An Exploratory Factor Analysis of Work-Attributes of Pharmaceutical Sales Workforce during COVID-19 Lockdown

The global COVID-19 pandemic has re-defined work operations and work-attributes in our business environment. The conventional day-to-day activities and work-attributes of the supply chain sales workforce have changed due to the compulsory lockdown and restrictions enforced by national governments worldwide. Hence, there is the need to identify the key constructs embedded in the current realities. This research gap has not been investigated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The objective of this study was to evaluate pharmaceutical sales representatives’ (PSRs) perception of selected work-attributes by using EFA to develop a framework of constructs. A cross-sectional, quantitative research technique was used. A 13-item structured questionnaire was administered using the purposive sampling method to 170 PSRs in Nigeria. The questionnaire was based on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 'strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree' (5). Descriptive and Inferential statistics using SPSS 23. Work-attributes were extracted using two-factor extraction methods; Principal component analysis (PCA) with orthogonal rotation and Principal axis factoring (PAF) with oblique rotation. Parallel analysis (PA) using simulated data analysis of 170 sample size and 13-item variables was executed using SPSS syntax. EFA model fit characteristics were satisfactory within criteria level. PAF gave more parsimonious constructs with 3 components extracted. The constructs were reduced to 1 after applying PA. The focal work-attributes were: Increased workload, Information/enlightenment provider, increased sales of products, and received recognition/appreciation for sales efforts during the lockdown. The study developed a validated summary of key work-attributes. Provided information for conducting EFA in pharmaceutical sales and marketing operations.