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Abstract

The primary purpose of this manuscript is to identify four contemporary motivational theories and demonstrate how each of these theories can be applied in current everyday situations. The intention of connecting these theories to relatable scenarios is based on a case study developed specifically for undergraduate business students. The majority of these students have not previously been exposed to these theories. The four motivational theories - including 1) Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, 2) David McClelland’s Needs Theories, 3) J. Stacy Adam’s Equity Theory and 4) Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory (Bolman & Deal, 2008, and Jones & George, 2015) - are discussed at a high level to demonstrate how they can be applied in this scenario. This alternative approach to deliver a case study in this manner increases students’ attention and showcases how theories can be applied in situations that would not otherwise by recognized by many undergraduate students. By selecting a relatable, contemporary movie (School of Rock), students were responsible for identifying components of each of the motivational theories and explaining how these theories were demonstrated throughout the movie. This manuscript, however, intentionally does not provide the details of the case study. It includes the identification, definition, and discussion of motivational theories and exemplifies how various scenes, situations and character development can exhibit these select motivational theories.

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