RELEVANCE OF SECRETARIAL PROFESSION IN MODERN TECHNOLOGICAL AGE

INTRODUCT
The Secretarial Profession is one of the oldest in Nigeria. The contribution of secretaries to the development of an establishment and the nation in general cannot be overstressed as there is no organization where the service of a secretarial staff is not needed. The secretary has a very important role to play in an organization as he/she uses intellectual to enhance the growth of the overall efficiency of the organization, since a secretary is a morale builder, a public relation officer being constantly in touch with the customers through correspondence, telephones and physical contact. The Secretarial Profession is facing extinction due to the modern technologies advancement in the world today. The rate at which these advancements are growing daily is really threatening the survival of secretaries. As a result, the training of secretaries has to be upgraded to reflect the modern trend. Science and Technology have had a profound effect on office procedures. One of the most important functions of an office or organization is the most important functions of an office or organization is the effective receipt and dissemination of information with proper management. Business information is a catalyst of management and the ingredient, which enhance managerial activities in a business setting. These includes planning, operation, controlling and forecasting, secretaries are therefore relied upon to play crucial roles in realizing the organizational objectives. The sophiscation of modern offices has given room for multi programming and high efficiency through the use of these advanced technology. A significant development in this direction has introduced a new concept into the secretarial profession. The office of yester-years in quite different from the office of today in terms of the modern office equipment now in use. Today many companies are employing computers to streamline office operations, perform word processing and electrically handle mail and messages. Electronic mail (E-mail) is another innovation in office automation. The business organization is held together by the profession, acquisition, retention and transmission of information, interestingly, one of the tools for achieving these is through office automation devices. In fact, the rapid acceleration in the rate of technological and scientist progress of modern age as well as the increased cost of services and material has resulted in the improvement in productivity with re-examination of the impact of automation. Therefore, the manipulation of manual machines to aid secretarial duties has become a mandate activity as every secretarial practitioner has now converted to the use of electronic devices especially computer. Also, some of the people that operate these devices are not being treated with respect, most times people take the secretariat duties as those meant for drop-out with little or no skill and intelligence. It is necessary to say that secretary is more or less the life-wire of an organization. He / She comes to the office early enough to synchronise things before the arrival of the boss and other officials. The secretary is the unseen hand behind the progress and development of an organization, the secretary must be well respected as the secret keeper. It is on this basis that the study looks at the relevance of secretarial profession in modern technological age.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In recent times, it has been noticed that almost all organization in the world have been computerized.
As a result of the increasing complex nature of modern organizations and the way businesses are being conducted, human beings have become grossly inadequate to meet the information requirement in terms of accuracy, responsiveness and reliability in getting information out of the available raw data. The study tends to take a look at whether or not the secretary is still relevant in today’s office inspite of the invention of modern of office equipment and whether or not the secretary is more satisfied with this development.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The study is aimed out in order to determine the following:
To known if the secretarial profession is rendered irrelevant by the advanced technological known-how in the world
To investigate whether the secretarial profession is helped by the modern technological advancement
To examine if the automated machines can work by themselves without any human interference (i.e the secretary)
To discover whether there can be harmony between the  secretarial profession and the modern technological advancement and
To make recommendations on how the two should be made to work hand in hand rather than in opposition to one another.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Is a secretary relevant in the achievement of the set organizational goals and objectives
Can an organization function without the services of a secretary?
Is it necessary for a would-be secretary to go to a higher institution to get training for the job?
Does a secretary need to update her knowledge of the use of the modern equipment in the office by always attending course relevant to her job in order to continue to be relevant in the attainment of the sets goals of an organization?
Is the secretarial job more than typing of correspondence in today’s sophisticated technological age?
