Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur organisationer inom handelsbranschen arbetar för att attrahera, rekrytera och behålla personal utifrån ett mångfaldsperspektiv. Fokus ligger på att ta reda på vilken tolkning organisationerna har på begreppet mångfald samt vilka möjligheter och svårigheter organisationerna upplever när de arbetar med dessa arbetsprocesser för att främja mångfald. Resultatet har samlats in via sex semi-strukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer. En abduktiv förståelseansats samt ett hermeneutiskt förhållningssätt har använts. För att analysera resultatet har teorier om intersektionalitet, employer branding, rekrytering och kompetens- försörjning använts. Det huvudsakliga resultatet visar att organisationernas innebörd samt arbetsprocesser skiljer sig. Att arbeta för mångfald har visat ger möjligheter i form av större urval av potentiella arbetstagare att välja från, men det bidrar även till svårigheter genom samhällets normer. Målet för flera av organisationerna är att spegla samhället genom att ha ett mångfaldsperspektiv när de arbetar för att attrahera, rekrytera och behålla mångfald och de upplever olika möjligheter och svårigheter på vägen. / The aim of the study is to examine how organizations in the trade industry work to attract, recruit and retain staff from a diversity perspective. The focus is on finding out what meaning the organizations have on the concept of diversity and what opportunities and difficulties organizations experience when working with these processes to encourage diversity. The results have been collected through six semi-structured qualitative interviews. An abductive approach to understanding and a hermeneutical principle have been used. To analyze the results, theories of intersectionality, employer branding, recruitment and skills development have been used. The main results show that the meaning of diversity as well as their processes differs in the organizations. Working for diversity has shown to provide opportunities in the form of a larger selection of potential employees to choose from, but it also contributes to difficulties through society's norms. The goal for several of the organizations is to reflect society by having a diversity perspective when they work to attract, recruit, and retain diversity and they experience different opportunities and difficulties along the way.

This paper examines how wine brands use emotional branding and narrative identities to connect with customers on Instagram. The research questions were as follows: How do winemakers use emotional branding in their communication on Instagram? How does the narrative that the company tells about itself relate to the customer's identity? To answer this, a semiotic analysis was made where three different wine producers were examined. For each wine producer, a profile overview and three posts were analyzed. The findings show that all three wine producers created content that corresponds to emotional branding for instance by trying to emphasize a connection to sentimental memories, socialization, lifestyles and ideals. By trying to create a narrative around the brand, they intend to attract consumers whose narrative identity corresponds to the identity of the brand. This is relevant knowledge for designers and marketing people in order to connect with consumers. Since the wine business has a great economic relevance, this knowledge can also be considered to be of general interest.

Abstrakt Titel: I gråzonen ligger guldklimpen, platsmarknadsföring genom mindre sportevenemang. -En kvalitativ studie om European Silver League i Lund Nivå: Examensarbete på grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Alexandra Lazic och Rebecka Lazic Handledare: Blanca Astrid Moreno Datum: 28.04.2023 Syfte: Tidigare studier indikerar att tillämpningen av mindre sportevenemang inom platsmarknadsföring inte är lika etablerad som större sportevenemang. Studiens syfte är: ”Att undersöka hur European Silver League i volleyboll, som är ett mindre sportevenemang, kan användas inom platsmarknadsföring samt undersöka hur det påverkar staden Lunds image”. Metod: Studien omfattar ett induktivt synsätt och innehåller insamlad empirisk data från sju intervjuer med respondenter från Lunds kommunala destinationsbolag, Svenska volleybollförbundet och Lunds lokala volleybollklubb. De tematiska områdena berör marknadsföring, platsmarknadsföring, place branding, sport och place branding och slutligen mätning av framgång inom platsmarknadsföring/place branding. Resultat och slutsats: I gråzonen ligger guldklimpen. Studien identifierar en gråzon, där både mindre sportevenemang och kommuner med mindre resurser hamnar. Den outnyttjade potential i denna gråzon identifieras som lösningen för båda parter. Vidare identifieras fyra aspekter som gynnar en stad genom användning av mindre sportevenemang: sociala, ekonomiska, sportsliga och kommersiella. Utifrån studiens resultat baserad på teori och data dras slutsatsen att mindre evenemang, likväl som stora, kan användas som verktyg inom platsmarknadsföring för att förändra en stads image. Examensarbetets bidrag: Ambitionen med studiens bidrag är att lägga till en pusselbit till befintlig forskning samt bidra till ökad förståelse för möjligheterna med investering i mindre sportevenemang. Ett bidrag som potentiellt kan anses överförbart till andra städer och föreningar, samt göra det vägledande för framtidens destinationsutveckling. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Förslagsvis hade det varit intressant att undersöka mjuka värden genom en kvantitativ analys av besökarnas och deltagarnas upplevelse av evenemanget och staden. Men även att på en djupare nivå undersöka möjligheterna till mätning och hur man kan identifiera framgångar av sportevenemang beroende på kommunen och föreningens uppsatta mål. Nyckelord: Platsmarknadsföring, image, place branding

