THE IMPACT OF LEASING ON THE FINANCING OF SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background of the study

A lease is a legally enforceable contract which defines the relationship between an owner, the lessor, and a renter, the lessee. A typical lease spells out all of the terms involved in a land or merchandise rental agreement, including the length of time a lessee may use it and what condition it must be in upon return to the lessor. The amount of payments and any financial penalties for late payments may also be included in a contract. Most consumers encounter a lease when renting housing or leasing a car. It can be very short-term (a few weeks or months), or it can be extended for a number of years. Many small businesses and retail stores have agreements for 10 years or more, and renewal may just be a formality. Apartment renters, however, rarely sign a contract extending past one year of occupancy. Those who lease vehicles usually sign two-year agreements as opposed to five-year financing plans for buyers.  An agreement protects both the lessor and the lessee. The lessor knows that a legally binding contract obligates the renter to make regular payments throughout the life of the lease. The lessee knows that he or she has full rights to the property without fear of sudden seizure or eviction. A lease also guarantees that the original rental terms will not change until the contract has expired.

            A lease arrangement does not always guarantee smooth sailing between landlord and tenant, however. Unlike a mortgage between a bank and homeowner, the contract between landlord and tenant can contain a number of restrictions. Renters and leasers are not owners, therefore the property is always subject to scrutiny by the landlord and/or titled owner. If certain conditions are violated, such as an unauthorized pet or a sanitation problem, the lessor can decide to terminate the agreement.

      Another consideration is the length of the lease itself. Some renters sign longer leases in order to reduce monthly payments, only to encounter a more appealing situation long before the end of the agreement. A lease may allow lessees to legally break the terms if a new job is located 50 miles away or more, but in general the renter may have to honor the entire term. Some lessees may find someone willing to continue the rental obligation without a lease — a practice called subletting. Some landlords allow tenants to sublet, but it's not always a viable option. The important thing to understand about a lease is that it is a binding legal agreement and you should be aware of all the conditions before signing.

A finance lease is a lease that transfers substantially all the risks and rewards incidental to ownership of an asset. Title may or may not eventually be transferred. An operating lease is a lease other than a finance lease. A lease is classified as a finance lease if it transfers substantially all the risks and rewards incidental to ownership. A lease is classified as an operating lease if it does not transfer substantially all the risks and rewards incidental to ownership.

     Whether a lease is a finance lease or an operating lease depends on the substance of the transaction rather than the form of the contract. The legal form of a finance lease is that the lessor is the legal owner of the leased asset. The economic substance of a finance lease is that the lessee has all the benefits and costs associated with ownership of the asset. The finance lessee is in the same position as it would have been if it had borrowed money to buy the asset itself. That is why such leases are called finance leases; they provide finance for the use of an asset. If the lessor includes this term in the lease the lessor knows that when the asset is given back to it at the end of the lease, the asset will only have a small value.

        Therefore the lessor knows that it needs to make sure to recover the cost of the asset together with any related interest during the lease term. The rentals are set at a level which allows it to do this. The lessee will pay the full cash price of the asset together with related finance expense over the lease term. The lessee would only do this if it had access to the risks and benefits of ownership. In substance, this is just like borrowing the cash and buying the asset. Therefore, the lease is a finance lease.

1.2   Statement of the problem

Contrary to what obtains in many development nations, leasing is relatively a new financing option in Nigeria. If we look at the exiting financing device or option open to small-scale enterprises shows that small-scale enterprise experience a chronic storage of institutional credit which ordinarily should form the bulk of their finance. This situation calls for remedy, and the researcher believes that leasing could be encouraged and promoted to satisfy to a great extent, the financing needs of small enterprises.

        For instance in Cross River State, the government has evolved measured to alleviate poverty through various agricultural projects, upgrading the status of some markets, providing and developing tourism capacity building, skills acquisition and empowerment of people. On observation of the entire state, it is discovered that small businesses are on the increase, ranging from G.S.M operators, barbing and hairdressing salons, to mention but few. But it is shocking that their gain are not easily recognized or felt in the economic advancement of the state.

    This can be attributed to some bottleneck, such as difficulty in accessing micro finances, inadequate management, lack of experience and skill personnel especially in compiling a convincing feasibility study and work plan, market competition, inadequate capital and many other problems (Akakaye, 199:112).

