Examining the Inter-relationships among the Dimensions of Relationship Marketing

The purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelationship among the dimensions of relationship marketing namely, trust, commitment, communication and conflict handling. Little is understood about the inter-relationship among these factors as all prior efforts in the area have focused on their impact on relationship outcomes such as satisfaction, loyalty and word-of-mouth communication. Some 400 bank customers in Malaysia were surveyed, with 220 usable responses on which analysis was based. The research found that there is strong evidence for the interrelatedness of trust, commitment, communication and conflict handling. Important managerial and marketing implications of the findings are discussed.