ATTITUDE OF CONSUMERS TOWARDS MADE IN NIGERIAN GOODS

ABSTRACT

This project work was designed to study the attitude of consumer towards made in Nigerian goods with special reference to women world boutique in Enugu metropolis.  A survey was conducted in five (s) zones to obtain field data.

The objectives of the study were to find out the following.

1)           The factor that influence the attitude of Nigerians towards made in Nigerian women’s weans

2)           It the presence of foreign women’s wears affect the purchase of locally made ones

3)           If locally manufactured women’s wear are not purchased due to their inferiority in relation to foreign.

The following hypothesis were tested using chi – square at 5% level of Significance.

H10:  Most consumer / buyers do purchase locally manufactured women wears due to their inferiority in relation to foreign.    

H11:  Most buyers do not purchase locally manufactured women wears due to their inferiority in relation to foreign ones.

H2o:  Presence of foreign women’s wears affect the purchase of locally made ones

H21:  Presence of foreign women’s wears does not affect the purchase of locally manufactured ones. 

H3o:  Social class influence buyers choice of women’s wears.

H31:  Social class does not influence buyers choice of women’s wears.

A lot of interesting result were obtained.

Firstly, most buyers do not purchase locally manufactured women’s wears due to inferiority in relation to foreign competing brand.

Secondly, the presence of foreign women’s wears affect the purchase of locally made ones by reducing the number of its purchase.    

Thirdly, social class does not affect the purchase of buyers of the afore-mentioned topic.

Other result, were also obtained in addition to above, such as, majority of buyers and dealers of women’s wears accepted / rated locally made women’s wears as poor.  

In the recommendation, the following were recommended among others.

1)           Our local manufactures should try as much as possible to improve on the quality of their products by using high quality raw materials and use of modern techniques and technologies so as to reduce price

2)           A will organized campaign should be carried out by manufactures association of Nigeria (MAN) to convince the public of the premier quality of the locally made product.

3)           Textile manufactures should try to make cost affordable to the manufacturers by reducing the manufacturing cost and hence selling price

4)           Minimization or banning of importation of foreign women’s wears in Nigeria so as to reduce emphasize consumers lay on them.

A lot of limitation stood against this project for example, inability to survey the entire state, high some of money incurred, and in sufficient time restricted a more detailed job.

However, the researcher believe that this work will definite help in understanding the subject matter better and also the result so obtained implemented will help in re-orienting the consumers attitude towards made in Nigeria goods in general.

TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE PAGE       

ABSTRACT 

TABLE OF CONTENT    

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Statement of problem

Objective of the study

Statement of hypothesis

Significance of the study

Scope and limitation of the study

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Sources of data

Framing f questionnaire

Population of the study

Sample size determination

Questionnaire allocation

Reliability and validity test.

CHAPTER FOUR

Presentation, analysis and interpretation of data

Testing of hypothesis

CHAPTER FIVE

Summary of findings

Recommendation

Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendices I and II

Questionnaire

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

To a large extent, the coming of white man into Nigeria contributed to the importation of wears including children and adult wears.  Formerly, these wears were for the colonial master, their facilities and few rich Nigeria that could afford them.  But as we goy accustomed to western culture, search for imported goods became great.  This brought some manufacturers of these wears for instance Bata into our country.

Presently, out quest for western culture has led to establishment of indigenous enterprises which are mainly located at Aba and Onitsha.  Though most of these goods are of highly quality.  Nigerians are not satisfied with them, due to inferiority complex, hence the name “Aba made” “Onitsha product” and so on.  If such persist, in no distance future, it will eradicate all effort being geared towards self reliance.  It is in the light of this that government embarked on campaign to disabuse the mind of Nigerians from foreign goods; hence the establishment of structural adjustment program (SAP) in 1986 and organizing of made in Nigeria trade fair by chamber of commerce.  The essence of these establishment are;

-                      To increase our domestic production and encourage the consumption of them.

-                      To bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

How ever, this effort has achieved little as Nigerians continue to question for foreign goods.  For instance locally made children clothing cost about N600 while foreign cost the least N2000. also Aba made shoes and bags can be bought at N700 where as a foreign of the same design and even sometimes of the same quality well be bought for N200 and N300 respectively.  Despite the variation in price, customers still purchase imported wears for them selves.  This has imposed problems on the nation since the money spent on there foreign wears could be diamered to other economic ventures thereby increasing the economy of the nation.

