Category: Motivation

Introduction

Humans crave various things in life, so numerous attempts at studying the nature of needs have been made. Particularly, Maslows Hierarchy of Needs remains the most inclusive yet structured approach. For this reason, many researchers put the classification into practice to study motifs that determine those needs. In this regard, biological urges and social interactions are addressed first as the primal stimuli for humans desires. Therefore needs and motivations coincide.

Distinctions between Want, Need, and Motivation

A flourishing life depends on the fulfillment of specific needs. Addressing Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, Cutts divides these needs into two categories: biological drives to ensure survival and social aspirations to access self-actualization (2019). Yet, he distinguishes between wants and needs, rightfully stating that sometimes we reject things we need and crave things that are unnecessary at the moment. Cutts emphasizes humans should determine their needs and possess enough motivation to fulfill them (2019). He supports Maslows ideas on the hierarchical structure, with biological urges being the most potent and self-expressing desires becoming an ultimate goal to achieve.

Physiological and Safety Needs

The level in question comprises all biological urges and responses. Maslow states that vital needs cannot be perceived as purely homeostatic (2019); contrariwise, Skinner rejects this idea. He has researched the free will of individuals in line with his behavioral studies and has concluded that people function in a predetermined way. Various stimuli define our physiological needs as well as personal aspirations. Yet, Skinner develops a theory of reinforced behavior, stating that humans are not in control of their actions, conscious or otherwise, and their behavior falls in line with whatever (e.g., society) or whoever (another person) reinforces the power on them (2021). Behaviorism coincides with a religious point of view, as the divine can take on a role of reinforcement.

Safety needs constitute the next level and are less potent than physiological drives. Maslow suggests that they are less upfront and harder to separate (2019). In his judgment, they derive from our need to seek protection and guidance. God is viewed as an ultimate protector who brings desired safety in religion: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble ((King James Bible 1769/2017). Thus, safety needs constitute not self-reliance but a desire to acquire support from others.

Belongingness and Love Needs

Religion alternates Maslows hierarchy of needs, as it brings other social aspects to light. The primal need is meant to bring peace and tranquility: I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty& I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. (King James Bible 1769/2017). The Scripture advises a human to trust God to fulfill the needs, thus stating that the divines sense of belonging and bond is at the top of a hierarchical structure.

The sense of belonging is a driving force of social interactions. Over emphasizes that the desire to belong satisfies two conditions: the need to engage in a positive cooperation and complex cooperation where they can share their psychological state with others and receive needed appreciation (2016). These arguments prove that belonging is one of the essential senses for a flourishing life.

Self-esteem and Self-actualization. The highest level of humans priorities comprises their aspirations dedicated to thriving as an individual. Maslow describes self-actualization as self-fulfillment and freedom of self-expression (2019). The sense in question is put on the highest level, as only after an individual has gained recognition in society can they be accepted as its unique part. Subsequently, this level is the most difficult to achieve as it reflects the individuals absolute freedom.

Conclusion

Summarizing all the ideas above, it is clear that needs are hierarchical, and various motivations determine their fulfillment. Our biological urges and social engagement are primal reasoning. From a religious point of view, the bond with the divine is more potent than human interaction, so the grace of God becomes the ultimate motivation. Yet, it cannot be overlooked that in modern society, the desire for personal freedom and the need for self-expression overrules the rest of the stimuli.

References

Cutts, J. (2019). Herbert Marcuse and False Needs. Social Theory and Practice, 45(3), 353-370.

Feist G., Feist, J., Roberts T. (2021). Theories of Personality. McGraw Hill.

King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online.

Maslow A., (2019). A Theory of Human Motivation. India: General Press.

Over, H. (2016). The origins of belonging: Social motivation in infants and young children. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, 371(1686), 1-8.

Background information

Motivation refers to various innate forces that create impetus for satisfaction and fulfilment of recurrent human needs. Such forces are vital in determining human drive and willingness to perform under diverse existential contexts. Devoid of motivation, human beings find it difficult to pursue undertakings that characterize existence in contemporary society. Recurrent human needs manifest in pertinent areas such as physical, emotional, and psychological facets.

In order to understand the dynamics that characterize motivation, it is important to develop a structural regime that seeks to demystify and evaluate human action and reaction to situations that arouse desire for satisfaction. Most of these situations do not require effort or a premeditated plan of action. In fact, they manifest as components of natural processes that prompt human beings to become either active or inactive.

Maslows rationale for work motivation

Maslows foray into human motivation seeks to explain recurrent desires for satisfaction and fulfilment in diverse realms of engagement in society. He analyzes numerous faculties that relate to human motivation within diverse contexts. For instance, he covers pertinent areas such as emotional, physical, and psychological demands that facilitate human action and reaction to cues that emanate from realities of existence. According to Maslow, human beings strive to fulfil basic needs before engaging in pursuit of secondary gratification.

Failure to achieve primary fulfilment leads to disorientation and inability to master inner satisfaction. Such disorientation manifests through anxiety and tension. Maslow argues that primary satisfaction and fulfilment ushers innate desire for secondary contentment. According to this premise, people who achieve primary satisfaction desire constant betterment that often goes beyond basic thresholds that define human existence in social contexts.

Such scenarios suffice as metamotivation, a descriptive phrase that explains the aforementioned occurrence. In the Norsk Petroleum case study, Elizabeth seeks to fulfil her secondary needs that revolve around satisfaction and constant betterment at the work place. She feels the urge to broaden her professional horizons in order to enhance her future prospects. Maslows theoretical discourse illustrates how such occurrences shape destiny among human beings.

On the other hand, Rennemo seeks to satisfy the primary needs that are evidently critical in his life. He tenders resignation from his current position in order to have more time with his family. According to Maslows theory of human needs, Rennemo desires the third level of needs. This level revolves around interpersonal relationships and interactive regimes. Individuals who fail to achieve satisfaction at this level exhibit various signs of disorientation. In Rennemos case, such deficiencies affect his performance at the workplace.

Herzbergs rationale for work motivation

Herzberg motivation theory states that human beings have a recurrent need for attention and satisfaction. According to this theoretical premise, failure to satisfy such needs often leads to poor performance and lack of motivation. Herzberg differs with Maslow with regard to the dichotomy of needs that determine motivation among workers in different organizational contexts. The theorist argues that human beings derive motivation from higher needs that embody existence and propagation in diverse realms of existence.

In the Norsk Petroleum case study, there is sufficient illustration with regard to Herzbergs assertions. Elizabeth presents her resignation in order to pursue further gratification through more challenging undertakings. This illustrates the core articulations that manifest in Herzbergs motivation theory. On the other hand, Rennemo strives to fulfil needs that suffice as critical to human existence. His desire for quality time with family demonstrates a recurrent need for fulfilment and inner satisfaction.

This theory rationalizes behaviour that manifests within organizational contexts in contemporary society. The Norsk Petroleum case study presents realities of how people continually seek satisfaction and other forms of gratification. It also demonstrates various psychological, physiological, and emotional thresholds that define motivation within corporate entities.

Employee behaviour and motivation depends on personal experiences that suffice in diverse contexts of human existence and sustenance. Many motivational theorists impress on the relationship between motivation and basic needs that are important for human existence.

McClellands rationale for work motivation

McClellands theoretical approach focuses on the need for achievement within social contexts. According to him, human beings possess innate desires that often revolve around achievement and other areas that support realization of such interests. He argues that such desires create impetus that ultimately precipitates motivation and the need for fulfilment. This theorist contends that highly motivated people strive to hone their capability and competence in whatever task they undertake.

In the Norsk Petroleum case study, this theoretical concept is evident in both cases involving Elizabeth and Rennemo. For instance, Elizabeth exhibits signs that are indicative of motivation and desire for success. Such individuals strive to undertake activities that support the realization of basic ideals that characterize existence in diverse contextual thresholds. They clamour for success through avenues that guarantee fulfilment and gratification.

This assertion is apparent in Elizabeths case because she tenders her resignation in pursuit of challenges that will ultimately satisfy her desire for gratification and fulfilment. On the other hand, Rennemo seeks to fulfil basic desires that trigger the need for satisfaction and fulfilment. Emotional and interpersonal needs are integral with regard to human existence and propagation in different social contexts.

Devoid of their fulfilment, people experience difficulties that arise from inner feelings of inadequacy and discontent. Rennemo opts for a corporate position that accords him the opportunity to spend time with family. This illustrates the importance of guaranteeing such facets of fulfilment.

Main differences between the three theories

In most cases, theories revolve around thematic areas that embody fundamental ideas and thoughts. Such ideas suffice in diverse contexts depending on their application and prevailing circumstances. Motivation theories harbour similar ideas with regard to human desire for fulfilment and contentment. However, such theories apply different approaches in their quest for rational justification and comprehensive coverage of the subject matter.

Maslows hierarchy of needs motivational model impresses on stratification and various domains with regard to human needs. Herzberg motivational theory preoccupies with basic needs that define human existence in society.

According to this theory, human beings desire certain needs that characterize family and interpersonal relationships. McClellands motivational need theory seeks to explain factors that characterize individuals who possess high levels of motivation. According to this theory, highly motivated people seek challenges that hone their clamour for success in various engagements.

Conclusion and recommendations

Motivation is an important aspect with regard to human existence in contemporary social contexts. It offers opportunity for individuals to pursue and actualize undertakings that portend success in diverse social contexts. In organizational contexts, it is important for leaders to initiate programmes that support employees in attaining various ideals that characterize their essence in society. In the Norsk Petroleum case study, there is need for structural frameworks that guide the actualization of the aforementioned programmes.

Lisa should conduct internal appraisal with a view to quantify and categorize areas that require improvement. Consequently, she should activate systems in recognition of various motivational thresholds that manifest with regard to employees. This will play an important role in streamlining operations and creating room for success and accomplishment within the organization. It will also bolster employee retention and sustenance.

Summary

A motivational interview has been conducted with a 37-year-old female individual who suffers from regular overeating in the evening and at night. The female client started her speech by describing how her habit seems to ruin her health and life because she gained weight, and she constantly feels stomach heaviness. Furthermore, the client feels depressed, and she is not satisfied with her behavior because she cannot stop eating from 7:00 p.m. to midnight. The interviewer used reflection and empathetic statements to support the clients talk. When describing her current condition, the client became more and more upset, and finally, she was almost crying. In response to this emotion, the client-focused on stating that her problem is not really dramatic, and this habit is typical of many women of her age and status. At this stage, the client-focused on a sustain talk, and the counselor used reflection to address this speech.

