Friday, November 29, 2019
Relevance in Modern Society Essay Example
Relevance in Modern Society Essay This essay will look at social influence and explore the concepts of conformity and obedience looking at related studies and their relevance in modern British society. The term social influence refers to the way social situations can influence our behaviour and beliefs. This essay will focus particularly on the reasons and the extent to which people conform to group pressure or majority influence and obey the orders of authority figures. David Myers (1999 cited in Cardwell et al. 2004, p.155) described conformity as ââ¬Å"a change in behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group pressureâ⬠this is something most people can identify with; the feeling that we are under pressure to act a certain way so that we are accepted or do not stand out of the group. There are two main reasons why people conform; Normative Social Influence ââ¬â wanting to be liked or accepted by the group and Informational Social influence ââ¬â not wanting to be wrong or seem out of place. In Aschââ¬â¢s original 1951 experiment he wanted to test whether people would give an incorrect answer because of the influence of the group even though there was a clear correct answer (Lawton et al, 2011, p155). To test this Asch used 50 male college students as naà ¯ve participants. Believing that they were taking part in a vision test, the participants were put into groups with 6 other male students who were confederates of the experimenter. They were each shown two cards; one test card showing one vertical line and another showing three vertical lines of varying length. One of the three lines was always obviously of equal length to the test line. We will write a custom essay sample on Relevance in Modern Society specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Relevance in Modern Society specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Relevance in Modern Society specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer They were asked to call out in turn which of the three lines they thought was the same length as the test line. The naà ¯ve participants were always last but one to answer. In 12 of 18 trials the confederates gave a unanimous incorrect answer, these 12 trials were called the critical trials. Participants conformed on 32 per cent of the critical trials, 74 per cent of participants conformed at least once and no participant conformed on all of the critical trials. In post-experimental interviews Asch found that some participants said they conformed because they didnââ¬â¢t want to look silly or be the minority even though they knew they were giving an incorrect answer. These participants were affected by normative social influence; they conformed so that they would be accepted by the group. However most participants said they conformed because they thought that their perception of the lines must have been inaccurate as everyone else had seen something different. This is informational social influence; the participants questioned their own judgement because they felt the majority could not be wrong. Although Aschââ¬â¢s study provided a controlled way of measuring conformity, there are some criticisms of his research. This type of situation is unlikely to occur in everyday life, showing the experiment lacks ecological validity. Another criticism is Aschââ¬â¢s limited sample of participants. Not only does this sample not represent cultural differences; non-Western cultures like Japan and China are generally more likely to conform than Western cultures like the USA (Gross and Rolls, 2003). But also, a group of all male college students may be more or less likely to conform because they are among their peers. As people in the USA in the 1950s were more conformist and conservative than our current more liberal and individualist society, Aschââ¬â¢s research has little relevance to modern day British society. Zimbardo et al (1971) conducted an experiment that aimed to investigate how readily people would conform to social roles and whether brutality of prison officers was due to the individualââ¬â¢s personal characteristics or the prison environment (Simply Psychology [online]).à Zimbardo et al (1971) selected healthy, emotionally stable, male volunteers to take part in a two week experiment. The volunteers were randomly assigned roles of prisoner or guard. Prisoners were then arrested by local police, blindfolded and taken to a mock prison in the basement of Stanford University where they were issued with prison uniform and a prison number. The guards wore military-style uniforms with reflective sunglasses and carried a truncheon and handcuffs. The experiment was abandoned after just six days as the guards conformed so enthusiastically to their role, becoming aggressive and abusive towards the prisoners. After guards tackled an initial rebellion two days into the study the prisoners because submissive and began to develop signs of depression and anxiety. Some prisoners showed such severe symptoms that they were released from the experiment early.
Monday, November 25, 2019
5 Tips for Writing a Great UPenn Essay
5 Tips for Writing a Great UPenn Essay SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The University of Pennsylvania requires all first year applicants to submit a personal essay as well as a Penn-specific essay. If youââ¬â¢re hoping to be one of the 8% of students admitted to Penn every year, your UPenn essay is an important part of your application. Youââ¬â¢ll need to make sure your essays are strong to increase your chances of admission. In this article, weââ¬â¢ll go over the UPenn essay logistics - covering exactly what you need to write for each college youââ¬â¢re applying to at UPenn. Then, weââ¬â¢ll break down each prompt, offering suggestions for what to write about. Finally, weââ¬â¢ll give tips on how to write an amazing UPenn essay thatââ¬â¢ll help you get into your dream school. What Are the UPenn Essay Prompts? If youââ¬â¢re applying to UPenn, you must submit your application to one of UPennââ¬â¢s four undergraduate schools. Depending on which undergraduate program youââ¬â¢re applying to, youââ¬â¢ll need to answer the UPenn specific statement as well an additional essay for that school. The UPenn specific essay is a traditional ââ¬Å"Why UPennâ⬠essay that asks you to elaborate on why you want to attend UPenn as well as what you hope to study at the undergraduate school youââ¬â¢re applying to. Hereââ¬â¢s that prompt: How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying. (400-650 words) *Students applying to Digital Media Design and Computer Cognitive Science should address both the specialized program and single-degree choice in their response. For students applying to the other coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer this question in regard to your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay. Depending on the undergraduate program youââ¬â¢re applying to, you may have to write an additional essay as part of your application. Here are those additional essay prompts and the program for which they apply: The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business: Discuss a current international issue, which demonstrates how international affairs and business intersect and explain how the Huntsman curriculum might assist to resolve the issue. (500 words maximum) The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Science and Management: LSM seeks students who are enthusiastic about combining science with management. What excites you about this combination? What kind of benefits could training in both disciplines bring? Be as specific and original as possible in addressing these questions. (400-650 words) The Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology: Please complete both prompts. Question 1: Identify a disruptive technology, one that many consider could drive truly massive economic and societal transformations in the coming years. Argue why the technology may not be as successful as observers think and suggest ways to address the concerns. (400-650 words) Question 2: Describe a problem that you solved that showed leadership and creativity. (250 words maximum) The Rejendra and Neera Singh Program in Networked and Social Systems Engineering: Describe your interests in modern networked information systems and technologies, such as the internet, and their impact on society, whether in terms of economics, communication, or the creation of beneficial content for society. Feel free to draw on examples from your own experiences as a user, developer, or student of technology. (400-650 words) Nursing and Healthcare Management: Discuss your interest in nursing and health care management. How might Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business help you meet your goals? (400-650 words) Seven-Year Bio-Dental Program: Please list pre-dental or pre-medical experience. This experience can include but is not limited to observation in a private practice, dental clinic, or hospital setting; dental assisting; dental laboratory work; dental or medical research, etc. Please include time allotted to each activity, dates of attendance, location, and description of your experience. If you do not have any pre-dental or pre-medical experience, please indicate what you have done that led you to your decision to enter dentistry. List any activities which demonstrate your ability to work with your hands. What activities have you performed that demonstrate your ability to work cooperatively with people? Please explain your reasons for selecting a career in dentistry. Please include what interests you the most in dentistry as well as what interests you the least. Do you have relatives who are dentists or are in dental school? If so, indicate the name of each relative, his/her relationship to you, the school attended, and the dates attended. The Roy and Diana Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research: Describe your interests in energy science and technology drawing on your previous academic, research, and extracurricular experiences that allow you to appreciate the scientific or engineering challenges related to energy and sustainability. If you have previous experience with research, describe your research project (outlining the goals, hypotheses, approach, results, and conclusions). Describe how your experiences have shaped your research and interests, and identify how the VIPER program will help you achieve your goals. Also, please indicate which VIPER majors in both science and engineering are most interesting to you at this time. (400-650 words) UPenn Essay Prompts, Analyzed In this section, weââ¬â¢ll analyze each of the UPenn supplement essay prompts and offer suggestions for what you should talk about (and avoid) for each. Penn-Specific Essay How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying. (400-650 words) *Students applying to Digital Media Design and Computer Cognitive Science should address both the specialized program and single-degree choice in their response. For students applying to the other coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer this question in regard to your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay. The first prompt, which all students must answer regardless of what program theyââ¬â¢re applying to, is a traditional Why UPenn essay. It asks you to explain why you want to attend UPenn. While these types of prompts are common, the Why UPenn essay prompt focuses specifically on academics - itââ¬â¢s not concerned with your interest in UPennââ¬â¢s extracurriculars or campus life. Your answer, then, needs to be specifically focused on your academic pursuits and how UPenn will help you achieve your goals. Youââ¬â¢ll need to talk about how the undergraduate school youââ¬â¢re applying to affects your academic interests, so do your research on the school. You donââ¬â¢t want to talk about a class that you wonââ¬â¢t have access to because itââ¬â¢s in another undergraduate school. All of your answers should be reflective of the courses youââ¬â¢ll be able to take if admitted to the undergraduate school of your choice. You should have a good sense of the classes offered by your program. Itââ¬â¢s