    Considerable researches has been conducted on small-scale industries, but non has been direct at empirically evaluating their influence in Cross River State, hence their study is undertaken with the aim of using some of the industries indicators to assess the presence of small-scale industries in the state and their financing to the small-scale industries in the state.

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SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION AND CONTROL OF SOCIAL VICES AMONG YOUTH ADULT IN CALABAR MUNICIPALITY

  

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Social work is a helping profession; the main goal of social work is to improve a society’s overall well-being, especially for the most vulnerable populations. Social work’s distinguishing characteristics are its emphasis on the person-in-environment model and its emphasis on social justice. In other words, social workers not only consider individuals’ internal struggles, as other counselors might, they also work with people to examine their relationships, family history, work environment, community environment, and the structures and policies that impact them in order to identify ways to help address a problem or challenge. Social workers also do not limit their work to individuals; they work with individuals, couples, families, groups, neighborhoods, communities, and organizations.

       Social work practice is also strengths-based. Social workers help people or groups identify their problems, determine their skills and capacities, what they are doing well, and how that was accomplished, and then analyze ways that those strengths might be applied to the identified problems. Social workers work directly with clients who are individuals, families or small groups. These social workers help clients cope with problems such as poverty, abuse, addiction, and mental illness by providing counseling, connecting clients with service providers, and empowering clients to meet their own needs.

      Again, social workers choose to work with communities, organizations or governments. These workers advocate for vulnerable populations, fighting to end the inequalities and injustices they see in their communities. They create policies, break down barriers, and drive reform. Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work.  Underpinned by theories of social work, social sciences, humanities and indigenous knowledge, social work engages people and structures to address life challenges and enhance wellbeing.

        However, anti-social activities are rampant in the contemporary Nigerian Society. This is evident in the deluge of social problems witnessed on regular bases. These problems which include various factors such as social inequality, ethnicity, limited resources, corruption, poverty, criminality, and other socio-economic crises pervade the length and breadth of the country. There is a wide gap between the expectations of the society and its actual manifestations. Hardly would a day go by without a record of one form of social problem or the other. In line with the above, Osarenren (2002) argued that societal attitudes change because society is dynamic and changes occur quite frequently and to support her claims, she advanced some fundamental reasons for anti-social behaviours in the society. For her, one of the reasons is the change in the structure of the society which happens to be as a result of rapid transition from rural to urbanization and industrialization; secondly, there has been a serious disruption of sense of community solidarity and of the integrity of the extended family structure; and thirdly, it is observed that delinquency is on the rise in deteriorated neighborhoods near the city centre of large cities. One may therefore surmise that delinquency is closely associated with urbanization. From a sociological perspective, a social problem exists when there is a sizable difference between the ideals of a society and its actual achievements. From this perspective, social problems are created by the failure to close the gap between the way people want things to be and the way things really are (Coleman, 1999). Certain social conditions are detrimental in any situation (Eitzen, Smith & Baca-Zinn, 2009). These conditions prevent members of a society from developing and using their full potential. Those conditions like poverty, racism, unequal opportunity are, therefore, social problems in any social setting. There is a common consensus among experts that deviance is a social problem and could be seen as a product of both personal and social traits. Osarenren (2002) argued that any behavior which does not conform to the rules, regulations, norms and values of a given time is viewed as deviance. In line with this position, Ajuzie (2005), submitted that deviance should be eradicated or put to control in the society .She argues further that the best a society could do in order to achieve this is to undertake application of knowledge to practical ends, through corrections, development of policies and programmes for combating crime and deviance, to reform, remobilize and to treat deviants. Matza (1964) came up with the idea of treating deviant cases when he projected a premise that something must be wrong with a deviant actor and which compels him to be lawless and inhibits him from conformity to conventional norms and the laws of the society. Education is a watchdog that is essential for correcting the problem of deviance and ensuring conformity to institutional rules and regulations. The impact of education on change and adjustment is tremendous in that knowledge is light; it transforms and leads in the right direction. The thrust of this study is to explore the effect of social problems on the academic performance and social adjustment of secondary school students. In this breadth, ‘deviance’ readily comes to mind, because it is a term that is easily associated with social problems among youths in general and secondary school students in particular. Before the study is explored in-depth, laying a solid foundation with regards to relevant accounts of social deviance issues among youths and secondary school students in Nigeria will be useful. In the account of Osaat (1999), the present generation has been a generation of youth restiveness and moral decadence, sporadic ethnic and religious violence, insurgent tribal youth militias, and labour unrest among adult workers, and a generation where youths grow with criminal tendencies, with growing interests in cultic activities, and examination malpractice as the dominant means of achieving success in educational institutions. Deviance, disturbances, crises, issues, violence, unrest and all anti-social behaviours, all of which have been categorized as social problems are prevalent in every sector of the Nigerian nation. The primary focus of this study is to lay emphasis on these problems with a focus on the educational sector and especially among students of senior secondary schools in Nigeria. Student participation in anti-social behaviours is on a steady rise. The alarming effect of this behavior constitutes a major challenge Teachers, Parents, Guardians, and the Government, the stake-holders in the educational sector and even among the well meaning Nigerians at large. A number of occurrences, which have become the ‘norm’, are testimony to the fact that social problems in schools have come to stay. 

