ABSTRACT
This project examined the effective secretary: Her roles and challenges
in the modern organisation. It analyses the duties of secretaries: the handling
of males, (machines operation) computer, fax machines, copier. It talks
extensively about the roles or function carried out by the modern day
secretary, and the challenges and problems which they encounter in the modern
organisation. This project also examines the functions of the secretary in
relation to her duties in today’s modern office: it analysed the roles of
secretaries in the absence of her boss, organising meeting, booking
appointments and record keeping and keeping imp rest system. It recommends that
there was need for effective training for potential secretaries, in order to
enable them cope with the roles and challenges ahead of them in the modern
organisation. It aims are helping executives at all levels to develop the
secretarial function within their own organisation, departments, section or
offices, so as it integrate the secretarial staff into the team, be it
administrative, managerial, production or any other special field.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page .................................................................................
Certification ................................................................................. i
Dedication ................................................................................. ii
Acknowledgements ..................................................................... iii
Table of Contents ........................................................................ iv
Abstracts ............................................................................ vi
Chapter One
1.0 Introduction........................................................................ 1
1.1 Statement of the Problem................................................... 4
1.2 Purpose of the Study ......................................................... 5
1.3 Significance of the Study ................................................... 5
1.4 Hypothesis ......................................................................... 6
1.5 Scope of the Study ............................................................. 7
1.6 Limitations.......................................................................... 7
1.7 Expected Result ................................................................. 7
Chapter Two
2.0 Literature Review ............................................................... 8
2.1 Who is a Secretary?............................................................ 8
2.2 Types of Secretary ............................................................. 9
2.3 The Private/Personal/Confidential Secretary.................. 9
2.4 The Bilingual And Multilingual Secretary ........................ 10
2.5 Qualification and Trainings .............................................. 12
2.6 Qualities of a Secretary ..................................................... 13
2.7 Roles of Secretary .............................................................. 15
2.8 Challenges Ahead .............................................................. 17
Chapter Three
3.0 Research Design and Methodology .................................. 19
3.1 Research Design ................................................................ 19
3.2 Method of Data Collection ................................................ 19
3.3 Research Population Sample ............................................ 19
3.4 Data Analysis ..................................................................... 19
3.5 Example of Percentage Method of Statistical
Analysis .... 20
Chapter Four
4.0 Presentation and Data Analysis ....................................... 21
4.1 Presentation and Analysis of Data ................................... 21
4.2 Discussion of Findings ...................................................... 30
Chapter Five
5.0 Summary of Findings, Conclusion and Recommendations . 32
5.1 Summary of Findings ........................................................ 32
5.2 Conclusion ......................................................................... 32
5.3 Recommendations ............................................................. 33
Letter of Introduction......................................................... 35
Appendixes ........................................................................ 35
Questionnaire .................................................................... 35
Bibliography 40
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The
secretary formed an important part of the unique roles of an organization
because he or she is part of the management.
The secretaries are usually called names like.
Next
in command of the boss’ “memory aid”, Protector of the boss”, Company’s image
makers” etc. This indicated the importance of secretaries in Management, and
the roles they play and the challenges they face in the organization. The Effective Secretary’s roles and
responsibilities also mingle with that of her boss, and could affect him
adversely if there is no adequate effort to ensure correspondence. Therefore, communication between secretary
and the boss has to be properly coordinated to ensure Effectiveness of the
secretary’s output.
The
rapidity of the growth of business organization and its documentations, couples
with the dependable roles of a secretary, which makes this research timely and
imperative. Basically, the efficiency of any organization depends on the
effectiveness and effective contributions of the secretary.
Also
the tremendous changes in our society today, presents a continuous challenge
for any secretary; therefore any
secretary who wants to meet up with these advancements has to be prepared, and
to prepare means to undergo on the job trainings, attend seminars courses and
workshop where they will be properly briefed and taught. The word “Secretary” ultimately came from the
same Latin word that gave us “secret.”
Originally, it means “one entrusted with the secrets and confidences of
a superior.” In English it was secetarie and in middle Latin it was
secretaries. The word “secretary,” in
something close to its present meaning, has been with us for at least 500
years. In France, from the 13th
to the 16th century, the word “secretaire” meant a confident. It also became an administrative term meaning
“someone who transcribes or arranges for another.” Probably the earliest use of
the word was in relation to those people who acted for a king. A king would
have his trusted agents handle correspondence on private or secret matters, particularly
matters of state.
