<p>Datum: 2007-06-04</p><p>Nivå: Examensarbete D</p><p>Författare: Richard Caspar, Joakim Lindberg & Philip Savén</p><p>Handledare: Universitetslektor, docent Nils Kinch</p><p>Titel: KRISHANTERING! Frågan är inte om, utan när!</p><p>Problemformulering: I litteraturen finns en mängd olika uppfattningar om hur företag bäst skall hantera en kris. Vad som däremot saknas är ett gemensamt förhållningssätt till hur dessa bör hanteras. Går det att fastställa olika allmänna rekommendationer från fallstudier och litteraturen kring krishantering?</p><p>Syfte: Syftet med arbetet är att jämföra ett antal olika kriser för att se om det går att utforma en generell metod för krishantering inom företag.</p><p>Metod: Metoden som använts är en litteraturstudie där nio fallstudier har granskats för att därefter analyseras</p><p>Slutsatser: Våra slutsatser visar att företag bör försöka förstå sin omvärld, vara effektiva i sin kommunikation, planera för det värsta samt agera rakryggat och ärligt.</p>

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explain why companies in France use the event promotion. Method: In this part we explain how we are going to collect our information. On one hand we collect secondary data from books and internet websites to have an overview of the event promotion market and on the other we collect primary data through three written interviews sent to an event promotion agency’s CEO, one project manager of the same company, and an executive assistant, who works in a company which uses event promotion agencies to set its events up. We also explain why we choose this method, these persons and the kind of questions we ask. Theoretical framework: In this chapter we explain all the important terms necessary to well understand the topic we chose by defining some specific concepts. Indeed, we talk in a first time about communication in a general way and then more specifically about event promotion, its definition, types and aims. We also in this part explain others concepts such as the loyalty. Conclusion: We present the answer of our purpose. Companies use event promotion for mostly three reasons that are to get a good corporate image, be well known and also to federate and motivate its work forces. We go a little further in this part talking about event promotion agencies and their competitive advantages, especially the customers’ loyalty, to stay competitive on the market. Finally, we talk also about the limits of our study.

Datum: 2007-06-04 Nivå: Examensarbete D Författare: Richard Caspar, Joakim Lindberg &amp; Philip Savén Handledare: Universitetslektor, docent Nils Kinch Titel: KRISHANTERING! Frågan är inte om, utan när! Problemformulering: I litteraturen finns en mängd olika uppfattningar om hur företag bäst skall hantera en kris. Vad som däremot saknas är ett gemensamt förhållningssätt till hur dessa bör hanteras. Går det att fastställa olika allmänna rekommendationer från fallstudier och litteraturen kring krishantering? Syfte: Syftet med arbetet är att jämföra ett antal olika kriser för att se om det går att utforma en generell metod för krishantering inom företag. Metod: Metoden som använts är en litteraturstudie där nio fallstudier har granskats för att därefter analyseras Slutsatser: Våra slutsatser visar att företag bör försöka förstå sin omvärld, vara effektiva i sin kommunikation, planera för det värsta samt agera rakryggat och ärligt.

The aim of this study is to combine the various concepts, in the field of SME in service based industry, being developed independently by researchers. The goal is to provide a comprehensive overview on the rules and interactions of the involved factors. An investigation of the influence of corporate image and relationship quality on customer loyalty, among SMEs in the banking sector, is carried out. The moderating role of switching barrier is investigated. Furthermore the background variables, affecting relationship quality and corporate image, are investigated. This provides a deeper understanding on how customer loyalty is achieved. Such a deeper understanding on achieving customer loyalty can be regarded as a competitive tool especially in the banking sector with many financial providers and the products being alike. This article is based on 335 valid questionnaires returned from SME customers established in Sweden. The negative impact of Switching barrier on customer loyalty indicates that switching barrier should be avoided thus it decreases customer loyalty and does not have a moderating role. Instead focus should be put on delivering high professionalism which will contribute to higher level of relationship quality and positive perception of corporate image. This, in turn, will eliminate the moderating role of switching barrier and lead to customer loyalty.

Abstract The purpose of this report was to study if market segmentation could influence the corporate identity and indirectly the image of a company. The relevance of this purpose was due to a lack of development of the market segmentation theory in a long period of time. There are many authors in this area of research, but not much of a consensus between them. This report therefore delves deeper into one of these market segmentation theories in order to verify the multi-segmentation theory.   During the process of investigation the management of four music festivals were interviewed to see how they use their market segmentation. Several interviews were done with one or more individuals of the organizations. The findings are two-folded. The use of multi-segmentation was proven through the interviews with the festivals. All four festivals used several different market segmentation variables, all focusing greater understanding of the values and personalities of their target group.   The most interesting finding is that from the greater understanding of their customers, the festivals have been able to identify an identity with their target group. Their respective corporate identities have then been build around their target group identities in order to reflect the customers values and believes. This concept of a target group identity may have great impacts on the customers’ perception of the corporate identity and image.

Under the global background, more and more companies realize that if want to acquire outstanding talent, must set up unique employer brand in the specific area of the human resources market to be able to effectively attract, motivate and retain talented and obtain sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore, raise ¡§employer brand concept¡¨ for the potential job applicant to attractiveness and employee stay. It is meaning the employer brand to attract, motivate and retain of competency of employee. To combine of human resource management system to explore of the establishment and implement of human resource management system for enterprises to retained sustainable competitive advantage of the impact.

