The Challenges of Word Processing to Secretaries in Some Elected Financial Institutions

The Challenges of Word Processing to Secretaries in Some Elected Financial Institutions in Enugu State

The Oxford advanced Learners dictionary “Hornby A.S. (1946) defined word processor as a device with a typewriter keyboard that records typed works and diagram and displays them on a visual display unit for correction and printing. Shelley (1983) noted that “A word processor performs the activities of correction of existing text, deletion of unwanted text, addition of new text and movement of text from one place to another without having to retype text which does not need to be altered.

The word processors are extension of automated typewriters that supply computer technology top the typing process. Using a word processing system, a typist type her text using a conventional or modern keyboard. The input is displayed on a visual monitor of the visual display unit (VDU) for her to examine and if necessary edit content or format.

It is important to note that word processing is the art of preparing documents with the aid or an electronic device such as micro computer using available word processing software such as word star, word perfect, multi-mate and print master, while word processor is a system of typing correspondence and reports with an automatic typewriter similar to a modern electrical typewriter but different because it is capable of processing material fed into it in a variety of ways.

The introduction of this device will help the secretary greatly in her work by solving a lot of problems associated with the typing memo and internal reports.

In showing the operation of the word processor Oremo (1985) observed that the machine has a work station with keyboard, television like screen, a central processor and a very fast printer. Where the video display unit is linked to the typewriter, the operator is able to see, immediately what she has typed as it appears on the screen. By single keyboard operation, she may then correct, adjust and reposition her work.

2.1.1  FUNCTIONS OF WORD PROCESSOR

The word processor performs four basic functions namely

  1. Creating a document
  2. Editing a document
  3. Formatting a document
  4. Printing a document
  5. CREATING A DOCUMENT

A document means any thing that is written by using the word processing programme. A document may also be called a file. Document creation is a text entry operation

In creating a document, a word processor uses a future called word wrap. This features automatically moves a word to the beginning of text line when the word cannot fit in the processing line. This feature facilitates the typing job because the user does not fear typing beyond the right margin.

  1. EDITING A DOCUMENT

Text editing capabilities make word processor a unique tool in word processing. To edit a document means correcting the document by replacing inserting or deleting characters to or from existing text. With most word processors editing means more than this.

Word processors have various features that facilitates editing job such as

  1. Insert text features: This allows the users to make insertion at any point in the text to in the text and any existing that is pushed to the right. This is only possible when the word processor is in the insert mode
  2. Type Over: This feature enables the user to type over a mistake in a document with the correct characters. This is achieved when the word processor is in the insert mode.
  3. Block Feature: A block is a section of the document that one wants to handle as a unit. To define a block on most word processors required positioning the cursor at the beginning of the text and giving the block define , commands. After a block has been defined a series of actions can be performed on the block including coping, moving (from one point to another) and deleting the entire block .
  4. Text search feature: Most word processor can search for the occurrence of a word or sequence of characters and locate each time it occurs in the text. When the defined word id found, the word processor positions the cursor over the word and waits for the user’s action. An extension of this is the “search and replace words are located throughout a document and all of them replaced automatically with the correct word.
  5. FORMATTING OF DOCUMENT: To format a document is to arrange it for final print out. How formatting is accomplished and when it occurs in the document preparation process depends on the particular word processor. In many cases, formatting occur before any text is entered. In some, formatting is done after the text entry and editing process. Document format features – Hyphenation. Justification, line height, line numbering, line spacing, left/right page format feature – center page (top/bottom) force odd/even page. Headers and footers, margins top/bottom) new page. number, page numbering and paper size/type.

Document format features display pitch, initial codes, fonts and summary. Other document format menu includes over strike, printer functions, decimal characters, conditions of end of page and underline spaces/tabs.

  1. SAVING AND PRINTING: A document must be saved in a permanent form to be used again later. It is advisable to save a document from time to time working on it. In every case the user must give a name to the file in order for it to be saved. A file named is a short title that helps the computer to keep tracts if the length of file name to eight characters with a possible extension of three characters.

Similarly, every computer has command to read the file back into RAM. The computer uses the file name to retrieve the file from the disk outside the four basic operations above, that are other features like spell-checking a document: most word processor come with a spelling checker. This operation checks the spelling in a document through the is an electronic dictionary. The words in the document are matched with the words that have been programmed into its memory. When a word in the dictionary, the spell checker marks and displays it for investigation for the user.

It is left for the user to change the word or if spelt correctly to add it to the spelling checkers dictionary. Often the market word are personal names and technical terms.

MAIL MERGE FEATURE: This function allows a word processor to continue information from two or more files into the printed document. A good example is the production of formal letter. The form letter is prepared like any other document except that the inside addresses and salutation (variables) are blank. The names and addresses are then entered into another file. The word processor uses a command to merge the two files that each letter has a name

IMPORTING FILES FEATURES: Most word processor incorporation from other non- word processing files within a document, this functions is used for incorporating information in a financial package into a word processing document e.g a table values can be imported directly from the financial package rather than entered again from the keyboard.