The clients sustained talk was very emotional, and she discussed different perspectives from which it is possible to view her problem as minor or insignificant. The counselor began to use techniques oriented toward supporting the clients self-efficacy referring to her past experience and successes. The next step was asking a series of open-ended questions for the purpose of demonstrating how the change in evening routines can alter the clients quality of life. At this stage, the client stated that she would think about possibilities for changing her daily routines, but she did not know how to do that effectively. The counselor provided the client with several examples for the purpose of discussing them by the female in order to choose or propose the most appropriate variant. The interview was ended with the clients statement of the necessity to think about how to cope with stress at work and what evening routines to change to address her problem.

Reflection and Conclusion

During the interview conducted with the 37-year-old female individual, it was problematic to follow the principles of motivational interviewing and remain supportive without expressing any stimulation or pressure to change the discussed behavior. Furthermore, it was rather uncomfortable to interact with the female patient with the problem of overeating at night because she sustain talk was significantly longer than a change talk that was rather subtle. I am still unsure regarding the positive results of the conducted motivational interview.

I should state that the reviewed readings and other materials had prepared me for conducting the interview because I tried to use the studied techniques and strategies while communicating with the client. I could not succeed in conducting the interview without understanding how to react to sustain and change talks, cope with resistance in the context of motivational interviewing, and ask open-ended questions (Columbia, 2009; Yalom, 2018). I also effectively used reflective listening referring to the tips and examples mentioned in the literature (Rosengren, 2017; Yalom, 2018). Thus, the focus on readings was important to become prepared for practice.

When conducting the interview, I learned that the process of motivational interviewing can be extremely emotional depending on the client. Readings include information on how to interact with different clients focusing on their individual features and reactions, but that information was not enough to prepare me for communicating with the selected client (Rosengren, 2017; Yalom, 2018). The 37-year-old woman emotionally described her problem of overeating at night and seemed to be upset and rather confused. When her eyes became filled with tears, she got angry because of her own emotional reaction, and she raised her voice while speaking about her impossibility to cope with the habit. It was rather difficult to react to such a sustained talk, and I learned that I could cope with the situation while applying techniques for supporting the clients self-efficacy.

The practice of conducting the motivational interview helped me develop skills in reflective listening and asking open-ended or evocative questions. The shift from a sustain talk to a change talk was one of the most challenging stages in the interview, and I understood that I could develop my skills in asking appropriate open-ended questions without imposing any pressure on a client only when practicing (Rosengren, 2017). Furthermore, I received an opportunity to train in reflecting on the clients ideas that represent the obvious resistance to any change with the focus on required empathy.

I should state that I will use motivational interviewing in the future because it provides a counselor with opportunities to contribute to changing certain negative habits and behavioral patterns with a focus on a clients intrinsic motivation. It is possible to note that the work of a counselor through a clients inner motivation will provide more benefits and positive outcomes for an individual. From this perspective, a motivational interview allows a person to reconsider his or her behavior under a counselors supervision but without experiencing any pressure. As a result, there are more chances that an individual will focus on the change because of understanding its importance. Therefore, I will refer to motivational interviewing in cases of interacting with persons who need to change their certain behaviors because I believe that this approach will provide more positive outcomes than other strategies.

References

Columbia. (2009). Dr. William Miller, Motivational Interviewing: Facilitating Change Across Boundaries [Video file]. Web.

Rosengren, D. B. (2017). Building motivational interviewing skills (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Publications.

Yalom, V. (2018). Cathy Cole on motivational interviewing. Web.

Introduction

Motivation is a psychological factor that drives one to take action towards specific set goal. It ensures that individuals behavior is oriented towards that goal. Motivation can therefore qualify as a driving force since it propels one towards achieving the aim. It can also be referred to as an inner factor that can be characterized by a certain manner. Despite numerous theories that try to explain motivational factors, motivation starts with satisfaction of individual need. Motivation theories are divided into two major clusters, which are Content and Process Theories.

Content Theories of Motivation

The content theory of motivation seeks to look at the issues that make people change within the course of time. This theory tries to answer the question what motivates people? (Leake, 2010) by examining peoples needs and goals in life generally. Content theory covers the works of Abraham Maslow, Alderfer and David McClelland among others. The theory does not indicate how they change but only highlights the factors that motivate people. This theory looks at motivation as being driven by needswants. For instance, when one is hungry, the hunger drives the individual to go out and get something to eat. Hunger in this case is a motivating factor. Once the need is satisfied, it ceases to be a motivating factor at that particular time. In this case study, Bill has a hunger to showcase his skills. That is what motivates him to join Secure Systems.

An example of content theory of motivation is the Maslows Needs Hierarchy Theory. Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1998, p.68) developed this theory; it classifies all known human needs into a hierarchy of five groups. This groups form a pyramid as originally depicted by Abraham Maslow. At the bottom, there are physiological needs. Physiological needs are mainly the needs that a person has for food, air, water and shelter (Winslow 1998). This are considered as the most important needs in the life of a human being. The salaries he received from his previous employer and in the secure systems motivated Bill. The salary enabled him to cater his needs for food, shelter and other basic needs. After physiological needs, safety needs come second in the pyramid. This refers to the need to have a surrounding environment that is stable and secure. This includes an environment that is free from threats, illnesses and pain. Without a job, Bill could not secure these needs. Therefore, it propelled him to go to work even though the circumstances at his new job place were not favorable as it turned out later.

Belongingness comes after safety needs. Belongingness in this case can be considered as the need for love, affection and socializing with other people (Winslow 1998). By transferring from his old job, Bill got the chance to meet new people at Gremlin Electronics. The thought of meeting new people at Gremlin and Secure Systems motivated Bill to leave his old job for Secure Systems offer. Esteem needs follow belongingness in the hierarchy. This refers to the need to realize self-esteem, independence, commendable status and prestige (Buchanan & Huczynski 2010). At his previous job, Bills abilities were not fully exploited. When he joined Secure Systems, he was given a big project to handle by himself. This motivated him since mastery was being recognized at last.

Self-actualization esteem comes at the top of the pyramid as the last need. This refers to the need to gain respect and recognition from others. Bill was given the chance to work with Gremlin Electronics that had a contract with the Ministry of Defense. He was tasked with the responsibility of giving recommendations to the board and implementation. This is a huge task for anyone who had been working mainly in an office. The thought of being recognized as among the ones who implemented systems for the Ministry of Defense motivated him to work even harder to the extent that he did not notice the situation back at the office. This is what drives many people to go into politics so that they may be in a position of power where other members of the society should respect them.

Maslow concluded that the behavior of employee was motivated by several need levels at one and the same time. However, the most unsatisfied need on the lower level is bound to be the motivating factor for that particular employee. As a person satisfies the needs at a lower level, they cease to be motivating factors and the ones at the higher level start to be motivating factors. This is what referred to as satisfaction progression process. The needs will continue calling until when they are satisfied. The only exception is self-actualization. Self-fulfillment is unique since when one experiences self actualization, he or she longs for more instead of less.

Some researchers have found out that some needs may not occur in the same way Maslow categorized the hierarchy of needs. Furthermore, satisfaction of needs at one level may not prompt for satisfaction of needs at a higher level in some people. As seen in the case of Bill, in the long run he was not paid a lot at Secure Systems. Salary for him is a way of satisfaction of his needs at a lower level. They, however, were not important to him since he was more focused on exposing his abilities.

Clayton Alderfer came up with his own theory in the year 1969 according to which he claimed that it was a simplified version of Maslows theory. In his approach, he merged physiological and safety needs into one group, named existence needs. Promise of better pay at Secure Systems meant that Bills physiological needs would be met. This motivated Bill to move from his old employer to Secure Systems. The need for belonging was renamed to relatedness need and he formed another group named growth needs, which catered for self-esteem and self-actualization. Working at Gremlin and giving recommendations gave Bill a chance to grow professionally. This was also a motivating factor due to a high-level exposure he was gaining.

Another theory that is relevant to this case study is the so-called Herzebergs Two Factor Theory. Frederick Herzberg developed this theory in the year 1959. According to the Two Factor theory, only two factors affected the motivation of an individual, they are hygiene factors and motivators. Hygiene factors are very critical and they may create dissatisfaction if an employee views them as being poor. Poor salaries, security of tenure and working condition create dissatisfaction among workers. In his new job position, Bill was given a huge project to deal with. This gave him a perception that there was job security especially since there was much focus on improvement of security systems. Herzerberg also paid special attention to the sense of achievement, recognition, sense of responsibility and personal growth as motivators. All these factors were present at Secure Systems. When the factors changed, Bill started becoming dissatisfied. The two groups, hygiene factors and motivators affect dissatisfaction and satisfaction respectively.

Process Theories

Process theory examines the relationship between inputs and the output resulting from the output. According to Mullins, process theory consists in the fact that if output is to be multiplied, the process involved must be enhanced while keeping some factors as constants (Mullins, 2010). Process theories are applied to human motivation to explain why human beings need change when they have been in place for too long. Process theories include expectancy theory, equity theory, reinforcement theory and goal setting theory. These theories mainly dwell on cognizant human decision processes in order to explain motivation. They all seek to explain how an individual can be energized, directed and made self-driven. These theories also stress out that human behavior is dependent on decision-making processes made by a conscious mind.

Victor Vroom in early 1960s modified a research by Kurt Lewin and Edward Tolman to come up with the expectancy theory. This theory suggests that people select behaviors (work related) that they are confident in, they bring outcomes they desire (Mullins, 2010). To determine the amount of energy to invest in a wok behavior, people mostly consider factors, such as their expectancy, instrumentality and valence. Expectancy refers to the expectation that the effort invested in that decision will yield desirable results.

Instrumentality refers to the belief that the certain level of performance will yield favorable outcomes while valence is the degree to which the expected results are likely to be favorable or non-favorable. For an individual to be fully motivated, these three factors must be high. Bill was not satisfied with the amount of work he was doing at his former employers place. When Secure Systems approach him with the Ministry of Defense project, Bill sees a chance that he has been waiting for. He, therefore, makes a decision to join Secure Systems. He works on the project with the aim of being recognized even though things do not go his way.

