Introduction
The primary motivation of global banking organizations is associated with stimulating national economic growth through the increase of operating revenues, deposit, and credit facilities. The banking sector is also tasked with financing investment portfolios, generate high revenues of countries and expand national reserve, which explains their need to be well-capitalized to facilitate sustainable growth and development.
As a broad concept, competitive advantage deals with the process of business engineering that will ensure that an organization is in the lead among other players in the sector. Specifically, competitive advantage is necessary for increasing the number of strengths that an organization has in order to achieve a high degree of superiority in a competitive market.
In this respect, such aspects as strategic planning, innovation and creativity, corporate social responsibility, competitive intelligence, and many others are used to enhance the capabilities of organizations. Thus, examining the competitive advantage of banking organizations is the subject of the current state. In a nutshell, a bank is expected to survive when it integrates relevant strategies and the latest technologies to be superior to its competitors.
Motivation to Study the Topic
The topic was selected for research because competition represents a vital aspect of progress, leadership, and life in general. Innovation is fostered in different areas of the business as organizations are forced to compete with each other to win over the attention and loyalty of customers. When a company has no competition, innovation is ignored because there is no need to become better and evolve. The competition also encourages companies to consider their strengths and weaknesses as they compare themselves to other successful organizations in the market. For example, companies such as Samsung or Xiaomi are always comparing their innovation to Apple’s as the latter dictates the majority of trends in the smartphone industry.
Customers, therefore, benefit from the competition between companies because they offer an opportunity to choose which corporation will receive their money (Claessens & Van Horen, 2008). In the banking industry, competition is multi-faceted as the operations of companies capture a multitude of areas from loans to brokerage services, and finding an organization that will be the most effective in the offering of the mentioned services at the highest level is complicated for customers. Besides, banks that offer a more extensive variety of services and products tend to be more profitable than those following the classic model of operation. Therefore, exploring what makes banks successful is an essential topic in the study of competitive advantage.
Literature Discussion
The concept of competitive advantage has been explored in research literature extensively because of its full application within the business context. Every company in a market works on developing a competitive strategy that will improve their capabilities within the changing environment of globalization. Such a strategy is needed to increase profits and gain the loyalty of customers (Išoraitė, 2018). As companies seek to attract new clients and retain them long term, they search for ways to cater to consumer needs and satisfy them. According to Korsakienė and Tvaronaviciene (2012), competitive advantage is concerned with the establishment of positional and performance superiority relative to competitors.
Competitive advantage is reached when a company can develop or acquire a set of characteristics that allow it to exceed the success of competitors (Wang, 2014). In their efforts, companies must be innovative in order to significantly influence competitiveness that is based on skills and abilities that others cannot imitate. Achieving a high degree of competitiveness is achieved by means of innovation of producing less costly products of high quality compared to those offered by competitors (Urbancová, 2013). Competitive advantage should also be sustainable on a long-term basis to prevent rival companies to imitate the resources and thus offer the same products or services. Companies must set high barriers for imitation, which would result in the inability of competitors to replicate what their rivals are selling to consumers.
The process of creating a competitive advantage is complex because of the need to look both at competitors and customers. To gain an advantage over competitors, it is imperative to offer such products or services to the market that would fulfil the needs of the target audience to a greater extent. The first step in achieving a competitive advantage is analyzing the operations of rivals that target similar customer groups and offer products at a similar quality and price. Defining the objectives set by competitors, their strategies, as well as strengths and weaknesses, is important for the assessment of one’s competitive advantage.
The economic significance of banking institutions in any country around the world is an encouraging factor for the sector’s development and growth, which explains the need for fostering competitive advantage. The absence of comprehensive identification of antecedent aspects is the result of the inability of companies to contextualize and conceptualize the factor competitive advantage within the sector. As mentioned by Kasasbeh, Harada, and Md Noor (2017), the conceptualization of competitive advantage of banking companies goes hand-in-hand with the consideration of factors that result from being competitive.
