Unit 7 Administration

Content of the Unit

Through this unit learners will acquire thorough knowledge

about the actual affairs and operations involved in administration.

At the beginning of the unit, learners are required to familiarize

themselves with the structure of an organization. Then, they

should learn how to describe the responsibilities of different

administrators. After that, the unit will focus on the administrative

work a secretary or a personal assistant does in an organization.

Learners should get acquainted with the different means of

communication, learn how to make business appointments, and

know some important rules of business writing. In the end, they

will understand how to report a day's work.

Performance Objectives

1. Get acquainted with the structure of an organization.

2. Write a description of your organization.

3. Learn to describe the responsibilities of different administrators.

4.Try to memorize the adjectives used to suggest impressions.

5. Get acquainted with the varieties of communications.

6. Learn to make appointments.

7. Learn to take messages.

8. Get acquainted with the fundamental rules of business writing.

9. Write memos, faxes, and business letters.

10. Try to memorize those abbreviations used in the business

correspondence.

11. Learn to report a day's work.

Some Important and Difficult Words

1.  subsidiary (p285) -- serving as a help or support but not of first

importance. 

  a subsidiary company: one that is controlled by a larger one.

2. hierarchy (p289) -- a body of persons having authority.

e.g. The government is a hierarchy.

3. registrar (p291) -- person whose duty is to keep records or

registers, e. g. for a town  council or a university.

4. itinerary (p321) -- plan for, details or records of a journey.

4.Other abbrivations:

 re. regarding   end.  endorser

 chgd. charged  att. attachment

 app. appendix   add. address

 appd.  approved cld. cleared

 incl. including t.o.p. turn over, please

 sd. signed w.c. with care

 r.p. reply paid     P/O payment order

 n.wt. net weight N.F.S. not for sale

 ld. lmt. load limit F/O in favor of

Warm Up

1. Can you point out the boundaries between administrative jobs

and non-administrative jobs?

-- In fact, they are not always clear. For the purpose of this unit we

will use the term ‘administration’ to refer to everything concerned

with management and organization.

2. What’s the ‘administration’ ?

-- The word ‘administration’ includes these aspects: the structure

of an organization, the different levels of administrative work

within the organization, the different responsibilities of different

administrators, and the important role played by the secretary.

Activity 1 Describing the Structure of an Organization

1. By doing Task 1, you can get acquainted with the structure

of a large organization.

• The Top Administrative Officials

• The Functional Divisions

• Subsidiaries Domestic

• Subsidiaries Abroad

• Representative Offices Abroad

2. Through doing some reading, you’re required to grasp some

useful expressions:

* …is managed by…, …is headed by…

e.g. This company is managed by an American.

* …attend to / run

e.g. We attend to the English teaching of this university.

* There are…

e.g. There are a lot of different sections in the company.

* …help out on / be responsible for…

e.g. She sometimes helps out on the receiving new orders.

* …consist of…

e.g. This department consists of two parts.

* full time, part time, work on…basis

e.g. The college student usually works on a casual basis in

the bar.

3. When you write a description, you must be sure that the following

information is covered:

• management

• responsibilities of the management team

• different departments

• responsibilities of the department heads

• staff

• Workload （工作量）• service staff

• hours

Activity 2 Roles and Responsibilities

By the end of this activity, you’re expected to know each

administrator in an organization has his or her role to play and

responsibilities to fulfill.

1. There are usually four levels of administration within an

organization:

1) president, chairman, general manager, managing director

2) vice- / assistant-

3) heads of different divisions or departments

4) wages clerk, accounts clerk

senior

junior

2. Through doing Task 2-3, you will be acquainted with the

role and responsibilities of administrators, and you must

pay attention to some important words and expressions

being used.

3. From Task 4, we can learn a lot of words by forming method

of words.

e.g.

administrator– administration – administrative -- administrate

Activity 3 The Secretary

What are the role and responsibilities of a secretary?

A secretary is often an administrative assistant and a key

player in the management team.

How to express your first expression of a secretary?

You can have a try by using the adjectives on Page 296, a

good impression or a bad impression.

1. The six means of communication used in a secretary’s daily

work: • E-mail

• fax

• letter

• telephone

• telex

• memo

2. The expressions of giving instructions on selecting the best

means of communication:

1) Do…by…

e.g. Send all important documents by registered mail.

2) Use…to / for…

e.g. Use the phone for all business that requires an immediate

response

Activity 4 Appointments and Messages

Before we come to the new part, according to what you’ve

learned, you’re required to make a performance.

 

Role-play:        Arranging an Appointment

 

Scene:

Mr. Smith is calling Mr. Liu, one of his clients, to arrange an

appointment. They find Tuesday afternoon would be convenient

for both of them.

1. Language for Specific Functions:

(You’re required to grasp some expressions which are used to

make a dating or meeting.)

1) Requesting an appointment

•  I wonder whether it would be convenient to meet you tomorrow

afternoon.

•  Could you manage Friday?

•  I'd like to fix an appointment with you.

• I wonder whether the manager could spare me half an hour

tomorrow.

2) Stating when and where to meet

• Could we make it in front of the Class Building?

• Would next Tuesday be all right?

•  On Wednesday I expect.

•  I think Monday afternoon would be convenient.

•  I'll be very pleased to see you this Friday afternoon.

• I’d like to make an appointment for next Thursday.

3) Changing or canceling an appointment

•  I have a previous engagement at 6: 30. I wonder whether you

could change the time.

•  Mr. Johnson's not available before 3rd, October.

•  About our appointment for the next Tuesday, I wonder whether

we could change it from six to ten.

•  I'm sorry to inconvenience you, but we have to postpone our

meeting.

2. Try to design a message slip by yourself for your convenience,

the following is an example:

To see___________ Position____________

Company__________________________________

Meeting Place______________________________

Date & Time________________________________

Reason___________________________________

Others____________________________________

Activity 5 Business Letters, Faxes & Memos

In this part, you’re required to know a number of important rules

in business writing.

1. The style of business writing:

• Clear

• Concise

• Courteous

2. The format （格式）

（ As it is a business writing, in some way you must

follow a certain format. ）

3. The important rules for the business writing:

• To think clearly and plan well before writing

• To use your company’s writing paper

• To write each idea in a separate paragraph

• To write in a courteous tone all the time

• To check the grammar, punctuation and spelling before

you send the letter

• To remember to sign ( or ask the person-in-charge to sign )

at the end of the letter.

4. You’re also expected to know the meanings of some

abbreviations.

Activity 6 All in a Day’s Work

1. The main work of a secretary in a day. ( Page323 )

2. Three types of phrasal verbs:

1) verb + adverb

run out

e.g. My patience is running out.

2) verb + preposition

go through

e.g. I will go through it quickly.

3) verb + adverb + preposition

look forward to

e.g. I’m looking forward to the coming of that day.

Assignments

Writing:          A Confirmation Letter

 

Suppose you are a secretary at Dynasty Wine Ltd. Company,

please write a letter to Richards Beverage & Liquor Firm,

confirming their order for 40 bottles of red wine and 60 bottles of

white wine.