Causes of Conflict Between Secretaries and Bosses in Anambra State Owned Establishment (Ahocol Company, Awka)
CHAPTER ONE
Purpose of the Study
The major purpose of this study is:
- To basically investigate some of the causes of conflicts between Bosses and Secretaries in State owned Establishment.
- To examine the damages which conflicts between bosses and secretaries caused to different industries
- To find out the consequences of such conflicts
- To suggest remedy and strategies for solving conflicts between Bosses and secretaries in state owned establishment.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
To conduct this research, several materials were reviewed. These include books, articles, and thesis, magazines and lectures notes. The material collected from these sources have been grouped and discussed under the following headings.
1 .Meaning of a Secretary
- Qualities of a Secretary
- Meaning and function of a boss
- Function and Categories of Secretaries
- Types and characteristics of conflicts
- Causes of conflicts
- Resolving conflicts
- Summary of related literature.
Meaning of a secretary
In a layman, a secretary can be a typist who assists her boss in his duties, the Oxford Advances Learner Dictionary defined the word “Secretary” as an employee in an office, who deals with correspondence, keeps records and make arrangement and appointments for a particular member of the staff.
The National Secretary Association (NSA) defined a secretary as an assistant to an executive possessing mastery of office skills and ability to assume responsibility, without direct supervision, His also a person who display initiative, exercise judgment and make decision within the scope of her authority.
Orisanalite (1981) in his lecture titled “The Secretary as an insensible pillar in the organization. “He/ she is a skilled and specialized type of employee in an establishment on part of its who is changed with some aspects of organizational functions in the unit, including dealing with business matters. She is somebody who has acquired special skill for operating the organization.
According to Austin (1980), a secretary is a person who has acquired the basic secretarial skills of shorthand, and typewriting plus enough knowledge and practical experience in general office work.
According to Ugwujor (1987) “A secretary is a closed to the management and all confidential matters are in entrusted to hear. As she is looked upon as a decision maker, she is the touch bearer relations, above all confidential person.”
According to Festal (1987), “A secretary is someone who, without direct responsibility assists another with communications and public relations in business, professional or personal affairs. He however, opined that there are several levels of secretarial ability because not all those who perform to this level. According to him that is why the term “Secretary” is probably the most misunderstood in the office occupation. Almost every persons who works in the typing unit find herself as a secretary, even when describing a clerk. He also observed that in both causes, the term is used for prestigious to the employer for having such a high level.
According to Onasanya (1990) defines a Secretary as someone who possess adequate knowledge of administration and /or organization and the ability to achieve results through dint of hard work and management of resources or people on behalf of his/her boss. She is the central pillar upon which all the office functions resolve.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter described the design of the study, Area of the study, the population of the study, the instrument used for data collection, validation, and distribution, retrieval of the instrument and methods of data analysis.
Design of the study
This segment of this study talks about the type of research design that was adopted for effective completion of this research work. This study adopted the survey research design. This is because the study seeks opinions of secretaries on the causes of conflicts among the bosses and secretaries in companies in Anambra state.
Area of the study
The study was carried out in selected state owned companies in Anambra State. The companies are as follows: Anambra State Home Ownership Co. Limited, Awka, Transport Company of Anambra State, Awka.
Population of the study
The target population for this research work consist the two companies in Anambra State namely the Anambra State Home Ownership Co. Ltd, Awka and Transport Company of Anambra State Awka.
The actual populatio0n of 580 as shown in the table below.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
The data presented and analyzed below were based on the information obtained from the questionnaire and oral interview conducted.
The data were also analyzed based on the research questions earlier formulated.
The frequency of the raw scores from the respondents according to the relevant items in the questionnaire was converted to percentages as shown in the table below.
Research question 1
What are the factors that causes conflict between Secretaries and Bosses?
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Here, the research summarizes the findings, conclusion and recommendation made.
Summary of Findings
- It was observed that inadequate performance is caused by conflict between secretaries and bosses.
- Also, findings show that aggression leads to conflict between secretaries and bosses
- Findings also show that, lack of motivation cause conflict between secretaries and bosses
- Findings also indicated that, when Negotiation is adopted, it can bring peace between secretaries and bosses.
- Effective motivation like promotion, constant payment of salaries, rewar5ds, when adopted can promote trust between secretaries and her bosses as found out from the staff.
Conclusion
Based on the result of the data collected, analyzed the following conclusions have been drawn.
- If adequate performance is maintained, the conflicts between secretaries and bosses will be eliminated.
- That if secretaries are motivated like giving them promotion, rewards, the conflict will be reduces.
- That conflict can also be eliminated when Negotiation is been adopted.
- Another major conclusion that can be addressed from the findings is that secretaries’ responses are not at variance with the responses of their bosses.
Recommendation
From the data analysis and its presentation, the objective of the study and significance of the s6tudy regarding to the causes of conflict between secretaries and bosses in state owned Establishment such as Anambra State Home Ownership Co- limited Awka, and Transport Company of Anambra State Awka.
- That adequate performance should be maintained so that the objective of the company can be achieved.
- The researcher recommends that the boss should motivate the secretaries by promoting them from their current position to upper position and also awarding them.
- The boss should maintain an effective communication with the secretaries so that information can be dispatching on time and effectively.
- On the basis, for identified consequences and their implications on efficiency. It is hereby recommended that the strategies indentified be systematically followed so that with time, improve work relationship may result.
Limitation of the study
The academic system restricted by academic work and inability to carryout a through research work as they have desired such as time constraint.
This can be ruled our following academic work load placed on the writer which does not allow sufficient time for data collection during the period of the research. Whatever shortcom8injg observed in this work should be seen as a system of time sharing between the researcher, academic and research work.
With much emphasis to the country’s economic depression the population of this project is limited only to the financial capacity of the writer. Also the high cost of transportation in the country constituted a very big hindrance to the researcher in making investigation for the write-up.
Logically, a project is only subjected to available information gathered from the object of the companies used. This project is limited to only the information provided for that purpose.
Finally, a good research work requires adequate books for reference purposes. Due to the fast that only little time was devoted to the work, the researcher made use of only the few books found in the school library, and some information gathered from these selected companies.
Suggested areas for further research
Since no research work is completely concluded due to certain limitations, it is in view of the researcher that further in-depth study and research work been made in the following related areas:
- It is suggested that similar studies be conducted in public service to make for a better comparison.
- It is further suggested that a similar study be carried on a horizontal sphere to measure causes of conflicts between secretaries and their bosses.
- It is finally suggested that similar studies be carried out in other state of the federal to make for more generalization.
REFERENCES
- Akpomeyoma, .J. (1980), Problems facing secretarial profession, Published by Eastern printing and publishing
- Blake, R.S. (1964), Managing intergroup conflict in industry, 1st edition, England, published in Houston public company
- Burke, .R. (1999), Method of resolving interpersonal conflicts,2nd edition person administration, London Macmillan educational limited.
- Chuke, L.U and Okolo, A.N. (2006), Skill development and Career development for tertiary institution (pitman), Eva-unique printing and publishing Enterprise.
- Okolo, A.N. (2012), Office practice and technology for tertiary institutions, published by Eagleman Books, 24B Limca Road, Onitsha Nigeria.
- Orijiakor, C.N. (1998), Speed practice (for secretaries) Christian Inc.6 Okwei street, Onitsha
- Uzuma, A.O. (1977), Handbooks on School Administration, London Macmillan Education limited.
