CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this introductory chapter is to provide a description of the study. It gives a thorough background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, significance of the study, delimitation and limitation of the study, and the definition of terms.
Background of the study
Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, between the years 1830s and 1840s (Wikipedia, 2006), the labor force had began to play an important role in the development of all the industries; i.e., when the people begin to change from rural work to work in the industry sector. In this way the employees became a vital part of all the industries around of the world. Hence, for this reason the companies began to be worried about what can be done for their employees to achieve a better performance, how to help them to feel motivated in their workplace and be satisfied with their job in the company, and how to retain the employees’ in the company, thereby, in many ways decreasing employees rotation.
The interest of many managers, physiologists, and business personnel is to know more about what sort of motivational factors can help the employees to feel satisfied with their jobs, how to motivate, how to achieve commitment with the objectives and goals of the company, and also how to improve their performances in the workplace. Since these questions begin to arise many theories and studies have been developed, which are trying to explain the different factors that can motivate and affect the employees performances.
These theories are Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs theory, the two-factor theory from Frederick Herzberg, McClleland’s theory of needs, and the expectancy theory (Robbins, 2005, p.175). Also exist are many dissertation, thesis, and articles, where it is possible to find numerous information about motivation.
Actually, this world has changed a lot since the industrial age, and has become a world more competitive and more global; the companies have come to life in the information age. By these reason the companies around the world insist on being better each time. In this sense each company that wants to be better each day has to work hard to optimize the
human resources administration. For this reason, with the purpose of taking advantage of the maximum potential of the human resource, the businesses have developed many systems that helped to motivate their employees’, because this is one of the most important factors to achieve the company objectives and to facilitate the development of the worker.
In this constantly finding of the companies and managers to being better, in elements such as employees motivation, satisfaction, commitment, and productivity have all been deemed essential and detrimental in the survival and success of a company. However, the knowledge about work motivation that affects the employees’ performance has been rather poor in a country like Honduras, where the GPD per capital in purchasing power parity of $2,600 and with a GPD the real growth rate in Honduras is of 2.1 (Banco central de Honduras, 2006).
Therefore research on motivational factors that affect employees’ performance in the industry is quite important, even in a country like Honduras, where per capital income is quite low and the minimal salary of the employees is of $250 per moths and per person.
Thus, with this situation that exist in Honduras we can perceive that there is a need to know: how the companies can improve the workforce performance; what kind of motivational factors may be needed to improve workforce performance, commitment, and job satisfaction in their workplace; and also whether these factors has more tendency to be monetary or non-monetary factors, which includes, organizational culture, benefits, recognitions or human resources actualization. Complimentarily, it identifies to how the workforce respond to each of these different motivational factors and to see if these factors really can improve their performance. In fact the using of carrots and sticks or self-actualization is the currently favored model to motivate (Murrell, 1976).
In order to understand more about the different motivational factors that can improve the employees’ performance in the industries sector in Honduras the researcher conducts this study to learn more about these interesting aspects in such companies. In addition,
Statement of the problem
In the area of employees’ motivation numerous empirical research have been carried out that have suggested the kind of motivational factors that can affect the employees’
performance. Therefore, bountiful information was available for references. However, presently in Honduras neither research study nor documentation of information exists that can help the human resources area of the companies to know more about such important topics. With this study the researcher’s requirements is to provide important information and material for the company where the researcher conducted the study, and also to provide future researchers with information about this topic.
Purpose of study
With the purpose of contributing to create a better workplace were the employees feel motivated to improve their performance, this study provided suggestions for the betterment of employees, as well as, tried to find how the motivational factors were affected by the demographics within the organization. The study helped to achieve a better understanding of the different factors on motivation and also helped managers, executive chief, and company owners to build an ideal workplace for their employees, where they feel motivated, committed and satisfied with their company. Moreover, the company would know what sort of motivational factors had affected the workforce performance. This study attempted to achieve the following purposes:
1. To identify the importance of the five categories of motivational factors included in the framework of the study.
2. To investigate the relationship between the demographic items and the motivational factors.
3. To provide suggestions for the company under study, on the factors that affects employee motivation.
Research questions The basic research questions investigated in this study were:
1. Which of the five categories of motivational factors has more importance?
2. Can the monetary aspect of motivation be more relevant or important than the non- monetary aspect of motivation to the employees?
3. What are the relationship between demographics items and motivational factors?
3.1. Gender and motivational factors.
3.2. Working area and motivational factors.
3.3. Marital status and motivational factors.
3.4. Age range and motivational factors.
3.5. Educational level and motivational factors.
3.6. Length time in the company and motivational factors.
4. What sort of critical issues are there in the company that the managers need to know to motivate their employees’ in the workplace?
Research hypotheses
Based on the proposed research questions, the following hypothesis were tested in the study:
Hypothesis 1
Ha: There is a different opinion about motivational factors between male and female.
Ho: There is no different opinion about motivational factors between male and female.