This research aims to facilitate sales personnel and companies in understanding the interrelation of personal branding within sales and how it should be utilized effectively. Thus, the thesis explores how sales personnel develop and communicate their personal brand, and additionally how personal branding relates to social selling in a B2B context. Using a qualitative approach, the researchers conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with nine participants to achieve meaningful insights about the topic. The research utilizes a deductive approach and a form of directed analysis where the findings are closely related to the conceptual framework (Figure 1). It was found that authenticity is a major aspect when communicating a personal brand. This is since supporting other salespeople, offering expertise, and creating relationships were essential. Furthermore, findings regarding the development of a personal brand indicated changes in professional and personal life as prominent factors. The discoveries reported that processes such as self-reflection and idea-batching, in which values are at the core of evolving the personal brand, can be beneficial. Moreover, the study identifies how personal branding relates to social selling in a B2B context. The researchers found that personal branding can form the base for successful social selling in terms of the connection between the two concepts. It was indicated that social selling would function as a Pull-strategy when incorporating a strong personal brand. In summary, this thesis offers insightful information on the essential function of personal branding for sales personnel and businesses in the B2B context, elucidating the development and communication of a personal brand and its relationship with social selling.

Författare: Agnes Asp & Johanna Müller Datum: 2023-05-23 Nivå: Kandidatuppsats, företagsekonomi & organisation, 15 HP Handledare: Annika Schilling Examinator: Mikael Lundgren  Titel: Ansvarsförvirringen - Vem bär ansvaret för arbetet med employer branding? - En kvalitativ studie som belyser organisationers ansvarsfördelning i arbetet med employer branding och att attrahera rätt kandidater. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att bidra med förståelse för hur ansvarsfördelningen görs i organisationer när det kommer till employer branding (EB) och vilken roll fördelningen har i de utmaningar som uppkommer kring att skapa en attraktion hos de rätta kandidaterna för att vilja bli anställda hos en organisation. Metod: Studien behandlar fenomenet ansvarsfördelning i employer branding-arbetet och tog avstamp i en kvalitativ strategi med abduktiv forskningsansats. Studien har även tillämpat en tvärsnittsdesign, med semistrukturerade intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod.  Slutsats: Resultatet av studien visar på att ansvaret i organisationer i arbetet med employer branding kan fördelas i ett strategiskt respektive operativt ansvar.  HR-funktionen har ett strategiskt ansvar, medan övriga involverade funktioner som marknadsförings-, ekonomi-, marknads-, och PR-funktionen ansvarar över det operativa och praktiska arbetet med EB. Resultatet visar vidare att det inte finns någon enskild befattning eller funktion som besitter huvudansvaret för EB-arbetet, utan de involverade funktionerna har ett gemensamt ansvar för EB-arbetet. Vi kan med det som utgångspunkt fastställa att det finns en ansvarsfördelning, men ingen som besitter det yttersta ansvaret. Studiens resultat indikerar vidare att organisationer idag upplever utmaningar med att hitta och attrahera rätt kandidater och att ansvarsfördelningen potentiellt kan ha en avgörande och problematisk roll i det.  Nyckelord: Employer branding, rekrytering, ansvarsfördelning, organisationsstruktur / Authors: Agnes Asp & Johanna Müller Date: 2023-05-23 Level: Bachelor thesis, Business administration & Organization, 15 credits Advisor: Annika Schilling Examiner: Mikael Lundgren Title: The responsibility confusion - Who is responsible for the work with employer branding? - A qualitative study that emphasizes organizations' division of responsibilities in the work with employer branding and attracting the right candidates. