The Impact of Culture on Relationship Marketing in International Services

The dramatic increase in global trade confronts service firms with the challenge of adapting their services to the varying requirements of customers in different cultures. Jan H. Schumann focuses on three relationship marketing issues that are of relevance for both academics and practitioners: the establishment of trusting customer relationships, customer co-production, and the effect of word-of-mouth referrals. The results of the study, conducted on banking customers in 11 countries, show that differences in cultural values impact consumers’ behavior and cognitions. Overall, the findings from this doctoral study highlight the need for culture-specific relationship marketing in services that considers the values of specific target groups. The author outlines ways to cope with this challenge and derives implications for research and practice.