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THE IMPACT OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND ITS IMPLICATION ON PRODUCTIVITY IN AN ORGANIZATION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            BACKGROUND          OF THE STUDY

Human resource management (HRM) is concerned with the personnel policies and managerial practices and systems that influence the workforce William et al, (1996). Human resource management specialists in the HRM department help organizations with all activities related to staffing and maintaining an effective workforce. According to Collins (2005), major HRM responsibilities include work design and job analysis, training and development, recruiting, compensation, team-building, performance management and appraisal, worker health and safety issues, as well as identifying or developing valid methods for selecting staff. HRM department provides the tools, data and processes that are used by line managers in their human resource management component of their job. “The HRM focus should always be maintaining and, ideally, expanding the customer base while maintaining, and ideally, maximizing profit. HRM has a whole lot to do with this focus regardless of the size of the business, or the products or services you are trying to sell.” HRM is involved in managing the human resources with a focus on expanding customer base that gives profit to the company Sels, (2006).

           "Human resources" (HR) is a term that is used in business to refer to the people who work for a company or organization. This term was coined in the United States during the 1960s, when labor relations became a greater concern for U.S. businesses, and has since spread around the world. The people who make up a company's workforce, its human resources are considered to be an asset to the company, just like its financial resources and material resources, such as buildings, machinery and other equipment. A company is more likely to be successful if it manages its entire resources well, including its people Singh (2004). This is why many companies have human resources departments, even though those departments do not directly contribute to the company's production, services, sales or profits. Rather, effective HR departments allow and encourage the companies' employees to do their best, which in turn contributes to the success of those companies.

       One of the main roles of an HR department is managing current employees. Unlike managers who directly oversee the employees' day-to-day work, the HR department deals with concerns such as benefits, pay, company policies and training. Among the benefits that might be handled by the HR department are insurance plans, paid vacations, paid leave for illnesses and other health matters, pension plans and employee investments Cooke (2000). The HR department also might settle conflicts between employees or between employees and their managers as well as grievances filed against the company by employees.

          Human resources also involve the acquisition of new employees. HR workers might be involved in recruiting potential employees through advertisements or at job fairs Wood (1999). In some cases, the HR department will try to hire certain types of people or at least ensure that certain types of people are employ to improve the diversity of the company's workforce. For example, a company might look for candidates who belong to a certain minority demographic. The HR department often collects and reviews job applications before forwarding those of the best applicants to the appropriate managers in the organization. The hiring process might also include background checks, credit checks and drug testing. After a new employee is hired, the HR department typically provides orientation, including instruction in company policies, and ensures that the employee is properly trained for his or her job.

        A company's HR department also plays a role when an employee leaves the company for any reason. If an employee is fired or otherwise let go against his or her wishes, certain tasks must be performed by the HR department to ensure that the process was done legally. In some cases, severance pay must be offered or negotiated, and outstanding balances of paid vacation time and other benefits must be settled. The HR department might also need to collect all keys or other equipment from the employee and make sure that he or she no longer has access to the company's resources, including computer networks.

