PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AND CUSTOMER PATRONAGE OF BANKS IN THE SOUTH-SOUTH ZONE OF NIGERIA

The purpose of this study was to assess empirically the impact of physical evidence on customer patronage of quoted Banks in south-south zone of Nigeria. The study population was 14 quoted Banks which are functionally registered and listed with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); and our unit for data generation was the top level managers of the selected banks and customers of the chosen banks which were randomly selected. Forty two (42) managers were randomly selected from the banks which constituted our respondents for the study. The Spearman’s Rank Correlation(SPRC) statistical tool was used in testing the postulated hypotheses. The result of the analysis showed that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between the empirical referents of physical evidence and customer patronage. The study specifically revealed that efficient design of work place ambience, physical architecture and signs significantly impacts on sales volume, profit margin, and customer retention. Furthermore, the study concludes that organization size and information technology capability of banks significantly moderates the relationship between physical evidence and customer patronage. The study therefore recommends that the panacea to poor customer patronage is predicated on the bank’s ability to efficiently adopt physical evidence strategies while taking cognizance of organization’s size and information technology capabilities since they significantly impact on customer patronage

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AND CUSTOMER PATRONAGE

OF BANKS IN THE SOUTH-SOUTH ZONE OF NIGERIA

BY

ADIELE, KENNETH CHIMA G2010/MSC/MKT/FT/491

AUGUST, 2013

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AND CUSTOMER PATRONAGE

OF BANKS IN THE SOUTH-SOUTH ZONE OF NIGERIA

BY

ADIELE, KENNETH CHIMA G2010/MSC/MKT/FT/491

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT,

PORT HARCOURT.

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE

AWARD OF MASTER OF SCIENCE (MSC)

DEGREE IN MARKETING.

AUGUST, 2013

The purpose of this study was to assess empirically the impact of physical evidence

on customer patronage of quoted Banks in south-south zone of Nigeria The study population was 14 quoted Banks which are functionally registered and listed with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); and our unit for data generation was the top level managers of the selected banks and customers of the chosen banks which were randomly selected Forty two (42) managers were randomly selected from the banks which constituted our respondents for the study The Spearman’s Rank Correlation(SPRC) statistical tool was used in testing the postulated hypotheses The result of the analysis showed that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between the empirical referents of physical evidence and customer patronage The study specifically revealed that efficient design of work place

ambience, physical architecture and signs significantly impacts on sales volume,

profit margin, and customer retention Furthermore, the study concludes that organization size and information technology capability of banks significantly moderates the relationship between physical evidence and customer patronage The study therefore recommends that the panacea to poor customer patronage is predicated on the bank’s ability to efficiently adopt physical evidence strategies while taking cognizance of organization’s size and information technology capabilities since they significantly impact on customer patronage.

I hereby declare that this work is the outcome of my own research andthat it has not been previously submitted to this university or any otherinstitution, either in part or in full of which I am aware, for the award ofany other certificate or degree

………

Adiele C Kenneth

G2010/MSC/MKT/FT/491

This is to certify, this thesis, conducted by Adiele, Kenneth Chima(G2010/MSC/MKT/FT/491) of the Department of Marketing, Faculty ofManagement Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, is accepted inPartial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Master of Science(MSC) Degree in Marketing with specialization in Services Marketing

Dean, Faculty of Mgt Sci., Uniport

This MSC thesis is dedicated to my dear wife, Mrs Nne Kenneth Adiele,and my children, Gabriella and Davida Kenneth Adiele

My sincere gratitude goes to the Almighty God, the greatest splendor of

my life who never disappointed me, and also gave me the substance,wisdom, strength, kept me alive and saw me through the successfulcompletion of this programme

I will ever remember the immeasurable contributions of my supervisor

Dr Aloy C Ezirim who provided insight, encouragement and friendshipthrough-out this work This work is a product of his dedication andthoughtful contributions Moreso, I will not fail to acknowledge theimmense contributions of Professor Sylva E Kalu the Dean, Faculty ofManagement Sciences University of Port Harcourt, for his academicmentorship and encouragement towards the successful completion ofthis programme Also my sincere appreciation goes to Dr Ikechukwu F.Asiegbu, the current Head of Department Marketing, Faculty ofManagement Sciences, Uniport for his inestimable academiccontributions and mentorship in the course of my Postgraduateprogramme in Uniport

