Sales Encounter

This paper studies openings of service encounters in food shops. Based on video data in Catalan, Swiss German, Finland Swedish and Finnish, it contributes to the general understanding of openings of face-to-face encounters by highlighting the systematic multimodal and sequential organization of sighting, gazing, greeting, walking and moving into the reason for the encounter. More specifically, the paper casts light on openings in institutional settings by investigating the methodic, coordinated achievement of entry into business and the contingencies involved. The paper shows how the availability of the salesperson is displayed for the customer and how s/he orients to it, rendering visible how 'service' is accountably offered and recognized.

This paper studies openings of service encounters in food shops. Based on video data in Catalan, Swiss German, Finland Swedish and Finnish, it contributes to the general understanding of openings of face-to-face encounters by highlighting the systematic multimodal and sequential organization of sighting, gazing, greeting, walking and moving into the reason for the encounter. More specifically, the paper casts light on openings in institutional settings by investigating the methodic, coordinated achievement of entry into business and the contingencies involved. The paper shows how the availability of the salesperson is displayed for the customer and how s/he orients to it, rendering visible how 'service' is accountably offered and recognized.

This paper studies openings of service encounters in food shops. Based on video data in Catalan, Swiss German, Finland Swedish and Finnish, it contributes to the general understanding of openings of face-to-face encounters by highlighting the systematic multimodal and sequential organization of sighting, gazing, greeting, walking and moving into the reason for the encounter. More specifically, the paper casts light on openings in institutional settings by investigating the methodic, coordinated achievement of entry into business and the contingencies involved. The paper shows how the availability of the salesperson is displayed for the customer and how s/he orients to it, rendering visible how 'service' is accountably offered and recognized.

Sales talk is recognisable as a type of goal-oriented interaction with its specific structure, set of roles, and patterns of language use. In a multilingual society, sales talk between the sales person and the customer often displays alternation of languages by either party as the conversation proceeds. This study examined language choice and code-switching also known as language alternation, as communication resources in the sales talk by life insurance agents when talking to their clients, during the stage known as the "closing presentation". Through a self-report questionnaire, a followup interview, and a recorded conversation between an agent and a client, insurance agents' preferences regarding the language(s) they use in the closing presentation stage of the sales talk and the reasons why the language(s) are preferred were examined. The findings show that the life insurance agents' choice of language is dependent on factors such as the language used by the client, the specific insurance product being presented, and the perceived background of the client. Furthermore, examination of the actual conversation between an agent and a client found language alternation being used by agents for both building rapport and distancing, and signalling change in footing.

This paper studies openings of service encounters in food shops. Based on video data in Catalan, Swiss German, Finland Swedish and Finnish, it contributes to the general understanding of openings of face-to-face encounters by highlighting the systematic multimodal and sequential organization of sighting, gazing, greeting, walking and moving into the reason for the encounter. More specifically, the paper casts light on openings in institutional settings by investigating the methodic, coordinated achievement of entry into business and the contingencies involved. The paper shows how the availability of the salesperson is displayed for the customer and how s/he orients to it, rendering visible how 'service' is accountably offered and recognized.

Existing studies on doctor-client interactions have largely focused on monolingual encounters and the interactional effects and functions of the languages used in the communication between doctors and their clients. They have neither, to a large extent, examined the several codes employed in single encounters and their pragmatic roles nor given attention to communication at doctor-client first meetings in a bilingual or multilingual setting. This paper catalogues the generic structure of the interactions at first meetings in Nigerian hospitals and examines the pragmatic features and functions of the codes used by doctors and clients at the different units of the generic structure. Seventyfive audio recordings of doctor-client interactions were randomly made in selected state-government owned and private hospitals in Southwestern Nigeria in 2002, 2007 and 2009. Analysis of transcripts was based on theoretical aspects of code alternation, Levinson's notion of activity types and Sarangi's concept of discourse types. Four discourse stages characterise doctor-client interactions at first meetings in Nigerian hospitals: Opening, Diagnostic Interaction, Announcement and Closing. Two code selection types run through the generic structure of the interactions: non-strategic and strategic. Non-strategic choices are necessitated by cultural, institutional and linguistic routines. Strategic choices are characterised by context-shaping and context determined acts. Codes are selected at the non-strategic level to express phatic communion, indicate deference and display personal styles. At the strategic level, they are employed to accommodate dispreferred code choices, relax tension, flaunt competence, assure, save face, joke, reformulate and warn.

Sales talk is recognisable as a type of goal-oriented interaction with its specific structure, set of roles, and patterns of language use. In a multilingual society, sales talk between the sales person and the customer often displays alternation of languages by either party as the conversation proceeds. This study examined language choice and code-switching also known as language alternation, as communication resources in the sales talk by life insurance agents when talking to their clients, during the stage known as the "closing presentation". Through a self-report questionnaire, a followup interview, and a recorded conversation between an agent and a client, insurance agents' preferences regarding the language(s) they use in the closing presentation stage of the sales talk and the reasons why the language(s) are preferred were examined. The findings show that the life insurance agents' choice of language is dependent on factors such as the language used by the client, the specific insurance product being presented, and the perceived background of the client. Furthermore, examination of the actual conversation between an agent and a client found language alternation being used by agents for both building rapport and distancing, and signalling change in footing.

