AN EXAMINATION OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR IMPROVED SERVICE DELIVERY

AN EXAMINATION OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR IMPROVED SERVICE DELIVERY

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

1.1     Background Information to the Study

The background information to this study includes an introduction to records management, records management in government organizations and records activities in Nasarawa Local Government.

Records management is a fundamental activity of any given organization. Records are vital to every aspect of governance process and institutions of all kinds should highly embrace records management. According to ISO 15489, as cited by Healy (2001), “records management is a field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposal of records, including the processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records.” What actually keeps the public service going in any modern system of government is having recorded information, which is used for planning, decision making and controlling. For any effective planning, decision-making and controlling to take place, there must have been timely access to records (Amina, 2011).

Records are essential to businesses of all organizations. They improve the effectiveness of operations and document services in organizations by supporting the delivery of services, supporting administration, documenting rights and responsibilities of individuals and evidence of the work in public authorities. Implementation of proper records management leads to good public management since government activities are based on access to information contained in records (Smith, 2008).

According to Kulcu (2009), records are created and maintained to meet the goals and objectives of an organization. Records are the memories of an organization and are used in decision making and the basis of legal defensibility. Without records, governments would find it difficult to address social issues such as poverty, crime, social grants, AIDs, land information, and even the provision of basic services such as water and electricity (Makhura, 2005). Provision of information to people in every corner of the world would positively affect socio-economic and political development.

Fust and Graf (2002), as cited in Ngoepe (2008), suggest that records management is an essential part of government operations in all developing countries. Records management is a discipline that has become very popular in government institutions, non-governmental institutions, private institutions, industries and the society at large. Managing records is the foundation that any government body requires in order to provide effective services and fulfill its purpose of existence. This purpose includes enhancing accountability towards its citizens and protection of citizens’ rights.

Managing records is one of the cornerstones of effective delivery of public services. Governments require proper records to evaluate past performances and also to make future goals. Client satisfaction, quality performance of tasks, and measurable outcomes are increasingly becoming important responsibilities which depend on accessible and efficient records in all institutions (IRMT, 2000).

Today, governments are increasingly recognizing the fact that information is an important component of good governance. Governments are expected therefore, to manage records properly so as to use it to make prompt decisions, enhance accountability and transparency, and to meet their own information requirements (Nengomasha, 2009). Consequently records enable governments to improve service delivery, efficiently use available resources and respond to opinions of its citizens.

According to Ngulube (2004), organizations should ensure proper records management are in place to make possible that valuable information is not last loss of records would unable track of activities to the organizations concerned. Records last within an organization can neither be re-created nor replaced hence the need for proper records management practices (Yusuf & Chell, 2005).

According to Sturges (2000), very little effort has been put on proper records management in Africa. The situation in most developing countries records management is not a major concert for the information. With the rise of inform communication technologies today, Africa and the developing world must emphasis on the preservation and conservation challenges of electronic records. Managing information and records are vital assets to public institution and government agencies. They help agencies plan for short term and long term activities that are beneficial to the institution proper records management is important because it makes government accountable, help in decision making outlines duties, and enable growth enhances a corporate memory of an organization and drives communication within organizations.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Records management is an important activity in all organizations. Poor management of records can lead to difficulties in retrieval of information, with volumes of records clogging up office space. This situation undermines the effectiveness, accountability, and efficiency of the organization’s functions, leading to poor decision making, corruption, fraud, and abuse of the rights of the citizen (Sichalwe, Ngulube & Stiwell, 2011).

The undertaking of devolved functions by Nasarawa Local Government leads to generation of numerous records. In order for these governments to succeed in providing effective service delivery, they need to adopt sound records management practices. However, since county governments are relatively new entities, there is little research available on how they carry out records management activities. It is against this context that this study was designed to examine records management activities and recommend effective records management practices for Nasarawa Local Government.

1.3     Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study was to explore records management trends in Nasarawa Local Government.