These are considered as the most important needs in the life of a human being. The salary he received from his previous employer and at secure systems motivated Bill. The salary enabled him to cater for food, shelter and other basic needs. After physiological needs, safety needs come in second in the pyramid. This refers to the need to have a close environment that is stable and secure. This includes an environment that is free from threats, illnesses and any pain.

Equity theory states that people have a tendency of comparing their efforts and rewards with those of others in a relevant position. This comparison creates a certain perception that has great influence on the motivation of an individual. Equity is present when those who compare themselves to others think that the ratio of efforts is similar for both of them. Under reward is present when one thinks that his efforts are underestimated when compared with rewards that another individual obtains in the same position, at the same time putting fewer efforts. Over reward, on the other hand, will exist if an individuals effort to reward ratio is high while putting in less effort or higher, compared to another person who puts in the same effort.

Over rewarded individuals have subtle behaviors; they tend to convince themselves and others that effort to reward ratio is equal to the others. For instance, Bill was initially highly motivated when he joined Secure Systems due to the duties he was assigned to do. However, the attitude of his colleague, Leslie began to take effect on him. Leslie felt that he was under rewarded and he used the hard feelings in him to poison Bills mind. Leslie questioned him why he was working in the same dingy room as him and yet he earned more than him. When projects started becoming scarce, the situation was further aggravated.

Based on the equity theory, managers should strive to motivate their employees especially if they feel under rewarded because an under rewarded employee lacks motivation and may end up being a lousy worker. This theory emphasizes the need for a reward scheme that is equitable to all.

Another process argument named the goal setting theory suggests that the motivation and behavior of an individual are highly affected by the goals set by the individual. This argument was put forth byEdwin Locke and Gary Latham. This theory states that for one to have a motivated behavior, the person should set specific and challenging goals. The theory also emphasizes that specific goals should include quantitative targets to achieve progress in the particular behavior of interest (Leake, 2009). Bill was yearning for a chance to work at Secure Systems when he finally got it, poor working environment and lack of projects changed his mind. Challenging goals may seem impossible. Therefore, the individual puts in more effort to achieve them hence improving the persons motivation. This is far better than vague goals or pulls up your socks encouragements that may not have significant effect on an individual.

The gap between specific goals and challenging goals is filled with many factors that dictate the level of motivation to be achieved. Goal commitment forms the first factor for one to achieve a certain goal; the person must invest in a lot of effort to achieve the goal. This explains why most managers and even teachers at school encourage students to participate in goal setting to increase their motivation. The second factor is self-efficacy. For one to achieve a goal, the person should have enough confidence and self-belief that he/she can accomplish the task. This means that individuals with high self-efficacy levels set challenging tasks and set out to achieve them unlike their counterparts who suffer from low efficacy.

B.F. Skinner came up with another theory that he called reinforcement theory. This theory is both a learning theory and a motivation theory. This theory states that for motivated behavior to be achieved, there must be enforcers. This is to ensure that motivated behavior recurs repeatedly. The management of Secure Systems failed to ensure that Bill was well motivated by reinforcing his activities and not rewarding him properly for the good job he did at Gremlin. This theory further suggests that it is not practical to study the needs of an individual to understand motivation. However, it is more practical to examine the results of certain behaviors. This works in regards to the practicability that good behavior is rewarded and bad behavior is not rewarded thereby not repeatable by the individual. Managers can use this theory to effectively motivate their employees by always rewarding good behavior (Taylor 2010, p. 66).

Possible Measures to Improve Bills Situation

The management of Secure Systems seems to be on the verge of losing the great talent in the person of Bill. They employed him and then gave him a lucrative project to work on; this made him feel great; he was motivated to care less about the surroundings. Lack of enough jobs has made him realize that he is working in poor conditions. The management, however, still has a chance to reverse this situation.

The first step to be taken to motivate Bill will be to improve the working conditions in the office. As described, the office is in poor condition as compared to the one he was working in previously. Working with his former employee, he had everything he needed in the office, including a secretary. Even though they may not give him a secretary, they would help the situation by improving the lighting, the floor carpet and the filing cabinets. The management should also revise their reward scheme so that Leslie also feels appreciated in order to prevent him from poisoning the minds of other workers including Bill. Lastly, Bill joined the organization because he was promised more opportunities that are challenging. Therefore, the management should look for ways of giving Bill more tasks that are challenging even if they are small in nature, that is, they should improve on the frequency of the jobs being awarded.

List of References

Buchanan, D & Huczynski, A 2010, Organizational Behaviour, Pearson Books, London.

Leake, B 2010, Evaluating explanations : A content theory, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, New York.

Maslow, A 1998, Maslow on Management, John Wiley, New York.

Mullins, L 1998, Management and Organisational Behaviour, Perason Books, Edinburgh Gate.

Taylor, F 2010, Motivational Theories : Maslows Hierachy of Needs, Cognitive Dissonance, need for Power, Self-determination Theory, General Books, London.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a beautiful story that depicts the ultimate dream of any child: visiting a chocolate factory and winning a lifelong supply of chocolate. The movies key character, Willy Wonka, plays the role of a wizard who fulfills dreams, as he hides five golden tickets in his chocolate bars. He announces a competition in which any child from around the globe who finds one of the tickets may visit his factory and, upon honestly following particular rules, may become the lucky recipient of a lifelong provision of his or her favorite Wonka chocolate bars. Any violations of the identified rules will lead to disqualification until just one personthe most honest childbecomes the winner.

In addition to being a fine-featured fairytale, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is the perfect movie for obtaining a better understanding of the theories and concepts of organizational behavior.

Through the main themes of personal development and the role of drive-in achieving ones goals, the movie depicts not only the process of turning ones dreams into reality but also highlights ways of organizing people, managing their behaviors, and enhancing their engagement in any process. Even though the movie depicts children in a playful atmosphere, the obtained theoretical knowledge can be applied to managing adults in any business environment. Therefore, watching the film is an outstanding and exciting opportunity to become more proficient in organizational behavior concepts without turning to the standard books.

Conceptive Portion

The conceptive portion will focus on two major concepts that are vividly traced throughout the story of Willy Wonka: motivation and personality. These are the main themes of the whole story and create the required mood to share its central message: that perseverance, constant self-improvement, and self-honesty can turn any dream into reality. Motivation will be viewed not only from the perspective of the childrens desire to follow particular rules to win the lifelong provision of chocolate but also in terms of how Wonka enhances communication with the children and makes them interested in becoming involved in dialogues and sharing their stories.

The concept of personality is connected to the idea of motivation, which will be viewed through the prism of individual perceptions of the world and the influence of the external environment on personal development.

Motivation

The central theme of the story is motivation. In this movie, motivation can be viewed from the perspectives of different organizational behavior theories, all of which are supported by examples of the behaviors and choices of characters in the film. The first approach to motivation that can be traced in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is the difference between individual and organizational motivation.

All those who find gold tickets in Wonka chocolate bars are examples of personal motivation. Even though finding a ticket is up to chance, all of the kids and parents come to the chocolate factory with one distinct goal: to win a lifelong supply of Wonka chocolate.

Still, individual motivation can be viewed from different stances. For instance, there is the interactionist approach to motivation. According to this theory, each person is driven by their cultural, socioeconomic, and other backgrounds (Osland, Kolb, Rubin, & Turner, 2007). Charlies dream to win a lifelong supply of chocolate bars and his strong motivation to find one of the golden tickets may thus be associated with the fact that his family is poor and cannot afford to buy this product.

This poverty explains why he hopes to find the ticket and then follow the rules to become the winner. However, it is still essential to point out the fact that Charlie, just like the other competitors, does violate the rules once. Yet, this action can also be viewed from the perspective of the interactionist approach, in which one acts according to the environment. When Charlie and his grandpa find themselves in a sweet paradise and think they are not being watched (Adventuring Movie, 2016), these two factors tempt them to change their behavior and motivate them to violate the rules by tasting the Fizzy Lifting drinks.

As for organizational motivation, this concept can be viewed in Wonkas image and his approach to organizing work and communicating with the families who visit his factory. For instance, there are two interconnected types of motivation in this story. The first one is a positive motivation or the promise of a reward for particular behaviors. In the movies case, Wonka promises a lifelong supply of chocolate in exchange for being honest in adhering to the provisions of the contract signed before entering the factory.

On the other hand, positive motivation is inseparable from negative motivation, which refers to a kind of punishment for failure to behave in the desired way. Recalling the story, the prominent example of negative motivation is the rule stating that anyone who violates the contract is immediately out of the game (Adventuring Movie, 2016).

Another example of organizational motivation is reflected in the Oompa Loompas work, a perfect example of cohesiveness in the workplace. However, it is essential to understand why they behave in such a way. From the theory of motivation, it is evident that sharing a clear vision and creating a favorable working environment are among the best ways to keep employees motivated. In the movie, the Oompa Loompas are aware of their visionto produce the tastiest candies and chocolates everand work in a friendly and pleasant atmosphere (singing and having enough resources for work, life, and entertainment) that, in my opinion, keeps them driven.

All in all, organizational motivation can be viewed from the perspective of expectancy theory, as all of the Oompa Loompas are motivated based on expectancy (being aware of the expected outcome and behaviors), instrumentality (creating a favorable atmosphere for them in return for exceptional performance), and valence (knowing that they will be rewarded and valued for their performance).

Personality

In addition to motivation, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory pays special attention to the concept of personality. Indeed, this concept is traced throughout the whole story, as the primary focus is placed on the personal characteristics of the people depicted in the movie. Just like motivation, personality as a theoretical concept can be viewed from different perspectives. First, in the story, the emphasis is placed on the individual traits that identify each competitor.

In this case, it may be noted that personality is shaped under the influence of ones environment (Osland et al., 2007). Thus, it is essential to recall all participants backgrounds and connect them with their personalities. For instance, being from a rich family, Veruca Salt is spoiled by her parents money and attention. That is why she beliwealthy that she should get everything she wants. Seeing the golden eggs and subconsciously recalling that she is entitled to have everything she wants, Veruca demands one of them.

