Project Materials

THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF MODERN COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT TO JOB PERFORMANCE OF SECRERATIES IN SELECTION BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research was to determine how the secretary’s use of contemporary communication office technology affected her productivity at Nigeria Breweries Plc (NB), an Enugu branch. One hundred employees, including thirty secretaries, thirty managers, ten accountants, and ten assistant managers, were chosen at random from among five hundred in the company to participate in the study. Their answers were evaluated after an interview. The secretaries’ ability to carry out their responsibilities efficiently has been enhanced, among other things, by the introduction of these machines. First and foremost, it boosts production, but it also makes high-quality work possible. Efficient performance was the focus of the recommendations, some of which aim to motivate employees to boost work turnover while simultaneously decreasing personnel turnover. Whenever possible, the company should pay for employees’ in-service training. The company should extend an invitation to the makers of these machines to provide training for their secretaries so that they can use the system properly and successfully. Lastly, in today’s modern office, the production of goods and services is expected to be efficient, swift, and precise. With this mindset, every company has finally gotten a handle on office automation.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The “electronic” Office, a word for the way contemporary workplaces are developing, has grown closer together as a result of technological advancements.

Thanks to technological advancements in the workplace, workers now have more leeway to decide how and when they get their jobs done. The ethnological dilemma has also caused changes in the structure of the organisation (Abdullahi 2002).

Anyautonhu (1987) states that recent technological advancements in the workplace have had such a profound impact on businesses in industrialised nations that many are beginning to question the real impact on secretaries and other office workers.

The secretary is expected to respond in less time than in the past, and office methods and services are becoming more complex every day. The volume of materials and information to be handled is also increasing.

As a result of the fast spread of modern equipment in Nigerian industries, there is a growing need for office administrators, such as secretaries, to meet the rising demand for both quantity and quality of services.

A lot of secretarial work used to be done by hand before the information age, which is a revolution in the way we do things. Because of this, the majority of the services and outputs were of a very high grade.

Plus, there was a significant amount of wastage of resources (including time, money, energy, and materials) involved in making just one unit of output.

The workload was massive, and the staffing was kept as small as possible for economic reasons, according to Stonick (1989). The clerk, who juggled the roles of photocopier, secretary, and accountant, was swamped with work and hated every minute of it.

A great deal of machinery was developed and manufactured during the industrial revolution in the United States and Europe in the nineteenth century. This machinery was able to not only mimic human performance but also outperform humans in terms of both quantity and quality.

In the years after this discovery, numerous innovations have been made to the secretary’s job to make it easier and more efficient. Offices now make use of a wide range of newly developed machines.

Computers, facsimiles, printers, telex machines, thought tanks, tape call-makers, intercom (PABX) facilities, the Internet, servers, and networks are all examples of this.

The secretary became a “cog” during the industrial revolution because he was practically an integral part of the machinery he helped operate. But thanks to contemporary means of communication, the secretary is no longer bound by his position. Rather than relying on antiquated methods, contemporary office machines could now facilitate communication.

Memos, reports, and the secretary’s ability to communicate (instructing, interviewing, etc.) were all significantly altered by these technological advancements.

Based on this premise, the purpose of this study is to analyse how secretaries in specific companies use modern communication tools for their jobs.

1.2.1 Statement Of The Problem

To improve efficiency in Industry, management is usually looking for ways to increase productivity, quality of goods and services and grab the best edge among her other competitors.

This aim can easily be achieved through the use of high technology in the office. The general functioning of a secretary’s inherently involve a significant lot of paper shuffling and record keeping, accounting procedures for payrolls, financial reports, bills etc.

In most case, these secretaries are deficient in the operations due to lack of modern equipment. Either it is caused by lack of proper training on how to operate the equipment or the machines are not available although cost of purchasing the machines are exorbitantly high and cost of training is similarly high.

This offers a huge challenge to the work performance of the secretary.The modern office equipment are very indispensable and especially now that almost every office had gone technologically. In spite of the good things about these machines. It is observed that many offices have not installed the machines for their secretaries.

This poised researchers to ask several question such as; What must have been the caused for this neglect? Would it be that they are not aware of the advantages of those modern equipment or that secretaries lack the technical know how or that business owners and secretaries do not deem the knowledge of the existence of the modern machines necessary.

However it is against this backdrop that the study is set to examine contributions of modern communication equipment to job performance of secretaries in selected business organizations.

1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The focus of this study is to examine contributions of modern communication equipment to job performance of secretaries in selected business organizations. Specifically it will geared

l To identify the modern communication equipment that are of vital importance in the office and to the secretary particular.

l To Consider the effect of the modern communication equipment in a secretary’s profession.

l To evaluate the level of awareness of Nigeria secretaries on the existence and use of these facilities.

l To highlight the important and uses of the contemporary communication equipment and how they increases productivity.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be significant to business owners secretaries and to governmental and private organizations. Specifically This study will open the thjinking of business owners to realise the requirement of getting those current communication devices that are not present in their establishment.

To private and public establishment it will expose the need of the modern communication equipment and create better awareness of the implication of automating office function.

The findings will among other thing help to dispose of the superstition belief that the modern communication equipment are “the greatest enemy of men as it displaces man from the job, deny them of initiative in his job, and makes them more machines operators and destroy old division of labour” it will encourage potential secretaries to set up efforts to undertake some training on the operation of modern communication equipment in order to improve their job efficiency.

Finally the study will contribute to the general body of knowledge serving as reference material for students and researcher and at most giving opportunity for further research in this field.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study covers the contributions of modern communication equipment to job performance of secretaries in selected business organizations. It will identify the modern communication equipment that are of vital importance in the office and to the secretary particular.

It will explore the effect of the contemporary communication equipment in a secretary’s profession. It will measure the level of awareness of Nigeria secretaries on the existence and use of these facilities. It will emphasise the essential and uses of the latest communication devices and how they increases productivity.