Secretary And The Effectives Of New Office Technologies On Record Keeping Management

A lot has been written by many authors about new office technologies and how they have immensely affected secretarial performance. This study was therefore conducted to find out the secretary and the effect of new office technologies on record keeping management in institute of management and technology, in Enugu. As a result of this, research question were formulated as follows: -

Do the working environment of practicing secretaries have each of the new office equipment?

Are the available new office equipment being put into effective use?

What factors influence the availability or lack of these new office equipment?

How are the job performance of secretaries affected by these new office machines?

It was concluded that the acquisition of new office technologies could make secretaries more effective in the performance of their duties. Based on these findings, the following recommendations were made.

A reasonable purchase of these machines should be make for the practicing secretaries in Enugu.

This establishment should be subsidized by the management to enable them purchase more of the machines.

Stand-by generating plant should be purchased by these establishments that have power supply problems.

Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Technological advancement has ushered in drastic changes in record keeping through the introduction of new office technologies and new methods of communication. Man is an embodiment of change, his life circle is marked with different stages of metamorphosis which when it finally actualizes, adulthood is made secretarial profession, an inseparable bed fellow of management no exception. The secretary has been defined as one entrusted with secrets or confidence of a superior, or employed to handle correspondence and manage, routine and detailed work for a superior.

Also Orisananya (1991) put it that, a secretary is a skilled and specialize type of employee in an establishment or part of it who is charged with some aspects of organizational functions in the unit including dealing with people"s correspondence and other business matters, with the above definitions, it can be deduced that the secretary is an important officer in any establishment and that the contribution and effectiveness of a secretary enhances the efficiency of an organization. This is the more reason that the secretary needs a proper training to be able to carry out her functions.

The training of an efficient and effective secretary should cover not any skills in shorthand and type-writing but also in other managerial skills. These skills should be backed up by appropriate demeanour and etiquette at all times. Evans (1980) noted that the secretary"s role will be supporting, but with the added requirement of technological knowledge will encompass data administration and information management, allowing the secretary to analysis complex situations and submit practical recommendation.

With the introduction of these new machines, people are trained to acquire new skill for operating them. It is therefore, noted that proper record keeping makes it easier for information to be retrieved for use with a lot of ease. This, of course, had tended to reduce the work lead of a secretary.

Even though a lot of charges have begun in technology, the question now is how to improve the secretary with the new office technologies for record keeping? The advantage of such purpose may be derive from the use of these new office technologies need not to be over-emphasized. Therefore, their presence and effective utilization is essential.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

An automated office, undoubtedly, offers new roles and responsibilities for the secretary. Such new roles presuppose that additional training and qualifications are required from the secretaries. The relevance of automation in business was identified by Aromolaran (2003) as follows;

Creating a distinct career path for the secretary.

Automation creates a prominent place for the secretary on the organization chart.

It creates routine and assigned roles for the secretary.

With automation the secretary now spends less time in correcting, revising, proof-reading and reproducing documents.

Cameron (1982), a very long time ago, commented that it takes up to 10 to 15 years between the introduction of new equipment in the market and its installation in small organizations. This is particularly peculiar to private business organizations in developing countries. In modern times, it is not uncommon to find some organizations still subjecting secretaries to the use of manual typewriters. When secretaries are not provided with efficient and effective working tools, productivity is definitely bound to be low.

Duniya (2011) also 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 study is therefore undertaken in order to gain understanding about the secretary and the effectives of new office technologies on record keeping management.

1.3 Objective of the Study

The main aim of the study is to examine the secretary and the effectives of new office technologies on record keeping management.

The research aims at achieving the following objectives.1.

To ascertain the range of new office technologies existent at the IMT.

To investigate the level of usage of these new office technologies for record management keeping.

To identify the level of productivity of the secretaries at IMT

1.4 Research Hypotheses

Hypotheses One

Ho: new technologies are not used for record keeping in IMT

Hi: new technologies are used for record keeping in IMT

Hypotheses Two

Ho: secretaries are less productive with new office technologies.

Hi: secretaries are more productive with new office technologies.

1.5 Significance of the Study

Till date, just a handful studies have been published that looks at modern office technologies and secretaries" productivity in Nigeria. This study intends to contribute to a greater comprehension of the subject of matter. From a practitioner"s perspective, the result of the study will provide a benchmark that can be used in assessing the effectiveness of the implementation of new office technologies in an office environment as well as define key productivity factors.

1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Work

This study is primary concerned with the secretary and the effectives of new office technologies on record keeping management. This study/project work covers Institute of management Technology Enugu. The researcher encountered some constraints, which limited the scope of the study. These constraints include but are not limited to the following

a) Availability of Research Material:

The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study

b) Time:

The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.

1.7 Definition of Terms

Secretary:

A person employed by an individual or in an office to assist with correspondence, make appointments, and carry out administrative tasks.

New:

Produced, introduced, or discovered recently or now for the first time; not existing before.

Office Technology:

Office Technology is the study of a wide range of subjects related to careers in the modern office of today. This program provides the training necessary to perform successfully in the many and varied clerical, secretarial, and office administrative positions.

Record Keeping:

Record-keeping definition: the act or process of creating and maintaining records

1.8 Organization of the Study

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concerned with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study.

Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature.

Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study.

Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.

Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study

• Office Technology and Management / Secretarial Administration Project Topics and Materials