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Introduction Take a look in your pencil case. What stationery items do you have? Some common stationery items include pens, pencils, rulers, glue, scissors and erasers. As a student, how often do you need to buy new pens or notepaper?

In an office, stationery is usually kept in a central cabinet and looked after by one person. Office stationery includes materials used in the office such as different types of paper, envelopes and files. Office stationery is bought with company funds; therefore proper controls to keep track of stationery are necessary.

Importance of Effective Stock Control Just as you need to buy stationery for yourself, so does an organization. Stationery items are assets, i.e. a part of an organizations possessions. Individual stationery items may not cost much but to prevent wastage, stock control is necessary. As part of stock control, there must be a system to record the stock level of stationery supplies.

How much is enough? If there is too much stationery, OVERSTOCKING. What will happen? If there is not enough stationery, UNDERSTOCKING. What will happen?

Stationery Stock Control Measures 1. Proper storage of stationery stock 2. Recording of stationery stock movements 3. External checks 4. System of requisition and issue 5. Procedures for ordering stationery

PROPER STORAGE 1. A storekeeper should be appointed to take charge of the stock. 2. Stationery items should be kept in locked, clean and well-aired rooms or cabinets. 3. Stationery items should be neatly placed on shelves that are clearly labelled. Items that are used often should be displayed on lower shelves. 4. New supplies should be placed below or behind existing supplies. Existing supplies should be used up first. 5. Fire-fighting equipment should be kept nearby and be in good working condition.

MOVEMENT OF STATIONERY ITEMS a) To help monitor stationery movements, correct records should be kept by the storekeeper. A Stationery Stock Card is used to record the movements of an item.

STATIONERY STOCK CARD ITEM: UHU Gluestick (BIG) MAX. STOCK ____300 PCS_____ MIN. STOCK _____100 PCS_____ DATERECEIPTSISSUESBAL. IN STOC K QTY RECEIVE D (PCS) INVOIC E NO. SUPPLIE R QUANTIT Y ISSUED (PCS) REQN. NO. DEPT. (PCS) ABC Supplies Marketing Finance HR Accounts130

Reasons for recording A stock card helps to record the delivery of supplies. Studying the movements of stock will show understocking or overstocking. Frequent or unnecessary requisitions are discouraged. Instances of cheating or fraud may be revealed by matching the stock balance on the card with the actual stock-in-hand.

PROPER CHECKS Checking the amount of physical stock is another way of keeping a record of stationery movements. A) Stock-taking means counting the stock. An inspecting officer, who is not the storekeeper, should be appointed to do a surprise check at least once a year. This is called an external check.

b) The inspecting officer should make sure that: -the amount of physical stock matches the balance shown on the stock card. -the storekeeper keeps records of receipts and issues correctly. c) The inspecting officer uses a Stationery Verification Checklist to check whether the amount of stock counted matches the amount recorded on the stock card.

d) A report should be made, at least once a year, on items that have not been used over a long time. These items should be destroyed, sold, or if possible, used in another way, e.g. unused office forms may be re-used as memo pads.