Chipper, the marketing director for Tee Time Golf Resort, is making plans for the annual tournament and is trying to determine the prize money for the top golfer. In past years, the resort successfully raised $25,000 through registration fees and sponsorship. This year, Chipper's general manager wants to attract some great local talent and announce the top prize at $10,000. However, Chipper thinks the resort cannot afford to announce a $10,000 top prize at the expense of losing out on a portion of the fees of less talented players who may decide not to register. He explains to the general manager that if they set the prize too high, several better-than-average golfers in the area will feel "out of their league" when the top players join in and therefore will be unmotivated to spend their money to participate. Chipper's analysis of the situation is reasonable according to

A. goal-setting theory.
B. equity theory.
C. expectancy theory.
D. reinforcement theory.