PRINT SPELLER: This is software that enables the user to point one document while working on another document. This software directs the CPU (Central Processing Unit) to print the document, during the slices of time between keystrokes. It is important to note the fastest typist is lower than CPU can print the document. This enables several documents to be prepared at the same time.

2.1.2  WORD PROCESSORS AS AN AID TO DECISION MAKING

Regardless of the size on nature of the company’s business, modern office is an information management center where speed, efficiency and accuracy are essential to success. The more quickly and efficiently an in-coming information is processed, distributed and acted upon, the more successful the business is likely to be. To buttress this fact, let use consider the use of market information in product development and sales. Hence we shall compare the effect of information processing system on two different companies. Seven-up and Coke are two soft drink producers in a perfect competitive market. Both embarked upon period is marketing surveys to learn more about consumers preference of their products, coke has a fair, more efficient information processing system than Seven-up when the survey information got to coke’s marketing department, it was immediately channeled into system, where as at seven-up survey are delayed and piled on top of a file cabinets

At coke survey functions were handled by word processing operations and a computer while at seven up the revise was the case. The finding manually, the printing was also computerized at coke while seven up relied on hand fed copying machines. Coke complied its findings more quickly and accurately than its competitors. As a result coke’s management was able to act on its information with greater speed. Coke was able to discover three months earlier than seven-up that consumers do not want saccharin in their drinks

Coke immediately set out to design a new advertising campaign stressing the fact that its coke was saccharin – free. Within one month after timely was made know to the coke management, the first television and print advertisement appeared

At this point, seven-up was just beginning to debate on whether they should research on a way to develop its product saccharin.

By processing information more efficiently coke was in a better position to take immediate necessary decision than their competitors. As a result, they were able to maximize their sale and made higher profit than their competitors.

2.1.3  WORD PROCESSOR AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS

In the banking sector, word processor has been usually used as a filing system. This is because they handle huge volume of work. All financial transaction has to be confirmed by documentation of one find and another. Letters and statement have to be sent to disposition. Various satisfied records must be originated and kept to date. Because of the large amount variety of paper work, that major banks handle a number has integrated data processing and word processing into a comprehensive information processing system. A frequently produced document in a bank is a one-page customer letter composed of boiler plates paragraphs combine with variables. Letters like this are commonly sent out in a mass mailing as at the end of a fiscal period.

The ability of word processing equipment to restore previous stored text and then change that text into original but basically repetitive correspondent has been of great benefit to bankers.

It has been know for some people to store paper in files around the office. But this is not filing. According to Denyer (1965): Filing means the orderly arrangement and storing records so that they can be located when required.

The whole purpose of filing is have document available immediately when they are required. To this end, large organization sometimes organize all their filing system.

Wiley (1980) said that “ the aim of filing is to shorter the time it takes to transfer data from its source to the word processor and back to the user.”

Document stored in the electronic filing system such as the word processor can be retrieved at any stage so that change or deleted from the current file it can be stored in another part of the system, so that it can be looked at again at a later date before deciding whether to remove it altogether from the system. With the use of word processor in the bank, there is virtually no restrictions on the amount of information that can be stored.

2.1.4  CHALLENGES POSED BY WORD PROCESSOR TO THE SECRETARIES.

The challenges of word processor equipment during the recent past has made the office, the lye and the soul of any business organization, slow, cumbersome, and hand processing of data is being supplemented by automatic processing method of various finds

But the old, tiring and frustrating experiences in the traditional office like lowing the re-type a document several times is eliminated. Hence, secretary’s productivity and their job performance are activated through time saving and automatic devices.

While the analog that word processor in the office increase secretary’s efficiency and productivity are skeptical about the merits of word processor in the relation to the secretaries, their performance and productivity. The arguments are based squarely on social defeats and conjure up world of a mass unemployment on traditional secretaries who have failed in their bid to compete successfully with computers.

According a management service magazine (1983) EDP operation system using main frame and micro computers have now spreads to even every small firm with amazing rapidity. The speed and scope of this coverage have been so great that some authorities have required to it as a second industrial revolution and it is an undoubted fact that many secretaries have been forced out of secretarial profession due to consequent loss of jobs.

Again Baker (1983) stated that information technology will bring substantial reduction in office work and cause unemployment.

These are the view of people who are very skeptical about the challenges of word processor on secretaries job performance. Moreover these views and proposition are negligible compared with the over whelming opinion of those who viewed the word processing as a unique and indispensable development in industrial technology. The views of the Encyclopedia Britannica (180) the relationship between production and employment became very complex. The feared unemployment as a continued factor however never materialized and the increased productivity that was resulted from mechanization has created many jobs that it has destroyed.

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