Rope Analysis: $$Hi$,$ Call Me $\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_$

Initial Analysis:

Stanley decides to go all$-$in at The Company$$s ritual Picnic and, while under the influence of alcohol, mistakenly takes Mr$.$ Marsh for a line worker, deeply embarrassing himself. He fears he may be under the horn effect, and he will be negatively judged by his behavior. The author mentions Stanley$$s anguish is unnecessary and that it was a basic mistake.

Lesson to be learned:

Although the Picnic is intended to be a family$-$like ritual gathering, it is$,$ nonetheless, a Company event. Stanley acted in an immature fashion by not controlling his alcohol intake and embarrassed himself in front of the boss. Ted Shelby, the acting plant manager, on the other hand, memorized upper management$$s names and intended to use the Picnic as a networking event to look for opportunities. A key lesson in this case is that a Company$-$sponsored event is a great opportunity to network and get to meet upper management on a relaxed setting, giving employees an opportunity to be casually impressive without having to go through a job interview. It may be true that Stanley will not be harshly penalized for his actions, but they certainly did not work in his favor.

How theory helps explain what is going on:

Kerry and Anne have been mingling and talking about non$-$work topics, Ben has been acting human, and Ted is looking to network for opportunities. They are all likely less worried about being impressive, maybe Ted is a bit concerned, but we can say they are displaying Organizational Citizenship Behaviors. They are either sharing personal information, being agreeable, or being serious about increasing their commitment to The Company.

Cooke et al$.$s $(2016)$ study aimed to find the correlation between Ajzen$$s Theory of Planned Behavior $($TPB$)$ and alcohol consumption and found that attitude had the strongest relationship with intention to consume alcohol, and subjective norms had a higher relationship with intention to drink than Perceived Behavior Control $($PBC$)$ did. There was a negative PBC relationship to consumption, which implies individuals lack control over risky behaviors. $($Richard Cooke; Mary Dahdah; Paul Norman; David P$.$ French, $2016).$

In the preface, the author congratulates Stanley's interpretation of the corporate announcement that has been made. He mentions that Stanley's ability to read between the lines is the result of hard work and experience $($Kinicki$,2021).$ Stanley$$s seemingly light intoxication was strongly related to his attitude to $$go all$-$in$",$ and may have had some relation to peer pressure as there was beer and he felt as if he should fit in$.$ The Company serving alcohol at a daytime event can be something of a tricky nature.

What personal experiences relate:

$($STUDENT $1)$ On my first day working at my current job, I was told I would love it there, and that it could be my eternal place of work if I wanted it to be$.$ I heard people rarely get terminated and if so$,$ it may have been related to alcohol consumption, especially if any driving is involved. Three weeks into my role, I had a mandatory training session for which I would have to be away for an entire week with a group of new hires, There were $3$ simple rules: showing up to training hungover could get you fired, using of illegal substances will get you fired, and handling car keys after consuming alcohol would immediately get you fired. And surprisingly, there have been people who were terminated for drinking and intending to drive a vehicle. The Company I work for sponsors many events, and it is always a nice opportunity to meet people from other departments and mingle with upper management. Although frequently alcohol is offered along with a paid Uber, I have noticed most people choose not to be the select few who choose to drink.

$($STUDENT $2)$ Since I have yet to enter the business world, I cannot relate to this specific experience of alcohol at a business event. However, I can compare it to similar environments that are more serious but meant to get to know people and be comfortable that have had alcohol at them. At these events, there was always an unspoken understanding about how much alcohol could be consumed by attendees. This understanding created an environment that looked down on those drinking too much. Due to this accepted behavior, those in attendance used the alcohol there to make the environment more relaxed and low$-$pressure but still made sure to be respectful and presentable. Those who drank too much were looked down upon, affecting their reputations. My experience is that having alcohol at an event like this is a great way to make the environment less pressured and help people be more comfortable around each other, assuming it does not get out of hand.