Topic 6 - Motivation

Another question on the excel file.... what are they assessing in this? I've actually got 3 different files in excel format, and don't know which to upload as the excel file, or can I put all 3 there? T

Oxford Brookes has adopted a policy of anonymous marking meaning that anything that would identify the student should be removed (apart from the registration number). The intention is to try to avoid any potential marker bias. In an ideal situation this should also extend to anonymous ethnicity however this is more problematic with RAP students as they often choose local companies and refer to their own countries in the report (whereas this situation does not tend to apply to campus based students). Of course a student can waive their anonymity and anyone who does include their name will not be penalised as the policy is supposed to be for the benefit of the student. There is a prompt for an Excel file specifically to remind students that they need to upload a spreadsheet. Load one as the Excel spreadsheet and the others as appendices but leave them in the .xls format. Do check your submission confirmation to ensure you loaded all the right files and any uploading errors need to be notified to [email protected]

hello moderators, i have a question about submission files. OBU requires to submit as separated files. I suppose this is for word count control. The problem is that can i keep my RAP with appendices and references as well as separately submit my appendices and references? Or i have to cut down appendices and references sections in my RAP. Thank you so much for your time and have a great day!

The marker will not thank you if you keep your appendices and reference list in the main report because it then means that they have to waste time highlighting the rest of your report to establish the actual word count. You should always aim to make life easier for the marker and keep them on side!

I've submitted my RAP. Do we have to pass the RAP before we can continue with our ACCA studies? I'm starting to look at SBL and want to know if I'm getting ahead of myself? If we need to have passed before we can sit the next exam then I wont rush through it, otherwise I would quite like to give it a go in March but the sitting is before RAP results. Thanks T

No, if you have proved eligibility for the RAP that is it. In terms of necessary order: proof of proficiency in English skills needs to be established before passing F7/8/9 - or their new equivalents - because these papers CANNOT form part of the prior learning credits (meaning they need to be passed AFTER you enter the degree, not quite the same as being awarded the degree However if in doubt contact [email protected] (probably sooner rather than later as this time next week they will be far to busy with new submissions)

To anyone who can offer advice - is there a minimum number of employees the organisation must have? where i live it is difficult to find organisations with a large number of employees. is it possible to use an organisation with 50-100 employees, or even 100-150 employees? thanks in advance.

It is fine to use a small organisation. The most important things are to: 1. Understand how to sample and how to discuss the aspects of this fully in Part 2 2. Ensure you understand and outline about 3 classic theories in Part 2 and 'map' our questions to these theories 3. When evaluating the results relate them to the chosen theories and discuss the implications of the results for the organisation Good luck! Gillian

Congratulations boss, I would like to do the same topic, I need some help.

Good day guys, I would like to do topic 6 for submission in Nov. 2019 (period 40). I am finding it difficult to understand what the topic requires; is the topic looking for indicators of motivation in employees ( how motivated employees behave ) or the actual factors that motivate employees. looking forward to your help. Regards, Yami.

You need to understand the motivation theories and design a questionnaire for employees that may show whether these theories apply to your sample. In your findings you discuss whether the classic theories fitted or not and the implications of this on the work force and management and possibly discuss the relevance of the theories to your organisation. Read through the thread - many ideas have been discussed there. You could also try to find opinions on some modern features of the work place e.g. flexible working, work-life balance by supplementing your survey with questions relating to these or some questions that relate to just specific groups e.g. for working mothers you could ask about whether arrangements for time off, maternity cover etc are adequate and how well the company tries to accommodate family needs. It may not be applicable to the organisation you choose but some allow significant periods of time off (unpaid) and allow employees with different recreational needs to buy additional days holidays or in fact sell back unused days (up to a specific limit). These benefits may attract staff and discourage staff turnover (some facts and figures about employment policies are normally required to supplement your commentary).

This is noted and many thanks Trephena. Regards, Yami.

Hello As i am waiting for my Period 38 results, i wanted to re look at my passing chances again. What i noticed is that although i was using more than 1 motivational theories and my survey question was linked to it, i completely ommitted to discuss about their limitations. In view of this ommission, i wanted to know what are my chances of passing or if any student were able to pass with this omission before.

