How can intrinsic motivation contribute towards the increase in employee performance in the retail sector?

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My thanks go out to all who have helped me complete this study and with whom this project may have not been possible. In particular, my gratitude goes out to friends, facilitator and family for extensive and helpful comments on early drafts. I am also deeply indebted to the authors who have shared my interest and preceded me. Their works provided me with a host of information to learn from and build upon, also served as examples to emulate.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names & surname here], declare that the following dissertation/thesis and its entire content has been an individual, unaided effort and has not been submitted or published before. Furthermore, it reflects my opinion and take on the topic and is does not represent the opinion of the University.

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ABSTRACT

Motivation is the degree to which an individual wants and chooses to engage in certain specified behaviors. Both elements, the wanting and choosing, must be present for motivation to be enacted. Internal motivation is a very personal form of motivation and revolves around completing a task for the sake of the task. In this case, an employee completes a task early because it is rewarding to her or him, not because of a reward that might be earned. Although in many companies' of the retail sector monetary incentives, feedback, and recognition coexist as organisational design choices, they have rarely been studied in an integrated manner. The methodology used for this study is quantitative methodology. A questionnaire was distributed to the employees working in the retail sector in order to know the factors that motivate them to work. Most of the employees working in the retail sector emphasized that they would be able to work in a better way if motivated intrinsically.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

LIST OF FIGURESVII

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION1

1.1. Background of the Study1

1.2. Theoretical Framework2

1.2.1. Physiological Needs3

1.3. Research Questions5

1.4. Aims and Objectives5

1.5. Rationale of the Study6

1.6. Significance of the Study6

1.7. Disposition6

1.8. Conclusion7

CHAPTER 02: LITERATURE REVIEW8

2.1. Introduction8

2.2. Intrinsic Motivation8

2.3. Theories of Intrinsic Motivation9

2.5. Intrinsic Motivation and Performance13

2.6. Highly Motivated and Engaged Employees Positively Impact Firm Performance16

2.7. Relationship between Motivation and Performance17

2.8. Intrinsic motivation and the Performance of Employees in the retail sector18

2.9. Conclusion19

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY20

3.1. Overview of Quantitative Research Approach21

3.2. Research Method and Design Appropriateness21

3.3. Research Process22

3.4. Participants22

3.5. Research Instrument23

3.6. Informed Consent23

3.7. Confidentiality24

3.8. Validity24

3.9. Reliability25

3.10. Data Analysis26

3.11. Conclusion27

CHAPTER 04: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS28

4.1. Questionnaire Analysis28

4.2. Discussion37

4.2.1. Intrinsic Motivation in the retail sector38

4.3. Challenges for Retail Businesses40

4.3.1. Employee Motivation40

4.3.2. Turnover Rate41

4.3.3. Promotions42

4.3.4. Employer-Employee Relationships42

4.3.5. Front-line Employee Training42

4.4. Performance of Employees in Retail Business43

4.4.1. Absenteeism and Turnover43

4.3. Conclusion44

CHAPTER 05: CONCLUSION45

5.1. Recommendations46

5.2.Future Research46

REFERENCES48

APPENDIX57

Questionnaire58

Figures61

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Gender28

Figure 2: Age Group29

Figure 3: You are achievement oriented towards tasks30

Figure 4: Position in the organisational hierarchy31

Figure 5: Salary prioritization32

Figure 6: Level of Esteem in relation to achieving targets33

Figure 7: Complete challenging task before or on the deadline34

Figure 8: Difficulties in achieving targets35

Figure 9: Your current salary per annum is relatively high36

Figure 10: Benefits as ...