| dc.description.abstract | The degree of excitement which customers experience while consuming the leisure services
may be a determinant of their satisfaction with the service experience. The services cape is
important because it can either enhance or suppress these emotions. This study titled
influence of perceived services cape on customers' repatronage intentions therefore sought to
assess the influence of consumers' perceptions of the services cape with their level of
satisfaction with the leisure service and their subsequence repatronage intentions in selected
cinema, theatre and video halls in Mbale District. Research tools for eliciting data included
questionnaires, observation schedules and interviews. A random sample of 140 respondents
(28% of the population) was selected from purposively selected leisure centres. Through
open coding variables were contrasted, compared and relationships established. Analysis was
by constant comparative analysis that implored grounded theory methods to compare layout
accessibility, facility aesthetic, seating comfort, electronic equipment and displays, and
cleanliness. Findings showed that the respondents who perceived the services cape to be of
high ,quality reported higher levels of satisfaction with the services cape and hence were
willing to repatronage (32%). Respondents who perceived the services cape to be of low
quality experienced less excitement and reported lower levels of satisfaction (68%).
Respondents who felt crowded were less excited about the services cape and perceived it to
be of lower quality (68% ). Respondents who were highly involved in the service centres
expressed higher levels of satisfaction with the services cape and indicated a greater
willingness to continue using the facilities (58.6% ). Gender did not affect the customers'
desire to stay at the center, their perception of the services cape and level of satisfaction. Age
significantly affected client's desire to repatronage the leisure service centres. The level of
satisfaction varied across the leisure service scale with respondents in upper scale exhibiting
higher level (JL= 4.333), middle scale (f.l= 3.903) and lower scale (f.l=3 .199). Facility
esthetics, P-value=0.600, layout accessibility P-value=0.368 and electronic equipment and
displays had no significant effect on repatronage intentions. Layout accessibility Pvalue=
0.088, facility esthetics P-value=0.161 and crowding P-value =0.337 had no
significant effect on satisfaction. Cleanliness of leisure centres P-value=0.397 and electronic
equipment and displays P-value=0.363 had no significant effect on the quality of the facility .
Recommendations included: managers should pay careful attention to each aspect of the
servicescape to ensure that customers are satisfied both with the primary and holistic service
experience. Managers/service providers should check and improve on sitting comfort and
cleanliness of their leisure centres to bring about increase in customers' desire to stay or
repatronage the place. Managers of leisure service centres should provide ample space to
facilitate exploration and stimulation within the services cape. Proprietors of leisure centres
should have some mode of electronic information and entertainment to make stay in the
facility more exciting and satisfying. Signs, symbols, and artifacts should be put in place to
help customers draw cues in the environment by the service providers. Policy implementers,
particularly the district medical officers and health inspectors should ensure that managers of
leisure centres follow health/safe | en_US |
