Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2018

4.0 - Methodology

The theoretical context of this essay focuses on the motivational strategies of Daniel Pink influencing the innovation outcomes of Tesla Inc. In order to study the extent to which these motivational strategies contribute to Tesla’s innovation outcomes, the theory was thoroughly analyzed using a range of secondary sources such as newspaper articles, textbooks, academic articles and books. These sources were published between 2013-2018. News articles were the most used source, providing insight and background information on Tesla’s style of motivational strategies and their effectiveness, thus allowing the construction of a valid academic argument. The articles included: how Pink’s theories applied to Tesla’s unique motivational strategies, in addition to the benefits and limitations of those strategies. However, it can be argued that because the majority of the news articles were from American Institutions, some may have been biased and the validity could have been questioned. Tesla’s Quarterly reports and labor turnover statistics played a big role in making a judgement about which criterions were to be used to evaluate Tesla’s overall success. The advantage of using the Quarterly reports and labor turnover statistics was they have been published directly by Tesla and have been audited and confirmed by independent auditors. However, with statistics, window dressing to protect Tesla’s image should be considered, as it hinders the reliability of the resources used. Furthermore, the report is prepared and accordance with quotes about motivational theories, directly established by Daniel Pink in his book, hence making it reliable enough to be sourced in my extended essay. Moreover, using the theories of Daniel Pink as a framework for my essay ensures an experts opinion, as he is a well- recognized businessman. Primary research was not used as this was a theoretical exploration of the research question, not an empirical one. In addition, I would not have been able to complete the extended essay within the word count if primary research was undertaken.

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