From the perspective of financial measures, competitive advantage within banking firms is defined as the set of new ideas and the process of innovative product development to increase the quality of services, enhance customer responsiveness, establishing core competencies within organizations, and improve cost-effectiveness. Competitive advantage gives banks market power, which means that competition in the banking industry is a multi-output matter and requires organizations to be more proactive in offering a broader range of products and services (Barbosa et al., 2015). The “antecedent factors of competitive advantage of banking firms refer to the quality of service offered to clients, service management, corporate social responsibility, strategy formulation, as well as customer orientation” (Barbosa et al., 2015, p. 342). Identifying a set of antecedents that result from a strong competitive advantage of banking firms is important for understanding the benefits that competitive advantage brings to banks.
The study by Barbosa, de Paula Rocha, and Salazar (2015) is important to consider in the context of the current literature review because the scholars focused on assessing competition in the banking industry from the multi-product approach. In the context of the Brazilian banking industry, it was found that those banking organizations that offer a broad range of services and products to their clients will be able to have a definite competitive advantage against rivals who provide a small number of products and services. The relationship between competitive advantage measures and the position of banks against their rivals is an interesting niche for exploration, which is why Barbosa et al. (2015) explored the issue within a specific context of a country, and the approach can be used in a variety of other geographical contexts.
In the context of the banking industry, researchers explored the connection between competitive advantage and strategic positioning. For instance, in the study by M’kuma (2015), the author used survey research to find the strategies of positioning that private sector banks in Kenya use to gain a competitive advantage over rival companies. Specific points explored in the study included cost reduction, an innovative approach, and the embracement of technologies as related to strategic positioning and competitive advantage of banks. The combination of the factors is expected to provide banks with a platform for exceeding the performance of competitors, as suggested by M’kuma (2015). For instance, technological embracement is a process of getting accustomed to innovative products and solutions not only to improve operations within organizations but also to improve relationships with customers. Within the Kenyan banking context, electronic and mobile banking has gained great popularity among customers, which encouraged companies to be more proactive in embracing technologies (Badescu & Garcés-Ayerbe, 2009).
Product cost reduction is another important aspect of reaching competitive advantage at banking organization because it is used for differentiating the success of some companies over others (Bordes, 2009). An advantage associated with decreasing costs is a competitive aspect of companies that charge the same (or lower) price compared to rivals. The necessity of banks to sustain competitive advantage in the pricing of products and services presents significant challenges to companies (M’kuma, 2015). Because of this, organizations should be more proactive in evaluating the use of resources and costs spent on the key procedures within companies.
Overall, the study by M’kuma (2015) is highly relevant to the discussion of competitive advantage in banks because of the multi-dimensional look on the issues that organizations need to consider in order to become more profitable and successful compared to their rivals in the same industry. The general consensus of the studies explored above is that competitive advantage is an aspect that should never be overlooked in the context of the banking industry. Banks provide products and services to customers and thus need to invest time, resources, and money into considering the ramifications of failing to establish a competitive advantage. The literature reviewed in the current study does not offer enough evidence for significant differences in findings.
Methodology: Open-Ended Survey Questions for Managers Working at Banks
The fast pace of businesses operating in the banking industry encourages professionals operating in this sphere to be more proactive in their decision-making. Fostering competitive advantage at banks is a matter of collaborative effort, and proper leadership, which is why exploring the issue from the perspective of managers working at banks was selected. The surveys will be conducted with five managers working at five different organizations in the country to get a broader look at how various companies address the issue of competitive advantage.
In the current research, surveys represent an ideal opportunity for the researcher to meet his or her study participants and give them an opportunity to explore the topic of competitive advantage in depth. Potential study participants will be contacted over the phone through the prior acquiring their contacts from such social media platforms as LinkedIn. Important criteria for the inclusion of participants involve managers’ having three or more years of experience working in the banking industry and working at their current position for over a year.
