Directorate of distance education master of business administration

Goal setting theory of motivation 
 
This theory proposes that an individual’s purpose directs his 
actions. In other words, intention to work toward a goal is a major source 
of motivation. According to the advocates of this theory, specific goals 
would be increasing performance and difficult goals, when accepted, 
would be resulting in higher performance than easy goals. Reinforcement 
theory on the other hand, states that behavior is a function of its 
consequences and explains as follows: Any consequence immediately 
following an action increases the probability that the action would be 
repeated by the individual. Thus, this theory might be described as a 
counterpoint to goal setting theory.