CHAPTER 1

1.1   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

        A natural consequence of the systematic view of organization is that it is made up of subsystems or components which are interdependent and interrelated.

        Any of these components can derail or be operated in a way that is inconsistent with requirement for efficient attainment of organizational goal. It becomes the role of the manager, therefore to operate instrument of control to ensure that there is integration of the component part for goals attainment.

        Personnel performance appraisal is one of these instruments of control.

        The human component serves as the head as it were which circulates and energizes every subsystem of the organization as system.

        The University of Benin was found in 1970. It started as an institute of technology and was accorded. The status of a full fledged university by National Universities Commission (NUC) on 1st July, 1971. In his budget speech in April 1972, the then military governor of mid-western state, col S.O Ogbemudia. (then also visitor to the university) formally announced the change of the name of the institute of technology to the University of Benin, on 1st April, 1975. The University at the request of the state government, was taken over by the federal government and became a federal university at the onset, the university was situated at Ekewan Road in 1972, a project to build a main campus at Ugbowo and Ekosodim governance with Engineer Daniel Uheniwen as the director. Today the main site campus, is at Ugbowo, but some courses are still offered at Ekewen campus. Today, the university has continued to grow from strength to strength with a number of faculties, department, institutes and units.

        Following NUC’s directives, the university experimented with the collegiate system in 1971/72 and 1992/93.

        However, the light of new developments the university reverted to the faculty system except for the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Basic Medical Science and Institute of child health which reverted back to the collegiate system in August, 1999 with a provost as its administrative head.

        The faculties as presently constituted are those of Agriculture, Arts Education, Engineering, Law, Life Science, Pharmacy, Physical Science, Social Science and college of medical science (which has three schools, Basic medicine and the institute of child health). In January 2006, the federal government approved the take off of the college of petroleum and gas engineering of the University of Benin ate Effunin, near Warri in Delta state, with the initial population of hundred (100) students in two department petroleum engineering and gas engineering.

        The university offer course at various levels, post graduate undergraduate, diploma and certificate. Presently, the total student enrolment stands at over 40,000 made of both full time and part time students share among the various faculties. So personnel performance appraisal attempt to identify, record and analyse the expectation of the organization. It is base on the assumption that members of the organization respond differently and in varying degree to stimuli to which they are exposed in their work.            

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

        The problem of the study is whether personnel appraisal make the employee’s to put in their best in order to increase production and good rendering of services in an organization. In service sector for example rampart change of weak performance in very high among workers and there are many factors that contributed to this trend. Some of them are lack of information and skills for proper appraisal of employees. This has caused harm to the growth and development of management system in Nigeria.

        Another problem is that some managers or personnel to follow the due process or procedure, when they are appraising the employees. They judge employees base on their personnel perception, they have employee’s who have caused harm to the organization.

        This project is also directed at providing solution to improve and encourage proper personnel appraisal in management system in Nigeria, precisely university of Benin, Benin City, Edo state.

1.3   OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The primary objective of this study is examinational cum determination of the effect of personnel appraisal in a routinised management system in Nigeria particularly emphasis on university of Benin, Edo state.

        The onus of this examination lies on the fact that personnel appraisal is very useful in management system in Nigeria especially the above tertiary institution mentioned for development planning as well as source of reference for further ideological endeavour for today’s generation and our good children yet unborn who might wish to narrow the spectrum of ignorance and widening that of knowledge in this area of study.

These are some of the objectives:

1.          To identify the relationship between personnel appraisal and employee’s performance.

2.          To examine the usefulness of employee’s performance appraisal in an organization.

3.          to determine if there is need adapting the use of management by objective (MBO) techniques in employee’s performance appraisal.

4.          To examine the role of personnel management in achieving organizational goal by utilizing employee’s performance appraisal.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTION

The following research question where develop by the researcher.

1.          Is there any relationship between personnel appraisal and employee’s performance?

2.          What are the usefulness of employee’s performance appraisal in an organization?

3.          Is there any need of adapting management by objective (MBO) techniques in appraising employee’s performance?

4.          Does personnel management effectively utilizes employee’s performance in achieving organizational?

1.5   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The research work is delimited in scope to include only the selected institution, university of Benin, Benin City, Edo state. Nigeria respectively, which the study intended to cover the personnel appraisal in routinized management system, in the university of Benin, Benin city, Edo state.

1.6   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Considering the research topic which is personnel appraisal in a routinized management system in Nigeria. The following groups of people could derive great benefit from it. The management in all employment cadre would be enlightened in the role expected on them in ensuring proper personnel appraisal and achieving the organizational goal. Secondly, this could expose the differences of practicing personnel appraisal to lecture in higher institution of learning, with the hope or correcting potential practitioner in the field before they go to the practice again. The outcome of the research would spurs organization with our proper appraises of performance in management to make adjustment.

        Finally would benefit future researcher on some topic as the material would be great source of better guide to them. It will also be great benefit to an organization to know the usefulness  and functions of personnel management department in an organization.

1.7   DEFINITION OF TERMS

The terms use in this study which have special meaning that are likely to be subject to different interpretation by various readers of this work are under defines as follows:

1.          Personnel appraisal: This is programme, systematically adapted to identify record and analyse the performance of an individual on the job for a period of time usually one year.

2.          Performance appraisal: It is a process of establishing goal and appraisal the work done towards those goals such as dependability and initiative that are subjective in nature.

3.          Employee’s performance appraisal: This is the process of placing value on the performance of people in the organization with a view to enhancing the individual and organizational developmental.  

4.          Job Evaluation: Is the process of determining without regard to personalities, the worth of one job in relation to another in the organization.

5.          Training: This is seen as acquisition of skill, utility competitiveness related as the profession less prone to redundancy and is versatile to job task.

6.          Motivation: This could be define as those factors that prompt employee to perform optionally in their designated task.

7.          Job Description: Is a written statement of what the job holder actually does, the specific activities involve and the type of tools machinery and supplies needed.

8.          Job Design: Is a process that is concern with the contents functions and relationship of job that are directed towards the accomplishment of organizational purpose and certification of the personnel needs of the individual job holder. Selogu (1980).

9.          Career Development: It is a process that help to provide job information, help the organization to draw up channel of promotion, and provide the employee with data concerning opportunities and requirement for career with the organization.

10.      Job Rotation: Is the switching of people between jobs involving similar tasks and boredom.

11.      routinised: Can be define as process of developing into a regular process by which things are been done in an organization.

12.      Goal: Is an open ended statement of what one want to accomplish with no qualification of what is to be achieved and no time criteria for completion.