OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS OF ICT INTEGRATION IN THE SECRETARIAL PROFESSION

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY In the twenty-first century, information and communication technology has transformed every career, including secretarial activity. According to Abdul-Kahar ( 2015), technology has been a significant tool in practically all human endeavors. According to Jaiyeola (2007), ICT is like an engine that can be used in a variety of ways; the same engine that propels an airplane can power a conveyor that transports finished goods from the production line to a storage location; the same engine can power an automobile, a grinding machine, and so on. It is a tool in the hands of secretaries, but it improves and increases its performance. The office is often a portion of a corporation that manages information pertaining to various activities inside an organization that are carried out to achieve certain goals. Accounting, payroll, and billing are examples of such procedures. Document preparation, filling, completing simple computations, verifying information, intraoffice communication, and external communication are all examples of office labor. The office may be considered as a mechanism that maintains the state of the business through a sequence of operations performed by a competent secretary that result in a change in state. A secretary is an executive assistant who has mastered office skills, can assume responsibilities without direct supervision, uses initiative and judgment, and makes choices within the area of power delegated to them (Akinleye, 2015). A secretary is an officer in charge of an organization's records, communications, meeting minutes, and related concerns. A secretary aids his or her employer and, when necessary, acts in his or her place. In an automated workplace, the secretary must think clearly and respond quickly. According to Boladele (2020), a secretary may think on behalf of an executive, act on behalf of an executive, anticipate the boss's whims, and boost an executive's production. According to Abdul-Kahar (2015), each institution, whether primary, secondary, or tertiary; large or little; rural or urban; government or state owned and privately supported; collects data to accelerate action and provide information on office activities. Originally, the secretarial profession was restricted to typing, writing, and transcribing shorthand. However, it now extends much beyond this, involving tasks such as information sorting and retrieval, information transmission, and so on using electronic equipment. It means that, unlike an older version of a secretary who only knows shorthand, typewriting, and basic office practices, a qualified secretary should have a broad knowledge of business acumen, versatile knowledge in accounting, personnel, office practices, communications, and inside knowledge of the operation of all departments within the organization where he/she works. As a result, secretaries, regardless of gender or location, must be proficient in electronic records contemporary technology in order to keep up with the growing usage of electronic information technologies. Technology, according to Oyeronke (2019), is the methodical use of scientific knowledge to accomplish practical consequences. It requires combining many ways to tackle an issue. It indicates that technology is all about ways and how people use them to achieve objectives. As a result, we live in a competitive atmosphere where things are changing quickly and for the better technologically, and the workplace is changing as well due to the increasing complexity of contemporary day management. Secretarial tasks such as tying and addressing a letter, which normally take minutes or hours, must be completed in seconds with exceptional speed, accuracy, and perfection. The introduction of information and communication technologies has transformed secretarial tasks and the workplace. In a modern workplace, the secretary must be well qualified to deal with both current and future issues. Secretaries must have modern technology skills such as word processing, computer skills, internet skills, data processing skills, and others because an organization cannot exist without records, which must be created, captured, and retained for the period specified by the organization's retention schedule. Finally, when records become inactive, they must be properly disposed of. All of this is based on the secretary. . Technology is always evolving, which has had an impact on the secretarial profession in terms of the quality, speed, and accuracy of work produced. As a result, numerous technological services have been introduced to assure appropriate secretarial practice in organizations. It is critical that secretaries are thoroughly taught on how to use these new equipment in order to increase their productivity. 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Modern communication technologies are new advances in offices that allow office duties to be completed more quickly and efficiently. According to Dharmadhikari, & Basak (2015), the introduction of sophisticated technological (electronic) office equipment into today's office, as well as the role secretaries must play in ensuring accuracy and efficiency in their jobs, requires secretaries to meet the challenges by acquiring new skills and competencies for efficient operations in the electronic office which has put secretaries, to the test. Thus, these communication technologies have recently revolutionized office skills, rendering some skills such as transcription skills and manual typewriter typing obsolete, while also giving rise to previously unknown skills such as webpage design, desktop publishing, networking, internet skills, and others in modern organizations. This evolution has clearly put secretaries' abilities and functions to the test. To support this, Doyle (2015) observed that developments in ICT have necessitated the need for secretaries to reposition themselves in order to remain relevant in their execution of office responsibilities while also keeping up with the trend of technological changes in today's modern companies. Through