KUMASI TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

BUSINESS SCHOOL

BTECH SECRETARYSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES

TOPIC: A STUDY OF JOB PROSPECTS OF SECCRETARIES IN SOME

ORAGANIZATION
( CASE STUDY OF KUMASI TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY)

NAME
TWENEBOAH HETTY

INDEX NUMBER 052041030083

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In order to carry out a meaningful research into the job prospects of secretaries, it may be
necessary to attempt a definition of a secretary and the functions he/she is expected to perform.
A secretary is someone who assists a top executive in the office by performing his/her secretarial
duties, skillfully and who possesses the ability to relieve the executive of certain administrative
tasks. Also, Marshal (1973) defined secretary as an Assistant to the executive secretary as an
assistant to the executive possessing mastery of office skills and ability to assume responsibility
without direct supervision who displays initiative, exercises judgment and makes decision within
the scope of her authority.
All organizations exist to realize certain objectives of their stakeholders. Good corporate

governance requires that organizations deliver the desired results in the right way hence giving

an organization a competitive edge. The secretary cannot be left out if this is to be achieved

because the responsibility for developing and implementing processes to promote and sustain

good corporate governance requires the guidance of the Company Secretary (Institute of

Chartered Secretaries & Administrators) {ICSA}, 2008).

The emergence of technology has widened the roles that secretaries play in achieving a

company’s objectives. Secretaries now have many technologically advanced office gadgets to

ease their jobs and enhance proficiency and productivity leading to improved access to goods

and services globally (Wofersohn, 2001). The roles of secretarial professionals have been turned

around by technology. It has provided the tools that shift the role of secretaries from that of

information recorders to business strategists (Appah and Emeh, 2011). They therefore serve as a

basic tool for the accomplishment of the organizational objectives. Duniya (2011) also observed
that due to the introduction of sophisticated technological (electronic) office equipment into

today’s office and the vital role secretaries play in ensuring accuracy and efficiency in their jobs,

the secretaries need to meet the challenges by acquiring new skills and competencies for efficient

operations in the electronic offices.

The word “secretary” is derived from a Latin word “secretaries” meaning something known only

to one or few and kept secret or hidden from the views of things (Horney 1984). The word

‘secretary’ has been originated from the Latin word ‘Secretarious’ which means ‘a parson

entrusted with a secret’ or ‘keeper of secrets. This means that a secretary is an officer who is

generally entrusted with the responsibilities of writing and exchanging letters maintain

documents and performing confidential activities on behalf of someone or any organization.

According to Dayton (2015), the structure by which schools are run and operated have evolved

over the years and will continue to evolving”. Sison and Kleiner (2014), suggested that the

“school system is now dominated by structures and in fact in the modern business world,

organization and schools need an administrative professional who will play an integral

importance in the business environment”. A secretary is an administrative professional who

plays a importance in organizational environment.

Moreover, in the educational system, the secretary to the principal plays an importance in the

process of an effective school system. “Most often the school office is positioned either at the

entrance or at the center of the school” (Anderson, et al., 2018). This makes the secretary the

first person that teachers, support personnel, students and visitors encounter when they enter the

school. They are usually the first line of communication when parents call or visit a school.

The school secretary has many importance, and the job cannot be classified as routine. The
secretary performs work that is 100% clerical in nature; “the secretary performs roles such as

bookkeeper, receptionist, nurse, telephone operator, mail clerk and census taker” (Anderson et

al., 2018). Due to the multi-dimensional nature of the secretary's job, it is difficult for the

secretary to balance the tasks that need to be accomplished and still serve the principal.

In the business organization, the secretary is a great asset to her boss, she is his personal
organizer. She uses different typewriters, computers which are her tools in the office. She takes
shorthand dictations and transcribes them to produce mailable letters. The secretary is generally
the life-wire of any organization. The secretary also performs the duties of using different filing
systems to file documents,, arrangement and preparation of Board/Management meetings and
prepare notices and Agenda of meetings. She also takes speeches in shorthand at conference,
seminars and low courts. She also books appointments for the boss and takes care of his
itinerary. The duties of the secretary is so enormous and vast that listing them will be
inexhaustible. These are various categories of secretaries in Business organization before the
civil service reform of 1988 namely:

1. Confidential Secretary IV
2. Confidential Secretary III
3. Confidential Secretary II
4. Confidential Secretary I
5. Personal Secretary (Principal Secretary Assistant Grades)
6. Personal Secretary Grade (Principal Secretary 2)
7. Senior Personal Secretary (Principal Secretary Assistant I)
8. Principal Personal Secretary (Chief Secretary)
9. Bilingual Secretary
10. Verbation/Official Reports

However, the guidelines on the civil service reform of 1988 changed the titles as follows:

