Office Administration

School Based Assessment (SBA)

Candidate Name: Ronique Marshall
Candidate Number: 20210060103
Centre Number: 10046
School: Happy Grove High School
Teacher: Mrs. Mitchell
Territory: Jamaica
Proficiency: General
Year of Exam: 2022
Title of the project: An investigation into the importance of the duties and responsibilities of
the receptionist at Great Huts Resort.
 Table of Contents

Contents Page Number

Acknowledgement……………………………………………………………..1
Introduction…………………………………………………………………….2

1. Criteria One: Preparation

Title of the Project………………………………………………………………3
Aim of the Project…………………………………………………………...….4
Functions of the Relevant Department………………………………………….5
Correspondence Letter………………………………………………………….6

2. Criteria Two: Gathering Data

Methodology…………………………………………………………………….7
Five Questions Asked……………………………………………………………8
Schedule of Activities………………………………………………………..….9
Regulations and Policies………………………………………………………..10

3. Criteria Three: Presentation

Report- Limitations, Findings, Recommendations…………………………...11-13
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..…...14
Impact of Office Equipment……………………………………………….....….15
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………..16
Appendix………………………………………………………………………....17
 Acknowledgement
The successful completion of this project would not have been possible without the assistance
and cooperation of many people. Firstly, the researcher would like to thank God almighty for
the strength and wisdom needed to complete this assessment. Secondly, the researcher would
like to thank her parents in assisting her where she was weal and unsure what to do. Last but
not least, the researcher would like to thank Mrs Mitchell in assisting her in every step of this
undertaking.

1
 Introduction
The researcher was given the Office Administration SBA to complete in order to gain 20% of
the marks at the CSEC Examinations in 2022 for Office Administration. The researcher’s
task was to examine the importance of the duties and responsibilities of the receptionist at
Great Huts Resort. The researcher had chosen Great Huts Resort for her project in order for
the researcher to gain information; she prepared some questionnaires to distribute to the
organization and also went to the organization for an interview with the business personnel.

2
CRITERIA ONE:
PREPARATION
 Title of the Project
Topic
Reception and Hospitality

Sub-topic
To investigate into the importance of the duties and responsibilities of the receptionist at
Great Huts Resort.

3
 Aims of the Project

1. To find out the duties and responsibilities of the receptionist.

2. To investigate how important are the duties of the receptionist.

4
 Functions of the Administrative Department

 General Office Management- Front desk managers supervise the day-to-day operations
of front desks and reception areas for business primarily in the hospitality industry. You
will be required to meet and welcome guests, tend to their questions and complain,
manage book and appointment schedule and ensure that the reception area is
professionally maintained. They train and manage staff, supervise administrative and
clerical duties, and address customers. They also manage budgets and prepare reports for
presentation.
 Transport Management- Transport management is the process involved in the
planning and coordination of delivering persons or goods from one place to another.
Transportation managers are responsible for the complete reception and effective
shipment of cargos for a company. They also deal with the safe and reliable
transportation of passengers, as well as developing shipment relationships and
partnerships.

5
 Correspondence Letter
Commodore District
Priestman’s River P.O.
Portland

September 20, 2021

Manager
Great Huts Resort
Purchasing Department
7-10 Boston Bay
Fairly P.O.
Portland

Dear Madam,
Re: Permission to conduct a CSEC SBA investigation for Office Administration on the duties
and responsibilities of the receptionist at Great Huts Resort.
I am a student of fifth form from the Happy Grove High School and I will soon be writing my
CSEC Examination in 2022. I was assigned to complete a project for Office administration in
which I will obtain marks for my examination.
The title of my project “Reception and Hospitality”. In order to complete my project, I am
seeking permission to visit your business on the 8th of November at 1:30pm to distribute
questionnaires to the members in the operational office of receptionist as well as to yourself. I
kindly ask for little tour around the business.
You can contact me on my cell, 1-876-999-0899 or email me at truetkiak@gmail.com to
inform me if the time I stated would be convenient enough for you or not. I assure you that
every information obtains will be confidential and will only be used for my project’s
completion.
Yours faithfully,
………………………………………
Ronique Marshall
Student of Happy Grove High School 6
CRITERIA
TWO:
GATHERING
DATA
 Methodology
- Questionnaires
- Interviews
As the source of primary data, questionnaire and interview sessions were conducted
The questionnaire was distributed on the 12th October 2021 at 15:30hours and was recollected
back in the 21st October 2021 at 14:45hours. A total of ten (10) questionnaires were
distributed to the organization and a total of ten (10) questionnaires were recollected. The
researcher chose to distribute questionnaires because the employees would have enough time
to think and answer the questions honestly; the questionnaires were distributed to employees
within the Reception and Hospitality Department excluding the manager of this department
and also employees of other departments in the organization.
The interview lasted for an hour and a half during which the Reception and Hospitality
Department Manager was interviewed whose name is Codac Gray, of Great Huts Resort. The
reason for choosing the interview was because you could have a face to face
conversation/interaction. The interview was conducted on the 21st of October 2021 on
14:00hours before the questionnaire was distributed.

