Christopher M. Bull

Strategic issues in customer relationship management (CRM) implementation

The number of customer relationship management (CRM) implementations has grown dramatically in recent years. However, few academic studies of the issues associated with the implementation of the concept are available. This paper offers a modest contribution through the analysis of a case study of a CRM implementation at a UK‐based manufacturing company. The case study illustrates that CRM is a complex and holistic concept, organised around business processes and the integration of information technologies. The study also highlights that implementing CRM requires effective leadership, sourcing, targeting and evaluation strategies.

Virtue Ethics and Customer Relationship Management: Towards a More Holistic Approach for the Development of Best Practice

This paper focuses much-needed attention on the ethical nature of customer relationship management (CRM) strategies in organisations. The research uses an in-depth case study to reflect on the design, implementation and use of ‘best practice’ associated with CRM. We argue that conventional CRM philosophy is based on a fairly narrow construct that fails to consider ethical issues appropriately. We highlight why ethical considerations are important when organisations use CRM and how a more holistic approach incorporating some of Alasdair MacIntyres ideas on virtue ethics could be relevant.

Case study: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, intermediation and disintermediation: The case of INSG

Whilst our knowledge of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems continues to evolve, there is still much to learn. This paper offers some relatively rare insights on the use of CRM systems and the strategic impact on the processes of intermediation and disintermediation in order to improve customer service. This research was conducted from April 2007 to 2008 using an interpretative case study approach. The case involved working with a leading international insurance company (given the pseudonym of INSG) and some of their intermediary customer service agents. The research highlights some design characteristics and philosophical insights regarding CRM system approaches and also offers some useful practical insights on the impact of CRM in changes to the deployment of some intermediaries, leading to a process of disintermediation, in order to improve customer service. In summary, some theoretical and practical implications are highlighted and discussed.

Customer relationship management information systems (CRM‐IS) and the realisation of moral agency

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the design of characteristics and use of practices incorporated in customer relationship management information systems (CRM‐IS) impact on the expression and realisation of moral agency within organisations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on the findings from an in‐depth UK case study of a CRM‐IS implementation.Findings – The paper finds that some characteristics and practices within CRM‐IS can restrict the expression and realisation of moral agency in organisational life, resulting in a number of problems. For a greater consideration of MacIntyres virtue ethics approach in order to respond to such challenges is argued.Originality/value – The paper offers a relatively rare insight into the significance of the ethical issues arising from the organisational use of CRM‐IS and strategies. The paper should be of interest to managers, computer professionals and academics.

Ethics in the design and use of ‘best practice’ incorporated in enterprise information systems

This paper deploys case study research to examine the ethical issues arising from the design and use of “best practice” incorporated in enterprise packaged software, specifically a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. CRM like other Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) e.g. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) are global phenomena, increasingly influencing the strategic direction of a diverse range of organisations. Whilst the research on EIS continues to grow in a number of specific areas, there have been relatively few studies to examine the ethical issues associated with the design and use of such Information Systems (IS). This research reflects on MacIntyre’s ideas in virtue ethics (MacIntyre A. After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory (2/e). 1985: Duckworth, London), particularly his notion of “practice” to assess how such issues affect individuals in organisational life? For the purposes of scope we restrict our focus to the ethical issues arising from changes in task allocation and autonomy, and some of the associated issues in performance setting, monitoring and surveillance.