Interactional structures and engagement in service encounters: An investigation into communication at the hotel front desk

The main aim of the study was to explore the specifics of communicative behaviour at the hotel reception that establish the institutional character of the interaction to accomplish a service encounter. The hotel provides a unique environment for research related to global communication and questions of politeness usage. Investigating conversations between hotel receptionists and their guests was used to demonstrate how interdisciplinary approaches can further knowledge in a globalised world order. Nine and a half hours of naturally occurring interactions between receptionists and guests were videotaped in four hotels in three European countries (England, Germany and Spain). The analysis was conducted using Conversation Analysis (CA) as the primary method and enriched through the use of ethnographic notes. CA was used to show how normative social structures are invoked in service encounters at the hotel front desk. Ethnographic insights provided additional evidence for how the interactions are anchored in the social reality. The findings suggest that conversations at the front desk are highly structured and possess features similar to institutional and mundane interactions. Conversations were classed into three phases (arrival, stay and departure), each of which has observable and robust interactional features. It is proposed that an effective encounter between hotel guest and receptionist is not solely reliant on a particular structure. Instead, the results indicate that a very specific amount of engagement by both the service provider and the customer is required. Thus, following the tradition of CA, it is demonstrated how precisely participants can organise their talk and behaviour according to a mutual preference of both guest and receptionist. The analysis showed that miscommunication occurs infrequent in these service encounters. Furthermore, intercultural notions are seldom made relevant in talk by participants. The study contributes to knowledge in interactional, service encounter and tourism related literature. The findings also have implications for practitioners in the tourism industry

Arabic complementary schools in England: language and Fundamental British Values

Heritage language education is not included in the national curriculum in England and therefore formal learning and teaching of heritage languages is primarily achieved through complementary schools, which are part-time, community-led and linked to various ethnic and national backgrounds. This study focuses on Arabic complementary schools and explores educational practices for teaching Arabic. The study also explores how pupils and teachers conceptualise, construct and manifest their linguistic and social identity, especially with regard to the context that is informed by the promotion of so-called Fundamental British Values (FBV). Observations are based on data from interviews with pupils, teachers and headteachers from three Arabic complementary schools across England. A qualitative analysis of the data reveals that the schools are strongly commited to tolerance and respect, which are part of the FBV; as well as to inclusivity and community cohesion. The analysis also shows that Arabic plays an important role in the construction of community and linguistic identities in the current political environment of suspicion

Constructing Europe and the European Union through Education : contrasts and congruence within and between Germany and England

This article is based on an analysis of the treatment of the European Union in a sample of textbooks from Germany and England. Following contextual remarks about civic education (politische Bildung) in Germany and citizenship education in England and a review of young people’s views, we demonstrate that textbooks in Germany and in England largely mirror the prevailing political climate in each country regarding Europe. At the same time, the analysis reveals a disparity between the perspectives presented by the textbooks and young people’s views. The textbooks in Germany provide more detail and take a more open approach to Europe than those in England. Finally, we argue that the textbooks may be seen as contributing to a process of socialization rather than one of education when it comes to characterizations of Europe

The influence of culture on the perception of politeness: An investigation of front-line staff at a mid-priced hotel chain in New Zealand

RESEARCH QUESTION: How does culture influence the perception of politeness that occurs in nonverbal and verbal behaviour when responding to requests in a hotel front-line environment? This case study examines the key factors in the perception of politeness in a hotel front-line environment. The area of front-line communication has been mainly addressed in research by business and hospitality scholars, and although politeness has been researched extensively in communication contexts, the two areas have not been interconnected by researchers. Courtesy, however, is an essential aspect of customer satisfaction. The multi-cultural context of the tourism industry presents a number of communication challenges for its actors. As a result, miscommunication that is referred to in hospitality studies as ‘service failure’ is a frequent occurrence. The study draws its data from two main data collection methods: a qualitative focus group discussion at one hotel and a quantitative survey of front-line staff at all of the hotels belonging to the chain. Documents and informal interviews with higher ranked managers of the organisation were used for triangulation purposes. The findings indicate that front-line employees prefer to base their communication on their individual perception of politeness when interacting with guests. National culture appears to be a strong motivator for front-line communication. Corporate culture is demonstrated to become of higher relevance later in a given conversational sequence. Results also reveal that front-line staff prefer to find ways to forgo face-threatening situations. If this is not possible, active repairs have to be made to re-establish the necessary and required level of politeness. In this study, the organisation provides employees with few guidelines in the form of intercultural training and lets staff employ trial and error techniques to develop the necessary behaviour patterns by themselves. Behaviour appears to be strongly influenced by stereotyping and prejudices. However, not only employees are prone to using stereotypes when interacting with customers, but staff members feel that they are judged on superficial terms by the guests as well. Overall, behaviours also appear to differ depending on the nature of a guest’s visit to the hotel. International tourists appear to be more forgiving than business travellers in situations where politeness levels are not adhered to

Innovation in the Mode of Production of Jun Porcelain from User-driven

Jun porcelain is one of the treasures of Chinese ceramics, and the production technique of Jun porcelain is also an intangible national cultural heritage item in China. Users' needs have changed because of the application of new technologies. This thesis aims to construct a user-centred system design for the production method of Jun porcelain, which provides more possibilities for developing this field. This thesis adopts the case study and service design approaches. The study results show that the user-driven in the field of Jun porcelain could be categorised into aesthetic-driven, value-driven, and experience-driven. Moreover, the material mode of production of Jun porcelain might adopt digital technology to optimise the production mode of material and increase the production mode of the society of collaborative innovation. The field could simulate the production process through virtual simulation, adopt VR, AR, MR and other forms to allow users to participate and experience personalised applications, and use IoT technology to collect and analyse data such as temperature, humidity and firing time. The social mode of production of Jun porcelain could transform from layer-by-layer communication to a user-centred and collaborative organisation. The study concludes that the Jun porcelain field could create a sustainable ecosystem by emphasising user-driven production methods and increasing the use of new technologies