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This study investigates brand equity dimensions and customer retention of the Nigerian telecommunications industry. Cross-sectional research design was adopted to survey 368 postpaid subscribers. The respondents were selected through multistage sampling techniques. The four dimensions of brand equity (brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality, and brand loyalty) were found to be correlated with one another and with overall brand equity. Similarly, the four dimensions were correlated to and significantly predicted customer retention. The study concluded that improvement of all the four dimensions of brand equity is indispensably vital to customer retention in the mobile telecom industry. The study recommended that telecom operator that is desirous of sustaining high brand notch in the marketplace should intensify their effort to improve on all the four dimensions of brand equity to enhance subscribers’ retention. Findings of this study fill important gaps and contribute to the body of literature related to brand equity dimensions and customer retention from customers’ perspective.

This study investigates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business performance of small scale auto artisans within Lagos state metropolis. Descriptive survey research design was adopted using quantitative research approach. Questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents selected through multistage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were used to present a snap view of the data collected, while correlation, regression analysis and ANOVA were used to test the hypotheses. Results of the analysis established that all the entrepreneurial orientation dimensions (innovativeness, risk taking, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy) are significantly related to one another and business performance. Also all the entrepreneurial orientation dimensions individually and jointly significantly predicted and influenced business performance. Findings of the study also revealed that the degree of entrepreneurial orientation is related to the year/period the business has been in operation. The study concluded that the competitive nature of contemporary business environment, require that firms are highly entrepreneurial-oriented to succeed. The study recommended that small scale entrepreneurs should develop capability that will foster entrepreneurial orientation so as to build a formidable learning and adaptive organization. Key words: Innovativeness; Risk taking; Proactiveness; Competitive aggressiveness; Autonomy; Small scale artisans; Business performance., International Journal of Economic Behavior, Vol 9, No 1 (2019): International Journal of Economic Behavior

Air travellers are increasingly becoming more demanding in terms of their expectations of the quality of service offered by airline carriers. Hence, operators must improve service delivery to retain their loyalty. This study investigates the relationship between airline service quality dimensions and customer loyalty among air passengers in Lagos state. Causal research design was adopted to examine the aforementioned relationship. Convenience sampling technique was used to survey 600 air travellers. Data collected from the respondents were analysed by using Pearson correlation analysis and Anova. The findings reveal that the service quality and its dimensions are positive and significantly related to each other, overall service quality and customer loyalty. The results of the study indicate no significant difference between customers’ travelling for different motives in their perception of the quality of services. It was also discovered that flight frequency was insignificantly connected to customer loyalty. In line with the above findings, the study concludes that the airline service quality improvement initiatives should begin with recognition of customers’ needs. Correspondingly, airline operators should cultivate strategies to fulfil their service promise along the service quality dimensions, most important to air travellers to enhance customer loyalty.

Literature is replete with a large number of theories related to service quality measurement and dimensions in an airline context. To date, there is no consensus of opinion on the generic model and of the number of dimensions most appropriate to evaluate service quality in airline industry. This study investigates service quality dimensions in the Nigerian airline industry. The cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. Convenience sampling was used to select 800 respondents among departing air travellers in Lagos State. A structured questionnaire containing 28 items was developed to evaluate the perceived service quality of domestic airlines. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and one-sample t-test. The dimensionality of perceived service quality in Nigeria’s airline industry was explored using exploratory factor analysis. From the analysis carried out, it was established that the modified SERVQUAL model provided a satisfactory level of overall reliability in Nigeria’s airline context, which implies that all the items were cohesive in forming the SERVQUAL dimensions. According to the findings of this study, all service quality dimensions are positively and significantly interrelated. The perceived service quality of domestic airlines across these dimensions was found to be poor. The most dissatisfied dimensions in order of ranking were: flight pattern, reliability, facilities, assurance, responsiveness, employee, and customization. On the basis of the aforementioned findings, this study concludes that airline operators should redefine their service standards to one that is customer-focused by identifying the dimension of service quality most preferred by the passengers and continuously strive to improve service delivery. The study recommends that airline operators should recognize the changing needs and expectations of air travellers and customize their range of services by identifying unique service requirements of the individual customers.

