Factors Affecting Motivation of Employees

Factors Affecting Motivation of Employees Many people are currently working in call centres and much more are expected to work in them in the near future. Motivation of these call centre employees is of utmost importance so as to refrain them from leaving their work. Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation is to dredge out the factors that affect the motivation of the employees working in call centres and to contribute to research in the area of motivation among call centre employees. Method: The method that will be used is through questionnaires, where employees will be able to complete a set of questions which will specifically address the subject of Motivation amongst the workers. Benefits of the study: This study will be of great benefit as it responds to the call for more investigation into the factors that de-motivate call centre workers to perform. It will further be of importance to call centre managers who, through considering this study will be able to rethink their approaches to productivity, particularly on how they could better motivate their staff to achieve higher output. Almost all consumers have had experience with call centres (Anton, 2000; Dean, 2002). Why are they essential? Call centres are strategically important to many organisations because they are often the major customer interface, and they can provide a service-based competitive edge using high volume, low cost delivery via telephones (Callaghan and Thompson, 2001). Call centres are a growing part of the service industry in many countries and a substantial amount of call centre jobs have been created in this sector in recent years (Baumgartner, Good, Udris, 2002; Holman, 2003; Moltzen Van Dick, 2002; Wegge, Van Dick, Fisher, West, Dawson, 2006). Researchers already recognised that service work, that is, work in call centres was stressful according to a study carried out by Donovan in 1920. The conflicting demands for both quality and quantity, and the emotional nature of customer interactions all contribute to the strain that call centre workers experience (Varca, 2006). Moreover, scho lars have shown that call centre workers are under great pressure to meet their productivity goals at the same time as delivering quality customer service (Deery et al., 2002; Kinnie et al., 2000; Singh, 2000). As a result, call centre work carries with it high levels of employee stress. Consequently, the call centre employees need to be constantly motivated so as they demonstrate keenness and enthusiasm for their work. Motivation is simply the process of arousing and sustaining goal-directed behavior (Nelson Quick, 1997). One of the managers primary tasks is to motivate people in the organization to perform at high levels (Moorhead Griffin, 1992). The Hawthorne Studies conducted by Elton Mayo from 1927 to 1932 showed that views of how managers behave were a vital aspect of motivation and improved performance. This study brought to light the fact that peoples psychological and social needs have to be taken into account to make them feel important and thus motivate them to work. In addition, the work of Maslow in 1943 provided a major impetus to employee motivation since he put forward a theoretical framework of individual personality development and motivation based on a hierarchy of human needs. Likewise, Herzberg and McGregor also developed theories of motivation . Herzberg was of view that to motivate workers to give their best, proper attention must be given to a different set of factors, the motivation or growth factors. Additionally, McGregor argued that the style of management adopted is a function of the managers attitudes towards human nature and behaviour at work. He put forward two suppositions called Theory X and Theory Y which are based on popular assumptions about work and people. The ingredients of motivation lie within the employees themselves. So, managers should have the knack to motivate their de-motivated employees since, as mentioned above, employees at call centres face a lot of ordeals. Moreover, organizations are made of their individual members. The individual is a central feature in any workplace whether acting isolation or in a group, in response to the expectations of the organization. Where the needs of the individual and the demands of the organisation are incompatible, it can result in frustration and conflict. So, managers have as main aim to keep the motivation of their employees at a high level so as to achieve desired results and performance. PROBLEM STATEMENT Call centres are facing a major problem these days, namely absenteeism which can have a large impact service quality. Due to this problem, there is fewer staff to handle customer interactions, wait queues tend to swell and call centre employees are under high work pressure. This tends to impact directly on their morale and similar behaviour may be fostered in those left to carry the can. Call centre work is very monotonous due to highly repetitive nature of the job. Thus, call