Question

Ainsley is a student at state university working toward a​ bachelor's degree in finance. in order to gain some work experience and increase her​ marketability, she has accepted a summer internship in the finance department at a pharmaceutical company. she is quite pleased with the​ pay; $15 an hour is more than other students in her cohort were receiving for their summer internships. at work she meets​ josh, a recent graduate of state university working as a middle manager in the same finance department. josh makes​ $30 an hour. on the​ job, ainsley could be described as a​ go-getter. she's engaged and​ satisfied, and always seems willing to help others. josh is quite the opposite. he often seems disinterested in his job and even has thoughts about quitting. when pressed one day about why he is​ unhappy, josh cites his pay as the main reason.​ specifically, he tells ainsley​ that, compared to managers at other pharmaceutical​ companies, he makes much less.​ "it isn't​ fair," he complains.​ "i work just as hard as they​ do, yet i​ don't make as much. maybe i should go work for the​ competition." how could someone making​ $30 an hour be less satisfied with his pay than someone making​ $15 an hour and be less motivated as a​ result?

Answer 1

Someone could make $30 an hour be less satisfied with his pay than someone making $15 an hour and be less motivated as a result of the equity theory. This is grounded in the notion that persons are encouraged by equality, and if they classify inequities in the output or input relations of themselves and their referent group, they will try to find to alter their input to grasp their professed equity.