Private Life on Social Networking Sites Essay

Social networking sites can be defined as an online platform where people create their own profiles, share them with the public, and communicate with other users on the Internet. The increasing popularity of these sites affects our lives in many aspects and the most important one is the privacy issue. It can easily be observed that social networking sites are a real threat for the user’s personal privacy. First of all, there are some threats arising from security vulnerability on social networking sites. Generally, users give a lot of personal information to become a member of these sites and it is easy to access this information for hackers and identity thieves. For example identity thieves who could gain very private information such as birth name and date, addresses, phone numbers and relationship status on social networking sites can verify themselves as being the profile owner. Therefore, they can access the users’ credit card number and steal their money easily. Moreover, identity thieves cause not only loss of money but also loss of personal respect and good name. They can use the information to communicate with users’ other friends in order to obtain their information too. Rebecca Sweeny (2011) summarizes that users’ lack of awareness of sharing information helps hackers and identity thieves to steal their money and damage good names. (as cited in Acquisti& Gross, 2006) The second threat arising from security vulnerabilities is marketing companies’ accessibility to users’ information without permission. For instance, spamming the users with unsolicited advertising contents can be annoying in most cases. Furthermore, the companies sometimes obtain personal information and spread them with other companies and individuals in order to make advertisements more effective. Secondly, people share very private information on social networking sites, as Nico Reiher(2009) mentions, â€Å" If the receiver of the information is not trustworthy, the user does not have a chance to track or remove this information back into trustworthy hands.† causes some serious troubles. Firstly, people tend to announce where they are at that moment and what they are doing, therefore, they share real-time location based information on social networking sites. To illustrate, people who share their locations and especially notify others that they are not at home on social networking sites such as Foursquare, provide an opportunity to thieves to rob their houses. In addition, Facebook which is the most popular and preferred social networking sites, also enables people to share that much private information with the â€Å"check-in† application. Secondly, sharing awkward and embarrassing information or political views on social networking sites lead to trouble in people’s social and professional lives. For example, some companies prefer to look to social networking sites in order to get information about prospective employees. According to SNAPR project team, â€Å"Even future employers,†¦, may be able to view your posted information and draw specific conclusion about you as an individual, which could have the negative effects. â€Å" Moreover, disgraceful posts on users’ profile which can be seen also by instructors or bosses will cause loss of reputation in educational or business lives. Those who are not in favor of this opinion seem to believe that social networking sites are safe and information is inaccessible for the public. They think that there are some restrictive privacy settings which allow users to specify who can see their information and profiles. Moreover, there are firewalls which help to prevent users’ information from hackers and identity thieves. Although it may be true to a certain extent, this claim is not strong enough, because these settings are not default without users’ knowledge. Generally, users are not fully informed about privacy issues and share all information without any restriction. In addition, they are unaware of how much information they share to the public. There is not any explanation about the amount of the disseminative information. To sum up, the users’ unawareness of the privacy settings on social networking sites and their insensibility on this issue cause a lot of troubles. In addition, digital information’s easy accessibility and fast spreading also pose a danger for users’ privacy. In order to prevent people from these threats, improving the privacy settings and informing them completely should be the major precautions. References Reiher, N.(2009). Privacy on social networking sites and its impact on computer-mediated communication. Retrieved April 9,2012, from http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/154916/privacy- on-social-network-sites-and-its-impact-on-computer-mediated-communication SNAPR Methodology project team. Dear social networking user: Are you at risk? Retrieved April 9,2012, from socialrisk.weebly.com/index.html Sweeny,R.(2011). Social networking sites; More harm than good? Retrieved April 9,2012, from http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2011/04/social-networking-sites-more-harm-than- good/

Japan & higher education Essay

Many parents in Japan firmly believe that higher education will ensure better positions, higher incomes, and superior life-styles for their children. Some even go into debt, spending over 60 million yen ($480,000, U. S. ) to put a child through the best private schools and universities. Do they reap the expected dividends? â€Å"In reality . . . the belief no longer holds true,† says the Mainichi Daily News. â€Å"There are not enough privileged positions to accept them,† and many have had to accept corporate positions formerly filled by high school graduates. While average lifetime earnings were higher for university graduates—206. 55 million yen ($1,650,000, U. S. ) as opposed to 192. 93 million yen ($1,540,000, U. S. ) for high school graduate office workers—â€Å"Japanese parents may realize some day that the gaps are too small to merit a serious burden on their household economy,† says the paper. Most of the parents around the world, or even mature individuals at that see education as a stepping stone towards a better future for all. Moreover, attaining a higher level of learning is believed to ensure the said individuals of better lives in the future as they are given the exact challenges that they are to face in the actual market that they are to serve after they have attended their scholastic appointments. This is the reason why the objectives of higher education is further focused in the way that the curriculum of the education actually pursues the concerns and the entities of the national progress of the countries around the world. It is through this that the systems of higher education in terms of aiding the society with the knowledge that they are due of receiving from the institutions. To prove this fact the following statements have been made by the â€Å"article on the changes on tertiary education†: â€Å"General objectives of higher education are sustainable national development optimizing and the production of new knowledge. † (http://www. see-educoop. net/education_in/pdf/bela_knjiga-09-cro-enl-t02. pdf) From this particular statement, it is noticeably obvious that the aims of higher education are focused on implying a much better possibility for national progress. This is also the primary reason why the enhancement of the process is strongly initiated through its integration within the systems of technological advancements such as synchronous learning and other online based learning systems as per offered to several adult learners who have lesser time that could be spent on going to school and taking up formal physical classes. The said innovative design of education actually makes it possible for a huge number of higher education learners to grasp their lessons through online classes that are held virtually through the internet connections that the institutions have towards their students. How is this process primarily applied? Virtual schools as well as virtual training programs work in a way that a person or a student in that matter who is a member of a virtual; program is given his or her own security number, which serves as a security access to the virtual class. Then, the virtual lessons could already be presented to that member in a virtual class setting. The instruction in such classes usually occurs between a panel or a group of instructors interacting with at a maximum number of 200 students around the globe simultaneously. (Robins, 2003, p 6) The students are aided with the knowledge they need to understand their lessons better with the use of online libraries, electronic sources and both visual and audio materials used for better explanation of the subject matter being tackled (Robins, 2003, p 8). â€Å"Virtual learning started in the year 1996, when Virtual High School had been first established in Canada. The said virtual school offered two complete courses on Biology and Canadian literature. The said school grew into becoming groups of interconnected classes and became among the pioneer providers of virtual education† (Carchidi, 2001, p 21). The challenge of offering online courses and assisting students online proved to be a challenge for these pioneers but they strived and thus were able to survive up until the present time. Today they are known to have been hosting at least a thousand students from all over the globe and assisting these people attain their goals of both gaining more knowledge and finishing a degree at their own convenience (Preston, 2004, p 22). Virtual learning is closely related to the systems used by home schooling only that this time instructors are able to completely communicate with their students through the Internet. Not to mention the high tech presentation of information through the integration of technological presentations along with the presentation of the subject matter, and the convenience brought about by the internet connection to the students and the easier understanding brought about by the innovations in this form of education really brings major changes in the modern learning process. Today, this form of learning had also been integrated in public schools in the United States. This had been designed to assist especially students who have a hard time learning their subjects through simple classroom presentations. In this case, a student is asked to sit in front of the computer and be connected to an instructor through the Internet and is thus assisted using media presentations. Other high-tech materials used for the said educational system are Adobe products and articles, Jasc Products, as well as Macromedia. (Preston, 2004, p 24) Aside from this, other institutions also include Corel Products as a cheaper version of the ones mentioned earlier. In this way, learning becomes easier, not to mention that the student could access these institutional provisions completely free of charge. When it comes to the pricing and location of the virtual classes, at times these classes are free or if not, the parents or the students at that needs to pay a minimal amount of money to obtain certain services. Grading and student evaluation processes are still done by the instructors with the help of electronic systems within the computer programs. In this way, the students are given assistance in the areas of learning they specially need help with. Yes, in this way, education is provided with the highest level of effectiveness. Along with this, seeing that online learning had been exceptionally effective for students, several business companies began to see the benefits of the said learning program (Rothwell, 2006, p 2). In this regard, several companies around the globe opted to avail the benefits of online training, having been able to learn through the Internet without spending so much for the venue, the materials and other food expenses compared to that of traditional training methods. Surely, business companies mostly benefit from this way of training. Indeed, although virtual training gives the most beneficial way of learning for both the companies and the employees as well, it could not be denied that these changes taken by business organizations post several challenges for the company itself. In this regard, it is not only the employees who need to be trained but the administrators as well. This issue then opens the questions regarding the challenges given by adult learning difficulties as well as usage of technology for learning shall be a matter of concern for the organization. The main challenges of online learning programs is the fact that training people using technology requires a lot of skills on the part of the facilitators and the instructors. In this regard, several writers placed some patterns, which new facilitators could use to be able to come up with effective and efficient learning programs provided through the Internet.

