Open AccessMarket Receptiveness To Franchise Systems In The Health Care Industry
Author(s) -
Faye S. McIntyre,
Faye W. Gilbert
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied business research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2157-8834
pISSN - 0892-7626
DOI - 10.19030/jabr.v15i3.5670
Subject(s) - franchise , empathy , health care , business , marketing , competence (human resources) , sample (material) , demographic economics , customer needs , market segmentation , psychology , economics , economic growth , social psychology , chemistry , chromatography
In this study, cluster analysis is used to identify two consumer segments that differ in responsiveness toward franchised health care systems. These receptive and unreceptive clusters are differentiated in terms of the importance of health care constructs as well as in demographic characteristics. Younger, male respondents who live with a larger number of residents in the household may be the most receptive to franchise options, while the majority of all respondents seem open to the idea of franchised services. Further, results from this sample support the importance of competence, accessibility, empathy, and pricing to consumers in selecting health care providers, with less emphasis on local ownership.