Case

Part 1

“Good morning, Fionna.”
. . .
“Sorry, dear.  I didn’t mean to wake you up.  I thought you would be up by now.”
. . .
“It’s about 23.30 here.”
. . .
“Yes, I’m doing well, dear.  I feel a lot better now that I’ve been on the ground here in the States for a little more than a day.  I had a good rest and a pleasant walk about town today.  Salt Lake City is a really different kind of place.  There are Alp-like mountains right at the edge of the city.  You won’t believe how wide the streets are here in the centre—wide as the M4 near Slough.  And the pelican crossings have signals that chirp like birds when it is time to cross the street.  It’s really brilliant.  Oh, by the way, you won’t believe what I had for dinner a few hours ago.  It was called an “Early Bird Special,” but it didn’t involve fowl.  You get an extra good value for your money if you order your set meal before a certain time—7 p.m., I think.”
. . .
“Yes, dear, I know that it is quite an early hour to dine, but you won’t believe what you get for your money here.  It’s absolutely smashing.  For less than $15 American—that’s less than 10 quid, dear—I got a huge bowl of white clam chowder, all the bread and butter I could eat, a huge cut of prime rib that would feed a family of four in England, a large jacket potato with sour cream and chives, a big bowl full of ice cream with a biscuit on top, and all of the coffee I could drink.  The meat alone would cost far more than that at home, and then it would only be a small fraction of what I got.  And then you’d have to pay separately for all of the add-ons.  It was an absolute feast, dear, and jolly good as well.  And the service was quick—almost too quick.  I hadn’t quite finished my starter when the prime rib arrived.  As I took my last bite of meat, the pudding arrived.  Several minutes later the coffee was served.  It was so efficient, so American—just like clockwork.  They really know how to provide fast, friendly food service here.  I was treated like I was a bloody peer, Fionna.  Every time I took a sip from my glass or cup, the waiter refilled it.  Before I had drunk my first cup of coffee, the bill arrived.”
. . .
“Well, dear, you are right. I did feel a little uncomfortable with the fast pace of it all—and all of the good food.  I’m just not used to all of that.  I’m not used to spending less than three hours for an evening meal out, and I did feel like I was being rushed a bit—especially with such a big meal that I wanted to savour.  All of the courses took less than an hour, which wouldn’t get you past the starter at a proper restaurant back home.  The ubiquitous air conditioning blew like a North Sea gale.  Had you been here, Fionna, you would absolutely have frozen.  You’d have had to wear a wool jumper just to keep your teeth from chattering.  It was that cold in the restaurant.”
. . .
“Yes, dear, this conversation, pleasant as it is, is costing a lot of pounds.  I’ll ring you up again tomorrow about the same time for what I promise will be a brief reporting.  I’m looking forward to meeting with Robin Jefferson tomorrow morning, a gentleman with whom I’ve exchanged a few faxes.  Give my love to Nichola and Sebastian.  Cheers for now, Luv.”

Part 2

“Pardon me.  Would you please be so kind as to direct me to this address:  136 South Main Street.  I think it is somewhere near here.”
 
“You’re from England, aren’t you?  You sound just like Richard Bucket on “Keeping Up Appearances”—you know, Hyacinth “Bouquet’s” husband.  Yes, of course.  That address is just around the corner and down about half a block on the right side.  Go to the corner, turn right, cross the street, and keep walking until you get to 136 South Main.  If memory serves me well, it’s the Kearns Building.  You can’t miss it.  It has a marble foyer with Oriental carpets.  They just don’t build them or furnish them like that any more.”
 
“Thanks.  Thank you very much for your kind assistance, sir.  As a visitor from across the pond, I appreciate your help very much indeed,” Neville Beeby replied.
 
Within two minutes’ walk he arrived at the address and entered the building.  “This is odd,” he thought to himself.  “There’s no reception desk in this posh office building—and no visible security officer.”  As he walked farther, he saw a bank of lifts.  Just beyond the lifts was an elegant marble stairway.  Since he was nearly ten minutes early for his appointment and since he had feasted like nobility the night before, Mr. Beeby decided to walk up the stairs to the fourth floor, where Robin Jefferson had informed him the office was located.  Four floors later by Mr. Beeby’s count, he exited the stairs and started looking for a door with Mr. Jefferson’s name on it.  Much to his surprise, he could find no such door.  “That’s odd,” he muttered to himself.  “I can count to four, and I’m absolutely certain I walked up four floors.”  After searching unsuccessfully for several minutes for the desired office, Mr. Beeby decided that he had better ask someone for assistance.  He knocked on the closest door and then cautiously entered. 
 