Venus of Urbino vs. Olympia

Sam Bugay Intro to Visual Arts Bryce Speed November 30, 2012 Faces of Sexuality Sexuality has been a face of a rt for many centuries. Olympia by Edouard Manet and Venus of Urbino by Titian represent the face for female domination and the ability to lure men. As we look at these two different faces of sexuality, we will briefly touch on the artist’s lives, and explore the content of the two works. Edouard Manet was born in Paris in 1832. He was considered to be the founder of modern art as well as a master interpreter of visual arts. His works were â€Å"spontaneous, monumental, and realistic. Although Manet was born into a more privileged class, he chose to portray lower classes or the less desirable people of Paris. He commonly reflected everyday scenarios such as construction workers, street singers, and beggars in his art work. Manet’s artwork never dwindled in value or passion. The Bar at Folies-Bergere, one of his best known works, was painted a year before his death in 1883. Tiziano Vecelli, Titian in English, was born in 1448. Titian was regarded as one of the greatest painters of the Renaissance in Venice. He is best known for his religious arts, portraiture, and mastery of color.He had released over 600 works of art which included some of the best Renaissance paintings and drawings. As an artist, Titian explored new themes to portray and new uses of color which added to his reputation as leading painter in Venice at that time. Titian died in 1576. Venus of Urbino, painted in 1538 by Titian, is considered to be one of the most famous nude female paintings i n art history (6). Venus of Urbino is an oil-on-canvas painting located in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (3). The painting is of a nude female lying on a bed in a Renaissance palace. The woman is painted wearing a bracelet, earrings, and a ring.In her left hand she holds a small bouquet of red roses. Two maids and a small dog are in the room with the woman. Secret seduction and marriage are two themes that could be related to this painting. According to (6), Venus of Urbino is the â€Å"iconic version of the reclining nude female. † The woman in the painting is believed by many historians to be the goddess of love, Venus. Venus of Urbino was commissioned by the Duke of Urbino for his young wife, and is believed to support the idea of marriage and marital obligations. The painting is said to celebrate marital love and the physical intimacy between the husband and wife.A clue to support this is the small dog at the foot of the bed. The dog symbolizes marital fidelity. Another clue is the housemaid standing in the background. She symbolizes motherhood. The standing maid is watching over a younger maid while she rummages through a large chest. The chest is referred to as a â€Å"cassone. † A cassone was often given as a wedding gift in Italy, and was usually where the wife stored her clothes. Final clues to support the idea of marital love are the small bouquet the woman holds, and a small myrtle tree in the window seal.The bouquet of roses symbolizes love. The myrtle tree symbolizes undying love and commitment, and was a Hebrew symbol of marriage (7). Venus of Urbino is â€Å"often cited as the origin of many of western art’s most controversial images† (6). Many historians believe that the woman in the painting does not depict Venus, rather a model from that time. They justify this by saying that the woman shows no characteristics of the goddess she is said to be. There are several clues to support the belief of secret seduction to be a theme for the painting Venus of Urbino.To begin, the woman painted does not seem to be unattainable, often a characteristic of Venus. (6) suggested that the woman â€Å"is both available and deliberately tempting. † Her piercing stare emanates the idea of sexuality. Her body is tilting forward, exposing her neck, and initiating the idea of suggestion or demand. The way she covers her pelvic region is a final clue to support the idea of secret seduction. Some historians believe she covers herself in modesty. Others believe that Titian intended to suggest that the woman was masturbating or playing with a strand of pubic hair (6).Ultimately, that is for the viewer to decide. â€Å"Although the nude body has been visual art’s most enduring and universal subject, it has often spurred conflict. † This quote proves especially true when referencing the painting Olympia. Olympia is an oil-on-canvas painting, painted by Edouard Manet in 1863. The painting is of a nude woman reclining on a bed. She is seen wearing a bracelet, earrings, shoes, a black ribbon around her necks, and an orchid in her hair. The woman is accompanied by a maid holding flowers, and a black cat at the foot of the bed.The objections to Olympia began when the painting was submitted to the French Salon in 1865. The controversy evolved from the realism of the subject matter: the woman Manet depicted was a courtesan. According to reference. com, a courtesan refers to a mistress who is associated with wealthy or powerful men. What shocked the critics wasn’t that the woman was nude, but that she gazed so boldly at the viewer. This scene wasn’t typically displayed. The woman Manet was a real woman from Paris believed to be Victorine Meurent. Two themes Olympia could represent are prostitution and domination.Many details contribute to the idea of prostitution as a possible theme. To begin, the maid is presenting the courtesan with a large bouquet of flowers. The flower s are presumed to be from a client. The bored expression on the woman’s face gives way to think that this isn’t the first time she has received a high priced gift. The black cat at the foot of the bed symbolizes prostitution too. Around the 15th century, brothels were frequently referred to as a â€Å"cathouse. † Brothels were early century houses for men to visit to pay for sexual encounters with strange women. Manet also paints the woman wearing shoes.This symbolizes â€Å"streetwalking†, which refers to the act of soliciting dates on the street. Another possible theme for Olympia is domination. The model depicted shows the characteristics of a strong and independent woman. She stares in the direction one may assume the door would be, almost as if a client, in this case, you, has barged in unannounced. She stares directly at the viewer demanding attention and respect. This shocked viewers because it was scandalous for a woman to stare directly at someon e at that time. She also shows domination over men by the way she â€Å"firmly protects† her pelvic region.

Critical Thinking and Decision Making Research Paper

Critical Thinking and Decision Making - Research Paper Example I am not the kind of person who just goes with a decision because it feels right; I have to be able to justify it through facts and evidence. The downside to this approach is that some times I can take too long to make decisions and by that time it is too late to change anything. Other people can become frustrated by my decision-making efforts because I don’t appear to know what I am doing, but actually I am sometimes guilty of over thinking things. If I am to speed up my thought processes, then I will need to set time boundaries that force me to make a decision by. I will also take to heart the words of Andrew Jackson: â€Å"†¦when the time for action has come, stop thinking and act† (Clark, 2012). If I can find a balance between strategizing and acting, then I should become a better decision maker. It is important to have a variety of approaches to management and decision making because there are some variables that can change at a moment’s notice. In order to be prepared for sudden changes, it is best to have a couple of backup plans that can be implemented if things don’t exactly turn out as planned. Part of being a successful manager is considering all the options on the table and then sticking with one but keeping some options in reserve. That way, the research and planning stages would have already been carried out and the new strategy can be integrated seamlessly. In Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools, the authors state, "Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated" (Elder & Paul, 2009, p. 2). What will you do to improve your level of critical thinking? How will this improve your abilities as a manager and as a graduate student? I will improve my level of critical thinking by sticking to the point. I have a bad habit of getting sidetracked from an issue, and this slows down my critical thinking. In order to change this, I will need to be â€Å"on the lookout for fragmented thinking,

MOVIE REFLECTIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

MOVIE REFLECTIONS - Essay Example Rochel on the other hand gets tired of her family pushing her to their tradition and moves out of their house only to see how the liberated women dance and sleep around with men they do not even know well. She returns to her family and continues with the matchmaking, unknowing that her Muslim friend helped slip her dream man’s resume to her aunt who was in charge of the finding her a husband. Consequently, the two women get married and they bear their own children. Their friendship continues and they still find time to fellowship with each other. The Muslim and Jewish traditions were strict in arranged marriages. Both parties did not have the right to choose the person they are going to marry because they have to honor their parents who worked hard to find the best partners for them while they were still young. However, in the film, some modifications were made in order to adapt to the modernization of cultures. When Nasira told his parents that she did not like the man who went to ask her hand in marriage, they tried to understand her and consider her feelings and choice. They waited for the right man to come along. Similarly in the Jewish tradition, marriages are arranged even while the parties are still unable to understand the concept of marriage so that when they meet for the engagement; that would most probably be the first time they are going to see each other. Before, they would not be able to say no to their parents because they do not like to shame their families. However, as portrayed in the film, the Jews have adjusted to the modern concept of freedom to choose. Matchmakers find probable prospects for the woman who is to be married and the family gives their blessings for a date until the woman is able to find the right man to marry. The strong Jewish family bond is used to manipulate an uncooperative daughter like Rochel. Her mother threatened her with her father’s health conditions

Organizational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organizational Culture - Essay Example Mallinger and Goodwin depict how technology, competition and dynamic business environments in the technological epoch have increased the need for organizational culture. Comprehending the cross-functional effects of change is imperative to the fostering of a productive organizational change (Mallinger). Organizational change influences positive change in organizations that observe it. When the culture of an organization aligns with its goals and mission of an affiliation, positive results are available. According to the authors, cultural insight induces awareness of employee acceptance of change and pinpoints root causes of quandaries that hamper increased performance. Organizational culture is measurable through determining how an organization’s members can affect change, conform to ambiguous practices, achieve orientation, handle individualism against collectivism, handle egalitarianism and orient time and orient space. The authors offer an example of the Goodwin Company whe re its employees have an influential nature, had minimal collaboration among its management and lacked strategic plans for the company’s future (Mallinger). This adversely affects its organizational culture. The proposed structural alterations include establishing a strategic management department that addresses core challenges, offering employees and clients an influential voice and establishing a vision that encourages belongingness and fosters teamwork between all departments in the affiliation. ... Recognizing Organizational Culture in Managing Change Mallinger and Goodwin depict how technology, competition and dynamic business environments in the technological epoch have increased the need for organizational culture. Comprehending the cross-functional effects of change is imperative to the fostering of a productive organizational change (Mallinger). Organizational change influences positive change in organizations that observe it. When the culture of an organization aligns with its goals and mission of an affiliation, positive results are available. According to the authors, cultural insight induces awareness of employee acceptance of change and pinpoints root causes of quandaries that hamper increased performance. Organizational culture is measurable through determining how an organization’s members can affect change, conform to ambiguous practices, achieve orientation, handle individualism against collectivism, handle egalitarianism and orient time and orient space. T he authors offer an example of the Goodwin Company where its employees have an influential nature, had minimal collaboration among its management and lacked strategic plans for the company’s future (Mallinger). This adversely affects its organizational culture. The proposed structural alterations include establishing a strategic management department that addresses core challenges, offering employees and clients an influential voice and establishing a vision that encourages belongingness and foster teamwork between all departments in the affiliation. After initiating such reforms towards positive organizational culture, the authors found out that shifting an established organizational culture is a challenging activity that requires utter

Should schools help students think indiviually Essay

Should schools help students think indiviually - Essay Example The argument whether school’s should teach uniformity or encourage to think individually was settled in the character of the new teacher Mr. Keating who was unlike other teachers who does not stick to the syllabus whose teaching style is different. He instead use poem and encourage his students take risk even that means breaking rules to make their â€Å"lives extraordinary†. He even introduced the idea of Carper Diem of letting the students decide what is good for them. There are two philosophers who encouraged independent thinking – they were Thoreau and Emerson. Both delved into transcendental philosophy through the exploration of the higher dimension of the self through non-conformity (Emerson) and simplicity (Thoreau). Self-reliance as put forth by Emerson and Thoreau is the independence of the self that does not subscribe to the â€Å"foolish consistency [which] is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines† (Emerson) and independence which is free from any unwarranted neediness that enables one to appreciate existence better as articulated by

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Art - Essay Example It makes individuals draw out the shape of an object and the viewpoint and the object determine shape. As individuals changes his or her view of the object, the contour also changes Option 1: Blind Contour To elaborate about my reflection, I went to the second floor of my balcony where I picked on the landscape I wanted to have a blind contour. I was having a lot of information, which I could see, as it comprised of staffs parking lots as well as residential houses. I observed the nature and the settlement of the neighborhood, which gave me insight information of what I should consider drawing. I stepped outside with my drawing brush and I wanted to airbrush what i was seeing. i did not having enough information on how to even airbrush the pictures I was seeing . It was difficult but not impossible using my arm to aid the drawing. If I wanted to move my hand, I would have with ease since I was prepared to do the drawing, as it was part of my class. As much as I was flexible and wante d to come up with an abstract figure, I had to follow the rules and be observant on what it entails. One of the things I imagined was never to move my arm when bowing. It was the first mindset to overcome to enable my hand to be free and for easy movement. I was not controlling my bow and I was simply controlling my drawing tools. During my initials stages, I was disappointed because the images I drew were very small and they did not reflect on what I wanted to have. My drawing focused on the transition of the sky and the trees. I took keen interest on the type of trees, the patterns of their trunk and ways of their droppings. On the side of the buildings, I had to recall the siding and the plants that grew next to them. As I observed on the Far East, there were around 6 trees in the foreground. I had the tendency of remembering what was in the environment, which consisted of the telephone posts and obscure details. When I settled to drawing, I resorted to blind contour as I loved i t and it was part of the instructions front the lecturer. I did not look at the paper and I had to draw the object in front of me. My experience during this drawing was that no matter what I did without looking at the paper, it looked awesome. This is because of the condition in which I drew the object; it was very pleasing to come out with as ketch as it is also not the same thing when you know exactly what you are doing. It was full of surprise coming out with a figure resembling what I was viewing. Throughout the picture, I would move my hands throughout the paper as I remember the details of what I was seeing. I could feel the paper edge though I initially had no idea in relation to that. My eyes were widely open as I was looking at what I was drawing, it was good for me to come up with such a drawing owing to the blind contour I was engaged in. The following is the first image I came out with. Option 2: Detail Reduction I chose the image, traced it source on a plain paper, and came with a complete composition like the one shown in the figure below. I chose the object because I am in love with nature more so animals. It was tempting to trace because my hand could not easily move on the paper as it could shift away from the paper. It was a good feeling tracing the images because it offered guidance since I was only to follow the laid framework and the layout. This was so easy and I could see the image I was tracing coming out. However, I was not always conscious of

