Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

In recent years, Product Lifecycle Management has emerged as a critical factor shaping customer satisfaction with digital products across organizations operating in and around Selected Public Universities in Nigeria. As institutions grapple with the pressures of globalization, regulatory reform, and shifting stakeholder expectations, understanding how product lifecycle management relates to customer satisfaction with digital products has become an important area of both scholarly and practical concern.

Within the context of Selected Public Universities in Nigeria, this relationship carries particular significance. Organizations in this setting operate under a distinct combination of economic, regulatory, and market conditions that may amplify or dampen the effect of product lifecycle management on customer satisfaction with digital products, making a context-specific inquiry both timely and necessary.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

While product lifecycle management is widely discussed in policy and industry circles, empirical evidence on its actual effect on customer satisfaction with digital products within Selected Public Universities in Nigeria remains sparse and, in places, contradictory. This lack of localized, rigorous evidence makes it difficult for decision-makers to know with confidence whether current approaches to product lifecycle management are helping or hindering customer satisfaction with digital products — a gap this study sets out to close.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To examine the effect of Product Lifecycle Management on customer satisfaction with digital products in Selected Public Universities in Nigeria.
2. To assess the extent to which product lifecycle management influences customer satisfaction with digital products within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with product lifecycle management in relation to customer satisfaction with digital products.
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing product lifecycle management in order to improve customer satisfaction with digital products.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of product lifecycle management on customer satisfaction with digital products in Selected Public Universities in Nigeria?
2. To what extent does product lifecycle management influence customer satisfaction with digital products within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with product lifecycle management in relation to customer satisfaction with digital products?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize product lifecycle management in order to improve customer satisfaction with digital products?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to a range of stakeholders. For policymakers and regulators, the findings offer evidence to guide the design of frameworks that support healthier outcomes around customer satisfaction with digital products. For managers and practitioners within Selected Public Universities in Nigeria, the study provides practical insight into how product lifecycle management can be better managed. Finally, it contributes to the academic literature on product management by extending existing knowledge into a specific empirical context, and offers a reference point for future researchers.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to an examination of Product Lifecycle Management and its relationship with customer satisfaction with digital products within the context of Selected Public Universities in Nigeria. It reflects a BSc-level scope of analysis and relies on data and perspectives available within that scope; generalizing the findings beyond this specific context should therefore be done with appropriate caution.