Editorial

Citation

Farquhar, J. (2009), "Editorial", International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 27 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijbm.2009.03227aaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Bank Marketing, Volume 27, Issue 1

Welcome to Vol. 27 of the IJBM. The turbulence in the financial sector has been quite extraordinary and its effects will continue no doubt for some time.

The financial services scene has witnessed the loss of Lehman Brothers, the takeover of HBOS and the rescue of Fortis Bank. The list of disasters has not only included banks been brought to the edge of ruin but also the country of Iceland which has been supported by loans from the UK and other European countries. Much of the upheaval seems to have been caused by the creation of financial instruments known as mortgage backed assets or securities which were packages of good and bad debt, sold on around the world. So much for new product development!

Indeed the consequences for marketing in banks and other financial institutions are grave. Marketing will be concerned for the foreseeable future in repairing the damage of MBAs, ill-conceived lending and an emphasis on the short-term. The forthcoming special issue in the volume on trust (see the Call for Papers) will no doubt grapple with some of these consequences.

In spite of the enormous interest in the desperate situation of many banks and other financial institutions, academic enquiry into theory and practice in the sector must continue. The first paper in this issue is concerned with segmentation in the highly topical market of socially responsible investments and reports research by Jonas Nilsson in Sweden. The second paper by Wisniewski and Polasik, conducting research funded by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, extends our understanding of the adoption of internet banking in Poland finding new factors that influence adoption. The third paper by Aldá-Manzano, Lassale-Navarré, Ruiz-Mafé and Sanz-Blas examines how consumer innovativeness influences the adoption of internet banking. The findings reveal that consumer innovativeness, operationalised through six items centred on being first to use online systems, is a key construct in improving internet adoption. The final paper in the issue by Zolait, Mattila and Sulaiman is in a similar vein, evaluating user informational-based readiness again with reference to internet banking – a four-dimensional construct.

My thanks and congratulations to the authors for their contributions to the IJBM and an excellent start to the new volume and, of course, to the reviewers whose insight and generosity are quite simply indispensable.

Jillian Farquhar