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ABSTRACT
This study is aimed at examining the problems and prospect of office technology and management profession in Rivers State. As such, related literatures were reviewed from conceptual, theoretical and empirical perspective. The study is limited to some selected firms in Port Harcourt metropolis which include Agip Oil Company limited, Pabod Breweries and Shell Petroleum Development PLC. Data for the study were obtained from both primary and secondary sources of data. Primary sources of data were obtained through questionnaire, interviews and observation. The secondary sources of data for this study were textbooks, journals, newspapers, manuals, internet as well as other relevant publications. The sample size for the study was selected using the simple random sampling technique. The data were properly analyzed using the Likert 5-point Rating scale. The total responses were analyzed into Strongly Agreed, Agree, Undecided, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. The result of the findings shows that lack of modern ICT training materials is a problem face by OTM Rivers State; it also revealed that failure of government to implement the new OTM syllabus is a problem face by OTM Rivers State. Findings also revealed that the career limitations place on the career structure of secretaries especially in the public sector is a problem face by OTM Rivers State. based on the finding, the following recommendations were made: Well equipped offices should be put in place to enhance effective job performance. More qualified secretaries should be trained on the secretarial field and finally, modern ICT training materials should be provided for secretaries.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Office Technology and Management profession is a component of business education that provides knowledge and skills for would-be office managers/confidential secretaries to perform efficiently and effectively in the world of work. It also involves acquisition of skills, knowledge and competencies that make the recipient proficient in secretarial profession. According to Aliyu (2006), Office Technology and Management as a course are offered in Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and the Universities, primarily to educate and train students to become competent professional secretaries.
The Nigerian tertiary institutions that offer Office Technology and Management courses face some challenges in a bid to providing the desired knowledge, skills and competencies to students in the programme. To date, many tertiary institutions that offer Office Technology and Management as a course do not have adequate computers and the internet facilities in their laboratories to provide the students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed in the advanced office technology and information systems. The students that graduate from the tertiary institutions especially the polytechnics do not have the fundamental information processing and computer literacy.
They do not possess the basic skills required to utilize computer operating system such as word processing, e-mail and the internet. Those who may boast of having to operate computer or can browse on the internet may have gone extra mile to learn from the ‘roadside’ computer centre’s or institutes.
Modern Office technology and information systems in very simple terms depict modern office machines used in office administration by secretarial administrators, clerical workers and managers for the purpose of increased productivity, efficient, effective service delivery and also improved management decision-making. According to McLeod and Jones (1987), modern office technology (office automation) is the application of electronic and electro-mechanical devices for the purpose of increasing productivity for workers. They further buttressed that modern office technology and information systems include general computers, special purpose office machines and communication equipments.
The computer which is the current office technology is used by the office workers to create, store, retrieve and transmit business communications. The computer is used for processing written communications by using various word processing software and hardware that are currently in use. The secretarial administrators or managers use word processors to prepare written communications. In these instances, word processor is usually regarded as a means of communicating information from the manager to someone else. Word processing is also viewed as a corporate resource for building a strong intra firm communication network, facilitating the flow of information to the managers. Other office information systems include Electronic voice and voice mail, videotext, image storage and retrieval, facsimile transmission, electronic calendaring and tele-conferencing. According to Azuka (1998) office technology is a process by which machines and equipment are introduced in an office with a view to facilitating the administrative process. Egbokhan (2000) stated that Office technology entails the use of machines with appropriate skills and techniques to make job easier in the office.
Previously, the requirement for office technology and management student and the career structure of a secretary in the public sector in Nigeria stresses shorthand/typewriting speeds, though the new Office Technology and Management syllabus has brought reforms which replaced shorthand/typewriting with computing. Despite the huge academic and ICT- based content of the new Office Technology and Management (OTM) syllabus, the government is yet to incorporate such reforms in the civil service career structure for secretaries. This therefore, causes frustration on the students and even the office manager.
The secretarial profession in Nigeria has no vibrant professional body collaborating with both federal/state ministries of establishment to introduce new career structure for secretaries to improve their productivity. The current effort by the institute of Certified Secretaries and Reporters of Nigeria (ICSR) to seek legislative backing has not paid off. Consequently, there is no professionally recognized secretarial body in Nigeria collaborating with the federal/state ministries of establishment to redesign the secretarial career structure and develop the professional content for secretaries. This situation causes low morale among students and declining productivity among office managers.
There is no clear job description for secretaries at each career level. Clear job description for secretaries at each career level needs to be addressed. One wonders why the jobs of secretaries are not enlarged and enriched at each career level to support job satisfaction. The present career structure for secretaries seems to show much of job limitation and restricted scope of authority which negate her promotion to the managerial level. This situation limits the secretary’s job performance.