Old Titles New Titles

1. Principal Personal Secretary Chief Secretarial Assistant
2. Senior Personal Secretary
3. Personal Secretary I
4. Personal Secretary II
5. Confidential Secretary I
6. Confidential Secretary II
7. Confidential Secretary III
8. Confidential Secretary IV
Principal Secretariat Assistant I
Principal Secretarial Assistant I
Principal Secretarial Assistant III
Principal Secretarial Assistant IV
Senior Secretarial Assistant
Secretarial Assistant I
Secretarial Assistant II

Though secretaries job titles have been harmononized, they do not reach the same position in
rank with their bosses because they are subordinates to their bosses.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The secretary is faced with numerous problems, one of which is uncertainty of advancement in
his or her job in terms of promotion, job training and lack of welfarism. Some business
organizations exploit the secretaries by not making the jobs they schedule. In addition, he or she
is not given the necessary incentives thus frustrated in their job. Moreover, secretaries in some
business organizations are made to stagnate or “mark time” in a grade level due to lack of
promotion given to them.

1.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is expected to bring out the job prospects of secretaries in area like job remuneration,
promotion, welfare and more job training in today’s business organizations. When these
prospects are known they will motivate new entrants into the secretarial profession.
Recommendations will be made to business organizations on how to motivate secretaries. This
will also make secretaries not to change their profession or be forced out of their jobs. Moreover,
this study can also serve as a future reference in the library. It can serve as future reference to
both the student and the lecturer.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To identify employment opportunities available to secretaries in those selected business
organizations in Enugu metropolis.
2. To identify the job prospects open to secretaries in terms of promotion, welfare, job training
etc.

3. To identify these facts responsible, where necessary militating against their job prospects.

4. To offer suggestions for the improvement of secretarial profession.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. Do secretaries receive their promotion when other workers are being promoted in your
organization?

2. What is the highest position a secretary can attain in your organization?

3. What are the secretaries other employment opportunities apart from office work?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The stakeholders to benefit from this study includes schools, principal, secretaries and
individuals who have personal interest in knowing and understanding the job prospect of
secretaries. And the job availabilities in some institutions the relevance of studying secretary
courses in institutions

1.6 Scope of the Study

Geographically, the study will be conducted at Kumasi Technical University in Kumasi. It is a

Technical University that is situated in the center of Kumasi, Ghana's Ashanti Region's capital

city, in the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly. The goal of Kumasi Technical University is to

provide an atmosphere that is conducive to learning, research, entrepreneurship training, and

skill development in the fields of applied social sciences, applied arts, and applied technology.
This is done to draw academics and students from both domestic and foreign populations, as well

as to offer consulting services. The study contextually explores the connection between Kumasi

Technical University and the prospect of secretaries jobs in the institution.

1.7 Brief Methodology

It will be focused on the population, sampling, research instrument; administration of

questionnaire etc. Under consideration is secretaries at Kumasi Technical University will be

targeted. Data analysis involved reducing the data into controllable size, giving summaries and

using statistical analysis. Questionnaires administered were received. The data collected was

coded to enable the responses to be grouped and analyzed with the aid of Ms. Excel.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

This research, like every social research, is likely to encounter challenges. Hence, the following

are anticipated challenges that will likely be faced in this research.

First, it is anticipated that respondents will be unwilling to provide information or responses for

the study through the questionnaire due to their busy business schedules. To address this

problem, the researcher will schedule time considered by respondents to be appropriate for

data collection and leave the questionnaire for respondents to fill in their free time in such

circumstances. Also, due to organisational rules, respondents might not want their information

published in the public domain. Hence, they might refuse to participate in the study. This

problem will be addressed by submitting a formal letter of introduction to the business or

organisation and the researcher verbally introducing herself to them. Through the letter and

verbal informed consent, the researcher will explain the purpose of the study and assure
respondents that the information they provide in the course of the study will be treated as

confidential and anonymous, as well as used for academic purposes only.

1.9 Organization of the Study

This study is sectioned into five chapters. Chapter one entails the general introduction of the

entire study and captures the background of the study, problem statement, research objectives,

research questions, scope of the study, significance of the study, and an outline of the study.

Chapter two provides extensive literature review on the forms of participation,Chapter three

contains details of the research methodolgy. It thus gives a detailed description of the research

design framework, elements for the study, the sample size determination and sampling

techniques, the variables for the study, among others. Chapter four presents and discusses the

findings from the survey. Chapter five presents a summary of the key findings from the study,

makes recommendation and a general conclusion to the study.

1.10 Summary of the Chapter

The introduction, study background, problem statement, research objectives, and research

questions were covered in this chapter. The study's significance, scope, brief methodology,

limitations, and, in the end, the study's organizations were covered in more detail.