Is the secretary the mirror through which outsiders view the organization?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
H01 The invention of modern technology in the offices does not help but rather poses a problem to the secretary
H02 The secretaries’ work is completely not relevant with the advancement of technology
H03 The secretary is not most efficient when these modern automated machines are used in carrying out her duties
H04 Organization cannot survive without the services rendered by the secretary
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
As earlier mentioned, most organizations have a machines and facilities e.t.c computer, fax machines, e-mail facilities etc. which are faster and more accurate than human beings.
However, they need competent hands to operate these machines, therefore, the relevance of this study cannot be over emphasized because of the following reasons:
It highlights the importance of secretarial profession in any organization
It brings to light the fact that automated machines and equipment used in modern day offices cannot operate themselves but with the help of human beings (i.e the secretaries).
It also emphasizes the fact that secretaries must get themselves trained and acquainted with these machines to a certain level as to be able to handle them in order to ascertain their relevance in today’s business world.
It is also relevant to the employers who will be made to understand that secretaries’ role’s in the achievement of the goals and objectives of their organization
In fact, the researcher hopes to eliminate completely, the impression that secretaries are LIABILITY to organization, thereby asserting strongly that they are ASSESTS to any organization.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study will be carried out in Intercontinental Bank Plc, Ibadan and it is to be administered to only secretaries, and some  administrative staff of the bank
1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The findings of the study could be applied by extra-polation to other organizations that make use of the services of a secretary in their day-today running of the organization most especially because of time constraints.
1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Secretary: A secretary is the one who has acquired the basic secretarial skills of shorthand and typewriting and enough knowledge of practical experience in office work to be able to cope with filing, handling office machine and receptionist duties. She is also a confidant in whom secrets and confidential matters are entrusted within the office. In other words, a secretary is directly the assistant to an executive possessing the mastery of office skill aids, ability to assume responsibility without direct supervision which display initiatives, exercise judgment and makes decision within the scope of her authority.
Automation: This is the act or practice of using machines that needs little or no human control, especially in place of workers.
Advancement: This is a collection of the individual, whether of people or thing, which are to be observed in a given problem or situation. A population can be finite or infinite. Closely related to population is a sample.
Sample: It is usually impossible to measure all the values of any variable. Hence the samples are data drawn from the total population of  possible observation from a single experiment.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.0 INTRODUCTION
This chapter aims at reviewing what other eminent authors have published and other materials that are found useful to the study.
The review will therefore, cover the following areas
The historical of secretary
The historical background of the secretarial profession
Attributes of a secretary (Business/personal)
Duties/functions of a secretary
The many types of secretaries
Types of modern office equipment and their uses
The effects of modern technological advancement on the secretarial profession
Contemporary employment of the secretarial profession
2.1 CONCEPT OF SECRETARYSHIP
A number of definition have been given by various scholars, authors and from practical experience. The word “secretary” is derived from the Latin word “secretaries” which means a notary or a scribe. In the Bible we have those that are referred to as the scribes which were writers of the laws and scriptures.
A secretary is one who keeps, or is instructed with secrets; a person employed to write orders, letter, dispatches, public or private papers, records and the like and official scribe, amanuensis, or writer one who attends to correspondence, and transacts other businesses for an association, a public body, or an individual.
An officer of state whose business is to superintend and manage the affairs of a particular department of government, and who is usually a member of the cabinet or advising council of the chief, a member of the cabinet or advising council of the chief execute of the secretary of state, who conducts the correspondence and attends to the relations of a government with foreign courts, the secretary of the treasury finance who managers the department of finance, the secretary of war. A secretary or administrative assistant is a person who works consists of supporting management, including executives using a variety of project management, communication and organization skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit of more than one. In other situations a secretary is an officer of a society or organization who deals with correspondence, admits new members and organizes official meeting and events. A secretary has many administrative duties. Traditionalist, these duties were mostly related to correspondence, such as the typing out of letters. Maintaining files of paper documents etc. The advent of word processing the significantly reduced the time that such duties require, with the result that many new tasks have come under the purview of the secretary. This might include managing budgets and doing bookkeeping maintaining website, and making travel arrangements.
