Job satisfaction of pharmaceutical sales representatives in Lebanon: an insight into the pharmaceutical industry of Lebanon

Abstract

Purpose: The Pharmaceutical industry in Lebanon, as in other countries worldwide, has been witnessing an exponential growth rate. Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives, being the backbone of the sales departments of Pharmaceutical firms, have been at the highlight of the critique of this study that is intended to examine the motivation factors that are the most influential to their job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: The study targeted Pharmacists working as Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives in Lebanon. With the support of the Syndicate of Pharmacists in Lebanon, electronic copies, to the provided list of Pharmacists, have been given out. The method of assessment was the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, a validated and reliable questionnaire, which utilizes a 5-point Likert scale for the measurement of motivation antecedents of job satisfaction. Findings: The findings confirmed that advancement, compensation, job security, recognition, and supervision have a positive effect on the job satisfaction of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives in Lebanon. The two broad antecedents, the intrinsic and extrinsic, have also show an effective relationship with job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: The literature does not include any studies assessing the job satisfaction of field force employees of the Pharmaceutical industry in Lebanon. The originality of the primary data gathered in this thesis would be eyeopening for Pharmaceutical firms to scrutinize their managerial approach towards restructuring their implemented plans of employee retention. Practical implications: As for further applications, the results of this paper would permit for the creation of a more sensitive study that targets a wider-scale sample size, for detailed inspection of selected variables of job satisfaction. Originality/value: The uniqueness of this study provides novel and unique indicators for multinational pharmaceutical enterprises, as to which motivational factors are the most influential.