Furthermore, my appreciation goes to the formal co-ordinator ofPostgraduate programme in Marketing Department, Dr John Amue for

thesis and also the current co-ordinator of the PG programme, Dr.Ogbuji Chinedu for his tremendous academic impact in my life Mycandid appreciation goes to all my lecturers who taught and helped me

to increase knowledge during my programme in Uniport They include

Dr G A Okwandu, late Dr D W Maclayton, Dr Henry N Ozuru, Dr.Anderson C Eketu, Dr Ikenna Chukwu, Mr Iruka Chijindu, Dr Awaa, Dr.Igwe R Sunny, Mr Abiye Horsefall to mention but a few

On the other hand, I must not fail to acknowledge my amiable and everencouraging Head of Department of Marketing, RSUST Dr Bright C.Opara for his scholarly input, encouragement and support to me duringthese years of my programme in Uniport Also my thanks go to Dr G A.Okwandu and Dr N Gladson Nwokah for their academic researchimpact in my life More so, I appreciate Mr J U D Didia, Mr P M.Nadube and Mrs Stella C Nwulu for their moral and academic support

to me throughout the period of my programme in Uniport

With gratitude, I acknowledge the moral and academic encouragementand comfort I received from my wife Mrs Nne Kenneth Adiele, for herunderstanding and for creating a peaceful home to ensure my academicpursuit Moreso, I sincerely appreciate my children Gabriella Aruchi

Kenneth Adiele and Davida Chiburuoma Kenneth Adiele and my siblingsfor all their effort and encouragement towards me.

Finally, I must not fail to appreciate the moral, financial and spiritualsupport of my parents, Mr and Mrs Samuel C Adiele, for seeing methrough from the cradle stage to the position I am today Similarly, mysincere appreciation goes to my spiritual head, pastor and friend, Rev.Asuquo Akpan Ekpo, the provincial Presbyter of Church of God MissionRumuepirikom Headquarter for all his spiritual and moralencouragement

Furthermore, my immeasurable thanks goes to Mr LawrenceNwibanaka the Admin Officer, Marketing Department, Uniport for hisencouragements and supports God will definitely bless him for me Also

my appreciation goes to my competent computer operators MissAzubuike Chidera, Miss Ihua Patience and my data analyst Mr Winny,for their assiduous effort in ensuring that this thesis is successfullycompleted

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.3.4 Moderating influence of the size of the firm on the

relationship between physical evidence and customer

2.3.5 Moderating influence of information technology capabilities

on the relationship between physical evidence and

3.3 Sample and sampling techniques 93

3.6 Validity/Reliability of Instrument 100Operational measures of the variables 104Measurement of the Organizational Factors 106

4.3.4 Relationship between organization size and how it

mediates between physical evidence and customer

4.3.5 Relationship between Information Technology Capability

and how it mediates the relationship between Physical

4.3.6 Result on the Relationship Between Sales Volume And

Physical Evidence of Banks In The South-South Zone of

4.3.7 Result on the Relationship Between Profit Margin And

Physical Evidence of Banks In The South-South Zone In

4.3.8 Result on the Relationship between Customer

Retention and Physical Evidence of Banks in the

Appendix 2: Personal in-depth interview questions/transcribed

responses on physical evidence and customer patronage of banks in the south-south zone of Nigeria 244Appendix 3: Responses from first Respondent 246Appendix 4: Responses from second Respondent 248Appendix 5: Summary list of quoted Banks operating in

south-south zone of Nigeria as at May, 2013 250Appendix 6: Descriptive Statistics for the dimensions of

Appendix 7: Descriptive Statistics for the Measures of

Appendix 8: Measures of Customer Patronage 270

Appendix 11: Computing Spearman’s Rank Correlation

Coefficient between Ambient Condition

Appendix 12: Computing Spearman’s Rank Correlation

Coefficient between Ambient Condition

Appendix 13: Computing Spearman’s Rank Correlation

Coefficient between Ambient Condition

Appendix 14: Computing Spearman’s Rank Correlation

Coefficient between Physical Architecture

Appendix 15: Computing Spearman’s Rank Correlation

Coefficient between Physical Architecture

Appendix 16: Computing Spearman’s Rank Correlation

Coefficient between Physical Architecture

Appendix 17: Computing Spearman’s Rank Correlation

Coefficient between Signs and Sales Volume 296Appendix 18: Computing Spearman’s Rank Correlation

Coefficient between Signs and Profit Margin 297Appendix 19: Computing Spearman’s Rank Correlation