Designing marketing campaign for ExxonMobil Qatar Coursework

Designing marketing campaign for ExxonMobil Qatar - Coursework Example The main target groups of the marketing strategies are the customers, the shareholders, business partners and host governments. Some of the marketing strategies employed here include advertising that is done through print media, car stickers, TV commercials as well as internet based advertisements. The TV commercials serve to complement the print media such as magazines, newspapers, and business journals. The adverts have the company profile and the financial programming. They are run on the Arabic networks such as JSC and MBC.The Company has also been able to organize sports as a way to make it known for the products as well as the services it offers in the market. Some of the sports have included the organization of tennis, hockey and golf tournaments that are usually based in Doha ("ExxonMobil Qatar Inc," n.d.). The events are organized by the Qatar Olympic committee that oversees the participation. The company has also been supporting science and technology in the schools by recruiting some of the best University students in Qatar into the company making it well known all over the region. The company has also been able to embrace technology and has now been able to market its products through the internet marketing strategies through their websites as well as social networking sites such as twitter, Face book among others ("ExxonMobil Qatar Inc," n.d.). The company has also been engaging in activities that are in tandem with corporate social responsibility they have been able to promote safety awareness in the region through what they call the pink t-shirt campaign. Through this the company supports relief services all over the world. The business women an award that acknowledges successful women is also some form of marketing Campaign. Through the marketing campaigns the company has been able to reach its customers in the region. Requests for partnerships have also been on the rise, since the inception of various marketing strategies. Most

Financial Markets & Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial Markets & Risks - Essay Example They can be in the form of a guaranteed annuity or a cash balance that an employee can draw upon at retirement. A pension that is created by an employer for an employee is known as an occupational pension. The government or other organisations may also sponsor pensions. Pension plans are a form of deferred compensation. The United Kingdom pension system is characterised by three tiers. The first tier is that of Basic State Pension (BSP) which is provided by the state. There are several pension schemes in the second tier. The state, employers, or private sector financial institutions provide these schemes. These pension schemes may be divided into two broad types: Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes, and Defined Contributions pension scheme (DC). The DB schemes include the State-Earning-Related-Pension Scheme (SERPS), and occupational pension schemes provided by employers. The DC schemes include the contribution pension schemes offered by employers, and the personal pension, or a stakeholder pension fund held with a financial institution. The third tier of UK's pension system is voluntary and it takes the form of additional voluntary contributions (AVCs and FSAVCs) into occupational or personal pension schemes. The pension schemes we need to focus on behalf of the company are occupational pension schemes. ... In the DB pension scheme, the retirement pension benefits are related to the member's final salary upon retirement, and length of service. This is a "funded" plan in which both employer and employee contribute towards the pension fund. A DC pension scheme is a scheme that provides an individual account for each employee participant. The benefits are solely on the amount contributed to the account, gains, expenses and losses allocated to the account. The plan contributions, which are fixed for both the employer and employee, are paid into the account for each member. These contributions are invested and the returns are also credited to the individual's account. On retirement, the member's account is used to provide retirement benefits. This is usually through the purchase of an annuity that provides regular income post retirement. The members also have the option to draw a certain lumpsum amount before purchasing annuities. These plans also may offer the facility to members to select the types of investments towards which the pension funds would be allocated. Relative Merits of DB and DC Schemes The contributions in case of DB schemes are higher to keep up with the cost of providing the defined retirement benefits. It is even higher for employers relative to employees. DB plans offer less mobility than the DC plans because the transfer costs and difficulty in transfer of funds is very high for the DB Plans. DC plans offer higher portability. Both the DB and DC plans offer tax relief on contributions to employers. Tax relief is usually higher in case of DB plans due to higher contributions. Unlike the DB schemes, in a DC scheme a member cannot predict his pension at the time of retirement, as it is difficult to predict what capital he will accumulate

Challenges in Auditing Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Challenges in Auditing - Literature review Example According to Power (1997, cited in Free, Salterio and Shearer, 2009) auditing can be described as both operational and programmatic elements. The programmatic elements relate to the concepts and ideas that make practice and policy objectives that are existent in the political arena. Goals are formulated with the practices for the levels of programs. These levels are defined when audits are required by the regulatory agencies. The operational elements refer to the concrete routines and tasks that are practiced by the practitioners worldwide. Review The global audit regulatory system is dynamic that includes a number of organizations, which compete among them. Such competition is reflected in the range of actions from political lobbying process to policy publication papers and submission of those papers to the committees. During the period of financial crisis, it is hard to find papers that are audited by the large firms, national audit boards and the professional bodies. Another probl em related to the financial crisis is that, the process in which the assurance operation is carried out and enacted (Kornberger, Justesen and Mouritsen, 2011). Audits aims at drawing general conclusion from the studies that are made regarding a topic. Thus, there is lack of potential use of the statistical foundations like sampling, which often gave limited information and provided with incorrect results. The qualitative studies carried out by Humphrey and Moizer (1990, cited in Kornberger, Justesen and Mouritsen, 2011) and Fischer (1996, cited in Kornberger, Justesen and Mouritsen, 2011) has suggested that the practice of the financial audit work is socially constructed. Curtis and Turley (2007, cited in Kornberger, Justesen and Mouritsen, 2011) has argued that there are huge business risk in the audit works. They have documented the problems that are related to the translation of new concepts that are developed by the officers at administrative levels, into the real audit techniqu es at the general practitioner level. The auditing profession is related to good consequences as well as bad crisis. But the auditing profession has responded boldly to the financial crisis by implementing a number of communication modes and interacting with the governmental and regulatory bodies. The clarification is needed for specifying the exact role and the obligations of the auditors. According to Woods (2009, cited in Kornberger, Justesen and Mouritsen, 2011) the companies often face downturn, when their financial statements are not audited properly and thus it threats the future developments of the company. According to Cherry, Johnson and Veron (2008, cited in Humphrey, Loft and Woods, 2009) suggested that auditing practices can overshadow the standard of financial reporting. Thus, greater focus is to be provided to the volatility of the accounting numbers than to audibility of the traditional financial statements. The imbalance between the two is noticed during the fair va lue debate. It has been suggested by Ryan (2008, cited in Humphrey, Loft and Woods, 2009) that the duration of the crisis can be reduced, if the practitioner of the auditing functions are exercising the Financial accounting System appropriately. The auditors seek to develop a firm ability to make a judgment related to the reporting of the fair values. Ryan (2008, cited

Lists of input and output information and sources Essay Example for Free

Lists of input and output information and sources Essay Prior to outlining the input and output information, the system development life cycle must be in place so that the analysis is done accordingly. The correct nature of the inputs and the outputs would make the system design vary accordingly as it requires to capture the information and put it into a frame to interpret in a decisive manner to take further decisions. The systems development life cycle for Bead Bar is as follows: 1. Feasibility analysis: The new proposed system and the present working system are analyzed so that the ROI (Return On Investment) is obtained. The proposed system is further analyzed for economical, technical, schedule and other feasibilities so that it stands in front of all difficulties in the development of the project. The Bead bar enterprise’s key management people are involved in the process of feasibility analysis. All the inputs, outputs and external environment are studied in detail so that the underlying intricacies would be researched well for their impact and development. Inputs: Bead Bar’s inputs are in the form of company’s short and long term objectives, its financial base and credibility for years to come, its general strategic plans, consent of the advisors and directors, risk handling strategies and many others. Outputs: The feasibility has outputs in the form of higher management approval for the sustenance of the systems development, its full length use to cover all business functions, risk mitigation strategies and many others. 2. Systems planning and requirements gathering: After the system is thoroughly checked for all its inputs and outputs, the requirements phase takes the lead. All the key stakeholders of the departments and the users of the system must be taken into account for gathering the crucial departmental functions, requirements and its interaction with other departments to achieve the central goal of the enterprise. Input: It must be in the form of the users of the system who are better-off to understand and figure out the exact ground level happenings in the business. Their view of the workings of the enterprise must be captured so that appropriate implementation can be done. Output: The valuable information fetched from the users of the system must be given a representation and frame it accordingly to fix it into a system. 3. Systems Analysis and Design: Bead Bar’s system requirements are studied and the system is analyzed and designed accordingly. The flow of data is analyzed so that the system captures the entire business cycle and their functions. Inputs: It would come from the requirements gathering phase and the order of business flow. Outputs: It would result in helping the analysts and designers in the process of database handling and further development of the system. 4. Database Model: The database model for Bead Bar is as follows, which shows the interaction of the different entities of the business. Figure 1 : Database Model 5. Coding: The above design is given a representation of the business and the various functions are finally implemented at this stage. Inputs: It is in the form of requirements gathered from the previous stages and the design documents. Outputs: It results in actual implementation of the system so that it can be viewed physically. 6. Implementation and Training: This stage correlates with actual planting of the system at the Bead Bar so that the present system is replaced and the proposed system takes its place. The users must be trained to operate the business functions with the system, store and retrieve data whenever it is demanded. 7. System feedback and maintenance: The general working of the system must be responded back so that any form of negative points would be highlighted and discussed to take advantage of the system and technologies involved. 8. Systems Review and Maintenance schedule: The review and maintenance schedule must include the following: Preventative maintenance – Maintenance schedules are a necessity for keeping the resources of a system in good health. The hardware, network equipments, communication programs and software must be periodically checked whether it is up and running (Mawer, 2000).

