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Portman Hotel Essay

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This essay will examine three human behavioral issues that have evolved from the social sciences in the context of managing organizations. The case study that will be used to analyze these conditions and theories deals with The Portman Hotel Company-San Francisco. Three issues will be addressed in the following order: fundamental attribution error, Expectancy Theory, and Operant Conditional Theory. First, a brief description will be provided for each theory, then how the theories relate to the case study will be analyzed, and finally, recommendations will be provided in an attempt to correct or alleviate the management difficulties being experienced at the Portman. First, we will take a look at fundamental attribution error (FAE). …show more content…

Scott could learn a thing from "leading by example", and actually get to know the day-to-day activities of his staff, to build up his trust and credibility with them. This also ties back into the FAE argument about having Scott serve as a PV to see why they act the way they do in their environment. The second issue we will discuss is Expectancy Theory. According to our definition in class, Vroom's theory can be likened to a mathematical equation where "efforts" generate "performance" and thus given "performance" leads to a certain level of "output". The x-factor in the equation is the "valence" or "rewarding force" that dictates the outcomes attractiveness. When all these variables, or ingredients, are combined the result is motivation. So how can we illustrate this theory with regards to The Portman Hotel? Well, the key players that embody the very essence of the hotel are the Personal Valets. Due to the social and environmental forces acting upon them these employees might be motivated to engage in "shirking". We will take a look at some examples to bolster this notion. Since the PVs were so autonomous they enjoyed a great deal of latitude in responsibility. Some of them were complaining about the chaotic, decentralized environment they were working in which peers were distrustful of each other and nobody took on any sense of accountability. The more dedicated workers were

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