Coefficient between Signs and

Appendix 20: Scatter Plot of the Relationship between

Physical Evidence and Customer Patronage 298

Appendix 21: Computing Partial Correlation Coefficient of the

Relationship between Physical Evidence And

Appendix 22: Computing Partial Correlation Coefficient Of The

Relationship between Physical Evidence And

Appendix 23: Computing multiple regression analysis with sales

volume (y) against ambient condition, physical

Appendix 24: Computing Multiple Regression Analysis with Profit

Margin, Ambient Condition, Physical Architecture

Appendix 25: Computing Multiple Regression Analysis with

Customer Retention against Ambient Condition, Physical Architecture and Signs 302

LIST OF TABLES

Tables

3.1 Reliability Coefficients of variable measures 104

4.13 Air quality/temperature and Sales volume 123

4.16 Staff dress code/organization design and

4.17 Physical Architecture and Profit margin 127

4.18 Physical Architecture, supporting equipment and Customer

4.19 Equipment functionality and Sales volume 1294.20 Easy to use installed facilities and increase

4.21 Functional performance of equipment and

4.22 Signs, Architectural design, interior decoration and

4.23 Signs, and service quality perceptions 1334.24 Easy to Read Communication Materials and

increase in sales volume 1394.30 Customer perception of service quality and increase

4.40 Customer retention and high standard service 1504.41 Customer retention and excellent service provision 1514.42 Contextual variables: Influence of organizational size on

4.43 Firm size, employee number and Customer Patronage 1534.44 Firm size and level of Performance and Survival 154

4.45 Firm size, ambience, equipment functionality

4.46 Firm size influence on facility Layout and

4.51 Use of information technology and prompt

LISTS OF FIGURES

Fig 1.1 Conceptual Framework Depicting Physical

Evidence and Customer Patronage Relationship 15

Fig 4.1 Relationship between physical evidence

(independent variable) and customer patronage

Fig 5.1 Physical Evidence and Customer Patronage

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The importance of physical evidence to how a customer thinks about aservice has been recognized for some time now as observed byShostack (2002)…”service images and service realities appear to beshaped to a large-extent by the things that the customer cancomprehend with their five senses ¾ tangible things (and) when acustomer attempts to judge a service particularly before adopting orbuying it, that service is known by the tangible clues, the tangibleevidence which surrounds it” Service setting plays a critical role inshaping expectations, differentiating service firms, facilitating customerand employee customer goals, and influencing the nature of customerexperiences (Bitner 2000)

Marketing was born in an era of manufacturing dominance, certainly inthe Tried Region That period has past and services are now thedominant economic sector (World Trade Organization, 2003) Theimportance of attaining distinctive atmosphere has gained growingattention among Hospitality and Banking (service industry) managerssince it is considered one of the key factors in attracting and satisfying

customers in both the banking and hospitality industry (Han and Ryu,2009; Jang and Namkung, 2009; Liu & Jang, 2009; Ryu & Jang, 2007)

A number of studies identified that customers’ reactions to the environment may be more emotional than cognitive, particularly, whenhedonic consumption is highly involved (Ryu and Jang, 2007; Wake fieldand Blodgett 2002) Bitner (2000), has offered an integrative frameworkthat incorporates atmospherics and environmental psychology Thisholistic service environment is called a “Physical Evidence” or a

physical-“Services cape”; as against Atmospherics and EnvironmentalPsychology The physical evidence could be referred as “theenvironment in which the service is delivered and where the firm andcustomer interact, and any tangible components that facilitates theperformance or communication of the service”

The physical evidence (services cape) framework recognizes theimportance of physical surroundings on employees as well ascustomers The framework further illustrates that the environment ismade up of a combination of environmental dimensions includingAmbient Conditions (temperature, music), Physical architecture (layoutand furnishing) and Signs (Corporate Branding ), (Zeithaml and Bitner2003) According to them ambience include (weather, temperature,quality of air, sound, music, smell, colour and light) Physical architecture

(the way the equipment and furniture are managed Signs (The signage

or directions and the décor used to communicate)

However, there is an expanded services cape or physical evidenceperspective that suggests four dimensions as opined by (Rosembaumand Messiah, 2011) According to them, the dimensions are:

• Physical dimension- Ambient conditions

• Social dimension-employees, customer’s social density, displayedemotions of others

• Socially symbolic dimension- ethics, signs/symbolic ethics,objects/artifacts

• Natural dimensions-being away, fascination, compatibility

Furthermore, Siddiwui and Tripathi (2011), stated that physical evidenceconsists of different four dimensions which are:

• General interior

• Social dimension

• Internal display facilities

• Exterior facilities

Similarly Blodgett (1999) opined that there are three main dimensions ofphysical evidence which are building design, décor equipment andambience They considered the fixed elements of services cape Itsarchitecture, landscape and site design.

