College and Motivation - Report Example

College & Motivation Order no – 173352 No. of pages - 4 Premium – 6530 Every individual is unique and in relation to this, “Motivation is not a one size fits all” scenario. It is based on personal preferences and differences in preference. Every person has their own motivating factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic and follows their own instincts when it comes to choice. “Motivation is the key factor for good performance and helps in developing future performance”. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: A recent research on Maslow’s theory of motivation was carried out by Strawser et al, hypotheses that an individual’s needs are arranged in a hierarchy from lower order to higher order needs. “A satisfied need is no longer a motivator”. Every employer would expect that their employee has the ability to perform his job to the best of his ability and the same time, an employee would expect that the job he does is amply rewarded. Abraham Maslow developed the concept of the hierarchy of needs in 1943. His theory of motivation has five levels of intensity. Always the lower needs have to be satisfied before and individual can move on to the next level of his needs. The lowest in the category are the basic needs of man, such as food clothing and shelter. Once this is satisfied man moves to the next level in Maslow’s hierarchy which is safety and security. Once he makes sure that he is safe and secure he moves to the next level which becomes his motivating factor. Man being a social animal by nature, is always prone to socializing one way or the other. He constantly seeks to be wanted, loved or accepted not only at home but at his workplace or at any kind of social gathering. Once he is socially accepted, loved and respected he looks out for self esteem. He wishes to be recognized as a successful individual. The highest point in Maslow’s hierarchy is what he calls as “self actualization”, where an individual feels good at what he is doing and does not in any way depend on peers or colleagues for recognition. He does things out of his own self interest which becomes his great motivating factor. Motives for Attending College: According to Maslow’s theory of motivation, I would definitely like to be satisfied that my “Basic Needs” of food, clothing and shelter are met before I could try to educate myself. The satisfaction of this motivation is important because it would me the energy and strength that I would need to perform in college. Also the thought of being well dressed and having a roof above my head would give me the satisfaction and peace of mind that I need to attend college. The next theory would again be from Marlow’s which includes that of “Safety and Security”. Before venturing out on any mission, every individual looks into the safety and security factor because this contributes to a much better performance than trying to achieve something in unsafe surroundings. I would definitely look critically at this aspect since it would affect my studies and the way I would look at things. A safe place not only at home but also college would be the ideal surrounding for me to grow and develop not only physically but also mentally, socially and spiritually. Maslow and his team continued their research and it was one of his team members named Fredrick Hertzberg, who devised the “Motivation/Hygiene Theory”. According to his concept, there are things that make you feel good or at times not so good. If therefore, the feel good things are utilized, then definitely the outcomes would be more favorable. The factors that contribute to people having a good time when studying or working are called “satisfiers” or “motivators”. This is definitely one of the factors that would motivate me at college because if I feel good about myself and the things that surround me, it would help me to do my best at college. Expectancy Theory: “The Expectancy Theory” focuses on the thoughts and ideas of people where something is expected of them and the result of which is a positive outcome. It is the natural tendency of people to expect a reward for the hard work he or she puts in. This concept is simple and is used to create expectancy in a person by praising the person, encouraging them and talking about their good work or performance and rewarding them in public. This would be a good motivating factor for me when I join college because it would help me to work harder to achieve greater things. Question 1 - Enron: In 1985 Enron was formed with the merger from Houston Natural Gas and Inter North. Originally, it was involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity and gas throughout the United States. It was also involved in the operation of power plants, pipelines etc. throughout the world. Enron grew wealthy as a result of its diversification and exclusive marketing strategies and came to be known as “America’s most Innovative Company”. However, its Global reputation was undermined and rumors floated as to its fraudulent activities such as bribery, money- laundering, using political clout and irregular accounting procedures. Soon, the company which had espoused values like respect, Integrity and excellence was on the brink of bankruptcy because it failed to stand by its ethical issues. So, on November 1st 2002, Enron was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on 78 fraudulent accounts including conspiracy. Question 2 The Willful Whistleblower: The Nuclear Division of the Fairway Electric had employee named Jim. One day Jim discovered a report that was written 15 years a go on a flaw in the design of their Radon II Nuclear reactor. Though the flaw did not pose a safety hazard, yet it was not fixed because it was quite expensive. The company failed to tell the customers about the flaw. When Jim took it to the notice of the CEO, he got no response and so took this story to a local newspaper. Everyone came to know that Jim was the “Whistle- blower” and he was asked to quit working which he refused. According to me I think that both parties, i.e. Jim and the Company acted unethically. On the one hand, the Company should have rectified the flaw sooner or later during the years that followed or at least taken action when the problem was brought to its notice by Jim. Since Jim had taken to the matter to the Newspapers, it was not right for the Company to have sacked him, since he had been working there for so many years. On Jim’s part, he acted unethically by taking his own company to the Press which was not right on his part as he breached loyalty. Question 3, Justifying an Act: Life cannot always run on oiled wheels – it has its ups and downs. If our environment is not fired occasionally by unusual things, it becomes boring and pointless. In view of this, risks have to be taken now and then to spice up the air around us or it would become unbearably monotonous. Therefore if an act is not evil in itself, but produces mixed consequences of benefits and harm, it is worth trying them out. Without trying out anything we cannot learn anything- be it good or bad. Therefore I feel it justifiable to perform an act that is not evil in itself. Question 4 Moral Ideals: We come across scores of people in this world, some good, some bad and some just horrible. But then again, we also come across a small niche group that leaves an indelible imprint on your life. Sometimes it could be favorable, sometimes unfavorable. Looking back on my life, I recount meeting many great people who have inspired me with the way they have lead their lives. Therefore I have seen different shades of character that have influenced my life. One of these important moral ideals are “Character” that finds expression in my life. I often admire good character in people and seek to implement this moral ideal in my life by being honest in all I do because I think honesty is the base for good character. References: This journal is licensed to JSTOR by The Institute of Professional Accounting, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago www.links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8456(197123)9%3A2%3C383%3AACOAJS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-R - Maslow’s Expectancy Theory Preparing for the Project Management Professional/ Expectancy Theory Michael W. Newell, 2005 - 379 pages. Harvard Business Review Article, HBS No. 88111 www.primisonline.com/cgi-bin/POL_program.cgi?programCode=HBETA&context= Read More