Worldwide drug expenditures have been one of the main concerns of health care managers, and its containment is one of the primary goals of health care authorities. The present study was conducted through a cross sectional survey in Pakistan during January to June, 2010 not only to find out the importance and influence of promotional tools used by pharmaceutical industry on prescribing behaviors of doctors/consultants, but to also establish comparison between doctors/consultants versus medical representatives and consultant versus doctors with an auxiliary of difference between local and multinational company's representative. The study revealed that promotional tools are considered vital from doctors and medical representatives' point of view. There exists significant difference in doctors and consultant's perception for sponsorships and low value gifts, but no difference in scientific promotional tools. No significant difference exits in perception of medical representatives of multinational and local company representatives. The companies tried to come up as per expectations of doctors to build its reputation and good image by employing different promotional tools. The study also revealed that marketing managers, product managers, chief executive officers or any decision makers involved in budget allocations and making promotional strategy should not rely heavily on medical representative's feedback as their perception is different from doctors/consultants about relevant importance of each promotional tool. The study will also help product managers and CEOs while allocating promotional budgets and developing promotional mix strategy, to gain maximum return out of investment. Detailed doctors' demographics can further be researched as predictor for preferring any promotional tools.
Purpose
Pharmaceutical marketers and manufactures create hype of demand among patients towards a specific brand of drug or disease through drug advertisements. It induces the patients to seek additional information of the brand and ask for its prescription generation by the physician. The paper aims to determine the attitude of the physicians towards direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) and to examine the extent of patients’ request for a specific brand which leads to actual prescription generation.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative study, data was collected from field setting general practicing Doctors/Physicians in the leading hospitals. Quantitative data was collected from physicians working in leading hospitals. Doctors were selected on judgmental basis with high patient turnover. Sample size consists of 250 doctors, and questionnaire were adopted from two authors. Attitude of physicians towards DTCA and information inquired by the patient are two independent variables, whereas prescription generation by the physicians is dependent variable. SPSS was tool for data analysis.
Findings
Physicians have positive attitude towards DTCA and information provision to patient and consider it supplementary in overall health-care system. Advertising induces patients to visit physician and seek appropriate treatment and get induced to ask for further information.
Research limitations/implications
Time and resources were limited.
Practical implications
First, it contributes towards knowledge, second, it shows the importance of DTCA and its impact on prescription generation and, third, it will help in devising drug advertising policy.
Social implications
Highlights the issue are of not only misuse of drugs but also malpractice of drug prescription.
Originality/value
First, it explores the impact of the attitude of physicians along with the patients’ request on prescription generation behaviour. Second, it examines the impact of inquiring additional information about specific brand from the physician that might lead to the prescription generation. Finally, there is no study from the developing countries like Pakistan.
The present study focuses on determining the suitability of servant-teacher leadership as a leadership approach for instructional purposes. The study specifically looks at how servant leadership affects followers' cognitive learning by considering the mediating role of follower psychological empowerment. Using a stratified random sampling technique, data was collected through a questionnaire from seven hundred graduates from various HEC-recognized universities. The results of the study show that servant teaching significantly improves students' cognitive learning and sense of empowerment. Additionally, the study found that psychological empowerment mediates the link between follower cognitive learning and servant leadership. The findings of this study provide new insight to instructors seeking to develop a learning environment that fosters students' learning outcomes. However, it is also important to consider how to ensure students' commitment and that they are being challenged. Future research may explore the impact of cultural values on students' behavior toward servant teachers.
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