The Outline For Urie Bronfenbrenners

The Outline For Urie Bronfenbrenners Urie Bronfenbrenner theory is based on ecological theory, which is focusing on environmental factors (Santrock, 2011). The Urie Bronfenbrenners ecological theory is explained how natural environments can be a big influence to the development of persons. In other words, the development of persons can be affected by the surroundings from home to the wider context such as culture. Bronfenbrenner stated that there were many different levels and types of environment effects that might affect how a child grows and develops (Shaffer Kipp, 2010). There are the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the chronosystem. The microsystem refers to the interactions between a person and the people surroundings him or closes to him. To put in differently, it is the small and immediate environment where the person lives in for instance a persons family, school, peers, neighborhood play area and work. The second of Bronfenbrenners environmental layers is the mesosystem. The mesosystem is defined as the relationship or connection between different parts of the microsystem like the relationships between family and teachers, family and peers, and teachers and religious group. Next is the exosystem. The exosytem level has the less interaction or may not have it all between the children or adolescents and the other people or places but they may affect the development of the person herself, for instance parents work environments, extended family members and neighborhood. Last but not least is the macrosystem. Bronfenbrenner defines that the macrosystem consists of cultural, subcultural, or social class context ( Shaffer Kipp, 2010). It is wide, and the largest level in this theory but still it has a great influence to the person. The macrosystem includes the economy, government, wars, the relative freedoms and cultural values. Therefore, the persons can get the positive and negative impact from this level. Finally is the chronosystem. The chronosystem is about how the pattern of individuals life is changing over time depending on the environmental events. Besides, the environmental changes caused by cognitive and biological changing that occur at the puberty as well as the age of the individual. How the Bronfenbrenners ecological theory apply to child development Family, teachers and community members play important role in raising children with applying values and customs to socialize them so they can contribute something to the society. From the views of Barbour, Barbour and Scully (2011), children develop some attitudes by observing actions, hearing words and surmising the feelings of significant others in their environment. At this point, family, peers and religious group are located in the Bronfenbrenners innermost environmental layer, or microsystem. It means people in the microsystem are the major influence of the child especially at the early age. Childrens perceptions and behaviors can be developed early from home and the direct interactions take place in the microsystem like the interaction between a child and parents, siblings, teachers and peer group. Besides, the good environment and better encouragement to the child will affect how better the child will grow up (Oswalt, 2008). According to Oswalt (2008), Each childs special genetic and biologically influenced personality traits, what is known as temperament, end up affecting how others treat them. Another case is how some parts in microsystem having the connections or interrelationships among them like parents, teachers and peers. For example, a childs parents have a good relationship with teachers will have a major influence on childrens learning and acceptance of school. Also parents and teachers support the childrens interest and the competition that they participate. As a result, it will help the childs overall growth. The child might feel confident about her talent and ability consequently will affect her performance in study and have good relationship with other people. This kind of interaction between different parts of the microsystem is called the mesosystem. . According to the Shaffer and Kipp (2010), Bronfenbrenner argues that development of a child will be effective if the connections between microsystems are strong and supportive. Conversely, if the connections are non-supportive, it can produce trouble on child. For the third environmental layer or exosystem, this may not have contact with the child but might affect the development of the child. As an illustration, parents work environment. If both parents have their own careers, it might cause the conflict between the caring for children and the responsibility at the workplace. The conflict is largely happened to the mother because beside responsibility for children, they also have full participation at the workplace. Therefore, this will give the impact to the children and the time for family interaction will decrease, increased dependence on child care and fewer choices in recreation. As a result the family will have less information about the childrens activities and the children only depending on her friends who can be good or bad friends. Oswalt (2008) states that the child at home can possibly be affected by a parents experience at work. Then, another environment is about the larger context called the macrosystem. For example, the family role in culture, how children should be treated, what they should be taught and the goals they should achieve. The styles of interaction within family will reflect the roles expected of children (Barbour, Barbour Scully, 2011). For instance, in most European American families encourage their children to go outside and find and establish other relationship. While in Asian families cultures, they pay respect for elders and the children are expected to be family oriented and encouraged to work hard for the family. To sum up, very family has different styles in raising their children and from that it will influence their behavior. Lastly is the chronosystem. The chronosystem is about how the feeling, perceptions and attitudes of child can be changed over time. This model includes a temporal dimension (Shaffer Kipp, 2010). It is focusing on the ecological context of development or the transformation of the child can influence the way that development is likely to take (Shaffer Kipp, 2010). For instance, when the child is found out he is an adopted child, he will feel rejected and abandoned. He will have low self -esteem and struggle with identity development issues. This event may affect the child for a few years, but after he has grown up, the curiosity, sensitivity and the rebellious are becoming less and the interaction with family will be more stable. After all, the environmental factors like age, cognitive and biological changing play a major role in human development. How the Bronfenbrenners ecological theory apply children in preschool and early primary levels Normally children are only exposed to the family at home until they are placed in day care, preschool classes and begin their formal schooling. When they grow up, there are more exposures from many sources to them. In the microsystem, family is one of the factors that affect children in development. Furthermore, family plays important role to the physical development of children in aspect of education and family income. Family who has good education and good income usually has awareness with their diet. Therefore, parents will model healthy eating habits for their children, who are also dependent what food is put in the table. When the child gets enough nutrition in his diet, he will develop well. Besides that, environmental factors like family and peers also affect the social development of child. For example, when a child is shy, aside from inherited characteristic from a parent, it also can be caused from interaction between parents and child. Sometimes, parents are having less in teraction with the child and the parents dont even speak to each other. It will affect the social development of child, however, the difficulty to have appropriate sociality with peers will decrease after he enters the school. It can be concluded that, parents can influence the social actions of child but it will change after being exposed to the peers, hence surely can be influential factor to the development of child. The interaction between people in the microsystem is essential for the development of child in the aspect of emotional development. For instance, family-teacher relationship that many people overlooked the importance of this relationship especially the teachers that only focus on to their relationship with children only. Children in the school always feel insecure, difficult to accept criticism, or punishment and unadaptable. Therefore, parents and teacher should work together for childs growth and development. Teacher can know the family background of the child and their culture. Furthermore, it is really important for teacher to maintain the childrens culture since cultural identity and family connectedness are critical emotional health. In addition, both teacher and parents can discuss the childrens problem in school and together helping to solve the problems that may have lifelong consequences. Also, when their relationship is good, they can inform one another and the information might be useful and has lifelong effects on the child. Invite families to the social events in school and hold a parent-teacher conferences are some of the ways to build the partnership. On the whole, this relationship can provide support to children and build childrens emotional health. Next we proceed to the level where children do not make any contact with these people and places but still have an effect on them. This level is the exosystem. Parents workplaces and mass media can be a largely affected to the children in term of emotional problems and cognitive development. Parents nowadays usually spend their time at work more than at home with their children. It will result in having less time to spend with children. They dont have time to know their childrens activities, they cant control their children and they dont have time to help their children in developing important skills. Stress at work also influences the children because they might release their stress by resting and sleeping at home and lead to have less interaction with children. So then, the emotional problem will be faced by children because dont have bond with parents. Studies have shown children who are given plenty of attention and love usually less have emotional problems than those who do. Bes ides that, mass media also influences the development of children. Children can develop and acquire the cognitive development from the good television shows. For example Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, and The Smurfs. Moreover, another electronic media source is internet that also contributes the cognitive development of children. It provides children to solve problems, practice skills and creativity, and widen their knowledge base (Barbour, Barbour Scully, 2011). For instance, practice chess, puzzle word and creative writing. But, as long as parents monitor their children from accessing inappropriate websites, internet can be a rich resource for childrens lives. The next layer of Bronfenbrenners ecological theory is the macrosystem. Government plays a big role to the development of children. What government can do is enacting the law for protecting the children hence to ensure the well-being of development of children. The examples of the law are Education Act 1996 [Act 550] and The Compulsory Education Act. Both are related to the compulsory for parents to make sure their children attend preschool and primary school. Preschool Education is for all children to improve their necessary skills at the early age and the programmes are provided by Government in rural and urban area. The purposes are to develop basic communication skills, and characters, moral values, doing physical activities for good health and improve critical thinking skills through senses. Besides, the Education system in preschool emphasizes on nine elements for children development like Malay language, English language, Islamic education, moral studies, civics education and childrens physical development. From the policies, personal development and the socialization process can be acquired by children and can affect children positively. Summary Children acquire many things from surroundings for their development and they depend on how good and bad of their environmental are. Adult people should know their roles as parents, teachers and societies to the development of children. Although they affect the childrens growth and development in some ways, their behaviors and viewpoints also affect their perceptions and attitudes. However, adult also can be influenced by children. The family is the major influence in the systems because they are the most trusted by children. So it is essential for family to stress on the development of children in the elements of physical, cognitive, emotional and social development. The place also like home, is supposed to be the suitable place for children to develop with more tools provided and more interaction with children. Even though some environment is out of familys control, but they can do their best to develop their children necessaries skills for their lifelong consequences.

