Abstract:
This study was carried out to determine the marketing variables influencing the purchase of plastic building products by real estate developers in Bayelsa State. Six research questions were developed and answered while three research hypotheses were also formulated and tested in line with the research questions. The study employed survey research design. The population for the study was 1997 Engineers, Architects and Surveyors from east, west and central senatorial zones of Bayelsa State. Proportionate random sampling technique was used to select 399 respondents that constitute the sample for the study. A 71-item structured questionnaire was developed as instrument for data collection. The questionnaire was face validated by three experts; two from Department of Vocational Teacher Education, University of Nigeria Nsukkka and one from Department of Vocational Industrial Education, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State. The reliability of the instrument was achieved using split half technique and Cronbach Alpha method in which on the average, the reliability coefficient for the six clusters was computed as 0.83. The questionnaire was administered by the researcher with the help of three research assistants across the three senatorial zones in Bayelsa State. All the 399 questionnaire administered were retrieved representing 100% retrieval. Frequency count, percentages and Mean were used in answering the research questions while the null hypotheses were tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA) at P ≤ 0.05 level of significance. It was found out from the study that the purchase of plastic building products by real estate developers in Bayelsa state were influenced by marketing variables such as quality of the products, durability of the products relative to other close substitutes, affordable price of the products, constant availability of the products in the market, advertising and marketing promotion through relevant media and branding of plastic building products. The findings of this study on the null hypotheses tested showed that there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of the three groups of respondents on the influence of quality, durability and price on the purchase of plastic building products by real estate developers in Bayelsa State. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that: the adoption and utilization of marketing variables should be ensured by manufacturers in the manufacturing sub-sector of the Nigerian economy in order to always enjoy competitive advantage against counterfeit and sub-standard products in the market and that stakeholders in quality and standard regulations should be strengthened and protected with appropriate law in order to operate freely within the manufacturing sub-sector of the Nigerian economy to bring quality back to the system.
