Sunday, September 20, 2015
customer service in France and Italy
Customer Service in France
>>>>>
Do not necessarily expect American-style diligence ("the customer is king") from service people. Most of them are not trained to think that securing and keeping your business is an absolute priority. If they feel that you, the customer, are a nuisance—for being picky, for taking too long to decide what you want to buy, for asking too many questions—they will let you know in so many words, or simply ignore you. Since few employees work on commission and since labor laws and powerful unions make dismissals very difficult, service people are disinclined to make efforts at pleasing you.
http://faculty.georgetown.edu/spielmag/docs/france/primer.htm
interesting facts about France
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If a rule or regulation seems inane and/or impossible to meet, don't panic!—there is most probably a way around it. Ask a native about the appropriate Système D solution!
Customer service is alien to Italian shopkeepers
http://britishexpats.com/forum/al-fresco-150/italian-customer-service-706740/
Customer service is not a word in the Italian dictionary. I have many, many more stories like this one.
http://australiatoitaly.blogspot.com/2011/10/italian-customer-service.html
Labels: culture, customer service
calling teachers and senior staff members by first name
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10830901/Is-Miss-sexist-Miss-might-be-insulting-but-calling-teachers-by-their-first-names-should-never-be-allowed.-End-of.html
Is ‘Miss’ sexist? Not inherently so, but it’s not the equivalent – in terms of linguistic power – of ‘Sir’. That would be ‘Ma’am’ – which, to contemporary ears, sounds archaic, somewhat Downton Abbey-esque.
Academics say that traditional teachers' titles such as 'Sir' and 'Miss' should be axed, with pupils being expected to use first names to drag schools into the 21st century
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10827710/Stop-calling-teachers-Miss-or-Sir-pupils-are-told.html
According to the Times Educational Supplement, Sir was first used in 16th century classrooms when male teachers of a lower social standing were attempting to reinforce their authority among largely upper-class boys.
Miss is largely a throwback to the late Victorian era when pressure was put on women to give up work after they married, with a number of schools only hiring single female teachers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/14/no-more-yes-sir-calling-teachers-by-their-first-names_n_7329560.html
on going debate in the uk
First name culture in USA
https://hbr.org/2011/11/the-power-of-a-first-name.html
As goes our social world, so too goes the workplace. Addressing people by their first name is now the norm in corporate America (though not in the rest of the world — to the ongoing consternation of business travelers). And while there are critics and bow-tied traditionalists who will decry such an outrage or indecency or informality, I think that we all need to get with the times.
Using first names to address colleagues, clients, and bosses at work is good for both young and old, junior staffers and senior executives alike. For junior employees, it levels the playing field; for senior or “seasoned” managers, it implies accessibility — a commodity of increasing value in today’s social and digital age.
Level the playing field
When, as a young person, you address someone as Mr. or Ms., you immediately establish yourself as either a) younger or b) lower status, neither of which is particularly helpful to your cause professionally. Instead, walking into a room confidently with a “Hello, John, nice to meet you. I’m Jodi Glickman. It’s a pleasure to be here” establishes you as both confident and mature. It minimizes that status gap rather than amplifying it with a “Hello Mr. Smith, I’m Jodi…”
life hack suggestion
>>
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/advice-for-students-how-to-talk-to-professors.html
Call them by the right title. A “Doctor” is someone with a PhD; not all professors have a PhD. “Professor” is usually appropriate, unless you’ve been told otherwise. I prefer to be called by my first name, and I make that point clearly on the first day of class;
Is ‘Miss’ sexist? Not inherently so, but it’s not the equivalent – in terms of linguistic power – of ‘Sir’. That would be ‘Ma’am’ – which, to contemporary ears, sounds archaic, somewhat Downton Abbey-esque.
Academics say that traditional teachers' titles such as 'Sir' and 'Miss' should be axed, with pupils being expected to use first names to drag schools into the 21st century
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10827710/Stop-calling-teachers-Miss-or-Sir-pupils-are-told.html
According to the Times Educational Supplement, Sir was first used in 16th century classrooms when male teachers of a lower social standing were attempting to reinforce their authority among largely upper-class boys.
Miss is largely a throwback to the late Victorian era when pressure was put on women to give up work after they married, with a number of schools only hiring single female teachers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/14/no-more-yes-sir-calling-teachers-by-their-first-names_n_7329560.html
on going debate in the uk
First name culture in USA
https://hbr.org/2011/11/the-power-of-a-first-name.html
As goes our social world, so too goes the workplace. Addressing people by their first name is now the norm in corporate America (though not in the rest of the world — to the ongoing consternation of business travelers). And while there are critics and bow-tied traditionalists who will decry such an outrage or indecency or informality, I think that we all need to get with the times.
Using first names to address colleagues, clients, and bosses at work is good for both young and old, junior staffers and senior executives alike. For junior employees, it levels the playing field; for senior or “seasoned” managers, it implies accessibility — a commodity of increasing value in today’s social and digital age.
Level the playing field
When, as a young person, you address someone as Mr. or Ms., you immediately establish yourself as either a) younger or b) lower status, neither of which is particularly helpful to your cause professionally. Instead, walking into a room confidently with a “Hello, John, nice to meet you. I’m Jodi Glickman. It’s a pleasure to be here” establishes you as both confident and mature. It minimizes that status gap rather than amplifying it with a “Hello Mr. Smith, I’m Jodi…”
life hack suggestion
>>
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/advice-for-students-how-to-talk-to-professors.html
Call them by the right title. A “Doctor” is someone with a PhD; not all professors have a PhD. “Professor” is usually appropriate, unless you’ve been told otherwise. I prefer to be called by my first name, and I make that point clearly on the first day of class;
Labels: culture, salutation
