The Need to Eat

Abstract

This article examines the decision making preceding a particular event—the 50th anniversary dinner-dance held for employees of a British chemical firm—and the factors influencing the choice of activity and venue. Through the analysis of influences on the decision process, the article seeks to demonstrate that although the process fell generally into Simon's bounded rationality model of satisficing behavior, other psychological and philosophical issues were also important and should be considered in other more general decision-making processes. These psychological and philosophical issues are discussed, and a modified model is put forward.