Abstract
The fundamental tenet of
marketing is that all of a firm’s activities should be directed toward
ensuring customer satisfaction and creating mutually beneficial,
long-term relationships with the market (Kotler, 1980). In other words,
firms should and will benefit by providing customers with satisfactory
services and products that contribute to long-term relationships. One
way to facilitate this tenet is customer orientation specifically,
putting customers’ interests first (Saxe and Weitz, 1982). In this
sense, a customer-oriented business culture is preferable for firms that
seek success in the market (e.g., Houston, 1986 Parasuraman, 1987).
...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page
Certification
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Abstract
Table of Content
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
of the study
1.2 Statement
of the problem
1.3 Objective
of the Study
1.4 Research
Questions
1.5 Research
hypothesis
1.6 Scope
of the study
1.7 Significance
of the study
1.8 Limitation
of the Study
1.9 Definition
of terms
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.0 REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITETATURE
2.1. Customer Orientation
2.2
The Strategic Management Process For Restaurants
2.3
The Broad Environment For Restaurants Towards Customer Orientation
2.4 Technology’s Impact
In The Restaurant And Hotel Industry Towards Customer Orientation
2.5
Managerial Implications in The Restaurant Industry Toward Customer
Satisfaction
2.6
An Overview of Different Types of Restaurants
2.7 Different Types of Restaurant
Concepts
2.8 Sheth’s Model of Product and
Customer Differentiations
2.9 Customer Orientation
and Global Corporate Strategy
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research
Design
3.2 Area
of Study
3.3 Population
of the Study
3.4 Sample
and Sampling Techniques
3.5 Method
of Collecting Data
3.6 Method
of Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
4.0 Data
Presentation
4.1 Data
Analysis and interpretation
4.3 Discussion
of Finding
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1
Summary
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendation
References
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The fundamental tenet of
marketing is that all of a firm’s activities should be directed toward ensuring
customer satisfaction and creating mutually beneficial, long-term relationships
with the market (Kotler, 1980). In other words, firms should and will benefit
by providing customers with satisfactory services and products that contribute
to long-term relationships. One way to
facilitate this tenet is customer orientation specifically, putting
customers’ interests first (Saxe and Weitz, 1982). In this sense, a customer-oriented
business culture is preferable for firms that seek success in the market (e.g.,
Houston, 1986; Parasuraman, 1987).
Customer-Orientation is
"the dissemination of information about customers throughout an
organisation, formulation of strategies and tactics to satisfy market needs
inter-functionally and achievement of a sense of company-wide commitment to
these plans" (Shapiro, 2010).
In the service context,
individual service employees are the last people to implement the firm’s
marketing efforts and the first people to directly interact with the customer
(Brown, el at, 2002). In other words, service employees actualize the firm’s
customer orientation at the front line and at the same time acquire feedback
from customers and provide it to the management as market intelligence. As
such, the service firm’s ability to be customer-oriented primarily depends on
individual service employees’ customer orientation.
Given
the experiential and interactive nature of service and the key role played by
service employees in service provision, the customer orientation of service
employees (COSE) is critical to service businesses, including restaurants.
However, no study yet has focused on the effects of customer orientation of
service employees (COSE) on customers’ responses to restaurants. In the
hospitality context, Susskind(2007) adopted the construct of the customer
(guest) orientation of service employees. However, the study tested customer
orientation in the organizational behaviour context. In addition, they adopted
Kelley’s (1992) definition of ‘customer orientation’—employees’ general
commitment toward customer satisfaction—which is distinct from customer
orientation of service employees (COSE).
The
objective of the study was to assess how COSE influences customers’ repurchase
intention by examining customers’ perceptions of relational benefits,
favourable inequity, and satisfaction. The basic notion of this study is that
customer orientation of service employees (COSE) leads customers to stay in
long-term relationships with restaurants because they benefit by doing so.
As Porter (1990) suggested, the
business environment highly influences firms’ strategies. This is more and more
accurate as the business environment is growing. Today, most of the business
centres have to decide their strategy depending on a worldwide business
environment. However, strategy researches and the growing importance of
marketing for business success also show that customer dimension must be taken
into consideration. On some markets and in certain firms, the offer is much
higher than the demand and then, firms need to attract customers. On the
national level, firms multiply customer surveys in order to reach their
expectations. On the global level, this is more complicated.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
In the bid to maximize profit in the
prevalent get rich-quick syndrome of some fraudulent entrepreneurs such as
restaurant, some indulge in ill-practice of customer orientation. Absolute
firm’s responsibility to the customer’s service is not ensured due to the fact
that buyers are often misled by chronic imitators. Bergkvist, el at (2016). As
a result a lot of customerhave fallen victim of the unethical practice of
advertising known as passing off.
