June July 2017 Memo

June July 2017
These are the completed example answers made by the e-tutor C BOSMAN. I’m
not sure they’re exactly memos, but they’re better than nothing
Question 1: Minutes
Let's dive in. By this time you know that we don't repeat what each person said in turn.Use a highlighter in your
exam to highlight the important bits of discussion.
5.1 Appointment of Additional Staff
 Ms Ntuli (Chair) introduced the agenda of appointing new cleaning staff.

 Mr Naidoo said that they have to wait until the end of the financial year for budget changes to be put into
action. he said they have had no news as of yet, and voiced concerns about the time it would take to
post advertisements and conduct interviews.
 The cleaning staff stated that they are each responsible for too many offices.
 It was suggested that a memorandum be sent to staff requesting that staff tidy up their offices before
they leave work.
 Ms Smith pointed out that other staff members have their own duties and did not feel this is a viable
option.
 Ms Lekana, Head of Finance, revealed that the company has been affected negatively by the economic
down-turn, and there is no money to allocate to new appointments.
 It was decided that interim measures be taken to alleviate the overburdened cleaning staff until funds
are available to hire more people.
 Mr Lekana said he would set up a task team to look into solutions to the problem. Mr Moloto and
Ms Louw volunteered to represent the staff on the task team.
 They will endeavour to look into the possibility of hiring part-time cleaning staff and report back in the
next meeting.
Question 2: Memo
As you know by now, our first step is to gather all the important information from the background and the memo
itself, and then to rewrite it in a formal, professional tone, free from errors.
 Staff want 15%, management can offer 10% and a once-off bonus.
 The memo tells us that once off bonus is double their salaries in the next month.
 We learn there is an economic crises.
 Each employee should respond secretly if they accept the offer or not (think why this would be so).
TO: Staff of HandyLady Cleaning Solutions (address the company directly)
FROM: Jeremy Peters (CEO) (adding a name makes it more personal. People respond better to personal)
DATE: 9 July 2016
SUBJECT: Salary Negotiations.
As you all know, there have been discussions around salary increases among HandyLady Cleaning Services
staff. Management understand that staff desire a 15% increase, but due to the current economic climate, such a
large increase is, unfortunately, not possible. As a compromise, Management can offer a 10% increase, and a
once-off bonus, which would double your salaries next month.
We ask that if you accept this offer, you would send Management a private message, either a letter or email.
Management promises to keep your responses secret for your safety . Business is looking up, and we have
many clients who depend on our services. Our clients appreciate a positive attitude from our staff, and we would
appreciate if staff members would keep up their sunny dispositions.
Please send your responses to the salary offer as soon as possible. Your co-operation in this matter is highly
appreciated.
Yours Sincerely
Jeremy Peters
CEO
Question 3: Report
Let's highlight the problems:
 The municipality adds a levy to Eskom's electricity prices.
 Residents don't pay or do not pay the right amount.
 The town's income has been reduced.
 They can barely pay Eskom for electricity.
 The meter readings are problematic.
 Only 3 meter-readers
 Invoicing problematic
 Time constraints: meter readings last Thursday of month, invoices on the 1st.
 Estimate figures due to lack of time / misread meters
 Residents read own meters and email figures.
 Accounts department also guess at prices.
 Long cues at municipal desks.
 Creates backlog in processing invoices.
You have had 6 months for your report.
1. Title
An Investigate Report Into Problems Surrounding Electricity Meter-Reading, Invoicing and Payment of Mabopane
Municipality.
2. Terms of Reference
On 15 January, 2017, the Town Clerk, Benjamin Button, commissioned C Bosman (Senior Accounts Clerk) to
investigate the various issues surrounding Mabopane Municipality's electricity. The areas to be investigated were
meter-reading, invoicing and payment. The report needs to be complete on 15 June, 2017.
3. Procedures
3.1 An anonymous questionnaire was sent residents to discover how many of them paid their electricity bills. The
questionnaire also asked how many read their own meters, and how many pay at the municipality.
3.2. Interviews were held with the meter-readers to ask about the difficulties they face and possible solutions.
3.3 Interviews were conducted with 10 members of the Accounts Department who work shifts at the cash desk to
determine when people pay their bills.
3.4 Spot-checks were done by the Senior Accounts Clerk regarding the invoices sent to residents.
4. Findings
4.1 The questionnaire found that only 30% of residents pay their bills on time, 43% read their own meters and
76% pay their bills at the municipality.
4.2 Interviews conducted with the meter-readers revealed that the meter-readers are severely understaffed and
cannot reach every home. It is also problematic that they read the meter on the last Thursday of the month, as
this often does not allow enough time to process the invoices. The time constraint often leads the meter-readers
to estimating amounts in order to save time.
4.3 Interviews with staff in the Account Department cash desk showed that most people want to pay their bills as
soon as they receive their invoices on the 1st. There is also a problem with people who come in to present their
meter readings on the last Thursday. The cash desk only has 2 windows, and this leads to a bottle-up of
payments. The staff who work at the cash desk only work there in shifts, and they often get confused about what
to do when processing payments.
4.4 Spot checks of invoices showed that there was no real system in place. The electricity invoice and water
invoice are the same form, and this often leads to confusion and mislabeling.
5. Conclusions
5.1 On-time payment among residents is low. There are several residents who read their own meters, and the
rate of people who pay at the municipality is high.
5.2 The limited number of meter readers severely impairs their productivity. The last Thursday of the month also
often leaves meter-readers with problematic time constraints to process invoices.
5.3 The staff work in shifts at the cash desk, and often do not know the correct procedures.
5.4 Invoices often get mislabeled as well due to the electricity and water forms being the same.
6. Recommendations
6.1 The electricity of residents who don't pay on time should be cut off. the meter readings done by residents
should not be accepted. a discount should also be offered to residents who pay online.
6.2 More meter-readers should be appointed. It is recommended that there should be a minimum of 10 meter-
readers. The time frame should also be adjusted. It is recommended that readings be done on the 24th of each
month instead of on the last Thursday.
6.3. It is recommended that at least 5 people be appointed at the cash desk full time. If possible, there should be
more cash windows (at least 5) to help alleviate the pressure.
6.4 The invoices for electricity and water should be filed on the same form in different sections. Each section
should be clearly labeled as either water or electricity.

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June July 2017

5.1 Appointment of Additional Staff

 Ms Ntuli (Chair) introduced the agenda of appointing new cleaning staff.

TO: Staff of HandyLady Cleaning Solutions (address the company directly)

DATE: 9 July 2016

SUBJECT: Salary Negotiations.

You have had 6 months for your report.

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