CHALLENGES OF OFFICE SECRETARIES IN THE COMPUTER AGE: INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY (IMT), ENUGU
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Abams C and Wagner B (2005) states that in the past the secretary in an office is usually seen sitting the whole day behind the typewriter be it manual, electric or electronic. She was always found of typing letters, memos, circular, minutes of the meeting or any other documents from shorthand dictation given to her by the boss. She would be busy with booking appointments and receiving telephone calls for her boss.
Today, the work of the secretary is becoming more challenging, initiatives has a greater role to play. The secretary services are much more demanding now than ever before. Owing to the current drive for information technology in the 21st century technical discoveries have transformed every face of office function into automation. This transformation is more pronounced in electronically actuated facilities thus making secretarial services very important for the success of the organization for instance, using manual typewriter to produce documents  portrays poor cooperate image of an organization. Computer and allied technology support that organization must respond positively to these changes if they are going to survive in this millennium.
Secretaries who are not computer literate must be ready to be swept away by information expression.
The contemporary secretary must possess the educational qualification and psychological attributes to be able to cope with the demands of science especially in Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, they have to cope with the present changes in technology by using computer to work in their offices and equip their class rooms with computers. The modern office uses processing equipment’ such as telephone system, tele conference, electronic typewriter, word processor, photocopies, facsimile, dictation machine, telephone answering machine and computer for effective communication.

1.2     Statement of the Problem
 Meadon’s (1991) points out that technological changes is the major factor in making previously qualified secretaries acceptable. Computer skill are advancing rapidly and the skills of yesterday becoming obsolete with freedom from anxiety.
Today, as a result of change in job content from the mead assertion, the environment in which the secretary operates has become very dynamic. This dynamism carry with it constant change, the most current of it is the computer. Many people believed that the advent of the computer has come to throw the secretary out of job, while some believe that it has come to help and perfect the work of the secretary. Being a new technology, some people believed that the arrival of the computer has thrown many challenges to the instances of the secretary. Whether the ascension is time or is the need of this study which has been designed to find out the challenges secretaries face in this age of computer.



1.3 Purpose of the Study
 There is a purpose to achieve in any project work. The purpose of this project work is to:
1.    Identify the challenges facing an office secretary in the age of office technology.
2.    To find out the effects of those challenges.
3.    To find out the strategies for overcoming those challenges.

1.4 Scope of the Study
The scope of the study was limited to the personal secretaries and the confidential secretaries in the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu.

1.5 The Significance of the Study
The essence of this project work is to expose to the reader, the office technology student, the practicing office secretaries and the employers of labour the challenges in the age of office technology and how it affect secretaries work with particular reference to those working in Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu.
At the completion of this work, it will be useful to students who are studying Office Technology and Management in their career. This also, will help them to acquire necessary skill before going into the labour market.
This work will go a long way to prove whether or not the introduction of the computer is a treat or bussing to the secretaries especially bearing in mind the belief that computers replace human beings in the work places.
Also, this study will help the training institutions to suit the change that is brought about by the introduction of computer. It will also well help the employers of labour to assess the relevance of the computer in this age of office technology to the functions or role of secretaries in an office.
1.6 Research Question
1.     What are the challenges facing secretaries of 21st century?
2.     What are the effects of these challenges?
3.     What are the strategies needed to overcome such challenges.