Given the preponderance of women in the workforce, it remained a puzzle why the entry of women into higher managerial positions remains restricted and why the syndrome of ‘think manager think male is growing progressively? The objective of this paper is to examine the glass ceiling conundrum with a view of ascertain how it limits women’s career advancement in the workplace. Extensive review of literature was presented and discussed. The paper revealed that women are not making it to the very top of their career not as a result of lack of requisite qualifications, and experience etc.; but as a result of factors that are rooted in cultural, societal, organizational, individual and psychological factors that inhibit women career advancement. Against the aforementioned background, the paper concludes that women advance marginally to certain level in corporate executive cadre, before they experience ‘glass ceiling’ that impedes their prospect of attaining senior executive position. Accordingly, women compared to men represent an insignificant fraction of those in managerial positions due to cultural prejudice, religion convictions, family related issues, individual and organizational influences. Similarly, inadequate opportunity to networks and seek sponsorship limits women progression to top managerial hierarchy. The study recommends the need to articulate policy frameworks that promote strong organizational culture and a more helpful and supportive environment to develop women leadership skills. Similarly, there is need to promote sponsorship for women in a way and manner that safeguard the relationships between sponsors and proteges.

Product positioning has been an important part of marketing since companies began to recognize the relevance of having control over their image. It is also a way of influencing consumer perception and purchase decisions as well as to satisfy corporate sales objectives. Developing an appropriate ¡®product positioning strategy¡¯ is usually influenced by such factors as the competitive marketplace, specific corporate goals, and organizational strengths. Once established, it has typically become a posture that influence and direct marketing communications. This paper investigates the approaches for generating and evaluating product positioning strategy, using descriptive research approach. The paper concludes that positioning is applicable to products in the broadest sense. However, Institutions, Organizations or even Countries can benefit from a well developed positioning strategy that focuses on a niche that is unoccupied in the mind of the consumer.

Customer satisfaction and loyalty is a well known and established concept in several areas like marketing, consumer research, economic psychology, welfare-economics, and economics. And has long been a topic of high interest in both academia and practice. The aim of the study was to investigate whether customer satisfaction is an indicator of customer loyalty. The findings of the study supported the contention that strong relationship exist between customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, customer satisfaction alone cannot achieve the objective of creating a loyal customer base. Some researchers also argued, that customer satisfaction and loyalty are not directly correlated, particularly in competitive business environments because there is a big difference between satisfaction, which is a passive customer condition, and loyalty, which is an active or proactive relationship with the organization.

The increasing rate of the incidence of globalization of market, and the attendant intense competition amongst local business organizations in rapidly developing economies has taken a shift from price competition strategy (to avoid price war) to non-price competition strategy in terms of product/service differentiation and positioning to achieve the same objectives of preventing declining sales-turnover, profitability, and market-share and by extension secure market/competitive advantage over competitors. Differentiation and positioning have each been separately discussed in marketing literature; however, this paper represents an attempt to view same as a toss of the same coin.

This paper investigates the role of gender in relationship marketing and the relationship marketing variables thatare important in stock brokerage business. A sample of 103 clients of stock brokerage firms operating in LagosState, Nigeria was examined. The ANOVA result shows that females are better relationship officers while theregression result indicated that gender identity has a significant influence (p-value = 0.025, t = 2.274) on thesuccess of relationship marketing but it is not a sufficient variable to predict the success of relationshipmarketing strategy as the R-Square value is low (0.049). In addition, all the variables (trust, communication,commitment, support and cooperation) were found to be important. Therefore, it is recommended that stockbrokerage firms should consider females for relationship positions and should also put in place the facilities andinternal marketing programmes that are needed for its success.

This study investigates the influence of product attributes on consumer purchase decision in Nigerian food and beverages industry: A study of Lagos Metropolis. Descriptive research method was used to survey 400 customers of the selected two companies in food and beverages industry. Data were collected through questionnaire administered. Descriptive statistic and Pearson correlation coefficient was used as a method of data analysis. The result of the analysis reveals a positive correlation between product attribute and consumer purchase decision. Indeed, consumer purchase decision can be viewed as a process in which consumers evaluate alternative products on the strength of various attributes and on the basis of which marketers differentiate and set their brand apart from competition.