Thesis Abstract

The research study investigated the role of secretaries in computerized offices, with particular reference to commercial banks in Enugu urban Afri-Bank Plc Enugu was mainly used for the study

          The population consists of all the secretaries in Afri Bank Plc. They are 100 in number, a sample of 60was used for the study. From the analysis of the data collected. It was found out that the secretaries are special image-makers to any business organization and a study and to the chief executives

Thesis Overview

INTRODUCTION

1.1            BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The word secretary is derived from the Latin word “secretus” which literally means “keeper of secrets’. As far back as 1887, Lord Eshere word who defined a secretary as “ a mere servant” his position is that he has to do what he is told and no person can assume he has any authority to represent anything at all. Thus the above definition was however made when the values of secretarial profession has yet been recognized. At this time, secretarial functions were limited to only typing with manual typewriter, writing with shorthand and filling of documents

As years pass by, the educated status of secretaries as enhanced and their responsibility in the organization became clearly defined. In 1982, Margaret Kuntz define secretary in a magazine “Today’s Secretary” as an executive who possesses a mastery of office skill, demonstration the ability to assume responsibility and makes decisions within the scope of assigned authority

Today secretary ship is a very vital and indispensable cancer needed for the smooth and efficient running of the day-to-day business of any organization. Their functions are limitless, not only do the secretary type, but they do that with the electric typewriter, computer and so many other sophisticated office equipment

A good secretary is a public relation officer and an administrative head. She is the image maker. In other words, the reflecting glass of the organization. Most executive secretaries handle only highly confidential matters while jobs of less confidential nature are passed down to her subordinates.

Moreover, even before the advent of computers, many speculations were made as regards the replacement of the secretaries by the computers since computer perform all office work at a very amazing speed, but this has been disproved because the secretary has to tell the computer what to do and when to do it.

Before the word computer is used when referring to a person who arithmetic procedures such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division is extraordinary

During that period man use pebbles, grains of corn, fingers and toes as well as smaller objects

The numerous problems encountered by man, what dealing with large number was, the necessity which gave to the invention of a computer. The Abacus was adopted and modified by the Chinese and the Japanese about 2600 B.C

1.2            STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The major problem of secretarial profession is that people see it as a profession that had no definite sequence, a procedure for the job

          They feel that the secretary is often interrupted by telephone call, visitors, colleagues, and subordinates and even the boss may call her to receive one assignment or the other that the effect on secretary efficiency and productivity in the organization are cut down

          However, there has been a lot of speculation and inscription that the invention of computer in organization has posed a lot of problem to secretaries in all ramification and therefore seen as possible replacement of secretaries in organization using it (computer) .

Secretaries in the part of the world is under rated. People see them as a profession by unintelligent people. The common occupied belief is that anybody who uses the typewriter takes dictation a secretary. Since the majority of the so called secretaries are typist with little or no secretarial education and training, the general belief is that the duties of a secretary do not go beyond taking dictation and typing correspondence, she is seen as having little or no contribution to make towards the attainment of organizational goals.

Presently, most offices are equipped with modern technological equipments. Many business organization which do not have the financial capacity to produce most of the equipments see themselves odd in the pool of modern organization. Making use of the new equipment maximally enhances the productivity and efficient of workers

It is expected that those machines and equipments should have special handling before they improve performance. What has not been known at the present is whether modern secretaries know how to operate these machines successfully, appreciated productivity.

It has also not been known weather secretaries play special role in Afri-bank Plc we use the office equipment and whether secretaries play any special roles in willing them

The research work therefore sought the role and the roles and the roles of professional secretaries in commercial banks in Enugu Urban