Title: Comparing culture, quality management, and CRM systems: a study of managers in the US and mainland China

Authors: Sandra J. Hartman, Lillian Y. Fok, Jing Li, Wing Fok

Addresses: University of New Orleans, Department of Management, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA. ' University of New Orleans, Department of Management, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA. ' Department of Management, Loyola University, New Orleans 6363, St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans 70118, USA. ' Department of Management, Loyola University, New Orleans 6363, St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans 70118, USA

Abstract: Our concern in this paper is with the extent to which cultural differences may affect the way in which organisations respond to changes in the workplace, and we examine Mainland China and the USA. We consider whether there are differences as well as consistencies in the perceptions of managers from the two countries in their experiences with QM Maturity, extent of use and effectiveness of their Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRM), their organisations| cultures, and organisational outcomes. In both the US and China, as managers report that their organisations are becoming more QM Mature, we examine whether they will also report changes in related systems, such as CRM and the organisational culture. We provide results from a sample of managers from China and the US, which give evidence of support for these ideas, and we offer suggestions for future research.

Keywords: cross cultural management; customer relationship management; CRM; organisational culture; organisational outcome; quality management; USA; United States; China;cultural differences.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMDM.2006.010743

International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 2006 Vol.7 No.5, pp.508 - 524

Published online: 28 Aug 2006 *

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