Customer Involvement Management Practices and Customer Retention in the Hospitality Industry

This study investigated the relationship between Coaching as a component of Customer Involvement Management (CIM) practice and Customer Retention (CR) in the Hospitality industry in Rivers and Bayelsa States of Nigeria. Data collected from a total of one hundred and forty-five (145) top level managers drawn from seventy-nine (79) luxury brand hotels were used in the final analysis.  The data collected was analyzed using simple percentages, weighted averages, and graphs at the primary level of analysis, while the hypotheses were tested using the Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient (rho). All computations were performed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. The study discovered a positive and significant relationship between coaching as customer involvement management practice and customer retention. The study therefore concluded that Coaching as a customer involvement management practice is a  prerequisite for firms that seek customers not just for transactional exchanges, but also for enduring and mutually satisfying relational exchanges. It was therefore recommends that firms should put in place adequate machineries that enable the integration of the customers in their value creation and delivery processes. It was also recommended that firms should endeavor to produce products that capture the opinions and suggestions of their customers as this will bond them more to the firm. Keywords: Coaching,Customer Involvement, Customer Retention, Hotel Brand

FRONTLINE EMPLOYEE COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT AND RESPONSIVENESS OF QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANTS

The aim of this study was to determine the nexus between frontline employee competence development and responsiveness of QSRs, using training, coaching and mentoring as dimensions of competence development. Responsiveness was treated unidimensionally. The study adopted an explanatory research design and used a questionnaire to collect primary data; while the Spearman’s rank order correlation served as the test statistic, relying on SPSS version 20.0. The study observed that frontline employee competence development associates strongly with responsiveness of QSRs as all the dimensions of competence development posted strong, positive and statistically significant relationship with responsiveness. The study concludes that frontline employee competence development informs responsiveness of QSRs, or that responsiveness of QSRs depends on mentoring, training and coaching of frontline employees. The study recommends that QSRs that seek to be responsive to changes in their operating environments must continually update the competencies of their frontline employees through mentoring, training and coaching.   Article visualizations

BRAND VALUE AND MARKETING WELLNESS OF DEPOSIT MONEY BANKS

A cardinal objective of marketing is to create value for customers and to capture value from customers in return; and building strong brands facilitate the achievement of this objective. Strong brands win customers’ preference through the assurance of value. The focus of this study is to examine the association between brand value and marketing wellness measured in terms of new product success, sales growth and market share. The study utilised data collected from sixty-six (66) respondents comprising of branch managers, marketing managers and inside sales officers of deposit money banks using a structured questionnaire. The P(r) was employed as the test statistic. All the statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS version 20.0. The study found positive and statistically significant correlation between brand value and all the three indices of marketing wellness considered in the study, with marketing share showing the strongest link with brand value. The study thus concludes that brand value influences marketing wellness and recommends that banks that seek marketing wellness measured in terms of market share, new product success and sales growth should build strong brands that consumers will hold in high repute and that also assure value for consumers

Perceived Justice Initiatives and Customers’ Post-Complaint Satisfaction in the Fastfood Industry

The primary aim of every business organisation is to create satisfied customers. Not only because it leads to a secured customer base, but also because it leads to greater financial performance in the long term. This study investigated the connection between perceived justice initiatives and customers’ post-complaint satisfaction in the fast food industry in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. One hundred and eighty-five respondents who are patrons of forty fastfood firms participated in the study. The study collected data from the respondent through the use of questionnaire, while the hypotheses were tested using the spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient, relying on the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0. The study found positive and significant relationship between the three dimensions of perceived justice initiatives considered in the study and customers’ post-complaint satisfaction, with interactional justice showing the strongest relationship with customers’ post-complaint satisfaction. The study concluded that effective and efficient service recovery programmes anchored on sound grasp of customers’ expectation will enhance customers’ post complaint satisfaction; and recommends that fastfood firms which seek to improve their performance through customers’ post complaint satisfaction should institute perceived justice initiatives through interactional justice, distributive justice and procedural justice. Keywords: Perceived justice initiatives, Distributive justice, Procedural justice, Interactional justice, Post-complaint satisfaction

CUSTOMER-CONTACT EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT AND RESILIENCE OF QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANTS

The QSR industry in Nigeria has witnessed the emergence and disappearance of several actors. Some stride the industry for a couple of years; others fade away as quickly as they surfaced. Yet there are QSRs that have thrived and endured in the industry. Several factors could be responsible for this phenomenon. However, the current study investigated the extent to which employee empowerment can account for resilience of QSRs. ECD, DoA and EPDM are used as indicators of employee empowerment. The study adopted an explanatory research design and used a questionnaire to collect primary data; while the Spearman’s rank order correlation (rho) was employed as the test statistic. The study relied on SPSS version 20.0 for data analyses. The study observed that employee empowerment associates strongly with resilience of QSRs as all the dimensions of employee empowerment posted strong, positive and statistically significant relationship with resilience of QSRs. The study concludes that employee empowerment informs resilience of QSRs, or that resilience of QSRs depends on DoA, EPDM, and ECD; and recommends that QSRs that desires resilience in the business-scape must continually update the competencies of their customer-contact employees, involve them in decision-making and give them adequate powers to perform tasks and discharge duties assigned to them.  Article visualizations

Correlates and Consequences of Dating Violence in Adolescent Relationships in Nigeria

ABSTRACT This paper examined the causes and effects of dating violence in adolescent relationships. Two thousand three hundred and eighty six (2,386

The Relationship between Celebrity Endorsement and Brand Image in the Fastfood Industry in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

A strong brand image is an essential business asset in the modern day business environment. This is because a strong brand image provides an effective way to get the brand noticed amidst the rush and clutter in the daily media. The aim of current study was to determine the nexus between celebrity endorsement and brand image in the fastfood industry. In other to achieve the objective of this study, four research hypotheses were formulated and tested using the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation (rho), relying on the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Data for the study was collected through questionnaire, and data collected from four hundred and eighteen (418) customers of fastfood firms in Port Harcourt was used in the final analysis. The study found a positive and significant association between celebrity endorsement and all the metrics of brand image considered in the study. Importantly, the study discovered a strong and positive correlation between celebrity endorsement and brand awareness, while the relationship between celebrity endorsement and brand personality is found to be moderate. The paper therefore concluded that celebrity endorsement is a needful communication strategy for building a strong brand image, and recommends that marketers must be careful enough to ensure a good endorser-brand fit so as to raise the unique selling proposition of the firm to new heights. Keywords: Celebrity endorsement, Brand image, Brand awareness, Brand distinction, Brand personality, Brand prestige

Customer-Bonding Capability: A Revolutionary Management Skill for Improved Performance of SMES in Agribusiness in Rivers State, Nigeria

Economic advancement of nations is interlaced with growth and prosperity of businesses. Hence, policy-makers devote resources to orchestrating an enabling environment for businesses, especially SMEs, to thrive. Governments have over the years made deliberate efforts to encourage and promote SMEs, in lieu of their significant contribution to economic development. However, SMEs do not rely solely on government support or incentives to thrive. They also require skills and capabilities that provide sufficient fillip to operational success. This study examined the relevance customer-bonding capability to performance of SMEs in agribusiness. Customer-bonding capability was treated uni-dimensionally; while customer-base enlargement, profitability and portfolio expansion were used to represent SMEs’ performance. The study adopted an explanatory research design, and collected primary data through cross-sectional survey, using a structured questionnaire whose validity and reliability was confirmed through exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s Alpha test respectively. The population of the study comprised SMEs in agribusiness in Rivers State. 90 SMEs in agribusinesses in Rivers State were surveyed. After data cleaning, data collected from 77 SMEs were found usable for analyses. Pearson Product Moment Correlation served as test statistic, relying on Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. The study found that customer-bonding capability has strong, positive and statistically significant relationship with customer-base enlargement and business portfolio expansion; and a moderate positive and statistically significant relationship with profitability of SMEs in agribusiness. The study therefore concluded that customer-bonding capability drives improved performance of SMEs in agribusiness; and recommends that SMEs in agribusinesses in Rivers State that seek improved performance in terms of customer-base enlargement, business portfolio expansion, and profitability should develop or groom capabilities that nurture and expand relationship with customers. Keywords:Business portfolio expansion, customer-base enlargement, customer-bonding capability, profitability, SMEs’ performance DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-13-01 Publication date:July 31st 202