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to contribute with an understanding of how responsibility is distributed in organizations when it comes to employer branding (EB) and what role the distribution has in the challenges that arise around creating an attraction for right candidates to want to be employed by an organization. Method: The study addresses the phenomenon of the distribution of responsibility in the employer branding work and was based on a qualitative strategy with an abductive research approach. The study has also applied a cross-sectional design, with semi-structured interviews as the data collection method. Conclusion: The result of the study shows that the responsibility in organizations in the work with employer branding can be divided into strategic and operational responsibility. The HR function has a strategic responsibility, while other involved functions such as the marketing, finance, market and PR function are responsible for the operational and practical work with EB. The result further shows that there is no single position or function that has the main responsibility for the EB work, the functions involved have a shared responsibility for the EB work. Based on that we can establish that there is a division of responsibility, but no one has the main responsibility. The result of the study further indicates that organizations today experience challenges in finding and attracting the right candidates and that the distribution of responsibilities can potentially play a crucial and problematic role in this. Keywords: Employer branding, recruitment, division of responsibility, organizational structure

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) have become recognised as brands in the academic and popular domain, but little is known about the relationship between these senior manager ¿brands¿ and the corporate brand of the organisation they represent. Since stakeholders associate the CEO¿s reputation with that of the company, they may negatively or positively affect each other, and there is little research into this dynamic. Indeed there is only a limited understanding about the field of people branding in general and much less into CEO brands in particular. Consequently this doctoral thesis investigates the people and CEO brands phenomena, the relationships between CEO, corporate brand and stakeholder¿s self-image and how these can be effectively managed in order to enhance brand equity for the company. Based on a critical realist perspective, this research examines traditional product brand elements from the literature and develops a new conceptual framework for people brands, which is subsequently applied to CEOs. Furthermore a survey is performed with business school students. The findings are analysed by using content analysis, descriptive statistics and by developing and testing a Structural Equation Model. The contribution to knowledge is threefold. Firstly a conceptual framework of people brands is constructed. Second this model is applied to CEO brands. Third five propositions about stakeholder perceptions of CEO brand differentiation and equity are empirically tested. The main findings are that visual presentation is not the main factor to differentiate CEO brands from each other, nor is their association with the company. Positive perceptions of corporate brands can influence the reputation of the CEO brand and lead to an enhancement of their brand equity. Importantly this indicates that stakeholders do not distinguish between CEO and company. Brand equity is also created if there is a relationship between stakeholder self-image and company brand, which in turn can improve the reputation of the CEO brand. Finally brand equity is enhanced through stakeholder perceptions of an ideal self-image. Overall this research has important implications for academia and managerial practice as it extends the knowledge about people and CEO brands and provides an insight into ways in which the relationships between CEO, company and stakeholders can be managed to enhance brand equity for the company

