Assessment of records management practices at Hariss International Limited

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to assess records management practices at Hariss International. This study was guided by the objectives that is; to find out the types of records kept at Hariss International Ltd, to assess records management practices at Hariss International Ltd, to find out the challenges faced in managing records at Hariss International Ltd and propose solutions to improve records management practices at Hariss international. The study sample population comprised of 5 respondents who included registry staff, accountant staff and administrative staff of Hariss International Limited. The instrument used by the researcher in data collection was interview guide and data was analyzed using SPSS version 16. The study revealed that there are different type of records at Hariss International Limited which included financial records like cashbooks, payment vouchers, petty cashbook and cash flow statements. Other record included administrative records, legal and personal records. The findings also revealed the following records management practices; Records creation, Records Retention, Records Storage, record maintenance, Records Access and retrieval and Records Disposition. The study also revealed the challenges of; inaccessibility of records, inadequate storage facilities, lack of competence by the staff and insecurity of records. It was from these findings that the study recommended that the management of Hariss international limited should use more computerized and electronic records management system, appoint a person with a Records Management qualification to revive the records departmental office for effective utilization. There is a need to -built storage area for all the records that are generated daily at Hariss International Limited and trained personnel should be able to handle the records . And lastly more storage equipments such as cabinets, archival boxes and shelves should be purchased to help in storing increasing volumes of records which are stored on top of the shelves and filing cabinets.