Assessment Description
During this subject so far, you have been exposed to various business psychology theories that have an application to individuals, teams and organisations. Being able to apply these concepts in a practical manner is a key outcome of this course.
Consequently, you are required to answer the following question:
Summarise the concept of job satisfaction/dissatisfaction. Then, choose one job that you have had over your lifetime. This may be part-time or full-time, permanent or temporary, or in the profit or not for profit sector. The job you choose however, must be one in which you were either: ‘extremely satisfied' or ‘extremely dissatisfied'. Then, by applying 3 (three) theories of motivation, you are to analyse why you felt the way you did.
The purpose of the assessment is to write a reflective essay that includes a discussion of the theories you have learnt, and how these may be applied to your own work history. Being able to do so, will assist your ability to evaluate why it is that some people excel in the workplace, while others may wallow.
A reflective essay is an academic analysis of your own experience. It still follows academic conventions, for instance, it is structured with a beginning, middle, and end, and it should have a logical series of paragraphs. Think of it as similar to a case study, but rather than analysing an organisation, you are analysing yourself. You need to critically reflect on thoughts, feelings and actions, then integrate these reflections with the theoretical concepts. A reflective essay should be written in both the first and third person.
Your reflective essay should include:
- A clear introduction defining scope.
- A brief discussion of what job satisfaction/dissatisfaction is, including the appropriate theory.
- A description of the job you have selected. Outline the role, your tenure, the organisation (under a pseudonym if confidential) and the context.
- 3 (three) theories of motivation applied to the selected job and analysed in relation to your own experience.
- A clear conclusion that summarises your insights.
- A reference list.
- This paper requires a significant amount of analysis and personal reflection. This means that you should break down each theory of motivation into its constituent parts and reflect on how the way you felt was influenced by the presence, or lack of presence, of the factors within the motivation construct.
- You should include a minimum of 10 references. At least 6 of these should be academic journals. The rest can be textbooks and appropriate websites.
- You should adopt the Harvard referencing convention throughout your essay as well as in the reference list at the end.