Effect of Good Filing System on Productivity of a Secretary (a Case Study of Staff Personnel in Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri)
Chapter One
PURPOSE ย OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is ย to ย survey ย the ย filing systems ย and classification in use ย in the senior ย staff personnel Department ย of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, ย Owerri.
The study ย will specifically ย attempt ย to:
- Identify the type of ย filing ย classification adopted ย by ย senior staff ย personnel ย Department ย of the Federal polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.
- Identify the personnel ย involved ย in ย handling office ย filing ย in the ย department.
- Identify the filing equipment ย used ย in ย the ย department.
- Determine ย the extent ย to ย which ย the effect of good ย filing ย system and classification ย has enhanced ย the ย productivity ย level ย of staff ย ย of the ย department.
- To determine ย the efficiency ย and ย effectiveness ย of the system ย and classification in ย use.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED ย LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
This chapter contains the review ย of ย literature related to the study. The review was done under the following headings.
- General Principles of filing ย and ย indexing
- Determining good filing ย system
- Benefits ย derivable from a good filing ย system
- Filing classifications
- Types of index
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF GOOD FILINGย SYSTEM
There however, must be a proper understanding of the principles surrounding achieving an efficient filing system and classification. Besides, the classification systems adopted in any office must suit the requirements of every record ย in every ย office. Some records are filed and reserved longer than others. To ensure that they are not destroyed earlier than required, they ย should ย be ย kept together under a ย known system. There is no ideal survey that will meet the requirements of every record in every ย office.
According to Ahukannah (2002), filing is the process of systematically classifying and arranging records or documents for safe keeping and prompt retrieval whenever such documents are needed. Another name for this is classification of information, ie. Dividing it into different groups or classes.
There are various ways in which one can do this, depending on the kind ย or type ย of documents one stores. Besides, within one organization, different filing system and classification that operates. Filing should be properly planned for convenience and smooth operation. Filing is the basis of records keeping. The ย good effect of filing arises from ย the ย fact ย that a large number ย of papers and documents ย can ย not ย be ย reserved and handled without proper arrangement. It is pointed out that certain records must be kept to meet legal requirements. ย Some however, must be kept to facilitate future decisions by management. Others must be kept for reference purpose. The objectives of filing include:
- To ensure that records are properly managed.
- To ensure that records are ย properly sorted; and
- To ensure that records are easily available when needed.
Clerical and Secretarial Staff of today appear either ill-equipped to achieve these objectives or are simply not ready to do their jobs. Whether we agree or not, business offices exist to receive letters, reports, circulars and other documented information from both within and outside the business organization.
Effect of good filing constitutes the memory of a business. Now and again, ย the ย modern ย office ย is designed ย by various documents ย in the form ย of ย letters, accounting forms, sales ย bulletins, orders, way bills, delivery notes, cheques, remittance advises statement of account, wage records reports, statistics, data, shipping records etc. unless a good filing system ย is adopted, ย retrieval ย of desired ย information may ย prove ย problematic.
CHAPTER ย THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In any research ย work whether scientific or educational, there ย has to be a systematic ย and ย acceptable approach ย in ย order to achieve ย an authentic, ย meaningful ย and ย ย objective ย result.
However, in view of this, this chapter focuses on the ย ย methodology used ย for the study which include research design, area of the study, population, sample, instrument for data collection, ย method ย of data collection and ย method of ย data analysis.
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ย ย RESEARCH DESIGN
This shows sequentially ย the ย methods and procedures ย used by the ย researcher ย to enable ย her achieve ย the ย objectives ย of the study.
A survey design was used ย to get a ย fair representation of ย opinion in the population to avoid sampling ย bias.
AREA ย ย OF THE STUDY
The area of the study is the Personnel Department of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, ย Owerri โ Imo State.
POPULATION
The population was 20 staff members of the personnel department. This ย was ย made ย ย up of ย administrative ย officers, ย clerical officers ย secretaries ย and typist.
The Polytechnic was ย chosen ย because ย Owerri is very close ย to the researcher.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION ย ย AND ANALYSIS
This chapter is concerned with data ย presentation and analysis based on the questionnaire collected from senior staff personnel department. In doing this, various items in the questionnaire were grouped together to make for a more meaningful analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF ย FINDING, ย CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Based on the data collected ย through questionnaires ย and the analysis of the data, it was revealed ย that:
* The effect of good ย filing system on productivity of a secretary ย adopted ย by the Personnel Department ย of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri is the subject of numerical filing classification with which reference is easy when the subject with ย numbers ย is known. It is also very easy to add additional m topics with numbers ย and sub-division.
* The secretary is seen as the Personnel involved in handling office filing in the Personnel department and it is the secretary who books appointment and arrange meeting for the executive. The secretary handles office filing very often ย in the department.
* The efficiency and effectiveness of the good filing system and classification in use ย is very high ย and access can ย be made directly ย to any file ย in retrieving it hence ย the ย name ย or location is known.
CONCLUSION
The following are the ย conclusion drawn from the survey of filing systems ย and classification in ย use ย in the Personnel department ย of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.
They include;
The filing classification system adopted by the senior staff Personnel Department ย of Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri ย has tremendously ย enhanced ย the ย productivity ย level ย of staff ย in the department. The filing classification system in use ย is the subject- ย numerical ย which ย is quick ย and makes easy reference ย for retrieving document.
However, secretaries are ย the Personnel ย involved ย in handling ย office filing in the department for ย they ย are ย the ones ย that makes travel arrangements ย for their ย executives, write letters answers telephone calls etc.
The filing equipments ย commonly ย used ย in the department is the four-drawer steel cabinets ย and ย there ย is ย high efficiency and ย effectiveness ย of the systems and classification in use ย in the department.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based ย on the conclusion, the following recommendations were ย made:
- The senior staff personnel department of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri should continuously make use ย of the subject โ numerical filing classification system since it ย makes for easy retrieval ย of ย files.
- There should ย be a trained filing clerks who should be ย the only personnel ย involved ย in handling ย office filing ย in the department.
- The department should buy fire โ proof filing cabinets to file their documents ย since ย they make use ย of the four- drawer steel cabinets to protect ย and prevent fire from destroying filed documents.
- Files should ย be ย allocated ย at their different and separate ย places and ย not filed together i.e. Alphabetical and geographical etc ย in order ย to enhance ย the ย productivity level ย of ย ย staff ย of the department which will lead ย to excellent and fast retrieval ย of documents.
- The department should file accurately ย by putting a specific number ย of documents ย in each file jack at ย most ย pages ย in each file in order to ย increase the ย level ย of efficiency and effectiveness of the systems and classification ย in use.
REFERENCES
- Ahukannah, L.T. (2002): Office Practice today Lagos Polytechnic Publishers Ltd.
- Ahukanna, L. I. (2006) ย Applied Secretarial Procedures and
- Crayforth C. (1997): Administrative Procedures ย forย Advance Secretarial Studies. London McDonald and Evans Ltd.
- Elendu, O.E. (2001): The Perfect ย Secretary: An Exposition ย ย of the Secretarial Duties ย of the Professional Secretary. Owerri: Lemmy Graphic Press.
- Elendu, O.E. (1985): Office Practice for colleges Owerri. New African Publishing Co.Ltd.
- Njoku C.U., Ohiri, A.B, Nwosu,A.N. Iwuoha C.C (2000): Prospective and Practicing Secretaries I. Owerri: Opus Business Concern