This personality trait causes her to be kicked out of the factory because having one of the golden eggs is forbidden (Adventuring Movie, 2016). At the same time, Verucas personality can be perceived as narcissism, which entails arrogance, a belief in ones increased self-importance, and a sense of entitlement (Osland et al., 2007).

Another example of the role of personality in the story is Mike Teavee, a boy obsessed with television. His personality is shaped by American culture and its obsession with TV, and, as a result, he finds himself teleported as he follows his desire to become a part of the TV world (Adventuring Movie, 2016). Finally, Charlie himself has a personality that is well connected to his environment. He is from a low-income family in which special attention is paid to humanistic rather than material values.

He even becomes involved in his search for the golden ticket purely out of a desire to make his little dream come true, not out of desires based on gluttony or greediness. More than that, Charlie is an example of self-honesty. Even though he fails to resist temptation and does sample the forbidden drinks, he returns a candy bought from Slugworth, who introduced it as a new product from Wonka. Even though Charlies grandpa tells him to give the candy to Slugworth because it is one of the secret recipes that will cause loss to Wonka, Charlie chooses to return it to Willy Wonka. As a result, Charlies honesty helps him pass the morality test and become the winner. However, it turns out that the prize is the factory, not a lifelong supply of chocolates (Adventuring Movie, 2016).

Also, personality can be perceived as the foundation for group learning. Even though this plotline is not as obvious as others, there are still social learning aspects in the movie. By communicating with other competition participants and observing their behaviors, Charlie finds out what is right and what is wrong. According to the concept of social learning, people learn what may be expected from them in the future if they behave in a particular way based on observing and anticipating other people (Osland et al., 2007).

For instance, Charlie learns that once a violation of the rules is noticed, the person is forced to leave the factory. Such observations may have motivated him to stay honest when watching and breaking the rules when nobody is looking. More than that, as Charlie observes the work and cooperation of the Oompa Loompas, it may teach him and other competitors how to become an effective team player and cooperate with others to achieve a common objective.

Reflective Portion

Observations

I have watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory several times, and each time brought a different experience. What I observed the first time was a beautiful story with a happy ending. For me, it was just a story that proved that dreams do come true, but I never placed a more profound meaning on the message shared by the producers. However, as I watched the film later, I realized that it could be viewed from different perspectives. By the second time I watched it, I had obtained some theoretical background in organizational behavior. For this reason, the movie turned from a simple fairytale into some theoretical framework for getting a better understanding of organizational behavior.

In the movie, I observed how motivation, drive, and personal development affect peoples lives and contribute to changes, both positive and negative. The very first thing I observed was a beautiful dream of a little boy. However, his dedication to his dreamanother observationcontributes to his success in finding the golden ticket. At the same time, I observed a belief in ones lucky fate; unlike the other participants, Charlie was limited in financial resources and could not afford to buy many chocolate bars, but he still believed that he would find it.

I also observed how arrogance affects peoples lives through Veruca and the gluttonous boy Augustus. Even though they are depicted as kids from different worlds and with differing personalities, they are still similar due to their drive to satisfy their primitive desires. Finally, there is a theme of family relationships because all of the children are depicted as representations of their families and the environments in which they live, both of which shape their personalities.

Still, all of these observations can become even deeper once analyzed from different perspectives. For instance, as I ask myself what is hidden behind Charlies dedication, I find that I am inclined to believe that it is a desire to become part of another world, one in which financial resources do not limit people. Even though it is a basic example, it points to Charlies desire to break out of poverty. The very fact may also support this assumption that Charlie does sample the forbidden drink because it is yet another product that his family cannot afford to buy.

On the other hand, I believe that Willy Wonka sees in Charlie, a representation of himself as a child. Of course, Charlie makes a mistake by violating the contract, but he remains honest as he returns the candy to Wonka, knowing that it is the right thing to do. As for Veruca and Augustus, I believe that their behavior is just an expression of the need for attention because, all in all, they are kids, and their natural desire for a connection with their parents has been replaced by money and food.

As I analyze these observations, I question the influence that they had on me. Now, I am confident that the impact of reflecting is complex and ambiguous. On the one hand, I recognize that having a dream and wanting to bring it to life is beautiful because it is associated with positive emotions and the chance to change ones life for the better. However, on the other hand, I concluded that any dream could come true if one is perseverant and devoted to fulfilling it.

Still, in this case, one has to pay special attention to honesty and, even more importantly, self-honesty. Remember how Charlie and his grandpa violated the rules? This mistake was a manifestation of their weakness and feeling uncertain that they wanted to win. Even though Charlie still won the factory, I still believe that this story taught me that it is critical to remain humane under any life circumstances and that such behavior will be rewarded.

References

Adventuring Movie (2016). Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory (1971) full movie. Web.

Osland, J. S., Kolb, D.A., Rubin, I. M., & Turner, M. E. (2007). Organizational behavior: An experiential approach (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Since the early days of human psychology, many are interested in discovering the principles behind motivation. This is an important topic for many including managers, teachers, and parents. The ability to understand the intricacies of motivation will help them to create strategies and teaching tools that will encourage the people under their care or their supervision to be motivated in performing a particular task. One way of understanding motivation is to study it through the lens of the dispositional perspective which argues that motivation is a byproduct of conscious thought and the fusion of three major elements of human behavior which are awareness, inclination, and ability.

Human Behavior

Behaviorists and other researchers who are interested in human behavior tried to find out the factors that make a person behave in a certain way. This is not just about a persons likes and dislikes, his or her mannerisms but also actions like talking to a friend, watching a particular movie, choosing a career, and the performance of a certain action to achieve a specific goal. Understanding human behavior, especially when it comes to motivation will be beneficial to many people. It will be beneficial to parents, teachers, and managers among others.

In the case of parents, the ability to understand what motivates a child from performing a task can be of great help when it comes to child-rearing. For teachers, it would be easier to train their students to acquire certain skills if they know how to motivate them. Managers on the other hand are also interested because they want to know how to improve the performance of their workers. A motivated worker will be able to accomplish more than what is expected of him or her. After all, the basic challenge for all organizations is to determine how to persuade their employees to work towards organizational goals (Moynihan & Pandey, 2007).

Motivation

According to one definition of motivation, it is goal-directed behavior and characterized by the process of selecting and directing certain actions among voluntary activities to achieve goals (Kamal et al., 2009). This means that when it comes to voluntary activities  e.g. going to a friends house, completing an assignment, helping an old lady cross the street  requires motivation to be completed. It can therefore be argued that since these activities are voluntary it requires conscious thinking (McClelland, 1987). A person will not find himself in front of his friends house without first deciding beforehand that he will come and visit.

Motivation is not a byproduct of the unconscious, it is the result of knowledge, experience, or skills that were already a part of the person before he or she performed a particular voluntary action (Brock & Green, 2005). Information plays a key role in motivation (Kruglanski, 1990). There are even those who argue that motivation is not a solitary element of human behavior but a part of a whole, the fusion of elements that includes:

• Inclination;
• Awareness; and
• Ability (Ritchhart & Perkins, 2002).

Using the dispositional perspective one can argue that a person is not simply motivated to do something unconsciously. First, there is awareness; this may come from knowledge about a particular subject matter. For instance, an employee may get hold of information regarding the requirements needed for promotion to a managerial level. Then for the person to perform the necessary tasks needed for a promotion, he must first incline to be a leader or at least someone who wants to do more challenging roles. Then the person will conduct an inventory of skills and his social network to determine if he has what it will take to succeed. When everything is in place then the person will be motivated to go for promotion. When the person feels inadequate then his drive will significantly decrease.

This will help explain why there are people who find it hard to motivate themselves. This can also explain why some lack the drive to excel. It is not therefore the lack of motivation but the lack of the necessary ingredients required to be motivated. Educational background may be an important key but in some instances, it can be an inclination to do a particular action or sustain a particular behavior that may be lacking. And even if one is inclined to do a particular thing the lack of ability or tools to accomplish a specific goal may discourage him to do so. A manager, teacher, or parent must keep all the elements of motivation in mind to design a process or a training regimen that will help the people under their care reach a desired level of success.

Motivation is not a byproduct of unconscious behavior. There is evidence pointing to the contrary  that every action is deliberate and the driving force behind each action is the combination of awareness, inclination, and ability. Fusing these three will create a motive. This in turn will propel a person to do a particular task. Based on this argument one can deduce the working principles behind human behavior especially when it comes to achieving objectives and the desire to succeed.

A person must first be aware of the pertinent information regarding a particular goal or action. For instance, he or she must be aware of the rewards associated with a particular task. Then it is his or her inclination to a particular activity that will increase interest and then an inventory of skills and abilities will make him or she decide to go for it.

References

Brock, T. & M. Green. (2005). Persuasion: Psychological Insights and Perspectives. CA: Sage Publications.

Kamal, S. et al. (2009). Motivation and Its Impact on Job Performance. Web.

Kruglanski, A. (1990). Motivations for Judging and Knowing Implications for Causal Attribution. In R. Sorrentino & E. Tory (Eds.). Handbook of Motivation and Cognition. New York: Guilford Publications.

McClelland, D. (1987). Human Motivation. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Moynihan, D. & S. Pandey. (2007). Finding Workable Levers Over Work Motivation: Comparing Satisfaction, Job Involvement, and Organizational Commitment. Administration and Society. 39(7): 803-832.

Ritchhart, R. & D. Perkins. (2002). Intellectual Character. CA: Jossey-Bass, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Introduction

When people are motivated, they accomplish goals. In the workplace, workers can be very productive when they feel they are a part of a team, or part-owner of business. They feel this sense of belongingness and so they strive for the companys success. This is one of the many kinds of motivation that affect individual behaviour in the workplace.

Motivating employees is a challenge to managers. Managers have to demonstrate trust to their employees. Ways to demonstrate trust include such actions as removing some controls, or by asking a person to create a plan or schedule, or by putting subordinate in charge of something one would normally handle.

People always connect work with lifes fulfilment, and connect their satisfaction at work with their feelings and satisfaction of life and happiness with their family. Work and life balance suggests a balance for life and what people do. There has to be a blending equality that includes work, family, pleasure, fulfilment, and satisfaction.