a good idea to name specific classes or professors youââ¬â¢d like to study with. Similarly, if there are any specific opportunities available to students in your field, such as internships or study abroad programs, this essay is the place to talk about it. The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business Discuss a current international issue, which demonstrates how international affairs and business intersect and explain how the Huntsman curriculum might assist to resolve the issue. (500 words maximum) For the Huntsman essay, youââ¬â¢ll need to pick a specific international issue and discuss how it relates to your planned course of study. The key to this essay is to pick an issue that you know well. You want to sound knowledgeable and informed about the topic. Donââ¬â¢t try to pick a topic that you think is important to the admissions committee - stay true to yourself and what youââ¬â¢re interested in so that your passion comes across as authentic. Youââ¬â¢ll also need to relate the essay back to your potential studies at Huntsman. Come armed with specific examples from the Huntsman curriculum, whether thatââ¬â¢s classes, professors, or other opportunities. You should be able to explain how your examples relate to the issue you focus on. The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Science and Management LSM seeks students who are enthusiastic about combining science with management. What excites you about this combination? What kind of benefits could training in both disciplines bring? Be as specific and original as possible in addressing these questions. (400-650 words) The LSM essay is a traditional college prompt, seeking to understand why youââ¬â¢re applying to this particular program. The trick to answering this essay well is to make your response as personal as you can - anything inauthentic to you as a student will read as off to the admissions committee. Youââ¬â¢ll also need to be specific in your answer, so if you have a particular career path in mind, be sure to highlight it. While the prompt calls for originality, donââ¬â¢t stretch yourself trying to come up with an out-of-the-box answer to impress your essay readers. Your answer needs to be realistic and authentic. The Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology Please complete both prompts. Question 1: Identify a disruptive technology, one that many consider could drive truly massive economic and societal transformations in the coming years. Argue why the technology may not be as successful as observers think and suggest ways to address the concerns. (400-650 words) Question 2: Describe a problem that you solved that showed leadership and creativity. (250 words maximum) Youââ¬â¢ll need to complete two additional essays if youââ¬â¢re applying to the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology. For the first question, write about something that is both genuinely transformative and has real potential problems that can affect people on a massive scale, like virtual reality, which may offer people the ability to experience new things, but also has lots of ability to be manipulated. The problems you pick should have real consequences but also real solutions. The admissions committee wants to see that you think critically, so you need to demonstrate that you can see beyond the potential benefits of a technology to understand how it may be abused or misused. The second question is also concerned with your problem-solving ability. This classic prompt wants to know about a time when you faced adversity and either overcame it or learned from it. Donââ¬â¢t be afraid to show yourself tackling a real challenge here - your ability to persevere is more important than showing that you never make mistakes. The Rejendra and Neera Singh Program in Networked and Social Systems Engineering Describe your interests in modern networked information systems and technologies, such as the internet, and their impact on society, whether in terms of economics, communication, or the creation of beneficial content for society. Feel free to draw on examples from your own experiences as a user, developer, or student of technology. (400-650 words) The easiest way to answer this prompt is with a story. Tell the admissions committee how you became interested in this line of study. You should be as specific as possible in your answer. After all, the prompt calls for examples from your own experience. You should be able to clearly articulate where your interest stemmed from. Donââ¬â¢t feel like you have to talk about everything that interests you within this field - focusing on one or two clear examples that you have a lot of interest in will go further than trying to talk about everything related to networked information systems and technologies. Nursing and Healthcare Management Discuss your interest in nursing and health care management. How might Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business help you meet your goals? (400-650 words) You have plenty of space in this prompt (up to 650 words), so you should make sure to address both parts of the question - why youââ¬â¢re interested in Pennââ¬â¢s nursing and healthcare management program and how the program will help you achieve your future goals. Key to answering the second part of the prompt is to have some future goals thought out - have a specific idea of what you want to do with your degree. Then, tie that back to things you can study at UPenn. It would be helpful for this prompt to familiarize yourself with aspects of UPennââ¬â¢s program - courses, professors, learning and employment opportunities. The more you can show why UPenn is the right school for you to achieve your goals, the better your essay will be. Bio-Dental Program Please list pre-dental or pre-medical experience. This experience can include but is not limited to observation in a private practice, dental clinic, or hospital setting; dental assisting; dental laboratory work; dental or medical research, etc. Please include time allotted to each activity, dates of attendance, location, and description of your experience. If you do not have any pre-dental or pre-medical experience, please indicate what you have done that led you to your decision to enter dentistry. List any activities which demonstrate your ability to work with your hands. What activities have you performed that demonstrate your ability to work cooperatively with people? Please explain your reasons for selecting a career in dentistry. Please include what interests you the most in dentistry as well as what interests you the least. Do you have relatives who are dentists or are in dental school? If so, indicate the name of each relative, his/her relationship to you, the school attended, and the dates attended. The prompt for the Bio-Dental program is extensive. Attack it in pieces, being as specific as possible when answering each question. Donââ¬â¢t feel that you need to make up any specific experience. If you havenââ¬â¢t interned at a dentistââ¬â¢s office, donââ¬â¢t invent that experience. You should stick to reality. If you havenââ¬â¢t observed at a dentistââ¬â¢s office, you can set up a time to visit a local dentist so that youââ¬â¢re writing about your real experience, not something youââ¬â¢ve invented. When listing your activities, be sure to indicate how each is relevant to dental skill. Maybe you do a lot of needlepoint, which shows that youââ¬â¢re able to carry out complex patterns. Again, you donââ¬â¢t want to make anything up. Not only will your essay read as inauthentic, you wonââ¬â¢t have the experience you need to enter into the program. Take your time and work through this prompt in pieces if you have to. Be thorough, honest, and accurate. The Roy and Diana Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research Describe your interests in energy science and technology drawing on your previous academic, research, and extracurricular experiences that allow you to appreciate the scientific or engineering challenges related to energy and sustainability. If you have previous experience with research, describe your research project (outlining the goals, hypotheses, approach, results, and conclusions). Describe how your experiences have shaped your research and interests, and identify how the VIPER program will help you achieve your goals. Also, please indicate which VIPER majors in both science and engineering are most interesting to you at this time. (400-650 words) There are two parts to this prompt: why you are interested in this specific program and area of study and how UPenn will help you achieve your career goals. You have plenty of space in this prompt, so make sure you answer each aspect thoroughly. Donââ¬â¢t invent previous experience if you donââ¬â¢t have it - be honest and authentic in your answer. You should have a clear idea about which VIPER majors youââ¬â¢re interested in. Be prepared to name specific UPenn majors and provide reasoning, in the form of classes youââ¬â¢d like to take or professors youââ¬â¢d like to study with. 5 Tips for Acing the UPenn Supplement Hoping to write amazing UPenn supplement essays? Follow these key tips to do so! #1: Use Your Own Voice The point of a college essay is for the admissions committee to have the chance to get to know you beyond whatââ¬â¢s featured in other parts of your application. Your admissions essays are your chance to become more than just a collection of statistics - to really come alive for your application readers. Make sure that the person youââ¬â¢re presenting in your college essays is yourself. Donââ¬â¢t just write what you think the committee wants to hear or try to act like someone youââ¬â¢re not - it will be really easy for the committee to tell youââ¬â¢re lying. If you lie or exaggerate, your essay will come across as insincere, which will at best diminish its effectiveness and at worst make the admissions committee think twice on accepting you. Stick to telling real stories about the person you really are, not who you think UPenn wants you to be. #2: Be UPenn-Specific All of your UPenn essays should be UPenn-specific. Donââ¬â¢t be generic in your answers - the admissions committee should get the idea that you know about UPenn and that your answer is specific to that school, not about college in general. Donââ¬â¢t waste your time telling the admissions committee that UPenn has a world-class faculty - first of all, the admissions committee knows that and second, many universities do. Talk about why UPenn is the right school for you and be prepared to give real, concrete examples. #3: Do Your Research You can make your essay UPenn-specific by doing your research. Look into the course catalogue, visit your prospective majorââ¬â¢s website. Schedule a meeting with a professor or current student if you can. The more specific information you have, the better. #4: Avoid Cliches and Overused Phrases When writing your UPenn essays, donââ¬â¢t use cliches or overused quotes or phrases. The college admissions committee has probably seen numerous essays that state, ââ¬Å"Be the change you want to see in the world.â⬠You can write something more original than that! Each of the UPenn essays asks you something specific about your experience or background. Your essay should be 100% you - you donââ¬â¢t want the admissions committee to think, ââ¬Å"Anyone could have written this essay.â⬠#5: Check Your Work Your UPenn essays should be the strongest example of your work possible. Before you turn in your UPenn application, edit and proofread your essays. Run your essays through a spelling and grammar check before you submit and ask someone else to read your essays. You can seek a second opinion on your work from a parent, teacher, or friend. Ask them whether your work represents you as a student and person. Have them check and make sure you havenââ¬â¢t missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it possibly can be. #6: Have a Spike Whatââ¬â¢s a spike, you ask? In short, a spike is something that makes you stand out. Something that no (or very few) other applicants have. When youââ¬â¢re applying to college, itââ¬â¢s tempting to seem well-rounded and interested in all the things. Donââ¬â¢t do that. Your application wonââ¬â¢t stand out if youââ¬â¢re mediocre in band, on the track team, and on student council. It will stand out if you travel to Japan to perform with a world-class performance ensemble or qualify for the Olympic trials in shot put. When your focus is on one thing, youââ¬â¢ll be better at it than if you have to split your time and attention. It will also be more impressive on your resume. Final Thoughts Your UPenn essay is an important part of your application. Depending on the specific school you're applying to, you may have to write three or more essays. No matter which school at UPenn you're applying to, keep in mind: DO: Be authentic. Highlight your best qualities. Use specific examples of UPenn courses and professors you want to study. DON'T: Be generic. Make anything up about yourself. Split your focus by talking about too many different ideas. Whatââ¬â¢s Next? If you're applying to UPenn, you're likely applying to other colleges on the East Coast, too.Check out our expert guides to theWilliams essay (coming soon), theTufts essays, and theHarvard essay. Need help writing your Common App essay?Our tips will show youhow to write a Common App essayguaranteed to make you stand out from other applicants! Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Hayley Milliman About the Author Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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Thursday, November 21, 2019
