7 page paper
-Demonstrates that you understand the arguments presented in the texts;
-Makes the “working life” text central to the analysis;
-Makes meaningful and significant use of outside sources, including data;
-Successfully figures something out about the specific topic you’ve chosen and contributes to the existing knowledge about your subject.(i successfully figured out that i can use this to become a better leader on a construction site)
—–Being a leader on a construction site I figure out how to become a better leader by understanding you have to lead people differently, until I watch this video I did not understand why I had to. use the video and write an analysis on why, when you are in charge of people on a construction site it is important to understand you have to learn how to bring the best out of people. for example the rebels at the job site will not come to meetings but if i need rebels to show up i might do something like bring donuts to the meetings, something along those lines and write an analysis on the video
BUSB301 – ASSIGNMENT Analytical Essay 2 (25 points)
Assignment: Draft and revise a critical analysis of working life that makes meaningful and significant use of at least (i) ONE of the required course texts on “working life” from moodle and (ii) TWO sources discovered through research. Depending on your analysis, you may need to incorporate more than these two sources. Working life texts used for Essay 1 cannot count towards requirements in Essay 2.
The two sources discovered through research must be from:
· peer-reviewed sources OR
· databases under the Company/Industry Research tab in the Armacost Business Research Guide OR
· government databases (e.g. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
A good critical analysis for this assignment:
· Demonstrates that you understand the arguments presented in the texts;
· Makes the “working life” text central to the analysis;
· Makes meaningful and significant use of outside sources, including data;
· Successfully figures something out about the specific topic you’ve chosen and contributes to the existing knowledge about your subject.
Due Dates: Complete Draft: Class session 7 at 6:00 pm (ME21 – August 9/ LB06 – August 10)
Final Essay: Class session 8 at 6:00 pm (ME21 – August 16 / LB06 – August 17)
Evaluation: 25 points
Length: At least 7 full pages (excluding title & reference pages), double-spaced, 12 point font
Format: Correct APA formatting and documentation
Penalties: Late draft/no draft = 5 point deduction from total points possible.
Can I incorporate work from my experiments and class exercises?
YES
TIP: Develop a focused “how” or “why” question about a concept
related to one of the working life texts that you would like your essay to answer.
7
Analytical Writing Essay 1
Comment by Fraiberg, Allison: Title?
Paxton V. Boyd II
24JUL22
EVALUATION COMMENTS AT END OF ESSAY.
YELLOW HIGHLIGHT = GRAMMATICAL OR APA ERROR.
MARGIN COMMENTS INCLUDED.
Introduction Comment by Fraiberg, Allison: APA format please
The discussion is about the analysis of working life that gives us challenges and rewards at the different steps. The module has empowered the students to think critically that student life has the charms that working life cannot. The critical analysis of working life does not mean determining the challenges ahead. Still, it requires thinking of the benefits, the implementation, and the challenges that are suspected in working life. It is to be remembered that working life is different from student life. The quality of working life can be made better through the various tactics that will be discussed in the following document. Comment by Fraiberg, Allison: Can you focus on what the essay will do?
The module has given various videos, assignments, and discussions to understand the perks of working life. They have also demonstrated the challenges that the employees or career-oriented people have to face. All the primary resources mention that nothing is accessible without hard work, and efficiency can be achieved through continuous practice. It is required that the workers must follow the guidelines and instructions of employers to avoid the challenges. The argument that I want to focus is whether the money is a best motivator in working life or there is a counter situation? Comment by Fraiberg, Allison: Why is this highlighted? APA?
Discussion
The video “The surprising truth about what motivates us” has explained how the working life brings motivation to the employees. It has not specifically addressed the employees, but the speaker has talked generally about us. Motivation is the main factor that leads us to work. Otherwise, there will be no one willing to spend time and energy. The speaker refers that numerous scientific studies prove an amazing but freaky truth that the reward is the base of motivation and working life (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010). Comment by Fraiberg, Allison: Some of this is Pink’s exact words but there are no quotation marks. This is NOT ok. Also, the in-text citation is incorrect.
Studies have proved that if we reward something, we want more behavior from it, which is true. For example, if the employees in the workplace show good behavior, they will be rewarded by the employer. Still, at the same time, the employer will also desire such behavior in the future (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010). Comment by Fraiberg, Allison: ???
Similarly, the punishment is given to show that such behavior will not be encouraged. If the behavior leading to punishment is repeatedly demonstrated, workers’ credibility will be lost. The students and workers need to think of rewards and make the working life good. The video showed the example of a study at MIT where the students were engaged in various challenges. There were different string digits, puzzles, and physical tasks as the challenge, and there were three levels of rewards appointed for them (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
The students who will perform least well will get less cash, and the top performers will get more. The work is involved challenges, but some rewards create the motivation among the students that they have to work hard to win a lot of cash prizes. If the cash prize is not desired, there is no motivation (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
The video of Pink has given the message that rewards trigger motivation. The workers come out of their homes for work, and they have to work ultimately. Some workers work up to the mark, and others show excellence beyond expectations. It means that a factor helps them to think of excellence in the work and is usually termed as a reward or incentive. The incentives will keep them updated, and the workers show the best performance in the workplace (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010). Comment by Fraiberg, Allison: Actually, Pink argues the opposite.
