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 (1973:2) 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. 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 mail able 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 Principal Secretariat Assistant I 3. Personal Secretary I Principal Secretarial Assistant I 4. Personal Secretary II Principal Secretarial Assistant III 5. Confidential Secretary I Principal Secretarial Assistant IV 6. Confidential Secretary II Senior Secretarial Assistant 7. Confidential Secretary III Secretarial Assistant I 8. Confidential Secretary IV 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.

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