Introduction
The Marriot International and Renaissance Long Beach Hotel has come under fire after the hotel received a lawsuit from two women over alleged sexual harassment claims. Luz Cuevas and Teresa Evangelista allege that different employees working for the hotel sexually harassed them on more than one occasion and that female workers from the Latin region have on several occasions been the targets for physical, emotional, verbal and sexual harassment by senior employees at the Marriot Hotel. The two women filing the lawsuit against the hotel are Luz Cuevas and Teresa Evangelista who work at the hotel as an on-call banquet server and as a lobby attendant respectively (Dulaney, 2016).
Luz Cuevas cites an example where her supervisor offered to allot her more work days if she allowed him to sleep with her. Though Luz Cuevas filed a complaint with Marriot’s Human Resources Department, she did not receive any assistance and was told that her complaint could not be validated. She was subsequently indirectly victimised as she was given fewer of the morning work shifts that she preferred (Minard, 2016).
Luz Cuevas goes further and states that she witnessed the same supervisor harass Teresa Evangelista. Evangelista also alleges that a hotel engineer sexually harassed her after luring her to a remote location at the hotel under the pretence that he needed her help. Evangelista too filed a complaint with the hotel’s Human Resources Department but saw no corrective action taken (Thornton, 2016).
There is therefore dire need by the hotel’s management to reassure the hotel’s employees of the organization’s commitment to ensure that any form of harassment does not occur at the hotel. This report applies strategic management theories to address this problem and provides some of the solution that the hotel can apply in mitigating the current situation (Holzberg, 2016).
Background of the Organisation
The Marriot International and Renaissance Long Beach Hotel is located in downtown Long Beach, California and is less than two miles from the Quen Mary and less than a mile from the Aquarium of the Pacific. The Hotel offers modern accommodation and hospitality services a short distance away from bars and shops. Among other features, the hotel boasts of amenities such as a roof-top pool and a hot tub in each of the rooms as well as a well-equipped gym. The rooms at the Marriot Hotel are also equipped with flat screen televisions, fast internet access and work stations. Some rooms also have private spa baths and open out onto private balconies.
The hotel’s catering department serves a variety of international foods that are prepared using fresh ingredients sourced locally. The restaurant at the hotel offers panoramic views of the city allowing the full enjoyment of meals served at the hotel (Marriott, 2016).
The Marriott Company was originally established in 1927 as a root beer stand by Alice S. Marriott and J.W. Marriott. The company’s first hotel was named the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel and was opened in 1957 in Arlington, Virginia. Today, the company has more than 3,000 hotels worldwide among which is the Marriot International and Renaissance Long Beach Hotel. The Marriott chain of hotels offers its loyal customers a chance to earn bonus points toward hotel stays, room upgrades, airline miles, shopping and more. Currently there are three levels of service for regular travellers i.e. Platinum, Silver and Gold. Platinum, Silver and Gold members enjoy certain benefits such as a designated telephone number for making reservations. Platinum members receive a gift on arrival at any Marriott Hotels worldwide (Julia, 2017).
Problem Statement
The primary problem facing the Marriot International and Renaissance Long Beach Hotel is the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Luz Cuevas and Teresa Evangelista. The lawsuit if successful will result in direct losses for the organization in terms of cash settlements. The hotel may also suffer indirect losses as the sexual harassment is likely to result in bad publicity for the hotel which may result in the company receiving less customers and thus less profits.
Purpose of the Report
The purpose of this article is therefore to address this issue by applying strategic management theories to provide suggestions of how the management at the Marriot Hotel can go about addressing the situation. The primary objective for doing this is to limit the adverse effects that the sexual harassment lawsuit will have on the organization (Sparks, 2015).
Analysis of External Environment
The hoteling and hospitality industry is largely affected by the public image of the company and sales made by any hotel is directly related to how the public perceives the hotel’s service delivery to be satisfactory. It is no wonder that most hotels spend fortunes on advertising campaigns in an attempt to make their hotel popular. At the same time, hotels try to avoid scandals that are likely to tarnish the hotel’s name and cases such as sexual harassment lawsuits are avoided at all costs. I shall carry out an analysis of the external environment for the case of the Marriot International and Renaissance Long Beach Hotel and how this particular harassment lawsuit will likely affect the hotel across all aspects.
SWOT Analysis
The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the case of the Marriot International and Renaissance Long Beach Hotel is as shown in the following table (Bohm, 2013).