Is there a future in Travel Agency in the UK Dissertation
Is there a future in Travel Agency in the UK - Dissertation Example In essence, the future of the travel agency industry in the United Kingdom perceives technology both as danger and useful business prospect, in line with adapting to realities in society. Examining the future of the industry of travel agencies in United Kingdom is valuable for the current players in the market, as it will help improve the current practice and help resolve the declining market. The study aims to evaluate the effects of technology in UKââ¬â¢s travel agency industry, in order to analyze the potential disadvantages it presents and the potential it presents for optimal utilization. Identifying the threats that the information and communication technology era presents is valuable in mitigating its effects to the Travel Agency industry. On the other hand, analyzing technology as a tool for business growth would reinforce business practice and promote growth. Apart from market players, the study will also be beneficial for scholarly and academic work, as it would contribu te to the body of knowledge that evaluates the correlation of tourism and technology, on both the negative and positive aspects. The current research will also be helpful for consumers, as a means of awareness and a more accurate reference for choosing the best option in booking holiday travels that best suits their needs. Lastly, the study is useful for future research, as it would delve on the projected impact of technology on UKââ¬â¢s tourism. Research Question 1. How does Information Technology (IT) negatively impact UKââ¬â¢s Travel Agency? 2. How does IT contribute to UKââ¬â¢s Travel Agency? 3. How does IT affect consumer behavior in terms of disintermediation? 4. How can IT improve UKââ¬â¢s Travel Agencyââ¬â¢s practice to sustain business? Research Aim To evaluate the effects of information technology on the future of United Kingdomââ¬â¢s Travel Agency Industry. Research Objectives 1. To identify and analyze the threats brought about by IT in UKââ¬â¢s trav el agency industry. 2. To determine the opportunities generated by IT in UKââ¬â¢s travel agency industry. 3. To analyze how IT affects consumer behavior on disintermediation. 4. To identify strategies to utilize IT in UK travel agencies to develop business practice. 2. LITERATURE The development of information technology, especially the widespread utilization of the internet medium has changed how the tourism industry functions. It can serve as both a boon and a bane, as it produces both opportunities and difficulties to the process and the stakeholders involved in the field of hospitality and tourism. Since the study focuses on travel agencies, the researcher will delve on the perspective of how travel agents are impacted due to the integration of the new technology to their line of work (Kilipiris and Zardava, 2012). Through the internet, both the behavior of the customers and the structure of the processes have been modified in the sense that it allows travel agents to sustain their visibility in distributing their services. However, as processes become automated, there is a risk that agents would be removed from the process and their roles would be fulfilled by virtual systems. It is important to note that in the event that their roles will be retained in the industry's structure, the utilization of technology would
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
To what extent is the work of philosophers such as Popper, Kuhn, Essay
To what extent is the work of philosophers such as Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos and Feyerabend useful in forming a critical judgement o - Essay Example This is expected to happen due to the circumstances when the principles that were initially used to form the foundations of economics were built, and that many changes have already happened during the course of modernisation in the next two hundred years or so (Smelser & Swedberg, 2010). Also, the major rearrangement of economic ideas in the late 1930ââ¬â¢s which was considered to be a ââ¬Å"revolutionâ⬠was not at all one in its entirety, and that it was only due to the proliferation of numerous competing schools of thought that eventually created the need to cull and select only those which are easily synthesized and revamped and can be used into the succeeding years, essentially recycling some ideas to suit the needs of modernity (Laidler, 1999). This kind of treatment to the field of economics created some unforeseen problems such as the difficulty of handling the rapidly-changing market trends, shifts and fluctuations between expected and actual economic growth, and the mismanagement of policies that were supposed to control fast price inflations, among others (England, 2000). The previously predictable thought patterns of most people have been replaced by the notion that due to the vast influx of ideas, various people might be thinking of different things and interests at any given time, which in turn counts for a greater variability in terms of anything that is beyond the basic necessities of everyday life (Roberts, Finnegan, & Gallie, 1985). As a result, market analyses today are much harder to handle not only due to the failure of the traditional rational choices that were initially able to predict consumer patterns, but also the changes that happen in the market trends that do not seem to repeat itself even after several decades (Smelser & Swedberg, 2010). These kinds of unpredictable results rose from the idea that economics can be treated in the same way as how most sciences are handled, and as a result forced economists to think like scien tists in a field that is more often than not as predictable as simple scientific inquiry, which in turn entails the need to change the way how economics must be tackled in the modern era (Keita, 1992). Many thinkers and philosophers were able to introduce new methods of thinking, as well as stating their own ideas and criticisms with regards to the validity and credibility of most scientific inquiry methods. However, some techniques of teaching and studying economics may not coincide with the scientific method, such as from deductive to inductive reasoning or the inverse of it, and problems could definitely arise if a field that mostly uses deductive reasoning such as economics is being dealt with in an inductive way, and this would not make any sense of the results, thus the standards of reliability become endlessly challenged, bringing about even more unexpected results (Blaug, 1980; Pheby, 1988). For example, if market trends were looked at in the same way as how the scientific m ethods work, then it is expected that consumers are highly predictable in terms of what they would prefer to do with their money, and even after ten years of observation things would still remain the same. While in the early days of the industrial revolution it may seem as though it is indeed easy to predict as to what items would be sellable within the season since there are only a few mass-produced items that the population could buy, nowadays due to various trends that seemingly change from a day to a month, this kind
Monday, November 18, 2019
Cultural Matrix and Summary Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Cultural Matrix and Summary - Coursework Example The name of this Icon is The Savior Acheiropoietos. Speaking about Byzantine architecture, the paramount object is the Church of Hagia Sophia. By this unique building the whole period in the development of architecture could be depicted (Brooks). The Byzantium Empire fell, because of attack of foreigners. However, its fall was caused not only by external attack, but by many internal problems (Weitzmann). The main of them are the economic downfall of Byzantium, first of all the fall of its craft and trade connected with the penetration of empire by foreign traders, who undermined its economy; the poor life of peasantry and the citizens of the town; aggravation of class contradictions in the society and the struggle inside the dominating group; feudal wars, treacherous policy of feudals. The self-interested politics of the countries of Eastern Europe, which did not provide Byzantium with any help in danger, also contributed to the fall of the Empire (Bowersock). Byzantium created the outstanding culture, maybe even the most outstanding in the Middle Ages, the only existing in Christian Europe till XI century. It was the continuation of the richest antique culture and the beginning of the culture of the Middle Ages. During many centuries Constantinople remained the only great city of the Christian Europe, which did not have any analogues (Kazhdan). The literature and art of Byzantium imposed influence on other peoplesââ¬â¢ culture. The remaining monuments and the great creations of art show to us the whole brilliance of the Byzantine culture. That is why Byzantium deservingly occupied the significant place in the history of the Middle
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Analysis of Staff Motivation Levels