centres run the risk of the employees easily losing enthusiasm and becoming demoralised. Moreover, call centres provide limited career opportunities and they risk losing their best people if they cannot provide adequate career prospects. Talented employees lose interest in their work; they become de-motivated and stop working towards the high standards they set up before. Additionally, call centre employees have to work in night shifts which pose a problem to them. Employees, mainly the female staff fear workin g at night for security reasons. Social life is almost inexistent for them, since they work all the time. They also face problems such as inconvenient postures due to computer work and high noise level. It can thus be deduced that the work of these persons is not so simple and very demanding. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study has as aims to determine the factors which affect the motivation of call centre employees. Its objectives are to acknowledge the problems faced by call centre staff so that the managers of call centres take necessary incentives to motivate their staff. This will help create a better working environment in which each employee will thrive. Besides, this study will benefit to the learning population who may be doing research on this particular topic. METHODOLOGY There are two types of data that can be collected, namely primary data or secondary data. Secondary data is data which exists already and which has been produced by some other person. It is known as secondary research because the person using it is the secondary user of the data. Primary data, on the other hand, refers to the process of generating and collecting original data from the intended operation for an organisation. It is the organisation which determines precisely and accurately what information is needed and from whom it is needed. It then sets about acquiring the data. Primary data sources are obtained by using one or more of the following techniques such as observation, surveys, experiments and questionnaires. To proceed with the study, primary data will be used, namely questionnaires. A questionnaire is a tool used by to deliver questions to respondents and then noting down their answers. Three types of information can be collected while using questionnaires. Fact: data such as demographic information, age, gender and so on. Opinion: beliefs, attitudes, feelings and knowledge. Motive: knowing peoples reasons for a particular belief or action. Questionnaires will be used since they will help to compare results as all the employees of call centres will be asked the same set of questions logically related to the problem under study, that is, factors affecting motivation. Thus, their responses can be added meaningfully. At around 150 questionnaires will be distributed to the employees. Firstly, the method of sampling used will be convenience sampling. Convenience sampling will enable me to give the questionnaires to any person whom I know, who will in turn give them to other colleagues to be filled in. Cluster sampling will also help me distribute the questionnaires. This consists of drawing up a list of clusters that together comprise the whole population and then selecting a sample of clusters (by using simple random sampling). The call centre employee population is conveniently divided into groups. For example, there are employees doing morning shifts and those doing night shifts. So, questionnaires will be given to these two groups accordingly. BENEFITS OF THE RESEARCH There are several benefits of the research. Firstly, this research may be used as a tool for managers to motivate their staff. Managers, as well as employers, will get a glimpse of the factors affecting the performance of the employees and through this; they will be able to implement several measures to encourage them to work. For example, it could be found that employees value getting access to training and development programs (Shah and Bandi, 2003). Having access to vocational training is perceived as a real job enrichment and benefit, so the organisation would highly benefit from it. Furthermore, through this study, the employment rate could increase. Since managers would be aware of how to attract and motivate their staff, more and more persons would be eager to join the call centre industry. As a result, the rate of unemployment will decrease, hence benefiting to the Government and the society as well. Amongst these target audiences, that is the managers and the Government, the re is also the learning population which will get benefit from it. Students may use this study as a means to acquire more knowledge on call centre industry or even use the data to carry on with their projects. While conducting the research, several direct and indirect costs need to be taken into account. Expenses such as printing and photocopying of questionnaires and transport need to be catered for. Moreover, a budget is also being allowed for unexpected expenses which may crop up in the course of the research.

