Describe and evaluate psychological theories of human motivation Essay

Describe and evaluate psychological theories of human motivation - Essay Example When we do things without enough reason, we are not motivated and the result of that activity is not pleasant and successful. Kanfer (1990) also argues that motivation cannot be seen or felt, that’s why it is termed a hypothetical construct and we see its effects and by-products. An analogy for this is gravity which cannot be seen or felt but we see its effects if we jump from a high building. (Jex, 2002, p. 210) Motivating employees is a challenge to managers; it is a part of effective management. There are various theories of motivation and there are many ways to motivate employees. One way is to demonstrate trust to employees. This may include removing some controls or asking an employee to create a plan or schedule and be creative, putting subordinates in charge of something one would not normally handle, or giving incentives and raising salaries, and so on. Motivation is also related with work-life balance – it is a balance for life and what people do. Managers motivate people in order to have blending between work and family life. Work and family with pleasure and fulfilment are impacted by effective motivation. A productive employee can have a balance of life and work – he cannot be productive at work if he has a problem at home. Satisfaction in work and feelings and satisfaction in life and happiness with the family are interrelated. Moreover, motivation is an important factor in the efficiency of people in an organization. Performance management emphasizes much on motivation. Studies have found that successful managers have stronger power motives than less successful managers. The human need theory asserts that people have urges relative to the three needs which are the need for achievement, the need for affiliation, and the need for power. Much has been written on motivation and the literature has supplied us with theories of human motivation. These theories are categorized into several types like: 1.) the need-based theories

Animals for testing the safety of products Research Paper

Animals for testing the safety of products - Research Paper Example An example of Merck, otherwise known as MSD in areas other than USA and Canada, which is a healthcare company known for its research-driven work in pharmaceuticals. Merck came up with a painkiller known as Vioxx and had it approved by the Food and Drugs Administration (F.D.A) basing their approval on clinical trials carried out on animals that indicated the drug was safe. This was despite the fact that previous trials had shown that the drug increased the possibility of heart ailments. The drug was intended for painful menstrual cramps, acute pain and osteoarthritis and in the five year period that it was available, it was responsible for 88,000 to 139,000 heart attacks. This was later explained by the fact that common conditions affecting humans such as diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments are not common with animals. What researchers such as Merck do is simulate these conditions in animals ("Animal Testing Not Reliable† 19).   Opponents of product testing on animals ha ve raised issue with the fact that there are alternatives to animals for the purposes of testing and experimentations. For example, in vitro models that are available commercially and can be reconstructed in three-dimension have been identified as being alternative to animals for toxicology tests in biomedical research. These models are adoptable where tests are carried out to find out the safety of drugs on human organs especially since three-dimension models make it possible to have internal organ models.... This was despite the fact that previous trials had shown that the drug increased the possibility of heart ailments. The drug was intended for painful menstrual cramps, acute pain and osteoarthritis and in the five year period that it was available, it was responsible for 88,000 to 139,000 heart attacks. This was later explained by the fact that common conditions affecting humans such as diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments are not common with animals. What researchers such as Merck do is simulate these conditions in animals ("Animal Testing Not Reliable† 19). Opponents of product testing on animals have raised issue with the fact that there are alternatives to animals for the purposes of testing and experimentations. For example, in vitro models that are available commercially and can be reconstructed in three-dimension have been identified as being alternative to animals for toxicology tests in biomedical research. These models are adoptable where tests are carried out to find out the safety of drugs on human organs especially since three-dimension models make it possible to have internal organ models (Liebsch et al 842-843). There are in vitro tests as well that can be used in place of the Draize test used to measure irritability where one of these tests is applicable to a number of toiletries and cosmetics where the test product is put in with a synthetic fusion that replicates the human eye specifically the living cornea. Following a matching of color gradations, potential irritability is scored and this signifies molecular effects on the tissue (Beatrice 28). Additionally, the deontological view holds that animal interests similar to human interests are not subject to moral weighing.