A comparative study on cultural differences and quality practices – Korea, USA, Mexico, and Taiwan

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This paper seeks to present an international comparative study on cultural differences and quality practices of four countries -Korea, USA, Mexico, and Taiwan. The paper aims to present a model, which depicts the relationships among cultures (i.e. power distance and collectivism), employee empowerment, and quality results (i.e. internal and external quality results). Design/methodology/approach -An analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a discriminant analysis were employed to test hypotheses following the research model. Using reliable and valid instruments, data from four countries were collected on employee empowerment, and internal and external quality results to test the hypotheses. Findings -The results suggest that collectivistic cultures, not power distance cultures, make a significant difference in employee empowerment, employee empowerment plays an important role in enhancing quality results in the four countries, and successful employee empowerment practices are not uniform across countries. Originality/value -This paper makes a contribution to revealing the relationships among cultures, employee empowerment, and quality practices at the international level of study and to evoking managerial insights to multinational firms.

Quality management: a cross‐cultural perspective

“…Similarly Lagrosen (2002) shows how quality management assumes different connotations across different countries with power distance and uncertainty avoidance playing an important role on how quality is pursued. Additionally, further evidence proves that masculinity plays a crucial role in determining the overall quality strategy where masculine countries seem to focus more on the internal operations and feminine countries displaying more a customer focus (Kyoon Yoo et al , 2005).…”

“…In contrast, feminine countries tend to devote more resources to external quality rather than to inspection. This difference might reflect the different foci that the different cultures possess: masculine countries focussing more on the internal operations and feminine countries displaying more a customer focus (Kyoon Yoo et al , 2005). Second, as for engagement in action programs, feminine countries plan to use more extensively equipment productivity programs and continuous improvement programs as well as having a higher level of deployment of environmental improvement programs.…”

Coping strategies in response to peer victimization: Comparing adolescents in the United States and Korea

“…Like Taiwan, South Korea is more collectivistic compared to the United States, which is more individualistic (Pelham et al., 2022; Yoo et al., 2006). Collectivistic characteristics are found in peer victimization in South Korea as well.…”

Implementation of service systems on the shop-floor level in financial service companies. Empirical evidence from Australia and Germany

“…Cultural differences are especially relevant in practices regarding employee empowerment (e.g. quality practices;Yoo, Rao, and Hong 2006), which is the case for shop-floor control. Managers have to deal regularly with decisions affecting the work behaviour of their subordinates.…”