Abstract

The increasing number of Hospitals in Cameroon at the present triggers hospitals to build a marketing strategy. Hospital branding is one of the chosen way for marketing which gives benefits for internal and externals. For health care providers ensuring that patients are satisfied is a continuous effort. It is therefore critical to them that the true state of consumer satisfaction is known.

The study sought to examine the influence of brand personality, customer loyalty on patient’s satisfaction. Specifically, the study aimed to investigate the influence of brand personality on patient satisfaction, the effect of customers’ loyalty on patient satisfaction and the mediating effects of brand personality and customer’s loyalty on patient satisfaction of some selected Hospitals in Buea Municipality.

The study used patient loyalty as a mediating variable between brand personality and patient satisfaction. To achieve the objectives, the study employed a descriptive research design and a quantitative approach along with simple random sampling techniques to sample 250 patients from selected 3 hospitals, using structured-questionnaire. Collected data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS, 25.0) where descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as correlation and regression were employed to test for relationships between variables.

Findings reveal that brand personality has a significant positive relationship with patient satisfaction. It was revealed that dimensions of brand personality such as sincerity, sophistication, competence and excitement all shows a positive influence on patient satisfaction. It was further revealed that patient loyalty plays a mediating positive influence on brand personality and patience satisfaction. The study recommended that the management of hospitals should continue to improve healthcare management practice.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The healthcare industry is a thriving industry all over the globe as people in general requires healthcare services the course of their lives. Such medical services offerings’ quality enables the facility to sustain its business especially in obtaining reputable company image or brand value. Private healthcare facilities in particular that are concerned about the stiff business competition have always placed importance of understanding the internal and external environment (Ntui et al., 2018).

Being aware of what other businesses in the same sector are doing might serve as a benchmark for organizational improvement (Porter, 2005). Unique selling points, also known as competitive advantages, are what distinguish one company from another. Having a competitive advantage and understanding how it may benefit a business will frequently result in more earnings and a higher market share for the organization (Chalal and Bala, 2017). Private hospitals, on the other hand, prioritize attracting and keeping renowned medical professionals in order to increase their profits rather than enhancing their reputation and brand recognition among consumers.

Brands constitute the basis by which organizations position themselves in a competitive surrounding. They serve as a vital distinction element in what any given organization offers relative to its competitors. Thus, purchasing a particular brand may enable individuals not only to achieve maximum benefit by way of the brand’s implemental meaning, but also to express their personalities through the product’s symbolic meaning (Slaughter, 2004).

With a view to better satisfy their customers’ needs and to establish long-term consumer brand relationships, Companies position their brands with unique personalities (Weis and Huber, 2000). Brand personality is a concept within the field of relational marketing and it is defined as a set of human characteristics associated to a brand. Branding plays an important role because positive brands will enable customers to better visualize and understand products, reduce customers’ perceived risks in buying services and help companies achieve sustained superior performance (Kim et al., 2008).

Brand personality is a concept within the field of relational marketing and it is defined as a set of human characteristics associated to a brand (Aaker, 1997). According to theories of animism, brands can also have their own personality. In fact, human beings aspire to personify objects so as to help their interactions with the intangible world. The perceptions of the brand personality traits are created through all direct or indirect contacts that consumers have with a brand (Plummer, 1984).

The concept of brand personality offers a major managerial advantage. It helps better understand the development and maintaining of relations between brands and consumers (Gouteron, 2008). Moreover, it explains how consumer brand relationship impacts consumer behavior (Ambroise, 2006). According to Caprara et al. (2001), personality is an appropriate metaphor for brands based on the idea that a consumer develops attraction towards brands having personality similar to his personality.

Deciding on a brand for a hospital is very important to promote the services provided by the hospital in the market. Branding of services provided by hospitals helps to set a key position over the competitors in the market and among the customers. By establishing a strong brand image, the frequency of the patients to the hospital will be increased. Marketing alone does not overcome the competition, creating a Brand is a vital part of setting up a strong place in the competitive market (Sirish and Babu, 2014).

Customers engage with hospitals with the medium of hospitals brand and the brand creates a relationship between the hospital and the customers. The name of the brand clicks their mind once they hear the service that the hospital offers. Efficient Branding improves the flow of patients and also improves the financial status of the hospital. Technology adaptation, clinical breakthroughs, national accreditations, and quality ranking are examples of hospital branding strategies. We can observe that the healthcare and hospital industry is moving towards corporatization, branding leads to this corporatization culture.

In the competitive world of the healthcare sector, success depends on providing a great quality service to patients. The facilities that are available in the hospital play a decisive role in improving the quality of services and also the performance. In developing countries, hospital services need both qualitative and quantitative improvements (Kavitha, 2012). Most hospitals in less developing countries, face extremely competitive environments, and that has created importance to branding. Hospital brand image increases patient loyalty directly and improves patient satisfaction through enhancing service quality, which in turn increases the re-visit intention of patients. Hospital brand image indeed serves as a lead factor in enhancing service quality, patient loyalty, satisfaction and performance (Chao-Chan, 2011).

Branding creates an image to a hospital and reduces customers’ perceived risks in buying services (Kim et al., 2008a). Building a brand to a hospital can be done by offering a quality service to patients both in and out. The hospital market has today changed from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market, where, the patient is more important. To achieve patient satisfaction, the hospital has to develop its technology and has to become more service-oriented.

