The marketing of industrial services: a comparative study of prevailing marketing practices in the plant hire business in the united kingdom and Singapore

Abstract

Marketing has always been regarded as an important activity in business organisations, however, its practices vary among different types of industry. Specifically, the marketing of industrial services has received limited attention, and is a comparatively unexplored field of research. This thesis analyses the extent to which the application of marketing techniques and practices are carried out in the plant hire industry in the United Kingdom and Singapore and their customers’ perception of this approach. An attempt is also made to establish any significant differences in practices between the two countries. Accordingly, the study examines two major groups of factors. These are: First, the use of marketing principles related to the marketing mix elements, i.e. product, price, promotion and place. Second, customers' perception of this approach, as well as the decision making process as well as buying factors of customers. A thorough examination of literature pertaining to these factors has also been carried out. The empirical investigation was carried out in two stages: firstly, 1,000 plant hire companies and the same number of hirers in the UK were chosen as the samples for the study. Structured questionnaires were administered to them by post and responses of 183 and 144 respectively were achieved. The second stage was carried out in Singapore over a period of three months, during which time 30 plant hire companies were contacted by means of personal interviews, and 51 hirers by telephone, both with structured questionnaires. Frequency and cross-tabulation methods were used to analyse the data collected, while presentation takes the form of tables. The findings of field research are conclusive, in spite of a number of limitations which were examined, together with proposals for further research. In general, it would appear that, apart from a few notable differences, the prevailing marketing practices within the industry in the two countries are very similar.