Nigeria

Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in Nigerian Mobile Telephony (Published)

The Telecommunication industry in Nigeria has developed to be very competitive, as different Telecom companies jostle for the attention of subscribers. However, one of the key challenges confronting these companies is how they manage their service quality, which holds a grea deal to customer satisfaction. It is against this backdrop that this research seeks to empirically measure how service qualiy/delivery impact on customer satisfaction of Mobile Telecommunication providers in Nigeria.  The data used for this study were obtained using a structured survey questionnaire. The questions were close ended and used a 5 point Likert-scale. The sample consists of 532 mobile subscribers in Nigeria, using a simple random sampling technique spread across all the six geo-political zones in the country while a proportionate sampling approach was adopted by the researcher to give a fair representation to the service providers using the proportionality formula. The data obtained from the survey were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), Version 20. The survey was restricted to subscribers using the four major GSM mobile phone operators. The research  determined that a relationship exist between service quality/delivery and customer satisfaction, also between SERVQUAL reliability dimension and customer satisfaction and between customer satisfaction and switching intention among mobile phone users in Nigeria. The results have indicated that the two constructs ( SQ and CS ) are undeniably independent but are closely related and without a doubt, potential partners, implying that an increase in one is likely to cause a change in another. It is therefore recommended that with the ever-increasing influence of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC),and the continous complying with  is one major strategy that the companies must adopt to remain cost-effective.

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction, Mobile Telephony, Nigeria, Service Quality, Telecommunication

Unethical Marketing Practices by Petroleum Marketers in Nigeria (Published)

The study focused on unethical marketing practices by petroleum marketers in Nigeria. It was motivated by the reported cases of manipulations of prices and products by dealers of petroleum products in the market. The objectives of the study were to: examine the effect of unethical pricing by petroleum marketers on motorists in Nigeria; and determine the correlation between fuel adulteration by marketers and the rate of cars/vehicles’ engines damages in the country. Survey and desk research designs were adopted, hence, both secondary and primary data for the analysis. The area of study for the desk research was based on two geographical structures of the country as North and South, where some States were selected for the study; while Calabar the capital of Cross River State was used for the primary data. From a population of 2,500 motorists that patronize 10 selected filling stations regularly in Calabar, a sample size of 333 was determined at 5 percent margin of error and 95 percent level of confidence. The statistical tools of chi-square and correlation coefficient were used to test the hypothesis. The findings indicated that: unethical pricing of petroleum by marketers had significant negative effect on motorists in Nigeria, and fuel adulteration by marketers significantly affects the rate of cars/vehicles’ engines damages in the country. Based on this, the study recommended that relevant law enforcement agencies should improve on their monitoring and enforcement efforts geared towards checkmating unethical marketing of petroleum products in Nigeria.     

Keywords: Fuel Adulteration, Nigeria, Petroleum Marketers, Unethical Pricing

An Appraisal of Nigeria’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) (Published)

This paper took a critical appraisal of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria. The major focus of this work was to expatiate on the growth, challenges and prospects of the MSMEs in the country. While attempting to give an appropriate definition for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises using employment strength and asset base criteria, the work revealed that SMEs contribute significantly to economic development in the provision of goods and services, creation of employment and contribute to a high standard of living. There are some setbacks facing the over 17,284,671 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria. These setbacks include; limited financing, lack of action plan to deal with eventualities, lack of managerial and marketing skill, and lack of research appreciation and technical expertise. The study concluded that entrepreneurship is regarded as the catalyst in most developing economies and that it is very crucial to the economic growth and development of Nigeria. As such, it was recommended that government policies should support the establishment, nurturing and growth of SMEs by curtailing or banning importation of certain products, training of young entrepreneurs, establishment of Centers for Entrepreneurial Development and promoting entrepreneurial spirit through the provision of conducive entrepreneurial environment, funding and empowerment programmes. This will facilitate the training and retraining of entrepreneurs and also help Nigerian youths to develop interest in entrepreneurship.

Keywords: Economic Development, Micro, Nigeria, Small and Medium Enterprises, Technical Expertise

The Impact of Colonialism on the Development of Marketing in Nigeria: A Dyadic Analysis (Published)

For about a century, the British colonial masters took full control of the political, economic and even the social life of the people called Nigerians today. This paper traces the impact of colonialism on the development of marketing in Nigeria. It takes a look at the pre-colonial marketing practices of the nation-states and kingdoms and the development or otherwise of marketing during the era of colonialism in Nigeria. It points out that what the colonialists did or failed to do to develop marketing theory and practice in Nigeria. It adopts a theoretical review of related literature and also took a position on this topic that while the colonialists had set-up some institutions, they did very little to strengthen the institutions and develop human capital in the country. The article makes far-reaching recommendations that will help enrich marketing theory and practice, strengthen marketing institutions and contribute to the general well-being of the people and the nation as a whole.

Keywords: Colonialism, Development, Indirect rule, Marketing, Nigeria, Segregation.