CSR-branding has gained recognition and promotes organizations to incorporate CSRinitiatives into their branding strategies. Conversely, executing an effective CSR-brandingstrategy presents challenges such as aligning relevant initiatives with the corporate brand,assessing internal resources, and engaging external stakeholders. In the beauty industry,sustainability is crucial due to concerns about its negative impact on society and theenvironment. To address these issues, companies need to prioritize social and environmentalsustainability in their practices and promote ethical and responsible consumption. In termsof communication of CSR activities and building trust with stakeholders, sustainabilityreporting plays a vital role. Companies that provide readable reports demonstrate theircommitment to ethical standards and stakeholder expectations. Although research on CSR- branding has increased in recent years, it primarily concerns the theoretical basis of theconcept, e.g., theoretical perspectives, integrative perspectives, and strategic perspectives.Practical examples of CSR- branding and related strategy and communication are relativelylimited.Hence, the thesis purpose is to analyze how a Nordic multi-brand organization in the beautyindustry integrates CSR- branding practices at both the organizational and divisional levels.Simultaneously, the thesis aims to investigate how CSR-branding is reflected insustainability reporting. The analysis is conducted by a case study of a Nordic organizationbelonging to a global organization. The global organization is one of the largest cosmeticscompanies with a presence in several countries and a portfolio of over 30 brands acrossvarious categories, structured according to four divisions. The organization has a strongmarket position, due to its wide range of products, innovative research, development,marketing strategies, and commitment to sustainability. The Nordic organization is relatedto the global one but includes the Nordic markets and their operations in that context. Theanalysis includes a qualitative method of interviews with personnel of the company and ananalysis of the organization's sustainability report in recent years.The research findings indicate that the Nordic organization holds a network perspective ofCSR- branding and prioritizes its environment, i.e., economic, social, and environmentalissues and stakeholders. Nevertheless, the organization's commitment to sustainability is notonly aimed at corporate branding, but rather as an overarching strategy embedded in thecorporate DNA. The concept of glocalization is identified, i.e., the combination ofglobalization and localization. Referring to how the organization operates with a customizedsustainability strategy based on country and divisional needs. Furthermore, the researchidentifies two types of complexities: multi-brand complexity, i.e., how there may bedifficulties in implementing sustainability initiatives in relation to brand identity. And,communication complexity, i.e., internal, and external communication difficulties tostakeholders with reference to the scope of the organization. Lastly, the research findingsare illustrated in a theoretical model and contribute to the existing research by providing acase example of CSR- branding within a Nordic organization in the beauty industry.

Purpose: To explore the interplay between employer branding and place within the Swedish IT sector. To answer the purpose of the study, two research questions have been developed. RQ1: What are IT university students’ perceptions of IT companies employer value proposition (EVP) and to what extent does place play a role in these perceptions? RQ2: How do IT companies use (or not use) place as a part of their EVP to attract potential employees? Methodology: To conduct the study, a qualitative research approach with an exploratory focus in form of semi-structured interviews were used. Six IT students from Luleå University of Technology were interviewed to explore answers related to RQ1, and three IT companies established in Luleå were interviewed to find answers for RQ2. Results: For RQ1, the result showed that the students were attracted to soft values at a potential employer. The place played a major role in the choice of employer as the respondents believe that it directly affects the connection to the place in their daily lives, in terms of well-being, the environment and proximity to family. For RQ2, the result showed that IT companies see the value of students and Luleå as an attractive place to be in and pushes the advantages of the place as a growing city and their respective company’s contribution to local development. Theoretical implications: The study explores the interplay between employer branding (EB) and place, using frameworks related to external employer branding (EEB) value propositions and place attachment (PA). It provides new insights into how students perceive EVP, and the role place has in their choice of employer and that attachment must be built for students to want to stay in the city after graduation. Practical implications: IT companies should emphasize the value in why employees should choose them over another employer, and not just communicate general descriptions about the company image. Efforts are required from the local community to increase the attachment of students and the attractiveness of the place. Students should get more involved in the business life in Luleå to get a more in-depth picture of the IT companies that exist.

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