An analysis of trust amongst customers of independent community pharmacies

[摘要] ENGLISH SUMMARY : 'Trust is the glue of life. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships. – Stephen CoveyHealthcare 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 specificallyamongst 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 customertrust. An interesting finding indicated that familiarity does not have a significantimpact 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 tooverall customer trust. Finally, this study contributes to marketing literature, specifically in the fields of relationship and services marketing, through thetheoretical and managerial implications of these findings.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University