<p>Kultur som en strategi för tillväxt i en stad blir således allt mer vanlig, dock saknas en mer ingående studie kring Jönköping som stad.</p>

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2018. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Creating brand equity, that is, building a strong brand is a successful strategy for differentiating a product from competing brands (Aaker, 1991: 256). Brand equity provides sustainable competitive advantages, because it creates meaningful competitive barriers. Brand equity is developed through perceived quality, brand loyalty, brand awareness and brand associations, which cannot be either built or destroyed in the short run; but can be created only in the long run through carefully designed marketing investment. This study aims to examine the practicality and application of a customer-based brand equity model, based on Aaker’s (1991: 256) well-known conceptual framework of brand equity. The study investigates the causal relationships between the 4 dimensions of brand equity and brand equity itself. It specifically measured the way in which consumers’ perceptions of the dimensions of brand equity affected the overall brand equity evaluations. Data were collected from a sample of house-wives in South Africa. The study concludes that brand loyalty and perceived quality is the most influential dimension of brand equity. Support was also found for the brand awareness and brand association dimensions. Implications for marketing managers and marketing planners are discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die skep van handelsmerkekwiteit “brand equity”, wat die bou van sterk handelsmerke impliseer, is 'n suksesvolle strategie om 'n produk van mededingende produkte te onderskei (Aaker, 1991: 256). Handelsmerkekwiteit voorsien volgehoue mededingende voordele omrede dit betekenisvolle mededingende hindernisse skep. Dit is ontwikkel op grond van kwaliteitsherkenning, handlesmerklojaliteit, kwaliteitsbewustheid en kwaliteitsassosiasies. Handelsmerkekwiteit kan geskep word deur omsigtige bemarkingsinvestering. Die doelwit van hierdie studie was om die toepaslikheid en praktiese toepassing van 'n kliëntgebasseerde ekwiteitsmodel te ondersoek en is gebaseer op Aaker (1991: 256) se bekende konseptuele handelsmerk-ekwiteitsraamwerk. Die studie ondersoek die kousale verwantskap tussen die vier handelsmerkekwiteitsdimensies en die algehele ekwiteitsevaluasie. Dit meet die wyse waarop die verbruiker se persepsie van die dimensies ekwiteit beïnvloed en die algehele ekwiteitsevaluasie. Data-insameling is gedoen onder huisvrouens in Suid-Afrika. Die resultate bevestig dat handelsmerklojaliteitlojaliteit en kwaliteitherkenning die mees invloedryke dimensies van handelsmerekwiteit is. Ondersteuning is ook gevind vir die kwaliteitsbewustheid en assosiasie dimensies. Hiervolgens is implikasies vir bemarkingbestuurders en -beplanners geformuleer.

Internal branding in universities has been acknowledged in marketing literature as an important area of research. In the context of higher education institutions, employees play a crucial role in the branding process. Research within the current spectrum of internal branding indicates some ambiguities surrounding internal branding in higher education. Yet very few studies are available in the field of internal branding within universities to explore employee behaviour in brand support. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to examine, from the academic staff’s perspective, the relationships between internal branding in universities and employee brand support and also the relevant underlying mechanisms (specifically, the mediating effects of internal branding aspects, i.e., 1. brand-centred training and development activities and 2. internal brand communications) in a Thai university context. This study employed a mixed methods approach with a dominant quantitative component, involving semi-structured interviews (with 19 respondents) and a pilot survey (with 95 respondents) to collect data for the development of measurement scales. Afterwards, the main survey (with 347 respondents) was conducted in order to test the research hypotheses and the proposed conceptual model. In addition, information from the semi-structured inteviews is used to explain the relationships found in this study after hypothesis testing. Based on a review of the existing literature in a range of fields (including higher education management, brand management, organisational identity, organisational culture and behaviour, corporate communication, human resource management, marketing management, government policy and leadership), this study proposes a conceptual model of the positive relationships between internal branding activities in universities (internal brand communications and brand-centred training and development activities) and employee brand support. In addition, the transformational leadership characteristics of the immediate leader (idealised influence or charisma; inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration) are also included in the model as determinants of internal branding activities and employee brand support. Brand-centred training and development activities and internal brand communication activities are proposed as mediators of the relationships in the model. The proposed conceptual model is developed on the basis of marketing control theory (Jaworski, 1988) combined with transformational leadership theory (Burns, 1978), social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) and Lewin’s (1947) change theory. From the statistical findings, together with upport from the literature and the in-depth interviews during the exploratory stage, this study finds positive relationships between brand-centred training and development activities, internal brand communication activities, the transformational leadership characteristics of the immediate leaders and employee brand support. However, an unexpected outcome is that the relationship between internal brand communication activities and employee brand support is not significant. This outcome indicates that the brand-centred training and development construct fully mediates the relationship between internal brand communication activities and employee brand support. Therefore, in order to create employee brand support behaviours among academic staff, institutions cannot rely solely on their internal communication activities. This finding highlights a crucial role for brand-centred training and development activities in building employee brand support in the context of higher education. In addition, the study finds that, given transformational leadership characteristics, an immediate leader of academic staff not only affects their brand support behaviour, but also either initiates or influences internal branding activities in the institution, thereby creating employee brand support among academic staff. Therefore, institutions which want to build employee brand support from the academic staff should ensure that the immediate leaders of their academic staff’ should manifest transformational leadership characteristics. Finally, this investigation is expected to be of value in advancing current knowledge about internal branding in universities and also be useful to higher education management and public policy-makers who want to encourage academic staff to support their university’s brand.