Just
when secretaries originated no one knows exactly. The role arose out of the natural need for a
prominent person to whom confidential matters could be entrusted and who could
act as an assistant for a principal. It
is known that secretaries exited in Rome prior to the establishment of the
empire. They were usually educated men
who took dictation as “scribes,” and oftentimes acted as trusted advisors. Before the invention of parchment and reed
pens, tools of the trade for scribes ranged from chisels used upon stone to
styluses used on clay, wood, or wax tablets.
Shorthand became part of the preparation and training of secretaries
(and emperors as well, including Julius Caesar and Augustus). In early modern times, members of the
nobility had secretaries, who functioned quite similarly to those of the
present day. They were always men; most
has command of several languages, including Latin, and were required to have
what we would consider today as a broad generalized education. Men continued to dominate the secretarial
field until the late 1880s. With the
invention of the writing machine, many women entered the office workforce in
various clerical roles. Many women held,
or aspired to hold, positions as secretaries.
They attended secretarial schools and worked to attain superior
skills. The demand for secretaries was
so great that in outpaced the supply.
In
the 1930s, the number of men with the title secretary dwindled. Women dominated the office workforce. Some were promoted form steno pools, some
were graduates of business colleges or secretarial schools, but all were
seeking the professional status and pay previously enjoyed by their male
counterparts. Recognition continued as America’s
heartland became the nucleus of an organization that would help to
professionalize the occupation. In 1942,
the National Secretaries Association (NSA) was formed (now know as the
International Association of Administrative Professionals). NSA first
administrated the Certified Professional Secretaries Examination, a standard of
excellence for the profession, in 1951. Today, secretaries (also known as
administrative assistants, office coordinators, executive assistants, office
managers, et al} are using computers, the internet, and other advanced office
technologies to perform vital “information management” functions in the modern
office. Just when secretaries originated
no one knows exactly.
Secretaries
no longer “simply” type correspondence for “the boss.” Now, they often write
that correspondence as well as plan meetings, organize data using spreadsheet
and database management software, interact with clients, vendors, and the
general public, supervise the office and other staff, handle purchasing, ands
even train other workers.
1.1 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
In
the face of the vast expansion of the globe, we see that an Effective Secretary
was faced with the problems and challenges of meeting up with the vast changes
that are taki8ng place in the modern organization. For example, the introduction
of modern equipments like Fax machines, copiers, computers, internet etc pose
great challenges to the secretary, and there is threat that these technological
changes are gradually taking over the duties of the secretary. Training at the implant level, external and
professional courses, workshops, seminars etc, should be incorporated to meet
the expectations of the world of secretarial practice. There is the need to change if we want people
to recognize us as professional secretaries.
We have to learn much and act accordingly to retain, build our
profession and be useful to both private and public business organizations.
1.2 PURPOSE
OF THE STUDY
The
purpose of this study was to highlight the roles, duties as well as the
challenges facing the secretary in the modern day organization. The study also aimed to help executives at
all levels to develop the secretarial function within their own organization
and find out how the influx of these new office machines has helped secretaries
in the execution and accomplishment of their duties, and also to see its
technology has a positive or negative effect secretarial profession.
1.3 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
This
research would examine the roles and challenges of the Effective secretary in
the Modern Organization: revealed the trend in secretarial technology, and how
it affects the secretary, whether it makes her more efficient and its relevant
to the secretary’s job.
1.4 HYPOTHESIS
In
an attempt to carry out this research, it was pertinent to find out the roles
played as well as challenges faced by secretaries in the modern
organizations. It was therefore,
necessary to delve into the followings.
1.
Who is an Effective Secretary?
2.
What are the roles performed and the
challenges faced by the Secretary?
3.
Is the secretary Indispensable in an
Organizational set up?
4.
Has the introduction of modern office
equipment any effect on the modern Effective Secretary?
5.
Can technology take over the duties of a
secretary?
The
following hypothesis has been developed for the study:
Hypothesis1: That
having the knowledge of the use of this recent office equipment is a necessity
for the Modern Secretary.
Hypothesis2: That
not having the knowledge or knowing how to use or operate this modern Office
equipments not pose a trait on the Modern secretary.
1.5 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
Since
this research would did will be carried out within a very short time, the scope
of the research was bound to be limited in methodology coverage. However, the
use of questionnaire and oral interview will be adopted.
1.6 LIMITATIONS
The
scope of this research was to examine the roles and challenges of secretaries
in the modern day organization.
Due
to shortage of time and financial constraints, this project would only be
limited to the facts and figures collected from various students (40) and some
of the secretaries in and out of the department.
1.7 EXPECTED
RESULT
My
expected result should be according to the 40 questionnaire sent out, personal
interviews and findings.
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