The patient-customer in the hospital is very different from the regular customer, the difference being that they do not want to be customers in the first place. The hospital customer is forced to be a customer because of their illness and unfortunately, he/she has to part with their money (Annamalai and Jayakrishnan, 2010). Good branding can take a small company or a hospital to the next level (GREEN communications, 2006) improving its financial status. Customers engage with hospitals with the medium of hospitals brand and the brand creates a relationship between the hospital and the customers.

In building a brand value ‘perception is more important than reality (Duncan and Moriarty, 1998), and as brands only exist in the minds of customers then the management of brands is all about the management of perceptions (Farhat and Khan, 2011). In this regard, in the present prevailing competitive scenario, brands are new business warriors and customer retention and loyalty play a vital role so that the customers are glued to an offering on a long-term basis. Hence the success of any strategy to attract consumers largely depends on its capability to maintain its customer loyalty and to build protected enclaves of consumers.

Today brand loyalty has become a focal point of interest for marketing researchers and practitioners. Few of the researches summarise that the loyal customers spend more than non-loyal customers, act as advocates for a brand by engaging in positive word of mouth and are therefore “at the heart of a company’s most valuable customer group” (Ganesh et al., 2000). Moreover, many studies reveal that brand loyal customers are willing to pay any prices and are less price-sensitive (Krishnamurthi and Raj, 1991).

Perhaps the marketing cost is significantly less when the brand enjoys a large group of loyal customers. Brand loyal customers reduce the marketing costs of the firm as the costs of attracting a new customer be about six times higher than the costs of retaining an old one (Rosenberg and Czepiel, 1983).  However, the literature on brand loyalty is incomplete in several important respects.

Patients are the key stakeholders in health care providers, and it is vital to increase their satisfaction level. Patient satisfaction is a subject of great interest to the health care providers and researchers alike as there are a lot of factors connected to health care providers that causes patient selection and denial. Since competition has increased in recent years, this exercises more pressure on health care providers to render better service quality, also, to build trust and gain high reputation.

Patient happiness is becoming an increasingly important health result. Satisfaction is thought to be an emotional reaction to the value judgements that patients make about their therapeutic meeting (Kane et al., 1997). Satisfaction is described as an assessment based on the fulfillment of expectations, either implicitly or overtly (Williams, 1995, p. 559 as referenced in (Hussain & Rehman, 2012). In our opinion, contentment is what a consumer expects, assessing, and ultimately accepting or rejecting the goods or service.

Today, healthcare professionals are not only scientifically and patient-driven, but they need to focus on the management of a whole data spectrum on how to provide the best possible care, ensure sustainable hospital performance and effectively manage costs. Patients’ increasing needs and expectations require an overall assessment of hospital performance. Several international agencies have defined performance indicators sets but there exists no unanimous classification. Monitoring healthcare providers’ performance is relevant worldwide, especially in settings such as hospitals, given their significant weight in terms of both health and economic effects.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Healthcare institutions face unique challenges around the world. An increasing number of hospitals face extremely competitive environments owing to open-door policies in the medical service market (Kim et al., 2008). The growth of the senior citizen’s population and growing focus on health have dynamically increase particular health wants and needs within the general populace.

The current medical service market favours the buyer, rather than the seller (Lee et al., 2010). Hence, the field of medical service is now emphasizing the importance of customer-oriented marketing. Hospitals endeavor to establish marketing strategies that promote brand image among patients for enhancing the satisfaction and loyalty of patients as well as further promoting performance.

Branding in the healthcare sectors of Cameroon compared with other products or services processing sectors has relatively lagged. Still, most hospitals in Cameroon do not understand branding correctly, which has created many misconceptions. Some identify branding with advertising, while others merely think of it as a communication activity without giving heed to consistency in branding execution, distribution channels, or product quality.

Over the years the management of mission hospitals in Buea Municipality has mainly focused on ensuring that the health services they provide are improved in terms of efficiency. This move however has not taken into consideration the image and perception of a brand they build in the mind of visitors. They do not see themselves as a brand and this has affected the way they treat visitors and thus their performance.

Brand sincerity is failing as most health workers are not honest in their day-to-day activities and most fail to provide a transparent customer experience. Brand excitement is also failing at the most mission hospitals (Mount Mary, Bingo and 7 Days Adventist) in Buea Municipality as, very little advertisements is done by these hospitals as compare to other private hospitals in other towns.

Brand competence is an issue in the hospital as many do not find the activities of the health workers to be reliable, intelligent and confidence in their job. Brand sophistication personality such as presence of luxurious and quality hospital facilities is absence in some areas or wards within the hospital, toilet and other facilities are not eye catching.

This lack of an identifiable brand personality at these mission hospitals has caused a lot of customers switching since they have not really created a branding connection with the customers which overall affects the customers’ satisfaction and customer’s loyalty. The low standard of brand personality will affect the satisfaction and loyalty of patients and this together will impact the performance of these mission hospitals. Thus, exploring the complex relationship between the hospital brand personality dimensions and its influence on the satisfaction of patients in reducing brand switching in order to increase patient satisfaction is necessary.

1.3 Research Questions

1.3.1 Main Research Question

What is the influence of brand personality, and customer loyalty on patient satisfaction of some selected Hospitals in Buea Municipality?

1.3.2 Specific Research Questions

1. What is the influence of brand personality on patient satisfaction of some selected Hospitals in Buea Municipality?
2. What is the effect of customers’ loyalty on patient satisfaction of some selected Hospitals in Buea Municipality?
3. What is the mediating effect of brand personality and customer loyalty on patient satisfaction of some selected Hospitals in Buea Municipality?

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