The internal marketing concept speciefies that an organization's employees is its first market. The demands on companies to meet employee needs increases with the skills and knowledge employees possess, which acts as a competitive advantage. The internal marketing terms "Employer Branding" and "Employer Attractiveness" are still considered to be underdeveloped. Employer Branding refers to the process of marketing that companies use to target desired employees and retain current employees. To find and attract the right work force effectively, companies are required to have a strong Employer Brand. The IT consulting industry shows that job seekers have more power than employers, which creates a intense competition for labor. The aim of this study is to examine how employees at an IT consulting firm perceive the organization's Employer Brand along with what the company's recruitment target market is seeking in a potential employer. Based on a theoretical model; Employer Brand Predictive Model and with the help of two empirical studies, research can demonstrate whether or not the IT consulting firm’s existing Employer Brand is considered to be compatible against recruitment target market’s conditions. The study shows empirical indications that the IT consulting firm’s lacks external brand awareness and absence of a clear strategic aim for selecting the appropriate recruitment target market. / Det interna marknadsföringskonceptet anger att en organisations anställda är deras första marknad. Kraven på företag att uppfylla anställdas behov ökar i och med den kompetens och kunskap de besitter vilket utgör en konkurrensfördel. Inom intern marknadsföring är begreppen ”Employer Branding" och "arbetsgivarens attraktionskraft" fortfarande underutvecklade. Employer Branding hänvisar till den process av marknadsföring som företag använder sig av för att attrahera en önskad målgrupp och behålla personal. För att hitta och attrahera rätt personal krävs det att företagen har ett starkt Employer Brand. IT-konsultbranschen visar på att arbetssökande har mer makt än arbetsgivare, vilket skapar en tydlig konkurrens om arbetskraft. Denna studie undersöker hur medarbetarna på ett IT-konsultföretag uppfattar organisationens Employer Brand samt vad företagets rekryteringsmålgrupp söker hos en potentiell arbetsgivare. Utifrån en teoretisk modell; Employer Brand Predictive Model och med hjälp av två empiriska undersökningar kan studien påvisa om IT-konsultföretagets existerande Employer Brand anses vara homogen gentemot rekryteringsmålgruppens villkor. Studien visar empiriska bevis på IT-konsultföretagets brist av extern varumärkeskännedom samt avsaknad av en tydlig strategisk avgränsning för val av rekryteringsmålgrupp.

Syfte: Syftet med vår studie är att få en ökad förståelse för hur ett varumärkes rykte och image kan påverka en arbetstagare vid valet av arbetsgivare i små företag inom tjänstesektorn. Metod: Då syftet med studien är att få ökad förståelse för hur image och rykte påverkar en arbetstagare i valet av arbetsgivare, har således studien genomförts med en kvalitativ forskningsansats. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med 12 deltagare som är nyanställda inom respektive företag. Materialet har därefter analyserats manuellt med hjälp av ett datanalysprogram. Resultat &amp; slutsats: Resultatet styrker och ger tidigare forskning en ökad förståelse om hur image och rykte påverkar valet av arbetsgivare inom små tjänsteföretag. Resultatet visar att det finns andra faktorer som påverkar en arbetstagare vid valet av arbetsgivare inom denna forskning. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Vi ser möjligheter till vidare forskning att applicera studien med en kvantitativ metod för att se om bidraget går att styrka i ett större sammanhang. Ytterligare förslag till framtida forskning skulle vara att applicera studien på en annan bransch inom små tjänsteföretag. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studien bidrar teoretiskt på så vis att den bekräftar tidigare forskning vad gäller image och ryktets påverkan vid valet av arbetsgivare. Studien bidrar även till en ytterligare faktor som påverkar en arbetstagare vid valet. Vidare finns även praktiskt bidrag i form av vikten av att företag arbetar internt för att behålla samt attrahera potentiella nya arbetstagare. / Aim: The purpose of this study is togain an increased understanding of how a brand's reputation and image can affect an employee in the selection of employers in small businesses in the service sector. Result &amp; Conclusions: The study strengthens and gives earlier research an increased understanding of how image and reputation affect the choice of employers in small service companies. The results show, in particular, that there are other factors that affect an employee in the choice of employers in this research. Suggestions for future research is to apply the study with a quantitative method to see if the contribution can be strengthened in a broader context. Further suggestions for future research would be to apply the study to another industry within small service companies. Contribution of the thesis: The study theoretically contributes to confirming previous research into the influence of image and reputation in the choice of employers. The study also contributes to an additional factor that affects an employee in the choice of employer. Furthermore, there is a practical contribution in terms of the importance of companies working internally to retain and attract potential new employees.

