ABSTRACT

The aim of this project is to analysis the occupational challenges facing secretaries in the Auchi polytecnic. In order to make the writing a dream come through certain books and presented papers were Consulted and questionnaires were distributed to about 100 respondents also, after these consolations and the responses recieved it become clear that secretaries are suffering from many thing like office equipment problem s of attending to visitors and profession not being respected by staff. Also ignorance of and where one’s job ferments and where others job start and a result of some workers delights in usurping others job.  Furthermore, Government should also provide a policy on the training of secretaries as a wary to encourage secretaries who embark on self development

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Secretaries as seen in the secretarial world and business organizations today, are faced with many problems and also have some prospects.

        A secretary according to Hornby (2001), “is an employee in an office who deals with correspondence, keeps records, makes arrangements and appointments for a particular member of the staff”

        The American Secretarial Association defined a secretary in the most acceptable way as “an assistant to an executive, possessing a mastery of office skills and ability to assume responsibility without direct supervision, which displays initiative, exercises judgment and makes decisions within the scope of assigned authority.”

        A secretary    can also be defined as a person who maintains a high standard of confidentiality and a repository of information. Infact, there are numerous definitions of the word secretary as far as there are many authors. With the above definition in mind, one can easily see that the need for a secretary in any corporation cannot be overemphasized.

        A secretary is a major communicating link between the executive ad his associates, the office staff and the public. As a result of this important linking position, a secretary can play a vital role in helping to create and maintain a smooth running business office. Thus a secretary seen as the bedrock and image-image of any business organization.

        For a secretary to perform her functions efficiently and effectively, she must have undergone some educational training and obtained the basic office knowledge and skills to be efficient and effective on the job. A secretary is quite different from a clerk, a typist and other office workers.

        There some challenges facing the secretaries in most organization; some of these challenges include the working conditions and policies in the organization.

The office worker, including the secretary in an organization expects certain support from the organization into which he/she is employed. This support can be technological (machines and equipment) and human. In offices of past, manager’s dictated memos and letters and secretaries typed them. Most recently, business have developed word processing centers and relied on personal computers and even electronic mail in an effort to lessen the need for secretarial support and make the employee-secretary very productive (Ezoem, 1995; Osuala, 2004). The study in this regard wishes to carry out a survey of occupational challenges facing secretaries in Auchi polytechnic using some selected schools in auchi polytechnic as the case study.

1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

What really instigated the study was due to inefficiency of most secretaries in an organization; some of the problems discover could be as a result of low level of technology in terms of office equipments like good computers, internet, adequate power supply and unfavourable organizational policies. Today’s secretaries are exposed to office technology including the internet that make work much easier and knowledge more accessible (Edwin, 2008). It is now easier to send messages by telex, electronic mails (e-mails), fax and telephones. Other office gadgets available to the secretary are photo-copy machines, duplicating machines, dictating machines, printers, among others. This is the era of computers and information technology which has become an enabler of greater convenience. 3 of the most popular types of computer software programme are word processing, which help the user to write and edit memos, letters and reports, data management programmes or databases, which help the user-secretary to use long lists of data and spreadsheet programmes, which handle tables and numbers (Dulek and Fielden, 1999).

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The main aim of the research work is to take a survey of occupational challenges facing secretaries in Auchi polytechnic. Other specific objectives include:

1. to examine the effect of adequate office equipment on the efficiency of the secretaries
2. to determine the effect of organizational policy on the job performance of the secretaries in Auchi polytechnic
3. to determine the relationship between availability of ICT and the level of productivity of the office secretaries
4. to investigate on the role of incentives and salaries on the commitment of the secretaries
5. to proffer solution to the above problems

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study came up with research questions so as to ascertain the above stated objectives of study. The research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

1. What is the effect of adequate office equipment on the efficiency of the secretaries?
2. What is the effect of organizational policy on the job performance of the secretaries in Auchi polytechnic?
3. What is the relationship between availability of ICT and the level of productivity of the office secretaries?
4. What are the roles of incentives and salaries on the commitment of the secretaries?

1.5 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H0: organizational policy has no significant effect on the job performance of the secretaries in Auchi polytechnic

H1: organizational policy has significant effect on the job performance of the secretaries in Auchi polytechnic

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The study on survey of occupational challenges facing secretaries in Auchi Polytechnic will be of immense benefit to the entire auchi polytechnic, the state government and other researchers that wishes to carryout similar research on the above topic as the study will educate the school management and other organization on the challenges faced by secretaries in various organisation

1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY

The study on survey of occupational challenges facing secretaries in Auchi Polytechnic will be limited to four schools in Auchi polytechnic (school of engineering, school of business studies, school of environmental studies, and school of management)

1.8 LIMITATION OF STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

        Productivity: This is being able to produce or to be fertile

Adequate: Satisfactory or sufficient requirements

Condition: The thing that must occur if something is to exist

Extrinsic: The environmental condition attached to one’s work

Haphazardly: Without order on plan

Intrinsic: The incentive attached to one’s job

Performance: To do work or to achieve

Organization: Organized body, persons or systems

Secretary: Assistant to an executive employed to help ideal with correspondence and routine office work

Validity: State of being legal

Worker: Members of the working class

Promotion: Act of been given a higher position or rank

Executive: Person or group in a business or commercial organization with administrative or managerial power

Data: Facts, things certainly known and from which conclusions may be drawn