Impact Of Perceived Service Quality On Customer Satisfaction And Brand Loyalty
[A CASE STUDY OF HONEYWELL FLOUR MILLS PLC]

1.7     Limitations of the Study
Gathering of all needed data in most studies is usually met with a number of obstacles and constraints. The main constraining factor in this research is finance. This is because a lot of money was required to administer the questionnaires and time devoted to conduct the interviews was based on booked appointments which had to be followed up with repeated phone calls.
Another constraint is the lack of cooperating attitude on the part of some of the respondents particularly the dealers who are always busy attending to customers. Some of the questionnaires were not properly filled while some were not returned at all and this restricted the level of results obtained.
Despite all these, it is the researcher's belief that if the study achieves the desired objectives, the efforts put there in would be justified. The conclusions reached so far emanate from the two hundred, (200) customers contacted. One hundred (100) were allocated to Ibadan district, while the remaining one hundred (100) were distributed to Ilorin. The probability sample size of Ibadan is targeted through the population of staffs so as to achieve the purpose of presentation. Has to Ilorin, the population of staffs are few, so as to limit time constraints and the cost effective in achieving the desirable results. Ibadan and Ilorin were chosen due to the familiarization of staffs so as to reduce cost and time barriers.
1.8     Study Plan
The study is made up of five chapters. Chapter one is the introduction, Chapter two contains the review of relevant literature on theories influencing consumer behavior, product quality and importance which invariably lead to customer satisfaction and loyalty. Chapter three comprises of the brief history of the two companies, list of key flour mills in Nigeria. It also comprises of the methodology of data collection and information on how the data will be collected, processed and analysed. The method of analysis is also stated. Chapter four is made up of actual analysis of the collected data. Chapter five contains summary of findings conclusion and recommendations based on the findings of the study.
1.9     Definitions of Key Terms
Brand- A name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of these that identifies the products or services of one seller or group of sellers and differentiates them from those of competitors.
Motivation- This is a feeling of enthusiasm or interest that makes someone determined to purchase a product or service
Perception- This is the process by which people select, organize, and interpret information to form a meaningful picture of the world
Product Quality- The characteristics of a product that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied customer needs
Satisfaction- This is an individual's subjectively derived favourable evaluation of an outcome and/or experience associated with consuming a product.
Service Quality- The characteristics of a service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied customer needs