CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1              BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:
Many decades back, very little attention was given to information
organization. Management had been mostly concerned with the proper application of management principles on resources to keep the organization going.  But recently, there has been an overwhelming realization of the importance of information as the life-wire of any organization.  Before any business is set up, there must be relevant information relating to that line of business and data has to be collected and evaluated to make sure that the business will be a viable one.  So also strategies relating to that business line should be planned ahead of the commencement of the business if the business is expected to succeed.  Hence for better planning and good decision making management must have at their disposal, ready and accurate information.  This great importance now placed on information has been necessitated by the ever-increasing scope of communication and the expanding size and complexity of today’s business environment.  Much emphasis is now placed on information to all walks of life and in particular to business environment or resources as regards filing in an organization.  Efficient filing system in an organization helps the management of such organization in taking or making timely and accurate decisions.  Information, as defined by Ottih (1989) is data that has been processed in any way that is beneficial to the recipient.  Which means that data in its raw form has to be processed and shaped into useful information for managerial use.  The act of data processing therefore is the collecting, classifying summarizing, reponting and sorting of information (Lyon and Ivancevich, 1976). The pieces of written fact relating to the running of the organization are what constituted its records.  According to Johnson and Kallous (1974) filing system is an act that emerged with data processing and is primarily concerned with systematic handing and proper filing system of an organization from its creation to its final disposal.
            Records keeping dates back to the early man when the act of writing began.  Not having any need for much record to be kept, the early man kept records of very memorable events in caves, stone, wax parchments earthenware vessels.  Some of these were also buried in the earth and dug up after several years.  In cities of early civilization like Ancient Egypt and in the Roman days there came a realization of the convenience of arranging and keeping together in one place, all papers received from individuals of organizations people kept records of all purchases and sales of land and referred to them from time to time (Payne 1970).