Analysis of Staff Motivation Levels Abstract The objective of this project is to investigate whether employees at WILO company are well motivated and if there is a need for improvement of the level of employee satisfaction in WILO subsidiaries in Poland and Hungary. This research study presents the methods of employee motivation and the rewarding system adopted by WILO company. This project is a result of a theoretical study of available literature as well as empirical research conducted at the company in order to analyse the effectiveness of the implemented methods and system. The analysis has also provided background for defining the role of managers and the required skills in the process of motivating employees. In addition, salary and benefits, good atmosphere, interesting job, professional development and job security have been tested and proved to be key motivating factors for both Polish and Hungary WILO employees. Nowadays in the increasingly competitive global economy it seems to be of great significance that motivated employees might turn into the source of the companys competitive advantage, especially in such areas as: quality, service and costs. Therefore, there seems to be a necessity to create a committed workforce, which is an investment for the future resulting in boosted efficiency, creativity, increased turnover, and subsequently a strong position of the company on the competitive market. PREFACE The current competitive business world is focused on fast development and sustainability of strong position on the market, therefore companies search for various ways of ensuring their success. The success of the business seems to be an outcome of the interaction between employees vs. customers, product and the organisation. Therefore, to create a business oriented company these three elements have to work out together to generate a profit for the organisation and financial benefits for employees. Hence, it is significant for an organisation to create a culture where employees would feel appreciated. This might be reached by providing rewards and incentives or benefits in return for their effective work. As a result of this, employees are expected to make efforts to accomplish objectives of an organisation. Background Employee motivation is a key factor in the success or failure of any organisation. In hard economic times, which require companies to face the need to increase both budget cuts and productivity, it appears crucial to maintain workers loyalty and motivate them continuously. Should an organisation omit to motivate its staff, less productivity may occur, morale is not high as well as products and services are of a lower standard. I have selected the topic of motivating and rewarding of employees as my interests are focused on motivation programmes and I wish to gain an improved understanding of the area of building employee engagement. Moreover, my choice was dictated by my willingness to develop a better understanding of what precisely could motivate employees in different subsidiaries at WILO company. Furthermore, I wish to concentrate on factors which could potentially encourage employees to be committed to work and develop a better atmosphere at a workplace. The objective of the study The main objective of the project is to investigate whether employees at WILO company are well motivated and if there is a need for improvement of the level of employee satisfaction in WILO subsidiaries in Poland and Hungary. Moreover, the goal of the research is to conduct a theoretical study of selected literature as well as empirical data collection by means of a survey, questionnaires and interviews at WILO company. I will also attempt to analyse the data to be aware of the current level of motivation as well as classify significant motivators for the Polish and Hungarian employees at WILO company. Finally I wish to draw a conclusion to improve the level of satisfaction and to build a better committed workforce. Summary The project has been divided into six chapters: Introduction to the study, literature review, WILO company motivation and compensation system, methodology, results of the survey, and conclusion. The literature of the field presents all manner of findings concerning solutions to the problem of motivating and rewarding employees. For the purpose of formulating the main concepts of my thesis, I reviewed a wide variety of relevant literature, which serves to provide a theoretical background to my study. First part of the literature review covers the definition of motivation as well as various theories of motivation. Moreover, I explore Maslows hierarchy of needs theory, in comparison with Herzbergs theory, Alderfer as well as McClelland theory and McGregor theory (Schermerhorn, 2005). Furthermore, I focus on personalities and behaviour of employees and cover various issues regarding motivation and compensation systems, techniques and tools, and, in addition, I wish to explore the role of a manager. The following part focuses on a motivation and compensation system at WILO company. I will attempt to present the way of motivating and rewarding employees at WILO company as well as the benefits and perks received by WILO employees. Furthermore, I introduce the training system which is applied at WILO to boost productivity. The thesis will consist of two parts, that is a theoretical and a practical one. In the theoretical part of my thesis, I intend to examine selected literature of the field in order to present possible ways of motivating and rewarding. In the practical part of my thesis, I will conduct a research whose purpose is to analyse empirical data extracted by means of questionnaires carried out in the Polish and Hungarian subsidiaries of WILO company. My study will explore the role of leadership in the process of motivation and methods of improving working conditions, by means of bonuses provided by the company. Finally, I draw a conclusion and discover crucial findings regarding motivation and compensation of the Polish and Hungarian subsidiaries of WILO company. Motivating and rewarding employees is one of the most significant and the most challenging activities that managers perform. Managers invariably debate on ways of motivating, thus we are in a position to find numerous views and speculations regarding this topic. It appears to be crucial to demonstrate briefly paramount ideas regarding motivation and rewarding of employees, presented by different authors. Moreover, both academic researchers as well as practicing managers have attempted to understand and explain the problem of employee motivation for years (Robbins, Coulter, 2003 p. 425). Furthermore, effective managers who expect from their employees the maximum effort recognise that they are required to be familiar with the way employees are motivated as well as to modify their motivational practices to satisfy their needs. Chapter Two Literature Review Definition of Motivation There is hardly anything more frustrating than working hard, meeting or exceeding expectations and discovering that it doesnt matter to your company. You get nothing special, or you get what everyone else does. People need to get differentiated rewards and recognition to be motivated. (Jack Welch, 2005:107). There seems to be a wide variety of definitions of motivation. It is a term originally descended from the Latin word movere, which means to move (Rue, Byars, 2000). However, it has been extended to include the various factors by which human behaviour is triggered (Campbell Pritchard, 1976). What is interesting, the concept of the motivation was already well-known in ancient times as, for instance, Egyptian pyramids or the Great Wall in China without motivation and determination would not exist. It should be borne in mind that the problem of motivation is not a current development. Research conducted by William James in the late 1800s pointed out the significance of motivation. He assumed that hourly employees might keep their jobs by applying approximately 20 to 30 percent of their ability. Moreover, he found that highly motivated workers will perform at approximately 80 to 90 percent of their ability. Consequently, highly motivated employees are in a position to increase in performance as well as significantly decrease in problems such as turnover, strikes, absenteeism (Rue, Byars, 2000). As expressed by the 34th American president Dwight D. Eisenhower: Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. Motivation might be analysed by the following sequence: Consequently, in motivation needs create motives, which lead to the accomplishment of goals. Moreover, a motive is a stimulus which leads to an action that satisfies the need, which means that motives create actions. When employees achieve the goals, they satisfy the needs and simultaneously decrease the motive. Nonetheless, it might occur that other needs may arise. Understanding the motivation sequence provides managers with slight help in determining what motivates employees (Rue, Byars, 2000). Nowadays it is extremely important to have motivated employees in every organisation. While non-motivated employees will not provide good service, they are likely to make mistakes and the reputation of the organisation may suffer as a result. Therefore, all businesses need enthusiastic and committed employees who work to support organisational goals. What is important, motivation occurs within people; therefore work needs to meet their goals as well. Additionally, people have different motivation, consequently a reward that is attractive to one employee might be unimportant to another (Boddy, 2002). Moreover, one of the paramount factors which has an impact on efficiency and effectiveness of employees work as well as how they organise time at work is their motivation (Bruce and Pepitone, 2001). While, as claimed by Forsyth (2001), non-motivated employees tend to spend more time on breaks, surfing the internet or private discussion. Nevertheless, motivation commences with employee engagement, and engagement starts with effective communication skills. As mentioned by Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric (GE) and current Business Week columnist, no company, large or small, can succeed over the long run without energised employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it. It is also worth mentioning that three main words in this quotation remain the secret to motivating employees: energised, believe, understand (Gallo, 2008). Moreover, according to Carmine Gallo (2008), successful companies have employees who believe in their mission. As emphasised by Scott Cook (INTU), people want more than a paycheck. They want to feel as though they are part of something bigger than themselves. When discussing motivation, not only should we mention a different management style adopted in Europe in comparison to Asia and America, but also the differences between companies in the same country or even differences between workplaces in the same company. To understand better what precisely could motivate employees I will attempt to explore what motivation means in general. As claimed by Dessler (2004), a motive is an incentive that stimulates the person into the action or provides direction as well as hints to action. However, Robbins and Coulter (2003) presented a different view. They claim that motivation is the willingness which brings out high levels of strivings to achieve goals as well as to satisfy individual needs. What is more, studies conducted by Schermerhorn (2005), also provide a valuable input. He argues that motivation is in charge of the standard, direction, as well as tenacity of effort developed at the workplace. Moreover, in order to understand motivation, it is essential to understand human nature as it might be very simple or very complex at the same time. Hence, understanding the human nature is significant for effective motivation of employees at the workplace. Gary Dessler (2004) argues that motivation is the intensity of an employee desire to engage in some actions. However, Buford, Bedeian Lindner (1995) stated that motivation is a tendency to behave in an intentional manner to fulfil particular and insatiable needs. Nevertheless, Kreitner (1995) presented a different view. According to his statement, motivation is a psychological process that provides behaviour aim and direction. Furthermore, as defined by John Schermerhorn (2005) and subsequently supported by Stephen Robbins and Mary Coulter (2003), motivation is the willingness which presents the level, direction, and perseverance of effort expanded at work to satisfy some individual needs. As claimed by Kondo (1995), motivating the employees is one of the numerous conditions and policies recognised to achieve the objectives of each company. Moreover, people involved in a task have to be sufficiently motivated to overcome all difficulties. Therefore, by saying, a company is its people it is meant that () people are our most important assets (Schermerhorn, 2005). This statement demonstrates that a proper approach to people in an organisation is extremely important, that is, if managers treat employees appropriately, they will be repaid with effective work. What is important, even if we create an outstanding organisation, it will not be effective and even counter-productive if the employees lack motivation (Kondo, 1995). To conclude, highly motivated employees seem to be the most important assets for owners, chairmen, managers. Otherwise the productivity of the employees and the costs of the production will dramatically deteriorate. Personality and behaviour of employees It is commonly known that people differ in characters, abilities, values, behaviour, and needs. Moreover, different actions cause various reactions on people. One employee might jump whenever the boss wishes, while the other would not execute this order (Dessler, 2004). For a manager it is significant to be familiar with how to manage different personalities as ineffective management of a team with different personalities