"So much of a corporate secretary's work is of a legal nature," Ms. Barrett observed, "that it is necessary for the secretary to be a lawyer or for there to be an attorney on the staff." She smiled and added, "There's also another reason and that is to help with the stockholder relations section where there is frequent need for legal advice."
She led us to the floor above, where we stood at one end of a large room watching a dozen employees examining on their computer screens stockholders' names, filling out various forms, and typing letters and lists.
"Many companies employ banks to do this stock transfer work," Ms. Barrett explained, "but we keep our own records here. These men and women handle all the details required to transfer shares of stock when any of our thirty-five thousand stockholders buy or sell the company stock. They also prepare the quarterly dividend checks, make up proxies (voting ballots) for the stockholder meetings, and mail out all of the material that we send to our stockholders from time to time. Actually the company's computer does much of the work for us, but all the information has to be prepared and fed into the machine."
She gestured toward the employees who were bent over the desks. "Most of these positions are clerical and call for a knowledge of typing or elementary computer operation. A high school graduate could fill any of these jobs, and after he or she has mastered the work, promotion is possible within the section or to another department. The work is fairly routine-but many of our people feel more comfortable in an office where there is no pressure or unexpected crisis. In fact, the tempo of these jobs is like that in the purchasing department, which we might visit now since it is just next door."
PURCHASING
"Imagine the variety of items an airline must buy in order to stay in business," the head of the purchasing department said after we had been introduced and sat down in his rather small office. He looked at us and tapped his pencil on his desk as he spoke.
"If you were a purchasing agent here you would have the challenge of spending thousands or perhaps millions of dollars as economically as possible. You and the other buyers would be pricing everything from paper clips, office furniture, and calculators to mechanical freight loaders, millions of gallons of fuel oil, and multimillion dollar airplanes. The list of items is endless, which is why we have this office as well as branch offices elsewhere in the company."
Each department uses special order forms to requisition the items it needs. Articles such as stationery, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, aircraft tires, and rug runners for use in airplane cabins may be obtained directly from the company warehouses. When some unusual item is needed, such as an expensive drawing board, a specially designed ticket counter, or large piece of equipment, the request is sent to the purchasing department and assigned to the purchasing agent who is a specialist in that field.
"Our agents purchase from many sources," the department head continued, "and their responsibility is to find the seller who offers the best value. They may compare listings in catalogs and trade journals before telephoning companies for information. They constantly meet with sales personnel who bring in samples or demonstrate equipment. Usually agents ask two or three suppliers to submit bids on large orders and then award the purchase to the lowest bidder, provided that supplier meets requirements for delivery and quality. In some cases this isn't possible, and an agent must work with one company to obtain some specially designed product. This often calls for technical expertise and is one of the reasons why this work can be so interesting. When planning such a purchase our agent will work with representatives from one or more company departments to make sure that all the necessary specifications are met.
Once an order is placed, the agents check frequently to make certain that it will be delivered on time. After the order has been received the agent must see that the equipment, articles, or goods are inspected before payment is authorized.
"A college degree is becoming increasingly important for the employee who hopes to advance to a management position. More and more employers are hiring graduates of associate degree programs in purchasing for beginning jobs," he added, "but regardless of education, an agent must be able to analyze technical data and numbers, and be willing to assume responsibility for spending large sums of money."
A beginning purchasing agent must learn everything possible about the company's business and how the department operates. He or she may be assigned to work with a senior buyer or in the storekeeper's division in order to learn about the inventory system and storage facilities. After the training period the agent will probably be permitted to purchase catalog or standard items and, as experience is gained, will be given more responsibility and eventually moved up to a position of assistant purchasing manager in charge of a group of agents.
Advancement often depends on obtaining additional education. The designation of Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) is conferred by the National Association of Purchasing Management, Incorporated, on those who have passed four examinations and met educational and experience requirements. This CPM indicates that the individual is experienced and professionally competent, certainly a worthwhile goal for anyone who is interested in making a career of purchasing.
Mention should also be made of the many openings that exist for clerical workers in the office and at the storerooms and warehouses. These employees fill requirements for supplies, keep track of inventory, fill out necessary forms, and reply to correspondence.
When some unusual item is needed, such as an expensive drawing board, a specially designed ticket counter, or large piece of equipment, the request is sent to the purchasing department and assigned to the purchasing agent who is a specialist in that field.