Nigeria a attitude towards made in Nigeria goods is a poor that even second hand foreign goods are regarded better off than first class made in Nigeria goods.  If this trend continues at this rate, most domestic enterprise will be shut down, hence affecting our economic development as unemployment will rise, therefore consumer attitude towards goods has to be given considerable thought.

Factors that influence consumers in their purchase decision is very necessary to be known by every organization.  So as to make affective the concept of marketing that states that organization effort has to be geared towards satisfying the needs and wants of consumers.  Therefore this research is aimed at investigating the attitude of consumer toward made in Nigeria goods.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS

There are both large and small scale firms that deals on women wears in Nigeria, and few of them are here in Enugu.  The increase in trend of this firms every year shows that there are different styles, brand and qualities of women wears.  However, autony these brands, imported ones are of highest quality and cost so much that it dampens the desire of average Nigeria who finds it very difficult to meet up with the price.  Despite this, importation of women wears continue to rise especially the second hand ones.

Also, some of these products are being smuggled in without made difficulties, one can easily inferred that increase in importation of this wears is as a result of what it enjoys over the locally made ones.  If they are not being bought more than locally, made ones, there is bound to be a decrease in its trend as years roll by.  Since this situation is of economic malaise, it deserve attention and solution.

Owing to the fact that technology originated from the western people, many people associate their goods with quality.  Nigerians being one of these that want the best in most cases, prefer foreign goods to locally made ones.  This research work will find out to what extent this nation affect the demand for locally manufactured women wears and what justification consumers have for the preference it is true.  Also, this work will find out if the style and design of these wears actually meet the consumers needs and wants.

Marketing oriented companies base their marketing programme on consumer perception and demand intensity perception is the meaning a person attaches to a given situation base on the accumulation of the persons past experience.  This wears that a person’s behaviour is influenced by his understanding and interpretation of the given situation based on the past experience.  Hence, perception is observed as a key to value quality and price to be attached to it.

Therefore, this work will measure the perceived value and quality of locally, manufactured women wears is a similar problem of this research work.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:

The presence of economic problem facing the Nigerian economy has not been very well for the locally manufactures.  This situation has been blamed on many factors of which the attitude of Nigeria towards locally manufactured product is among.  Textile industry has suffered this predicament along with others; and this ugly situation is eating up the country’s economy seriously.  The government has been trying to solve this problem using different strategies.  To help the government find out the relevant causes of this problem, the research is expected to find.

-                      The factors that influence the altitude of Nigerians towards made in Nigeria goods

-                      If the presence of foreign goods affect the purchase of locally made ones

-                      If locally manufactured goods are not purchased due to their inferiority in relation to foreign.        

-                      The appropriate recommendation that will be beneficial to local manufactures of women wears

-                      If family / families influence the purchase choice of the buyer.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

With the knowledge of the observation of the business trend during the period, this investigation is carried out, it is hypothesized that;

1)     Ho:   Most consumers / buyers do purchase locally manufactured women wears due to their good quality in relation to foreign.

Hi:    Most buyers does purchase locally manufactured women wears due to their interiority in relation to foreign ones.

2)     Ho:   Presence of foreign women’s wears does affect the purchase of locally manufactured ones.

Ho:   Presence of foreign women’s wears does not affect the purchase of locally manufactured ones.

3)     Ho:   Social class does influence buyers’ choice of women’s wears.

Hi:    Social class does not influence buyers’ choice of women’s wears.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:

It is always right to do the most important thing first.  This is exactly the case in marketing where marketers beings all they are doing with an understanding of the consumer.  Why do marketers always start with trying to understand the consumer?  Is it right or logical that they should pay such attention to the consumer?

The answer to the last question is a big “Yes” the research for saying so is that all that the marketer does is aimed at giving satisfaction to the consumers.  Marketers attached so much importance to the consumer because they know that every thing they do in marketing and in business are done because of him.  They realize that without the consumer there will be no business.

They believe that business flourishes and grows if consumer patronage is retained through giving him satisfaction.  The marketer elevates the consumer to the highest level or point by even calling him a “King”.

Textile industry being one of the major industries that facilitates development in Nigeria will need to be revitalized if true that its quality is inferior in relation to foreign ones.  But if it is not so, consumer will be made to understand that quality of Nigeria made textile is just the same as that of foreign.  Also buyers will be made to understand whether the quality of foreign women’s wears out weighs or matches the cost attributed to it.

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