Moreso, Baker et al (2002), used the following dimensions to proxy

physical evidence which are design perceptions, employee perceptions,interpersonal service quality perceptions, merchandise qualityperceptions, music perceptions, time/effort cost perceptions, monetaryprice perceptions, merchandise value perceptions and store patronageintentions

Furthermore, Lucas (2003), used the following as dimensions of physicalevidence-seating comfort, ambient conditions, interior décor,cleanliness, layout/navigation, staff friendliness and service promptness.Mehrabian and Russell (1974), developed a framework for analyzing theeffects of environments on individuals, emphasizing the role of nonverbal responses to environmental factors as a major determinant ofbehaviour

Furthermore, their model specifies that individual reacts to theirenvironment along at least three dimensions-pleasure, Arousal andDominance (PAD) The first is an affectual reaction, labeled pleasure-Displeasure This entails whether individuals perceive the environment

as enjoyable or not enjoyable The second dimension relates to Arousal.

It assesses how much the environment stimulates the individual

The third dimension is dominance which concerns whether individualsfeel dominant (in control) or submissive (under control) in theenvironment

Atmospherics have received a lot of attention from researchers Turleyand Milliman (2000) provided a useful review of that research Althoughmany articles that examine atmospheric effects on consumer behaviourcredit Kotler (1973), for initiating the literature stream Even though,Kotler was the first to use and define the term ‘atmospheric” as theintentional control and structuring of environmental cues, several otherresearchers had manipulated elements in the environment in studiesprevious to Kotler’s article (Cox, 1964, Curhan, 1972; Smith andCurnow, 1966)

As this literature stream has evolved from these early articles, marketingresearchers have come to the realization that if consumers areinfluenced by physical stimuli experienced at the point of purchase, then,the practice of creating influential atmospheres should be an importantmarketing strategy for most exchange environments As noted by Biter(1992) article, such atmospheric planning can make the differencebetween a business (success or failure) Works in this area have used a

variety of terms to describe these facility based effects onconsumers/customers.

The term atmospherics, shelf space studies, environment psychologyand services capes all have been used in the literature for over the last

10 years of exploration and conceptual development in this literaturestream

Thus to consolidate the knowledge gained in this area and to encourageadditional research, this thesis presents a review of literature stream thatattempts to further the theoretical and empirical understanding ofphysical evidence (atmospherics/services cape) influences on customer

behaviour However, Spangenberg, et al (2000), noted that

environmental psychology draws from the stimulus organism response(S-O-R) paradigm In this context, the atmosphere or physical evidence

is the stimulus (s) that causes a consumer/customer evaluation (o) andcauses some behavioural response (R) (Merhabian and Russel, 1974;Donovan and Rossiter, 1999)

Moreso, the environmental psychology literature also indicates thatshoppers respond to an atmosphere with one of two responses,approach or avoidance (Mehrabian and Russel, 1974) Approachbehaviours are seen as positive responses to an environment such as adesire to stay in a particular facility and explore it Avoidance behaviour

include not wanting to stay in a store or to spend time looking orexploring it.

Studies of retail environments have manipulated a large number ofatmospheric stimuli, such as colour, music, and crowding, and notedtheir influence on evaluations (e.g satisfaction and store image) and on

a wide range of behavioural responses such as time spent in theenvironment, sales and impulse buying

Berman and Evans (2001), divided atmospheric stimuli or elements intofour categories The exterior of the store, the general interior, the layoutand design variables, the point of purchase and decoration variables.Thus, these atmospheric variables can be conceptualized as stimulileading to some cognitive affect within the individual when, in turn, leads

to some behavioural responses

Therefore, an atmosphere that produces a certain response in oneindividual or group of people at a given point in time may produce anentirely different response in another individual or group

