VALUE CO-CREATION AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN HEALTHCARE SECTOR: AN ANTECEDENT OF PATIENT COGNITIVE ENGAGEMENT

ABSTRACT

Many studies in value co-creation and its outcomes predominantly conducted in developed economies and their findings may not necessarily be applicable in developing economies due to disparities in culture and economic situations. There is therefore the need to probe further in developing economy such as Ghana in order to attain better understanding empirically, the influence of value co-creation behaviour on the relationship between cognitive engagement and customer loyalty. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of customer’s value co-creation behaviour on the relationship between cognitive engagement and customer loyalty in the healthcare sector in Ghana. The study was underpinned by the co-creation and role theory. Data was collected from customers of healthcare service providers in Accra. Non-probability sampling technique was used to collect data from 395 respondents. Smart PLS 3 was used for partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling (SEM) to examine the effect on the relationship between value co-creation and customer loyalty in the healthcare services in Ghana. The study found that patients cognitive engagement (process enjoyment and patient self-efficacy) positively and significantly relate to value co-creation. In patient-physician context, the findings show that customers’ cognitive engagement in terms of process enjoyment (PE) positively leads to co-creation of value. Moreover, unlike previous studies that debated that personalities who have confidence in performing a task due to high level of SE gain success in those encounters and do express positive behavioural intentions, the findings of this study rather emphases that this could be achieved through co-creation of value. This study therefore conclude that a more seamless customer cognitive engagement in terms of process enjoyment and self-efficacy positively and significantly influences value co-creation.