The purpose of the study was to investigate if there was a difference in the experience of employer attractiveness and experience of recruitment process, based on whether the respondent had received employment or not at the selected organization. The purpose was also to investigate whether there was a correlation between experience of employer attractiveness and experience of recruitment process. The questionnaire used contained questions about the experience of the recruitment process and employer attractiveness, the latter was measured using the Employer Attractiveness scale. The study showed that those who became employed rated all dimensions of employer attractiveness higher. Furthermore, the study showed that those who became employed rated the dimensions fairness and treatment higher. As for the experience of the usability of the recruiting tool there were no differences between the groups. The results also showed a positive correlation between experience of the recruitment process and experience of employer attractiveness. / Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka om det fanns någon skillnad vad gäller upplevelsen av arbetsgivarattraktionen samt upplevelsen av rekryteringsprocessen utifrån om arbetssökande, till en kommun i Mellansverige, fått en anställning eller inte fått anställning. Syftet var även att undersöka om de fanns ett samband mellan upplevelsen av arbetsgivarattraktionen och upplevelsen av rekryteringsprocessen. Enkäten innehöll frågor som behandlade upplevelsen av rekryteringsprocessen samt frågor hämtade från Employer Attractiveness Scale, vilket mätte arbetsgivarattraktionen. Resultatet påvisade att de som blivit anställda skattade samtliga dimensioner i arbetsgivarattraktionen högre än de som inte blivit anställda. Studien visade även att de som blivit anställda skattade dimensionerna gällande den upplevda rekryteringsprocessens dimensioner rättvisa och bemötande högre än de som inte blivit anställda. Vad gäller upplevelsen av användarvänligheten påvisades ingen skillnad mellan grupperna. Resultatet visade ett positivt samband mellan upplevelsen av rekryteringsprocessen och upplevelsen av arbetsgivarattraktionen.

In my thesis I will compare the public diplomacy and national branding of the Czech Republic and Switzerland. The goal of the thesis is to define, explore and evaluate these fields for both countries. This paper will focus on identifying different aspects of nation branding in these two countries and will aim to evaluate the strategy and sketch the recommendations. The thesis is divided into 3 parts. In the first part the author defines and describes public diplomacy as general term. The second part is dedicated to the public diplomacy of small and medium states. The last chapter focuses on the comparison of public diplomacy and nation branding of the Czech Republic and lesson that could be learned from Switzerland. The goals of this chapter are as follows. To compare aspects and specifics of these two states and evaluate specific activities developed by governments to improve the perception of their country by the foreign public.

[pt] Empresas brasileiras e de outros países emergentes estão construindo, ou planejam construir em um futuro próximo, sua estratégia de marca e posicionamento global. O uso da marca país pode ser uma maneira de diferenciar suas ofertas no mercado internacional. Com base no conceito de country equity, originado da extensão do constructo brand equity para países, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo investigar empiricamente a influência que a origem brasileira de um produto exerce sobre a atitude de consumidores estrangeiros desse produto. Adotou-se o modelo de Pappu e Quester (2010), composto por cinco dimensões (conhecimento do país, imagem micro de país, imagem macro de país, qualidade percebida e lealdade ao país), que foi complementado com indicadores afetivos (sentimentos, emoções), com base em Haubl (1996). O modelo proposto foi testado em duas categorias de produtos, uma de produtos duráveis (automóveis) e outras de produtos não duráveis (sapatos). Os questionários foram aplicados a uma amostra de 439 estudantes chilenos. A análise dos dados coletados permite agregar novas noções aos resultados de estudos anteriores sobre as dimensões do constructo country equity sob o ponto de vista do consumidor. / [en] The use of nation branding can be a way to differentiate multinational companies offerings in target international markets. Based on the concept of country equity, originated from the extension of the construct of brand equity to countries, this research aimed to empirically investigate the influence the Brazilian origin of a product has on foreign consumers’ attitudes towards this product. Building on the work by Pappu and Quester (2010), a consumer-based perspective was adopted for country equity and the construct was operationalized with five dimensions, comprising country awareness, macro country image, micro country image, perceived quality, and country loyalty toward the country. Their model was complemented with affective indicators (feelings, emotions), based on Haubl (1996). The proposed model was tested in two different product categories, a durable consumer product category (cars) and a nondurable consumer product category (footwear). The questionnaires were administered to a sample of 439 Chilean students. The data analysis adds new approaches to the results of previous studies on the dimensions of the country equity construct from a consumer-based perspective.