A young lady looked up from her computer and asked what he wanted.  Sorry to have disturbed her, Mr. Beeby sheepishly asked for directions to Mr. Robin Jefferson’s office, which was supposed to be on the fourth floor.  The young lady smirked and replied, “You are on the fifth floor.  The fourth floor is the one just below us.  But I don’t think you’ll find a Mr. Jefferson there unless you know something that I don’t know—or unless she has had a sex-change operation since I last saw her.  Robin Jefferson is a lady, a real lady, unless I’m badly mistaken.”
 
“Ah,” gasped a flabbergasted Neville Beeby.  “I—I had no idea.  All of the Robins I know are males.  It’s a common masculine name back home.”  Humiliated by his embarrassing errors and rapidly turning beet red in the face, Mr. Beeby dropped his head and looked down. 
 
“Don’t worry about it.  We all make mistakes.  It’s no big deal.  Mum’s the word,” the young lady responded.
 
“Th--thank you for telling me about Robin.  And thank you for telling me where I can find him—I mean her.  Thank you very much for your kind assistance.”  With that, Neville Beeby backed out of the office and into the hallway, where he tried to regain his composure.

Part 3 
Looking down at his watch, Neville Beeby realized that it was time for his appointment with Robin Jefferson.  Quickly he descended one floor and soon found the appropriate office.  He knocked on the door and walked into the office, which looked somewhat like one of the futuristic models he had seen at this year’s office products show at Olympia.  His jaw dropped in awe, not realizing that real people ever had offices like that.  Everything looked so new, so modern, so shipshape and Bristol fashion.
 
“May I help you?” inquired the receptionist.
 
“Neville Beeby here to see Robin Jefferson.  I have an appointment scheduled at half 10.”
 
“Ms. Jefferson is running a little late this morning.  She should be available to meet with you in about ten minutes.  Please be seated.  There are magazines and today’s Wall Street Journal on the table in the corner.  Make yourself at home.  I’ll tell her you are here.”  Instantly, the receptionist vanished down a hallway.
 
Neville Beeby sat down in one of the red leather chairs next to the table and picked up
a magazine to read.  He glanced up and admired the original artwork hanging on the walls.  He thought to himself, “A coffee would be lovely now.  I wonder if Americans are so civilised as to offer the customary cup to their guests?  Surely they must be; after all, they seem to do almost everything right.”
 
Several minutes later the smartly dressed receptionist returned but without the anticipated cup of coffee and biscuit.  “It shouldn’t be too much longer,” said the receptionist.
 
“Excellent.  I’m really looking forward to that cup of coffee,” replied Mr. Beeby enthusiastically.
 
“What cup of coffee?  I don’t understand.  Did I miss something?”
 
“The cup of coffee you just said was almost ready.”
 
“Oh—yes, the cup of coffee,” the puzzled receptionist replied.  “You would like a cup of coffee.  Would you like one with or without cream?”
 
“If it isn’t too much bother, I would actually prefer milk, please.  Thank you, thank you very much indeed.”
 
Trying to act as if nothing were out of the ordinary, the receptionist excused herself and quickly exited the waiting area through the front door.  Mr. Beeby resumed reading the magazine he had temporarily put aside.  Several minutes later the receptionist returned, carrying a large cup of coffee from McDonald’s.  “Here you are, your coffee just as you requested it.”
 
“Er—I—er—there must be some misunderstanding here.  Sorry.  It was not my intention that you leave the office and buy me a cup of coffee.  I thought that when you went down the hallway a few minutes ago, you found that the office coffee was not quite ready but that it would be ready soon.  I am dreadfully sorry that I inadvertently imposed on you.  It is clearly my fault, my misunderstanding.  I’m used to being offered a coffee in every office I visit.  I do apologize for assuming that it would be the same here.  Let me pay you for the coffee.  I insist that I pay for it,” a deeply embarrassed Neville Beeby responded.
 
“It’s not a problem.  It is part of my job to fulfill all reasonable requests from company guests.  Providing coffee is doable.  Otherwise, I wouldn’t be very accommodating, would I?  Enjoy your cup of coffee.  It’s on the company account, Mr. Beeby.”
 