Factors for Motivation in Banking Employees

Factors for Motivation in Banking Employees CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 RESEARCH BACKGROUND Understanding human behavior in workplace has been one of the most prioritized tasks for any organization. This is due to major changes like globalization and technological advancement that change in the structure of the business done, the workforce behavior and management of employees. To keep up the business state of the art and become successful, the organizations should acclimatize with these changes (Vercueil, 2001). So, it has become important for employers to know what motivates their employees rather than emphasizing them to increase productivity. The environment, in which the employees work as a team, should be created and sustained so that they are themselves driven towards achieving the common goals. Hence, motivation is given more attention in the organization to know employees and their behavior. In any organization, every staff is unique and performs the task based on their mental abilities and the extent to which they are applied at work (Mullins, 2007). Some people te nd to work really harder than others. If a staff is appreciated for his/her hard work, he/she is more likely to be motivated to high performance. Herzberg et al 1999 explained that employees show different attitudes depending on the nature of jobs assigned to them at workplace. Furthermore, they argued these attitudes towards their jobs have a significant influence on the survival of the organization. there is a famous saying which is based on Herzbergs thought that if an organization wants its employees to do a good job, give them a good job to do (Giancola,2010). To illustrate this, during the hard times of the organization, the morality among the workforce determines its success or failure provided that they are made feel as the essential resources of the organization and are given appropriate chances to prove themselves. Thus, motivated employees are more likely to contribute for the success and survival of the organization. In earlier days, motivation was considered as only a force that drives individuals to become committed in the job of their choice. The early approaches of motivation emphasizes on the needs of the individuals explaining their tendency to be motivated and the efforts exerted in order to satisfy those needs. There were some other approaches which highlighted on the employees goal setting. Modern approaches of motivation draws attention towards the values and long term goals set by the employees. Simons and Enz (2006) says now the employees perform the task not only to fulfill the basic needs but also to increase their values, become successful and satisfied from their performance. Motivation has been one of those areas which gained lots of interests from organizational psychologists and many scholars since 1930s. Yet, the in-depth understanding of motivation has been considered as a tough task (Locke and Latham, 2004). Thus, this research work is aimed to identify what motivates employees of Bank of Kathmandu by applying the concept of existing theories. 1.2 Background of the organization The organization chosen for research work is Bank of Kathmandu BOK, one of the renowned commercial banks of Nepal. BOK commenced its operation in 1995 with an aim to contribute in the economic development of Nepal. BOK is in a position to become â€Å"Bank of Choice† through serving and supporting its customers financially. Considering this vision, the bank has a total of 39 branches, 6 extension counters and 50 ATMs across the country. It has helped not only in promoting economic development but also it reduces unemployment problem to some extent by providing opportunities to local people. The basic reason behind selecting this particular bank is due to its distinct uniqueness and growing success and secondly, the researcher had an easy access to this bank. The research is carried out based on the responses given by the staff working in two branches of the bank. 1.3 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM Employee commitment has been a matter of focus for companies to be successful and the committed employees are considered as the most important factors of organizational effectiveness (Robertson, et al. 2007). However, retaining committed employees within organization is not an easy task. The employees of modern era work to satisfy the needs as well as achieve their individual goals (Drake and Kossen, 2002). Gubman (2003) pointed out the increasing trend of employees doing many jobs at a time in their career and have become more mobile. Employees are no more working in organisations for a long term basis. Thus, it needs a proper understanding of what motivates and satisfies them at work to generate such commitments. 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS Motivation needs vary on individuals based on their level of needs, backgrounds, expectations and personal traits. In simple words, two different employees working in the same environment may have different level of satisfaction. Furthermore, human needs are always dynamic and change over time becoming sometimes stronger or weaker. According to Simons and Enz (2006), while attempting to motivate the employees, the managers make mistakes assuming wrongly that they understand the employees and their needs and expectations they want from their work. This research work, therefore, focuses on the factors motivating employees and helping managers to understand their employees. In this context, the questions related to the research are: What are the critical factors that motivate and satisfy employees in BOK? How do the factors of motivation influence staff satisfaction in BOK? What are the motivation strategy adopted by BOK for better management and performance of the staff? 1.5 Research aim The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors that motivate workers and their impact on organizational performances in Bank of Kathmandu (BOK), Nepal. The study aims to analyse the factors that motivate employees to encourage them to give their best performances in order to increase the organizational effectiveness and achieve its goals. It also aims to know the extent to which BOK is successful in making its employees satisfied and committed. 1.6 Research objectives The study is an explanation about the employee motivation in Bank of Kathmandu BOK, one of the leading banks in Nepal. Hence, the objectives of this research can be listed as: To investigate factors of motivation and their impact on the performance of BOK. To critically analyse the factors of motivation and its effect on staff satisfaction in BOK. To develop motivation strategy for better management and performance for the staff in BOK. The research work would be significant to students, other researchers and the bank itself which can be taken as a source of reference. 1.7 Limitations of the research Motivation is a concept with a broad area of research. It contains a wide range of theories on factors that motivate people (content theories) along with theories that describe how behaviours are initiated, directed and endured (process theories). The research work focuses only content theories which identify the particular needs that drive the human behaviour to perform better or worse. The researcher has tried to present the impact of motivation and job satisfaction on employees mental health, social life, and family life in order to show the significance and scope of the research topic. However, they are only considered in the theory but not clearly shown on the observed part of the research. Apart from these limitations, there are some other limitations for the research as There was time constraint to complete this research work as the researcher has to complete the work within three months period. The budget allocated was less due to the researcher is a student. The data analysis is done based on the employees randomly selected from only two branches. 1.8 Outline of the study Chapter 1: introduction: The first chapter deals with the research topic, an overview of the company selected for research work followed by statement of problem, purpose of the study and limitations. Chapter 2: Literature Review: this chapter contains reviews of various theories of motivation and job satisfaction. The researcher has showed the relationship between motivation and variables like rewards, job satisfaction, job performance, trainings, behaviour and conflict. It also explained how positive motivation lead to Chapter 3: methodology: this chapter deals with the methods, different tools and techniques used in the research work for data collection, analysis and interpretation. Chapter 4: data analysis: the chapter covers the ways the collected data were compiled and analysed. The analysis is based on the literature review and survey done via questionnaires in order to best serve the purpose of the study. Chapter 5: conclusions and recommendations: this chapter contains three parts namely findings, recommendations and conclusion. 1.9 Conclusion In this chapter, the researchers has discussed about the introduction of employee motivation and its importance in organisations. The main reason behind conducting this research work, the problem area, and the limitations are clarified. A brief introduction of organisation is given on the basis of which this study is done. The basic knowledge of the contents of the research work is also discussed. Chapter 2 Literature review 2.1 Introduction This chapter explains about the facts, theories and models of motivation. Theories of motivation e.g. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, Pr. McGregors Theory X and Y, McClellands theory of needs, etc are discussed in depth to increase the understanding of the area under research. The introduction and importance of motivation, job satisfaction and opinions of various authors are elucidated by reviewing various academic books, magazines, journals and articles. The information presented below serves as foundation to the analysis of this research. this new era, every organisation treats its workforce as an important source of its competitive advantage. Employees are no more seen as only loyal members of the company but they like to be treated with respect and they want their companies to give them opportunities to prove themselves. Hence, Lawler (2003) says that it has become necessity for any company to treat people in a right way in order to success and survive in the business world. An organisation can increase productivity and improve performance only when it invests in employees (Gitman and McDaniel, 2008). For this reason, the company should be able to attract, retain and develop talented employees (Pittorino et al., 2005). Understanding the factors that motivate employees and maximize productivity has become a crucial job to be performed by managers. 2.2 Definitions of motivation Motivation is one of the highly complex but misunderstood concept. Mills and Forshaw (2006) supported this statement as though there are an abundance of motivational theories; the organisations are unable to apply the best theory of motivation due to human beings complexity and various factors influencing their behaviours. Nevertheless, the main concern of the study of motivation is with why people behave as they do (Mullins, 2007). Motivation is the drive to do something (Tileston, 2004); it can be defined as the direction and intensity of ones effort to satisfy his/her needs (Weinberg, et al, 2010). According to Jones and George, (2004), motivation is considered as the psychological force that shows a persons level of effort applied in order to persist with obstacles and achieve his/her target and the way he/she behaves in an organisation. Furthermore, Latham 2007) describes motivation as a process of cognitive resource allocation where a person allocates his/her efforts as per importance of motives or tasks. To support this statement, Robins (2005) says that individuals have various level of motivation varying times and situations. 2.2.1 Need and expectation at work No individuals are same and they perceive the same thing in different ways. Individuals have different needs and expectation which they strive to fulfil in different ways. If these needs and expectations are not fulfilled, it will make them dissatisfied and the consequences are turnover, absenteeism, etc. so motivating employees has been a tough task for managers provided that employees react in different ways in the jobs assigned (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007). Since managers are solely responsible for motivating employees, they should be capable of giving employees reasons to believe in themselves as well as organisation where they are working (Baldoni, 2005). Employees become dissatisfied and less motivated when managers fail to make employees know their driving forces. According to robins (2003), there are three relationships where employees are less motivated when their needs and expectations are not fulfilled. First relationship explains about the effort and performance of employees. Managers should make their employees believe that maximum effort exerted leads to the recognition in performance appraisals. This is not always correct as in some cases, employees do not believe that their effort will result in recognition and they are less motivated to perform. The second relationship is about the employees performance and organisational reward. The employees are made believe that they will be rewarded for their outstanding performance or performance appraisal. But there will be lack of motivation because employees know that they will not be rewarded by the organisation just for the performance. The last one is the relationship between reward received and reward expected. They are motivated only when they get what they desire for. If opposite happens, they become dissatisfied with the job. So It is managers who should know if the reward given matches with the one employees expect for. Hence, managers should keep these relationships as essential factors for employees to keep motivated and long lasting retention. Strengthening these relationships , the managers can motivate their employees and boost productivity. Sutherland and Canwell (2004) says it is the primary responsibility of managers to maintain motivation by creating such a work environment where employees will show positive attitude and become committed and loyal and where they believe that they are valued and the organisation gives crucial interest in them. 2.2.2 Sources of motivation Motivation is the driving force that comes within an individual to satisfy his/her unsatisfied needs. Needs and expectations are drivers that motivate an individual to achieve those needs. These motivators are often considered in terms of being internal or external. According to Mac and Sockel (2001), the internal motivators are related with intrinsic needs that satisfies an individual while external motivators are environmental factors brought up to individual by organisation. intrinsic motivation makes a person to be productive as it comes within him/her while extrinsic motivation results once the unmet needs have been achieved(Marquis and Huston, 2008). A person is intrinsically motivated when he/she engages in the activity that gives pleasure and satisfaction (Deci and Ryan, 2004). On the contrary, Deci and Ryan (2004) explained extrinsic motivation as an external control over a person who gets engaged in the activity, not for pleasure or satisfaction but for attaining a positive outcome or avoiding a negative outcome. Hence, a manager should strive to stimulate an employees intrinsic motives to complete a task given. Intrinsic motives can be satisfied by the work itself. Since the task given to an individual provides interest, challenges and opportunities for personal growth and development, it has been considered as the main source of motivation (Molander, 1996). 