      Employee morale is another concern for many human resources departments. An HR department might be responsible for choosing an employee of the month, arranging holiday parties and other get-togethers for employees or otherwise rewarding employees for good performance. The HR department often is concerned with creating a positive, enjoyable work environment. This can improve employees' production and contribute to the rate of turnover among the company's workforce. Human resource management (HRM) is based in the efficient utilization of employees to achieve two main goals within a company or other organization. The first is to effectively make use of the talents and abilities of each employee to meet the operational objectives that are the ultimate aim of the organization. Along with this, the practice also seeks to ensure that individual employees are satisfied with both their working environment and the compensation and benefits that they receive. At times, the two main HRM functions seem to be at odds with one another Huselid (1995). There are certainly instances where it is impossible to arrive at solutions that are in line with both the aims of the company and the desires of the employee. When this happens, effective managers are faced with the task of finding a resolution that protects the interests of the company, but at the same time provides and acceptable level of satisfaction to the employee. This process can sometimes take a great deal of expertise on the part of the human resource personnel, but ultimately can help establish the best solution for all concerned parties.

       Among the human resources issues that are generally handled by HR management personnel are the drafting of position descriptions for all levels of employment within the company, setting the standards and procedures that are used for hiring new employees, and determining benefits that are extended to existing employees. Disciplinary procedures, as well as procedures for recognizing employees for exemplary work, also fall under the province of human resource management. The HR department often seeks to provide the highest quality benefit packages possible, given the current financial position of the company. To this end, personnel will typically seek the best in group health insurance, retirement programs, profit sharing, and vacation and personal days. Preparing and maintaining a company employee handbook is often the province of human resource management. As part of that process, the management team will ensure that all guidelines and regulations contained within the text comply with local, regional, and national laws that affect the status of employees. Managers will also provide all employees the opportunity to understand the provisions within the handbook, both as part of new employee orientation and as an ongoing employee education process. Often, human resource management and personnel are called on to mediate disagreements between employees and immediate supervisors Patterson et al (1997). In these situations, the mediator will seek to represent the best interests of the company, ensure that the dialogue and process is in compliance with laws governing employment within the country of residence, and seek to profile solution and reconcile the parties.

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AN ANALYSIS OF EXTERNAL DEBT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA (1995-2013)

 CHAPTER ONE

        INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Securing external loan is inevitable for a government when the economy faces financial crisis. There is no iota of doubt that Nigeria, just as other developing countries, is facing serious debt crisis. It has therefore emphasized the use of external loans for financing public expenditure (National library 2006). It is generally expected that developing countries, facing a scarcity of capital, will acquire external debt to supplement domestic saving (pattillo,etal 2002; safdari; and meherizi 2011).

According to global development finance (2009), “every country in the world aims at achieving economic growth and development”. However this is only possible if a country has adequate resources. In developing countries especially those in sub Sahara African the resources to finance the optimal level of economic growth and development are in short supply. This ploughed with problem of low domestic savings, low tax revenue, low productivity and meager foreign exchanger earnings. Basically, for these reason, many developing counties yearning for economics growth inevitably resort to external financing to bridge the gap between their savings and investments. In the process of obtaining Finance from abroad, a country may consider several options: grants, foreign investment and loans (concessional and non- concessional ) in that order, However mix of these capital inflow in varying proportion could be obtained depending on the socio- economic and political situation in a country(World Bank 2009).

According to (CBN annual report 2002) “Nigeria like most developing countries borrowed from external sources mainly for investment purpose. The country external debt sustainable up to mid 1970s, from the late 1979s because of poor macro- economic management and declining prices of crude oil, the country’s external debt began its upward movement. Thus from an external debt of US$ 557.74 millions in 1975. Nigeria debt packed at US$33 .billions in 1990 before declining to US$27.1 billion in 1997 and rose to US$28.8 billion in 1998. (CBN annual report 2002).

However, one of the greatest problem facing African countries basically classified as the amount of their external indebtedness (World Bank African Data base, 2003). This problem of increasing rate of the external debt is threatening the development programmed embarked upon by these countries, thereby retarding their economics growth and development, the reason being that the size of debt relative to size of the economic GNP is enormous. Also, the current system of debt management has a serious macro-economic impact on the economy’s outputs: as such, there is an urgent need to reduced African total outstanding debt service payments as well as accumulating of arrears on payments. (Anyanwa etal 1993)” in 1986, the federal government introduced the structural adjustment progrmme (SAP)”, to address the problem of structural imbalance in the economy and create an atmosphere for the achievement of macro- economics stability. It is obvious that one of the integral parts of the SAP is to reduce Nigeria huge debt. It is a fact that if the enormous amount spent on debt service payment could be reduced greatly, the country will be able to finance a large volume of domestic investment which enhances growth and development.

