Proposal to Implement a Paperless Office

Proposal to Implement a Paperless Office

Good Morning Mr. Adams, and thank you in advance for your time. I hereby write to you this memo for the abovementioned subject; the implementation of a paperless office.

What the Problem Is and Why It Needs to Be Investigated

It has turned out that our current paper office system has become ineffective in different aspects. The main concerns touch on cost and environmental welfare. The system is becoming expensive to run while it is environmentally unfriendly. The initial cost of our current paper-based office may be cheap; however, it is dearly pricey to keep it running. Critical evidence on this argument emanates from the budget of papers, ink, pens, and other writing-related materials. From our records, the resources have always made the bulk of our entire budget—averagely about 45%. In addition, with the cost of the writing resources increasing steadily, their budget has been on the rise in the past nine years. This phenomenon has greatly affected the firm. Consider that there has been no significant drop in our sales so far, but profits have been on a steady decline. Such cases are usually caused by increases in expenditure with income maintaining the levels. As such, it is safe to argue that the increase in the writing materials’ budget is a key player in our current low-profit margins.

On the other hand, as aforesaid, paper offices are known to be eco-unfriendly. The papers, ink, and pens are manufactured from and using some materials and chemicals that are hazardous to the environment. Some paper and pens are unrecyclable, and neither are they biodegradable or decomposable and hence, threatens the soil fertility of agricultural lands. These properties also mean they accumulate on the ground forming breeding sites for pests and harmful insects and vectors such as mosquitoes, which then haunt workers and the general public. Inks are also naturally unhealthy to humans. While they irritate when they come in contact with the skin and sensitive places like eyes, they can cause serious health problems when ingested. In water and soil, inks also threaten the lives of aquatic organisms and essential insects, respectively. When any of these materials are burned, the risk of solid waste is reduced, but then this would lead to air pollution.

From these two perspectives, it is reasonable to argue that we are struggling to harm the environment, the society, and ourselves. We need to make good profits and work towards our sustainability as an organization. Such begins by maximizing profit margins and corporate social responsibility. Unfortunately, currently, our paper office is seeing us maximize our expenditure and reduce our profits while threatening the universe. Thus, we are not in a good position ourselves; hence, this is a serious issue that needs addressing. With elevated efforts to find a permanent solution, I hereby propose one, which is doing away with the current paper-based office system and implementing a paperless office. A paperless office is not only efficient but also cost and time-saving as well as ecofriendly.

What Secondary Research I Have Conducted about the Problem

According to a recent survey done by the statistic brain research institute, 70% of the total waste in offices is made up of paper, and as much as 30% of print jobs are never even picked up from the printer. Even worse, 45% of printed paper ends up in the trash by the end of the day. When you consider that the total amount spent annually by U.S companies on printed documents is $120 million, it’s clear that there is a lot of pointless printing in modern offices (and a lot of wasted money) (Institute, 2018).

What Primary Research I Will Conduct about the Problem

Selected Primary Research Method

Interviews are one of the best and most successful primary methods of research. However, they are very demanding in terms of resources and time. For this reason, survey will be preferred, and more specifically, online questionnaire survey. This method is not only time and cost-saving but also efficient and convenient for both researchers and respondents.

Respondents

My colleague workers at the organization will be the primary respondents in the study. They will be surveyed regarding their views on the performance and effectiveness of our current paper-based office so far. They are purposed to provide evidence that the current paper-based office is faulty in the organization and needs a replacement. On the other hand, they will also provide proof that a paperless office will suitably replace the paper-based office and be productive and successful.

Besides my colleagues, a few specialists in organization administration will also be consulted about the advantages and disadvantages of the two versions of offices. These people will form secondary respondents in the study. They will be purposed to confirm that a paperless office is more relevant and suitable as compared to a paper-based office.

The Questionnaire Survey

I will prepare questionnaires on both the current paper office system and the proposed paperless office. Thus, the questionnaire will have two sections and will be purposed to uncover in-depth knowledge regarding the struggles of the current paper office and provide insights into how the proposed solution would solve the problem and return the organization on the right track effectively. From a general perspective, the questionnaire will carry a view of “Do you think our current paper office is ineffective? If yes, how, and do you think a paperless office can be a solution? If yes, how?”

The first section of the questionnaire will address the first part of this general perspective; “Do you think our current paper office is ineffective? If yes, how…” The principal purpose of this section will be to source evidence that our current paper-based office is faulty, and hence a problem. By gaining the view of the primary respondents, there will also be evidence that the inappropriateness of our current office system is not only my assessment but of all the workers.

The second section will address the second part of the general perspective. “…do you think a paperless office can be a solution? If yes, how?” The primary purpose of this section will be to source evidence that paper-based offices are inferior to paperless offices; hence, the latter should replace the former.

Why We Will Benefit from My Research and Recommendations

My recommendation, and hence, the main reason for writing is that we fund this research. Let the organization avail me of the necessary resources and authority to conduct and complete this study. Unquestionably, we are heading into a crisis, and since it is not too late, this project will help us to put things back on track. It will help us understand what our problem is and its causal factors and whether the proposed solution is suitable. By so doing, the research will give us a clear way out or rather the next step. You cannot deal with or solve what you do not know and understand. This project will help us understand our problem and the best way to solve it.

Conclusion

With all due regards, authorizing and funding this research is the best thing that we can do at the moment. We are in a problem that we need to solve, and while we have a potential solution, we neither understand the problem and the solution very well and since you cannot solve something you do not understand, it is in the best interest of the organization that this research is supported to help us understand both our problem and the proposed solution.