“Thank you, thank you very much.  You Americans are so understanding—so helpful.  I guess this just reinforces Oscar Wilde’s quip that Britons and Americans are separated by a common language—English.  Obviously, the language and other differences between us are much greater than I thought they were.  I’ve learned a valuable lesson from this miscommunication and from several others so far this trip.”
 
“I think I hear Ms. Jefferson’s previous appointment leaving.  I can hear voices down the hallway.  It won’t be long before you can see Ms. Jefferson.  This has been enlightening for me, too, Mr. Beeby.  I really ought to learn much more about your way of doing things.”
 

Teaching notes

Background

Traveling to another country requires that people be both linguistically and culturally fluent if they want to avoid committing faux pas.  Sometimes the differences between two cultures that share a language are much greater than is initially thought.  Americans and Britons can find themselves separated by their shared language, English, and by the fundamentally different beliefs, values, and assumptions that shape their mainstream cultures and business subcultures.
 
 
Objectives
Participants should learn that:

• Successfully crossing cultural boundaries can be challenging even if both cultures use the same core language.
• The American and British cultures and subcultures are fundamentally different in terms of many of their beliefs, values, and assumptions.
• American English and British English are sometimes different in terms of such factors as spelling, pronunciation, and word meaning.

Basic Preparation
 Approximately 30 to 60 minutes of class time will be required to discuss the case problem and to participate in the related role play.  Additional time outside of class—perhaps two to four hours—will be required for the coordinated follow-up activities depending on the extent of the library and interview work.

Instruction

1. Review concepts about cultural differences and needing to bridge the cultural gap.
2. Distribute “Welcome to Salt Lake City” and ask each participant to read all three parts.
3. Discuss the following matters relating to Part 1:
   1. What differences in the fundamental beliefs, values, and assumptions of Britons and Americans are implicit in the telephone conversation between Neville Beeby and his wife Fionna?
   2. What expressions used by Neville Beeby are not part of standard American English?
   3. Using library and people resources, find out the meanings of the British English expressions that Neville Beeby used when talking to his wife.

   
   

4. Discuss the following matters relating to Part 2:
1. Why do you think that the American on the street responded positively toward Neville Beeby?
2. How do you think typical Americans would react to Neville Beeby’s expressions of thanks?  Why?
3. Why do you think that Neville Beeby had difficulty in finding the office of Robin Jefferson?
4. How do Britons typically count floors in buildings?
5. What caused Neville Beeby to erroneously think that Robin Jefferson was a man?
6. Why do you think that Neville Beeby was more concerned about the errors he made than the computer operator was?

5.   Discuss the following matters relating to Part 3:

1. What are some of the basic differences in the perceptions of Britons and Americans regarding office buildings and offices?
2. What type of office hospitality did Neville Beeby expect to find at Robin Jefferson’s office?  Why?
3. To what extent did the receptionist at Robin Jefferson’s office contribute to the misunderstanding regarding the coffee?  What might the receptionist have done differently to avoid any possible confusion?
4. Although he didn’t state it, why do you think that Neville Beeby might have been disappointed with the cup of coffee that the receptionist provided?
5. Based on his first 48 hours in the United States, what important lessons do you think Neville Beeby has learned?  Why?
6. How might Neville Beeby learn more about the language and culture of the United States? the receptionist, the United Kingdom?
7. What advice would you offer to Neville Beeby to reduce the likelihood of his making embarrassing faux pas during his meeting with Robin Jefferson?
6. Select one male and one female to role play the first five minutes of the meeting  between Neville Beeby and Robin Jefferson, during which they exchange pleasantries and begin to develop rapport prior to discussing business matters.
   1. How did each of the role play participants feel as he or she assumed the assigned cultural identity?
   2. How well did each of the role play participants reflect the assigned cultural identify?
   3. Why was the depiction authentic or nonauthentic?
   4. What developments during the role play were unexpected, and how well did the participants respond?
   5. If you were to participate in the role play, how would your performance be like and unlike the performance of the participant of your gender?  Why?         
   6. What did you learn from this role playing experience?  Why

Follow-up
Using library and people resources, identify a number of the fundamental differences between (a) the general American and British cultures, (b) the American and British business subcultures, and (c) American English and British English.