office automation
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CT: Office automation refers to the integration of office functions usually related to managing information. There are many tools used to automate office functions and the spread of electronic processors inside computers as well as inside copiers and printers is at the center of most recent advances in office automation. Raw data storage, electronic data transfer, and the management of electronic business information comprise the basic activities of an office automation system.
The modern history of office automation began with the typewriter and the copy machine, which mechanized previously manual tasks. Today, however, office automation is increasingly understood as a term that refers not just to the mechanization of tasks but to the conversion of information to electronic form as well. The advent of the personal computer revolutionized office automation, and today, popular operating systems and user interfaces dominate office computer systems. This revolution has been so complete, and has infiltrated so many areas of business, that almost all businesses use at least one commercial computer business application in the course of daily activity. Even the smallest companies commonly utilize computer technology to maintain financial records, inventory information, payroll records, and other pertinent business information. “Workplace technology that started as handy (but still optional) business tools in the 1980s evolved into a high-priority requirement in the 1990s,” summarized Stanley Zarowin in Journal of Accountancy. “As we enter the new millennium, it has taken another quantum leap, going from a priority to a prerequisite for doing business.”

S: INC – https://bit.ly/2EF3R1n (last access: 23 December 2018)

N: 1. – office (n): mid-13c., “a post, an employment to which certain duties are attached,” from Anglo-French and Old French ofice “place or function; divine service” (12c. in Old French) or directly from Latin officium “service, kindness, favor; official duty, function, business; ceremonial observance” (in Church Latin, “church service”). Meaning “place for conducting business” first recorded 1560s. Office hours attested from 1841.
– automation (n): 1948, in the manufacturing sense, coined by Ford Motor Co. Vice President Delmar S. Harder, from automatic (adj.) + -ion. Earlier (1838) was automatism, which meant “quality of being automatic” in the classical sense.
2. Office automation (OA) refers to the collective hardware, software and processes that enable automation of the information processing and communication tasks in an organization. It involves using computers and software to digitize, store, process and communicate most routine tasks and processes in a standard office.
3. When talking about office automation, we talk about managing information and resources with the help of technology, that is, using a workflow to improve company performance.
4.Some of the biggest advantages of automating office workflows are:

  • Increased ability to track responsibilities.
  • Possibility to delegate and follow the task of each employee.
  • Greater transparency.
  • Easier to establish priorities, by controlling deadlines and sending alerts.
  • Higher utilization of working hours due to the reduced processing time of activities and manual errors.
  • Improved information security.
  • Greater control of the process, increasing productivity.
  • Greater consistency and agility in data-based decision making.

5. Types of functions integrated by office automation systems include (1) electronic publishing; (2) electronic communication; (3) electronic collaboration; (4) image processing; and (5) office management. At the heart of these systems is often a local area network (LAN).
6. Office automation systems that include the ability to electronically share information between more than one user simultaneously are sometimes referred to as groupware systems. One type of groupware is an electronic meeting system.
7. Office automation systems are also often used to track both short-term and long-term data in the realms of financial plans, workforce allocation plans, marketing expenditures, inventory purchases, and other aspects of business.
8. We can mention the book: Office Automation A User-Driven Method written by Don Trapscott in 1982.

S: 1. OED – https://bit.ly/2CuQBe9; https://bit.ly/2EHcskk (last access: 23 December 2018). 2. Techopedia – https://bit.ly/2EF15sZ (last access: 23 December 2018). 3&4. HEFLO – https://bit.ly/2T5tUmA (last access: 23 December 2018). 5. ENCY – https://bit.ly/2QQOZEJ (last access: 23 December 2018). 6. INC – https://bit.ly/2EF3R1n (last access: 23 December 2018). 7. INC – https://bit.ly/2EF3R1n (last access: 23 December 2018). 8. GoogleB – https://bit.ly/2GM2LDA (last access: 23 December 2018).

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CR: automation, building automation, computer science, home automation, intelligent system.