Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Job descriptions; Job descriptions; Occupations; Cedar Rapids (Iowa)--Occupations; Iowa--Cedar Rapids;
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine office job opportunities and working conditions for high school graduates in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It also considered employer opinion on various aspects of high school education in Cedar Rapids, the effect of automation in the small office, and numbers of office machines. The procedure for collecting information was the questionnaire interview method. The findings were tabulated, analyzed, and presented in tables. A return of 91% was obtained on the questionnaire. The 101 respondents included 10 large firms and 91 firms who employed less than 25 with at least one office employee. The ten large firms employed 85%of all the office workers in the survey and had about 80% of the turnover. The six job titles of clerk typist, file clerk, general office clerk, secretary, accounting clerk, -- and key punch operator made up about two-thirds of the turnover. Almost 90% of the office workers covered in the study were women. About half of the firms have never hired inexperienced high school graduates and one-third would not consider hiring them. Three-fourths of the employers felt that high school education was adequate but the majority desired that their employees have experience. The great majority of employers preferred a slow, but accurate, worker; less than 10% wanted an individual who was fast with some errors. Half of the employers thought the applicants' preparation for job interviews was average and their job performance was average. Although only half of the employers felt business was receiving its share of quality young people, three-fourths answered they were not being forced to hire lower quality people. Automation has had little effect in the small office in Cedar Rapids, thus far. Only three of the 91 firms have experienced any increase or decrease in job positions due to automation. Typewriters, both electric and manual, were the most commonly owned office machines. Adding machines, dictating machines, and calculators constituted the next largest groups. These are also the machines on which employers desire students to secure training in the high school. - It was concluded that most of the time the openings for inexperienced high school graduates are not in the smaller firms, since the larger firms employ a greater portion of all office workers and account for a large percentage of the turnover. It is likely the applicant will be. hired as a clerk-typist, file clerk, general office clerk, secretary, accounting clerk, or key punch operator since they best meet the requirements of an entry job--minimum education, minimum experience, and availability of positions. It was also concluded that employers were not in agreement about the direction the high school should take in the future training of its students although skills do seem to be important. It was recommended that high school graduates consider contacting large firms when seeking a job unless they definitely desire work in a smaller office. Other recommendations were that those desiring employment = in a small business have a bookkeeping background, that students be informed of the usual entry jobs so they can best match their abilities and interests to those jobs for which there is a demand, and that students be impressed with the importance the employer places on accuracy rather than speed. It was recommended that teachers give consideration to the inclusion of business letter composition, alphabetical filing, and training on manual typewriters, electric typewriters, adding machines, calculators, and transcribing machines in their courses.
Year of Submission
1966
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Department of Business and Business Education
First Advisor
Leonard J. Keefe
Second Advisor
Lloyd Douglas
Third Advisor
Cecil K. Phillips
Date Original
1966
Object Description
1 PDF file (144 leaves)
Copyright
©1966 Faye Renner Glessner
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Glessner, Faye Renner, "A Survey of Selected Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Business Firms to Determine Office Job Opportunities for High School Graduates" (1966). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2753.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2753
Comments
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