FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (HONS) HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT (NBH4A)
MANAGEMENT OF BUSINESS RECORDS
IMR652
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS
ARTICLE REVIEW
LECTURER NAME
DR. MOHD NIZAM BIN YUNUS
Prepared by:
NAME MATRIC NUMBER
NURUL NAJJAH IZZAH BINTI ZAINUDIN 2021657534
THE BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR
This article was written by three authors namely Esther Ndenje-Sichalwe, Patrick Ngulube
and Christine Stilwell. The first author, Esther Ndenje-Sachalwe is an academic in the
Information Studies Program at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He completed his
doctoral studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. His research areas are
information resource management, information needs in context, records management, and
archive administration.
The second author, Patrick Ngulube is a professor at the University of South Africa (UNISA)
Graduate Studies and has served in various portfolios in the International Archives Council
(ESARBICA) Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Branch. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of
the South African Journal of Library and Information Science. His research areas are
indigenous knowledge systems, knowledge management, records management, e-
government, and preservation of access to information.
The third author, Christine Stilwell is a professor of Information Science at the University of
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He is an academic of international repute. He has published
widely in scientific journals. He is also on the editorial board of several scientific
publications. His research areas include libraries and social exclusion, libraries and poverty
and information management.
THE SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE
The article I chose to review is entitled Records Management as a strategic resource in
government in Tanzania. This article can be used by archivists and records managers as a
guideline for learning and improving their management systems. For students and
researchers, this article will be beneficial and useful for them to learn the ropes about records
management. Not only that, but Records Management also requires important knowledge that
is owned or controlled by the organization and that functions as memory, such as oral or tacit
knowledge. The most important finding in this study is that the care of records and
documents, particularly in the context of the public sector, is governed by four important
principles or concepts, according to the International Record Management Trust (IRMT).
This is to establish the value of maintaining public records in government ministries in
Tanzania as a strategic resource.
There are four principles that state that records must be kept together in the original order
established at the time of their creation according to the agency responsible for their creation
or collection, records must follow a life cycle, records must be maintained with a continuum,
and records can be organized according to hierarchical levels to reflect the nature of creation
them (Anderson, 2007). In fact, the record mentioned by the writer is that, both paper and
electronic are managed inadequately and inefficiently making the situation in Tanzania
complicated. In addition, public records management across African countries has been
described as a crisis area. This has shown that public records in government ministries are not
managed effectively.
In addition, based on findings from an ongoing study by a Tanzanian government ministry
that discusses the current state of record management practises in promoting transparency in
the implementation of the Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP) in the Tanzanian
language. It involved more than 120 registration staff, 24 senior ministry officials and
National Archives staff. However, the study found that although the implementation of the
Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP) has resulted in several efforts to reform record
management practises in government ministries, critical tools are not handled in government
ministry documents (Esther Ndenje-Sichalwe, 2016).
MY OPINION REGARDING THE ARTICLE
My view is that it is possible to understand how record management affects government
operations when the records system fails. This is said because, the objective of the article is to
evaluate the activities and methods used in government ministries in Tanzania to handle
public records, to identify the scope of computer applications in the management of
electronic records, to study the role of records and archive legislation in public records. to
determine the level of skills and training of records managers in ministries, and to assess the
extent to which the implementation of the Public Service Reform Program (PSRP) affects
current records management practices in Tanzanian government ministries.
Today, businesses need records managers who are fully aware of their organizational
structure, job description and daily operations. Therefore, it is important to find solutions to
these issues, and there is an urgent need for the best position of record in the hierarchy of
government administration in ensuring the quality of corporate governance in public
organizations. Malaysian archivists must check and verify their views. The most important
material in this work relates to how official papers have evolved, how challenging it is to
manage them in this way, and how necessary collaboration between public institutions,
government agencies and private firms is to achieve the best results.
The authors also suggest implementing an integrated system to manage both paper and
electronic records. This implementation will contribute to the reliability, integrity,
authenticity, and long-term preservation of electronic records in support of good governance
and accountability. Absence of specific budgets allocated to registry sections, inadequate
registry supplies and equipment, lack of records retention and disposition schedules and lack
of records management policy are the problems found that exist in the records management
practices in Tanzania. These problems can affect the daily operation of government, which
can lead to a failure to keep records as a tool of accountability by providing necessary
evidence of decisions.
References
Anderson, K. (2007). Education and training for records professionals. Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet,
17, 2. Retrieved from http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?
pid=diva2%3A274540&dswid=-7059
Esther Ndenje-Sichalwe, P. N. (15 June, 2016). Managing records as a strategic resource in the
government of Tanzania. (C. Stilwell, Ed.) Information development. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241649402_Managing_records_as_a_strategic_r
esource_in_the_government_ministries_of_Tanzania