Employer branding, eller svenskt översatt till “att arbetsgivarvarumärka”, handlar om att säljain upplevelsen av en arbetsplats för att attrahera och nå ut till rätt medarbetare. Det handlar även om att få befintliga medarbetare att trivas och vilja stanna i organisationen. Denna studie syftar till att genom empiriskt material och teori ta reda på hur Hammarö kommun med hjälp av employer branding på bästa sätt kan attrahera och behålla framtidens förskollärare på en allt mer konkurrerande arbetsmarknad. Vidare syftar studien till att få en fördjupad förståelse och jämföra förskollärarstudenters syn med Hammarö kommuns syn kring att attrahera och behålla. Den teoretiska referensramen i vår studie utgår från fyra huvudkapitel, employer branding, framtidens medarbetare, Herzbergs tvåfaktorsteori och organisationskultur. Det empiriska materialet har inhämtats från två håll, förskollärarstudenter på Karlstads universitet och Hammarö kommun. Materialet från studenterna samlades in genom intervjuer. Materialet från Hammarö kommun hämtades från kommunens heldagsworkshop, kallad “idécafé”, medfokus på att attrahera och behålla samt genom en intervju med kommunens HR-chef. Studiens resultat visar att framtidens förskollärarstudenter och Hammarö kommun i huvudsak har en överensstämmande syn gällande attrahera och behålla. Båda parter nämner konkurrenskraftiga löner som en viktig del. De är även eniga kring vikten av arbetsglädje, arbetskamrater, sunda värderingar och äkthet. Vidare anser de att fortbildning, utveckling och ett starkt ledarskap med bra chefer är viktigt för att attrahera och behålla. De är även samstämmiga om att arbetsmiljön är viktig. Studiens resultat visar att det finns en aspekt studenterna tar upp som Hammarö kommun inte uppmärksammar, nämligen jämställdhet. Studenterna beskriver jämställdhet som attraktivt hos arbetsgivare. Utifrån studiens resultat kan vi konstatera att Hammarö kommun är på god väg och har rätt inställning för att attrahera och behålla framtidens förskollärare. De förstår vikten av att arbeta med employer branding för att bli den arbetsgivare framtidens förskollärare väljer.

Today, every organization is struggling to attract, recruit and retain staff. This is because it has become a” war of talent”, since it is difficult to recruit candidates with excellence. This means that it is important for employees to work with their brand to succeed. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what nursing students find attractive with employees’ brand and what would make them stay in Norrbotten after their studies, and how this differs from employees work with employer branding. The study was conducted with a qualitative method and an adductive approach. The collected material was interpreted with a thematic analysis and coded with an empirical-driven and theoretical coding. The results of this study showed that organizations work with employer branding, but that they could developed. The results also showed that there are significant factors that students find attractive: work environment, work tasks, development opportunities, good colleagues and a good manager. The salary was an important factor even though it was not the biggest. Which differs from the employee’s biggest factors in their work with employer branding: the locality, development opportunities, work environment, salary, working conditions, working hours, career opportunities and benefits. The result also shows that there are factors that can affect the student’s choice moving after their studies. / Idag kämpar varje organisation med att attrahera, rekrytera och behålla personal. Detta för att det har blivit ett ”krig om talang”, då det är svårt att rekrytera kandidater med spetskompetens. Detta gör att det är av vikt för arbetsgivare att arbeta med sitt varumärke för att lyckas.Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad sjuksköterskestudenter finner attraktivt med arbetsgivares varumärke och vad som skulle få dem att stanna i Norrbotten efter studierna, samt hur detta skiljer sig mot arbetsgivares arbete med employer branding. Studiens genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod och en aduktiv ansats. Det insamlade materialet tolkades med entematisk analys och kodades med en data-driven och teoretisk kodning. Resultatet i denna studie visade att arbetsgivarna arbetar med employer branding men att de hade kunnat utvecklas. Resultatet visade även att det finns betydande faktorer som studenterna finner attraktiva: arbetsmiljö, arbetsuppgifter, utvecklingsmöjligheter, bra kollegor och en bra chef. Lönen var även en viktig faktor, och kunde påverka exempelvis val av tjänst. Vilket skiljer sig från de betonade faktorerna i arbetsgivarnasarbete medemployer branding: orten, kompetensutveckling, arbetsmiljö, lön, arbetsvillkor, arbetstider, karriärmöjligheter och förmåner.Resultatet visade även att det finns faktorer som kan påverka studenternas val att flytta efter sina studier.