Full Description
This book presents an innovative institutional transpositional ethnography that examines the textual trajectory of "the life of a calling script" from production by corporate management and clients to recontextualization by middle management and finally to application by agents in phone interactions. Drawing on an extensive original research it provides a behind-the-scenes view of a multilingual call center in London and critiques the archetypal modern workplace practices including extensive use of monitoring and standardization and use of low-skilled precariat labor. In doing so, it offers fresh perspectives on contemporary debates about resistance, agency, and compliance in globalized workplaces. This study will provide a valuable resource to students and scholars of management studies, communication, sociolinguistics, and linguistic anthropology.
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Getting to know Callcentral: a first encounter.- Chapter 3: The first stage of the script's career: production of "the master script".- Chapter 4: The second stage in the script's career: adaptation of the master script.- Chapter 5: The final stage of the script's career: enactment and use of the master script.- Chapter 6: Standardization and agency intertwined.
