The consent of all the participants of the research was obtained by engaging them to complete informed consent forms to indicate their desire to participate in the research. The informed consent document specified the nature and purpose of the research, and also provided the address of the researcher as well as the institution where the researcher was studying, to the participants for any further queries. The purpose of the informed consent form was to ensure that the participants understood fully what they were participating in.
Furthermore, the researcher assured the participants that the data provided by them would not be used for any other purposes other than academic research, and that their names and identity would not be disclosed in the research without their full consent. The participants were also made to understand that they could withdraw anytime from participating in the study. This assurance served as catalyst for obtaining credible and honest data from the respondents. More importantly, in consonance with the rules of the university, ethical clearance certificate (Reference No: HSS/1922/017D) was obtained which served as a pre-condition for conducting the research within the confines of the university. Finally, authors whose publications were used in the research were acknowledged by referencing their work in the thesis.
4.13 Chapter Summary
This chapter explains the research methodology used for the study. The research paradigm, research design and approach as well as the data collection instrument used have been discussed. Not only this, the chapter also provided a detailed explanation of the procedure employed to select participants of the research for the purpose of gathering data from them,
while highlighting ethical issues considered during the research. In addition, statistical tools used during the data analysis were highlighted. Validity and reliability of the test responses were also examined in order to generate accurate and consistent results with different population samples. The ensuing chapter will present the analysis of the data gathered with the view to generating information useful to answer the research questions.
CHAPTER FIVE
DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
5.1 Introduction
The study investigated the influence of packaging and brand equity of herbal medicines in the OTC medicine market. In this regard, customers` perceptions of packaging of medicinal herbal products sold at the OTC pharmaceutical market were examined. The study further sought to determine the brand equity of herbal medicines in the OTC drug market. Based on the research`s conceptual framework, hypotheses were formulated and later tested.
The current chapter provides the findings of the analysis of the data gathered through the survey questionnaire completed by 348 respondents in the OTC medicine market in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. Specifically, this chapter provides the results of the demographic characteristics of the respondents, perceptions of the participants on the packaging of plant medicines, examines and validates the test instruments and analyses the proposed hypotheses drawn from the study`s conceptual model. This chapter provides the findings generated from descriptive and inferential statistics, specifically, exploratory factor analysis and structural equations modelling using IBM SPSS Amos 22, to provide the basis for discussions in Chapter Six. It is pertinent to add that this chapter does not draw any implications from the results nor does it discuss the results as these will be addressed in Chapter Six.
5.1.1 Research Objectives
The objectives of the research were:
To examine customers` perceptions of packaging of herbal medicine in the OTC market in Kumasi
To examine the brand equity of herbal medicines in the OTC drug market in Kumasi. To examine the influence of packaging on brand awareness in the OTC market in
Kumasi.
To examine the influence of packaging on brand associations in the OTC drug market in Kumasi.
To examine the influence of packaging on perceived quality in the OTC drug market in Kumasi.
To examine the influence of packaging on brand loyalty in the OTC drug market in Kumasi.
5.1.2 Research Questions
Based on the research objectives, the research questions that guided the study were:
What is the customers’ perceptions of packaging of herbal drugs in the OTC market in Kumasi?
What influence does a brand of herbal medicine have on overall brand equity in the OTC drug market in Kumasi?
To what extent does packaging influence brand awareness in the OTC pharmaceutical market in Kumasi?
How does packaging influence brand associations in the OTC medicine market in Kumasi?
To what extent does packaging influence perceived quality in the OTC drug market in Kumasi?
How does packaging influence brand loyalty in the OTC pharmaceutical market in Kumasi?
5.1.3 Study Hypotheses
H1a: Packaging positively and significantly influence brand awareness H2a: Packaging positively and significantly influence brand association H3a: Packaging positively and significantly influence perceived quality H4a: Packaging positively and significantly influence brand loyalty
H1b: Brand awareness positively and significantly influence overall brand equity H2b: Brand association positively and significantly influence overall brand equity H3b: Perceived quality positively and significantly influence overall brand equity H4b: Brand loyalty positively and significantly influence overall brand equity