Part of good and productive management is to motivate employees to become productive and to work for the fulfilment of the organizations objectives. Motivation is an important factor in determining performance of people in an organization. It is the heart of performance management.

Studies have found that successful managers have stronger power motives than less successful managers. The human need theory asserts that people have urges relative to the three needs which are the need for achievement, the need for affiliation, and the need for power.

Theories of motivation include those expounded by Frederick Taylor who is known as the father of scientific management. He defined work in terms of the specified tasks designed for the workers to follow. The workers have no independence and they cannot judge between what is right and what is wrong in the workplace. (Luecke & Hall, 2006, p. 18)

The social scientist Douglas McGregor formulated the Theory X and Theory Y approach to management. Managers who embrace Theory X have two motivational tools: the carrot and stick  greed and fear. Theory X sees the boss as prodding the employees, exerting too much control in the workplace. Theory Y assumes that when people are motivated, they accomplish goals. (Fournies, 1999, p. 34)

Another motivational-factor theory is the Hawthorne effect which refers to the productivity benefits that companies create when they pay attention to their employees and treat them with dignity or as equal partners. David Garvin and Norman Klein (cited in Luecke & Hall, 2006, p. 19) made their own research on this and found that work output was not simply a function of a jobs scientific design, but was also influenced by social norms, management-employee communications, and the level of employee involvement in workplace decisions.

Abraham Maslow (1943), who is the originator of the human need theory, formulated the pyramid theory of need. He arranged it like a pyramid or ladder. Basic needs were at the bottom of the pyramid. As one set is met, the need moves up the ladder to the next. Another is the need structure, order, law, and limits, and the need for strength in the protector.

The next in the ladder is belongingness and love needs that include the need for recognition, acceptance and approval of others. Self-esteem needs include how we value ourselves and our love and respect for ourselves and for others. We also have the desires to know and to understand. (Maslow, 1943, p. 236)

Self-actualizing needs are those where we place our goals for our career. Management in the organization has to look how it has met the needs of employees before they can go on and be effective in their job. The need theory is focused on the acquired needs that people learn in the process of acquiring new life experiences over their lifetime. The three major groups of needs that people acquire include achievement, affiliation, and power (Kopelman et al., 2006, p. 233). It is the motivations that people have for certain attitudes towards their work and their relations with their employers.

Affiliation is the need that people try to satisfy in the work place as well, and organizations must provide their employees with favorable conditions for professional and personal development in the work place. (Duxbury & Higgins, 2001, p. 13)

Finally, the need for power is the moving force of the career development and professional progress of an employee (Kopelman et al., 2006, p. 233).

In business, it is a matter of always being active, always looking for improvement, and in pursuit of excellence to do the right things. This involves action or activities to get to the customers demands quick, to answer their needs, to improve the business always, etc.

Individual behaviour in the organization

Organizations and the people acting and running these organizations encounter change every now and then. We have drivers of change such as globalization, Information Technology, the Internet, etc. As a result of these changes, authors and commentators call the world we live in as a global village. It is difficult to achieve something in this world  a world which they have called a global village.

The term global village is an oxymoron. It is nicknamed village because it has been made simple by computers, the internet, and the globalized world  we are connected. But in this so-called simplicity, humans have to live in a most complicated way. Computers have made our lives complicated, if not miserable.

Individual employees have to cope, adjust, and change day in and day out with their organizational life. There are many things to cope with. One phenomenon appears after another until the worker and the manager become puzzled what and how to follow. Most of us belong to an organization, which maybe a particular business, or a group with humanitarian goals.

Many of the people who started these organizations would say that they formed the groups to make life easier and to make the world a better place to live in. But we know that these organizations have complicated goals, beginnings, and outcomes. They havent made life a better place to live in. They have made our lives difficult, although there is an exception to some. There are organizations out there which have noble intentions, although (again this word) these organizations are victims themselves of the changes brought about by many factors.

An organization with a business background and objective  or simply said, a business organization  can never offer simple lives for its members. This complicated world of the managers, employees and ordinary workers makes life so harsh, difficult and uncompromising.

Individual employees have to cope because global organizations operate in a most complicated way, not to mention that organizations are composed of peoples of diverse cultures. Multinational corporations and multinational enterprises are global organizations composed of people of diverse cultures. Living with peoples of different cultures can make the lives of ordinary employees, and even managers, very unbalanced. Work and life balance is difficult to achieve.

Our emotions, feelings, personal lives have never been so affected by organizational activities that we tend to look at the office or the organization headquarters as our home away from home. We spend and dedicate our time, efforts, and knowledge to the organization. We look at the office as more than a place. Family life plays second fiddle. We believe that if we are happy in the organization, we are happy at home. The organization comes first.

Moreover, the organizations strategic operation is very different than it was a few years ago. Employees have to give up, sometimes. Businesses and organizations are manned or controlled by humans, not by machines  machines are there to follow our commands. But humans commit mistakes or errors, and succumb to the changes and ambiguities in organizational life.

In our dealings with fellow employees, we commit errors. Our errors and inadequacies, faults, perceptions are in many ways what make us human and make us unique. The world has been interpreted by theorists, thinkers and researchers who made sense of things in very different ways. Many of these issues are perceptions but are essential to handling the nearly infinite stimulus our mind receives. The more the organization has become complicated to our own perception, the more we commit errors and mistakes; and the more our lives become miserable.

Like the organization, human nature is complicated  it is filled with emotions and feelings. In an organization, there are complexities, errors, and successes, because organizations are manned by humans like us. We are not governed by theories but we formulate these theories out of our experiences and continued socialization. In the course of time, these theories seem to rule over our behavior and activities.

Schemas are constructs that contain information about our values, how we perceive ourselves and others, and how we adjust to things and changes in the environment. Schemas are components of cognitive-behavioral therapy and are powerful tools in interpersonal relationships. (Clegg et al., 2005, p. 56)

In our socializing activities, we commit errors which are a part of our behavior in making judgments, interpretations, assumptions, and beliefs about our social world, the people within it, and our place in it. Examples of these errors are stereotyping, self-fulfilling prophecies, the halo effect, attribution error, cognitive dissonance, and so forth.

These affect our relationships with managers and co-employees. This should be minimized, if not avoided, because this is one way of judging people; instead of managing, we divert from the right path. Instead of motivating, we discourage employees. Stereotyping is not always negative. Self-fulfilling prophecies and the halo effect are a result of our own fulfilling dreams  a result of looking at ones self as something greater, or holier-than-thou attitude.

The most common issues concerning stereotyping center on culture and race. People have been asked to suppress their stereotyping behavior. Another of the errors in managing people is self-fulfilling prophecies which affects how we perceive others and how we act when we interact with them, but it also affects how we perceive and act ourselves. If we look at others the way we think of them, they may act the way we perceive of them.

Within attribution we are prone to two key errors. The first is the fundamental attribution error. When we see someone fail or behave in certain ways we believe it is due to their personality, attitude, or disposition.

When we think of work as a mere tool for us to live, we can hardly be motivated. We will continue working for the sake of the salary we get from the company we work for. But we have to cope with our organizational life, the same way we cope with family life. This has to go together. Work and life have to balance. Organizations which promote work-life balance will have productive workers because these workers are well motivated. Success in work and happiness in the family always go together.

Organizations employ many strategies to improve competitive advantage. Group dynamics and team building are concepts of continual improvement. Group dynamics influence individual behaviour. (Firth, 2002, p. 23)

Team building is one of the many innovations which benefited workers. In team building, workers are formed in teams or clusters and function through teamwork and motivation. Each team is given independence, the members are allowed to function at their own utmost capacity, and are trained in the process, becoming multi-skilled, while each member is responsible to the team. A cluster competes with other clusters when it comes to skill, but they are all working for one organisation. As individuals mature in their job, and become accustomed to it, they significantly improve their skill and organizational knowledge, becoming more professional and expert in their own respective fields.

The philosophy behind teambuilding is that when individual workers are allowed to work at their own pace and given the responsibility as part of the team, they become well motivated. The motivation is that each individual works for improvement and advancement of the organisation. A member becomes like a part owner of the business. Each cluster works like an independent body but each member is multi-skilled that allows the cluster members to be flexible. Cluster methods provide improvement not only as workers but as developed individuals.

Teamwork can develop individual flexibility and learning. This concept is like that of motivation. The purpose is to motivate the workers into aiming for the success of the organization.

Creating teams require some skill and real talent. It requires some determination to put the individual talents into a single force to work for change or introduce ideas that can provide further innovations, progress and success for one objective.

The purpose is somehow linked to the organizational mission and objectives. By having clusters and groups, talents and capabilities of members are maximized. This is known as the centralized kind of management. With globalization, the technique is to manage the organisation horizontally. Team working can best be enhanced with use of the internet, Information Technology, and teleconferencing. Mobile communication such as cell phones, lap tops and other similar high-technology tools can help in team building work. Communication is fast and effective.

Team formations are considered special features for improved organisational and individual performance. Introducing principles of team formations in the workplace is like implementing total quality management concepts. They present a strong foundation for global organisations in the present century, and they can be an effective way of providing work and life balance which is very much needed by the people.

Conclusion

There is a common thinking that successful leaders are those who respond most appropriately to the demands of the specific situation. When there are no problems, when it seems there is no conflict in the organization, leaders can relax and seek opinions from members at a leisurely pace. But when a problem comes up, the leader must know how to act and deal with the situation immediately. The leader has to be well prepared to changes which may come in anytime.

People have to change. We, as individual members of the team or the organization, have to go along with the tide and have to change. Our behaviour is affected by the changes in the world.

People who tend to like change are those who may have changed the world. Many of them are not the ones who are popular, but quite a few effected change and their inventions became more popular than their personality. They are leaders in their own right, quiet and unpopular, but effective.

Change is an internal dynamic in a person; meaning the attitude  our attitudes, our outlook in life, our motivations and objectives for the organization  should change, and we become good leaders. But first we have to become, transform, into good followers who want change. The want is emphasized here because if we do not have the longing for change, it will not be effective. It has to be a desire and a goal.

