A importância percebida de competências financeiras para profissionais de Secretariado

Abstract

Recent changes in the economy require better qualified professionals who have the ability to develop different skill sets. The secretarial professional has the characteristic of possessing general knowledge in different areas. However, we do not find any literature on the financial skills required for the profession. Based on this context, the goal on this paper is to contribute to understanding the importance that financial skills play in the routine of the professional secretary. The application of descriptive statistical technics, exploratory factorial and multiple regression analysis to empirical data gathered from a sampling of 274 professionals, resulted in the identification of eight main elementary financial skills for this profession: 1) request quotes and estimates; 2) negotiate with customers and/or providers, as per the organization´s financial policies 3) create reports regarding quotes and prices to assist in decision making 4) create reimbursements reports following the organization´s financial policy; 5) use electronic spreadsheets (Excel) for financial calculations; 6) interpret information regarding interest rates and/or prices adjustments 7) use of common calculator (simple operations) and 8) interpret information with discounts. A Financial Skills Scale for Secretarial Professionals was also developed.