7 min readConcept sheetOften a 5- or 10-mark answer

Motivational factors: values, goals and standards

Values, goals and standards motivate management: values give rise to goals, and standards measure how well each goal is met.

ValuesBeliefs about what is worthwhile

GoalsDefinite ends we work towards

StandardsMeasures of quantity and quality

OrderValues → goals → standards

Values, goals and standards compared

Point	Values	Goals	Standards
Meaning	Ideas or beliefs about what is desirable and worthwhile	Definite ends a person or family wants to achieve	Measures of quantity and quality a person accepts as satisfactory
Nature	Abstract, deep, slow to change; seen only through behaviour	Concrete and reachable; give direction to work	Yardsticks used to judge results
Role in management	Give meaning and direction to life	Give purpose to the use of resources	Guide evaluation: was the goal met well enough?
Example 1	Health	Home-cooked, low-oil meals for the family	Dal, vegetables and fruit every day; fried snacks only on Sundays
Example 2	Education	Daughter completes her degree	Fees saved before each term; fixed study hours at home

Types of values

Intrinsic values: wanted for their own sake, e.g. health, love, happiness.
Extrinsic (instrumental) values: wanted as a means to something else, e.g. money for security.
Six value types (Allport and Vernon): theoretical (truth), economic (usefulness), aesthetic (beauty), social (love of people), political (power), religious (spiritual unity).
Values common in Indian families: education, health, security, togetherness, religion, hospitality and social prestige.

Types of goals and standards

Long-term goalsTake years to reach: owning a house, children's higher education, savings for old age.

Short-term goalsReached in days, weeks or a few months: a clean house for a festival, a week’s menu. Goals that lie between the two, taking months to a few years and linking short-term goals to a long-term one, are called intermediate goals, e.g. completing a degree.

Conventional standardsFixed by tradition or society and followed without question, e.g. a full traditional meal for every visitor.

Flexible standardsAdapted by the family to its own resources and situation, e.g. a simpler meal on busy weekdays.

Flexible standards reduce stress and suit working families. Rigid conventional standards can waste time, money and energy.

In food service and dietetics

Diet counselling starts with the client's values. A client who values family tradition follows a diabetic diet better when festival foods are adapted, not banned. Agree on a clear goal (lower fasting sugar) and practical standards she accepts, such as millet dosa twice a week.

Exam angle

2 marks: “Define standards.” Standards are measures of quantity and quality that a person or family accepts as satisfactory. They are used to judge whether goals are met.

5 marks: “Differentiate between values, goals and standards.” Define each, compare their nature and role, and give one linked example: health → low-oil meals → fried snacks only on Sundays.

10 marks: “Explain values, goals and standards as motivational factors in management.” Define each with its types, show how they are linked, and explain how they motivate and guide every step of management.

Remember it

V → G → S: values are the why, goals are the what, standards are the how well.