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| Sunday, March 14, 2004 |
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| Sunday, March 14, 2004 |
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Objective English
So, along with Wren & Martin, a well-structured handbook for the purpose of passing competitive examinations becomes indispensable. In today’s dynamic world one can’t take any chances. This guidebook is designed to prepare you for such exams as UPSC, CDS, NDA, Income Tax & Police Services, SBI Probationary Officers, LIC, GIC, AAO, RBI Grade A and B, MBA, MCA, BCA, BBA etc. It helps in understanding grammar, vocabulary, synonyms and other aspects of the language, and has full-length test papers, including solved papers of previous competitive examinations. It is an extremely useful tool that enables you to come up trumps in a cutthroat milieu. Secretarial Duties by John Harrison. Pearson Education. Pages 351. Price not stated.
Apart from performing basic tasks like handling business documents, business correspondence and filing, the secretary has to maintain confidentiality of official matters. This book deals with the entire spectrum of secretarial duties. Chapters like Office Procedures, Work Schedules and Targets; Interpersonal Skills and Relationships; Financial Control and Meetings are extremely informative for budding secretaries. Although this publication is structured to meet the criteria set for the United Kingdom’s National Vocational Qualifications, it is useful to all aspirants in today’s globally networked environment. In fact, Harrison has kept in mind the requirements of overseas students and provided a cross-section of overseas chambers of commerce with their postal addresses and telephone numbers. He points out, "As chambers of commerce have their own libraries specialising in business information for their local business needs, they are very useful points of contact for secretarial and business studies students." Model Business Letters, E-mails by Shirley Taylor. Pearson Education. Pages 497. Price not stated.
In the chapter, Presentation of Documents, Taylor points out that since printed correspondence reflects on a company’s personality the letterhead should have the company’s logo, name and full postal address along with telephone numbers, fax and e-mail address. If it has a website then the URL too should be mentioned. Thence she goes on to deal with other aspects of the presentation of various communication methods like fax, memoranda, e-mails etc, providing illustrations that will help one in understanding the topic better. The book has been divided into four units that deal with such important subjects as written communication, routine business documents, creative and persuasive documents and classified business letters. If you want to be a
complete businessperson, this primer will be of great help.
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English
is now used in almost all countries. It comes in many flavors, with
distinct regional aromas. But purists would like to have at least some
basic rules of syntax observed no matter where the language is in vogue.
This is necessary too, for, in formal correspondence, the standardised
version is imperative. 
Despite
popular perception, a secretary is more than a pretty face making coffee
for the boss and assiduously crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s
while sending in the first draft for his perusal. It has always been a
serious vocation demanding speed, skill and responsibility. Admittedly,
there was a time when qualifications needed for becoming a private
secretary were few and simple, viz., ability to take dictation in
shorthand and type fast with minimal mistakes. Senior secretaries were
entrusted with the job of looking after the boss’ official
appointments too. The tools at one’s disposal comprised a mechanical
typewriter and stationery. Now, thanks to technology, there’s a sea
change both in secretary’s profile and his workplace.
Communication
forms a very important ingredient in all business transactions. Flawed
presentation, structure, language and tone of a missive have the
potential to torpedo even a surefire deal, even as appropriate ones can
help net a difficult-to-bag contract. Thanks to technology, now we have
various forms of communication, viz., e-mail, voice-mail, fax and tele-conferencing.
However, the traditional medium of letters on paper still retains its
primacy. A printed business letter does not merely convey a message, but
also acts as image-maker of the business organisation. Hence, along with
the format, the quality of paper, envelope etc also matters. First
impression counts a lot in establishing and maintaining a business
relationship. Therefore, along with speed in communication, quality of
language, presentation etc has to be given due importance.