Annotated Bibliography

1. The Third Force: The Psychology of Abraham Maslow, by Frank G. Goble (2004)

Publisher: Reinventing Yourself.com

Bright and intelligent ideas of Abraham Maslow are compiled and condensed in this book about motivation. These important knowledge and information were compiled by Frank G.Goble from the various data bases and from the hundreds of essays, articles and speeches which portray Maslows philosophy and understanding of the human nature and behaviour.

Maslow himself coined the term third force to distinguish his own ideas and philosophies from the others. It contains significant theories of human behaviour. It aims to explain the complexities of mans behavior, his goals and achievements and how these are done to achieve goals and successes.

The vast sources of Maslows ideas and knowledge come from a gathering of materials from Maslows friends and supporters. Highlights of this book include the Pyramid Theory or the theory of needs which sets mans needs like a pyramid. As one set is met, the need moves up the ladder to the next. The need for belongingness and love includes recognition, acceptance and approval of others. Self-esteem needs include how we value ourselves and our love and respect for ourselves and for others. (Maslow, 1943, p. 236)

2. Managing People: A Practical Guide for Line Managers, by Michael Armstrong (1998)

Publisher: Kogan Page Limited

This is about managing people. The book is divided into eight parts. Part 1 deals with the framework in managing people and describes how line managers and personnel work together as a team.

Part 2 is about the basic skill that line mangers should have. Part 3 is on resourcing and describes how managers can get the right people for the right job. Part 4 is about performance management. Part 5 describes how the manager and the team should be able to work together effectively as a team. Part 6 is all about managing reward and tells how the manager should recognize worthy actions of the members of the team. Part 7 is about employee relations and how the manager should deal with complaints and grievances of the employees whether or not there is a union of employees. Finally, Part 8 deals with employment relationship and describes how the manager should answer to the managements legal obligations and other responsibilities to employees.

3. Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action, by Michael Armstrong (2000); Publisher: Kogan Page Limited

In this book, Armstrong focused on definitions and explanations of strategic management and human resource management. The objective of strategic management is to gain advantage in the competition. Strategic management also aims for strategic competitiveness which is attained when the firm successfully formulates value creation.

Some interesting subject defined in the book is the history of HRM, which was then handled by personnel management in the traditional sense. Functions and responsibilities were managed by a personnel department, until HRM evolved. Functions include recruitment, training, and managing human resource. There is some relationship to the other books of Armstrong, but this is not to say that it is a weakness. Armstrong further displays prowess in dealing with the subject of which he is an expert and very much at home in discussing about.

One concept of strategic management and HRM is that the people are the organizations greatest asset. The present trend in organizations is to look after the welfare of its employees and see to it that they are satisfied with their work in the workplace.

4. A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, by Michael Armstrong (2003); Publisher: Kogan Page Limited

This is another important book of Michael Armstrong on the subject of human resource management (HRM). There are important chapters on the roles of the human resource function and practitioners. A significant part focuses on HRM processes, including strategies, processes and many other subjects of management. Change management is also given space and ample discussion in the book.

Organizational behaviour is another subject worthy of mention in the book. Armstrong is a renowned expert in the field of organizational behaviour and his ideas coupled with suggestions and important analysis on this subject is of great help to the students of human resource management.

The concepts of work, employer-employee relationship and other work-related topics are some of the important topics. Armstrong emphasizes job design, resourcing, performance management, etc. This is really a good read for students of management and even those actively practicing their art of dealing with people.

5. Leadership and Change, by Annabel Beerel (2009)

Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd., London

The opening salvo in the introduction talks about the realities of change and leadership, but more specifically, it talks of systemic leadership approach. This kind of approach views leadership as especially linked to change. But Beerel does not delve much on the execution and implementation aspect of leadership; instead, she talks about change and why is there a need for change. In other words, the purpose of change is of paramount significance in this book. The organization should be able to recognize change, the earlier the better.

Beerel recognized the ideas and inputs made by Ronald Heifetz of the J.F. Kennedy School of Government and those of Tavistock Institute which helped shape the ideas and points of discussion for human behaviour.

Beerel explained further in the book leadership and change through exercises and case studies. She explained how the organization should maintain focused to the new realities. This may include culture and cultural differences, for instance global organizations nowadays are composed of employees of different cultures.

6. Managing Change, Changing Managers (4^th edition), by Julian Randall (2004)

Publisher: Routledge, London

Julian Randall shares the knowledge he acquired through the years of actual experience as a consultant. This book has a significant layout for the postgraduate student, in fact this was how Randall could have planned it for students planning to take up postgraduate courses.

There are ideas sourced from contributions but are given due analysis and detailed accounts by the author. There also questions posed in the third section of the book, but answers are given due course. The references are composed of journals and books from experts and scholars in the field of management and change.

Randall further touches the topic of Human Resource Management, analysing and quoting some knowledgeable authors and commentators. HRM originated from the traditional personnel management during the twentieth century. This evolved and now came HRM with more additional quality and new characteristics added in our present time.

The topic of change is not something new, Randall recognizes this. He traces the history of change management during the time of the industrial revolution. In our present time, change has to be dealt with in the midst of globalization and new technology. Continuous change occurs in the workplace.

7. Performance Management: Measure and Improve the Effectiveness of Your Employees, by Richard Luecke & Brian Hall (2006)

Publisher: Harvard Business School, United States of America

Performance management is a significant aspect of human resource management. This is what Richard Luecke and Brian Hall emphasize in the book  human resource which is an important asset of the organization. The authors stressed that human resource should be competent and committed to the companys objectives; should be skilful and motivated; and get things done at the right time for the organization.

Performance management should be done by the manager so that it can measure the effectiveness of the people. This is the purpose of this book  to measure the performance of employees. The activities involved in performance management goal setting, coaching, or motivation, among others.

Luecke and Hall explained why performance management is necessary in the organization, and described in detail how performance management system can be installed and executed in an organization.

They described the activity as a cycle that can go on and on so that performance can be a repetitive aspect. If it becomes a cycle, the employees become used to it and their performance in the organization becomes effective and worthy.

8. Making Sense of Managing Culture, by David Cray & George Mallory (1998)

Publisher: International Thomson Publishing Inc., Boston, MA.

In the new global environment, patterns of complexity in organizations have changed tremendously because of the wider scope and the unpredictability of business activities. Managers have more challenges of increasing new knowledge, knowledge that are not of the traditional ways of looking at things or managing change. Managers and employees have to go on constant training, continuing education and lifelong learning.

This is because people are now living in what Cray and Mallory (1998) called a larger and smaller world. With the advent of the internet and modern means of communication, more innovations have been introduced in the work place. Communication and the internet created more paradigm shifts.

In the 21st century, managers encounter more concepts and theories on organizations. What was perceived as mere ideas before have now come out a reality  the so-called climate change and global-warming. The business world has to take responsibilities for the excessive use of fossil fuels and coal gas emissions. In the cities and countryside, businesses and peoples are now to look beyond their borders and see what has been going on  pollution, the deterioration of the environment, climate change, and so forth. The managers focus is both internal and external environments and how to deal with them in order to triumph in the competition and acquire more profits.

9. Introducing Organizational Behaviour & Management, by David Knights and Hugh Willmott (2007); Publisher: Thomson Learning, London

This book describes organizational behaviour and management in the context of the new trends in global organizations.

A significant point here is team building and clustering in organizations. Teams should be understood as discrete units of performance and not as examples of positive organizational values such as sharing, collaborating or listening to others.

Teams are identified as a distinctive form of organizational technology. Teams are designed to attain results. Team formations cannot be underestimated. Team formations are considered special features for improved organizational performance. This is total quality management applied to organizations.

One thing remarkable in this method is that teams tend to enhance organizational flexibility and learning as they can explore and react quickly to any problem or new challenge. Motivation is also greatly enhanced as teams are empowered by bestowing upon the members responsibility and autonomy in performing organizational tasks, in contrast to traditional organizations with their tight rules of command, short span of control and coordination.

10. Human Resource Management, by John Bratton and Jeffrey Gold (1999)

Publisher: Macmillian Press Ltd., London

Two of the most important authors in the field of human resource management are John Bratton and Jeffrey Gold who have given their masterful ideas and insights in this book, a milestone in management studies.

The first part of the book provides an in-depth definition and meaning of the term human resource management. This analysis portion dissects the term human resource management. It describes how this came into being, its origin, and its role in the present world of management and business. Given emphasis here are HRMs history, evolution, and its present state. There are different models of HRM mentioned in the book, and these are the Harvard model, the Guest model, the Warwick, etc. These were named according to the originators of the particular models.

The second part of the book is about Strategic HRM by John Bratton. This is another very important subject which Bratton skilfully provided justice by dealing on the many aspects of strategic management, the Japanese HR strategy, and a particular case study which is about Air National. Part Three of the book deals on HR planning by Jeffrey Gold. The book is subdivided into important subjects and authored equally by Bratton and Gold.

References

Clegg, S., Kornberger, M. & Pitsis, T. (2008). Managing and organizations: an introduction to theory and practice. London: Sage Publications Limited.

Duxbury, C. & Higgins, W. (2001). Work-Life Balance in the New Millennium: Where Are We? Where Do We Need to Go? CPRN Discussion Paper, No W/12.

Firth, D. (2002). Life and Work Express. United Kingdom: Capstone Publishing.

Fournies, F. (1999). Coaching for improved work performance. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Kopelman, R. E., Prottas, D. J., Thompson, C. A., & Jahn, E. W. (2006). A Multilevel Examination of Work-Life Practices: Is More Always Better? Journal of Managerial Issues, 18(2), p. 232

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. In F. Goble, The third force: the psychology of Abraham Maslow, pp. 233-6. USA: Zorba Press.

The main aim of the given research is to determine the effect the methods like motivational interviews and specific web tools will have on people suffering from different degrees of obesity and how these could be used to improve their quality of health. To attain the increased credibility of the research, it is crucial to use only relevant data. For this reason, individuals who do not suffer from other health problems are selected for the investigation. The clinical question that determines the structure of the paper sounds as follows:

If the implementation of the motivational interview does produce improved outcomes among patients suffering from obesity?

The suggested method will be implemented in terms of the given investigation among patients suffering from obesity. Patients will be provided with crucial data about the impact this very approach might have on their state of health and how the interview will be conducted. Only after these instructions are explained, the intervention could be implemented.

