THE SECRETARY AND THE EFFECTIVES OF NEW OFFICE TECHNOLOGIES ON RECORD KEEPING

(A CASE STUDY MANAGEMENT IN INSTITUTION OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY, ENUGU)

By

ONWUGBUWAM ONYINYE

Presented To

Department of Office Technology

ABSTRACT

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: -

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

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

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

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

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

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

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

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.