Survey Questions (Open-Ended) for Managers
In the modern business environment, managers working in the sphere of banking are expected to have varied opinions regarding the competitiveness of their organizations. The set of survey questions below is intended to reveal the attitudes of bank managers to the topic of competitive advantage. The questions are open-ended to allow interviewees to elaborate on their responses and go in-depth regarding their opinions.
- What is the general strategy implemented by your organization targeted at outperforming the competition?
- Does your organization conduct competitor assessments on a regular basis?
- In your opinion, what makes your company stand out against the competition?
- Are there products and services that your bank does not provide but others do?
- Are customers’ needs and expectations considered when it comes to building the strategy for your organization’s competitive advantage?
- Is the leadership within your organization sufficient enough for fostering competitive advantage?
- Does your organization implement a differentiation strategy to be more appealing to the target audience as compared to competitors? Is differentiation supported by innovation, strong branding, and high-quality services?
- Does your company has a high degree of specialization associated with focusing on a niche target market with propositions intended to cater to the needs of a certain segment of customers?
- Are there efforts of precise positioning to achieve competitive advantage? Is the positioning supported by customer-centric processes or the orientation on exceeding the number of products and services offered by the company?
- Do you think that your bank is ‘stuck’ or is there continuous improvement to ensure the capturing of the desired target audience?
- Would you consider being more proactive in discussing the issue of establishing competitive advantage strategies in your bank?
Summary of Answers
The answers to survey questions for the current study had a common theme of the need for banking organizations to be more considerate of the effects of competitive advantage on business. Participant A mentioned that their organization did not have a cohesive plan targeted at the establishment of competitive advantage and therefore, did not implement any consistent efforts for competitors’ assessment or strategic positioning. The participant also mentioned that their organization was ‘stuck’ in its efforts to be competitive and therefore lacked vision as to how it can become better than its rivals.
Participant B also shared their concerns regarding the effectiveness of a company in which he works in terms of being strategically prepared to compete against its rivals. The interviewee mentioned that the number and range of services and products offered by the bank were significantly limited, which prevented the organization from gaining new customers and retaining existing ones. However, Participant B was prepared to initiate the discussion of the importance of competitive advantage within the company.
Participant C had a more positive experience with facilitating competitive advantage within an organization in which she worked. The interviewee said that the general management of the organization was focused on assessing the bank’s strengths and weaknesses against its competition. Differentiation and positioning also played important roles within the organization’s strategy as the management was working on attractive various client niches and segments to broaden customer profiles. The participant also mentioned that their company was continuously investing in innovation and personnel training to provide unique products and services to customers.
Participant D mentioned that the management of the bank in which they worked was only starting implementing competitive advantage efforts such as positioning and differentiation because the company was relatively young. The key focus of the organization was placed on innovative products and services, such as online banking and around-the-clock customer support. The bank was specifically targeting the segment of younger customers and thus had to have a focus on convenient and technologically advanced services. Because of the unique positioning, the organization did not have much competition in the market but had to develop a new strategy for ensuring that other organizations do not start replicating the products and services that it provides.
Participant E had a mixed experience associated with establishing a competitive advantage within the organization in which they worked. They mentioned that the leadership of the bank was instead focusing on the financial aspect of the bank’s operation and the development of services for loyal customers, which prevented the acquisition of new clientele. Therefore, the company was ‘stuck’ in the past and was not moving in the direction of innovation, which is a significant mistake when it comes to establishing a competitive advantage. The participant also mentioned some issues associated with cost efficiency as the organization did not invest in new technologies but provided high-cost services, which had a significant influence on losing customers.
Comparison of Answers
The experiences of bank managers who participated in the study differed depending on the nature of products and services provided by the organization. The majority of participants expressed concern regarding the lack of attention to the issue of competitive advantage. Thus, there were significant disparities in the conceptualization and operationalization of competitive advantage, which is a common issue for banks as identified by Kasasbeh et al. (2017).
