Description
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The information and communication Technology in the 21st Century have revolutionized all professions worldwide including secretarial practice. Agbatogu et al (2011) says that technology has been a significant tool in almost all human endeavors. Jaiyeola (2007) argue that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is like an engine that could be used in so many ways, the same engine that makes the aircraft to move could make a conveyors finished products from production line to the storage location and the same could be used for automobiles, grinding machines etc. It is an implement in the hand of secretaries to enhance and improves its performance.
Adedoyin (2010), Appah and Emeh (2012) argued that Information Technology have affected every profession in the last twenty years. The accounting profession is not left out in these profound changes to business and methods of communication. Technology is providing the tools that are revolutionizing the role of secretarial profession from that of information recorder to business strategies making them much more critical to the success of an enterprise, Jaiyeola (2007). According to Uzoka (2002), information technology is the harnessing of electronic technology in its various forms to improve the operation and profitability of business as a whole. It provides significant improvement with facilities such as word processing, communication facilities in the form of electronic marks, database in relation to filling and data retrieval such advances improves business efficiency, eliminating unnecessary delay in communication between routine filling and correspondence. Also Ofurum and Ogbonna (2008) says information technology is the combination of computing telecommunication and video techniques for the purpose of acquiring, processing, storing, and disseminating vocal, pictorial and numerical information. The computing techniques provide the capacity for processing and storing of information, the telecommunication techniques provides the capacity for high display of images. Technology is the systematic application of scientific knowledge in order to achieve practical result. It entails a combination of different approaches to solve a problem. It implies that technology is all about methods and ways people apply them in order to get results. Therefore we live in a competitive environment where things are changing fast and for the better technologically and due to the growing complexity of modern day management, the office is also changing. Secretarial functions such as typing, mailing a letter that usually takes minutes or hours can now be carried out in seconds with high speed, accuracy and perfection due to the advent of Information and Communication Technology which has revolutionized Secretarial functions and the office.
The secretary has to be well equipped to meet the present challenges of the future in a secretarial profession (Bolade, 2002; Onifade, 2009; Igbinedion, 2010) have concluded that there will be changes, dramatically changes that will change the work pattern and the attitude of the employees.
Historically, it has been said that Secretaries? profession is as old as age itself. The progress of life has recorded many men and women whom have registered their footprints on the sand of life, and this has brought about Secretaries (Scribe) who record events.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The major problem of Secretary Profession is that people see it as a profession that had no definite sequence, a procedure for the job. They feel that secretary is often in tempted by telephone call, visitors, colleagues and subordinates and even the other that the effect on Secretary?s efficiency and productivity in the organization are out down. There have been a lot of speculations and inscription that the invention of computer in organization has posed a lot of problems to Secretaries in this part of the world. Since, it posed a lot of problems to secretaries in this part of the world is underrated; people see them as profession of unintelligent people. The common belief is that anybody who takes dictation a secretary since majority of the so called secretaries are typist with little or no secretarial educational training, the general belief is that the duties of a secretary do not go beyond taking dictation and typing correspondence, she is seen as having little or no contribution to make towards the attainment of organization goals.
Presently, most offices are equipped with modern technological equipments. Many business organizations which do not have financial capacity to provide most of the equipment see themselves odd in the pool of modern organization making use of the new equipment maximally enhances the productivity and efficient of workers. It is expected that those machines and equipments should have special handling before they improve performance. What has not been known at the present is whether modern secretaries know how to operate these machines successfully, appreciated productivity. It has also not known whether secretaries play special roles in willing them. The research work therefore sought the role and productivity professional secretaries in commercial banks.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main objectives and purpose of the study is to
1. Find out the roles secretaries perform in United Bank of Africa (UBA).
2. Determines if secretaries are trained to perform their roles.
3. Examine the effect of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on secretaries
4. Determine if there are any obstacles encountered by secretaries in the discharge of their duties through the use of ICT gadget
5. Find out if the use of modern office equipment has been enhancing their performance and productivity.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION
1. What are the causes of stress in the work place?
2. What is the extent of availability of modern office technological gadget in the organization?
3. To what extent is the usage of modern office technological gadget by the secretaries in commercial banks?
4. What is the relationship between the secretaries usage of modern office technological gadgets and productivity in commercial banks?
5. Does the secretary?s role in bank enhance productivity?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The significance of this study is to shed light on the roles of professional secretaries and productivity on commercial banks. It will also enlighten us on Secretaries duties and their relationship on productivity and effectiveness in an organization.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study is based on the roles of professional secretaries and productivity of commercial banks and will be carried out at six (6) branches of United Bank of Africa (UBA).
1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
? Role: It is a function of position which a person has or is expected to have in an organization.
? Professional Secretary: It is an administrative or executive assistant, who has undergone series of training which qualifies him/her to act as a gateway between clients and employees of business.
? Productivity: The rate at which a worker, a company produces good services and the amount produced, compare with how much time and work is needed to produce them.
? Commercial Banks: These can simply be defined as a financial institution where financial records and transactions are carried out.
1.8 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
UBA?s has more than 65years of providing uninterrupted banking operations dating back to 1948 when the British and French Bank Limited (BFB) commence business in Nigeria. BFB was a subsidiary of Banque Nationale de Credit (BNCI). Paris which transformed its London branch into a separate subsidiary called the British and French Bank with shares held by Banque Nationale de Credit and two British investment firms, a year later, BFB opened its office in Nigeria to break the monopoly of the two existing British owned banks in Nigeria. Following Nigeria?s independence from Britain, UBA was incorporated on 23 February, 1961 to take over the business of BFB; UBA eventually listed its shares on the Nigerian stock exchange (NSE), in 1970 and became first Nigerian bank to subsequently undertake an initial public offering (IPO). UBA became the first sub-Saharan bank to take its banking business to North American when it opened its New York office (USA) in 1984 to offer banking service to Africans in Diaspora. Today UBA emerged from the merger of then dynamic and fast growing Standard Trust Bank, Incorporated in 1990 and UBA one of the biggest and oldest bank in Nigeria. The merger was consummated on August 1, 2005, of the biggest merges done on the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE). Following the merger, UBA subsequently went ahead to acquire Continental Trust Bank in the same year, further expanding the UBA brand. UBA subsequently acquired Trade Bank in 2006 which was under liquidation by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
UBA had another successful combined public offering and rights issued in 2007 and made further banking acquisitions of three liquidated banks namely: City Express Bank, Metropolitan Bank and African Express Bank. The bank also acquired Afrinvest UK, rebranding it UBA Capital, UK.
On 13 December, 2012 the shareholders of UBA plc unanimously voted for the bank to restructure into Monoline Commercial Banking Model in order for to fully comply with the new CBN guidelines for the commercial banks in Nigeria, which repealed the erstwhile universal banking regime.
With the restructuring, the Group?s non-commercial banking subsidiaries with the exceptions of Africa Prudential Registrars Plc and Afriland Properties Plc were consolidated under UBA Capital plc and spun-off to shareholders of the bank. The bank?s excess real estate assets were used to capitalize Afriland Properties plc, which was then spun-off, along with Africa Prudential Registrars Plc, to be held directly by the bank?s shareholders.
Along with UBA plc, the result of the restructuring is three standalone entities held directly by the bank?s shareholders ? UBA Capital plc and Africa Prudential Registrar plc, which are already listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, as well as Afriland Properties plc, now controlled by independent shareholders.