Hypothesis 2
Ha: There is a difference in opinion about motivational factors among management, staff members, and other employees.
Hypothesis 3
Ha: There is a difference in opinion about motivational factors among single, married, divorce, and widowed employees.
Ho: There is no difference in opinion about motivational factors among single, married, divorce, and widowed employees.
Hypothesis 4
Ha: There is a difference in opinion about motivational factors among age range.
Ho: There is no difference in opinion about motivational factors among age range.
Hypothesis 5
Ha: There is a difference in opinion about motivational factors among the educational level.
Ho: There is no difference in opinion about motivational factors among the educational level.
Hypothesis 6
Ha: There is a difference in opinion about motivational factors among the length time in the company.
Ho: There is no difference in opinion about motivational factors among the length time in the company.
With these hypotheses the researcher tested the relationship that the demographic items had with motivational factors. It also tested if the material or monetary rewards had more importance to the employees in the company, than the non-monetary or recognitions rewards.
Significant of the study
The strategies used for employee’s motivation in Honduras is very poor, because the companies do not give much attention, however, they always require that the workforce obtain better performance, but they don’t provide enough motivation to their employees to improve their performance. Throughout the exploration in this study, about this topic, the researcher has provided the companies with more information about the motivational factors that affect the employees’ performance.
With this study the researcher will provide suggestions and recommendations for the company which will give them a better understanding of employees’ motivation as well as how they can improve the motivation level of employees or give new factors that can apply to their employees. In this way the company will improve their workforce performance, job satisfaction, commitment, and loyalty from the employees in the company.
Delimitations and limitations of the study Delimitations of the study
The researcher developed this study in a Drink Company at San Pedro Sula, were headquarter of the company was located. The name of this company is Cervecería Hondureña. The researcher made the decision to develop this exploratory study in this company because it was a reputable drink companies in Honduras; the company produces coca-cola drink. In comparison to the rest of the other drink companies that currently exist in Honduras, three of these companies only produce water, other two produced milk and juice, three other produces juice, and the another one produce water and sodas drinks (Cámara de comercio e industrias de Cortés, July 8, 2006), which differs from Cervecería Hondureña, that produced soda, water and beer. For the beer production alone in 2004 out of 257, 198, 12oz. bottle units was beers per day in that year (Banco central de
Hondureña Company, human resources department, 2006). For these reasons and taking into consideration that it is one of the most important companies in Honduras, are the many reasons why the researcher took the decision to develop an exploratory study about motivational factors in this company.
Limitation of the study
One of the major limitations of this exploratory study was the factor that the researcher was not present in Honduras to access the information about the company and was not able to directly apply the questionnaire survey. For these reason the researcher made use of the company’s web-site and the help of the human resource development manager of this company to collect the information required about the company, and also the manager of the company was willing to help in the application of the questionnaire survey with others staff members of the company.
Another limitation in this study was the factor that the company doesn’t have any information or study on this topic. With this limiting factor the researcher did not have information to compare the results with at the ending of the study.
Definition of terms
During the course of this study, some of the follow terms may be unfamiliar to the reader.
De-motivators: Factors that deflate the motivation bubble. They can be events, management decisions, disappointments, a lack of praise and rewards, and so on.
Extrinsic motivation: Factors outside of us that influence our internal needs, wants, and subsequent behaviors – such as rewards, promotion, and praise.
Hygiene factors: Factors – such as company policy and administration, supervision, and salary – that, when adequate in a job, placate workers. When these factors are adequate, people will not be dissatisfied.
Intrinsic motivation: Factors that motivate people from within – personal interest, desire, and fulfillment.
Monetary compensation: Includes direct payments such as salary, wages, and bonuses, and indirect payments such as payments to cover the costs of private and public insurance plans.
Non-monetary compensation: Includes many forms of social and physiological rewards – recognition and respect from others, enjoyment from doing the job itself, opportunities for self-development, and so on.
EMS: Acronyms from the Employees Motivation Survey, which were applied in this study.
Other employees: These are the labor force, as been sellers, cleaning personal, and so on.
Performance: How well or badly someone or something does something.
Recognition: Notice of achievement by peers, supervisors, or the organization as a whole.
Because achievement is such a strong motivator, recognition of that achievement is also important to employee motivation. Praise is the simplest form of recognition, but tangible and symbolic rewards of many kinds also provide value recognition.
Rewards: Good things that happen for the employee as a direct result of good performances. The best of these exceptional employee rewards are development opportunities and recognition for special achievement. And there is an incredible range of tangible and symbolic rewards, such as certificates, plaques, honorary titles, gifts, gift certificate, and trips.
Staff Members: These are the employees that develop the responsibility of been supervisors, and have under their charge the labor workforce.
Employee: A person in the service of another under any contract of hire, express or implied, oral or written, where the employer has the power or right to control and direct the employee in the material details of how the work is to be performed.
