Violet Marikopo-machando

Customer Orientation As a Basis for Corporate Growth: a Case Study of the Zimbabwean Manufacturing Industry Violet Marikopo-machando

A sharp drop in sales volumes, very low market share, low corporate growth, bad company reputation and a general lack of interdepartmental coordination prompted the undertaking of this book. It sought to measure the current customer orientation levels to come up with ways to improve business performance and corporate growth. The research findings were that current customer satisfaction levels were very low indicating a lack of customer orientation at the organisation. Thus retrenching and restructuring of management to pave way for a new culture is mandatory. In addition employees must be encouraged to embrace corporate governance, must be given decision-making powers, continuous market research must be undertaken, marketing efforts must be improved, the introduction of improved operational systems should be prioritised, improved customer care through continuous training of all employees must be undertaken, loyalty rewards given, improved customer complaint handling and constant review of resolved complaints as well as improved product delivery must be prioritised to cultivate a satisfied clientelle which is the basis for a thriving business enterprise.