A Survey Of The Problems And Prospects Of Bilingual
Secretaries In An Organisation (A Case Study Of The Alliance
Francaise Owerri)
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Title page
Approval page
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Abstract
Table of content
CHAPTER ONE
1.0
Introduction
1.1
Background of study
1.2
Statement of Study
1.3
Purpose of study
1.4
Scope of study
1.5
Significance of study
1.6
Research Question
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CHAPTER TWO
2.0
Literature Review
2.1
Definition of Bilingual Secretaries
2.2
The Values of Foreign Language
2.3
The Roles and Duties of Bilingual secretaries
2.4
Summary of Literature Review
CHAPTER THREE
Research Design and Methodology
CHAPTER FOUR
Presentation and Analysis of Data
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0
Summary of findings
5.1
Conclusion and Recommendations
5.2
Areas for Further Studies
Bibliography
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0
INTRODUCUTION:
1.1
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:
The job classification of secretary is probably the most misunderstand
term in office occupation. Almost any woman who works in an office may
refer to herself as “secretary” or almost any employer may speak of “secretary”
in describing his clerk.
The term “secretary” is used for prestige to the
employee working at such high level and to the employer for rating an
employee of such importance as a secretary.
WHO IS A SECRETARY:
The word “secretary” is derived from Latin word “secretaries” meaning
something known only to one or a few and kept SECRET or hidden from the
view or knowledge of others.
The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English defined a
secretary as an “employee in an office, who deals with correspondence, keep
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records, makes arrangements and appointments for a particular member of the
staff”.
The American National Secretarial Association defined secretary as “an
executive assistant who possesses a mastery of office skills, who demonstrates
the ability to assume responsibility without direct supervision, who makes
decision within his assigned scope of authority, who exercises initiative and
judgment.
Nowadays, almost all men and women that involve in skilled jobs such
as typewriting, shorthand and others see themselves as secretaries but this is
not true because the following prefixes different entities in secretary from a
typist. These are as follows: Permanent, Confidential, Bilingual, Executive,
Personal, Company, etc. Their work depends on the environment in which it is
applied.
People have started to realize the importance of secretaries in their
offices and the secretaries all over the world. As a result, this has lead to the
scarcity of qualified secretaries almost everywhere in the world because their
demand has risen considerably.
According to Dictionary of Occupation Titles a Secretary is one who
carries, performs general office work in relieving executive and clerical
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company officials of minor executive and clerical duties. She dictates using
shorthand stereotype machine, who transcribes dictation or the recorded
information reproduced on the transcribing machine, who makes appointments
for the executive and reminds him of their interviews, people coming into the
office, directing to other works those who do not warrant seeing the executive,
who makes and answers telephone calls, handles personal and important mail,
writing routine correspondence on her own initiative, what may supervise other
clerical workers and may keep personal records.
A good secretary is a public relations expert a staff assistant and the boss
office memory. She is responsible for much of the detail work of the office
and is expected to carry out her duties with a minimum supervision and
direction.
She represents the company and her employer effectively to the public
and generates good human relations in working with all employees in the
organization.
A secretary learns how to gain the goodwill and co-operation of her coworkers and respect of the executives.
She identifies her daily business
associates as being on a level, and she applies the best principle of human
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relations at each level. The secretary is accurate, highly efficient, creative and
sound in judging when to use initiative and when to consult her employer about
handling a job.
For the secretary to achieve a desired goal, she has to oversee the
activities of others under her, this therefore is beyond the paperwork and it
involves administration. She is the “life wire”, the “image maker” or “th
communication channel” of any organization. Whitehead (1980:193).
Since she is an administrator, Davis (1983-4) stressed that the secretary
has to plan her work, that is knowing which to treat first, organize them in a
manner that she can achieve a desired goal.
By virtue of her work, the
secretary knows practically everything relating to her organization, she is the
first to come and last to leave the office.
Chamber (1972) says that to function as a secretary, one must act much
as the executives “alter ago” and must be a person of responsibilities and even
dedicated, qualified by training, experienced and temperament to perform the
secretarial duties efficiently and enthusiastically.
In this study the researchers tried to survey the problems and prospects
of the bilingual secretary in an organization/
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WHO IS BILINGUAL SECRETARY:
A bilingual secretary is one who exercises her secretarial skill in two
languages. The bilingual secretary is much in demand by companies with
international connections.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
The bilingual secretary must be qualified to take dictation in her native
language and in her second language.
Other problems include, poor office environment, inadequate equipment
for satisfactory job performance, promotion prospects and fringe benefits.
To a large extent their responsibilities and limits the scope of their job to
typing documents taking dictation and transcribing them. As the Country is
becoming advanced in commerce and industries, secretaries encounter much
problems as they cannot communicate freely in another official language
except English language secretaries are said to be the “image maker of an
organization” and as an image maker, she is bound to understand and speak a
little of another foreign language which will be of more benefit to the
organization she works with. The biligual secretaries encounters. Some
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problems like inadequate means of communication thereby hindering the
effectiveness of communication.
Our government has not accorded secretaries (biligual) their due rights
as regards salary grading and prospect fro further studies.
A MORE LIMITED PROBLEM
Most of the problems confronting biligual secretaries are based on
individual secretary’s relationship with his job and job environment.
