A study in economic psychology: achievement motivation and economic performance in the Newfoundland dairy industry

Mercer, John Almore (1979) A study in economic psychology: achievement motivation and economic performance in the Newfoundland dairy industry. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

After two and one-half decades as a province of Canada, during which many attempts have been made at stimulating economic development, politicians, administrators, and economists alike are faced with the disconcerting reality that their various schemes and plans have generally turned out to be much less successful that was initially anticipated, Newfoundland is still one of Canada’s least developed provinces. -- The author of this thesis believes that, in attempting to explain the specific characteristics of Newfoundland’s persistent retardation in economic development, it is useful to depart from the usual trodden paths of development economics and directly examine the psychological aspect of the development problem. David C McClelland’s concept of achievement motivation is chosen as the point of departure. -- The idea that achievement motivation, a psycho-econometric indicator of entrepreneurial success, might be significant in explaining the retarded level of economic progress in Newfoundland, led to a research plan which it is hoped will give some indication as the relationship between levels of achievement motivation and occupational performance for one particular sector of the Newfoundland economy - the dairy industry. -- The thesis reviews previous research into the relationship between achievement motivation and occupational performance. It also examines the role of technology and entrepreneurship in the various theories of economic development and notes the increasing emphasis on these factors in recent economic development literature. -- The thesis goes on to measure achievement motivation levels in the Newfoundland dairy industry. Findings obtained from a survey of forty-four of forty-seven dairy farmers in Newfoundland indicate that there is a highly significant relationship between levels of achievement motivation and such indicators of occupational performance in the dairy industry as the number of acres farmed, the number of acres owned, the number of acres of forage crops grown, the number of cows in the dairy herd, average milk production per cow, total annual milk production (gross income), the amount of initiative shown in farm acquiral and the degree of success in subsequent farm development, breeding innovativeness, and the level of investment in improvements during the two years preceding the interview.

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