THE CHALLENGES
OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) TO MODERN SECRETARIES
(STUDY OF NIGERIAN-AMERICAN
BANK LIMITED (NAMBL) AND WEMA
BANK PLC)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The world of business is changing rapidly as a
result of technological development. This is very wide departure from the
traditional business enterprises to the evolution of international and multinational organizations in Nigeria economy.
Some of these establishments have
acquired
and installed modern communications equipment.
Thus,
information technology and an ultimate fully electronic office is fast
becoming a reality. In effect, information and communication technology pose a
lot of challenges to modern secretaries. The impact of technological
improvement in the office demands that the development of a successful
secretarial career today depends of upon the secretary to acquire information and communication
technology (ICT) based skills and expertise as well skills required for each
category of staff.
Technology changes in our environment coupled with
competition within a particular industry or in the society account for the
reason why secretaries should engage in training and development to meet up
with the challenges. This is as a result of the need to match changes in
structure, policies, technology, processes and producers with the needed
performance, attitude and behaviors. This study will provide an sight into the
present day technological realities in and office and how a secretary could fit
into it.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
The emergence of
information and Communication Technology
(ICT) has given a new improved life to communication in the office, factory,
banks, hospital, hotel, supermarket, garage or at home.
As information and
communication technology (ICT) continues to expand in office across the
nations, the role of the secretaries has greatly evolved. Office Automation and
organizational restructuring have led secretaries to assume a wide range of new responsibilities once and reserved for
managerial and professional staff. Secretaries now need to be provide with
training and orientation, conduct research on the internet and learn to operate
new office technologies. This will enable the secretary to work along with
other staff and meet the challenges of modern office.
There is no doubt that the
secretary remains the life-wire of any organization. Contributions and
effectiveness of a secretary depends on how he/she can cope with the modern
technologies. However, with the development of new technology, secretarial
profession is becoming increasingly challenging and more sophisticated that the
common traclitional role of a secretary
are gradually being faced out.
Secretaries are responsible for
a variety of administration and clerical duties necessary to run an
organization effectively. They serve as information charring house for an
office, schedules an appointment, provide information to caller, organize and maintain
paper and electronic file, manage project, and provide correspondent.
Secretaries and aided in these
tasks by a variety of office equipment
such as computer, photocopier, and
telephone systems. In addition, secretaries increasingly use personal
computer to run spreadsheet, word processing, database management, desktop
publisher, and graphic programs. Tasks previously handled by managers. Hence,
this study has been designed to bring to light the veracity of ICT and the
challenges and how a secretary could meet up with these challenges.
Statement of the problem
In today’s office, traditional job like filing, keyboarding
reprography, treatment of incoming and outgoing mail and other clerical
activities have now learnt themselves to Automation. Attention is now shifting
from the usual traditional secretarial skill to a more modernized practice. The
central focus of this study is to address the challenges of information and
communication Technology that modern secretaries face.
Purpose of study
The main
objective of this study is to analyze the various forms of information and
communication technology (ICT) and how they pose as challenges to modern
secretaries.
It will be of great importance to practicing secretaries,
employers of labor, managers Researchers, Governments and trainers of Secretaries to know the various challenges
faced by secretaries on information and communication technology.
The study will analyze its differences and major challenges pose by each
of them. It will also provide strategies for the employers and organizations on
how they can develop secretaries and what they can embark upon for updating
secretaries skills to meet the challenges of modern information systems and
equipment’s
Limitation.
The research work will be limited by time. The available to carry bout a
thorough research is short and not sufficient. The researcher cannot carry out
this research in other areas that are of benefit to the understanding of
organizational effectiveness and efficiently
1.5 DELIMITATION
This research study will
cover secretaries drawn from the following organization: Nigerian-American,
Bank limited and Wema Band plc. However, the challenges of information and
communication technology (ICT) as it relate to other managerial staff in the
office shall not be focus in this research work.
1.6
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.
Will information and communication
technology enhance the
secretarial skill and
practice?
Can a secretary remain relevant without modern
information and
technology?
Would the career structure of a secretary remain
unchanged?
Can secretaries find use of modern information and
communication technology equipment’s relevant in handling the human aspect of
their job?
1.7 HYPOTHESIS
The hypothesis below is given
to tentative answers to help the
researcher in proffering solution to the project work:
Information and communication technology will not enhance the secretarial skills and practice.
Secretaries remain relevant without modern information and communication
technology.
The career structure of a secretary will remain unchanged.
Secretaries cannot find use of
modern information and communication technology equipment’s relevant in
handling the human aspect of their job.
1.8 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
It is hope that by the
end of this research work, the researcher
would identify the major challenges of information and communication
technology to modern secretaries and thus:
Identify strategies for modern secretaries to meet these challenges.
Increase public awareness in information and communication technology as
it concerns secretarial staff.
Encourage organizations on the training of their secretarial staff in the
area of information and communication technology to enhance efficiency and
effectiveness in their duties.