as well as working styles might lead to a failure of a particular project. As stated by Schermerhorn (2005) personality is the mixture or overall profile of characteristics that causes one person to stand out from all others. personality As claimed by Carl Jung, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a popular tool for measuring personality. This system is helpful for organisations to be familiar with the working styles of employees, balance teams and avoid conflicts. According to Myers-Briggs, assessment characteristics of personality are classified as: Introvert/Extrovert; Sensing/Intuition; Thinking/Feeling; and Judging/Perceiving. The MBTI questionnaires categorised people into 16 personality types along four scales (Mutchler, 1998). Employees who possess the introvert personality tend to be introspective, they are often an analytical and scrupulous team member. However, extroverts are active as well as easy-going and comfortable with expressing their ideas openly. The sensing/intuition personalities tend to measure process of information. A sensing person seems to be visual and fact-oriented, whereas an intuitive person has a tendency to be more open and creative. The thinking/feeling type of personalities refers to the decisions making. Thinkers draw conclusions based on external standards and regulations, however, feelers are more focused on protecting feelings and values. As team members, feelers might consolidate people, while thinkers are successful in expressing logical reasons behind decisions. Finally, judging/perceiving concerns the approach people have to their life. People with judging personality tend to be well organised and they know what to do about their daily activities, while people with perceiving personalities are more flexible and spontaneous. It is note-worthy that every team is enriched by diversity, therefore, a range of personalities might create a stronger team. Moreover, the diversity of the team might bring into a project different ideas, which is bound to increase performance and creativity of the team (Boddy, 2002). On the other hand, as claimed by Gary Dessler (2004) and illustrated in Figure 4. psychologists, nowadays emphasise the big five personality traits as they apply to such behaviour at work as extroversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience. Extroversion is personality where a person is outgoing, assertive and friendly. While emotional stability names someone who is relaxed, calm and secure. Moreover, this person is emotionally stable and confident. Agreeableness, in turn, is someone who is good-natured, cooperative and trusting. Furthermore, a person who possesses an agreeable personality is also in good relationships with others, and a disagreeable person generates conflicts and discomfort for others. The following personality is called conscientiousness. An employee with this character trait is responsible, trustworthy and careful. On the other hand, a person who lacks conscientiousness is careless and often doing little. Finally, openn ess is the degree, to which someone is curious, open to new idea and creative. What is more, an open person is tolerant, open to change and receptive to new things. Moreover a person who lacks openness is resistant to change, narrow-minded and has limited sources of interests (Schermerhorn, 2005). Many studies conclude that these five traits signify the essential structure of personality, and therefore influence how the person behaves (Beck, 2000). In addition, personality traits are not the only one factor which is responsible for persons behaviour at work. Therefore, individual differences in abilities also influence workers behaviour and performance (McCormick and Tiffin, 1974). To perform the work successfully every employee needs to possess appropriate abilities. However, even the most competent employee will not perform the task successfully without motivation. Therefore, Performance = Ability x Motivation (Dessler, 2004). As claimed by Richard Field (2002) the main goal of attitudes is information of how to act with regard to other person. Moreover, attitudes are significant in organisations as they affect behaviour. Additionally, we may distinguish three parts of work attitudes that are the affective, such as what the employee feels about work, as well as the cognitive attitude- what the employee thinks about the work and the international- what actions is the employee planning to perform at work. Moreover, the job satisfaction is influenced by both the work environment and by the employees personal traits. It has been assessed that the individuals personality constitute between 10% and 30% of employees job satisfaction, however, 40% to 60% of the discrepancy in job satisfaction is motivated by situational factors. Furthermore, the interaction between personality and the situation constituted between 10% and 20% (Field, 2002). Theories of Motivation There are numerous motivation theories, however, the universal theory of motivation, which can explain all its aspects does not exist as each person is unique and has different needs and expectations. Managers have for ages attempted to understand why for one person work is enthusiastic and challenging, and means a possibility to improve the ability, while for other person work is something which you have to perform, as compulsion to survive and for living in a good condition. Theories of motivation focused on how managers might motivate their subordinates. However, they also have to motivate other people such as colleagues, consumers, or other managers. Psychologists created three main approaches when studied what motivates employees such as the need-based, process based and learning/reinforcement-based approaches. Need-based Approaches to Motivation Need-based approaches to motivation concentrate on how needs trigger people to act the way they act as well as which needs are the most significant for each person. The most common theories of motivation are: Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Theory, Herzbergs theory, McClelland theory and McGregor theory. Scientists generally commence most discussions concerning motivation by explaining individual needs; therefore, as claimed by Schermerhorn (2005), a need is an unmet desire. An extremely significant and generally known theory of motivation is Maslows needs-hierarchy theory. Abraham Maslow a hierarchy of needs Abraham Maslow was an American clinical psychologist, who formed a theory of human motivation to understand the needs of his patients. This model suggests that people have different types of needs. He also found it useful to investigate data and observations of Douglas McGregor theory. He proved that the lower-order needs are leading until they are at least partly satisfied (Maslow, 1970). On the basis of this theory, an unsatisfied need can change a persons behaviour while a satisfied one can be a motivator of immediate action. As illustrated in Figure 5, Maslow argued that there is a hierarchy of five levels of needs. Starting from the lowest one, we may distinguish needs such as physiological, security, social, self-esteem and self-actualisation. Physiological needs are the needs essential for survival, such as: food, water, shelter and clothing. These needs may be satisfied in an organisation by monetary compensation. Maslow proved that if these basic needs are unsatisfied, people will focus on activities that allow them to obtain the necessity of life. If they do not fulfil these basic needs, they will not strive to reach the higher needs (Boddy, 2002). However, if the physiological needs are gratified, new needs would appear which he called security needs. These needs provide such values as: security, protection, stability, dependency (Maslow, 1970). They protect from fears, anxiety and chaos. In the event of this need being paramount for a person, a stable and regular job with secure working conditions may satisfy them. A company may meet these needs by medical or retirement benefits. The following need is belongingness which may be reached by assuring a place in the group or family. This need triggers affection and love and also requires closeness and cooperation with other people. This is the desire for acceptance and approval by friends and co-workers (Boddy, 2002). Maslow discovered that a wide variety of people possess self- esteem needs, which means self-respect and the respect of others. Self-respect is gratified when people have a sense of achievement, confidence, adequacy and competence. Moreover, people search for the respect of others, a desire for reputation in the eyes of other people such as prestige, status, attention and recognition. They wish to be noticed by others. In most cases they take challenging or difficult tasks just to demonstrate that they are good at their job. This behaviour gives them respect and status. To motivate employees through satisfying those needs, management may offer them recognition awards. Finally, Maslow named the paramount range of needs as self-actualisation, which provides the desire for self-fulfilment as well as potential. Maslows pointed out that this need only begins to dominate when the all lower-level needs have been relatively satisfied. People who wish to gratify self-actualisation needs will search for personal relevance in their work. They are more willing to value new responsibilities to realise their potential and also develop new talents, skills or horizons (Boddy, 2002). Unfortunately, on this level it is almost impossible to satisfy a person completely as this refers to the feeling of self-fulfilment and the realisation of ones potential, which become higher and higher during persons development. This need may be gratified by paying attention to allowing a person to participate in seminars or temporary assignments to special projects. Maslows hierarchy of needs model is referred to as a content theory, it focuses on what will motivate a person without exactly explaining why an individual is motivated. It is not a complete model of human motivation, but it does demonstrate how managers can approach the basic needs of their employees (Alderfer, 1969). Moreover, it suggests that there are significant differences among people in terms of the needs they may wish to satisfy. A manager should always have in mind that motivators may change over time due to environmental influences and the individuals life cycle. It is also note-worthy that, until basic needs are satisfied, people will not concentrate on high-level needs. However, there is little evidence that people must meet their needs in the same sequence of the hierarchy, for instance not all of them must gratify social needs such as affiliation and esteem before moving on to satisfy self-actualisation needs (Dalrymple, 1992). Furthermore, there are people for whom se lf-esteem is often more significant then love, however, for others creativeness is the priority. In this case, they are not searching for self-actualisation once they satisfied their basic needs. Others had such permanently low aspirations that they experienced life at a very basic level (Boddy, 2002). In other words, it is of great significance that human beings always have a variety of needs (Kondo, 1995). Clayton Alderfer- Existence Relatedness Growth (ERG) Theory The following theory provided by Clayton Alderfer (1969) was based on Maslows research and focuses on three needs: existence, relatedness and growth. His work was built on Maslows ideas, however, he presented an alternative to them. He created and researched his theory in questionnaires as well as interview-based studies conducted in five organisations such as: bank, a manufacturing firm, two colleges and a school. His existence needs are similar to Maslows physiological needs and to security needs such as: concern for losing the job and salary. They include physiological desires such as hunger and thirst which symbolise deficiencies in existence needs. Nevertheless, pay and benefits symbolise ways of satisfying material requirements (Dessler, 2004). Relatedness needs focus on relationships with important people such as: family, friends, but also bosses, subordinates, team members or customers. Additionally, they require interpersonal