IDENTIFICATION OF ELECTRONIC OFFICE EQUIPMENT USED BY SECRETARIES IN MODERN BUSINESS OFFICES IMPLICATIONS FOR EFFICIENCY OF WORK OUTPUT

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background of the study

Electronic office equipment refers to those machines or tools designed for carrying out office functions. Office equipments and machines involved are annually or mechanically used in carrying out secretarial and office functions. They are numerous and are invarous sizes and shapes.

These machines and equipments are self sufficient, by testing they are self propelled and operates with a minimum of human intervention, Ohakwe (2005) the tremendous in office equipments in the last few decades has caved a evolutional changes in both the nature of office work and the role of secretaries. In modern business offices today, them issue of electronic office equipment are mainly in the area of computers and work processors which posed a lot of challenges to secretaries in modern business organizations or offices.

The modern business offices are adorned with the use of new machines like computers photocopiers, word processors etc. And if these equipments are skillfully used by secretaries the organizational goals will be achieved. In recent time. The electronic office equipments are described as the way through which manual office equipments are been developed due to some improvement in the information technology industry now it is difficult to locate modern business offices that are still making use of manual equipments

As a result of these rapid technological changes, the modern office equipments have been introduced to achieve the quest for organizational efficiency and increase in work output or productivity

According to Nwosu (1997) writing, sorting, calculating analyzing, ticking and reproduction of document constitute the basic task in any office. Therefore it is often quicker and better to perform these tasks by using machines specially made to simptety their operations. In modern business offices today, a greater success has been achieved through the use of electronic office equipments. The quality and quantity of products, time saving, profitability and effectiveness have helped so much on achieving the efficiency in work output.

Therefore on this information technology era, with great innovations in office equipments, no modern business office or organization can operate effectively in the face of this still competition without the secretary skills in operating these new equipments Ohakwe (2005) as a matter of fact, many organizations and in situations now equipped their offices with these modern office equipments in order to perform their duties and responsibilities more effectively and efficiently.

The installment of these modern office had led to the retraining of the secretaries, in order to get them acquainted acquainted to the new office equipments and procedures of handling these equipments. The ability of secretarial=es to master these new equipments and methods of performing secretarial works or tasks with these equipments will increases their valves to their employers and put them ahead of their competition for job.

1.1 Statement of the Problem

The world has grown to a stage whereby the modern business offices cannot be able to meet their daidlines and targets with the use of manual office equipment due to changes on the business world. Every sector of the economy and professions are affected by the new electronic equipments because of the modern age and the secretaries are not left out.

The use of computer and internet in the promotion of business communications and activities have become the order of the day. Some of the secretaries who lack the required skills needed in handling these equipments are finding it difficult to cope with this global charges.

There is also non-availability of these office equipments due to financial constraints. These factors constitute the problems to which this study is aimed at finding solutions to Office technology and innovation have affected the way things are done in the office. This means great transformation in the tasks performed by Secretaries in the modern business offices such as: Communication services, Computer operation, word processing, Database, Excel etc.There is great concern by certain Business standards published in 1998 no long meet the needs of the modern business office. Nwosu (1997) views that within the period of 1990 — 1999, the world has witnessed unprecedented innovations especially in computer, telecommunication and micro graphic.

From observation and interaction of the researcher with some of the Secretaries, it was observed that some of the equipment and machines used in producing documents are obsolete and cumbersome and also not able to meet up with the current challenges in the offices with the global Technology of the 21stCentury. Incompetence on the part of Secretarial Education graduates in terms of interview into white collar job. Moreso, from researcher's interaction with Secretarial Education graduates working in an organization it was found that some of them were not able to operate computer because they were adaptive to the use of typewriter which rendered their service in an organization useless and these made their employerto look for someone who is computer literate and acquainted with the new technologies.

Another problem observed was that Secretaries that is, those that found themselves in the offices line were not able to carry out their duties effectively even to operate computer was difficult instead they hired the services of people from other department to take the course or that particular subject. Browsing on the Internet is part of the new technology or the modern things that is been done in the office today.

A number of office secretaries can not browse except to go to the Café and look for assistance of the operators there. In line with the stated problems, the researcher deemed it necessary to carry out this study in order to know the actual job-tasks the Secretarial in various business offices can perform in modern business offices.

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1.3 Purpose of the Stud

The general purpose of this study was to find out the electronic office equipment used by secretaries in modern business offices and its implication for efficiency in work output. Specifically the study sought

The major objective of this study is to

1. To identity the electronic office equipments that can be used in a modern business offices to achieve efficiency
2. To ascertain the importance of these office equipments when used in a modern business office
3. To examine the problems encountered by secretaries in using these electronic office equipments
4. To determine the ways through which the use of electronic office equipments can result to efficiency in work output.
5. To find out the advantages of electronic office equipments over manual office equipments
6. To suggest remedies based on the findings of the study

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1.4 'Research Questions

in studying the electronic office equipment used by secretaries on modern business offices, implication for efficiency of work output. The following research questions were generated from the objectives.

• What are the electronic office equipment used by secretaries in a modern business offices
• What are the importance of the use of electronic office equipments on modern business organization
• What are the problems encountered by secretaries in using these electronic office equipments
• How can these use of these electronic office equipments result to an increase in efficiency a work output
• What are the advantages of electronic office equipments over manual office equipments
• What would you suggest as possible ways of solving problems fount out in the course of this study.

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1.5 Significance of the Study

This study will be of immense benefit to some modern business offices, secretaries, lecturers, Departments, Governments and private establishments and future researchers.

The implementation and consider oration of electronic office equipments like computers and so on are the most critical factor in business planning and decision making.

These fats sometimes seems to be taken for granted by some employers of labour in modern business offices.

Therefore this study will help them to make an active policies in favour of these electronic office equipments.

This study will help the departments and lecturers to know the advantages of these equipments thereby encouraging them to apply them in their training programme in order to produce qualified and dynamic secretaries

This study will also enable the governments and private sector establishment to understand the implications of these electronic office equipments on their organizational efficiency thereby saving their organizations room failures

The future researchers will have the opportunity of making reterences to the project. As the end of this project; it will cause many business offices, secretaries and lecturers to embrace this refined system that will reconcile the future with the past

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1.6 Delimitation

This study is delimited in scope to the electronic office equipments used by secretaries on modern business offices or organization implication for efficiency of work output.

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1.7 Scope of the Study

The scope of this study is the electronic office equipments used by secretaries in a modern business organizations, implication for efficiency of work output.