Therefore, motivational interviews as the proposed intervention could be considered an innovative approach that combines a quasi-experimental examination of people suffering from obesity along with the attempts to improve their motivation (OHalloran et al., 2014). Additionally, to collect credible data related to the efficiency of the suggested intervention, it is crucial to divide all participants into two groups (the intervention and the control one) to compare the outcomes and determine the more appropriate method that could be used to attain improved results.

The participants from the first group will be supposed to participate in weekly motivational interviews whereas the participants from the controlled group will have to use the special web tool that allows them to keep track of changes related to the problem. The results collected at the end of the experiment will be compared to answer the clinical question and determine the efficiency of the motivational interview along with the perspectives for its further usage.

Apart from that, it is necessary to understand that weight loss may occur not only due to special measures taken by the patients; in fact, people may lose weight because of infectious diseases, body dehydration, loss of appetite, and stress-related to different spheres of life. Taking that into consideration, it is obvious that patients from both groups should be interviewed before each measurement session. The interviews should include questions related to current mental conditions, the state of health, and weight loss methods used by the participants throughout the week. It is extremely important to take these factors into account as it will allow the researchers to differentiate between body mass changes caused by intentional practices and unwanted factors.

The given outcomes will be measured and analyzed regularly as it is necessary to observe the dynamics of changes associated with the use of two different methods supposed to encourage weight loss. Measurement sessions will be conducted before the beginning of the research, four times during the first month of the intervention and then one time every three months of the intervention. After the end of the year, final measurements will be compared with the ones taken before the entire intervention. BMI could be considered a dependent variable as it should be altered in the course of the experiment. At the same time, the overall state of the patients health is an independent variable as it should remain at the same level. These could be measured using scales and data about health obtained before the interview.

The data collection tools that will be used during the study include interviews and precise measurements performed by specialists with the help of scales and specific blanks. These data collection tools have been chosen as they help to collect the objective data related to changes in weight of the participants. Apart from that, the data on mental and physical health collected before weighing can help to define whether it is appropriate to associate weight loss in participants with the usage of motivational interviews or not.

To conduct the analysis, it will be necessary to calculate the mean results for intervention and controlled groups which will be used during t-tests with two independent samples (Pituch, Whittaker, & Stevens, 2015). More than that, the data collected since the beginning of the discussed intervention will be used to conduct a multivariable regression analysis to determine the efficiency of the chosen method and the effect it will have on the patients. (Fox, 2016).

It is also crucial to consider different demographic and physiological peculiarities of people like gender, age, ethnicity, and social status. These aspects might impact the alterations of the BMI greatly, and that is why it is extremely important to compare results based not on the weight changes but the changes in BMI of participants of the proposed research. The statistical data retrieved with the help of the discussed tools will be used to answer the clinical question.

The issue of confidentiality remains important in connection with the proposed research. Due to ethical risks associated with the availability of demographic data, it is inappropriate to report data identifying the participants of the research. To protect the personal details of the participants, the researchers will use codes instead of names to distinguish between the data related to different patients.

The information concerning the participants that can be outlined in the report includes their demographics peculiarities as well as the alterations in their BMIs during the measurement sessions. As for the expected outcomes, it can be supposed that two methods of weight reduction will demonstrate different degrees of effectiveness. The fact is that the usage of web tools remains an efficient way to assess the current state of a problem and create a certain solution to it. However, it could still demonstrate poorer outcomes because of the lack of inspiration and current monitoring of the most problematic issues. For this reason, the motivational interview is suggested as a possible intervention.

References

Fox, J. (2016). Applied regression analysis and generalized linear models. New York, NY: Sage Publications.

OHalloran, P., Blackstock, F., Shields, N., Holland, A., Iles, R., Kingsley, M.,&Taylor, N. (2014). Motivational interviewing to increase physical activity in people with chronic health conditions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Rehabilitation, 28(12), 1159-1171.

Pituch, K. A., Whittaker, T. A., & Stevens, J. P. (2015). Intermediate statistics: A modern approach. New York, NY: Routledge.

Extrinsic motivation occurs when a person is driven to undertake an action or participate in a task to receive a prize or escape prosecution. Intrinsic motivation occurs when a person partakes in action as it is pleasurable to her (Locke & Schattke, 2019). A person is doing something to do it instead of for some external incentive. The most fundamental difference between them lies in the motive of doing things because it is intrinsically impressive and pleasant or because it results in a separate and distinct output. They are similar in that both urge a person to take on some particular activity.

First, my lifes examples of intrinsic motivation would involve activities like yoga and solving puzzles. I do yoga every day because I take pleasure during and after the process. I enjoy solving puzzles since it distracts me from all the bustles in life and relaxes my mind. Regarding extrinsic motivation, I must go to work to pay bills and take care of my children and daily expenses. Moreover, sometimes I volunteer at events because I believe such experience would make my resume look more promising than other candidates, which increases my chances of getting employed if I want to change my job.

Since I have several crucial roles as a mother, full-time employee, and student, I find intrinsic motivation more critical in my daily activities. I am far more prone to perform successfully when I am full of a higher sense of objective and when I genuinely wish for something. For instance, at work, even after achieving the formal benchmark, I may continue putting effort into reaching a masterpiece until my job is completed merely flawless. Carrying multiple roles but at the same time lacking an inner motivation would quickly lead me to burnout. Therefore, even though I respect intrinsic and extrinsic motivations equally, I realize that the former is needed more than the latter.

Reference

Locke, E. A., & Schattke, K. (2019). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: Time for expansion and clarification. Motivation Science, 5(4), 277290.

Introduction

The concept of dark tourism is becoming a more and more popular subject of research in modern studies. Scholars investigate the reasons why people are interested in dark tourism sites, and they agree that the most common motive is paying tribute to the deceased people and finding out more about their national identity. I would like to research the motivations of dark tourism because I find this topic rather relevant and interesting.

The purpose of the project is to analyze the concept of dark tourism and its motivations on the basis of a review of the literature and an interview. A more narrow objective is the investigation of recently created US dark tourism sites. Therefore, the specific research question of my study is, What are the motives of different age groups in visiting the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York as a site of dark tourism? The study is expected to incorporate ten participants who will be asked to answer the questions of a semi-structured interview.

The reason why I chose this theme is that I feel that people need to express more respect and sympathy towards those who became victims of devastating natural or man-made catastrophes. I think that if people were more acquainted with dark tourism places, they would be more empathetic and would not think of doing anything cruel to others. The importance of the project is in its anticipated outcomes. I hope to find out the major motives of peoples visits to the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum and on the basis of the obtained data, to design the ways of encouraging tourists interest in such places and their significant social and humane purposes.

Literature Review

The interest of scholars in dark tourism appeared comparatively recently, and its significance in the present decade has grown. Many studies are dedicated to the theory, applications, and methods of research on the topic (Ashworth & Isaac, 2015; Biran & Hyde, 2013; Casbeard & Booth, 2012; Collins-Kreiner, 2015; Korstanje & Ivanov, 2012). Some scholars investigate particular dark tourism places and analyze different cases (Brown, 2013; Isaac & Çakmak, 2014; Kang, Scott, Lee, & Ballantyne, 2012; Ozer, Ersoy, & Tuzunkan, 2012; Yan, Zhang, Zhang, Lu, & Guo, 2016).

There are studies focused on specific implications of dark tourism (Brown, 2013; Miles, 2014; Podoshen, 2013; Stone, 2012). All of the reviewed studies come from peer-reviewed journals, and they help to understand the concept of dark tourism better by providing evidence and analysis.

Theory, Applications, and Methods

In their article, Ashworth and Isaac (2015) analyze the shifting perspectives of dark tourism. The authors remark that the theoretical investigations of dark tourism changed their focus from the places to the experiences conveyed by them. Ashworth and Isaac (2015) suggest a list of emotions that tourists at such sites usually experience: curiosity, shame, empathetic grief, psychotic disturbance, offense or anger, and fear.

Scholars note that the feeling of shame appears when visitors realize what sufferings people had to experience. Empathetic grief is the ability to perceive other peoples tragedies as ones own. Feelings of anger, fear, and psychotic disturbance are caused by the realization of where one is and what horrible events happened in it. The article by Korstanje and Ivanov (2012) also analyzes the role of trauma in peoples motivation to visit dark tourism places. The authors note that it is difficult to understand some peoples motives since death is a mysterious concept perceived by every person differently.

Biran and Hyde (2013) suggest a shift from a purely descriptive analysis of dark tourism to a critical one. Scholars remark that there are some gaps in the methodology of dark tourism investigation, and they propose the ways of filling in these gaps. The first suggestion is to approach the study of dark tourism with the use of quantitative methods (Biran and Hyde, 2013). The second idea is that future studies should stop exploiting the traditionally accepted thanatological framework introduced by Stone and Sharpley in 2008 and start exploring the effect of dark tourism on peoples emotions and death anxiety (Biran and Hyde, 2013). Biran and Hyde (2013) also emphasize the need to investigate cross-cultural differences with regard to dark tourism.

Considering dark tourism as a product of post-modernity, Casbeard, and Booth (2012) outline some methodological problems in the field. The authors emphasize the need for historical periodization of dark tourism sites. Casbeard and Booth (2012) note that the only classification of sites is considering them the events that took place within living memory, which is approximately the last century. Thus, according to Casbeard and Booth (2012), dark tourism sites need to be classified in accordance with historical periods, and further research of the issue should be based on this classification.

Collins-Kreiner (2015) also emphasizes the significance of innovative methods in dark tourism research. The author compares the terms dark tourism and pilgrimage, noting that it is rather difficult to distinguish between them in modern research. Collins-Kreiner (2015) remarks that similarities between the two concepts are in the nature of the phenomena, the establishment of sites, and the issues associated with supply and demand. Therefore, while pilgrimage has existed for a much longer time than dark tourism, both concepts have some common features enabling and encouraging researchers to analyze them from the perspective of similarity.

Different Case Studies of Dark Tourism Places

Many scholars focus their research on investigating particular dark tourism sites and peoples reasons for visiting them. Brown (2013) focuses his article on the analysis of three places: the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Poland, the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, UK, and the Imperial War Museum North in Salford Quays, UK. Although all three museums have a different level of detachment to the events to which they are dedicated, Brown (2013) remarks that people visit them because they want to honor those who were murdered because of racial discrimination (the Auschwitz-Birkenau and the International Slavery Museums) and those who were killed when defending their countries against the enemy (the Imperial War Museum North).