interaction to gratify the needs such as prestige and esteem from others. People gratify these needs by sharing thoughts and feelings. Moreover, acceptance, understanding, and confirmation are significant for satisfying relatedness needs (Boddy, 2002). Growth needs are approximately equal to Maslows needs for self-esteem and self-actualisation. People satisfy these needs if they deal with problems by using their skills or developing new talents (Alderfer, 1969). Maslows and Alderfer models can be distinguished in two major ways. Maslows created five sets of needs, while Alderfer formulated three. Moreover, Maslow claimed that each of the needs should be satisfied before moving to the next level of needs. However, Alderfer argued that existence, relatedness and growth needs are active simultaneously (Dessler, 2004). David McClelland- Need for Affiliation, Power and Achievement David McClelland (1961) examined the way people think in wide variety of situations. Moreover, he claimed that managers should satisfy employees higher-level needs. His research discovered three categories of human needs. They vary in degree in all employees and managers, and characterise style and behaviour. The need for affiliation means to develop and maintain interpersonal relationships. People who have the need for affiliation are motivated to maintain strong relationships with family and friends. In social meetings they attempt to create friendly atmosphere by being agreeable or providing emotional support (Litwin Stringer, 1968). The need for power means to be in a position to influence and control others. People with the need for power wish to influence others directly by providing opinions, making suggestions. They would find themselves as teachers or public speakers as well as leaders. However, the need for power depends on persons other needs. A person with a strong need for power but a low need for good relationships might turn into a dictator. Simultaneously, a person with strong needs for friendship might turn out to be a social worker or a cleric. McClelland assumed that a good manager is motivated by a regimented and regulated concern for influencing others (McClelland, 1995). It means that a good manager should have the need for power; however it always has to be under control. The need for achievement means taking personal responsibility and demonstrating successful results. People who have a strong need for achievement have a predisposition to reach a success, and they are searching for advancement at work. They possess the strong need to achieve satisfaction from challenging goal or task. These people prefer tasks in which success is reasonably achievable, consequently avoiding tasks which are too easy or too difficult (McClelland, 1961). To sum up, it is note-worthy that what is valuable to one person might mean nothing to another. One manager may aspire for promotion, while other is searching for stability and is more satisfied with a slower track. For some managers independence and autonomy are of great significance as they wish to work on their own, while others are more concerned with long-run career job security and also they wish to have stable future (Dessler, 2004). Frederick Herzberg Hygiene-Motivator (two-factor) Theory The following theory provided by Frederick Herzberg (1959) is Hygiene Motivation Theory. He split Maslows theory into lower-level (physiological, security, social) and higher-level (ego, self-actualisation) needs. According to the motivation theory proposed by Herzberg , motivation is managed by two different types of factors such as satisfiers and dissatisfiers. It seems that employees experience dissatisfaction with things such as low pay or noisy working environment and it is significant to eliminate these dissatisfiers. In turn, to motivate employees it is crucial to enrich daily work in satisfiers. Moreover, to motivate employees it is also significant to involve them in preparing working standards and setting work goals, precisely appraising their results, as well as rewarding them appropriately (Kondo, 1995). Herzberg conducted a research with 200 engineers and he focused on their experience of work. The respondents were asked not only to reminisce about a time when they had good time at work but they were also asked to bring back to memory a time when they felt bad at work and provide the background (Boddy, 2002). Research analysis demonstrated that when employees thought about good times they mentioned factors such as: recognition, achievements, responsibility, advancement, and personal growth, work itself, etc. However, when they were describing the bad time, they mentioned the following factors: supervision, company policy and administration, salary, working conditions, interpersonal relations, etc. Herzberg concluded that factors which generate dissatisfaction are hygiene factors and these satisfiers he called motivators, as they seemed to influence individual performance and effort (Herzberg, 1959). According to Herzebrg, it seems to be significant to motivate employees by creating challenges and opportunities for achievement. Consequently, dissatisfied personnel work with lower motivation and their Analysis of Staff Motivation Levels Analysis of Staff Motivation Levels Abstract The objective of this project is to investigate whether employees at WILO company are well motivated and if there is a need for improvement of the level of employee satisfaction in WILO subsidiaries in Poland and Hungary. This research study presents the methods of employee motivation and the rewarding system adopted by WILO company. This project is a result of a theoretical study of available literature as well as empirical research conducted at the company in order to analyse the effectiveness of the implemented methods and system. The analysis has also provided background for defining the role of managers and the required skills in the process of motivating employees. In addition, salary and benefits, good atmosphere, interesting job, professional development and job security have been tested and proved to be key motivating factors for both Polish and Hungary WILO employees. Nowadays in the increasingly competitive global economy it seems to be of great significance that motivated employees might turn into the source of the companys competitive advantage, especially in such areas as: quality, service and costs. Therefore, there seems to be a necessity to create a committed workforce, which is an investment for the future resulting in boosted efficiency, creativity, increased turnover, and subsequently a strong position of the company on the competitive market. PREFACE The current competitive business world is focused on fast development and sustainability of strong position on the market, therefore companies search for various ways of ensuring their success. The success of the business seems to be an outcome of the interaction between employees vs. customers, product and the organisation. Therefore, to create a business oriented company these three elements have to work out together to generate a profit for the organisation and financial benefits for employees. Hence, it is significant for an organisation to create a culture where employees would feel appreciated. This might be reached by providing rewards and incentives or benefits in return for their effective work. As a result of this, employees are expected to make efforts to accomplish objectives of an organisation. Background Employee motivation is a key factor in the success or failure of any organisation. In hard economic times, which require companies to face the need to increase both budget cuts and productivity, it appears crucial to maintain workers loyalty and motivate them continuously. Should an organisation omit to motivate its staff, less productivity may occur, morale is not high as well as products and services are of a lower standard. I have selected the topic of motivating and rewarding of employees as my interests are focused on motivation programmes and I wish to gain an improved understanding of the area of building employee engagement. Moreover, my choice was dictated by my willingness to develop a better understanding of what precisely could motivate employees in different subsidiaries at WILO company. Furthermore, I wish to concentrate on factors which could potentially encourage employees to be committed to work and develop a better atmosphere at a workplace. The objective of the study The main objective of the project is to investigate whether employees at WILO company are well motivated and if there is a need for improvement of the level of employee satisfaction in WILO subsidiaries in Poland and Hungary. Moreover, the goal of the research is to conduct a theoretical study of selected literature as well as empirical data collection by means of a survey, questionnaires and interviews at WILO company. I will also attempt to analyse the data to be aware of the current level of motivation as well as classify significant motivators for the Polish and Hungarian employees at WILO company. Finally I wish to draw a conclusion to improve the level of satisfaction and to build a better committed workforce. Summary The project has been divided into six chapters: Introduction to the study, literature review, WILO company motivation and compensation system, methodology, results of the survey, and conclusion. The literature of the field presents all manner of findings concerning solutions to the problem of motivating and rewarding employees. For the purpose of formulating the main concepts of my thesis, I reviewed a wide variety of relevant literature, which serves to provide a theoretical background to my study. First part of the literature review covers the definition of motivation as well as various theories of motivation. Moreover, I explore Maslows hierarchy of needs theory, in comparison with Herzbergs theory, Alderfer as well as McClelland theory and McGregor theory (Schermerhorn, 2005). Furthermore, I focus on personalities and behaviour of employees and cover various issues regarding motivation and compensation systems, techniques and tools, and, in addition, I wish to explore the role of a manager. The following part focuses on a motivation and compensation system at WILO company. I will attempt to present the way of motivating and rewarding employees at WILO company as well as the benefits and perks received by WILO employees. Furthermore, I introduce the training system which is applied at WILO to boost productivity. The thesis will consist of two parts, that is a theoretical and a practical one. In the theoretical part of my thesis, I intend to examine selected literature of the field in order to present possible ways of motivating and rewarding. In the practical part of my thesis, I will conduct a research whose purpose is to analyse empirical data extracted by means of questionnaires carried out in the Polish and Hungarian subsidiaries of WILO company. My study will explore the role of leadership in the process of motivation and methods of improving working conditions, by means of bonuses provided by the company. Finally, I draw a conclusion and discover crucial findings regarding motivation and compensation of the Polish and Hungarian subsidiaries of WILO company. Motivating and rewarding employees is one of the most significant and the most challenging activities that managers perform. Managers invariably debate on ways of motivating, thus we are in a position to find numerous views and speculations regarding this topic. It appears to be crucial to demonstrate briefly paramount ideas regarding motivation and rewarding of employees, presented by different authors. Moreover, both academic researchers as well as practicing managers have attempted to understand and explain the problem of employee motivation for years (Robbins, Coulter, 2003 p. 425). Furthermore, effective managers who expect from their employees the maximum effort recognise that they are required to be familiar with the way employees are motivated as well as to modify their motivational practices to satisfy their needs. Chapter Two Literature Review Definition of Motivation There is hardly anything more frustrating than working hard, meeting or exceeding expectations