THE IMPACT OF A SECRETARY AS A PUBLIC RELATION OFFICER
(A CASE STUDY OF ASABA ALUMINUIM CO. LTD)
ABSTRACT
    The impact of a secretary as a public relations officer gears towards finding out the perception of people over the topic, whether it is regarded as a narrowed career that does not go beyond lifting the typewriter and scribing shorthand, and the findings and problem associated with it.
The study covered Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd and some members of the public that answer some of the questions.
    Related literature were reviewed, questionnaire developed from the research questions were distributed to the secretarial staff of the company and member.  Data collected were presented in tables and were analyzed using 4 points liket method.
From the data collected and analyzed, it was discovered that most employers discovered that secretarial profession is a versatile career which places its graduates ahead of others in other professions.  And that most of the roles of secretarial staff are closely linked directly or indirectly with the advancement of public and human relations outfit of the organization in which she serves.  Moreover, public relations is a vital force behind regular patronage by customers which results in increased profit and a such trained secretaries should be employed to contribute to its advancement.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1.0    Introduction                              
1.1    Background to the study                     
1.2    Statement of problem                       
1.3    Purpose of study                           
1.4    Scope of study                           
1.5    Research questions                           
1.6    Null hypothesis                          
1.7    Significance of the study                       
CHAPTER TWO
    Literature review                           
2.1    Who is a secretary                          
2.2    Classification of secretaries                  
2.3    What is public relations                       
2.4    Importance of public relations                   
2.5    Ways of practicing public relations               
2.6    Human relations                           
2.7    Duties of a secretary as a public relations officer       
2.8    Duties of a secretary to customers               
2.9    Duties of a secretary to members of staff           
2.10    Summary of the related literature reviewed           
CHAPTER THREE    
Research methodology                      
3.1    Research design                           
3.2    Area of study                          
3.3    Population of the study                       
3.4    Sample size and sampling procedure              
3.5    Instrument for data collection                   
3.6    Validation of the instrument                   
3.7    Reliability of the instrument                  
3.8    Administration of the research instrument             
3.9    Method of data analysis                      
CHAPTER FOUR        
    Data Presentation And Analysis                   
CHAPTER FIVE            
    Discussion of results                       
5.1    Discussion of results                       
5.2    Conclusions                               
5.3    Implication of the research results              
5.4    Recommendations                          
5.5    Suggestions for further research                   
5.6    Limitations of the study                       
References                               
Appendices                               

LIST OF TABLES
4.1:    Perception of junior and senior secretarial staff of Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd on if secretarial profession is regarded as a narrowed career that does not go beyond shorthand and typing.
4.2:    Responses of junior and senior secretarial staff of Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd of if secretarial profession is regarded as a narrowed career.
4.3:    Perceptions of junior and senior secretarial staff of Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd on if anybody can be a secretary in Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd.
4.4:    Responses of junior and senior secretarial staff of Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd of if anybody can be a secretary in Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd.
4.5:    Perceptions of junior and senior secretarial staff of Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd on if secretaries can play other professional roles while carrying out their duties.
4.6:    Responses of junior and senior secretarial staff of Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd on if secretaries can play other professional roles while carrying out their duties.
4.7:    Perceptions of junior and senior secretarial staff of Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd on if there is any relationship between a professional secretary and public relations work.
4.8:    Responses of junior and senior secretarial staff of Asaba Aluminum co. Ltd on if there is any relationship between the role of a professional secretary and public relations work.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
1.1    BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
    Before now employers of labour and members of the public had the perception that secretaries role in the office is confined to two things scribing shorthand and hitting the typewriter.  Just like women whose place is said to be in the kitchen, secretaries are regarded as ‘bench warmers” who have no say or contribute anything in the running of an organization.
    But development and technological advancement in the world and in Nigeria particular has come to play by reforming these wrong perception.  Just as women are struggling to get liberated, secretaries are not taking it lightly either hence they try to add new recipes to their job by playing significant roles in any establishment they find themselves.
    The work secretary is derived from a Latin word “secretaries” which means something that is known to one person but hidden from views of others.  A secretary as defined by the National Secretaries Association International is “an executive assistant who possesses a mastery of skills, who demonstrates the ability y to assume responsibility without direct supervision who exercises imitative and judgement and who makes decisions within the scope of assigned authority”.
    However, in recent times, secretaries are looked down upon on the employment list.  They are regarded as ‘yes sir” group and no wonder they don’t exceed GL13 in any ministerial establishment.  This bad attitude towards secretarial staff has succeeded in debarring new people into the profession and as such mediocre assumed position.  This bad impression on the role of a secretary was clearly manifested in the case of Barnett Hoares and Coy. Vs. South London Tramway, when Lord Esher (1887) noted that “a secretary is a mere servant, his position is to do what he or she is told to do and no person can assume that he has any authority to represent at all ………”
    In the course of this study, the researcher traced the impact of a secretary in an organization as it pertain to public relations.  This study compared the role of today’s secretary with that of yester years because according to Lord Denning (1971) in the case between Punoroma Development Ltd. Vs. Fidelis Furnishing Fabrics, he ruled……” but times have changed.  A secretary is a much more important person nowadays than she was as in 1887.  She is an administrative officer of the company.  A regards matters concerning administration in my judgement, the secretary has Ostensibly authority to sign contracts on behalf of the company.  Furthermore, if a company is hiring cars to meet its foreign customers at the airport nothing to my mind is more important than that the company would hire these cars through its secretary”.

