11. Customer Care

Most organisations and companies try to place great emphasis on good customer relations. However, international students have often commented on some negative aspects.

a. Lack of smiles

b. "Clock Watching" - employees expect - and often need - to leave work/go on breaks punctually. This means that customers/students may sometimes be asked to return at another time if it is near closing time.

Comprehension

1.What items of the text do these words refer to:

• 'The technicians started laughing and joking with the British students from the first day as if they were already friends. With us they seem cold and unfriendly. (Turkish student)

• 'British people never get to the point. They go around this way and that way, using twenty words where three would do. It's really hard to communicate with them.' (Israeli student)

• 'You told us the British smiled all the time. I find them very unsmiling, espe­cially when compared to people at home.' (Female Singaporean Student)

• 'When I travelled on a train from Nai­robi to Mombasa, a woman sat right next to me, her body touching mine. I was very nervous as I thought she must be mak­ing a sexual advance.' (British woman in Kenya)

• British are so insincere". They smile even when they are not happy or pleased to see you. One woman smiled at me every time we passed each other and / thought she really liked me. So I asked her to come out with me and she refused. She was leading me on and then turned me down' (A male overseas student)

• / travelled on a bus in UK the British person next to me would draw away from me as if they were afraid of catching a disease or of the colour rub­bing off my skin. '(Kenyan student)

2. Find in the text the synonyms for:

• Behaviour

• To hurt

• Stubborn

• To speak

• Sincere, honest

• To ignore

3. Explain the usage of grammar tenses in the following sentences:

• We have all grown up learning strict codes of conduct, rules of behaviour and lists of what is or is not polite.

• British people are easily offended if the words are not used.

• As has already been said, British peo­ple do not shake hands very much.

• Some cultures will find that the British are prepared to discuss issues which they might consider to be private or not to be widely disclosed.

• British jokes and good humour rely heavily on a shared knowledge of British culture, politics, colloquial language, me­dia and other areas which are unfamiliar to newcomers or even to some people who have been here for several years.

• People do not like to share posses­sions without being asked.

4. Say, True or False:

a) It`s common for a British to sit close to a neighbour.

b) The British usually form their request using “please” or “will you”.

c) The British are insincere, because they smile too often even to strangers.

d) As a rule, the British kiss each other when greeting.

e)The British humour is based on play of words and sarcasm.

f) You can borrow any thing you want from a British friend without asking permission.