7
 Five (5) questions asked

1. What are the duties and responsibilities of the receptionist?

2. How does the receptionist carry out his/her duties?
3. What is the importance of carrying out the duties?
4. What are the attributes of a receptionist?
5. What are your greatest strengths pertaining to office work?

8
 Schedule of Activities

Date Activities Comments

2021/09/13 Selected a topic. A suitable topic was identified and

discussed with the teacher.
2021/09/14 Formulated two aims. Aims were written with no
difficulty.
2021/09/16 Identified an organization The organization called Great Huts
Resort was selected.
2021/09/20 Letter requesting permission was Researcher waited for permission to
written and sent to the be granted to visit the organization
organization.
2021/10/07 Visited the organization to Interview was completed and
conduct interviews and revisited the organization in the
distribute questionnaires. afternoon session to recollect
questionnaires.
2021/10/11 Revisited the organization to Questionnaires were collected and
collect questionnaires and make observation made were carefully
observation. recorded.
2021/10/21 Analysed the information Analysed information was placed in
collected. the report.
2021/11/16 Rough report was written Report was checked and corrected
by subject teacher.
2021/11/25 Methodology was written up in Corrections were made by the
sequential order subject teacher.
2021/12/06 Conclusion was stated and There was no difficulty encountered
referential materials were in formulating the conclusive
recorded in the bibliography statement and identifying referential
section. materials.
2022/01/10 First draft of the report was A few errors were identified and
submitted to the subject teacher corrected by the subject teacher.
for corrections. Suggestions for improvements were
also made
2022/02/05 SBA was submitted in a Teacher collected the report for
typological manner to the marking.
subject teacher.

9
 Regulations and Policies of the organization
Legislation governing the work place
External Legislation: Great Huts Resort is governed by a large business act no.10 of 1999
which is incorporated or registered under the Companies act 1995 or the business name
(Registration) Act. The business adopted this Act in the year of 2003, it also follows the
Health and Safety Act of 1994 and this act was adopted in the year of 2010.
How the researcher became aware of this Legislation:
The researcher became aware of the Legislation during the interview conducted with the
manager.
Internal Legislation: Anyone who enters the receptionist office, he or she should inform the
manager or some other personnel, in authority before entering.
How the researcher became aware of the Legislation:
The researcher became aware of the Legislation, because he entered the workplace and was
asked to wait for the manger’s permission to enter.
Health and Safety Rule: “No Smoking beyond this point/area”. This sign was seen on the
entrance doorpost of the building.
Staff Rule: One staff rule in the organisation that the researcher had to comply with was no
eating or drinking is allowed inside the office.

10
CRITERIA
THREE:
PRESENTATION
 Report
After carefully scheduling and establishing this project, it can be determined that the aims
was established and finalized with its information gathered on the duties and responsibilities
of a clerk engaged in the Reception and Hospitality Department of Great Huts Resort. The
researcher clearly outlines two (2) aims and two (2) functions for the suitable data gathering
for this project/SBA. The researcher prepared a letter to seek permission to visit the
organization to conduct interviews and to distribute questionnaires for gathering data. The
researcher then constructed a questionnaire consisting of ten (10) questions based on the
Reception and Hospitality Department of the organization and were distributed to the
organization for completion by selected individuals. After a few days permission was granted
and the researcher visited the organization and observations were also made on the same day.
In the Reception and Hospitality Department it aims to assist the company with its effective
running of the office, greet and direct clients, set appointment, answer calls and respond to
email. The duties are carried out by following the procedure of the employment code,
respond to phone calls, emails, and make appointments, exercising time management and
organizational skills. It is important in carrying out these duties to ensure the company
operation from the front is effective and efficient. They should display people person skill,
communication skills, telephone etiquette as well as professionalism. The greatest area of
strength is customer service skill and communication time management abilities. I believe
I’m a great asset for this role as my skill set entails good communication skills as well as
good empathy. I’m great at customer relations and I’m able to disseminate information to
departments in a timely and concise manner. I’m capable of handling guest complaint/query
and also to multitask efficiently as well. My computer skills consist of excel, word use; any
Microsoft processes. I’m also able to manoeuvre the web, utilize different apps as well as to
type proficiently. The role of reception is of great value as his/her interpersonal skills is
important for the effective operating of the company’s front of house as the first point of
contact for the clients. Time management and organized skills is very important for the
effective control of a busy work load. In dealing with a difficult guest:
 Listen carefully to the customer. When a customer is upset, the first thing they want
is an opportunity to air their grievances. An employer is looking to hear that you’ll
take some time to hear them out, which involves listening patiently, and asking
follow-up questions. Be sure to highlight the importance of body language, posture,
and eye contact – for example, standing or sitting up straight with uncrossed arms will
come across to a customer as welcoming and attentive.
 Repeat what you’ve just heard. Summarizing and reiterating the customer’s main
concerns will ensure they feel understood, maximize your understanding of their
complaint, and provide them with some time to (hopefully) calm down a bit.
  Actively sympathize / apologize. When a customer is done venting, they want to
know that you were listening and understand their reasons for being upset. Include
that you’d express sympathy for their less than satisfying experience, and offer a
11