In the course of this research, the investigator will research on the likely
problems that exist between the secretary and the boss, the secretary and his
fellow workers, visitors to the office, inadequate equipment for the
performance of his duties and recommend solutions to these problems.
SIGNIFICANT OF STUDY
The significance of this study is to reveal misconception about people’s
usage of the word secretary to mean typist and any boy that understand the
second lingual franca to be a bilingual secretary.
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The result will also portray the importance of secretaries and to erase
some erroneous views about secretaries.
It will also enable secretaries (bilingual) to understand and appreciate the
application of administration principle in the achievement of their daily task. In
addition, creating a motivating co-operation and encouraging work
environment for the bilingual secretaries as other staff. For executives, it will
help them to understand the importance and benefits of allowing secretaries
(bilingual) implement these principles as they should be. This will enable them
to here certain administrative responsibilities.
The public will also see that bilingual secretaries perform other
professional duties than their professional duties and to transcribe her notes in
both language. Since the bilingual secretary is called upon to serve as hostess
to foreign visitors, she must possess exceptional poise ability and judgment.
Because of her linguistic ability, the bilingual secretary serves as the translator
of all foreign correspondence for her employer as well as for other company
officials (college secretary procedure).
Following the description given by OLUMBA, they are highly skilled
secretaries. They have knowledge of more than one language. In other words
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they can write and transcribe shorthand in more than one language. In addition
to this quality or knowledge, they study Accounting, Buisness administration,
Company and Business Law with which they are expert advice to their
executive. Hence, they go on tour with their executives to foreign Countries.
They also make phone calls abroad, i.e when the firm makes a lot of business
abroad, translate incoming mail and compose replies and reads foreign journals
and newspapers.”OLUMBA C., New Talk, IBS Owerri 17th June 1982”.
According to Harmers and Balance (1982) the use of language as a
congnitire organiser is developed by biligual secretary at three different levels,
two levels specific to each language and one abstract level common to both
languages.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
Generally, our society holds different opinions about the problems and
prospects of biligual secretary in the organization.
In most offices, today, objectives are difficult to realise. This in most
cases have been blamed on the secretaries who are “mirrow” of the
organization but cannot express themselves in more than one lingual franca.
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(AHUKANNA 1985:5). According to Sparling (1970) “secretaries should be
good communicators, fluent in spoken and written language as her contacts are
very wide and encompassed all levels.
As Nigeria is surrounded by franco phone Countries as the neighbour,
there is every need for every secretary to have at least a knowledge of the
second language (French).
In the course of study of secretary, he is faced with numerous problems.
Although problems are experienced in the work of the secretary, he has some
prospects in his carrier. The. Problems of this study is therefore that some
organizations, individuals, secretaries themselves, employers and the society in
general do not seem to know and realise the importance and therefore are
ignorant of problems and prospects of biligual secretaries in an organization.
Such duties as public relations officer.
Finally, suggestion will be made to ensure that solutions are found to the
problems of biligual secretary and highlight what his prospects are.
SCOPE OF STUDY
This study covers the secretary and biligual secretary of the organsiation.
The study is limited to only one establishment due to time constraints, it could
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have been my ideal to cover more establishments or more biligual organization
to enable the researcher get more information.
Findings is a very important aspect of every research work, as a student,
the money available for the study was limited so it makes it imparative to limit
the scope of study.
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of study is to find out the following.
1.
To identify the problems of the bilingual secretaries in an organization.
2.
To determine the courses of these problems which affects bilingual
secretaries in an organization.
3.
To determine that, the job of a bilingual secretary goes beyond typing
and documenting.
4.
To determine the extent the modern means of communication have
helped the bilingual secretaries in executing their jobs.
5.
To often suggestions for improvement.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
1.
Organization Act organising.
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2.
Boss: A person who controls or gives order to workmen.
3.
Transcribe: Act of translating sound written in shorthand into a
readable word.
4.
Communication: The despatch of massage by sender to a receiver
through a familiar medium and channel.
5.
Management:
Co-ordination of the material and human
resources of the business to achieve a desired
objective.
6.
Office:
Any room where clerical works are habitually
performed.
7.
Problem:
Question to solved or decided, a source of
perplexity, a solution.
8.
Prospect:
Looking forward with hope to gain something,
expectation of hope, chance of success or
probable source of profit.
9.
Record:
Written accounts of business facts which provide
evidence or information.
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10.
Secretary:
Employee in an office who deals with
correspondences, keeps records, makes
arrangement and appointment
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Bilingual:
Speaking, using two languages.
RESEARCH QUESTION
This is a question that probe into the topic under study and when the
respondents answer the question, it will bring the inside out of the envisage
problems which the researcher is studying.
It is also the question’s that
underline the formulation of the questionnaires questions of the study.
However, the research questions are as follows:
1.
What are the problem of bilingual secretives in Alliance Franchise
Owerri?
2.
What are the causes of these problems of bilingual in Alliance Franchise
Owerri?
3.
Has the job of bilingual secretaries gone beyond typing and
documenting?
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4.
Has modern means of communication helped the bilingual secretaries in
executing their jobs?
5.
Do you have suggestion for improvement?
These and more are to be answered in order to arrive at a conclusion of this
study
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