Investment and wealth management are more important to customers than before. Bankers make the most of the market of wealth management. Relationship marketing plays an important role in this kind of situation. Relationship marketing is also the key factor of bankers¡¦ differentiation. According to literatures, this paper is to study the effect of ¡§the attributes of investor¡Bthe attributes of consultant¡Brelational selling behavior and corporate image¡¨ on the relationship quality. Refer to the paper of Morgan and Hunt (1994), the Key Mediating Variables Model describe that ¡§commitment and trust¡¨ are the key factors of success in the relationship marketing. So this paper adopts the concept of Key Mediating Variables Model, and uses ¡§commitment and trust¡¨ to discover the relationship quality between customers and consultants. This paper also discovers the effect of relationship quality on the customer satisfaction. Study Discovery: The customers¡¦ amount of investment and risk preference are not found to affect relationship quality significant effects. The expertise of the consultant has significant and positive effects on the relationship quality. Contact frequency and disclosure have significant and positive effects on the relationship quality. Corporate image is not found to affect relationship quality significant effects. Relationship quality has significant and positive effects on the customer satisfaction.

Adverse relationships between an individual or corporation and its publics can destroy credibility, relationships, marketability, and economic welfare. As such, a genre of discourse is needed to help individuals and organizations respond to charges of wrongdoing. Therefore, the study of image restoration is worthwhile because it provides insight into an important function of our lives. For this thesis study, a content analysis was conducted of media releases and stories produced by the U.S. Air Force regarding a series of sexual assaults at the Air Force Academy in 2002. The purpose of the study is two-fold. First, it determines the image restoration strategies employed by the U.S. Air Force during a crisis situation. Its second -- and primary -- objective is to advance (or reinforce) current image restoration theory by determining whether specific image restoration tactics encourage a positive or negative reporting trend from independent newspapers, and measuring the effectiveness of tactics comprising Benoit's Image Restoration Theory as applied in this particular situation by the U.S. Air Force. Combined, these analyses will demonstrate that Benoit's Image Restoration Theory can be prescriptive rather than simply descriptive (as noted in the review of literature) with the ultimate intent of the study being a determination of how independent media reacts to the image restoration tactics employed by the U.S. Air Force.

Background: Critical conditions to become an attractive supplier of knowledge based IT-services in the B2B market are many. Besides the fact of supplying a service of high quality one must as a supplier communicate values which are understandable and desirable for a new buyer. Buying a knowledge based IT-service involves several risks; the consultant might not have sufficient knowledge or have difficulties understanding the corporate culture and collaborating with other staff within the client’s organization. Since services are intangible offers and it can be intricate to put right price level for something which can only be evaluated when the project is finished, puts severe strain on suppliers competing with other companies in the same market when looking for new clients. The question is whether a supplier’s corporate brand can play a decisive role for buyers when choosing between similar offers from numerous companies? Problem formulation &amp; main purpose: To examine if a supplier’s corporate image has a significant impact on a company’s buying decision of knowledge based IT services. Method: Case study, interviews Conclusion:  A strong corporate image can reduce the notion of several risks and increases the feeling of security and confirmation of making the right decision when choosing a new supplier. Hence it is critical to deliver what the brand promise offers. A long buying process is time consuming and hence costly and naturally a shorter buying process is preferred. Buyers tend to listen to recommendations from other companies’ which already have experience from working with the supplier. Therefore it is important to continually work on relations with existing customers to retain a good image. A buyer can perceive a knowledge based IT-service as a low involvement offer but still fear the fact that it involves many risks. A supplier’s strong corporate image can decrease such thoughts.

A logo lies central in an organisation's visual identity system and it is a way of communicating fundamental aspects about the organisation, such as the organisation personality or the organisation's mission and vision. The logo, or corporate visual identity, could be seen as the organisation's visual shorthand that summarises these fundamental aspects. A design element such as colour can be an expressive tool in terms of visual identity. The use of a particular colour in the logo of an organisation conveys a specific message about that company's identity and personality through the meaning and symbolism that is attached to the colour. The corporate colour scheme of an organisation can also aid in communication without being displayed in context of the visual identity. The combination of both verbal communication such as text, and visual communication such as images, through a design element like colour, could provide an effective method of conveying information. The nature of this study is descriptive. It examined the role played by colour in an organisation's visual identity as a communication tool. The study followed a qualitative approach, making use of a literature study and a case study approach. In the literature study, the role of the graphic designer, the visual identity and a design element like colour in the context of corporate communication were examined. The sources of evidence used for the case study approach, were questionnaires, as well as a colour analysis of the corporate colour schemes of each of the selected case organisations as utilised in their visual identities. The research project attempted to determine the role of colour as communication, as well as the motivation behind the use of a particular colour, should such a motivation exist, and the communication intended behind each colour. The project also attempted to determine the target markets at which the communication is aimed; the research done by each of the case organisations regarding colour symbolism and the suitability of the colour regarding the target markets; and the importance attached to colour as a communication tool. These questions were investigated through the use of the questionnaires. The colour analysis was done to function as a control mechanism to, for example, determine whether the intended message behind colour correlated to the perceived message as determined by the colour analysis. The results from the questionnaires and colour analysis used in the study showed that colour does play an important role in the selected case organisation's visual identities. The results of the study also found, however, that regardless of how important colour was viewed as a method of communication by the respondents, certain factors exist which influence the effectiveness of colour as a communication tool. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.