1.4     Objectives of the study

The objectives of this study were to:

1. Establish the current state of records management practices in Nasarawa Local Government
2. Establish whether records management policies, procedures and filing systems have been implemented in Nasarawa Local Government
3. Evaluate the performance of the records management system in Nasarawa Local Government
4. Identify challenges facing records management systems in the provision of records facilities in Nasarawa Local Government

1.5     Research Questions of the study

This study sought to answer the following research questions:

1. What is the current state of records management practices in Nasarawa Local Government?
2. Are there records management policies, procedures and filing systems in place in Nasarawa Local Government?
3. Has the county government records management division established a relationship with other information stakeholders both internally and externally,  and how does this relationship or lack of it impact on records management in the department?
4. What challenges are faced in the management of records in Nasarawa Local Government?

1.6     Scope of the study

The study was conducted in Nasarawa Local Government. It would have been good to conduct research across the 47 counties but due to time allocated for the study and lack of enough resources it would be impossible to travel in 47 counties. Therefore, in this view the researcher chose L Nasarawa Local Government.

1.7     Significance of the study

The findings of this study would aid Nasarawa Local Government, other Local Government and organizations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in managing their records for improved service delivery. The findings intend to complement other existing studies and contribute to the body of knowledge in the records management field. The research findings also hope to form a firm foundation for other researchers in the area of records management.

1.8     Limitation of the study

Some respondents had specialty in ICT, secretarial and business management which limited their understanding on the concept of professional records management. Some respondents cited that they were uncomfortable filling questionnaires for the safety of their positions. To overcome these limitations, the researcher clarified questions when conducting data collection. The researcher also assured respondents that anonymity would be upheld in the study.

APPLICATION OF QUEUING MODEL IN IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY IN UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC MAIN BRANCH, GARKI ABUJA

APPLICATION OF QUEUING MODEL IN IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY IN UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC MAIN BRANCH, GARKI ABUJA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Time is a major determinant of individual or organizational success and/or failure. An effective usage of time will most likely lead to success, while time abuse or mismanagement will inevitably lead to delay in service, loss of income and consequently, business failure. Man has evolved into a time conscious being, bearing in mind that he has limited period to accomplished goals that are incremental in nature. In this modern era our daily life is encompassed by routines such as driving the kids to school, keeping the garden, shopping, fixing of furniture, banking, cooking and regular exercise, which demand effective usage of time. An attempt to over stay or spend much time in one of such activities will lead to a delay or failure to accomplish the other. Inherently, customers have developed the sense of getting results and replies on demand, such that they can move to the next scheduled activity without delay.

Unavoidably, all the sectors; agriculture, media, transport, oil and gas and mining among others in the country, depend directly or indirectly on the banking sector. For instance, an agriculturist who wants to import fertilizer from India will have to use the bank for financial transaction. If there is delay in the transaction, the delivery of fertilizer may also be delayed.

Customers arrive banking halls and ATMs in a random pattern, which frequently requires joining a queue, when the arrival rate is more than the service rate, they will have to wait till it is their turn for service; although, there are exceptions where high priority customers are attended to, irrespective of their time of arrival. Queuing is pleasant or endurable when the waiting time is small, but when queues become crowded and stagnant; agitation, discomfort and quarrels, even robbery, often breakout.

According to Cowling and Newman (1995), service quality has been widely used to evaluate the performance of banking services. Nowadays, with the development of information technology, customers increasingly expect higher services. At the same time, most of them are becoming more time conscious and wanting more convenience. In a country where customers queue in filling stations, restaurants, saloons, bus stops and banks, they are always on the look for a better alternative where they can spend less time to get the service they desire. However, queuing becomes an unavoidable bottleneck, when customers are faced with service alternatives that are synonymous with choosing between the deep blue sea and the devil. A queuing process consists of customers arriving at service facilities, then waiting in a line (queue) if all servers are busy, eventually receiving service, and finally departing from the facility. Thus, a queuing system is a set of customers, a set of servers, and an order whereby customers arrive and are served.

