INTERNATIONAL PROJECTCase Western Reserve University, ClevelandJune 15 2009

A-team

Agenda

Resumé presentation last week What have we done last week? Deductive research Inductive research Lessons learned/ personal experience

But first…our week in a nutshell

Resumé last monday

What is the influence of national culture on the process of complaint handling within the hotels of the Intercontinental Hotel

Group in Cleveland?

What are the characteristics of national culture? How is the process of complaint handling organized?

Resumé Research

Research topic Organization A-team Main conclusions Questions

What have we done last Week?

National culture

Process of complaint handling

Influence of national culture on the proces of complaint handling

Obtain data

Inductive Deductive

Observations

InterviewsIntercontinental

InterviewsIntercontinental

Questionnaires Fire department

QuestionnairesIntercontinental

none

Deductive research

Conclusions

Deductive research

Quality of process guidelines for complaint handling

Quality of behavioral guidelines for complaint handling

Quality of outcome guidelinesfor complaint handling

Supportiveness of internal environment with respect to

complaint handling

Process Complaint handling(C.Homburg & A Fürst)

Mechanistic Approach to complaint handling

Organic Approachto complaint handling

Conceptual Framework

Dimensions of culture(Hofstede)

Uncertainty avoidance

Masculinity

Power distance

Individualism

Indulgence versus Restraint

Long Term Orientation

Monumentalism

CultureProcess

Complaint handling

P 1.

P 2.

P 3.

P 4.

Deductive research

Proposition 4: A culture, which is more

characterized by power distance, will lead to less

quality of outcome guidelines for complaint handling.

Hypothesis 4.1: Based on the research of Hofstede (1991) we

expect that there will be more power distance in the U.S.A. than in

The Netherlands.

Hypothesis 4.2: The quality of outcome guidelines for complaint handling will be lower in the U.S.A. than in The Netherlands.

Deductive research

Deductive research

Collecting data Questionnaires Culture USA

Fire Department Number of respondents(N)

FD 1 15

FD 4 8

FD 20 16

FD 21 4

Total 43

Deductive research

Collecting data Questionnaires process of complaint handling

Intercontinental Conference Hotel

Number of respondents(N)

33

Deductive research

Checking data

Internal Validity -> Cronbach Alpha Normal

Distribution -> a)Skewness and Kurtosis;b) Kolmogorov-Smirnov;c) Shapiro-Wilk.

Deductive research

Processing data

Independent Sample T Test

Calculate means

Execute Levene’s Test Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed

Compare means for significant differences

Deductive research

Hypothesis testing/Conclusions

Propositions/ Hypotheses A=Accepted

R=Rejected

Power Distance – Quality of Outcome guidelines

P 4. A culture, which is more characterized by power distance, will lead to

less quality of outcome guidelines for complaint handling.

Cannot be

Judged as

N<30

H 4.1. Based on the research of Hofstede (1991) we expect that there will

be more power distance in the U.S.A. than in The Netherlands.

R

H 4.2 .The quality of outcome guidelines for complaint handling will be lower

in the U.S.A. than in The Netherlands.

A

Inductive research

Inductive research

Obtain data Observations

Where? Why? How? Stories

Interviews Who? Why? Thick descriptions

Inductive Research

Reflection on methodology Participative observations

Choice people and locations Discovering culture

Inductive Research

Reflection on methodology Interviews

Purposive sampling Differences with research Netherlands Search for the influence of national culture on the process of

complaint handling

Inductive Research

Results Topics we have found:

Empowerment Being nice Open Curiosity Education

Inductive Research: lessons learned