The physical evidence is the outward appearance of the organizationand thus can be critical in forming initial impression or setting upcustomer expectations (Arnand, 2008) In arguably, the ability ofphysical surroundings to facilitate achievement of organizational as well

as marketing goals is apparent

However, in this work, we conceptualized and adopted a modified threedimensional framework similar to that of Bitner’s (1992) The dimensionsare ambient condition, physical Architecture and signs The choice ofthese dimension is anchored on the fact that they will best suit/match thefirms under investigation.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The effect of atmospherics or physical design and décor elements onconsumer and workers is recognized by managers and mentioned invirtually all marketing, retailing and organizational behaviour texts Theability of physical evidence (physical environment) to influencebehaviors and to create an image is particularly apparent for serviceorganizations such as Banks, professional offices, hotels, restaurants,retail stores and hospitals (Baker 2000; Bitner 2000; Booms and Bitner2003; Kotler 1973; Shostack 2002; Upah an Fulton 2005; Zethaml,Parasuraman and Berry 2001) Research suggest that the physicalsetting may also influence the customers ultimate satisfaction withservice (Harrell, Hutt, and Anderson 2003)

A long standing marketing principle is that understanding and satisfyingcustomers leads to superior business results (Zhu and Nakata, 2007)

An organization relates to its customers to achieve the understanding

and Sales volume through the design of its service environments,service quality and service personnel.

In other words, if the service environment (i.e ambient condition) andthe Physical architecture of the equipment are consistent with customerexpectations, satisfaction will increase which will significantly increasethe level of customer patronage

In arguably, we believe that the design and efficient management ofBank service environment is critical to customer patronage and overalllevel of business performance and so we argue that it is possible thelevel of customer patronage of a firm (Bank) has a connection with theway it designs its service environment and the functional nature of itsequipment

However, because services generally are purchased and consumedsimultaneously and typically require direct human contact, customersand company employee need to interact with each other within theorganization’s physical facility Turley and Milliman (2000), emphasizedthe need for additional theoretical development and that the review ofliterature indicates that the atmospherics effects exists but there has notbeen enough effort devoted to explaining, predicting and controlling thebehaviour of consumers Even though there has been an a surfeit ofarticles on services marketing, there seems to be a surprising lack of

empirical marketing research or theoretically based frameworksaddressing the impact of physical evidence on Customer Patronage ofBanks in Nigeria Managers continually plan, build and changeorganization’s physical surroundings, in an attempt to control itsinfluence on Patrons but frequently the impact of a specific design ordesign changes on ultimate users of the facility is not fully understood(Bitner, 2000) This therefore will constitute our point of departure byinvestigating the knowledge gap that exists between Physical Evidenceand Customer Patronage of Banks in the South-South Zone of Nigeria

1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Sequel to our statement of research problem, the main purpose of thisstudy was to elicit empirical evidence or investigate the impact ofphysical evidence on customer patronage of Banks in the South-SouthZone of Nigeria Specifically the study had the following sub objectives

1 Examine the extent to which ambient condition influences

4 Investigate the extent to which size of the firm moderates the

influence of physical evidence on customer patronage

5 Find out the extent to which information technology capabilities

(ITC) moderate the influence of physical evidence on customerpatronage

3 To what extent do signs, influence customer patronage?

4 To what extent does size of the firm moderate the influence of

physical evidence on customer patronage?

5 To what extent do information technology capabilities moderate

the influence of physical evidence on customer patronage?

STUDY VARIABLES

The study variables are those shown in figure 1.1 The figure shows therelationship between Physical Evidence the (Independent Variable) andCustomer Patronage (Dependent Variable) Physical Evidencedimensions include Ambient Condition, Physical Architecture, and Signs.Each of these components, we hypothesize influences a firm’sCustomer Patronage which is measured in terms of Sales Volume,Profit margin and Customer retention This link between PhysicalEvidence (CP) and Customer Patronage (PE) is contingent upon anumber of factors including size of the firm, information technologycapabilities (ITC) or the level of technology in our own usual parlance.These factors play a mediatory role between Physical Evidence andCustomer patronage

Furthermore, the framework indicates the relationships or directions ofinfluence among variables and dimensions by the use of arrows Thesearrows collectively show functional relationships; hence, the thesis ofthis study: Customer patronage is a function of physical evidence giventhe size of the firm and information technology capabilities

FIGURE 1.1 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK DEPICTING PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

AND CUSTOMER PATRONAGE RELATIONSHIP

Source: Researcher’s Conceptualization from Review of Related

gy Capabiliti es (ITC)

Size of the firm (SOFT )

