🎯 113下學期 | phd | 論文p3 |

Grok?? It is known that salary is proportional to performance, but I found that after salary grows to a certain level, performance cannot grow accordingly. I think that although there are many reasons, the expected salary of the position in a specific area also has an important impact. Please help me design a research plan to discuss the expected salary of a specific position in a specific area and its impact on the relationship between salary and performance.

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Let’s design a research plan to explore how the expected salary for a specific position in a specific area impacts the relationship between salary and performance. I’ll structure this plan systematically, ensuring it’s feasible, focused, and actionable. Below is a detailed outline:


Research Plan: Investigating the Impact of Expected Salary on the Salary-Performance Relationship

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1. Research Objective

• Primary Question: How does the expected salary for a specific position in a specific geographic area influence the relationship between salary and employee performance?
• Sub-Questions:
• What is the expected salary range for the chosen position in the selected area?
• At what salary threshold does performance growth plateau despite salary increases?
• How do employee perceptions of "fair" or "expected" salary affect their motivation and performance?



2. Define Key Variables

• Independent Variable: Salary (actual salary paid to employees).
• Dependent Variable: Performance (measured via metrics like productivity, quality of work, or supervisor evaluations).
• Moderating Variable: Expected salary (the perceived "market rate" or "fair" salary for the position in the area).
• Control Variables: Job type, industry, experience level, company size, and economic conditions.



3. Scope and Context

• Position: Choose a specific role for consistency (e.g., "Software Engineer" or "Retail Manager").
• Area: Select a specific geographic region (e.g., "San Francisco, CA" or "Birmingham, UK") to account for local cost of living, market demand, and cultural factors.
• Rationale: A single position and area reduce variability and allow for focused data collection.



4. Hypotheses

• H1: Salary increases improve performance up to the expected salary level, beyond which performance growth diminishes.
• H2: Employees paid below the expected salary exhibit lower performance due to dissatisfaction.
• H3: Employees paid significantly above the expected salary show no proportional performance increase due to diminishing motivation.



5. Methodology

• a. Research Design
• Mixed-Methods Approach:
• Quantitative: Analyze salary and performance data.
• Qualitative: Gather employee perceptions of expected salary via surveys or interviews.
• b. Data Collection
• Expected Salary Data:
• Source salary benchmarks from platforms like Glassdoor, Payscale, or local government labor statistics for the chosen position and area.
• Conduct a survey of professionals in the role/area asking: "What salary do you consider fair for this position here?"
• Salary Data:
• Collect anonymized salary data from companies in the area (e.g., via partnerships, HR departments, or public datasets).
• Performance Data:
• Use existing company performance metrics (e.g., KPIs, sales figures, or annual reviews) for employees in the role.
• If unavailable, design a standardized performance assessment (e.g., output per hour, error rate).
• Employee Perceptions:
• Survey employees on satisfaction with their salary relative to their expectations and how it affects their effort.
• c. Sample
• Target Population: Employees in the chosen position in the specified area.
• Sample Size: Aim for 100–200 participants to ensure statistical significance (adjust based on feasibility).
• Sampling Method: Random sampling from companies or professional networks in the area.
• d. Analysis
• Quantitative:
• Use regression analysis to model the relationship between salary and performance, with expected salary as a moderating variable.
• Identify inflection points where performance growth slows relative to salary increases.
• Qualitative:
• Thematic analysis of survey/interview responses to understand how salary expectations shape motivation.



6. Tools and Resources

• Data Sources: Glassdoor, Payscale, X posts (search for salary discussions in the area), company HR records.
• Software: Excel, SPSS, or R for statistical analysis; NVivo for qualitative coding.
• Budget: Account for survey incentives, data access fees, or research assistants if needed.



7. Timeline

• Month 1: Define position/area, finalize hypotheses, and source expected salary benchmarks.
• Month 2–3: Collect salary/performance data and distribute surveys.
• Month 4: Analyze quantitative and qualitative data.
• Month 5: Draft findings and validate with peer review or stakeholder feedback.
• Month 6: Finalize report and present results.



8. Expected Outcomes

• A clear estimate of the expected salary for the position in the area.
• Identification of a salary threshold beyond which performance gains taper off.
• Insights into how misalignment between actual and expected salary affects motivation and performance.



9. Limitations

• Data availability: Companies may not share salary/performance records.
• Self-reporting bias: Employees may overstate expected salary or performance effort.
• Generalizability: Findings may be specific to the chosen role and area.



10. Next Steps

• Pilot the study with a small sample to refine methods.
• Expand to multiple positions or areas for comparative analysis if successful.

  
  

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Example Application

Let’s say you choose "Software Engineer" in "Austin, TX":


• Step 1: Research shows the expected salary range is $100,000–$130,000 (via Glassdoor, 2025 data).
• Step 2: Collect salary/performance data from Austin tech firms.
• Step 3: Survey engineers on their expected salary and satisfaction.
• Step 4: Analyze whether performance plateaus above $130,000 and why.

  
  Would you like me to refine this further (e.g., pick a specific position/area, adjust methods)? Let me know!
  

