A STUDY OF THE ROLE AND PERFORMANCE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROFESSIONAL SECRETARIES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY  

In this world it is known that professions have remarkable features that differentiation them from other professions depending on the effectiveness of the profession. The layman’s idea about a profession is the nature of the job carried out by the members of the profession and its importance to the society. This is the reason it is mostly agreed that medicine and law are the only professions existing before the advent of the industrial revolution. In recent past, secretarial profession was not regarded medicine and law irrespective of the indispensability of its service to the survival and growth of any organization.

Secretarial profession requires expertise training education and moral conduct. The position of secretaries then was not something to write home about, in a research carried out by carr-saunders (1964) confirmed the deteriorating social position of secretaries at that period when the issue of whether or not secretaries deserve the more honour to be consulted when matters affecting the conditions of their services are made. Secretaries were then regarded by people as more servant”. Secretarial profession was the product of commercial school with in that period, those who attended commercial schools, were regarded as secretaries but in actual sense they ware typists. However curriculum used in training of secretaries at the advent of industrial revolution changed to new techniques and equipment. Carr- Saunders (1964) also stated that  the rise of the secretarial profession took place almost in our own time and may be traced down to profound changes which have come over the educational world.

Secretarial profession in Nigeria today is distinguished as one of the profession that exist as a result of its immense contributions to commercial social and political growth of any nation. It is  generally conceived as an instrument for achieving national growth, more so now that there is urhant need for it. However, the main reason for this research is to clearly examine and determine those vital effectiveness that secretaries under toot  to ensure continued professional growth witnessed through the efficiency of their continued service to mankind. The excellent performance of secretaries in their fields. Are most needed now that Nigeria has gone computerized like the European countries.

Companies and Ministries require the services of competent personnel like the secretaries to help them achieve their organizational goals. As a result the image of  secretaries is coming to receive a great credit in this are and has helped the Nigerian youth to pick interest in secretarial course which labour market. The efficiency and proficiency of these secretaries depend extensively on the quality of grooming they received from their various schools and instillation of higher leaning.

1.2     STAEMENT OF PROBLEM

Since our institution of higher learning are determined towards producing  adequate manpower capable of undert5aking secretarial jobs in today’s ministering these secretaries  who make organization objective releasable must have to carry out some personal activities meant for and therefore  result in the perfection of their performance. The problem now is what impede the professional growth of the secretarial profession are yet know.

1.3     PUROSE OF THE STUDY

The main purposes of this study are:

1.  To find out the type of professional growth activities that secretaries engage in to improve their professional effectiveness and efficiency.

2.  To find out how often these secretaries engage in such activities.

3.  To find out who organization and finances these activities.

4.  Determine whether these secretaries within the vicinity of the study are satisfied with the professional growth activities which they had at one time or the other engaged.

5.  Determine alternative suggestions about appropriate development of these secretaries.

1.4     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 

The result of the study will help to expose the secretaries and to the type of performance that they would engage in for their professional development. It will be of great help to selected government parastatal particularly in Enugu Metropolis to determine the type of professional development activities they would engage their secretaries in. Finally it will help carry out research studies on related topics.

1.5     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.  What type of professional  growth activities performance effectiveness do secretaries engage in?

2.  How often do you engage in professional performance effectiveness?

3.  Who organizes and finance these activities?

4.  How does these professional performance affect your activities?

5.  What problem do secretaries encounter from engaging in professional growth effectiveness?

1.6     DEFINITION OF TERMS PROBLEM

This is a difficult perplexing matter or question raised for an inquiry or consideration.

PROFESSION: This is a type of higher grade, non- manual occupation with both subjectivity and objectivity recognized occupational status possessing a well defined area of study or concern, and providing a definite service after attending advance training and education.

PROFESSIONALISM: This can be defined as behaviour, activities, aims or qualities that characterize a profession.

EFFECTIVENESS: Things done well.