Spec. Customer Management Strathclyde Business School, UK.
International Business, Rai Business School, New Delhi.
In this era of globalization, where growing importance in understanding the cultural differences and preferences of the people to maintain and develop long lasting relationships have become imperative. This study attempts to investigate the differences in the gift-giving behaviour among Chinese and British people. Cross cultural issues on the gift giving behaviour have been examined by researchers with a strong emphasis on gift-giving in the business context. No specific study comparing the Chinese and British culture could be found. Despite the large amount of general information on gift giving no literature was available on monetary gift giving comparing the differences between the Chinese and British culture. This paper also identifies a potential area of further research to understand cross cultural issues in sustaining effective CRM practices across cultures.
Being aware of the identified research gap a suitable research method was adapted. A short exploratory qualitative research in form of a focus group was conducted. Based on the findings from the literature review and the outcomes of the exploratory research a questionnaire was designed and a face-to-face survey was carried out.