This paper studies openings of service encounters in food shops. Based on video data in Catalan, Swiss German, Finland Swedish and Finnish, it contributes to the general understanding of openings of face-to-face encounters by highlighting the systematic multimodal and sequential organization of sighting, gazing, greeting, walking and moving into the reason for the encounter. More specifically, the paper casts light on openings in institutional settings by investigating the methodic, coordinated achievement of entry into business and the contingencies involved. The paper shows how the availability of the salesperson is displayed for the customer and how s/he orients to it, rendering visible how ‘service’ is accountably offered and recognized.

Language choice and use maintain that speakers select a particular language in relation to a particular context and purpose. Based on Fishman’s (1972) domain analysis theory, this study investigates the language use and perception of frontline employees in the workplace by focusing on their spoken language to customers. A set of questionnaires was distributed to the frontline employees of four major rail transportation services in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. The respondents of the study comprised 106 frontline employees at ticketing counters and customer service information counters. Face–to-face interviews were also conducted on a sample of the respondents. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the survey data. The findings show that most of the respondents used both Malay and English in carrying out their daily work. The respondents also perceived that English and learning other languages are important in their daily job scope.

This study aimed at investigating the challenges class teachers face in the curriculum implementation and whether these challenges differ in relation to teachers' gender, level of education, department they graduated from and teaching experience. For this purpose; a questionnaire was developed by the researcher. Items of the questionnaire were selected from the related literature and validated by a group of expert in the field. A pilot study was conducted to assess the clarity of the questionnaire items. The internal reliability of the final version of questionnaire was calculated by using Cronbach's Alpha Formula and found be high (α=0.85). The participants of this research included 342 class teachers who were teaching 4th and 5th class in 57 different elementary schools in 2010-2011 academic years in Bingol and Diayrbakir cities. The results of the survey were considered by using SPSS packet program. In the analyzing of data obtained from this study, frequency, arithmetic average, t-test and variance analysis were used. From the obtained data, it was determined that the 4th and 5th class teachers encounter different problems in science and technology teaching program, especially in performance homework, sourcing and lesson time topics.

Code switching has become an emerging communication strategy in mixed couples’ conversation which influences the sequence, turn-taking and outcome of the conversation. This is crucial because the success and failure of couples’ conversation may create an impact in their relationship. Taking this issue into account, this paper analysed the occurrence of code switching in the conversation of Filipino-Malaysian
couples. Twelve (12) Filipino-Malaysian couples from Kuching and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia who were married for at least one year took part in the study. Twelve (12) conversations at home were recorded by the couples themselves. The study used Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) as its theoretical framework to analyse the occurrence of  language choice and code switching. CAT focuses on divergence and
convergence in communication between intelocutors and later expanded and applied to family communication including communication among the family members living in a multiligual society. The occurrence of language choice and code switching in the data was analysed using the Conversation Analysis (CA) approach. The findings reveal that Filipino-Malaysian couples’ use English most of the time in their conversations despite of their preference to code switch to Malay and Filipino in English dominated conversations. Moreover, it is evident in the interactions that they code switch to show politeness, solidarity and confirmation.

The study reported in this paper concentrates on the factors motivating code-switching within the social context of Malay-English bilingual speeches. Information for the survey was collected by means of transcribing different short video clips in Malay-English conversations. In the current study, the data were analysed within the sketch of Malik's framework [22] to find the social factors and social dimensions of code-switching parts. The finding of the study revealed that 'show identity' is the most frequent reason for motivating the speakers to switch languages. Information gained from the study will help provide insight on why Malaysian-English bilingual speakers use code-switching in their conversations.

Sales talk is recognisable as a type of goal-oriented interaction with its specific structure, set of roles, and patterns of language use. In a multilingual society, sales talk between the sales person and the customer often displays alternation of languages by either party as the conversation proceeds. This study examined language choice and code-switching also known as language alternation, as communication resources in the sales talk by life insurance agents when talking to their clients, during the stage known as the “closing presentation”. Through a self-report questionnaire, a follow-up interview, and a recorded conversation between an agent and a client,  insurance agents’ preferences regarding the language(s) they use in the closing presentation stage of the sales talk and the reasons why the language(s) are preferred were  examined. The findings show that the life insurance agents’ choice of language is dependent on factors such as the language used by the client, the specific insurance product being presented, and the perceived background of the client. Furthermore, examination of the actual conversation between an agent and a client found language alternation being used by agents for both building rapport and distancing, and signalling change in footing.

Language plays an important role in the communication activities of an organization. The choice of language used and how things are said influence, determine, and reflect the way language is perceived and how people view their relationship with their interactants. In the context of workplace communication in Malaysia, most Malaysians are bilinguals and thus, English and Bahasa Malaysia (BM) are used in the day-to-day communication.