H 03: There is no significant relationship between ambient condition and

Customer retention

H 04: There is no significant relationship between physical architecture

and sales volume

H 05: There is no significant relationship between physical architecture

and profit margin

H 06: There is no significant relationship between physical architecture

and customer retention

H 07: There is no significant relationship between signs, and sales

H 010: Size of the firm does not significantly moderate the influence of

physical evidence on customer patronage

H 011: Information technology capabilities (ITC) do not significantly

moderate the influence of physical evidence on customer patronage

OPERATIONAL MODEL OF THE STUDY

SOF = Size of the Firm

ITC = Information Technology Capabilities

The aforementioned postulated the relationship between physicalevidence and customer patronage and the Organizational factors; size

of the firm and information technology capabilities The hypothesizedrelationship is shown in fig 1.2 which depicts the functional relationshipbetween physical evidence and customer patronage

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of the study was discussed in terms of its theoreticaland practical implications (Ahiauzu 2006) This study will be significanttheoretically as it will provide new theoretical insights in the knowledgerelating to Physical Evidence and Customer Patronage of money retailbanks in Nigeria The study will further challenge the curiosity ofscholars to theorize on the area to expand the frontiers of knowledge onthe subject matter

On the practical implications this study will provide the uniqueknowledge needed by decision makers both in government, private andpublic organizations on physical evidence and customer patronage.Furthermore, the study will be practically useful to the academia,students and the general public

1.6 SCOPE OF STUDY

The scope of study could be viewed from three dimensions These arethe content scope, geographical scope and the unit/levels of analysis(Ahiauzu 2004) This study is domiciled in physical evidence aspect ofservices marketing Services marketing is one of the contemporaryareas in marketing and it has to do with studies in the areas of three

additional p’s of marketing which are physical evidence, people and process However, the focus of this study is on the relationship between

Physical Evidence (PE) and Customer Patronage (CP) of banks in thesouth-south zone of Nigeria It examines how the relationship is affected

by organization size (OS) and Information Technology Capabilities (ITC).Three dimensions of Physical Evidence (Ambient Condition, physicalArchitecture and Signs), and three measures of CP (Sales Volume,Profit Margin and Customer Retention) have been selected for the study

In addition, it examines the degree of emphasis Forms (Banks) place onthe design of their service environment and the extent their efforts in thisregard impact on the various outcome measures of their marketingperformance This constituence the topical or contents scope of ourstudy

In terms of geographical scope, the study covered only functionallyregistered quoted business in the south-south zone of Nigeria.Information obtained from the Nigeria Stock Exchange FACTBOOK as

at May 2013 indicated that there were only fourteen (14) registeredbanks Hence, our target population comprised of these fourteen banks

in the south-south zone of Nigeria

Furthermore, as regards level/unit of analysis, that is, survey scope, thestudy involved top, middle and lower level managers of the registeredbanks who have additional post banks qualifications, experience andknowledge of the questions asked in our data collection instrument

Moreso, considering the fact that our population is small, not more thanthirty (30), there was no need for sampling, hence, we adopted a censusstudy i.e all the (14) banks were considered on the basis of three (3)respondents manager per bank.

In addition to the quantitative data obtained from our respondents,qualitative data were sourced from seven customers of these banksrandomly selected This however, gave the researcher the opportunity ofcomparing results obtained from both the nomothetic and quantitativedata

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

A limitation would be anything beyond the ability of the researcher to

control, that may affect the internal validity of the study (Gall, et al 1996).

Baridam (2001), argues that knowledge of limitations in research isessential for an appropriate interpretations and findings

There is no gainsaying the fact that this study has some obviouslimitations First, the findings of this study may not be generalizedbeyond the quoted banks that are situated within the south-south zone

of Nigeria These are the ones that fall within the scope of the study.Second, some of the information that respondents gave is regarded as

“official secrets” and as such, they might have been skeptical in

revealing the whole truth, and we do not have any other resources toverify the authenticity of such responses.

The proposed study was limited to the empirical investigation of theinfluences of physical evidence on customer patronage of only quotedBanks in south- south zone of Nigeria More so, the study will not beextended to Banks in other Geo-political zones It is our utmosts believethat the finding of this study will have equal applicability to the banks inother Geo-political Zones of the country Besides, there is unanimity ofbehavior among the Banks with respect to structure, technology andmanagement

Although, this study investigated the relationship between physicalevidence and customer patronage; it did not explore all the measures ofcustomer patronage since there are divergent opinions from authors as

to what constitutes the indicators of patronage

Furthermore, the study ought to have covered the six states in thesouth-south zone of Nigeria but we only concentrated on their regionalheadquarters in Port Harcourt because Port Harcourt is the heart of theoil and gas industry, since the industry is the mainstay of the Nigeriaeconomy, banks are well represented in Port Harcourt Nevertheless,the study was conducted as far as we can laid hands on informationmade available to us from relevant sources given the time constraint