Gulliver’s Travels is a series of four books about Lemuel Gulliver, a surgeon who has a group of adventures in four different areas

Gulliver's Travels is a series of four books about Lemuel Gulliver, a surgeon who has a group of adventures in four different areas. These adventures help him form a new outlook on humanity and society. The author of the book, Jonathan Swift, expresses his opinions about his society by satirizing the societies that Gulliver visits to suit his own. The task at hand is to compare and contrast Book one and Book four of Gulliver's Travels. I will compare and contrast this book in terms of setting, character, theme and plot. One more important factor to consider is the satires that were made in each of these books; as well as, Gulliver's mood in each and how his adventures affected him. The first point of comparison and contrast is the plot. In Book One, we see that Gulliver is the surgeon of a ship called the Antelope. The ship that he is in goes into a terrible storm where twelve of the crewmembers die. Gulliver and the remaining crew members board a rowboat to escape the wrecked ship. The rowboat then turns over and Gulliver has t o swim to shore in order to survive. He falls asleep on the shore and when he wakes up from his slumber he finds himself tied down. Gulliver gets introduced to the Lilliputians where he is welcomed by them later on in the book. He is taken to the Emperor and the Emperor was really entertained by Gulliver. After a long time in Lilliput, he is used as a ‘national resource' for Lilliput, used in the wars against Blefuscu. The war that was on between the Lilliputians and the Blesucuns was about the different ways of cracking eggs which is really a useless matter to argue over. Finally, Gulliver is accused for treason because he put out a fire in the queen's apartment with his urine. He would be shot ion the eyes but he convinces the Emperor to allow him to leave and the Emperor agrees. He goes to Belfuscu where he gets on a canoe and goes home. In Book Four, Gulliver is captain of a ship where his crew conspires against him and take him prisoner because they want to be the pirates of the seven seas. They drop Gulliver on a rowboat where he manages to row to an island. He decides to look for inhabitants or humans where instead he finds horses that treat humans like trash and only use them like slaves. He befriends a horse (they call themselves Houyhnhms) where he discusses his society to him and describes a lot of the characteristics of humans or yahoos in their language. The second point that should be mentioned in the comparison between Book One and Book Four is Gulliver's character in each of the books. In the actual books, Gulliver is a surgeon and the purpose of this is that surgeons, in general, are respected and trusted for the decisions that they have to make in the operating rooms; Swift makes Gulliver a surgeon so that he would be an expert in note taking and that he can make us believe and trust Gulliver. In the first book, we see Gulliver as a person who is just criticizing the government of the Lilliputians, and all he is doing is expressing his opinion. In Book Four, we see that Gulliver is an unreliable narrator as his views are extremely tedious and that the arguments that he makes about humanity are unfair and unjust. Heading back to book one, we saw that Gulliver was a peaceful man that made excellent critics of his the government of the Lilliputians. Through the books and leading all the way to Book Four, we realize his violent and aggressive nature, adding to the mistrust that we have for him. In Book One, Gulliver's violent nature was unnoticeable as the book was focused on the government and the living system of the Lilliputians. Gulliver's name suggests the word gullible; he does realize the ways in which he is being used in the books. In Book 1, Book Two, he is being exploited in terms of acts and behaviour. He had to fight a war that was between the Belfuscuns and the Lilliputians. In Book Four, we realize his gullibility by the exploitation of knowledge that does happen. This element of exploitation is obvious in the book as in the first few books it is in terms of material acts and items while in the last book it is the terms of the knowledge gained by the Houyhnhms. The last element in the character of Gulliver is the misanthropy that he develops at the end of the book. The cause of this misanthropy is view at the Yahoos in the island of the Houyhnhms. He couldn't stand Yahoos, even his own family, that he bought himself a horse and talked to him at the very end, â€Å"As soon as I entered the house, my wife took me in her arms, and kissed me, at which, having not been used to the touch of that odious animal. . The term odious that he describes his wife with shows how much he could not stand his own wife which is quite depressing really. He really wanted to stay with the Houyhnhms at the island. This contradicts the part in the first book where he wondered if he would ever see his family again and his children. Gulliver's character was deeply alte red through his travels, but mainly altered in the final book where he developed his misanthropy and the hate of the humans of the world, at the very end, he bought himself a horse that he talked to instead of his family and the friends that he might have had.