2.5 classification of motivation theories The main concern of all theories of motivation is the understanding of human behaviour. Drafke and kossen (2002:273) explains that â€Å"these theories provide the basis for both managers and employees to understand how to motivate others; how others are trying to motivate and how that person can engage more in his/her own motivation effort and others efforts in trying to motivate him/her.† In late 1930s, the Hawthorne study carried out by Frederick Taylor drew attention towards the study of motivation. (Locke and Latham, 2004). The purpose of this study was to examine how working conditions affect productivity (Hindle,2008). The study concluded working condition had no effect on the employee productivity and it was employees who were concerned with their work (Hindle, 2008). This result of this study made many managers and researchers focus on employees needs and motivation. According Robbins (2005), the development of the concepts of motivation was mostly seen in 1950s. during that time, several new models, referred as content theories, were emerged that mainly focused on identifying the factors related to motivation. (steers, et al. 2004). Maslows hierarchy of needs, Model of Herzbergs two-factor theory and McClellands achievement motivation theory are the content theories. The main focus of these theories is on the needs of people for which they direct their behaviour to satisfy them (smit,2007). 2.5.1 Needs:maslows hierarchy of needs Abraham Maslow developed a motivational theory named hierarchy of needs (Pride, et al, 2009). A need is required by every person. An individual fulfils his/her needs to get satisfaction and motivation is an effort to satisfy a need (Aldag and Kuzuhara, 2002). Maslow postulated that humans always seek to fulfil a variety of needs which are in sequential order as per their importance (Pride, et al. 2009). when one need is satisfied, it drecreases in strength and the higher need then dominates behaviour. The underlying needs for all human motives can be organised on five general levels depicted as a pyramid (diagram) listed from the lowest to the highest level of needs. Physiological and safety needs are on the lowest level of the pyramid as they are satisfied externally. The other three needs are internal and are therefore considered as higher-order needs. Di Cesare and Sadri (2003) state that the need must be met from the lowest and then move upward to satisfy the peak of the hierarchy. While implying Maslows Needs Hierarchy in management practice of BOK, it has various opportunitites to motivate its staff depending upon the needs. Some of them are listed below: Physiological needs: provision of sufficient breaks for lunch and recovery and payment of salary for fulfilling the basic essentials of life. Safety needs: provision of job security, conductive safety environment and threats freedom Social needs: generating a feeling of acceptance, belonging and community by reinforcing team dynamics. Esteem needs: recognition of achievement, assignment of projects and providing status to make employees feel valued and appreciated. Self Actualisation: offering challenge and meaningful work assignment that enable innovation, creativity and progress. 2.5.2 Herzbergs two factor theory Herzberg put forward the view that productivity of an employee is based not only the job satisfaction but also on work motivation Pattanayak(200). Robbins(2003) elucidates that according to herzberg, an individuals relation and attitude towards work can determine success or failure. People have two sets of needs that are related to job satisfaction and others to job dissatisfaction (Nelson and Quick,200). Elements of the job that led to job satisfaction are labelled as motivators and elements to dissatisfaction are labelled as hygiene factors. Intrinsic factors or motivators such as achievement, recognition, advancement, the work itself and responsibility are related to job satisfaction. Job dissatisfaction is the result of extrinsic factors or hygiene factors such as working conditions, job security, supervision, pay and organisation policies. Di Cesare and Sadri (2003) state that herzberg is interested in the extremes where employees either feel good or bad about the work, this lea ds to development of motivators and hygiene factors. Herzberg states that the opposite of job satisfaction is not job dissatisfaction and therefore, job dissatisfaction is not the opposite of job satisfaction. Herzberg(2003) suggests nine factors that motivate employees and they are reducing time spent at work, fringe benefit, sensitivity training, spiralling wages, two-way communication, job participation, human relation training, communication and employee counselling. He also compared motivation with that of internal self-charging battery suggesting that the energy or the positivity should come from within the employees to become motivated (Bassett-Jones and Lloyd, 2005). Herzberg argues that an employee is motivated to satisfy it growth needs; it is founded upon satisfaction innate of a sense of achievement, recognition, responsibility and personal growth. He further says that recognition is transformed into feedback, responsibility to self-regulation, authority to communicate, exercise control over resource and accountability and lastly, growth and advancement are transformed into the new expertise. Though hygiene theory is one of the popular theories of motivation, the findings done from past empirical studies show that pay, recognition and responsibility are classified as both a motivator and hygiene factors. 2.5.4 McClellands theory of needs (Richard L. Daft, Patricia G. Lane, 2007) put forward the theory stating that individual acquire certain type of needs during his/her lifetime. Individuals acquire these needs by learning and interacting with the environment (Montana and Charnov, 2000). theory focuses on three needs: Need for achievement: it drives to excel, to achieve in relation to a set of standards, to strive to succeed. Individuals with this drive desire to do something more efficiently overcoming challenges to achieve the objectives. Need of power: it is the need to make others behave in a way that they would not have behaved otherwise. Individuals with this need are placed in competitive situations to be concerned with gaining influence over individual, group or organization. Need for affiliation: it is the desire for friendly and close interpersonal relationship. Individuals with this desire tend to have a strong desire to be liked or accepted by others and thus maintain harmonious relationship with others. Accoriding to smit (2007:340), these theories are based on needs of people and the factors that influence their behaviour. Process theory Process theory came into light in early 1960s. it was an approach that focused on how motivation actually occurs. (Smit 2007:347). These theories explained the way individual choose their behaviour to satisfy their needs (Lussier and Achua, 2009). it is more complex in compare to content theory. 2.5.3 Vrooms Expectation theory The expectancy theory, aimed at work motivation, is founded on the idea that an individuals motivation is based on his/her desire for an outcome and the probability that his/her effort will lead to required performance. Robbins (2003) defines expectation theory as, â€Å" the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outvome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual† (Robbins, 2003:173). Vrooms expectancy theory focuses on three relationships: Effort performance outcome Effort-performance relationships: the probability remarked by an individual that applying an extra effort will lead to performance. Performance-reward relationship: the degree to which the individual believes that extra effort exerted performance will lead to the accomplishment of desired outcome. Reward-personal goal relationship: the degree to which individuals goals are satisfied by organizational rewards and the degree to which individual is personally attracted to the rewards. Equity Theory J. Stacy Adams equity theory proposed that individuals are motivated when their inputs equal outputs (Lussier and Achua, 2009). This theory enables an individual to perceive a relationship between the reward he/she received and his/her performance.(Smit, 2007). individuals tend to make comparison of the inputs such as status, experience, effort, etc and outputs such as recognition, benefits, pay, etc with that of others which co-worker, a group of employees from different organisations, etc (Lussier and Achua, 2009:87). 2.5.6 Goal setting theory The goal setting theory proposed by Locke states that a person is likely to give a higher performance if the goals are specific and difficult. Besides these, there are also other factors along with feedbacks such as goal commitment, task complexity and national culture that influence the goal-performance relationship. Meyer,et al. (2004) elucidates that motivation comes from the goals an individual sets up based oh his/her needs, personal values and perception that shaped via experience at work. goals give people a sense of purpose to show the reason of working to achieve a task given (Lussier and Achua, 2009:90). Goals direct individuals attention to a specific target. If individuals have specific and difficult goals, then they optimise the performance (Huber,2006). Reinforcement theory Reinforcement theory is the relationship between the behaviour of individual and the consequences by modifying or changing it via use of rewards or punishments (Daft and Lane,2007). It consistently predicts job behaviour (Lusssier and Achua,2009). People learn behaviour through the experiences of positive and negative consequences. Behaviour is a function of its consequences (Griffin and Moorhead,2009). According to Daft and Lane (2007), managers use reinforcement to shape or modify employee behaviour in four ways: Positive reinforcement: employees are encouraged to continue their behaviour by offering consequences for desirable performance. If an employee receives positive reinforcement for certain behaviour, that employee is tend to be motivated to maintain or increase the frequency of that behaviour (Griffin and Moorhead, 2009). Avoidance reinforcement It is also known as negative reinforcement. The employees are given the opportunity to avoid an unpleasant circumstance once behaviour is improved. Extinction Motivating individuals and groups at work Theorists of motivation investigate the factors that direct and boost work related behaviour. They strive to understand activities that people enjoy and conditions that encourage them to apply efforts. As a result various motivation models were developed which main focus was on the needs and expectations of individuals. This models were best used in organisatons where understanding of behaviour of employees has been important. Due to change in structure of organisations, todays employees work in teams supporting each other sharing common interest to accomplish the common goals rather focusing on the achievement of personal goals. Ellemers, et al. (2004) employee motivation refers to the goals, needs and rewards of one whole team or the organisation where they work. this concludes that research on motivating group has been important for any organisation. The number of organisation, emphasising employees to work in teams, has steadily increased. Working in teams offers opportunities for job enrichment, decrease the workload of supervisors and enhance the performance. However, there may be some lazy members in team who exert less effort in performing the task. 2.5.5 Douglas McGregor Theory X and Y In this theory, Douglas McGregor assumes that the managers handle their employees based on their behaviours and nature. These assumptions are categorised as Theory X and Theory Y. theory X states that workers are lazy, incapable of taking responsibility , dislike work and need a constant supervision while theory Y assumes that people love work, complete task with less supervision and have responsibility ( Dzimbiri,2009). 2.6 Ways of motivating employee to ensure better performance The employees experiences at work show their feeling towards their jobs either positively or negatively. Employee motivation is taken into account by every organisation as one of the major challenging tasks. Motivation can be classified as positive or negative. The managers should encourage positive motivation to enhance performance. On the contrary, when the performance is demotivating, the approach adopted would be determined by persisting situation. Communication Communication is always an effective way to improve motivation and enhance productivity. There should be two-way communication between managers and staff that generate feedbacks on the performance. Job participation scheme Participation scheme enables staff to become a member of decision making team and express their views on organisational decisions. This leads staff to be responsible to increase their efficiency and productivity at work. Fringe benefit If an organization can retain the employees by providing them with the fringe benefit. This prevents turnover if effectively use and increase the productivity. Research methodology Introduction This research work is carried out to examine the factors that motivate and influence employees of Bank of Kathmandu and strategies adopted by the bank to enhance productivity by providing employees with optimum satisfaction. It highlights the procedures applied to understand research problem area and evaluate the result. The Research Process Customised research procedures are used by the researcher determining the exceptions of research regarding how vast the topic is. It starts with problem formulation along with the process that the researcher undertakes to get the result as solution to that problem. The problem of identifying what factors motivate employees in a particular bank namely, Bank Of Kathmandu. In this modern era, the way the employees behave at workplace has been changed. Job satisfaction has become more important than any other variables. For the success and survival of company in the competitive market, the most prioritised work of managers is to retain the skilled employees and motivate them to give their best performance. Nevertheless, employees are more interested in doing different jobs at the same time and are not willing to keep long term relationships with organisations. To add up, they are unlikely to be motivated as they use to be before. Once the research problem is defined, the objectives are formulated to achieve the solutions to the targeted problem. The hypothese Qualitative and quantitative research Survey questionnaire Questionnaires include open- ended questions, closed-ended or the combination of both. In open-ended questions, the respondents are allowed to give their own answers while the closed-ended questions provide the respondents with a set of alternatives and choose answer from that set (Saunders, et al. 2007). researchers use close-ended questions for they provide the greater control, make respondents easy to answer and short answers lead to quick results (Arthur,2006). The researcher, in this study, has used closed-ended questions using