Dear Sir / Madam ,
This text refers to items 1 through 4.
Broken windows, broken business
The book Broken Windows, Broken Business, by 1
Michael Levine, was inspired by an article entitled Broken
Windows, by criminologists James Q. Wilson and George L.
Kelling in the March, 1982 issue of Atlantic Monthly. Wilson 4
and Kelling suggested that when laws against minor crimes,
such as graffiti and turnstile
1
jumping, are enforced, and broken
windows are promptly repaired, major crime rates will decline. 7
When Rudolph Giuliani became mayor of New York
City in 1994, he worked with police commissioner William
Bratton to implement a "zero tolerance" broken windows 10
policy. Graffiti was promptly cleaned up on subway cars.
Turnstile jumping wasn't tolerated. Laws against petty crimes
were enforced. Those guys who'd take advantage of traffic jams 13
or red lights to jump in front of cars with a squeegee
2
, quickly
cleaning the wind****eld and begging for money were arrested
on the grounds of jaywalking
3
! A good many of them were 16
carrying weapons. Over the following few years, the number of
murders, assaults, robberies and other violent crimes went down
dramatically. It was made clear that the good guys would be in 19
charge there, not wrongdoers.
Levine says the same principle applies to businesses.
Business owners and their employees must become fanatics in 22
attending to the details of presenting outstanding customer
service and in the image presented by the business to inspire
customer confidence and loyalty. The broken windows theory 25
is all about the unmistakable power of perception, about what
people see and the conclusions they draw from it. In business,
perception is even more critical. The way a customer 28
(or potential customer) perceives your business is a crucial
element in your success or failure. Make one mistake, have one
rude employee, let that customer walk away with a negative 31
experience one time , and you are inviting disaster. Small things
make a huge difference in business. The messy condiment area
at a fast food restaurant may lead consumers to believe the 34
company as a whole doesn't care about cleanliness,
and therefore the food itself might be in question. Indifferent
help at the counter in an upscale clothing store -- even if just 37
one clerk -- can signal to the consumer that perhaps standards
here aren't as high as they might be (or used to be). An
employee at the gas station who wears a T-****rt with an 40
offensive slogan can certainly cause some customers to switch
brands of gasoline and lose an enormous company those
customers for life. 43
Mystery shoppers should be regularly employed to
learn whether customers are having a positive experience
dealing with a company. Candidates for mystery shoppers to 46
recruit include customers who already complain about their
experiences with the company.
It is critical that the right kind of people (those who 49
enjoy dealing with people) be hired for customer contact
positions. Employees exhibiting an attitude of "a smile isn't in
my job description" must be told that a smile certainly is 52
required, and to find other employment if they can't fulfill the
required behavior.
The worst business scenario is "broken window 55
hubris
4
". Examples are Kmart and Enron. A company suffers
from broken window hubris when management thinks the
business is so successful that it's no longer im****tant to please 58
customers.
Internet: <www.profitadvisors.com> (adapted).
1
turnstile - a narrow gate at the entrance of something, with metal
bars that
move in a circle so that only one person at a time can go through.
2
squeegee - an object used for cleaning windows, consisting of a short
handle
with a rubber blade.
3
jaywalking - a dangerous or illegal way of crossing a street at a
place where
cars do not usually stop.
4
hubris - a very proud way of talking or behaving that offends people.
It can be inferred from the text that
1 ) some people were used to riding free in subways in New
York.
This sentence is :
a) only correct
b) only wrong
c) can be correct or can be wrong
d) it is not correct and it is not wrong
2 )an obvious lack of a dressing code can turn customers away
from a business.
This sentence is :
a) only correct
b) only wrong
c) can be correct or can be wrong
d) it is not correct and it is not wrong
3 ) time and money spent training employees on how to deal
with people really pays off.
This sentence is :
a) only correct
b) only wrong
c) can be correct or can be wrong
d) it is not correct and it is not wrong
4 )some broken windows mentioned for New York do not differ
much from those in Brazil.
This sentence is :
a) only correct
b) only wrong
c) can be correct or can be wrong
d) it is not correct and it is not wrong
Thank you very much for your help.
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