Browsing by Author "Pelser, Almeri"

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    An analysis of trust amongst customers of independent community pharmacies
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Pelser, Almeri; Theron, Edwin; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : “Trust is the glue of life. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” – Stephen Covey Healthcare involves an element of uncertainty and risk for the vulnerable individual who is reliant on the competence and intentions of the healthcare provider. Therefore, trust in community pharmacies is particularly important since customers may easily question whether a pharmacy's intention is to grab their money or to enhance their health and well-being. This study analysed trust amongst customers of independent community pharmacies by investigating the influence of five employee-related dimensions on three types of customer trust. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature, the five identified employee-related dimensions include; perceived expertise, likeability, familiarity, communication skills and customer-orientation. Also, customer trust was conceptualised as encompassing three different types, namely, affective trust, cognitive trust and contractual trust. Three models were evaluated in the context of independent community pharmacies through findings from a survey which was personally administered to 299 respondents. Structural Equations Modelling (SEM) with Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis was conducted to examine the quantitative data collected specifically amongst customers of Essential Health Pharmacy Group across eight pharmacies in both rural and urban areas. The five employee-related dimensions differently impact the respective types of trust. However, the key findings indicate that customers‟ perception of employees' expertise and communication skills most significantly influence overall customer trust. An interesting finding indicated that familiarity does not have a significant impact on cognitive trust. Overall, employee-related factors play a significant role in affecting customer trust. Moreover, specific factors can be managed to such an extent that it will contribute to overall customer trust. Finally, this study contributes to marketing literature, specifically in the fields of relationship and services marketing, through the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings.
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    Trust in independent community pharmacies : do employee-related factors matter?
    (AOSIS, 2020-07) Theron, Edwin; Pelser, Almeri
    BACKGROUND: Offering quality healthcare services in South Africa's remote areas remains a challenge. Pharmacies, and independent community pharmacies (ICPs) in particular, can play a vital role in providing access to pharmaceutical products and services in these areas. AIM: Part of the success of ICPs is the role that their employees play in building trusting relationships with pharmacy clients. It is against this background that this article investigates key employee-related factors that contribute towards building affective, calculative and contractual trust when pharmacy clients are serviced. SETTING: Clients of a specific ICP group participated in the study. The selected ICP group, which manages eight pharmacies across the Western Cape Province, has between 8000 and 41 000 active client profiles per pharmacy. METHODS: All 299 respondents who participated in the study were personally interviewed. Statistical analyses were done through Statistica, and structural equation modelling (SEM) with partial least squares (PLS) was used to assess both the measurement and the structural model. RESULTS: Although a number of significant relationships were confirmed, the importance of especially familiarity is highlighted when trust is managed in a pharmacy client-employee relationship. CONCLUSION: Given their geographical location, ICPs are ideally situated to provide access to healthcare services in the more remote areas of South Africa. By focusing on managing trust, ICPs can ensure a more constructive experience to their clients.