BANK SELECTION DECISION CRITERIA EMPLOYED BY INDIAN EXPATRIATES IN SULTANATE OF OMAN: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

Currently the percentage of Indian expatriates in Oman’s total population of around 3.4 million stands at around 19 percent. A vast majority of Indian expatriates consist of semiskilled and unskilled workers. Professionals form a very small percentage of the population. The paper argues that the commercial banks in Oman need to identify and develop suitable criteria on the basis of which potential Indian expatriates can decide their bank selection decision. A total of 200 Indian expatriates in the age group 18-60 formed the sample, as reflected by the demographic characteristics of Indian expatriates in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Principal Component Factor Analysis simplified the correlations between continuous variables. Non-probabilistic convenience sampling and Kaiser-MeyerOlkein Measure of sample adequacy made the variances clear. Findings revealed that majority of the Indian expatriates considered technology/reputation factor and convenience factor as very critical. Males and females appeared as distinct segments with different priorities determining their selection for a particular bank. Therefore, banks selecting expatriate clients to broaden their customer base have to carefully attend to client retention and client satisfaction.

Keywords

• Bank selection criteria, Customer selection, Marketing strategy

References

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