the use of automation techniques, information technology has ushered in a new era in the management of information and communication, which has improved communication systems, Secretarial jobs have become increasingly competitive and technical. Bizarrely, one of the primary causes of poor performance among secretaries in most firms is their woeful lack of current technological abilities. As stated by James, (2016), many of them lack the contemporary technological abilities necessary in the various offices, which has proven to have a detrimental impact on their overall effectiveness. The lack of abilities in the areas of webpage design, desktop publishing, office application, networking, internet competence, and so on among secretaries in government offices has frequently been a subject of concern for the management of such companies. Furthermore, despite the entry of these growing technologies into firms, some secretaries are still subjected to traditional techniques of performing office work. In reality, several firms hire recent graduates who are familiar with new technology packages such as internet access, networking, and so on. Such antiquated ways of operation result in inefficiency and unproductivity among office personnel. Secretaries must learn how to use modern office automation such as information storage systems, the internet, and other new software packages. Given the aforementioned issues, the researcher prefers to investigate the latest technological facilities and abilities required by secretaries in their various offices, as well as the obstacles and prospects for the secretarial profession. Some secretaries appear inept in dealing with current technology in today's ever-changing technooffice while only few studies has focused on how challenging this new equipment is to secretaries hence prompted the researcher to conduct this research the problems and prospect of the secretarial profession in this modern technological era in Oyo State, Nigeria. 1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The primary objective of this study is to examine the Opportunities and Constraints of ICT Integration in the Secretarial Profession. Specifically, this study seeks to attain the following objectives: i. To examine the benefits of ICT to secretarial profession. ii. To examine the different ICT skills required in secretarial profession . iii. To find out the challenges of secretarial profession in using ICT. iv. To find the prospects of ICT to secretarial profession. 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS The following research questions guide this study: i. What are the benefits of ICT to secretarial profession? ii. What are the different ICT skills required in secretarial profession? iii. What are the challenges of secretarial profession in using ICT? iv. What are the prospects of ICT to secretarial profession? 1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES The validity of the following null hypotheses are tested in this study: H01: There are no benefits of ICT to secretarial profession. H02: There are no challenges of secretarial profession in using ICT. H03: There are no prospects of ICT to secretarial profession. 1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This study will be significant to business owners secretaries and to public and private organizations. Specifically This study will open the thinking of business owners to see the need of acquiring those modern communication equipment that are not available in their establishment. To private and public establishment it will expose the need of the modern communication equipment and create better awareness of the implication of automating office function. The findings will among other thing help to dispose of the superstition belief that the modern communication equipment are “the greatest enemy of men as it displaces man from the job, deny them of initiative in his job, and makes them more machines operators and destroy old division of labour” it will encourage potential secretaries to set up efforts to undertake some training on the operation of modern communication equipment in order to improve their job efficiency. Finally the study will contribute to the general body of knowledge serving as reference material for students and researcher and at most giving opportunity for further research in this field. 1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY The scope of this study borders on the Opportunities and Constraints of ICT Integration in the Secretarial Profession. The study will also discuss, examine the benefits of ICT to secretarial profession, the different ICT skills required in secretarial profession and the prospects of ICT to secretarial profession..The study is however delimited to Office and Information student in Lead City university, Ibadan Oyo State. 1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing that corruption discourse is vast thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size covering only EFCC officials in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Thus findings of this study cannot be used for generalization for other states within Nigeria. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work will impede maximum devotion to the research. Howbeit, despite the constraint encountered during the research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful. 1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS Secretary: A secretary is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication, or organizational skills. The role can be in form of an administrative assistant or personal assistant. Office Equipment: office equipment are tools required to carry out work in the office which can either be electric or manual. Some of the most common office accessories and modern equipment that are being used these days are staplers, intercom, internet, computers, printers, fax machines, photo copier, phones and folders and files etc. Information and Communication Technology: Information and communication technologies (ICT) is defined as a diverse set of technological tools and resources used to transmit, store, create, share or exchange information.