For tertiary institutions in Nigeria that offered office technology and management education program to deliver on their mandates, the quality of the training given to individuals passing through a course or the other should be such that can give adequate skills and information needed in the real world sense. If business education should serve this purpose of providing the needs of the learners and the society, there should be continuous review in its curriculum in order to ensure that the quality of education provided is in line with societal demands. This review of the curriculum will be to integrate new technologies that can help in passing the desired and required skills to the learner to make him/her employable and as well relevant in the ever-changing business environment.
However, the prospects of secretaries have given a lot of concerns to intending student of secretarial administration and many other segments of the society especially those in the secretarial field.
The word secretary coined from Latin word secretes’ which literally means a secret; this definition shows more or one of the function of secretary (Okafor, 1987).
Prospect on the other hand according to Oxford Advanced learner’s Dictionary of the English Language is defined as the chances of being successful.’
Ofuru (1997), sees secretaries as the image makers, who combine both official and one- official duties for overall success of their bosses as well as the organization where the work. The American secretarial Association defines a secretary in the most acceptable way as an assistant to an executive, possessing mastery of office skills and ability to assume responsibility initiative, exercise judgment and makes decision within the scope of his authority. With the above definitions, in mind one can easily seen the need for a secretary in any organization or institution be it secondary or tertiary cannot be over emphasized. A secretary is a major comminuting link between the executive and his association the office staff and the public. He/she is the life wire of that organization.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The researcher observed that most of the Nigerian tertiary institutions that offer office technology and management suffer from inadequate modern office technology and information systems for teaching/learning and also acute shortage of qualified secretarial lecturers. This statement is supported by the observation of Njoku (1992) that lack of qualified secretarial lecturers in Nigerian universities accounts for these inadequacies of secretarial graduates in office occupation.
These challenges also make the secretarial half-baked and of course not to effectively compete in the world of work and even in business in this era of technological advancement. The question now is how could these challenges be tackled in order to produce competent secretarial that would be effective and efficient in the in office occupation as secretarial administrators?
Also, the career limitations place on the secretary cause intending students of office technology and management to be frustrated and often opt out of the profession.
More so, there is no vibrant secretarial professional bodies collaborating with both federal/state ministries of establishment to introduce new career structure for secretaries to improve their productivity. This has motivated the researcher to be interested in conducting this research on the problems and prospect of office technology management in Rivers State.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the problems and prospect of Office Technology Management profession in Rivers State. The specific purposes are:-
- To determine the objectives of Office Technology and Management profession in Rivers State.
- To identify the prospects of Office Technology and Management profession in Rivers State.
- To identify the challenges affecting Office and Technology and Management profession in Rivers State.
- To provide solutions to the problems faced by office technology and management profession in Rivers State.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will be of immense benefit to students, tertiary institution authorities, and professional bodies has the study will expose the problems face by students of the profession.
The study will also stimulate the appropriate authorities to fashion out ways of addressing the challenges face by student of the profession.
The study will also stimulate the appropriate authorities to fashion out ways of addressing the challenges face by student of the profession.
This study will also serve as a reference materials for further research on the topic.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Based on the above specific purposes of the study, the following research questions were formulated.
- What are the aims and objectives of Office Technology and Management profession in Rivers State?
- What are the prospects for graduate of Office Technology and Management profession in Rivers State?
- What are the challenges facing graduate of Office Technology and Management profession in Rivers State?
- How could the problems faced by graduate of Office Technology and Management be resolved?
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study aims at investigating the problems and prospects of Office Technology and Management profession in Rivers State. The study is limited to some selected firms in Port Harcourt metropolis which include Agip Oil Company limited, Pabod Breweries and Shell Petroleum Development PLC.
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The aim of the study is to investigate the problems and prospects of Office Technology and Management in Rivers State. Carrying out a research work of this nature involve some problems. Some of the limitations to the study include:
Difficulties in collecting relevant data and information for the study.
Financial constraint in carrying out the study.
Little time given for the completion of the study.
Scarcity of relevant literature on the problem.
1.8 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
Highlighted below are some of the key words used in the study:
Office Technology and Management (OTM) – This is the administrative handling, controlling, and maintaining a balanced process of work inside the office of an organization whether big or small company/business, which is necessary to achieve the administrative goal.
Shorthand/Typewriting – This is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language.
Secretarial Profession – This is the career undertaken by persons who had obtained a formal education in Office Management and Technology and through which they earn a livelihood.
ICT – ICT (Information andCommunications Technology – or technologies) is an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems, as well as the various services and applications associated.
Prospects – a them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning.
This is the likelihood of being successful or prosperous in the future, especially in a job or career
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