and discovering that it doesnt matter to your company. You get nothing special, or you get what everyone else does. People need to get differentiated rewards and recognition to be motivated. (Jack Welch, 2005:107). There seems to be a wide variety of definitions of motivation. It is a term originally descended from the Latin word movere, which means to move (Rue, Byars, 2000). However, it has been extended to include the various factors by which human behaviour is triggered (Campbell Pritchard, 1976). What is interesting, the concept of the motivation was already well-known in ancient times as, for instance, Egyptian pyramids or the Great Wall in China without motivation and determination would not exist. It should be borne in mind that the problem of motivation is not a current development. Research conducted by William James in the late 1800s pointed out the significance of motivation. He assumed that hourly employees might keep their jobs by applying approximately 20 to 30 percent of their ability. Moreover, he found that highly motivated workers will perform at approximately 80 to 90 percent of their ability. Consequently, highly motivated employees are in a position to increase in performance as well as significantly decrease in problems such as turnover, strikes, absenteeism (Rue, Byars, 2000). As expressed by the 34th American president Dwight D. Eisenhower: Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. Motivation might be analysed by the following sequence: Consequently, in motivation needs create motives, which lead to the accomplishment of goals. Moreover, a motive is a stimulus which leads to an action that satisfies the need, which means that motives create actions. When employees achieve the goals, they satisfy the needs and simultaneously decrease the motive. Nonetheless, it might occur that other needs may arise. Understanding the motivation sequence provides managers with slight help in determining what motivates employees (Rue, Byars, 2000). Nowadays it is extremely important to have motivated employees in every organisation. While non-motivated employees will not provide good service, they are likely to make mistakes and the reputation of the organisation may suffer as a result. Therefore, all businesses need enthusiastic and committed employees who work to support organisational goals. What is important, motivation occurs within people; therefore work needs to meet their goals as well. Additionally, people have different motivation, consequently a reward that is attractive to one employee might be unimportant to another (Boddy, 2002). Moreover, one of the paramount factors which has an impact on efficiency and effectiveness of employees work as well as how they organise time at work is their motivation (Bruce and Pepitone, 2001). While, as claimed by Forsyth (2001), non-motivated employees tend to spend more time on breaks, surfing the internet or private discussion. Nevertheless, motivation commences with employee engagement, and engagement starts with effective communication skills. As mentioned by Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric (GE) and current Business Week columnist, no company, large or small, can succeed over the long run without energised employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it. It is also worth mentioning that three main words in this quotation remain the secret to motivating employees: energised, believe, understand (Gallo, 2008). Moreover, according to Carmine Gallo (2008), successful companies have employees who believe in their mission. As emphasised by Scott Cook (INTU), people want more than a paycheck. They want to feel as though they are part of something bigger than themselves. When discussing motivation, not only should we mention a different management style adopted in Europe in comparison to Asia and America, but also the differences between companies in the same country or even differences between workplaces in the same company. To understand better what precisely could motivate employees I will attempt to explore what motivation means in general. As claimed by Dessler (2004), a motive is an incentive that stimulates the person into the action or provides direction as well as hints to action. However, Robbins and Coulter (2003) presented a different view. They claim that motivation is the willingness which brings out high levels of strivings to achieve goals as well as to satisfy individual needs. What is more, studies conducted by Schermerhorn (2005), also provide a valuable input. He argues that motivation is in charge of the standard, direction, as well as tenacity of effort developed at the workplace. Moreover, in order to understand motivation, it is essential to understand human nature as it might be very simple or very complex at the same time. Hence, understanding the human nature is significant for effective motivation of employees at the workplace. Gary Dessler (2004) argues that motivation is the intensity of an employee desire to engage in some actions. However, Buford, Bedeian Lindner (1995) stated that motivation is a tendency to behave in an intentional manner to fulfil particular and insatiable needs. Nevertheless, Kreitner (1995) presented a different view. According to his statement, motivation is a psychological process that provides behaviour aim and direction. Furthermore, as defined by John Schermerhorn (2005) and subsequently supported by Stephen Robbins and Mary Coulter (2003), motivation is the willingness which presents the level, direction, and perseverance of effort expanded at work to satisfy some individual needs. As claimed by Kondo (1995), motivating the employees is one of the numerous conditions and policies recognised to achieve the objectives of each company. Moreover, people involved in a task have to be sufficiently motivated to overcome all difficulties. Therefore, by saying, a company is its people it is meant that () people are our most important assets (Schermerhorn, 2005). This statement demonstrates that a proper approach to people in an organisation is extremely important, that is, if managers treat employees appropriately, they will be repaid with effective work. What is important, even if we create an outstanding organisation, it will not be effective and even counter-productive if the employees lack motivation (Kondo, 1995). To conclude, highly motivated employees seem to be the most important assets for owners, chairmen, managers. Otherwise the productivity of the employees and the costs of the production will dramatically deteriorate. Personality and behaviour of employees It is commonly known that people differ in characters, abilities, values, behaviour, and needs. Moreover, different actions cause various reactions on people. One employee might jump whenever the boss wishes, while the other would not execute this order (Dessler, 2004). For a manager it is significant to be familiar with how to manage different personalities as ineffective management of a team with different personalities as well as working styles might lead to a failure of a particular project. As stated by Schermerhorn (2005) personality is the mixture or overall profile of characteristics that causes one person to stand out from all others. personality As claimed by Carl Jung, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a popular tool for measuring personality. This system is helpful for organisations to be familiar with the working styles of employees, balance teams and avoid conflicts. According to Myers-Briggs, assessment characteristics of personality are classified as: Introvert/Extrovert; Sensing/Intuition; Thinking/Feeling; and Judging/Perceiving. The MBTI questionnaires categorised people into 16 personality types along four scales (Mutchler, 1998). Employees who possess the introvert personality tend to be introspective, they are often an analytical and scrupulous team member. However, extroverts are active as well as easy-going and comfortable with expressing their ideas openly. The sensing/intuition personalities tend to measure process of information. A sensing person seems to be visual and fact-oriented, whereas an intuitive person has a tendency to be more open and creative. The thinking/feeling type of personalities refers to the decisions making. Thinkers draw conclusions based on external standards and regulations, however, feelers are more focused on protecting feelings and values. As team members, feelers might consolidate people, while thinkers are successful in expressing logical reasons behind decisions. Finally, judging/perceiving concerns the approach people have to their life. People with judging personality tend to be well organised and they know what to do about their daily activities, while people with perceiving personalities are more flexible and spontaneous. It is note-worthy that every team is enriched by diversity, therefore, a range of personalities might create a stronger team. Moreover, the diversity of the team might bring into a project different ideas, which is bound to increase performance and creativity of the team (Boddy, 2002). On the other hand, as claimed by Gary Dessler (2004) and illustrated in Figure 4. psychologists, nowadays emphasise the big five personality traits as they apply to such behaviour at work as extroversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience. Extroversion is personality where a person is outgoing, assertive and friendly. While emotional stability names someone who is relaxed, calm and secure. Moreover, this person is emotionally stable and confident. Agreeableness, in turn, is someone who is good-natured, cooperative and trusting. Furthermore, a person who possesses an agreeable personality is also in good relationships with others, and a disagreeable person generates conflicts and discomfort for others. The following personality is called conscientiousness. An employee with this character trait is responsible, trustworthy and careful. On the other hand, a person who lacks conscientiousness is careless and often doing little. Finally, openn ess is the degree, to which someone is curious, open to new idea and creative. What is more, an open person is tolerant, open to change and receptive to new things. Moreover a person who lacks openness is resistant to change, narrow-minded and has limited sources of interests (Schermerhorn, 2005). Many studies conclude that these five traits signify the essential structure of personality, and therefore influence how the person behaves (Beck, 2000). In addition, personality traits are not the only one factor which is responsible for persons behaviour at work. Therefore, individual differences in abilities also influence workers behaviour and performance (McCormick and Tiffin, 1974). To perform the work successfully every employee needs to possess appropriate abilities. However, even the most competent employee will not perform the task successfully without motivation. Therefore, Performance = Ability x Motivation (Dessler, 2004). As claimed by Richard Field (2002) the main goal of attitudes is information of how to act with regard to other person. Moreover, attitudes are significant in organisations as they affect behaviour. Additionally, we may distinguish three parts of work attitudes that are the affective, such as what the employee feels about work, as well as the cognitive attitude- what the employee thinks about the work and the international- what actions is the employee planning to perform at work. Moreover, the job satisfaction is influenced by both the work environment and by the employees personal traits. It has been assessed that the individuals personality constitute between 10% and 30% of employees job satisfaction, however, 40% to 60% of the discrepancy in job satisfaction is motivated by situational factors. Furthermore, the interaction between personality and the situation constituted between 10% and 20% (Field, 2002). Theories of Motivation There are numerous motivation theories, however, the universal theory of motivation, which can explain all its aspects does not exist as each person is unique and has different needs and expectations. Managers have for ages attempted to understand why for one person work is enthusiastic and challenging, and means a