'Iconic' What does it mean? What is it being made to mean?

[mangerton]

depends on what your business is I guess ?

Good point. I'll be interested to read lat's view on this, in view of his comment #21. The Civil Service. I won't specify which part, but if I say that "we drive continuous improvement in everything we do", those interested can soon find out.

Oh, and we have "customers". Another word which has been sadly debased.

[ahinton]

Oh, and we have "customers". Another word which has been sadly debased.

Not so much debased as misunderstood, sometimes misused and, more often than either, seized upon as an opportunistic political football. Many on the Left dislike the use of the term in most cases other than where there could be no alternative because its use more often than not smacks of the kind of capitalistic thinking that they deplore. If a transaction occurs and a service is both provided and received, a customer is involved. Tony Benn used to be quite amusing on this; he deprecated how people who travel by rail are termed "cushtomersh" rather than "passhengersh" and went on to illustrate what he perceived as the ultimate example of bringing this practice to its natural absurdist conclusion by the description of prisoners as "cushtomersh". The problem with the rail traveller example is that the devil is in the detail that Tony Benn glossed over. Someone who purchases a ticket to tavel by train is a customer of the firm from whom it was bought, irrespective of whether or not that person uses the ticket to travel. Someone who uses a travel ticket to travel by train is a passenger, but only from the point at which he/she boards the train and it moves. If the person tgravelling on the ticket has also purchased it, he/she is both customer and passenger until the journey has concluded, but if someone else has purchased the ticket on their behalf, the purchaser is the customer and the traveller the passenger. You probably wish that you'd not mentioned this now!

[MrGongGong]

aaah yes but are you "striving for excellence " ??

In Scottish education they have a new "curriculum for excellence"
who could possibly be against that ?

I worked at a great school , (sorry it's a "Learning Community") a few years ago that was a new build PFI funded building with all the attendant slogans on the wall etc, (so as you walk in you get to read INDUSTRY, COMMUNICATION , COMMUNITY , etc etc ) the very experienced head of "expressive arts" had a good take on this
"You can't create a community by writing it on the wall !"

When I get the train i'm not a bleeding "customer" there's a perfectly good word for those who are transported by trains !

[ahinton]

When I get the train i'm not a bleeding "customer" there's a perfectly good word for those who are transported by trains !

There are surely several, entrepreneur (in the sense of risk-taker) presumably being one.

[vinteuil]

if I say that "we drive continuous improvement in everything we do", those interested can soon find out.

.

o my dear Mangerton - I am so impressed! Because you don't only have mission statement - you also have a way -

Our Way

•We understand our customers and their needs
•We make it easy for our customers to get things right
•We believe that most of our customers are honest and we treat everyone with respect
•We are passionate in helping those who need it and relentless in pursuing those who bend or break the rules
•We recognise that we have privileged access to information and we will protect it
•We behave professionally and with integrity
•We do our own jobs well and take pride in helping our colleagues to succeed
•We develop the skills and tools we need to do our jobs well
•We drive continuous improvement in everything we do.

[ahinton]

o my dear Mangerton - I am so impressed! Because you don't only have mission statement - you also have a way -

Our Way

•We understand our customers and their needs
•We make it easy for our customers to get things right
•We believe that most of our customers are honest and we treat everyone with respect
•We are passionate in helping those who need it and relentless in pursuing those who bend or break the rules
•We recognise that we have privileged access to information and we will protect it
•We behave professionally and with integrity
•We do our own jobs well and take pride in helping our colleagues to succeed
•We develop the skills and tools we need to do our jobs well
•We drive continuous improvement in everything we do.

Ah, yes - as in that well-worn cliché "I am the Way, the Truth, the Mission Statement"...

[MrGongGong]

it seems all a bit

"Arbeit macht frei"


to me

[vinteuil]

I won't specify which part, but if I say that "we drive continuous improvement in everything we do", those interested can soon find out.

The Foreign Office had as its Mission Statement - Better World - Better Britain.

Now who could argue with that? (Except that it is non-specific with reference to mother love and apple pies... )

One might also argue that a cleverer way forward might be - Better Britain - Better World

[ahinton]

it seems all a bit

"Arbeit macht frei"


to me

It does to me, too. Either that or it should perhaps be accepted that those who live by the mission statement die by the mission statement and that, in between, they seem only to be familiar with the missionary position.

[ahinton]

The Foreign Office had as its Mission Statement - Better Britain - Better World.

Now who could argue with that? (Except that it is non-specific with reference to mother love and apple pies... _

Mixed race immigrant mother and imported apples, of course...

[mangerton]

o my dear Mangerton - I am so impressed! Because you don't only have mission statement - you also have a way -

Our Way

•We understand our customers and their needs

Oh, I don't know what to say....


ahinton - I'm not really sorry I started this, because this "customer" thing annoys many of us at the sharp end, but our leaders have declared that it is so, and dissent is frowned upon. They appear to have taken Humpty Dumpty's correspondence course:

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'

[Ferretfancy]

I've always longed to be a gay icon, but nobody's interested.

[amateur51]

When icon is applied to many members of showbiz you can guarantee than money is at the root of it as in "I con the people".

In showbiz, the term 'icon' is oft-associated with the build-up line : "Ladeez and Gennelmayn .....The One - The Only ...." to which I find myself muttering "Thank Gawd!"

[amateur51]

I've always longed to be a gay icon, but nobody's interested.

Aaah Slack Alice and Her Marionettes?

I s'pose Quentin Crisp, Mr Crisp, qualifies ... " If at first you don't succeed .. maybe failure is your style?!"

[Serial_Apologist]

It does to me, too. Either that or it should perhaps be accepted that those who live by the mission satement die by the mission statement and that, in between, they seem only to be familiar with the missionary position.

You seem to be on top... form today, ahinton.