A Mother’s Day Kiss-off; Critique Essay

â€Å"A Mother’s Day Kiss-off† was written by Leslie Bennetts to change the male view of everyday mothers. Bennetts wrote this because she has witnessed and studied these events. She wrote that mothers should not just be praised on one day a year versus the 365 days that she is doing it alone, well mostly. Not only is this problematic for the child but for the parents relationship as well. She wanted to make clear that women’s roles in parenting have been changing for several years now. They should be closely reviewed before assuming the roles will stay the same as they may have been in the past. Male parents too often expect mothers to maintain a household, work full time and take care of the children. Little do they understand the roles should take over for both parents not just one. Many mothers find their careers to be put on hold because they cannot go to school on top of everything else. This leads to disputes between income needs and family needs. This is commonly a call for divorce and other family members fear in anger that it could end a marriage. Father’s should want to take on family roles as the mother does. While most mothers make sure the needs of the child are fulfilled most fathers do not pay mind to things like; doctor visits, school sicknesses and playdates. They just expect a clean house, a warm meal, and a well maintained child. Mom’s are expected to drop everything including their jobs to take after the child, meaning having to leave work or be late to work, or having to stay home with a sick child. It all means the same, it’s not necessarily tradition of housewives but the role of mothers has simply changed. Too many families are failing to realize this drastic life style change that Bennett’s encounters. If roles were to ever switch fathers would understand the financial and emotional needs of a child, piled on to a full time job. One day Leslie hopes this will be an eye-opener for the opposing parent. Most mothers will continue to stay faithful to this lifestyle while others rush to find a way out. For some this role will change and others it will remain the same. Bennetts writes this article in hope that the father figure and other family members will  arrange changes in a life style to accommodate the mother, in my family this did not happen. In response to this article, I have a personal view of this very problem. My father expected my mom to clean and cook and do household chores, but also to work full time and take care of me. My dad drove truck so he wasn’t home often enough to see what my mother went through. He stayed within tradition like he thought it should be. This happens a lot and not just my family but many American families like my own. I do think she had a purpose to change a father’s lifestyle point of view, but not to change the person themselves. I agree that the roles have changed but for some families in the opposing argument, do not like the role switch and will continue in tradition to their previous generations. Bennetts is blind to the idea that some American housewives enjoy their lifestyle, not all families and mothers are miserable playing this role. She may assume so but it’s not a subject you can just assume upon, it is a serious issue that needs facts, not biased information written out of fear or anger. The family I was raised in relied on the father to take care of financial needs and the mother to take care of social and emotional needs of the family and the child. Some families are dependent on one income and cannot afford to make a change. Other families do not want to change and enjoy their outdated lifestyle.

Essay on Killer Angels by Michael Shaara - 677 Words

Killer Angels by Michael Shaara Most people think of the Civil War as a military battle between the North and South. Without studying the subject, they do not appreciate the facts that make up this historical event. When one reads the novel, Killer Angels, the reader is given a much better perception and understanding of what actually happened during the war. Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, is a realistic historical depiction of the great battle of Gettysburg, which left 50,000 Confederate and Union soldiers dead, wounded, or missing. The novel is set up in chronological order of events that took place during the four days of the bloody and decisive battle of the Civil War. The tale is told from an alternating north and south†¦show more content†¦Lee, Major General John Buford from the South and from the North, Brigadier General Lewis Armistead, and Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. The main generals for the South were Lee and Longstreet. For the North there was Buford and Chamberlain. These men truly believed in what they were fighting for. Chamberlains sight on Little Round Top was very moving and courageous. I realized all the things the men had to give up and how amazing it was to see that they still had hope they would win and be back home with their families. I enjoyed how the book made me feel like I was directly involved with the incidents that occurred. The book instills in ones mind what a battle fought during the Civil War was actually like. This is a tremendously moving novel, completely unforgettable. Throughout the book, the reader is exposed to the pain, difficulty, anguish, and other dilemmas the armies face leading up to the final confrontation. There is extreme loss and unimaginable pain expressed as General Lee realizes that he is close to losing the war, as quoted in the book, No blame can be attached to the army for its failure to accomplish what was projected by me . . .. I alone am to blame, in perhaps expecting too much of its prowess and valor . . . could I have foreseen that the attack on the last day would fail, I should certainly have tried some other course . . . but I do notShow MoreRelatedThe Killer Angels By Michael Shaara1634 Words   |  7 PagesPulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Shaara, the author of The Killer Angels, was born on June 23, 1928 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was an author of science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. Although writing was his passion, Shaara was very athletically successful in high school, winning more awards than any other student in the history of the school for sports such as basketball, track and baseball. He acquired a skill in boxing, and of the 18 matches Shaara fought as a young man, heRead MoreThe Killer Angels By Michael Shaara1290 Words   |  6 Pages The Killer Angels Essay â€Å"There is no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.