Below are some of several author’s definitions of the secretary
Hick et al (2006) defines a secretary as a “confident” who has been enlisted with secrets of the boss and the organization. The word secretary is defined as the Latin word “sectum”, which means secret (Longman Dictionary of contemporary English, 2005).
According to Austin (2008), a secretary is a person who has acquired the basic secretarial skills of shorthand and typewriting and enough knowledge of practical experienced in office work to be able to cope with sailing, handling office machines and reception duties. The secretary is therefore, a vital link between the making and implementation of business plans.
Kabot (2007) in his book titled: Human Relations: says that a positive human relations secretary must not being in sentiment into his/her job. He could be a fanatic but he will not let it affect or reflect in the cause of discharging his duties.
Onasanya (2004) defines a secretary as a good person that should be able to arrange meetings, compile minutes and report exercise control over subordinate. She should be able to keep simple and correct records of accurate and of stocks. He further observes a secretary has with the outside world which may be through the telephones, e-mails services, letter or mainly done by her.
2.2 HISTROICAL BACKGROUND OF THE SECRETARIAL PROFESSION
Angeross (1988) said that no one known’s the exact time that secretaries originated. The role arose out natural need for a prominent person to whom confidential matadors could be trusted and who could act as an assistant to a principal. It is known that secretaries existed in Rome prior to the establishment of the empire. They were usually educating men who took decisions on “scenes” and often acted as a trusted adviser.
Before the invention of parchment and red pens, tools of the trade for scribes ranged from chisels used upon stone to styluses used on clay, wood or wax tablets. Shorthand became part of the preparation and training of secretaries and emperors as well, including Julius Caesar and Augustus.
In early modern members of the nobility had secretaries, who functioned quite similarly to those of the present day. They were men, most of them had command of several languages, including Latin and were required to have what we would consider today as a broad generalized education.
As commerce and trade expanded, people of wealth and power and secretaries (confidants and trusted agents) were employed to handle correspondence on private or confidential matters, particularly matters of the state. Following the renaissance, men continued to dominate clerical and secretarial roles. They maintained account books, in addition to performing stenographic duties, and were known for the exemplary penmanship skills. Many labored long hours, with their “secretary” desks serving as their files and workstations.
As world trade explained in the 15th and 16th centuries, secretaries often attained elevated status and held prominent positions. Secretarial and titles frequently used then included “Personal” ot “Private”. Men continued to dominate the secretarial field unit the late 1880s. During the industrial expansion at the turn of the century, business offices faced a paperwork crisis, more and more women entered the office workforce in various clerical roles and they adapted well to new technologies such as the adding machine, telephone and typewriter. Many women held, or aspired to hold position as secretaries schools and worked to attain supplier skills. In the 1930s, the number of men with the titled secretary dwindled, women dominated the official workforce. Some were prompted from steno pools, some were graduates of business colleges or secretarial schools. But all were seeking the professional status and pay previously enjoyed by their male counterparts. Recognizing that continuing education was imperative to the career success. A group of secretaries in America’s heartland became the nucleus of an organization that would help to professionalize the occupation. In 1942, the National Secretaries Association (NSA) was formed, and which today is known as (IAAP). IAAP first administered the certified Professional Secretaries Examination, a standard of excellence for the profession, 1951.
Today, secretaries (also known as administrative assistants, office coordinators, executive assistants, office managers and various other titles) are using computers, the interest and other advanced office technologies to perform vital “Information management” functions in the modern office. Elendu (1990:66).
Secretaries have taken in roles and responsibilities well beyond being just “typist” for the “the boss”. Now, they write correspondence as well as plan meetings, organize data using spreadsheet and database management software, interact with clients vendors and the general public, supervise the office an other staff, handle purchasing and even train other works.
In addition, many companies are providing performance based bonuses in outstanding administrative support professionals to help acknowledge their contributions. The future is brighter for computer-literate, well-educated, customer-service-savvy office professionals, Odiagbe (2010).