Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration

Purpose – Given the importance of understanding the dynamics of the internationalisation and expansion process, it is surprising that – in reviewing the extensive literature – that little attention has been paid to service organisations. This paper attempts to shed light on business strategies and the international entry modes of the services sector in general, and the area of banking which form a significant and substantive proportion of global trade. Therefore, this paper aims to address this omission by exploring the behaviour of Malaysian multinational financial and banking service industries in their international expansion in terms of their motivation, mode of entry strategies, selection of target markets, and their strategic thrusts.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows an exploratory approach utilising qualitative multiple case studies. Empirical data are presented from case study of four large Malaysian-based multinational commercial banks through interviews with managers from the banks' headquarters as well as managers responsible for and/or engaged in the development and implementation of international marketing strategies.

Findings – It is inferred that Malaysian multinational commercial banks are entering foreign markets, employing a foreign direct investment entry mode, by creating branches and representative offices, and in some cases by acquiring part of the share or the whole capital of existing local financial institutions. These expansions have been motivated by several factors related to both their domestic markets (push factors: government initiatives, small size, low and limited growth) and the attractiveness of their target markets (pull factors/location advantages: high market growth, low to moderate levels of competition).

Research limitations/implications – The case study has inherently limited the capacity to offer generalisations concerning other service companies.

Practical implications – This paper is rich in its practical implications. As this study was concerned with the practical experience and behaviour of Malaysian-based multinational banks on their choice of entry modes and organisational forms when internationalising, Malaysian banking and marketing practitioners can use the analysis and results as a means of comparing their current tactical and strategy foreign entry behaviour with that of other internationalising banks.

Originality/value – The paper offers new insights into the emergence and international expansion of Malaysian-based multinational commercial banks, and sheds light on the internationalisation process associated with services per se.