Modelling satisfaction-commitment relationship in developing country context

Abstract

Purpose– Considering the significance of customer satisfaction and commitment in the competitive banking industry of developing countries, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the alternative relationships of satisfaction with various types of commitment, benefits, quality and trust. It also attempts to identify the interrelationships among three types of trust, namely, competence, contractual and goodwill, as well as affective, calculative and normative commitment.Design/methodology/approach– Structural equation modelling (AMOS-based) is used to analyse data collected from a survey of 212 bank customers in Bangladesh.Findings– Findings show that satisfaction has a significant impact on affective, calculative and normative commitment, as well as on competence, contractual and goodwill trust. While core and relational service qualities, and confidence and social benefits influence the level of satisfaction, tangible service quality and special treatment benefit seem to have no significant effect on satisfaction. Finally, all three types of trust are found to have a strong influence on affective commitment; however, contractual trust and competence trust are found to have no impact on calculative and normative commitment.Practical implications– The paper provides insights for bank management in order to understand the relative importance of each type of trust, commitment, quality and benefit, and their relationships with satisfaction.Originality/value– It is the first to take the initiative to test a large range of relationships in a single study to better understand customer satisfaction in the banking industry in a developing country context.