Within organizations that did not see the need to work on competitive advantage strategies, there was a lack of vision into the future of companies as well as the diversification of services. For instance, one of the participants mentioned that their organization was an old player in the market but did not invest in innovation because of the lack of strategic vision. This shows that many companies can get ‘stuck’ in their operations and fail to establish differentiation, specialization, and cost efficiency, all of which are essential for organizations to stay competitive and relevant.
The issue of the lack of training is also important to discuss as related to participants’ answers is important to consider. When answering open-ended questions, several interviewees expressed their concern with the fact that the top management of their organizations did not invest in personnel training or strategic positioning to stay competitive. The majority of companies have been providing the standard set of banking products and services to retain their key clientele. Without having a clear positioning strategy, as mentioned by one of the participants, a bank is highly likely to lose out in the long-run due to competitors that are proactive in offering high-quality services at reasonable prices. The topic of loyalty to a company also plays an essential role in this case because some clients are more likely to use the products and services of one bank just because they are used to it without considering switching to competitors.
Conclusions
In the banking sector, competition between organizations plays a crucial role in fostering innovation and the provision of top quality services to customers. The exploration of the literature on this topic showed that banks should be more proactive in establishing a competitive advantage against rivals through fostering innovation, product cost reduction, and the improvement of product quality. Nevertheless, actual companies have a long way to go to become truly competitive in the market, as shown by a survey with bank managers.
The majority of participants expressed their concern with the lack of efforts that their companies lacked the understanding of the efforts needed to become competitive in the market. Therefore, opportunities for future research are vast, with scholars exploring the limitations of competitive advantage in the banking sector as well as studying success stories of banks that have fostered innovation and achieved competitive advantage in their sphere of operations. A small number of participants limited the current study; however, this number was justified by the need to explore the issue in a preliminary way and later expand the questions and proceed with studying the topic further.
Interview Transcripts
Participant A
What is the general strategy implemented by your organization targeted at outperforming the competition?
Participant A: There is really not much that the company does. Our company is rather focused on financial outcomes and does not consider its competitors.
Does your organization conduct competitor assessments on a regular basis?
Participant A: We do look at the financial performance of our rivals, but that is pretty much all we do.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out against the competition?
Participant A: I think that innovation and coming up with new products and services can set a company apart from rivals.
Are there products and services that your bank does not provide but others do?
Participant A: For sure! We really lack online banking solutions that many customers find convenient.
Are customers’ needs and expectations considered when it comes to building the strategy for your organization’s competitive advantage?
Participant A: Our bank only listens to old and loyal customers because they bring the most profit, so only their expectations are taken into account.
Is the leadership within your organization sufficient enough for fostering competitive advantage?
Participant A: I would say that leadership is insufficient to facilitate competitive advantage.
Does your organization implement a differentiation strategy to be more appealing to the target audience as compared to competitors? Is differentiation supported by innovation, strong branding, and high-quality services?
Participant A: Differentiation is not at the center of our company’s strategy, nor is innovation. I think that management should be more proactive in considering these tools to gain a competitive advantage.
Does your company has a high degree of specialization associated with focusing on a niche target market with propositions intended to cater to the needs of a certain segment of customers?
Participant A: Our company focuses on establishing close connections with loyal customers, which represent a niche target market. All services that the bank offers are used by this target segment.
Are there efforts of precise positioning to achieve competitive advantage? Is the positioning supported by customer-centric processes or the orientation on exceeding the number of products and services offered by the company?
Participant A: The bank has positioned itself as a service provider that “you would recommend to friends and family,” which is why it is still successful. Significant innovative efforts are needed to facilitate more effective positioning.
Do you think that your bank is ‘stuck’ or is there continuous improvement to ensure the capturing of the desired target audience?
Participant A: I think that our bank is definitely ‘stuck’ and needs to improve in the future.
Would you consider being more proactive in discussing the issue of establishing competitive advantage strategies in your bank?
Participant A: For sure! If only I were given this task at our company.
Participant B
What is the general strategy implemented by your organization targeted at outperforming the competition?
Participant B: Our company predominantly compares its products and services to those provided by competitors.
