John and Ben were very good friends at university. They both completed a Commerce degree, took the same courses and studied together, and they both played in the universitys basketball varsity team. Johns grades were always a bit higher than those of Ben, and Ben knew that John was not only more conscientious than him, but also more capable intellectually. Ben consoled himself with the fact that he was a better basketball player than John.

To their delight, after graduation, they both got jobs in management consulting firms in downtown Toronto. Management consulting firms are known for their challenging work, high intellectual tasks and attractive benefits. They both therefore expected to be highly satisfied.

Ravi, Bens boss at FWD Management Consulting, view himself as fair. When he welcomed Ben at work, he told him that he will be working very hard but will also be very nicely compensated. If you perform well, you will get the best bonuses in the industry, dont ever forget that, Ravi told Ben. A few months into the work, Ben confided in his girlfriend that Ravis behaviour was very frustrating. Ben often felt that it was not clear to him what exactly he had to achieve, and Ravi kept changing his mind about his expectations from Ben. Sometimes Ravi would get upset when the work was not sufficiently thorough, and other times he reprimanded Ben for wasting time on details. Moreover, deadlines were revised frequently; at times what was announced to be an urgent job with a tight deadline lost its priority, only

to have another job jump the queue, leaving too little time to complete it properly. Its like hitting a moving target, Ben told his girlfriend. Ben found himself working very long hours, often sleeping just a couple of hours at night, just to keep up with his colleagues who were much more experienced than him. The atmosphere in the office was very competitive, and he didnt receive much help from anyone.

When Ben met with John for a drink after work, he learned that Johns experience at his job was very different. Although the bonuses offered in Johns firm were significantly lower, John felt highly motivated and was eager to go to work every day. Within a few months, John was considered a top employee.

At the end of the year, Ben decided that he had enough and quit his job at FWD Management Consulting. When he had a chat with John, he learned that Johns firm went on a hiring spree. Ben, who had heard from John so many good things about Johns firm, applied and got an identical job to Johns in a different department. Two months later, while playing basketball together, Ben shared with John that he realized that he didnt gain much knowledge from his previous job. Im literally a beginner, and it will take me while before I can really be a contributor here, he told John. John reassured him that he will be happy to help him as he knows the job well. As they continued to chat, they both realized that their income that month, including bonuses, was the same.

Apply equity theory to analyze Ben and Johns likely motivations when they found out that they had received the same income. How is each of them likely to respond?