Factors for Motivation in Banking Employees Factors for Motivation in Banking Employees CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 RESEARCH BACKGROUND Understanding human behavior in workplace has been one of the most prioritized tasks for any organization. This is due to major changes like globalization and technological advancement that change in the structure of the business done, the workforce behavior and management of employees. To keep up the business state of the art and become successful, the organizations should acclimatize with these changes (Vercueil, 2001). So, it has become important for employers to know what motivates their employees rather than emphasizing them to increase productivity. The environment, in which the employees work as a team, should be created and sustained so that they are themselves driven towards achieving the common goals. Hence, motivation is given more attention in the organization to know employees and their behavior. In any organization, every staff is unique and performs the task based on their mental abilities and the extent to which they are applied at work (Mullins, 2007). Some people te nd to work really harder than others. If a staff is appreciated for his/her hard work, he/she is more likely to be motivated to high performance. Herzberg et al 1999 explained that employees show different attitudes depending on the nature of jobs assigned to them at workplace. Furthermore, they argued these attitudes towards their jobs have a significant influence on the survival of the organization. there is a famous saying which is based on Herzbergs thought that if an organization wants its employees to do a good job, give them a good job to do (Giancola,2010). To illustrate this, during the hard times of the organization, the morality among the workforce determines its success or failure provided that they are made feel as the essential resources of the organization and are given appropriate chances to prove themselves. Thus, motivated employees are more likely to contribute for the success and survival of the organization. In earlier days, motivation was considered as only a force that drives individuals to become committed in the job of their choice. The early approaches of motivation emphasizes on the needs of the individuals explaining their tendency to be motivated and the efforts exerted in order to satisfy those needs. There were some other approaches which highlighted on the employees goal setting. Modern approaches of motivation draws attention towards the values and long term goals set by the employees. Simons and Enz (2006) says now the employees perform the task not only to fulfill the basic needs but also to increase their values, become successful and satisfied from their performance. Motivation has been one of those areas which gained lots of interests from organizational psychologists and many scholars since 1930s. Yet, the in-depth understanding of motivation has been considered as a tough task (Locke and Latham, 2004). Thus, this research work is aimed to identify what motivates employees of Bank of Kathmandu by applying the concept of existing theories. 1.2 Background of the organization The organization chosen for research work is Bank of Kathmandu BOK, one of the renowned commercial banks of Nepal. BOK commenced its operation in 1995 with an aim to contribute in the economic development of Nepal. BOK is in a position to become â€Å"Bank of Choice† through serving and supporting its customers financially. Considering this vision, the bank has a total of 39 branches, 6 extension counters and 50 ATMs across the country. It has helped not only in promoting economic development but also it reduces unemployment problem to some extent by providing opportunities to local people. The basic reason behind selecting this particular bank is due to its distinct uniqueness and growing success and secondly, the researcher had an easy access to this bank. The research is carried out based on the responses given by the staff working in two branches of the bank. 1.3 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM Employee commitment has been a matter of focus for companies to be successful and the committed employees are considered as the most important factors of organizational effectiveness (Robertson, et al. 2007). However, retaining committed employees within organization is not an easy task. The employees of modern era work to satisfy the needs as well as achieve their individual goals (Drake and Kossen, 2002). Gubman (2003) pointed out the increasing trend of employees doing many jobs at a time in their career and have become more mobile. Employees are no more working in organisations for a long term basis. Thus, it needs a proper understanding of what motivates and satisfies them at work to generate such commitments. 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS Motivation needs vary on individuals based on their level of needs, backgrounds, expectations and personal traits. In simple words, two different employees working in the same environment may have different level of satisfaction. Furthermore, human needs are always dynamic and change over time becoming sometimes stronger or weaker. According to Simons and Enz (2006), while attempting to motivate the employees, the managers make mistakes assuming wrongly that they understand the employees and their needs and expectations they want from their work. This research work, therefore, focuses on the factors motivating employees and helping managers to understand their employees. In this context, the questions related to the research are: What are the critical factors that motivate and satisfy employees in BOK? How do the factors of motivation influence staff satisfaction in BOK? What are the motivation strategy adopted by BOK for better management and performance of the staff? 1.5 Research aim The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors that motivate workers and their impact on organizational performances in Bank of Kathmandu (BOK), Nepal. The study aims to analyse the factors that motivate employees to encourage them to give their best performances in order to increase the organizational effectiveness and achieve its goals. It also aims to know the extent to which BOK is successful in making its employees satisfied and committed. 1.6 Research objectives The study is an explanation about the employee motivation in Bank of Kathmandu BOK, one of the leading banks in Nepal. Hence, the objectives of this research can be listed as: To investigate factors of motivation and their impact on the performance of BOK. To critically analyse the factors of motivation and its effect on staff satisfaction in BOK. To develop motivation strategy for better management and performance for the staff in BOK. The research work would be significant to students, other researchers and the bank itself which can be taken as a source of reference. 1.7 Limitations of the research Motivation is a concept with a broad area of research. It contains a wide range of theories on factors that motivate people (content theories) along with theories that describe how behaviours are initiated, directed and endured (process theories). The research work focuses only content theories which identify the particular needs that drive the human behaviour to perform better or worse. The researcher has tried to present the impact of motivation and job satisfaction on employees mental health, social life, and family life in order to show the significance and scope of the research topic. However, they are only considered in the theory but not clearly shown on the observed part of the research. Apart from these limitations, there are some other limitations for the research as There was time constraint to complete this research work as the researcher has to complete the work within three months period. The budget allocated was less due to the researcher is a student. The data analysis is done based on the employees randomly selected from only two branches. 1.8 Outline of the study Chapter 1: introduction: The first chapter deals with the research topic, an overview of the company selected for research work followed by statement of problem, purpose of the study and limitations. Chapter 2: Literature Review: this chapter contains reviews of various theories of motivation and job satisfaction. The researcher has showed the relationship between motivation and variables like rewards, job satisfaction, job performance, trainings, behaviour and conflict. It also explained how positive motivation lead to Chapter 3: methodology: this chapter deals with the methods, different tools and techniques used in the research work for data collection, analysis and interpretation. Chapter 4: data analysis: the chapter covers the ways the collected data were compiled and analysed. The analysis is based on the literature review and survey done via questionnaires in order to best serve the purpose of the study. Chapter 5: conclusions and recommendations: this chapter contains three parts namely findings, recommendations and conclusion. 1.9 Conclusion In this chapter, the researchers has discussed about the introduction of employee motivation and its importance in organisations. The main reason behind conducting this research work, the problem area, and the limitations are clarified. A brief introduction of organisation is given on the basis of which this study is done. The basic knowledge of the contents of the research work is also discussed. Chapter 2 Literature review 2.1 Introduction This chapter explains about the facts, theories and models of motivation. Theories of motivation e.g. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, Pr. McGregors Theory X and Y, McClellands theory of needs, etc are discussed in depth to increase the understanding of the area under research. The introduction and importance of motivation, job satisfaction and opinions of various authors are elucidated by reviewing various academic books, magazines, journals and articles. The information presented below serves as foundation to the analysis of this research. this new era, every organisation treats its workforce as an important source of its competitive advantage. Employees are no more seen as only loyal members of the company but they like to be treated with respect and they want their companies to give them opportunities to prove themselves. Hence, Lawler (2003) says that it has become necessity for any company to treat people in a right way in order to success and survive in the business world. An organisation can increase productivity and improve performance only when it invests in employees (Gitman and McDaniel, 2008). For this reason, the company should be able to attract, retain and develop talented employees (Pittorino et al., 2005). Understanding the factors that motivate employees and maximize productivity has become a crucial job to be performed by managers. 2.2 Definitions of motivation Motivation is one of the highly complex but misunderstood concept. Mills and Forshaw (2006) supported this statement as though there are an abundance of motivational theories; the organisations are unable to apply the best theory of motivation due to human beings complexity and various factors influencing their behaviours. Nevertheless, the main concern of the study of motivation is with why people behave as they do (Mullins, 2007). Motivation is the drive to do something (Tileston, 2004); it can be defined as the direction and intensity of ones effort to satisfy his/her needs (Weinberg, et al, 2010). According to Jones and George, (2004), motivation is considered as the psychological force that shows a persons level of effort applied in order to persist with obstacles and achieve his/her target and the way he/she behaves in an organisation. Furthermore, Latham 2007) describes motivation as a process of cognitive resource allocation where a person allocates his/her efforts as per importance of motives or tasks. To support this statement, Robins (2005) says that individuals have various level of motivation varying times and situations. 2.2.1 Need and expectation at work No individuals are same and they perceive the same thing in different ways. Individuals have different needs and expectation which they strive to fulfil in different ways. If these needs and expectations are not fulfilled, it will make them dissatisfied and the consequences are turnover, absenteeism, etc. so motivating employees has been a tough task for managers provided that employees react in different ways in the jobs assigned (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007). Since managers are solely responsible for motivating employees, they should be capable of giving employees reasons to believe in themselves as well as organisation where they are working (Baldoni, 2005). Employees become dissatisfied and less motivated when managers fail to make employees know their driving forces. According to robins (2003), there are three relationships where employees are less motivated when their needs and expectations are not fulfilled. First relationship explains about the effort and performance of employees. Managers should make their employees believe that maximum effort exerted leads to the recognition in performance appraisals. This is not always correct as in some cases, employees do not believe that their effort will result in recognition and they are less motivated to perform. The second relationship is about the employees performance and organisational reward. The employees are made believe that they will be rewarded for their outstanding performance or performance appraisal. But there will be lack of motivation because employees know that they will not be rewarded by the organisation just for the performance. The last one is the relationship between reward received and reward expected. They are motivated only when they get what they desire for. If opposite happens, they become dissatisfied with the job. So It is managers who should know if the reward given matches with the one employees expect for. Hence, managers should keep these relationships as essential factors for employees to keep motivated and long lasting retention. Strengthening these relationships , the managers can motivate their employees and boost productivity. Sutherland and Canwell (2004) says it is the primary responsibility of managers to maintain motivation by creating such a work environment where employees will show positive attitude and become committed and loyal and where they believe that they are valued and the organisation gives crucial interest in them. 2.2.2 Sources of motivation Motivation is the driving force that comes within an individual to satisfy his/her unsatisfied needs. Needs and expectations are drivers that motivate an individual to achieve those needs. These motivators are often considered in terms of being internal or external. According to Mac and Sockel (2001), the internal motivators are related with intrinsic needs that satisfies an individual while external motivators are environmental factors brought up to individual by organisation. intrinsic motivation makes a person to be productive as it comes within him/her while extrinsic motivation results once the unmet needs have been achieved(Marquis and Huston, 2008). A person is intrinsically motivated when he/she engages in the activity that gives pleasure and satisfaction (Deci and Ryan, 2004). On the contrary, Deci and Ryan (2004) explained extrinsic motivation as an external control over a person who gets engaged in the activity, not for pleasure or satisfaction but for attaining a positive outcome or avoiding a negative outcome. Hence, a manager should strive to stimulate an employees intrinsic motives to complete a task given. Intrinsic motives can be satisfied by the work itself. Since the task given to an individual provides interest, challenges and opportunities for personal growth and development, it has been considered as the main source of motivation (Molander, 1996). 