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Competency Required Of Secretaries In Selected Business Establishment
[A CASE STUDY OF FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA PLC OKPARA AVENUE ENUGU]
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Must maintain a good relationship with members of the public, as the
attitude of the secretary would have repercussions for a fieldâ€. In any
business setting, be it industry, government, scientific, radio and
television as in a list of other fields, the person who ensure the
efficient and smooth running of the office is the secretary, “she must
be intelligent versatile with initiative and drive National Concord,
(27th December, 1991). Says that a secretary needs to be more,
“Social mentally flexible, emotional stability and
exercising good judgment as perhaps
the most important qualifications of a secretaryâ€.
She
serves a multi-disciplinary function, and is also the vital ink in
coordinating various activities, Eni, (1996). Being an intermediary
between the organization and the public on one hand and between the boss
and the rest of the staff on the other hand, the secretary must be of
sound judgment and must be able to take right decision even in the
absence of her boss. It is perhaps on this rather than anything else
lies the competence of the secretary. Competence is defined as the
ability to perform work activities to the standards required in
employment. It embodies the ability to transfer skills and knowledge to
new situation within the occupational area. It encompasses organizing
and planning of work, innovation and coping with no-routine activities.
It includes those qualities of personal effectiveness required in the
work place to deal with co-workers, managers and customers, Sheila,
(1990).
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
There is a tendency to judge
the competence of a secretary by ill-defined references. These
references for competence, like the role of the secretary, is both
individualistic and organization dependent. Some judge the competence of
a secretary based on the secretarial skill of the secretary mainly on
typing and shorthand. Others on the speed with which such skills are
performed and still others on the personal attributes of the secretary
such as punctuality, reliability, tact, discretion, mannerism,
organizing ability and mode of dressing.
However, there is tendency
to the term modern secretaries (executive secretaries) as part of the
management team. Thus, with this trend, the judgment of competence of
the secretary is also looked at differently. Perhaps, this made
Whitehead, (1977) to say that, it is not enough to perform all
secretarial skills which all executive need, or event he personal
attributes such as, punctuality, discretion and tact which the good
secretary displays. The secretary has to become a valuable part of the
management team, knowing fully well about the policies of the
organization and that of his boss’s work. One must also stress that
machine operation (e.g. Computer), book keeping, accounting adequate
knowledge of the boss’s work are also referral points in judging the
competence of a secretary.
The problem now is, who is the competent
secretary? Who do we describe as competent? What qualities are required
of a competent secretary/ This is what the researcher intends to look at
critically in order to make valid suggestion for the betterment of the
secretarial profession.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of
this research is to find out the qualities of a competent secretary.
Strategically, this research is set out to study and possibly identify
the nature and major problems in the concept and practice of secretarial
competence, which has virtually crippled the administration of most
business establishments. The researcher will therefore, look into the
specific or different secretaries’ competence.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This research is aimed at identifying competencies required by secretaries in First Bank Nigeria Plc., Enugu. In carrying out the study, questionnaires were developed and administered on secretaries and their bosses in First Bank Nigeria Plc., Enugu. After the analysis of the data, the following were found, competency required of secretaries include sound judgment, tactfulness, resourcefulness, good communication still and organizing ability.The study also found out that modern technology has po ... Continue reading---