Does your organization conduct competitor assessments on a regular basis?
Participant B: The assessments take place, but usually once a year.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out against the competition?
Participant B: I cannot think of anything; we are just a regular bank.
Are there products and services that your bank does not provide but others do?
Participant B: Again, I think that our services are pretty generic.
Are customers’ needs and expectations considered when it comes to building the strategy for your organization’s competitive advantage?
Participant B: Yes; however, I think that we should be more attentive to consumer needs.
Is the leadership within your organization sufficient enough for fostering competitive advantage?
Participant B: Our leadership is on the average level, with top management concerned only the financial performance of the company.
Does your organization implement a differentiation strategy to be more appealing to the target audience as compared to competitors? Is differentiation supported by innovation, strong branding, and high-quality services?
Participant B: Sadly, I think that our company is not different from others, so we need to work on this problem in the future.
Does your company has a great degree of specialization associated with focusing on a niche target market with propositions intended to cater to the needs of a certain segment of customers?
Participant B: I think that we should work in this direction because the customer segment we target is pretty mixed.
Are there efforts of clear positioning to achieve competitive advantage? Is the positioning supported by customer-centric processes or the orientation on exceeding the number of products and services offered by the company?
Participant B: We position ourselves as a reliable bank to cater to the general needs of customers. There should be an expansion in our products and services, though.
Do you think that your bank is ‘stuck’ or is there continuous improvement to ensure the capturing of the desired target audience?
Participant B: I think that we are somewhere in the middle regarding this point. We are improving in some ways, but in others, we are ‘stuck.’
Would you consider being more proactive in discussing the issue of establishing competitive advantage strategies in your bank?
Participant B. I would consider becoming more proactive in discussing the gaps in our bank’s operation and its inability to stay competitive.
Participant C
What is the general strategy implemented by your organization targeted at outperforming the competition?
Participant C: While our company does not have a cohesive strategy to outperform the competition, our managers are looking into new ways to set the organization apart from rivals.
Does your organization conduct competitor assessments on a regular basis?
Participant C: We conduct such assessments once in a quarter.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out against the competition?
Participant C: Our company prides itself on the professionalism of its staff.
Are there products and services that your bank does not provide but others do?
Participant C: The products and services we provide are generic. Our IT team is working on a new online banking application for smartphones and tablets.
Are customers’ needs and expectations considered when it comes to building the strategy for your organization’s competitive advantage?
Participant C: We do consider the needs of our customers, but the existing strategy is not strong enough.
Is the leadership within your organization sufficient enough for fostering competitive advantage?
Participant C: The leadership in our company is sufficient to achieve a competitive advantage; however, further work is needed.
Does your organization implement a differentiation strategy to be more appealing to the target audience as compared to competitors? Is differentiation supported by innovation, strong branding, and high-quality services?
Participant C: I think that our differentiation efforts are not sufficient enough; however, our management is starting to invest in innovation.
Does your company has a great degree of specialization associated with focusing on a niche target market with propositions intended to cater to the needs of a certain segment of customers?
Participant C: Our targeting is generic; we do not focus on a particular market niche because of the intent to serve as many customers as possible.
Are there efforts of clear positioning to achieve competitive advantage? Is the positioning supported by customer-centric processes or the orientation on exceeding the number of products and services offered by the company?
Participant C: I think that we are pretty customer-centric in our competitive advantage. Our managers always survey clients regarding their needs and demands associated with bank services and products.
Do you think that your bank is ‘stuck’ or is there continuous improvement to ensure the capturing of the desired target audience?
Participant C: In the current competitive environment, I think that our company is doing its best in terms of capturing the desired target audience.
Would you consider being more proactive in discussing the issue of establishing competitive advantage strategies in your bank?
Participant C: Not personally, but I think that our entire team should be more proactive in establishing a competitive advantage in the organization.
Participant D
What is the general strategy implemented by your organization targeted at outperforming the competition?
