EFFECTS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SECRETARIES IN THE FRONT OFFICE
ABSTRACT
The research looked into the effects of information technology on the performance of front-office secretaries. The study used a survey research design to assess the opinions of the selected respondents using a 13-item questionnaire. To guide the study, three research questions and hypotheses were proposed.
Data were analyzed using simple sample techniques, frequency and percentages, and Chi Square to test hypotheses. According to the study’s findings, ICT application has had a positive impact on the secretarial profession.
It was also noted that the use of ICT has reduced the number of secretaries employed, and those who are employed face retrenchment. Finally, it was noted that while most secretaries have no trouble using ICT, maintenance and procurement are issues.
Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made: the organization should make adequate provision for ICT and necessary infrastructure should be provided so that the secretaries will be efficient and accurate in the performance of their duty; the secretaries should endeavor to update their knowledge as soon as possible so that they are well abreast of the modern office equipment; and efforts at training students/ pupils on ICT as a course should be intensified in the school.
THE FIRST CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Study’s Background
Information and communication technology (ICT) is widely regarded as the world’s fourth industrial revolution (Asakpa, 2003). Indeed, information and communication technology (ICT) has become the gateway to the modern information skills and orientation (ISO) that distinguish the world order. ICT in the secretarial field can be defined as the use of digital devices in all aspects of secretarial duties.
ICT is defined in the context of the secretarial profession as a combination of technology for collecting, storing, processing, file management, diary keeping, communicating, and delivering information pertaining to secretarial processes (Oladimeji 2003).
The spread and efficiency of information and communication technology (ICT) are critical to the achievement of secretarial goals (Obanya 2002). ICT encompasses all aspects of computer, microelectronic device, satellite, and communication technology use.
According to the national ICT policy (2001), ICT is any equipment used in the acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, control, display, switching, and transmission of information. In another dimension, ICT is defined as any form of communication that is used, assessed, relayed, and transmitted to communicate, send, and receive information.
The use of these devices converts information, text, messages, sound, and motion to digital form. In an office setting, ICT influences secretarial behavior by training and retraining secretaries. It is an essential part of secretarial duties. Because a secretary’s job entails both managerial and clerical duties.
The potential of ICT as an effective tool for increasing efficiency and meeting current secretarial challenges in the organization is undeniable. Nigeria’s federal government approved a national ICT policy in March 2001, and implementation began in April of that year.
The federal government recognized that private service providers have enormous capacity for ICT services with the establishment of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), which is charged with policy implementation. As a result, the government established the Nigeria National ICT for Development of ICT4D, strategic action plan committee to create a new road map for the country.
ICT has had a positive impact on the secretarial profession in so many ways that no nation can escape this transforming movement propelled forward by the engines of the internet and modern day inventions such as computers, fax machines, GSM, and so on. This means that secretaries must now focus their entire careers on ICT in order to stay in business.
According to recent findings, the introduction and application of ICT into the secretarial profession improved the performance of secretaries in all organizations. Recent studies have also shown that the use of ICT makes the secretary work less and more accurately (Ogunsiji and Aregbe 2010).
According to Lasisi (2005), ICT has improved the function of a secretary and eliminated the boredom of using a typewriter. The cyber revolution has begun to reshape the secretarial profession by fostering new self-images, creativity, and innovation, as well as an ever-expanding technological framework. However, the new challenges of ICT, as well as the excitement they generate, do not appear to pervade the entire society.
Many nobles had secretaries in the early modern period who functioned similarly to those of today. They are men who had a good command of several languages, including Latin, and were required to have what we would call a broad generalized education today. Following the Renaissance, men continued to dominate clerical and secretarial roles until the late 1880s, when the new writing machine allowed women to enter the profession.
The National Secretaries Association (NSA) was founded in 1942. (now know as the International Association of Administrative professional).
The National Security Agency (NSA) first administered the certificate of professional secretaries examination in 1951. The history of the secretarial profession in Nigeria dates back to the arrival of missionaries and colonial masters.
Through the elimination of the monotonous aspect of paper holding and filling, information technology has limited the role of the secretary. As a result, the secretary would most likely have more time for work involving human behavior. There is no doubt that information and communication technology (ICT) has made significant contributions to the secretarial profession. The scope of this research project is to investigate the impact of information technology on the performance of secretaries in the workplace.
1.2 Problem description
The inefficiency of the typewriter and the secretary’s duties in the office has had an indirect and direct impact on the organizational framework, slowing the efficiency of the front office. There have been numerous research efforts to recommend or find a long-term solution to the challenges that secretaries face in the office, but there are still gaps. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of information technology on the performance of secretaries in the workplace.
1.3 The Study’s Purpose
1. To investigate the impact of information technology on office secretaries.
2. To investigate the issues of information technology in the secretarial profession.
3. To determine how the use of ICT has improved front-office efficiency.
1.4 Research Issues
1. How has the use of ICT affected the secretarial profession and individual secretaries?
2. What are the issues that secretaries face when using ICT?
3. Can the adoption of ICT in an organization result in the retrenchment of secretaries?
1.5 Research Proposal
1. Secretaries’ use of ICT will be unaffected by problems they encounter.
2. The use of information and communication technology has no significant impact on the secretarial profession or the individual secretary.
3. There is no statistically significant relationship between ICT adoption and secretary retrenchment.
1.6 The Study’s Importance
– It is intended to investigate the impact of ICT on secretaries and identify factors that prevent secretaries from performing better.
– This study will also raise awareness among individual secretaries by enlightening them on the roles of ICT in the desk office.
– The study will determine what lessons need to be learned on how ICT lessons can be applied consistently in order to assist secretaries in performing their duties with good secretarial attributes.
– The study will also assess the impact of ICT in the office and on secretaries, as well as propose solutions.
1.7 The Study’s Scope
Concerning the project topic at hand, the research has been limited to Straco Insurance Company, Zenith Bank, University of Lagos, Yaba Local Government Office, and Shomolu Local Government Office.
1.8 Restrictions
The researcher faced numerous challenges in gathering useful information for this study, which was constrained by time, material, and financial constraints.
1.9 Term Definitions
Some key concepts in the research work are defined here for the reader’s benefit.
Technology of Information
It is used to reduce the range of information in various forms, most notably computer, digital electronic, and telecommunication.
Secretary
An administrative assistant who is well-versed in office skills and has the ability to take on responsibilities without direct supervision, displays initiative, exercises judgment, and makes decisions within the scope of his/her ability.
Secretarial Training
It is a business course that teaches and trains students in clerical services.
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EFFECTS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SECRETARIES IN THE FRONT OFFICE
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