Customer Support and Maritime Operations Performance in the Nigeria Port Authority in Rivers State
Vol.6 Special Issue
The study investigated the empirical relationship between customer support and maritime operations performance in the Nigerian Port Authority. The study adopted customer support as its predictor variable while maritime operations performance which is the criterion variable was measured with customer satisfaction and efficiency. The research provided answers to two questions and tested two hypotheses aimed at determining the conjectural postulation that there is no significant relationship between customer support and maritime operations performance in the Nigerian Port Authority. The study adopted the cross-sectional research design. The study population comprised of six (6) major Port terminals in Nigeria. The study selected five (5) top management staff from each of the Ports under study making it a total sample of thirty (30) respondents. Quantitative data were generated from the respondents by the use of structured questionnaire. The Cronbach Alpha value scale threshold of 0.7 was exceeded which indicated the reliability of the scales used in the study while supervisors guide and approval and personal validation ensured the validity of the instrument. Statistical analysis was carried out at two levels; descriptive statistics and charts were done at the primary level while Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation was used at the secondary level with the aid of Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) version 23.0.The study concludes that due to the level of competition that characterized modern shipping operations and varying customers’ need, Nigerian port authority cannot achieve operational excellence without effective customer support. Thus it was recommended that Port Authority should ensure steady customer support as this can enhance their operations and overall business performance.
