The Effects of Alliance Strategies on the Cost Efficiency of Saudi Commercial Banks

Abstract

The Objective of this study is to determine the influence of strategic alliances on the cost efficiency of Saudi banks. For this, we first develop a theoretical framework paving the way for an empirical study that refers to a sample of 09 Saudi banks adopted to verify this relationship. It is therefore, necessary to list the interests of strategic alliances in the banking sector and to question the role of public and foreign as wellas public and private alliance strategies in improving the cost efficiency of Saudi commercial banks.

A quantitative approach has been adopted to explore and understand the research problem. We begin by regressing the ordinary least squares efficiency on a series of explanatory variables. The conceptual research model is tested by two different regression equations that will be estimated simultaneously. The first regression, aims to test the impact of the public-foreign alliance on the efficiency of the banks in our sample. As for the second regression, it is carried out to test the impact of the public-private alliance on the latter.

The results of this study prove that the creation of an alliance agreement allows Saudi commercial banks to improve their efficiency and constitute for them an opportunity besides an interesting strategic option. Forthermore, public-private and public-foreign alliances are strategies that can improve the efficiency of public banks, increase their competitiveness and reduce their fragility.