filing are placed in labelled trays. These should be emptied as fre#uently as possible, and at least once a day, in order to ensure that papers are immediately available for reference. &egular filing also cuts down clutter in the office and reduces the possibility of papers being mislaid. It is easier to find a paper on file than in a stack of unfiled paper work.

The ma or accomplishment which the researcher had was that the researcher was able to understand the roles and functions of &ecords Management. The &ecords Management plays a very important role in filing for the business, which involve preserving information in a storage device. The -dministrative function of records department is concerned with ensuring that employee benefits are awarded.

)uring this investigation the researcher encountered few problems. The ma or challenge the researcher faced while doing this pro ect was that in response to the letter. The date given to conduct an interview with the manager at his convenience was inappropriate to the researcher since that day was a school day.

The problem solving strategy employed was that the researcher told the Kice +rincipal about the problem and asked permission to leave the school compound to carry out this research then return to school. +ermission was granted so the researcher could interview the manager.

USE O$ .USINESS $ORMS

The necessary forms used by the General -dministrative department were not supplied to the researcher by the organiDationJ they were not available as there were problems with the system and could not be downloaded. Two eAamples of the forms used are placed in the appendiA section of this pro ect e.g. the out card and the cross reference card. The researcher was also given some other forms that were used by the organiDation in the administrative department.

Date

Name

P%!(o e

=ovember.7,/>>8

$ross &eference

Sometimes papers may be removed from a file and placed in another part of the system. - cross4reference notice card will be put in the position of the original file directing users to the new position.

=ovember .8, />>8

(ut $ard

,hen a document is taken out of a file, an out card is put in its place. The out card shows the title of the document removed, the name of the person or department who has borrowed the file.

USE O$ O$$ICE E+UIPMENT

)ate =ovember .9, />>9 "#uipment used $omputer +urpose This device is use for entering, storing and processing data =ovember />, />>9 +rinter for future use. This is use to create permanent record of documents relevant =ovember /., />>9 +hotocopier to the business. This is used to produce multiple copies of the same =ovember //, />>9 Shredder document. %sed to get rid of confidential documents that are no longer needed. =ovember /0, />>9 Filing $abinets %sed to store most of the customers6 files that are written on paper. It makes copy of a document so that the original document don6t have to be use. -ssist in the proper disposal of confidential documents that are no longer needed. Iave to be closely monitored to aid in proper storage maintenance. $omments Gives easy access as it is easy to retrieve information when needed. It may copies.

$ross &eference

$ross &eference
For <ook %nder

$ross &eference

$ross &eference For +asty ,hite Sandra *lack %nder Mrs.+.,hite Mrs.S.*alck

.I.LIOGRAPH)

Iamil, S? ,hitcomb, -l B/>>>C. "ssential +rinciples of *usiness for $L$ B/nd "ditionC <ongman Iarrison, M ? Scantlebury, *arbara B/>>.C. =ew $aribbean (ffice +rocedures B0rd "ditionC <ongman

Date

Name

Inte!*ie, Pla#e
Ministry of <abour and Social Secruity (ffice Ministry of <abour and Social Secruity (ffice

/ob Title
&ecords $lerk

)ecember.5,/>>8 Sara *lack

&ecords Manager

)ecember.5,/>>8 Stacy $larke

)ecember.5,/>>8 Shadae)aley Ministry of <abour and Social Secruity (ffice )ecember.5,/>>8 =adia "llis Ministry of <abour and Social Secruity (ffice

Supervisor

&ecords $lerk

Internet Site Finisterre, S, +ayne < and &eid M. www. <ongmancaribbean. com =ovember /2, />>9 NhttpG@@www.msn.comO