The purpose of this essay is to discuss the topic, motivation, by conducting a detailed literature review, interpreting the results of motivation self-assessment tests and analyzing a case study related to motivation. This article will be divided into three main sections and the first section will demonstrate the key concepts suggested by various researchers such as Ryan's (1995) and Herzberg's (1996) theory of motivation. Second, an analysis of the results of personal motivation surveys will indicate my behavior at work and they will be supported by the literature discussed in the first section. The third section will use needs, equity, expectations, and goal setting to discuss the case study and this article will conclude with implications for this case study. Motivation has been defined as the reasons why a person engages in certain activities or behaves in a particular way (Oxford University Press, 2010). Robbins et al. (2008, p. 696) also have a different definition, namely “the processes that account for the intensity, direction and persistence of an individual's efforts to achieve a goal”. Numerous studies use the two main classifications of motivations, extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, to analyze different study contexts (Deci & Ryan, 1987; Vallerand, 2000). Extrinsic motivation refers to participation in specific behaviors for instrumental or goal-directed reasons, for example, benefits or rewards will be provided when goals are achieved. On the other hand, intrinsic motivation occurs when individuals perform an activity for their own enjoyment and satisfaction from that specific activity (Ryan, 1995). Collectively, these two motivations have a strong influence on individual intentions when found in the middle of the article......Journal of Information Science, vol.33, no.2, pp.135-149, Sage , accessed September 24, 2010, Robbins, SP, Judge, TA, Millett, B & Waters-Marsh, T (eds) 2008, Organizational Behavior, 5th ed., Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest, NSW. Ryan, RM 1995, “Les psychological needs and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development and well-being”, American Psychologist, vol.63, no. 3, pp.397-427, ISI Knowledge, accessed September 25, 2010, Vallerand, RJ 2000, “Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory: a hierarchical model view of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation”, Psychological Inquiry, flight. 11, no. 4, pp.312-318, EBSCO, accessed September 24, 2010, < http://web.ebscohost.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au >.