do this manager's must be able to think globally. Percy Barnevik of ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd comments: "Global managers are not born-they must be developed" (p. 40). Developing managers in global thinkers has to start with understanding of the differences between U.S. and the international culture. For example, several months ago a potential client came to town and of course we wanted to leave an impressionable opinion by having lunch at the new Japanese restaurant that everyone in town raved about. The meeting with the client was extremely successful but she was a little uncomfortable with the waiter standing beside our table throughout the entire lunch just in case we required any additional service. Noticing the client's apprehension towards discussing details of her business, I pulled the waiter to the side and asked if would simply check back every fifteen minutes or so to see if we needed anything. That is when the waiter informed me that it was customary for him to stand by our table and wait otherwise it is considered very poor service. This little incident would not have broken our deal, but it does give strong indications of how the Japanese view customer service as compared to the U.S. OshKosh B'Gosh, Inc. CEO Douglas Hyde's view on customer service: "We have always treated our customer service as an extension of our commitment to value and quality. At OshKosh B'Gosh we believe that "the customer is always right," and we implement this philosophy in all customer service issues, including any and all complaints from customers" (p. 307)."Customer service is the guts of the business" as Chris Braccia the Vice President of Marketing at First County bank would say. Businesses thrive off customer satisfaction, a satisfied customer means a returning customer. A majority of a corporation's time and money is used appeasing and researching customers likes and dislikes. CEO's of the top corporations feel customer service s...
