On 04/02/2012 12:06, Hans-Joachim Zierke wrote:
Arthur Figgis schrieb:


Britain isn't entirely full of red phone boxes, Routemaster buses and
people drinking tea with the Queen, but a significant number of
outsiders seem to think it is.


In this case, stereotypes are very convenient: If managers of British
transport companies operate at higher cost, it's not their lazyness
or incompetence, or their inability to understand, why it works in
Germany and doesn't in Britain - it's the national character of the
British, which requires operating at a higher cost level! And thus, it's
not the manager's fault!

But how often does anyone suggest British transport company managers are
*not* incompetent, etc? People have hated railway management and assumed
they are evil since, well, forever.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK