تاثیر فعالیت های بازاریابی بر کیفیت رابطه در بخش بانکی مالزی

ABSTRACT Impact of marketing activities on relationship quality in the Malaysian banking sector

Fierce competition among commercial banks has meant that even the most innovative products and services are duplicated by rivals, thus denying banks the opportunity to maintain sustainable competitive advantage (Gordon et al., 2008).The commercial banking environment in Malaysia is no different. According to Bank Negara Malaysia (Central Bank of Malaysia) there are 23 licensed commercial banks in the country (http:/www.bnm.gov. my).Of these banks, ten are Malaysian-controlled institutions, and thirteen are foreign-controlled institutions. These banks offer almost identical (standardized) products and services to their clients. Competition among these banks is fierce to the extent that innovative products and services have very short life cycle, as they are often copied by rival banks (http:/www.mifc.com). Attempts have been made by some of these banks to go beyond the core bank product and service by concentrating on what is called relationship marketing.However, with the proliferation of internet expansion and computer usage, Malaysian banks have been concentrating on the provision of e-banking services to clients. Although this trend is in harmony with knowledge economy, it is believed that obsession with e-banking by Malaysian banks is done at the expense of client-oriented traditional banking, as e-banking widens the gap between service providers and clients, thus resulting in much weaker relationship marketing (Al-alak and Alnawas, 2010).As e-banking services are getting standardized already,banks have to think of ways and means of enhancing their relationships with clients through innovative relational marketing activities as opposed to transactional marketing activities.

Since Berry (1983) introduced the concept of relationship marketing, many scholars and researchers (e.g. Gronroos, 1990, 1994; Gordon et al., 2008; Palmatier et al., 2009) have theorized and empirically tested the underlying principles of relationship marketing theory. Building a profitable and sustainable long term relationship with customers (de Wulf et al., 2001), increasing customers retention, developing and maintaining trust and commitment between sellers and customers (Gaur and Xu, 2009), achieving more customers satisfaction and high customers loyalty (Gaurav, 2008), cost reduction due to the better understanding of customers needs (Ndubisi, 2004),and expanding use of loyalty marketing programs to build long-term profitable relationships with customers that lead to growth(Ferguson and Hlavinka, 2007) are central to the relationship marketing theory. The application of relationship marketing theory has even extended into financial services, due to the deregulation policy (Yavas and Yasin, 2001), the removal of restrictions between banks, building societies and insurance companies (Speed and Smith, 1992), and the vast expansion in the adoption and use of information technologies (Bergeron et al., 2008). Yet, voices have been raised against overindulgence in IT-based relationship marketing programs as these programs may jeopardize the essence of relationship marketing-i.e. the personal, face-to-face service encounters between providers and clients that are believed to generate client satisfaction(Eisingerich and Bell, 2006). Furthermore, the state of maturity experienced by the banking sector coupled with the inability of the majority of commercial banks to differentiate their offerings have driven banks to pursue relational marketing strategies as opposed to the traditional transactional strategies (Jham and Khan, 2008).This paradigm shift from transactional strategies to relational strategies has obliged the banks to invest in relationship marketing strategies (Claik and Balta, 2006). As far as e-banking is concerned, banks have been keen to investigate the determinants of users’ adoption momentum of e-banking in order to formulate appropriate strategies aimed at meeting the needs and wants of e-banking users and achieving better levels of customer satisfaction and higher loyalty(Poon, 2008).

Therefore, the primary purpose of this paper is to examine the marketing actions (antecedents) affecting relationship quality between Malaysian commercial banks employees and their clients, and the performances (consequences) influenced by relationship quality. It is expected that the higher the bank’s relationship marketing efforts such as client orientation, relational orientation, mutual disclosure, and financial service providers’ attributes, the higher the relationship quality between financial service providers and clients. As the relationship quality increases, it is likely to have a significant influence on the clients’ behavior demonstrated through increased relationship continuity, and word of mouth. However, it is important to note that although the majority of studies attempt to establish a relationship between “higher relationship quality” and” increased relationship continuity” there are other factors that could influence the duration of the relationship. The existence of “behavioural loyalty” or so-called “spurious loyalty is also documented in the financial services literature and as such needs to be addressed too.

This research makes an important contribution to the literature on bank marketing since it is the only study to extend application of relationship quality to the banking context in Malaysia. The current study also contributes to the banking literature as it provides certain managerial implications. The study’s results and recommendations may help management gain a better understanding of factors that contribute to the enhancement of mutually beneficial banking relationship marketing. This may in turn aid in the process of decision –making and strategy formulation.