Produced by Josh Freed
This
entertaining video takes a look at attitudes towards service in four western
countries: England, France, Canada and the U.S. It gives a historical perspective,
taking into account how service is affected by class and culture. In Britain
today, almost as a rebellion against the former class system, the service sector
is at odds with the public. Sales help and waiters are indifferent to the needs
of customers.
In France, the idea of the professional waiter emerged after the Revolution. Waiting tables is taken seriously by the French. In America, service is fast and informal, with little line between server and served. American innovations such as supermarkets, fast food chains, and mass marketers like Wal-Marts, have changed the interaction of customer and business.
Professor Susan Porter Benson, author of Counter Culture; Margaret Wisser, author of Much Depends on Dinner; Professor Sue Vickers-Thompson, Fellow of Customer Service, at Oxford; John Mariani, author of America Eats Out are among the many experts who comment on the effects of social change on customer relations.
52 min. Video or DVD. Sale $195. Video rental $75
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