PEST Analysis
The political, economic, social and technological aspects affecting the case of Marriot International and Renaissance Long Beach Hotel is as shown in the following table (Miller, McBrewster and Vandome, 2011).
Application of Theories
The following four strategic management theories may be used in analysing the cost of the Marriot International and Renaissance Long Beach Hotel as well as drawing suggestions on how to address the current situation affecting the company. Suggestions on how the sexual harassment claim may be handles so as to minimise adverse effects to the company is also made.
Six Hats Thinking Theory
The six hats thinking theory incorporates lateral thinking in decision making. Judgemental thinking is also incorporated but is not allowed to take over normal thinking. For the case of the Marriot Hotel, the six hats thinking theory can be applied to address the sexual harassment case as follows (De Bono, 2016);
White Hat on the Hats
The white hat on hats means dropping arguments and proposals then concentrating on facts and data. In this case we can say that the sexual harassment cases are few and should not be taken to be a general representation of conditions at the Marriot Hotel. The public should thus be made to understand that despite the cases made public, the hotel is indeed safe for employees and customers alike.
Red Hat on the Hats
The red hat on the hats means focussing on intuition, emotions and feelings. We could thus the frustrations of the two employees at failure of their efforts to address the sexual harassment claims with the company’s HR department.
Black Hat on the Hats
The black hat on the hats means judging the situation at which we could pass a verdict that sexual harassment is a wrong doing when viewed from all perspectives and should not be tolerated.
Yellow Hat on the Hats
The yellow hat on the hats providing a logical reasoning for the case. The management at the hotel may try to remedy the situation by taking actions against the culprits of the sexual harassment allegations. By doing this, the two women may be appeased and may thus settle for a lesser claim or even drop the lawsuit altogether.
Green Hat on the Hats
The green hat on the hats involves applying creativity to develop alternatives and proposals some of which may include setting up dedicated channels for reporting and addressing sexual harassment cases so as to ensure the practice is not repeated at the hotel.
Blue Hat on the Hats
The blue hat on the hats indicates providing an understanding of the entire situation and may entail proving additional alternatives of how to address the situation e.g. training employees on what amounts to sexual harassment and how to avoid such situations at the workplace (De Bono, 2016).
Goal Setting Theory
Goal setting theory considers the effects of setting objectives on subsequent performance. Often, individuals who set specific targets perform better than those who do not. The Marriott may thus set targets such as addressing all past allegations filed by its employees within the next six months and also ensure that it has zero sexual harassment cases within the next two years. By doing this, the organization is likely to perform better in trying to achieve these goals (Rauch, 2007).
Kurt Lewin Model of Change
The Marriot Hotel must handle change well if it is to survive and thrive in the modern fast changing economy. In adapting to changes, the organization may apply the three stages of the Kurt Lewin model of change i.e. unfreeze, change and refreeze as discussed below (Kaminski, 2011).
Stage One: Unfreezing
The first stage involves getting ready for change. The organization may do this by preparing mentally all employees of the changes that are to be made at the organization in an effort to reduce the re-occurrence of future sexual harassment cases. All employees may thus be notified of the management’s intention to place CCTV cameras in all corridors and storage rooms and that they will be subjected to more scrutiny of their actions (Kaminski, 2011).
Stage Two: Transition or Change
The second stage involves implementing the changes developed earlier in this report. The organization must be sure to monitor the effectiveness of the changes being implemented and their effects on both client and employee behaviour.
Stage Three: Refreezing
The third stage involves establishing stability after the required changes have been made. Employees will attempt to adjust to the new work routines (Kaminski, 2011).
Conflict Resolution Theory
The conflict resolution theory is applied primarily in reducing conflicts between two or more parties (Deutsch, Coleman and Marcus, 2011). The concepts of negotiation and mediation may be applied in mitigating conflicts between the Marriot Hotel and two employees filling lawsuits against the organization. The skills of negotiation will especially be important in agreeing terms with the two employees over settlement matters regarding the case. The company should try to handle the case in such a way that bad publicity for the company is limited as much as possible.
Conclusion
Addressing the case involving the sexual harassment in a way that minimizes adverse effects to the company is great challenge for the management executives at the Marriot hotel. However, if the organization correctly implements the changes and suggestions made, it will most likely achieve this objective. The conflict resolution theory will be important in dealing with the two claimants. A win-win situation is expected if both parties play along. The hotel management should also apply the Kurt Lewin model of change in implementing the aforementioned changes.
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