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Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

In this study positive politeness and the creation of solidarity were examined. In the article "Friendly but Strangers: Self Disclosure and the Creation of Solidarity at Service Encounters in America" author Risako Ide (1997) described the discursive methods that she observed to create solidarity between servers and customers in service encounters. The discourse of beer cart service encounters was studied to determine if solidarity was created through similar methods.

The study was ethnographic as subjects were observed in their own environment. The data was collected at a golf course where golfers were served beverages from a cart. Service encounters between the server and the customers were tape recorded by the server, Meghan Koch. An hour of service on the beer cart was recorded and 6 encounters were transcribed for a total time of 7 .6 minutes. Service encounters were selected because of their length and clarity.

It was found that the methods observed to create solidarity in beer cart service encounters were similar to the methods Ide observed in her study. Additional examples of positive politeness were observed in beverage cart service encounters. Furthermore, the studies differed when it came to the actions of the server and the customer.

In conclusion, the practice of creating solidarity through various methods is common in service encounters. Service encounters on the beer cart appear to be similar to more common types of service encounters in America. However, they present a unique customer/server interaction that is worth examining further.

Publication Date

2002

Journal Title

Conference Proceedings: Undergraduate Social Science Research Conference

Volume

6

Issue

1

First Page

121

Last Page

128

Copyright

©2002 by the University of Northern Iowa

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Publisher

University of Northern Iowa

City

Cedar Falls, IA

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