Here comes the twist in the content and message of the video. The incentives and the higher reward work for the mechanical skill only. The students were engaged in the rudimentary cognitive skill where the top performers showed the worse performance (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
It was assumed that the prize was not significant for MIT students. The experiment was studied by economists who repeated the experiment in rural areas. The top performers were committed to be rewarded with two months’ salary. The people who wanted the higher incentives showed worse performance. It was evident from the series of experiments that the higher incentives lead to worse performance (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
The video raised the question of motivation, rewards, and incentives and how people can show worse performance. It was subjected to the matter of sociology and psychologically because the economists were not getting the actual point. The simple fact was evident that money is a motivator, but in a different paradox. The simple tasks can be motivated through money. Regarding complicated jobs, the workers were engaged in cognitive and creative thinking because money as a motivator does not work (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010). Comment by Fraiberg, Allison: ????
The scientific study proves that three factors improve performance and may prove that money is a better motivator. Autonomy, mastery, and purpose are the factors that help the employees to work hard, not think of money, and get the work done. If these factors are not present in the employees or workers, they will keep thinking of money or incentives and will try to look for alternative ways through which they can work harder and get the task done. It is usually not possible when the workers do not master a specific task. Cognitive thinking and creativity are required in the process (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
The video continued with the concept of autonomy that if the employees want to be self-directed and engaged in the work, autonomy is required. Autonomy means that the employees are asked to do whatever they want, and there should be no pressure to show the best performance (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
An example of an Australian software company is given where the employees are asked every Thursday that they can do anything they want with cake and fun. The company needs the results, and there are no restrictions. The findings showed that the employees come out with the best results and innovation that the company can never think in weekdays. It shows that the stress or the pressure to deliver elite performance leads to worse outcomes (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
The video has given an amazing example of mastery that has also motivated the viewers. The speaker believes that economists think of money as the biggest motivator. They think if the organization pays a lot to the employees, they will get the best results, but that is not the case. Like autonomy, mastery and challenge are the factors that exist in highly trained and sophisticated people (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
Many people work for others for free or do something on their own for internal peace. It does not mean that they do not have jobs or do it for purpose but are engaged in such tasks because it is seen that such people are masters in their skills and want others to learn them as well, which will make them more proficient as well (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
These factors have determined that the employees or the highly skilled people are not in search of reward or cash. Another behavioral or psychological approach is involved in the situation that leads people to think positively and master the skill for their mental peace and satisfaction (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
Coming towards the end, the video talks about the purpose. It is said that organizations now realize that if the workers are bound to a transcended purpose, bad things happen. If they are asked that profit is the organization’s purpose, they will not be able to show good results. They will make creepy products or come up with insane ideas because the purpose is profit. Their thoughts are limited to profit, and they do not think ahead of it. If the organizations start thinking that the employees should not be bound and there will be a purpose-driven motive rather than a profit-driven one, the best results will be shown (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
There are two examples given of Skype and Steve Jobs that have the narrative of purpose-driven businesses. The workers in these firms are not worried about sales and profit numbers, but they work for performance. They know that the company has to see the innovation, and it leads to the craze in the workers. The last takeaway of the video was the message for an organization that they should consider people as people instead of horses smelling of carrots and other stale stuff who can only do limited jobs and cannot think great (RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, 2010).
Secondary resource
Various secondary resources have published similar results. The studies showed that money is not a big stimulator for the employees to work in all circumstances. The organizations have realized that the situation can be better only when the people are given peace, autonomy, and free space of mind. Such studies adhered to the video results and the speaker’s narrative. Lohmann also focused on the fact that money cannot stimulate the performance of employees at all the times but they want the self-satisfaction and peace (Lohmann, 2018). Pink has given the similar message in the video and the argument that money is not a big stimulator adheres to the research and literature as well. Comment by Fraiberg, Allison: Why is this highlighted?
Conclusion
It is concluded that the employees are big company strength, but it depends on the employers whether they want to use them as strength or loss. The analysis of working life showed that there is a need to understand the economy and psychology simultaneously to understand how the best performance can be achieved. The autonomy, mastery, and purpose-driven businesses make a great success.
References
Lohmann, J., Wilhelm, D., Kambala, C., Brenner, S., Muula, A. S., & De Allegri, M. (2018). ‘The money can be a motivator, to me a little, but mostly PBF just helps me to do better in my job.’An exploration of the motivational mechanisms of performance-based financing for health workers in Malawi. Health Policy and Planning, 33(2), 183-191.
RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. (2010, April 1). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
Paxton,
This revision does respond to the assignment in a much more evident way than the draft did, and that’s good. This essay works to explain the Pink video on motivation and explains an article on the same topic that you discovered through research. Good.
There are, however, major issues limiting the effectiveness of the essay:
1 – The essay is currently a summary of the two texts. It is not an analysis. What do you want to apply Pink’s concept of motivation to? Is there a job or company you could apply it to? Analysis demands that you do something with the concepts, that you work to figure something out. Please review the early course lectures.
2 – It is very, very difficult to understand the meaning of what you’ve written. There are many abstractions, vague terms, and unnecessary words that cloud meaning. Please work on clarity. See the exercises in Lectures 7 & 8. There will need to be improvement in this area.
3 – There are errors in APA formatting, which need to be corrected.
Issues 1 and 2 are most critical to work on Paxton. If you would like to review together, we can set up a Teams meeting.
Grade: 13/20
