The evaluation of the motivational strategies employed in a pharmaceutical organisation

Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.The pharmaceutical industry is currently a very competitive industry, and pharmaceutical companies need to outperform each other in order to succeed. Pricing regulations are forcing pharmacies to increase their turnover in order to attain the same or even a smaller profit than in previous years. For this reason, employee motivation, resulting in increased employee productivity, is crucial for the survival of a pharmaceutical company. In this study the motivation strategies employed in a local retail pharmacy group were evaluated. It is important for this organisation to measure the efficiency of the different pharmacies in the group in order to make plans to ensure sustainable growth. This evaluation reflects the employee productivity of the pharmacies. Currently, the focus of senior management is on increasing the turnover in each retail pharmacy, without increasing the number of employees. The problem which this dissertation focuses on is that no information exists regarding the motivational strategies employed by managers in the organisation to motivate employees. It is also not known whether motivational strategies are in fact used, and if so, what their effect is; and whether there is a relationship between the motivational strategies employed and the measured productivity. Based on the results obtained from the two questionnaires it can be concluded that the strategies employed by managers are based upon and/or related to acknowledged theories of motivation and motivational strategies. The empirical study revealed that the performance ranking of the individual retail pharmacies are directly proportional to the number of motivation strategies employed by management. Sustained emphasis on the importance of motivation and the use of motivation techniques are recommended, as well as training with regard to the creation of a motivating climate.Master