Home › MCQs › Business Administration › Question #9583
Back to Questions
Business Administration QUESTION #9583
Question 1
In comparing Maslow and Herzberg in a Pakistani public sector context, a researcher finds that junior civil servants are more responsive to pay increases than to job enrichment, while senior officers show the opposite pattern. Which integrated theoretical explanation best accounts for this finding?
  • Maslow's hierarchy operates differently in collectivist cultures — Pakistani employees prioritize social belonging over esteem needs regardless of rank
  • The findings are consistent with both theories simultaneously — junior officers have unmet lower-order needs (Maslow's safety/physiological) which map to Herzberg's hygiene factors; senior officers have lower-order needs met and are now responsive to Maslow's esteem/self-actualization needs which map to Herzberg's motivators✔️
  • Herzberg's framework is inapplicable in Pakistan because it was derived from Western professional samples and cannot be generalized across cultures
  • The findings contradict both theories because public sector employment guarantees eliminate the motivational significance of salary at all levels
Correct Answer Explanation
The most theoretically coherent interpretation maps the two frameworks onto each other: junior officers' unmet physiological/safety needs (Maslow) correspond to Herzberg's hygiene factors (salary), making pay improvements salient motivators for them. Senior officers have satisfied lower-order needs and are now responsive to esteem/self-actualization needs (Maslow) — mapped to Herzberg's true motivators (recognition, responsibility). This integration explains the rank-differentiated pattern.