In his study dedicated to the analysis of peoples motives for visiting the battlefield site, Miles (2014) also emphasizes the feeling of authenticity and desire to pay tribute to soldiers. Another study dedicated to battlefield memorials is focused on the analysis of Australian tourists interest in Gallipoli (Ozer et al., 2012). The authors note that there is one motive that makes Australians travel to Europe on Anzac day, April 25 (Ozer et al., 2012). Tourists want to commemorate their compatriots who participated in the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915-1916. By visiting this place, people hope to gain a better understanding of their nation and history.

Many research studies are dedicated to the investigation of dark tourism in places of massive deaths and sufferings of people that did not involve wars. Isaac and Çakmak (2014) investigate peoples motives for visiting a former transit camp Westerbork in the Netherlands. The authors note that tourists name curiosity, the need for self-understanding, and conscience as their major reasons. Other motives, as identified by Isaac and Çakmak (2014), are the exclusiveness of the site and its being in the top lists of tourist attractions.

Yan et al. (2016) analyze the motivation of tourists interest in the Beichuan earthquake relics in China. Researchers conclude that the main reason is empathy and study of local characteristics. Other causes are associated with entertainment and educational purposes. Kang et al. (2012) analyze tourists motives for visiting the April 3rd Peace Park on Jeju Island in South Korea. This is a place of commemorating one of the most tragic episodes in the history of modern Korea. Research by Kang et al. (2012) indicates that the major reason why people attend the site is the feeling of duty. Other motives are curiosity, social reasons, and participation in educational programs.

Specific Implications of Dark Tourism

Some scholars focus their investigations, not on concrete case studies but on particular features pertaining to dark tourism. Brown (2013) analyzes the activity of dark tourism shops. The author remarks that although the functioning of shops at dark tourism spots is limited, people still like the idea of taking home something to remember their visit. Brown (2013) notes that in order not to be criticized by the public, such shops usually limit the items they sell to books and other educational materials.

Podoshen (2013) investigates an unusual trend in dark tourism  places associated with black metal. The author concludes that the key motives of visiting such spots are simulation and emotional contagion. Also, Podoshen (2013) remarks that such tourists make attempts to draw comparisons between the landscapes imagined by them and topographical reality.

In his study, Stone (2012) views dark tourism as a mediating institution. According to the author, such an institution has a double function. The first one is providing a physical spot to connect the living with the dead. The second feature, as defined by Stone (2012), is serving as a cognitive space where a persons self can establish the contemporary ontological essence of mortality.

Summary

The authors of the reviewed articles mainly focus on tourists interest in dark tourism and the motives for visiting dark tourism sites. Scholars remark that going to places of massive deaths makes individuals be more sympathetic. The majority of researchers emphasize that compassion and desire to commemorate people is the key reason why tourists participate in dark tourism. Other popular motives are entertainment and education. However, even if people visit sites for such purposes, they treat the places with due respect and consideration.

The reviewed literature is closely connected with the current research since it provides a number of investigations of dark tourism spots along with peoples motives for visiting them. The articles may be used when analyzing tourists interest in the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum. I will be able to compare and contrast the motives and see whether they are similar to or different from the major causes discussed in the reviewed articles.

Project Methodology

Connection Between the Reviewed Literature and the Study

Dark tourism became a popular subject of scholarly analysis comparatively recently, which explains the presence of gaps in research. Although many articles are dedicated to tourists motives for visiting battlefields, massacre sites, and other places of massive deaths and suffering, not all popular sites have been studied yet. Among such understudied sites is the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York.

The museum is dedicated to the victims of massive terrorist attacks that took place in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC in September 2001 (Hess & Herbig, 2013; 9/11 memorial and museum, 2017). The only investigation of the memorial as a dark tourism site was performed by Tinson, Saren, and Roth (2015) who studied the role of dark tourism in the formation of young Americans national identity. Therefore, I would like to explore this memorial more thoroughly. I will not limit my research to some age group since it is crucial to find out the opinions of different generations. Upon collecting the necessary data, I will be able to compare it with the findings obtained by other researchers who studied other dark tourism sites.

Study Design

The study will be qualitative and non-experimental. There will be only one group of participants. I will employ survey research to answer the research question that is What are the motives of different age groups in visiting the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York as a site of dark tourism? The value for stakeholders will be added through such specific, achievable objectives:

• to explore the concept of dark tourism in general and one of its most famous sites in the US, in particular;
• to find out the major reason for peoples visits to the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum;
• to investigate the secondary motives of tourists interest in the site;
• to encourage citizens to respect and sympathize with the victims and survivors of the tragic events.

Research Strategy

The study will employ a sample of ten respondents. The participants will not be limited to their age or gender characteristics since I want to find out the opinions of diverse population groups. I do not want to focus on one gender or age because it will not present the full scope of the issue.

The selected number of participants may seem small, but it is sufficient for my study. I am planning to use a semi-structured interview, which means that people may give long answers to the analysis of which will take much time. Thus, I find this number an acceptable minimum to conduct a reliable survey and manage to do it within the suggested timeline.

Instrument

The instrument employed to collect data is a semi-structured interview. The questions for the interview were not used previously and were designed specifically for my study. The chosen structure of the interview will allow people to talk more about the things that are most interesting and close to them. At the same time, the interview guide will help me to keep focused on the research question and obtain the most relevant data.

The participants will be encouraged to answer the questions of the interview in as much detail as they prefer (Appendix). Since it is a semi-structured interview, eight questions will be enough. They will serve as a guideline for the respondents, enabling them to elaborate on some issues and report briefly about the others. The participants will also report three demographic facts about themselves: age, gender, and ethnicity. This data will be used to analyze whether people with different demographic characteristics treat their visit to the museum differently or in a similar way.

Data Collection and Analysis

The process of data collection will involve going to the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum and asking people to participate in a survey at the end of their excursion. I will collect the data by myself since I want to ensure the reliability of the answers. I will stay at the museum for the whole day and will approach people at different times. Since the answers of only ten participants are needed for the study, I am planning to ask at least twenty people. This will enable me to exclude questionnaires where participants answer some questions too narrowly.

I will approach people with a smile, greet them in a friendly way, and explain the reason why I am asking them to participate in the interview. I will guarantee confidentiality for them and ask them to reveal only three demographic characteristics mentioned earlier (age, gender, and ethnicity). Then, I will invite each person to sit down and explain the procedure of the interview. To save time, I will use a voice recorder instead of writing the answers in a notebook. However, the notebook will also be necessary. If in the process of the interview I get interested in something mentioned by the participant, I will put it down and ask the people at the end of our conversation without interrupting them.

To analyze the collected data, I will listen to the answers and type them. Then, having the answers available on my laptop, I will highlight the answers that interest me most and compare and contrast them in a variety of ways. First of all, I will analyze the major motives of peoples visits to the museum. Then, I will establish secondary reasons. Further, I will establish whether peoples answers differ depending on their age, ethnicity, or gender.

Timeline

The table presents a timeline of the project with major stages and dates.

References

Ashworth, G. J., & Isaac, R. K. (2015). Have we illuminated the dark? Shifting perspectives on dark tourism. Tourism Recreation Research, 40(3), 316-325.

Biran, A., & Hyde, K. F. (2013). New perspectives on dark tourism. International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research, 7(3), 191-198.

Brown, J. (2013). Dark tourism shops: selling dark and difficult products. Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research, 7(3), 272-280.

Casbeard, R., & Booth, C. (2012). Post-modernity and the exceptionalism of the present in dark tourism. Journal of Unconventional Parks, Tourism & Recreation Research, 4(1), 2-8.

Collins-Kreiner, N. (2015). Dark tourism as/is pilgrimage. Current Issues in Tourism, 12(19), 1185-1189.

Hess, A., & Herbig, A. (2013). Recalling the ghosts of 9/11: Convergent memorializing at the opening of the National 9/11 Memorial. International Journal of Communication, 7, 2207-2230.

Isaac, R. K., & Çakmak, E. (2014). Understanding visitors motivation at sites of death and disaster: The case of former transit camp Westerbork, the Netherlands. Current Issues in Tourism, 17(2), 164-179.

Kang, E.-J., Scott, N., Lee, T., & Ballantyne, R. (2012). Benefits of visiting a dark tourism site: The case of the Jeju April 3rd Peace Park, Korea. Tourism Management, 33, 257-265.

Korstanje, M. E., & Ivanov, S. (2012). Tourism as a form of new psychological resilience: The inception of dark tourism. Cultur  Revista de Cultura e Turismo, 6(4), 56-71.

Miles, S. (2014). Battlefield sites as dark tourism attractions: An analysis of experience. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 9(2), 134-147.

Ozer, S. U., Ersoy, G. K., & Tuzunkan, D. (2012). Dark tourism in Gallipoli: Forecast analysis to determine potential of Australian visitors. Procedia  Social and Behavioral Sciences, 41,386-393.

9/11 memorial and museum. (2017). Web.

Podoshen, J. S. (2013). Dark tourism motivations: Simulation, emotional contagion and topographic comparison. Tourism Management, 35, 263-271.

Stone, P. R. (2012). Dark tourism and significant other death: Towards a model of mortality mediation. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(3), 1565-1587.

Tinson, J. S., Saren, M. A. J., & Roth, B. E. (2015) Exploring the role of dark tourism in the creation of national identity of young Americans. Journal of Marketing Management, 31(7-8), 856-880.

Yan, B.-J., Zhang, J., Zhang, H.-L., Lu, S.-J., & Guo, Y.-R. (2016). Investigating the motivation  Experience relationship in a dark tourism space: A case study of the Beichuan earthquake relics, China. Tourism Management, 53, 108-121.

Appendix

Research instrument

1. Are you familiar with the concept dark tourism?
2. Why did you come to the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum?
3. Does this place bear any personal significance for you?
4. Have you visited any similar museums or memorials?
5. Did you come alone or with someone?
6. Do you plan to tell anyone about your visit? If so, what will you tell them?
7. Do you consider dark tourism a successful approach to teaching people sympathy and compassion?
8. Why do you think some people might avoid visiting such places?