† Stated by Abraham Lincoln, this quote embodies the essence of war, its tragic character and unfortunate occasional necessity. Accordingly, the outcome of war and its battles is often determined by the attitudes of the leaders of the opposing sides, including their causes for the willingness to fight and to be fought. Such was the case with the Battle of GettysburgRead MoreThe Killer Angels By Michael Shaara1521 Words   |  7 PagesThe book The Killer Angels was published in 1975 by the Ballatine Booksand was written by Michael Shaara. The Killer Angels is a historic novel about the time of the American Civil War, more specifically The Battle of Gettysburg. Shaara wrote this historical masterpiece with the sole purpose of letting the reader know exactly how the war was for the men actually putting their lives on the line to get this great country of America to the stature it is today. In order to accomplish his goal of creatingRead MoreThe Killer Angel By Michael Shaara1248 Words   |  5 Pages The Killer Angel is a book elaborating on the history of the American civil war authored by Michael Shaara. The book has gained popularity among American citizens as it covers one of the deadliest battles in American history that took place at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, hence the title of the battle of Gettysburg (Shaara 5). The crash involved two major groups, the Confederacy, and the Union. The Confederacy constituted of seven secessionist states from the South who advocated forRead MoreThe Killer Angels By Michael Shaara1947 Words   |  8 Pagesthe dueling North and South together to the small town of Gettysburg and on the threshold of splitting the Union. Gettysburg was as close as the United States got to Armageddon and The Killer Angels gives this full day-to-day account of the battle that shaped America’s future. Michael Shaara author of â€Å"The Killer Angels,† tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of generals Robert E. Lee, Joshua Chamberlain, James Longstreet, and John Buford, and the other men involved in the actionRead MoreKiller Angels By Michael Shaara850 Words   |  4 Pages In the Pulitzer Prize winning civil war novel Killer Angels, Michael Shaara covers five days of the historic battle between the Northern and Southern United States at Gettysburg. Both the North and the South fought for freedom, although they did not have equivalent definitions of freedom. The North and the South were unwavering in their beliefs and their hope for a better United States, but what the two butted heads the most on was slavery. The South was a primarily agrarian region which reliedRead MoreThe Killer Angels By Michael Shaara1117 Words   |  5 Pages Michael Shaara’s 1974 historical novel, The Killer Angels, covers the story of the four days of the Battle of Gettysburg that also features maps for visualization. The format of the story is well organized. It begins with a Foreword, which describes in great detail the armies and soldiers involved in the battle. It follows up with four sections and within each section there are chapters that are written in chronological order, covering the events between Monday, June 29, 1863 and Friday, July 3Read MoreThe Killer Angels By Michael Shaara Essay1255 Words   |  6 Pages In the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, the story is told from the perspective of the men that fought in the war of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania on July 1863. We are able to see both sides of the combatants, their struggles they faced, friendships acquired, losses, personal stories and their views. In history we only learn the superficial information of how it occurred in the battle and the outcome of it, but we do not know how it happened and how much effort it took to fight in thatRead MoreThe Killer Angels By Michael Shaara1123 Words   |  5 PagesThe Killer Angels Novel written by Michael Shaara describes the Gettysburg battle from the perspective of Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, various soldiers from both sides, and other men who fought in the battle. This author makes the reader go back in time and actually makes the reader depict the circumstances, and situations that soldiers and generals faced. This Novel makes the reader know that both sides were eager to win, and bring this bloodshed to an end. This amazing Novel shows how neighborRead MoreThe Killer Angels By Michael Shaara852 Words   |  4 PagesThe Killer Angels by Michael Shaara was not just a fiction novel, it was a story of a man who actually saw the battlefield of Gettysburg and learned about the battle and its importance. When he returned from the battle sight he decided to write a novel based on his experience there. Instead of creating fictional characters he used the names and experiences he had directly with the main characters of the novel. Not only did Shaara study and review letters, documents and journal enteries of the men