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Pretending and Dissembling: The Act of Service

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The Service Providers

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Abstract

The chapter introduces the notion that service involves many elements found in the theater. Typically, service providers are encouraged by their organization to present a performance to the customers, who generally accept and approve of the artificial nature of the service situation. In the dramaturgical context, the service interaction is analyzed in terms of roles, with the service provider as an actor and the customer as audience. The norms underlying the development of the service process, which mold the parties’ expectations and behaviors, are discussed in terms of the service script. The physical environment in which the interaction takes place is viewed as a theater set, meant to stimulate desired emotions and behaviors on the part of the audience.

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  1. Dana Yagil
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© 2008 Dana Yagil

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Yagil, D. (2008). Pretending and Dissembling: The Act of Service. In: The Service Providers. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230582675_2

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