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The Role And Effectiveness Of Professional Secretaries In Selected Government Parastatals
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.2 Background to the Study
The
role of a secretary is indispensable in every organization especially in
public sector.(Azih,2013) A secretary according to Mayer cited in Azih
(2013) is an executive assistant who possess a mastery of office
skills, demonstrates the ability to assume responsibility with or
without supervision, exercises initiatives and judgment and makes
decision with the scope of assigned authority. The secretary is a public
relations expert, a staff assistant, the boss’s office memory. The
secretary is responsible for much of the detail work of the office and
is expected to carry out the duties with a minimum of supervision and
direction. According to Nwosu as cited in Azih (2013) A Secretary is
expected to represent the organization and the employer attractively to
the public and generate good human relations in working with all
employees in the organization. This explains that a qualified secretary
should have a wide knowledge of business acumen, be versatile in office
practice, communication and knowledge of the operation of all
departments within the organization where he works, unlike a half-baked
secretary who possesses only knowledge of shorthand, typewriting and
basic office practices (Azih,2013).
Duniya (2011) observed that due
to the introduction of sophisticated technological (electronic) office
equipment into today’s office and the role secretaries need to play in
ensuring accuracy and efficiency in their jobs, the secretaries need to
meet the challenges by acquiring new skills and competencies for
efficient operations in the electronic office. There is continuous
advancement in technology which has affected the secretarial profession
in terms of the quality, speed and accuracy of works performed. This has
led to the introduction of various electronic facilities to ensure
adequate secretarial practice in organization. It is essential that
secretaries are properly trained on the usage of these modern facilities
to enhance their level of productivity. The proficiency level of a
secretary is highly determined by the availability and usage of modern
office technology provided in the office environment as well as the
acquired skills and competencies of the secretary (Nwaokwa and Okoli,
2012). This is based on the fact that modern offices are automated.
Automation is a collection of methods for controlling machinery and
production processes by mechanical method, usually with electronic
equipment (Akpomi and Ordu, 2009). Automation entails an integration of
work station where the secretary would have access to the electronic
equipment needed to create, process, store, retrieve and disseminate
information. The advent of automation has ushered in an electronic era
whereby human works are done by machines.
The introduction of modern
Information Communication and Technology equipment has affected the
demands of the modern secretary (Nwaokwa and Okoli, 2012). The duties of
secretaries have been revolutionized especially in the areas of
communication, telecommunication, micrograph and reprography. The
technology has replaced mechanical technology; new technologies are
replacing the old ones. Typing, keyboarding and voice processing are now
used in place of dictation and carbonizations. In the area of
reprography stencil duplication has been replaced by computer print outs
and Xeroxing systems. In the area of micrograph and telecommunications,
horizontal suspension and other systems are now replaced by compact
disc run and d-base computer systems. Telephones have gone digital while
teleconferencing, internet and networking are currently used. The
modern office unlike the traditional office makes use of e-mail, fax and
other telecommunication equipment. It is imperative to note that
currently there is a high demand for skilled and technological trained
workers. Regrettable, most secretarial graduates acquire theoretical
knowledge which does not match well with the demands of work place.
However,
there is acute shortage of trained personnel in the application of
software, operating system, network communication and local technicians
to service and repair computer facilities. However, the secretaries
today are not only required to have theoretical and practical knowledge
and skills in ICT computer operations, but to be exposed to the use of
some computer packages like excel, data base management, etc. They
should be conversant with the issue of interconnectivity, ecommerce,
skills in browsing the website, skills in data protection techniques and
security and adequate knowledge of how to use search engines to gain
access to lots of educational resources. In a study carried out by
Ntukidem (2000), he found out that advancement in technology has
continued unabated and has enriched and widened the scope and practice
of the secretarial profession in terms of work quality, speed, accuracy
and variety. He also concluded that today, the secretarial profession is
faced with array of telecommunication tools and facilities based on
modern technology.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The study examined the roles and the effectiveness of professional secretaries within government parastatals, using Ministry of Agriculture and Environment as a study. The study adopted survey design using primary source of data with questionnaire as instrument of data collection. A total of 150 questionnaires were administered to level five to seven out of which 142 were duly filled and returned. Chi-square statistical method was used to verify the degree of significance of roles and level of e ... Continue reading---