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Are there any relevant references for research in this area?

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• Yes, there are several relevant references that could support your research on the impact of expected salary on the salary-performance relationship. Below, I’ll highlight some key studies and resources based on existing literature that align with your topic. These can serve as a foundation for your research plan, providing theoretical frameworks, empirical findings, and methodological approaches. Since I don’t have direct access to a database here, I’ll describe types of studies and sources you can look into, leveraging my knowledge of the field.

  
  

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Relevant References and Research Areas

Equity Theory and Pay Satisfaction

• Adams’ Equity Theory (1963): This foundational work explores how employees evaluate fairness by comparing their input-output ratio (effort vs. rewards, like salary) to others. Research building on this, such as studies by Carrell and Dittrich (1978), could help you investigate how deviations from expected salary (perceived market norms) affect motivation and performance.
• Relevance: Employees’ perception of expected salary as "fair" could moderate the salary-performance link. Look for studies in journals like Journal of Applied Psychology that apply equity theory to compensation.
公平理論 | Adams’ Equity Theory of Motivation: A Simple Summary


Pay-for-Performance Studies

• Lazear (2000) - "Performance Pay and Productivity": This study uses a natural experiment to show that performance-based pay increases productivity, but only up to a point. Beyond a certain threshold, additional pay yields diminishing returns—aligning with your observation about performance plateauing.
• Relevance: You could extend this to test whether the plateau occurs when actual salary exceeds expected salary, using data from a specific role and area.
績效工資 | Pay-for-performance in Taiwan: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the empirical literature | 公式Pay for Performance


Expectancy Theory

• Vroom (1964) - "Work and Motivation": This theory posits that effort depends on the expectation that performance leads to valued rewards (e.g., salary). Studies like Lawler and Porter (1967) link this to pay satisfaction and performance.
• Relevance: Expected salary could shape the "valence" (value) of the reward, influencing effort. Search for modern applications in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
期望理論 | Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory Explained | Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory of Motivation


Diminishing Returns of Salary

• Kahneman and Deaton (2010) - "High Income Improves Evaluation of Life but Not Emotional Well-Being": While focused on well-being, this study suggests a threshold (~$75,000 in 2010 USD) beyond which additional income has less impact. Similar logic could apply to performance.
• Relevance: Test if a similar threshold exists for performance in your chosen position/area, tied to expected salary norms. Check Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences or related economic journals.
Farming is the classic example of this law. Farmers usually have a finite acreage of land on which they can add an infinite number of laborers to increase crop yields. However, there's a point where an additional worker produces less of an increase in crop yields than the last worker added.
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農業就是這項規律的典型例子。農民通常擁有有限的土地面積，因此他們可以增加無限數量的勞動力來提高作物產量。然而，在某個臨界點上，增加一名工人所帶來的農作物產量增幅要小於上一名工人所帶來的農作物產量增幅。
Diminishing Returns and the Production Function | What is the law of diminishing returns?


Regional Salary Expectations

• 這是個網站Glassdoor Payscale Reports: These platforms publish salary benchmarks by role and location (e.g., Software Engineer in Austin, TX). Academic studies often use such data to explore geographic pay variation (e.g., Moretti, 2011, in Journal of Economic Perspectives).
• Relevance: Use these to define "expected salary" in your area and correlate with performance data.

Meta-Analyses on Pay and Performance

• Jenkins et al. (1998) - "Are Financial Incentives Related to Performance?": This meta-analysis finds a positive but variable link between pay and performance, moderated by contextual factors like job type.
• Relevance: Look for moderators like pay expectations in follow-up studies (e.g., in Personnel Psychology) to refine your hypotheses.
Pay-for-performance in Taiwan: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the empirical literature | Is the evidence on the effectiveness of pay for performance schemes in healthcare changing? Evidence from a meta-regression analysis


Psychological Contract Literature

• Rousseau (1995) - "Psychological Contracts in Organizations": This explores how unmet expectations (e.g., salary below market rate) breach the psychological contract, reducing effort.
• Relevance: If actual salary deviates from expected salary, performance may drop due to perceived unfairness. Search for empirical tests in Academy of Management Journal.
The Psychological Contract: A Critical Review | 心理契約滿足對員工主動行為之影響 -自我效能之中介效果


Field-Specific Studies

• Ton (2014) - "The Good Jobs Strategy": Zeynep Ton’s work on retail shows that paying above-market wages boosts performance, but only when paired with operational support. This could inspire a mixed-methods approach.
• Relevance: Adapt this to your position/area to see if exceeding expected salary enhances performance.

  
  

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• Where to Find These References
• Academic Journals: Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
• Databases: Use Google Scholar, JSTOR, or your institution’s library to search terms like "salary expectations and performance," "pay satisfaction," or "compensation thresholds."
• Web/X Search: I can search X posts or the web for recent discussions or data on salary expectations in your chosen area if you specify it (e.g., "Software Engineer in Austin"). Just let me know!
• Industry Reports: Glassdoor, Payscale, or Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for salary norms by region and role.