CONSUMER BRAND RELATIONSHIPS: Examining Consumers Loyalty to Mobile Telecommunication Service Providers in Nigeria

摘要

2013 dissertation for MSc in International Business Management. Selected by academic staff as a good example of a masters level dissertation. ududPurpose: - given the diversity in loyalty's construct and the continuously evolving needs of consumer-to form relationships with their brands, it isudimperative the need to uncover the route to which consumer- brand relationships are headed with the construct of loyalty as a navigating device.udThe purpose of this research revolves around Nigerian consumer's loyalty to their mobile telecommunication service providers in a relational context.udObjective centres around investigating, exploring and determining of issues on brand loyalty and consumer relationships in a service providing industryudof an emerging market.udDesign/methodology/approach - this researches design is exploratory and phenomenological in nature by virtue of its attempt to understand meaningudcreated by consumers in the context of loyalty. Seven in-depth interviews anduda focus group were conducted to this effect.udFindings - Initial findings indicate that performance and relationaldisposition are important facets in the formation of loyalty. It also identified them to be factors/tools responsible for developing relationships existent among consumers. Furthermore, it was discovered that relationships do indeed serve as antecedents to loyalty.udOriginality/value - The main contribution of the study lies in the realisation of performance and relational disposition as indicators of loyalty in the Nigerian mobile telecommunication industry. A conceptual frameworkudemerged from this discovery and was deemed an accurate representation of findings. Based on the findings, this empirical study will serve as a valuable input to marketers in Nigeria's emerging market with their planning, analysis, and implementation of appropriate consumer retention strategies if attention is placed on performance and relational disposition as tools to that effect. The understanding of this dynamic will ensure competitive advantage in Nigeria's prevailing unsettling business environment.