2.5 classification of motivation theories The main concern of all theories of motivation is the understanding of human behaviour. Drafke and kossen (2002:273) explains that â€Å"these theories provide the basis for both managers and employees to understand how to motivate others; how others are trying to motivate and how that person can engage more in his/her own motivation effort and others efforts in trying to motivate him/her.† In late 1930s, the Hawthorne study carried out by Frederick Taylor drew attention towards the study of motivation. (Locke and Latham, 2004). The purpose of this study was to examine how working conditions affect productivity (Hindle,2008). The study concluded working condition had no effect on the employee productivity and it was employees who were concerned with their work (Hindle, 2008). This result of this study made many managers and researchers focus on employees needs and motivation. According Robbins (2005), the development of the concepts of motivation was mostly seen in 1950s. during that time, several new models, referred as content theories, were emerged that mainly focused on identifying the factors related to motivation. (steers, et al. 2004). Maslows hierarchy of needs, Model of Herzbergs two-factor theory and McClellands achievement motivation theory are the content theories. The main focus of these theories is on the needs of people for which they direct their behaviour to satisfy them (smit,2007). 2.5.1 Needs:maslows hierarchy of needs Abraham Maslow developed a motivational theory named hierarchy of needs (Pride, et al, 2009). A need is required by every person. An individual fulfils his/her needs to get satisfaction and motivation is an effort to satisfy a need (Aldag and Kuzuhara, 2002). Maslow postulated that humans always seek to fulfil a variety of needs which are in sequential order as per their importance (Pride, et al. 2009). when one need is satisfied, it drecreases in strength and the higher need then dominates behaviour. The underlying needs for all human motives can be organised on five general levels depicted as a pyramid (diagram) listed from the lowest to the highest level of needs. Physiological and safety needs are on the lowest level of the pyramid as they are satisfied externally. The other three needs are internal and are therefore considered as higher-order needs. Di Cesare and Sadri (2003) state that the need must be met from the lowest and then move upward to satisfy the peak of the hierarchy. While implying Maslows Needs Hierarchy in management practice of BOK, it has various opportunitites to motivate its staff depending upon the needs. Some of them are listed below: Physiological needs: provision of sufficient breaks for lunch and recovery and payment of salary for fulfilling the basic essentials of life. Safety needs: provision of job security, conductive safety environment and threats freedom Social needs: generating a feeling of acceptance, belonging and community by reinforcing team dynamics. Esteem needs: recognition of achievement, assignment of projects and providing status to make employees feel valued and appreciated. Self Actualisation: offering challenge and meaningful work assignment that enable innovation, creativity and progress. 2.5.2 Herzbergs two factor theory Herzberg put forward the view that productivity of an employee is based not only the job satisfaction but also on work motivation Pattanayak(200). Robbins(2003) elucidates that according to herzberg, an individuals relation and attitude towards work can determine success or failure. People have two sets of needs that are related to job satisfaction and others to job dissatisfaction (Nelson and Quick,200). Elements of the job that led to job satisfaction are labelled as motivators and elements to dissatisfaction are labelled as hygiene factors. Intrinsic factors or motivators such as achievement, recognition, advancement, the work itself and responsibility are related to job satisfaction. Job dissatisfaction is the result of extrinsic factors or hygiene factors such as working conditions, job security, supervision, pay and organisation policies. Di Cesare and Sadri (2003) state that herzberg is interested in the extremes where employees either feel good or bad about the work, this lea ds to development of motivators and hygiene factors. Herzberg states that the opposite of job satisfaction is not job dissatisfaction and therefore, job dissatisfaction is not the opposite of job satisfaction. Herzberg(2003) suggests nine factors that motivate employees and they are reducing time spent at work, fringe benefit, sensitivity training, spiralling wages, two-way communication, job participation, human relation training, communication and employee counselling. He also compared motivation with that of internal self-charging battery suggesting that the energy or the positivity should come from within the employees to become motivated (Bassett-Jones and Lloyd, 2005). Herzberg argues that an employee is motivated to satisfy it growth needs; it is founded upon satisfaction innate of a sense of achievement, recognition, responsibility and personal growth. He further says that recognition is transformed into feedback, responsibility to self-regulation, authority to communicate, exercise control over resource and accountability and lastly, growth and advancement are transformed into the new expertise. Though hygiene theory is one of the popular theories of motivation, the findings done from past empirical studies show that pay, recognition and responsibility are classified as both a motivator and hygiene factors. 2.5.4 McClellands theory of needs (Richard L. Daft, Patricia G. Lane, 2007) put forward the theory stating that individual acquire certain type of needs during his/her lifetime. Individuals acquire these needs by learning and interacting with the environment (Montana and Charnov, 2000). theory focuses on three needs: Need for achievement: it drives to excel, to achieve in relation to a set of standards, to strive to succeed. Individuals with this drive desire to do something more efficiently overcoming challenges to achieve the objectives. Need of power: it is the need to make others behave in a way that they would not have behaved otherwise. Individuals with this need are placed in competitive situations to be concerned with gaining influence over individual, group or organization. Need for affiliation: it is the desire for friendly and close interpersonal relationship. Individuals with this desire tend to have a strong desire to be liked or accepted by others and thus maintain harmonious relationship with others. Accoriding to smit (2007:340), these theories are based on needs of people and the factors that influence their behaviour. Process theory Process theory came into light in early 1960s. it was an approach that focused on how motivation actually occurs. (Smit 2007:347). These theories explained the way individual choose their behaviour to satisfy their needs (Lussier and Achua, 2009). it is more complex in compare to content theory. 2.5.3 Vrooms Expectation theory The expectancy theory, aimed at work motivation, is founded on the idea that an individuals motivation is based on his/her desire for an outcome and the probability that his/her effort will lead to required performance. Robbins (2003) defines expectation theory as, â€Å" the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outvome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual† (Robbins, 2003:173). Vrooms expectancy theory focuses on three relationships: Effort performance outcome Effort-performance relationships: the probability remarked by an individual that applying an extra effort will lead to performance. Performance-reward relationship: the degree to which the individual believes that extra effort exerted performance will lead to the accomplishment of desired outcome. Reward-personal goal relationship: the degree to which individuals goals are satisfied by organizational rewards and the degree to which individual is personally attracted to the rewards. Equity Theory J. Stacy Adams equity theory proposed that individuals are motivated when their inputs equal outputs (Lussier and Achua, 2009). This theory enables an individual to perceive a relationship between the reward he/she received and his/her performance.(Smit, 2007). individuals tend to make comparison of the inputs such as status, experience, effort, etc and outputs such as recognition, benefits, pay, etc with that of others which co-worker, a group of employees from different organisations, etc (Lussier and Achua, 2009:87). 2.5.6 Goal setting theory The goal setting theory proposed by Locke states that a person is likely to give a higher performance if the goals are specific and difficult. Besides these, there are also other factors along with feedbacks such as goal commitment, task complexity and national culture that influence the goal-performance relationship. Meyer,et al. (2004) elucidates that motivation comes from the goals an individual sets up based oh his/her needs, personal values and perception that shaped via experience at work. goals give people a sense of purpose to show the reason of working to achieve a task given (Lussier and Achua, 2009:90). Goals direct individuals attention to a specific target. If individuals have specific and difficult goals, then they optimise the performance (Huber,2006). Reinforcement theory Reinforcement theory is the relationship between the behaviour of individual and the consequences by modifying or changing it via use of rewards or punishments (Daft and Lane,2007). It consistently predicts job behaviour (Lusssier and Achua,2009). People learn behaviour through the experiences of positive and negative consequences. Behaviour is a function of its consequences (Griffin and Moorhead,2009). According to Daft and Lane (2007), managers use reinforcement to shape or modify employee behaviour in four ways: Positive reinforcement: employees are encouraged to continue their behaviour by offering consequences for desirable performance. If an employee receives positive reinforcement for certain behaviour, that employee is tend to be motivated to maintain or increase the frequency of that behaviour (Griffin and Moorhead, 2009). Avoidance reinforcement It is also known as negative reinforcement. The employees are given the opportunity to avoid an unpleasant circumstance once behaviour is improved. Extinction Motivating individuals and groups at work Theorists of motivation investigate the factors that direct and boost work related behaviour. They strive to understand activities that people enjoy and conditions that encourage them to apply efforts. As a result various motivation models were developed which main focus was on the needs and expectations of individuals. This models were best used in organisatons where understanding of behaviour of employees has been important. Due to change in structure of organisations, todays employees work in teams supporting each other sharing common interest to accomplish the common goals rather focusing on the achievement of personal goals. Ellemers, et al. (2004) employee motivation refers to the goals, needs and rewards of one whole team or the organisation where they work. this concludes that research on motivating group has been important for any organisation. The number of organisation, emphasising employees to work in teams, has steadily increased. Working in teams offers opportunities for job enrichment, decrease the workload of supervisors and enhance the performance. However, there may be some lazy members in team who exert less effort in performing the task. 2.5.5 Douglas McGregor Theory X and Y In this theory, Douglas McGregor assumes that the managers handle their employees based on their behaviours and nature. These assumptions are categorised as Theory X and Theory Y. theory X states that workers are lazy, incapable of taking responsibility , dislike work and need a constant supervision while theory Y assumes that people love work, complete task with less supervision and have responsibility ( Dzimbiri,2009). 2.6 Ways of motivating employee to ensure better performance The employees experiences at work show their feeling towards their jobs either positively or negatively. Employee motivation is taken into account by every organisation as one of the major challenging tasks. Motivation can be classified as positive or negative. The managers should encourage positive motivation to enhance performance. On the contrary, when the performance is demotivating, the approach adopted would be determined by persisting situation. Communication Communication is always an effective way to improve motivation and enhance productivity. There should be two-way communication between managers and staff that generate feedbacks on the performance. Job participation scheme Participation scheme enables staff to become a member of decision making team and express their views on organisational decisions. This leads staff to be responsible to increase their efficiency and productivity at work. Fringe benefit If an organization can retain the employees by providing them with the fringe benefit. This prevents turnover if effectively use and increase the productivity. Research methodology Introduction This research work is carried out to examine the factors that motivate and influence employees of Bank of Kathmandu and strategies adopted by the bank to enhance productivity by providing employees with optimum satisfaction. It highlights the procedures applied to understand research problem area and evaluate the result. The Research Process Customised research procedures are used by the researcher determining the exceptions of research regarding how vast the topic is. It starts with problem formulation along with the process that the researcher undertakes to get the result as solution to that problem. The problem of identifying what factors motivate employees in a particular bank namely, Bank Of Kathmandu. In this modern era, the way the employees behave at workplace has been changed. Job satisfaction has become more important than any other variables. For the success and survival of company in the competitive market, the most prioritised work of managers is to retain the skilled employees and motivate them to give their best performance. Nevertheless, employees are more interested in doing different jobs at the same time and are not willing to keep long term relationships with organisations. To add up, they are unlikely to be motivated as they use to be before. Once the research problem is defined, the objectives are formulated to achieve the solutions to the targeted problem. The hypothese Qualitative and quantitative research Survey questionnaire Questionnaires include open- ended questions, closed-ended or the combination of both. In open-ended questions, the respondents are allowed to give their own answers while the closed-ended questions provide the respondents with a set of alternatives and choose answer from that set (Saunders, et al. 2007). researchers use close-ended questions for they provide the greater control, make respondents easy to answer and short answers lead to quick results (Arthur,2006). The researcher, in this study, has used closed-ended questions using