Project Materials

THE IMPACT OF MODERN COMMUNICATION FACILITIES ON THE SECRETARY (A Survey Study of some selected Organizations in Kaduna Metropolis)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Background of the Study 

Of all human endeavours, communication stands head and shoulders above the rest. Every aspect of human life is inextricably bound up with every other aspect, whether it is social, economic, cultural, or political. Every human being needs to share and receive information in order to carry out their daily tasks. No human being can exist in solitude.

All types of business rely on effective communication as a core component of the office and process. Communication can take numerous forms, including but not limited to the following: telephone, postal service, teleprinter, mobile phone, messenger service, computer, and many more. The purpose of communicating with another person is to share and receive information, ideas, and knowledge.

Office communication systems have evolved and improved over the last several decades. As a result, modern trained secretaries have it easier on the job. According to Azuka (1990), the Latin term “Secretaries” is how the English word “secretary” comes from. What this indicates is that secrecy is a key competency for the Secretary.

If you ask me, a secretary is someone who keeps secrets, according to your own view. By “the process by which information is passed between individuals and organisations by means of previously agree symbols such as words, fiscal grimaces, gestures, postures, pictorial or usual display etc.,” Little (1976) describes communication.

1.2.1 Statement Of The Problem

Revolutionary shifts have occurred within the secretarial profession as a result of the proliferation of contemporary communication technologies. Novel approaches, centred on ICT (information and communication technology), have defined these shifts. Ali and Akinbi (1995) state that technology is defined as a change in the lifetime of equipment, personality, information, and way of doing things.

Due to the influence of these contemporary communication tools, secretaries have had to acquire the necessary abilities to operate these tools efficiently and successfully if they want to remain relevant in the labour market.

This is due to the fact that communication tools available in the workplace before this period included analogue, telephone, manual typewriter, teleprinter, duplicating machine, reprographic machines, etc.

Computers, the internet, cell phones, fax machines, telegrams, and other modern forms of communication have mostly supplanted people’s older methods. Since the secretary is now better able to carry out her responsibilities, this has also served as an additional incentive for her.

However, not all organisations have fully realised how modern communication gadgets might help them achieve their goals. For example, some companies’ leaders still struggle to make good use of their technology. There appears to be an issue with modern facilities; for example, some claim that many people may lose their jobs as a result.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

Examining how the Secretary and the profession have been affected by contemporary communication technology is the overarching goal of this study. Nevertheless, the study aims to accomplish the following:

1. To determine the organization’s use of current communication devices.

2. To determine how the presence of contemporary communication capabilities affects the objectives of the organisation.

3. To evaluate how state-of-the-art communication devices have affected the Secretary’s productivity.

4. Provide an overview of the challenges that the secretary profession faces due to modern communication technologies.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the most up-to-date forms of corporate communication technology?

2. In relation to organisational objectives, how do contemporary communication devices fare?

3. How have contemporary means of communication affected the Secretary’s productivity?

4. How have the advancements in communication affected the role of the secretary?

The Study’s Importance (1.5)

It is believed that secretaries will gain from the identification of the significance and roles of modern communication equipment, such as computers, mobile phones, teleprinters, printing machines, and photocopiers, because these facilities allow secretaries to improve their skills. These state-of-the-art communication facilities will also be useful for secretarial students.

1.6.1 Scope and Delimitation of the Study 

Finding out how the Secretary is impacted by modern communication facilities is the crux of the inquiry. But the study can only cover these specific topics: Communication, what is it? Determine the influence of contemporary communication tools on secretaries, and catalogue the many modern communication devices used by companies. Communication devices on the efficiency of the Secretary and describe the issues which current communication facilities offer to the secretarial profession.

1.7 Definition of Terms

In order to make the study work thorough and understandable, we have defined some terms that readers may find unfamiliar.

An organization’s secretary is someone who helps out with day-to-day operations by handling communication, keeping records, and dealing with paperwork.

Definition of Communication: The conveyance of ideas, information, and documents from one entity to another by predetermined means.

To be modern is to be a part of the most recent or current era.

• Impact: the significance or the result.

– Tools and machinery are referred to as equipment.

-Secretarial: A secretary’s responsibilities

– Occupation or field of expertise: specific job titles or specialisations.

A computer is a piece of machinery or electrical equipment that takes data entered into it from an input device, processes it mathematically and logically according to a set of instructions, and then sends the transformed data to an output device, either for more processing or for printing as a final product, such as a business document.

– Word processing entails developing concepts into words, which in turn lead to papers, and finally, to the end product and communication.

– NCC: The nucleus of the network

It stands for “visual display unit.”

CPU stands for “central processing unit.”

One channel perceiver – SCPC