However, the borrowed funds are embarked on ill conceived project which are equally badly implemented. Thus , the new international economic order sets out as one of its objective to secure favorable condition for they transfer of resources to developing countries and to ensure that a countries resources are fully utilizes for the development of the country concerned. Thus, Nigeria resorted to external borrowing early in her history so as to quicken the pace of economic development. The issue of Nigeria’s external debt generated much public concern at the beginning of 1980 (World Bank African Data Base 2003).  (Ugwu 2011), the etymology of Nigeria external debt can be traced back to 1958 when a sum of US$28 million was contracted for railway construction. Between 1958 and 1977, the resort to foreign debt was minimal, as debts contracted during the period were the confessional debt from bilateral and multilateral sources with longer repayment period and lower interest rates constituting about 78.5 percent of the total debt stock. From 1978, following the collapse of oil price, which exerted considerable pressure on the government finance, it became necessary to borrow for balance of payment support and project financing. This led to the promulgation of Decree No.30. Of 1978, limiting the first major borrowing of US$ 1billion refereed to as the “jumbo loan” was contracted from the international capital market (1 CM) in 1978, increasing the total external debt stock to us$2.2 billion. Therefore, the spate of borrowing increased with the entry of state government into external loan contractual obligations .while the share of loans from bilateral and multilateral sources declined substantially, borrowing from private sources at stiffer rates increased considerably. Thus by 1982, the total external debt Stock was US$13.1billion.

 According to the (federal ministry of finance) Nigeria inability to settle her import bill resulted in the accumulation of trade arrears amounting to US$9.8 billon between 1983 and 1988.The reconciliation exercise, which took place between 1984 and 1988, reduced the amount to US$3.8billon. The accrued interest of US$10.billon was re-capitalized bringing the total to US$4.8billon in 1988, and the debt was eventually refinanced. Nigeria’s external debt rose further to US$33.1billon in 1990, but declined to US$27.5 billon in 1991 and increased steadily to US$32.6billon at the end of December 1995.

According to the (federal ministry of finance), the total external debt outstanding at the end of 1999 was US$ 28.0 billon, of the total outstanding debt, the Paris club constitutes the highest source of share of 73.2 percent in 1999. The balance is owed to the London club, the multilateral creditors, promissory note holders and others. Since the beginning of civilian Administration in 1999, Nigeria in concert with other debtor nations have canvassed for debt can cancellation all to no avail .However in the year 2000, arising from good performance on a preliminary programme with the international monetary fund (IMF), Nigeria debt service obligation was reduced from about US$4.0 billion to us$1 billon per annum. (CBN 2000), by the end of December 2003, Nigeria external public debt outstanding was estimated at US$32.9 billon. Although in the year 2005 certain debt concessions were granted Nigeria of course this has made our debt obligation with the Paris club to be reduced drastically. In April 2006, Nigeria became the first African country to fully pay off its debt.

          In essence, what matter most is not the amount of the foreign loans but the way and manner the loans are used in developmental process? If these loans are used for current consumption, they will have minimal impact on future economic growth, but if invested rationally in productive ventures, they will contribute positively to real, growth and enhance the productive capacity of the economy.

     The fact is that development depends purely on a sustained increase in real income, which can only achieve or accumulated from economic growth. Economic growth according to (Udabah 1999:24) “is therefore a steady process by which the productive capacity of the economy is increased over time to bring about rising levels of national income”. Growth tends to occur when total productive increase more rapidly than population, thus it is the country’s ability to maintain a strong defense or to pay for some other national project. As a matter of fact, economic growth is an ever increasing quantity of goods and services available to meet the economies need over time, hence the higher the radio of debt servicing payment, the lower the level of economic growth.

     However, according to (Anyanwu etal 1997), “the primary burden of Nigeria’s public debt is indeed shifted to the future”, thereby retarding economic growth.   

    

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IMPACT OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ON MARKETING PERFORMANCE IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY (A CASE STUDY OF MTN NIGERIA)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The dream of any good entrepreneur is not actually to sell what he can sell but to retain customers. In pursuance of this line of action, the customer must be placed at the centre of all marketing activities without which no marketing activity takes place. Customer satisfaction is the pivot on which all marketing activities revolves, be it in production or in marketing.

