I'm working on a business multi-part question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.

Steve Scattered is the owner and president of Confusion Corporation, a marketing consulting business that employs three supervisors, 12 full-time employees, and two part-time students. Mr. Scattered has just hired you as the company's first Office Manager.

The business has been in operation for over a year, but very little attention has been paid to records management. File folders are scattered throughout the various offices and cubicles, and considerable time is wasted searching for lost files. Other important documents are stacked in piles on the floor behind the reception desk. Last week, the company lost a rather large marketing account when the client’s files could not be found. As well, that nosey receptionist, Eunice, recently asked you how you are enjoying your new home at 123 Sorting Street, which leads you to believe Eunice must have been reading through the confidential Human Resource files stored near her desk. As Office Manager, you have a challenging job ahead of you to organize these records and create an efficient, secure, centralized records management system.

Your first step, a records purge, left you with 300 linear inches of records that you would like to store in filing cabinets. The only area you can find for storage is a small room near the reception area. This room also houses the company's photocopier, fax machine, and scanner, so there is a considerable amount of traffic in the area.

Your next step is to research the cost of all necessary records management supplies. The storage units shown on page 122 of your text happen to be on sale this week. Vertical file cabinets are $250, lateral cabinets are $780, and the shelf files are $900. You also want to investigate the cost of file folders, hanging folders, labels, guides, etc. You opt to use an online office supply website for the prices of the stationery items, and you also decide to use your own judgment to decide on quantities. You make a note to check that the prices on the website are in Canadian dollars, and you also plan to include amounts for sales tax and shipping. Your final task is to send Mr. Scattered a memo that promotes the importance of effective records management and includes a proposal for purchasing these important records management supplies.

Your memo should include:

a) A clear explanation as to why the company should invest time and money into a records management program, identifying the benefits to the organization. (15%)

b) Keeping the records management life cycle in mind, highlight a few procedures you think Confusion Corporated might want to adapt to ensure their program is effective. (20%)

c) A description of which storage cabinets you feel would be most appropriate (vertical, lateral, or shelves), and why you made this decision (15%)

d) The quantity of cabinets required, along with the mathematical calculations you used to arrive at this quantity. How much will this cost? (20%)

e) The itemized list of stationery items you may want to purchase. Based on the prices you have found from the retail website you use, include an estimate of costs for these items as well. (15%)

f) One last item to consider: Mr. Scattered was overheard asking about ARMA, so you should make reference to ARMA in your memo and include a short description of the organization’s role in the field of records and information management. (15%)

Though Mr. Scattered is somewhat disorganized, he is a champion speller and grammarian, so proofread carefully and be sure to use a recognized memo format.