Participant D: As a relatively young bank, we are only now starting to look at strengthening our competitive advantage in the market.
Does your organization conduct competitor assessments on a regular basis?
Participant D: A competitor assessment is conducted every two to three months, which is fairly regular, in my opinion.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out against the competition?
Participant D: We are very innovative and are working on ensuring that banking products and services can be used by our clients 24/7.
Are there products and services that your bank does not provide but others do?
Participant D: We’ve got a highly advanced mobile application with round-the-clock customer service, which is impressive for a small company like ours.
Are customers’ needs and expectations considered when it comes to building the strategy for your organization’s competitive advantage?
Participant D: We build all of our services on the basis of customers’ needs and expectations.
Is the leadership within your organization sufficient enough for fostering competitive advantage?
Participant D: Our leader is very visionary and is highly driven to put the organization on a high level.
Does your organization implement a differentiation strategy to be more appealing to the target audience as compared to competitors? Is differentiation supported by innovation, strong branding, and high-quality services?
Participant D: From the very beginning, our bank has been dedicated to targeting a customer segment of younger clients who use technologies on a regular basis. The combination of innovative solutions and their high quality allows us to attract new clients.
Does your company has a high degree of specialization associated with focusing on a niche target market with propositions intended to cater to the needs of a particular segment of customers?
Participant D: Specializing in online banking, we target a niche market of customers that use banking services regularly and need to access them every day and even at night.
Are there efforts of clear positioning to achieve competitive advantage? Is the positioning supported by customer-centric processes or the orientation on exceeding the number of products and services offered by the company?
Participant D: Our positioning is customer-centric because establishing closer connections with our clients is key to achieving a high degree of loyalty.
Do you think that your bank is ‘stuck’ or is there continuous improvement to ensure the capturing of the desired target audience?
Participant D: Since we have a lot to achieve in the future, our company is definitely not ‘stuck.’
Would you consider being more proactive in discussing the issue of establishing competitive advantage strategies in your bank?
Participant D: My team and I are actually working on a proposal for competitive advantage in the company.
Participant E
What is the general strategy implemented by your organization targeted at outperforming the competition?
Participant E: Our company is currently undergoing some changes in addressing the competitive advantage.
Does your organization conduct competitor assessments on a regular basis?
Participant E: We conduct such assessments; however, they are sporadic and thus do not result in any significant changes.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out against the competition?
Participant E: Our bank provides top-quality services to regular customers and has an extensive loyalty program.
Are there products and services that your bank does not provide but others do?
Participant E: We have had some issues with online banking services, they are not up-to-date, and customers have had some complaints.
Are customers’ needs and expectations considered when it comes to building the strategy for your organization’s competitive advantage?
Participant E: Our company needs to consider the needs of our customers and adjust services based on that.
Is the leadership within your organization sufficient enough for fostering competitive advantage?
Participant E: Our leaders are primarily focused on bringing new customers to the company while failing to understand what the competition does right.
Does your organization implement a differentiation strategy to be more appealing to the target audience as compared to competitors? Is differentiation supported by innovation, strong branding, and high-quality services?
Participant E: Sadly, our differentiation strategy is insufficient as compared to competitors.
Does your company has a high degree of specialization associated with focusing on a niche target market with propositions intended to cater to the needs of a certain segment of customers?
Participant E: We specialize in loyalty programs and building strong connections with customers.
Are there efforts of clear positioning to achieve competitive advantage? Is the positioning supported by customer-centric processes or the orientation on exceeding the number of products and services offered by the company?
Participant E: Our positioning is unclear, but we do lean in the direction of the traditional banking products and services.
Do you think that your bank is ‘stuck’ or is there continuous improvement to ensure the capturing of the desired target audience?
Participant E: We are ‘stuck’ in terms of fostering innovation, which calls for continuous improvement and establishing cost efficiency.
Would you consider being more proactive in discussing the issue of establishing competitive advantage strategies in your bank?
Participant E: For sure! I think that our management needs to discuss this issue at length.
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