A common slogan in the U.S Army is “Hurry up and wait”. In many occasions in life, we had had to queue up, because of congestion i.e. the demand of customers on a particular facility is beyond what it could cope with. Many practical applications of queuing problems are encountered in Traffic flow, scheduling and facility design, employee allocation  and telephone.

The common experience in Nigeria is that most banks do not have the facilities and capacities to service the number of customers without much delay on the part of the customers. The problem in this regard had been that though bank customers for instance, have always been desirous of spending the least possible time in banking transactions, this age-long desire is yet to be met by the banks. Banks on the other hand, want to attract, retain customers and at the same time optimize profit. Profit making in banks is a function of management ability to provide efficient services to customers at little or no time wastage (Agbadudu, 1995).

To curb the menace and epidemic of queuing that has plagued its banking system, in the recent past, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had initiated and implemented initiatives and policies varying from the liquidation of banks to the cashless policy which includes e-banking, mobile banking and the use of automated teller machines (ATMs). Punch Newspaper (2012) reported that 60,000 Nigerians depend on   one ATM, whereas the ideal number is 15,000 people to one ATM.

In  United Bank For Africa Plc Main Branch, Garki Abuja, the situation is not different. Its population which includes; farmers, teachers and lecturers, traders, business men and women, and a large proportion students also face the menace of poor service delivery at ATMs as a result of queuing. At UBA Plc. customers are seen sweating profusely from heat and long hours of standing in the queue to use the ATM. Poor network, insufficient and inefficient ATMs are some of the perceived causes of these queues. Furthermore, the queues in UBA Plc. can also be attributed to unavailability of banks to meet the demand of the increasingly population. It against this background that this study seeks to examine the application of queuing model in improving service delivery in United Bank For Africa Plc Main Branch, Garki Abuja.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The obvious cost implications of customers waiting, ranges from idle time spent when queue builds up, which results in man-hour loss, to loss of goodwill, which may occur when customers are dissatisfied with a system. However, a number of customers go to bank hoping to complete a transaction within a particular period of time and return to some other activity but eventually spend unimaginable long time waiting to be served; however, what is the expected time a particular customer is to spend in the bank? The focus of this research work therefore is to carry out to examine the application of queuing model in improving service delivery in United Bank For Africa Plc Main Branch, Garki Abuja.

1.3     AIM AND OBJECTIVES

1.3.1  AIM

The aim of this research is to examine the application of queuing model in improving service delivery in United Bank For Africa Plc Main Branch, Garki Abuja.

1.3.2  OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of this research work are to estimate:

1. Traffic intensity in the bank.
2. The possibility that a customer will have to wait for service.
3. The mean time a customer is to spend in the ATM system.

1.4     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

At the end of this research work, the researcher intends that it provides valuable information on queuing system and customer satisfaction to banks, bank customers, financial policy makers and the society at large; thereby prompting actions toward a better customer service experience.

• This research can help bank ATM to increase its QoS (Quality of Service), by anticipating, if there are many customers in the queue.
• The result of this paper work may become the reference to analyse the current system and improve the next system.
• Banks can now estimate the number of customers waiting in the queue and the number of customers going away each day.

1.5     DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study is limited to only one commercial bank  that is United Bank For Africa Plc Main Branch, Garki Abuja.

1.6     LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Some of the challenges faced at the cause of this work are;

• The research was conducted within limited time
• Unavailability of finance
• Gathering of data through observation was time consuming and labour intensive.
• There is a room for systematic bias on the part of the researcher as he collects the data.

1.7     DEFINITION OF TERMS

Queue: a collection of items in which only the earliest added item may be accessed. It is line feeding a number of servers.

Service delivery: Service delivery can be defined as any contact with the public administration during which customers – citizens, residents or enterprises – seek or provide data, handle their affairs or fulfill their duties.

Server:  an operation fed by a queue

Utilization: a measure of how busy the system is.

ATM: Automated Teller Machine