protocools for working in the business part 1

Question 1

protocol

Answer 1

set of rules, expectations or etiquette in business.

Question 2

Etiquette

Answer 2

the generally accepted code of polite behaviour

Question 3

authority

Answer 3

the power to make decisions and give instructions to subordinates

Question 4

Authority protocols refer to:

Answer 4

• decision making (e.g. when to escalate a complaint)
• authorisation (e.g. signing of letters, instructing payments to be made)

Question 5

what are authority protocols linked to

Answer 5

job roles and organisation chart

Question 6

job roles

Answer 6

the titles given to people’s position in a business.
They include chief executive, directors, managers, supervisors, assistants and operatives.

Question 7

Organisation charts

Answer 7

the diagrams showing the levels of hierarchy and different sections within a business. They also show the job roles within an organisation

Question 8

Chain of command

Answer 8

the vertical line of authority through the layers of the hierarchy within an organisation

Question 9

Levels of authority

Answer 9

refer to people’s position in the organisational structure of a business

Question 10

Reasons for authority protocols include:

Answer 10

• They ensure that decisions are made by people who are able to make correct decisions.
• They provide a procedure for checking people’s work.
• They enable managers to delegate tasks to subordinates whilst still overseeing their work.
• They reduce the risk of fraud.

Question 11

Confidentiality

Answer 11

knowing what and when personal or sensitive business information should be kept to oneself or to a limited number of people

Question 12

Confidentiality protocols refer to:

Answer 12

• organisational procedures to maintain confidentiality
• the storage of data and documentation (manual and electronic)
• implications of breaching confidentiality
• reasons why confidentiality may be breached

Question 13

Ways of maintaining confidentiality include:

Answer 13

• using locked filing cabinets for hard copies of documents and ensuring that confidential documents are not removed from the business premises.
• using passwords to limit access to electronic data that is saved on IT systems.
• using screen savers which automatically produce an image if the computer has not been used for a few minutes.
• ‘need to know’ basis, which means that you only tell people the facts they need to know at the time they need to know them, and nothing more.
• The use of BCC (Blind Carbon Copy), which means that recipients of an email cannot see who else received that email, and those email addresses are not shared.

Question 14

Reasons why confidentiality needs to be maintained
These are the benefits of maintaining confidentiality:

Answer 14

• If businesses do not keep employees’ personal information confidential, they are breaking the law (The Data Protection Act and GDPR).
• Maintaining confidentiality prevents sensitive information about employees being widely known, which could damage staff morale and working relationships.
• Maintaining confidentiality prevents sensitive information about the financial position of the business, or the business’s plans for the future, reaching competitors, employees, or other third parties.

Question 15

Drawbacks of maintaining confidentiality

Answer 15

• Possible costs (e.g. lockable filing cabinets)
• Time needed to create and update IT systems with passwords for relevant employees.
• Employees who need to know certain information may not be able to access it.

Question 16

Reasons why confidentiality may need to be breached

Answer 16

• To prevent individual employees from carrying out fraud or embezzlement.
• To contact an employee or their family if there is an emergency.