OGUDE Cyril1 NWOKAH N. Gladson2
1Department of Marketing, Faculty of Administration and Management
Rivers State University Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt
cyrilogude77@gmail.com
2Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Faculty of Administration and Management,
Rivers State University Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt
nwokah.gladson@ust.edu.ng
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between customer focus and business success of downstream oil and gas firms in Nigeria. The study adopted an explanatory research design. The population of the study comprised 132 downstream oil and gas firms in Nigeria. The sample size was 100. Primary data were collected from the respondents using semi-structured questionnaire designed in the 5-point Likert scale. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistic was used to test the correlation between customer focus and indices of business success (market share, sales growth and profitability). The study found that customer focus predicts business success of downstream oil and gas firms in Nigeria; and therefore, concludes that business success of downstream oil and gas firms in Nigeria in terms of market share, sales growth and profitability depends on the level of their customer focus. The study recommends that downstream oil and gas firms should ensure that gathering intelligence on customer needs whether intermediate or final consumers is a deliberate organizational activity to ensure that the firm is abreast of changes in customer requirements.
Keywords: Business success, customer focus, market share, profitability, sales growth.