Social Marketing Communications for Check-Mating Sales of Fake and Adulterated Drugs in Nigeria (Published)

Keywords: Adulterated drugs, Fake drugs, Nigeria, Sales, Social Marketing

Evaluation of the Impact of Internet Marketing On Banking Services in Nigeria (Published)

This study examines the impact of internet marketing on banking services in Nigeria. The main objective is to investigate how the adoption of internet marketing enhances banking services in Nigeria. The study is a survey approach with sample of 180 respondents (employees & customers) drawn from four generation banks in the country, representing 65 percent of the total population (280). The data was analyzed using Descriptive Statistics and Chi-square to test the formulated hypotheses which revealed that the adoption of internet marketing has significantly enhanced customers’ banking services in Nigeria, particularly in the areas of improved patronage, on-time (effective) service delivery and reduced marketing costs. The study also found that internet marketing has created exciting new and cheaper ways to learn about and track customers, create products and services tailored to meet customer needs, distribute products more efficiently and communicate with potential customers effectively. Some recommendations were made; among the major recommendations is the need for all the barriers to effective internet marketing adoption such as poor connectivity, inadequate computers and ICT infrastructure, as well as cyber-crimes which constituted serious bottleneck to the overall success of banking operations in Nigeria should be addressed by managers and all stakeholders in the banking sector.

Keywords: Banking Services, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Internet Marketing, Nigeria, e-Banking

ASSESSMENT OF THE APPLICATION OF MARKETING CONCEPT TOWARDS IMPROVED STANDARD OF LIVING FOR THE POOR IN NIGERIA (Published)

The study undertook a situation analysis of the application of Marketing Concept as a tool for improving the standard of living of the poor in Nigeria. This was motivated by the continued report of massive poverty amongst the populace. The specific objective sought was to: determine the effect of marketing concept on the provision of infrastructural facilities to the citizens; and the effect of application of marketing concept on the creation of employment for the teeming youths in the country. Survey research design was employed. The sample size of the study was 400 and the cluster sampling technique was adopted in the study. The findings of the study were that: The level of application of marketing concept was not significant for citizens’ awareness of the poverty alleviation programmes in South-South, Nigeria; and also was not significant for the creation of employment for the poor in South-South, Nigeria. It was then recommended that government and relevant agencies should employ marketing concept researches, principles and practices in determining the actual needs of the people and in meeting them adequately

Keywords: Marketing Concept, Nigeria, Poor Citizens, Standard of Living

DETERMINANTS OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND LOYALTY IN THE NIGERIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY (Published)

Customer satisfaction and loyalty have been identified as critical success factors in any business organization. Recent developments in the Nigerian telecommunications industry indicate that the operators engage in several marketing activities to ensure that their subscribers are satisfied and brand loyal. However, most subscribers complain about the quality of services and some switch from one operator to the other or use several lines. Consequently, this paper examined the marketing activities that influence customer satisfaction and the factors that determine customer loyalty in the industry. Based on a contemporary definition of marketing, five constructs (product, price, distribution, promotion and customer service) were identified and tested. For the purpose of the study, a sample size of one thousand (1000) respondents was selected from Lagos State, Nigeria through purposive sampling technique and data were obtained employing a structured close-ended questionnaire. The results revealed that product (core service), promotion and distribution have a higher impact on the level of customer satisfaction. It was also found that, apart from customer satisfaction, trust is a major determinant of customer loyalty in the telecoms market. On the bases of these findings, a number of recommendations for telecom operators and the Nigerian government were outlined.

Keywords: Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty, Marketing Activities, Nigeria, Operators, Subscribers

Cashless System, Consumers’ Perception and Retail Marketing Performance (Review Completed - Accepted)

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the cashless system on user’s perception and retail marketing performance in Nigeria retail sector. The study used survey instrument (questionnaire) and randomly selected 550 samples as to generate data on the impact of cashless systems on user’ perception and retail marketing performance in Nigeria. The questionnaire instrument was designed for two categories of respondents (customers and managers) of the selected retail outlets in Nigeria. The study found that the two measures of cashless system have positive influence on the measures of retail marketing performance; while consumers perceive that the new system will be disadvantageous to them in the short run but beneficial in the long run. The study concluded that the cashless system is in line with international banking best practices as it will reduce the high cost of business operations for retail businesses in terms of learned employees, provision of security and will boost retail investments opportunities in Nigeria. The study recommended for the Central Bank of Nigeria to collaborate with the money deposit banks’ as well as telecommunications firms to provide quality services as to militate against the negatives of customers’ purchase experiences in using E-platforms as conceptualized in this study’s payment systems implementation models.

Keywords: Cashless System, Consumers’ Perception, Nigeria, Retail Marketing

THE BASIS OF SECURITY CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR FOREIGN INVESTORS (Published)

The issues of security challenges in Nigeria has it’s root in the cultural and political set up of the country. The ideology of different ethnic groups based on their historical background plays a major role. The Colonial masters were more interested in the economic gains that could be derived from the country rather than fashioning a united nation that evolved from different background. Potential investors in Nigeria must recognize these underlying forces that breed violence and map up strategies that can take care of them and thus enhance smooth operations of business activities.

Keywords: Foreign Investors, Nigeria, Security Challenges