However it appears most manager seems
not to understand the roles of customers enlightment as it affect buying
behaviour, especially in industrial product because it requires tutors of how
to make use of the products and how to disposed the product after use or after
consumed. Also it has been observed that most company seems not to make use of
public relation as it affects customer’s behaviour due to lack of investing on
public relations, public relation will help the organization to achieves its
objective effectively.
An effective Public
Relations can create and build up the image of the organization. It also
establish a good relationship among the organization and customers. At the time
of adverse publicity or when the organisation is under crisis an effective
Public Relations can remove the "misunderstanding" and can create
mutual understanding between the organisation and the public. Also, complaint
management has been viewed as a method of securing customer’s loyalty. Most
organization do not see this has it ought to be.(Columbus, O.Grid, 1980)
This study is therefore undertaken in order to gain
understanding about the effect of customer relation on restaurant business.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The purpose of the study is aimed on
the effect of customer orientation on performance of restaurant in Ekiti State.
The study of the research is as
follows:
i.
To examine the impact of Customers
orientation on the buying behaviour.
ii.
To find the effect of customer enlightment
on buying behaviour
iii.
To find the effect public relation on
customer behaviour
iv.
To find the effect of complaint management
on customer loyalty.
1.4 Research Question
1. Does Customers orientation influence the
buying behaviourof restaurant business in Ekiti State?
2. Does customer orientation has positive
effects on sales performance of restaurant business in
Ekiti State?
3. Does Customers
orientation and loyalty influence the performance of restaurant business in
Ekiti
State?
4. Does the performance of restaurant influence
buying behaviour of customers and customer
satisfaction in Ekiti
State?
1.5 Scope of the Study
The
study concentrates on the effect of customer orientation on the performance of
restaurant business in Ekiti state by using some selected restaurant as a case
study.
1.6 Significant of the Study
The significance of the study can be seen in
effect of customer orientation to the improved buying bahaviour. The findings
will also offer restaurant a helpful suggestion towards the handling of
problems of customer orientation therefore, making Organizations know that if
customer orientation are well motivated and making use of, it will make for
efficiency in the which leads to the attainment Organizational sales goal.
The study will also be of immense benefit to
consumers of pampers products who wish to buy best quality of consumer’s
products.
Finally, this study will
provide a foundation for future researches as this will serve as a motivation
for many researchers to further examine other aspects of the subject matter, in
the field of academics, the study will stimulate further research into effect
of customer orientation on restaurant business.
1.7 Limitation of the Study
The
researcher met with the following physical and logistical limitations in
addition to the limitations imposed by cost and time.
Customers response: The problem encountered by the researcher in carrying out
this work was response, as the respondents felt reluctant to supply useful
information; their intention was that such information could be used against
the organization.
Financial Constraint: Money serves was a difficult problem
because I had limited access to money, as a student.
Finance:
The researcher spent so much money
while sourcing for information which includes transportation costs etc.
·
In many occasions, the researcher was
denied audience by the very people whom he had hoped would supply him
information. The questionnaire which was
distributed was either returned unanswered or half answered.
The
researcher spent much time and money repeating visits to those he distributed
questionnaire to. Many even thought that
the interview being sought for was for Customers Orientation
1.8 Definition of the Term
The definition are of conceptual
meaning:
i
Buyer: is any person who contracts to
acquire an asset
in return for some form of consideration (John, 2009).
ii
Consumer: is the one who pays
something to consume goods and services produced. As such, consumers play a vital role in the economic
system of a nation.
Without consumer demand,
producers would lack one of the key
motivations to produce: to sell to consumers (John, 2009).
iii
CustomerOrientation:
a customer orientation focuses primarily on the realization of the interests
and needs of customers and deliver appropriate solutions to their requests
(Bellou 2009).
iv Customer-Oriented Behavior: A customer-oriented behavior is the ability of the service provider to help consumers, which
leads not only to an increase in customer satisfaction and a positive
relationship with employee performance (Boles et al2001, Brown et al 2002) but
also a level of emotional commitment to the organization of these consumers,
and more importantly, for retaining these consumers, especially in the case of
services with high interaction, as seen in the hotel industry.
v
Strategy: The process of planning something or carrying
out a plan in a skillful ways; marketing strategy; strategy consists of goals
and programs for achieving them. Brown et al (2002)
vi
Market:- this is the act of
identifying customer’s needs, designing a product that will satisfy such needs
and making the product(s) available to customers at (consumers) at a price
(benefit). Kotler, 2008
vii
Effect- The powerful impact
either positive or negative effect that something has on something or
somebody. Matt Blumberg (2000)
viii Performance:
The action or act of performing something especially very well of people or
machines. It is also the ability to do something. Mc Cormick, (2016)