Although service oriented companies do not have any tangible good to their credit, the most effective means of measuring consumers satisfaction is by listening to their complaints. These complaints are not actually made to tarnish the image of the producers, but to improve on their services. Since the consumers do not own anything from the payment he makes, the perishable services he receives must offer enough satisfaction for the sums of money so expended.

To a good producer, these complaints will actually guide him in the planning of his product, by way of determining what his customers actually want and to the qualities they can afford to acquire. Appropriate pricing may be an outcome of a customer’s compliant. The prices at which the best service is offered could really affect its demand. If best decisions are taken in that line, the producer is likely to triumph over his competitors. Marketing concepts which involve letting the people know of the product and sending the product to where it is actually needed, will create no less impact. A good mix of product, price, place and planning will give a fantastic reap-off.

Empirical evidence has shown that service firms typically lay behind manufacturing firms in their use of marketing. In comparison to manufacturing firm, service firms appear to be generally less likely to have marketing-mix activities carried out, less likely to perform analysis in the offering area, more likely to handle their advertisement internally than to go to experts, less likely to have an overall sales plan, less likely to develop sales training progammes, less likely to use marketing research firms and consultants and less likely to spend as much on marketing when expressed as a percentage of gross sales.

There are several reasons why service firms have neglected marketing. One of this reasons is that many of them are small, so do not use expansive marketing technique because of cost. In some cases they are deemed irrelevant. Some of them are business firms like Law, Architecture, Accounting and Management consulting firms, who think it is unnecessary using professionals in other fields for their functional activities.

Most observers agree that competition in industry is becoming increasingly intense. More and more companies worldwide are searching for ways to build sustainable advantage to counter this threat. As costs rises, as productivity stagnates and as service quality deteriorates, more service firms need to take interest in marketing. More market sophistication is needed as competition intensifies. More pressure is now on service firms to increase productivity. Since the service business is highly labour intensive, cost has been rising rapidly. To this end, it is not enough to make workers work harder, but more training will provide the needed skill geared towards customer’s satisfaction. The quality of service may be improved by reducing quantity and vice versa. An increase in equipment has a lot to do with improvement in services rendered. Imaga and Ewurum (1998).

In a nutshell, customer services should be of prime importance to service or companies, which could be improved upon by taking customers complaints very seriously and acting in the direction that will bring a better satisfaction to the customers. To this end, it is important for companies to develop customer services that are desired by customers and effective against competitors. The company has to decide the most important services to offer, the level at which services should be provided and the form each service. The service-mix can be coordinated by a customer-service department that handles complaints and adjustments, credit maintenance, technical service and customer information. Marketing need to know more about marketing service products.

According to Imaga and Ewurum (1998), service are activities or benefits that one part offers essentially as intangible product to the other and do not result in the ownership of anything. Service are not only intangibles, they are also inseparable, variable and perishable. Two main types of service can be identified viz:

v Material Service: This consists of the actual product or service, which you are selling. It is all about getting the product right.

v Personal Service: this is the way in which the material service is delivered. It is about the interaction between your employees and your customers.

It is probably the most visible part of the operation and often the part in which a company is adjudged “good of bad”. Personal service is the focus of this research work.

Though service industries have always behind in the use of marketing concepts, there is compelling need for a change in attitude.

In another alternative expression, services can be classified into People or Equipment based. A good example in this case is a Lawyer or an Accounting consultant; a motor mechanic or an aircraft used in conveying passenger. While the former is people based, the latter is equipment based. It would also need the client’s presence. In this case, a doctor needs the presence of the patient (client) for him to do his work. The motive for providing such services may differ. Private and government hospitals provide close to the same service but while the private hospital wants to maximize profit, the government hospital wants to maximize service to the people. In whatever way they are looked at, all are service oriented. Admittedly, customer complaints must be geared towards maximum satisfaction and should be treated as such. However, the pill given in one case may not be the same with another and the dosage in one may differ from the other.

Customer’s complaints should not be a threat; it should be viewed on a positive side as an instrument of change that will improve the condition of the firm, industry and the economy in general. If marketing is a means of knowing customers’ needs, providing them, and making sure it gets to the target customers is expected to improve marketing performance if well handled.

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