I received my period 38 results and failed. One of the failed section was the application of accountancy/business models. My markers feedback is as follows: There should be a clear deliberate link between the motivation theories you intend to use and the quesitonnaire. Does this mean that i will have to re do my questionnaire ? Grateful for your views and advise

HI moderators, i am interested in writing topic 6 for my OBU rap 2020, I am scared as I don't really know how to go about it, I have read the guide which suggests a 3 chapter thesis, -would it be compulsory? -can I get like a sample project to serve as a PROPER guide while I try to build mine? pls all advice would be needed am stuck Thanks in advance

First this a Research and Analysis PROJECT of 7,500 words it is NOT a thesis! As per the Information Pack it is in 3 parts: Part I is basic background, Part 2 approach and 'methodology together with a brief outline of at least 3 classic motivation theories. These theories are used to design a questionnaire that is used to survey employees to gain information about the level of motivation and significance of the factors from the theories in employee motivation in the organisation. Part 3 - the most important section is where the results of the survey are analysed and assessed against the theories and their significance overall is evaluated with suggestions of what the organisation could do to improve motivation levels. Graphs are useful to display the basic results but discussion of the implications of the findings is the most important element. We do not encourage students to share work because of ethical issues (plagiarism /copying) and University rules) but you may possibly get some ideas if you use Google Scholar as your search engine and use key words in your search. However most importantly you need to get a letter of authorisation by the employer giving you permission to conduct the survey in accordance with p. 29 and 31 of the Information Pack before you even start.

@Trephena thanks for the information above and your quick response, I have checked the info pack reference you suggested and it was really an eye-opener, Currently, I would like to know if it's compulsory to use the 3 part structure suggested in the information park. TITLE PAGE CONTENTS PAGE PART 1 . . . PART 2 . . . PART 3

And can the approval be in the form of a handwritten letter from a manager in my selected organization?

The letter must either be on the official company letterhead and show the name and position of the person signing it or it must be an email originating from the company email address and show the position and the company contact details of the person who is doing the authorisation. You are advised to follow the prescribed format in the Information Pack. Firstly because it includes the necessary subsections that are required and secondly because markers are very suspicious of work that deviates from the 'norm' as it is often an indication that it may have been submitted by another student to a different educational establishment for another course. Such suspicions, if there is high matching score will invariably lead to a referral to the Academic Conduct Office for further investigation

Thanks for the response.

@trephena Good day sir, pls, I would like to know what primary information would be necessary to pass the topic 6 aside from the questioners from the employe es?

Mostly you are required to do a good survey with the questions mapped to your chosen motivation classic theories and relevant analysis of the results. This should be supplemented with reference to the actual company''s terms and conditions and working policies and practices e.g. flexitime, annual leave and sick leave polices, maternity pay and any bonus schemes.

Hello guys, Is it ok to based my research upon an organization for which I have worked in the past ? and is it ok/should I mention it in the introductory part? Thanks .

Can anyone please respond??

You will need to get a letter of authorisation from the company whether it is past or present to comply with the Ethics requirements - please see the Information Pack about this. Otherwise there is no problem about whether you work or do not work in the organisation.

Hi Trephena, Thank you so much for your reply. I have a few more questions and I shall be very grateful to you if you could clear me on those. 1. In BSc. info pack , pp 28, it says "the research approach must explain :" and there are a list of things that it says we need to include. Is it telling us to to explain everything of those things in the list, in Part 1 under " Overall Research Approach" ? . For eg: the need for primary data, source, how we got it, sampling strategy? If yes, in how much detail we have to explain? Or should we be doing that in Part 2 under 'Information Gathering Part'. ? 2. I got the knowledge from the forum and other sources that only questionnaire is not enough and we need to cross reference it with company policy etc. If the organization cannot provide me its HR policy, etc due to their internal policy , then will an interview with the HR manager be ok for that purpose , where he will be giving us a general idea of his company policies? 3. Can we reference the BSc info pack itself and if yes, who is the author , Oxford Brookes Uni or ACCA? Sorry this might seem like a silly question but I just couldn't figure it out myself. 4. Is collecting data through closed ended, likert scale type questions be quantitative data collection? And whether questionnaires result to test against the theories a deductive approach? Thank You.

1. I suggest that you read up on how to conduct valid surveys and how to write up the methodology on this - perhaps using Google Scholar may help. 2. Yes an interview with appropriate personal provided you document the structured interview and its relevance to the research questions is a possible alternative 3. The Info Pack is produced by Oxford Brookes University so would be referenced to (Oxford Brookes, 2019) 4. Adequate research via point 1 should provide an answer to this in respect of Likert. You should map your questions to the theories as part of your survey design

Hey, Please let me know the reason of failure? I am going to submit my RAP on this topic in May attempt. My question is that whether you submit any permission letter with your Rap? is it necessary to submit a permission letter of that company on which we are writing our thesis. I wrote my thesis on mcdonald's, so is it necessary to take a permission letter to conduct a questionnaire in any of its Branch?

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Hey, I am going to submit my RAP on this topic in May attempt. My question is that is it necessary to submit a permission letter of that company on which we are writing our thesis. I wrote my thesis on XYZ, so is it necessary to take a permission letter to conduct a questionnaire in any of its Branch or we can submit my RAP without any Permission letter as I already completed my questionnaire part as the company provided me permission oral?