simple and direct apology. Whether or not a complaint is founded, the goal is to keep
them as a customer and, often, a genuine apology is all that’s necessary.
 Take responsibility to resolve the issue. Along the same line as expressing sympathy,
asking what the customer would like to see as a resolution, and/or offering an
alternative solution is an action worth mentioning when detailing your approach to a
difficult customer.
 Remain calm and compassionate. Remain calm during tense interactions. Speaking in
an even tone is an important strategy to mention, as it typically prevents a situation
from escalating too far. Reminding yourself that the customer isn’t angry with you,
but dissatisfied with product performance or a provided service, will help you avoid
taking anything personally.

There were some limitations within the Reception and Hospitality Department. When the
researcher entered the office she immediately noticed that the office was overheated. This
could severely affect the level of productivity because employees will take time out in trying
to cool down, concentrate properly and less work will be done in this manner. Secondly, the
office is in need of ergonomic desk chairs because employees were complaining about
backache because of the chairs with poor spine and lumber support.

The researchers’ recommendation to the organization is that it is vital in having a cool and
collective area when working in order to feel comfortable. When you have air conditioner/fan
in your workplace, not only will your employees feel good, but your clients will as well. You
can have your clients or customers come to your office without any hesitation. This increases
the chances of your business growth because many times customers want to visit your office
before placing an order to you. With a comfortable office, you can make a better impression,
and have better business growth as well. Air conditioner/fan in the office not only gives
energy to your employees for hard work, but they work smartly as well. Also, a comfortably
cool office can increase the concentration of your employees. Achieving these results are next
to impossible if you have an overheated office. Ergonomic desk chairs are needed in the
office to enable employees to adjust the chair in terms of seat height is critical, since your
workers will be of varying heights. Look for chairs with added lumbar support and that aren’t
too firm or soft. 12
If adjustable, removable lumber support or cushioning isn’t in the budget consider pads or
separate lumbar cushions. Ergonomic desk chairs with five points of contact with the ground
provide better stability for the user, which can keep them from teetering over and pulling a
muscle.
 13

Conclusion
In conclusion, the researcher attained all the information needed to complete this SBA on the
Reception and Hospitality Department at Great Huts Resort.
 14

Impact of Office Equipment

Date Equipment used Purpose of equipment Suitability for tasks

October 12th , Printer (All in Used to copy, scan and print Saves space time and
2021 one) documents off the computer money
onto printing paper.
October 12th , Fax Machine Used to send documents to Reduce the problem
2021 other departments of postal services
October 12th , Stapler Used to attach files together Less messy than the
2021 with use of staples. use of glue to attach
files together
October 12th , Telephone Used to receive and make calls. It is a good decision
2021 to have this because
you can contact other
workers instead of
walking the business
to pass on
information
October 12th , Computer Used to type, edit, store show It reduces the time to
2021 and send prepare documents
details/information/documents
 15

Bibliography
Interviews

Date Name Place Job title

th
12 October 2021 Codac Gray Great Huts Resort, Manager
Boston Bay,
Portland.

Publications
 Reid J Finisterre, Longman Office Administration for CSEC-2nd edition Pearson
Publishers 2012
 Ann M. Jacob, Office Administration for CSEC, Nelson Thornes Publishers 2013
 16

APPENDIX
Questionnaire
1. What are the duties and responsibilities of the receptionist?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
2. How does the receptionist carry out his/her duties?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
3. What is the importance of carrying out the duties?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
4. What are the attributes of a receptionist?
………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………....
5. What are your greatest strengths pertaining to office work?
………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………....
6. What makes you a great fit for this position?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
7. Tell me about your computer skills?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
8. How do you value your role as a receptionist?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
9. How do you manage your workload when it’s really busy?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………
10. Tell me about a situation where you had to handle a difficult customer?
………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………

17

Printer (all in one)

Fax Machine
 18
Stapler

Telephone
Computer

19