1.2    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
    Over the years, the significant roles of a secretarial staff have been relegated to the background.  That is to say that they are known to be working behind the scene and wrongly perceived to be those group of individuals who are interested in just taking orders from the boss and complying to such instructions sheqrishly without applying their own natural sense, training or professional initiatives.
    In view of these problems, this research work will address the following:
1.    Secretarial profession is regarded as a narrowed career that does not go beyond typing and shorthand and hence the mass exodus from the profession.
2.    To correct the wrong impression that anybody can be a secretary.
3.    To outline other professional roles secretaries play while carrying out their roles.
4.    The relationship between the role of a professional secretary and public relations in an organization or in Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd.

1.3    PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
    The world is dynamic and so also is secretarial profession.  Every year brings in new thing, either in addition or a reformation on the existing ideas.  Therefore this research is set to do the following.
1.    To find out if secretarial profession is regarded as a narrowed career.
2.    To find out if anybody can be a secretary or if there is a special skill apart from shorthand and typing.
3.    To see if there are other roles played by secretaries while carrying out their work.
4.    To find if there is any relationship between the secretarial profession and public relations job.

1.4    SCOPE OF THE STUDY
    This research work focuses on the roles which secretaries play in any organization to promote the public relations functions.

1.5    RESEARCH QUESTIONS
    There are a good member of questions to be tackled in the course of this research work.  Among the issues to be addressed are:
1.    Is secretarial profession regarded as a narrowed career that does not go beyond typing and shorthand?
2.    Can anybody be a secretary?
3.    Can secretaries play other professional roles while carrying out their jobs?
4.    Is there any relationship between the role of a professional secretary and public relations work?
 1.6    NULL HYPOTHESIS
H01:    There is no significance difference (p < .05) between the mean perception of junior and senior staff of Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd that secretarial profession is regarded as narrowed career.
H02:    Given the list of problems, there is no significant difference (p <.05) in saying that anybody can be a secretary in Asaba Aluminum Co. Ltd.
H03:    There is no significant difference (p<.05) between the role of secretaries and other professional roles while carryout their work.
H04:    There is no significant different (p<.05) between the role of a professional secretary and public relations work.

1.7    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
    The importance of this study which centers on the roles and impact of a secretary as a public relation officer cannot be over emphasized.
Among the benefits to be derived from this study:
1.    It will assist in enlightening the public that secretarial work goes beyond acquiring manual skills of typing and shorthand, that the profession covers a wide range of roles.
2.    The completion of this research work will correct the wrong notion that anybody can be called a secretary hence he or she knows how to hit the typewriter.
3.    It will serve as an eye-opener to practicing secretaries who believe that the profession begins and ends on just writing shorthand and typing documents, that there are more to the job than meet the eye.
4.    It will also after evaluating the magnitude of public relations roles of secretaries, advise managers to go in for professional secretaries rather that employing mediocre.