possibility to improve the ability, while for other person work is something which you have to perform, as compulsion to survive and for living in a good condition. Theories of motivation focused on how managers might motivate their subordinates. However, they also have to motivate other people such as colleagues, consumers, or other managers. Psychologists created three main approaches when studied what motivates employees such as the need-based, process based and learning/reinforcement-based approaches. Need-based Approaches to Motivation Need-based approaches to motivation concentrate on how needs trigger people to act the way they act as well as which needs are the most significant for each person. The most common theories of motivation are: Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Theory, Herzbergs theory, McClelland theory and McGregor theory. Scientists generally commence most discussions concerning motivation by explaining individual needs; therefore, as claimed by Schermerhorn (2005), a need is an unmet desire. An extremely significant and generally known theory of motivation is Maslows needs-hierarchy theory. Abraham Maslow a hierarchy of needs Abraham Maslow was an American clinical psychologist, who formed a theory of human motivation to understand the needs of his patients. This model suggests that people have different types of needs. He also found it useful to investigate data and observations of Douglas McGregor theory. He proved that the lower-order needs are leading until they are at least partly satisfied (Maslow, 1970). On the basis of this theory, an unsatisfied need can change a persons behaviour while a satisfied one can be a motivator of immediate action. As illustrated in Figure 5, Maslow argued that there is a hierarchy of five levels of needs. Starting from the lowest one, we may distinguish needs such as physiological, security, social, self-esteem and self-actualisation. Physiological needs are the needs essential for survival, such as: food, water, shelter and clothing. These needs may be satisfied in an organisation by monetary compensation. Maslow proved that if these basic needs are unsatisfied, people will focus on activities that allow them to obtain the necessity of life. If they do not fulfil these basic needs, they will not strive to reach the higher needs (Boddy, 2002). However, if the physiological needs are gratified, new needs would appear which he called security needs. These needs provide such values as: security, protection, stability, dependency (Maslow, 1970). They protect from fears, anxiety and chaos. In the event of this need being paramount for a person, a stable and regular job with secure working conditions may satisfy them. A company may meet these needs by medical or retirement benefits. The following need is belongingness which may be reached by assuring a place in the group or family. This need triggers affection and love and also requires closeness and cooperation with other people. This is the desire for acceptance and approval by friends and co-workers (Boddy, 2002). Maslow discovered that a wide variety of people possess self- esteem needs, which means self-respect and the respect of others. Self-respect is gratified when people have a sense of achievement, confidence, adequacy and competence. Moreover, people search for the respect of others, a desire for reputation in the eyes of other people such as prestige, status, attention and recognition. They wish to be noticed by others. In most cases they take challenging or difficult tasks just to demonstrate that they are good at their job. This behaviour gives them respect and status. To motivate employees through satisfying those needs, management may offer them recognition awards. Finally, Maslow named the paramount range of needs as self-actualisation, which provides the desire for self-fulfilment as well as potential. Maslows pointed out that this need only begins to dominate when the all lower-level needs have been relatively satisfied. People who wish to gratify self-actualisation needs will search for personal relevance in their work. They are more willing to value new responsibilities to realise their potential and also develop new talents, skills or horizons (Boddy, 2002). Unfortunately, on this level it is almost impossible to satisfy a person completely as this refers to the feeling of self-fulfilment and the realisation of ones potential, which become higher and higher during persons development. This need may be gratified by paying attention to allowing a person to participate in seminars or temporary assignments to special projects. Maslows hierarchy of needs model is referred to as a content theory, it focuses on what will motivate a person without exactly explaining why an individual is motivated. It is not a complete model of human motivation, but it does demonstrate how managers can approach the basic needs of their employees (Alderfer, 1969). Moreover, it suggests that there are significant differences among people in terms of the needs they may wish to satisfy. A manager should always have in mind that motivators may change over time due to environmental influences and the individuals life cycle. It is also note-worthy that, until basic needs are satisfied, people will not concentrate on high-level needs. However, there is little evidence that people must meet their needs in the same sequence of the hierarchy, for instance not all of them must gratify social needs such as affiliation and esteem before moving on to satisfy self-actualisation needs (Dalrymple, 1992). Furthermore, there are people for whom se lf-esteem is often more significant then love, however, for others creativeness is the priority. In this case, they are not searching for self-actualisation once they satisfied their basic needs. Others had such permanently low aspirations that they experienced life at a very basic level (Boddy, 2002). In other words, it is of great significance that human beings always have a variety of needs (Kondo, 1995). Clayton Alderfer- Existence Relatedness Growth (ERG) Theory The following theory provided by Clayton Alderfer (1969) was based on Maslows research and focuses on three needs: existence, relatedness and growth. His work was built on Maslows ideas, however, he presented an alternative to them. He created and researched his theory in questionnaires as well as interview-based studies conducted in five organisations such as: bank, a manufacturing firm, two colleges and a school. His existence needs are similar to Maslows physiological needs and to security needs such as: concern for losing the job and salary. They include physiological desires such as hunger and thirst which symbolise deficiencies in existence needs. Nevertheless, pay and benefits symbolise ways of satisfying material requirements (Dessler, 2004). Relatedness needs focus on relationships with important people such as: family, friends, but also bosses, subordinates, team members or customers. Additionally, they require interpersonal interaction to gratify the needs such as prestige and esteem from others. People gratify these needs by sharing thoughts and feelings. Moreover, acceptance, understanding, and confirmation are significant for satisfying relatedness needs (Boddy, 2002). Growth needs are approximately equal to Maslows needs for self-esteem and self-actualisation. People satisfy these needs if they deal with problems by using their skills or developing new talents (Alderfer, 1969). Maslows and Alderfer models can be distinguished in two major ways. Maslows created five sets of needs, while Alderfer formulated three. Moreover, Maslow claimed that each of the needs should be satisfied before moving to the next level of needs. However, Alderfer argued that existence, relatedness and growth needs are active simultaneously (Dessler, 2004). David McClelland- Need for Affiliation, Power and Achievement David McClelland (1961) examined the way people think in wide variety of situations. Moreover, he claimed that managers should satisfy employees higher-level needs. His research discovered three categories of human needs. They vary in degree in all employees and managers, and characterise style and behaviour. The need for affiliation means to develop and maintain interpersonal relationships. People who have the need for affiliation are motivated to maintain strong relationships with family and friends. In social meetings they attempt to create friendly atmosphere by being agreeable or providing emotional support (Litwin Stringer, 1968). The need for power means to be in a position to influence and control others. People with the need for power wish to influence others directly by providing opinions, making suggestions. They would find themselves as teachers or public speakers as well as leaders. However, the need for power depends on persons other needs. A person with a strong need for power but a low need for good relationships might turn into a dictator. Simultaneously, a person with strong needs for friendship might turn out to be a social worker or a cleric. McClelland assumed that a good manager is motivated by a regimented and regulated concern for influencing others (McClelland, 1995). It means that a good manager should have the need for power; however it always has to be under control. The need for achievement means taking personal responsibility and demonstrating successful results. People who have a strong need for achievement have a predisposition to reach a success, and they are searching for advancement at work. They possess the strong need to achieve satisfaction from challenging goal or task. These people prefer tasks in which success is reasonably achievable, consequently avoiding tasks which are too easy or too difficult (McClelland, 1961). To sum up, it is note-worthy that what is valuable to one person might mean nothing to another. One manager may aspire for promotion, while other is searching for stability and is more satisfied with a slower track. For some managers independence and autonomy are of great significance as they wish to work on their own, while others are more concerned with long-run career job security and also they wish to have stable future (Dessler, 2004). Frederick Herzberg Hygiene-Motivator (two-factor) Theory The following theory provided by Frederick Herzberg (1959) is Hygiene Motivation Theory. He split Maslows theory into lower-level (physiological, security, social) and higher-level (ego, self-actualisation) needs. According to the motivation theory proposed by Herzberg , motivation is managed by two different types of factors such as satisfiers and dissatisfiers. It seems that employees experience dissatisfaction with things such as low pay or noisy working environment and it is significant to eliminate these dissatisfiers. In turn, to motivate employees it is crucial to enrich daily work in satisfiers. Moreover, to motivate employees it is also significant to involve them in preparing working standards and setting work goals, precisely appraising their results, as well as rewarding them appropriately (Kondo, 1995). Herzberg conducted a research with 200 engineers and he focused on their experience of work. The respondents were asked not only to reminisce about a time when they had good time at work but they were also asked to bring back to memory a time when they felt bad at work and provide the background (Boddy, 2002). Research analysis demonstrated that when employees thought about good times they mentioned factors such as: recognition, achievements, responsibility, advancement, and personal growth, work itself, etc. However, when they were describing the bad time, they mentioned the following factors: supervision, company policy and administration, salary, working conditions, interpersonal relations, etc. Herzberg concluded that factors which generate dissatisfaction are hygiene factors and these satisfiers he called motivators, as they seemed to influence individual performance and effort (Herzberg, 1959). According to Herzebrg, it seems to be significant to motivate employees by creating challenges and opportunities for achievement. Consequently, dissatisfied personnel work with lower motivation and their
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