Thesis (Ph.D.) - James Cook University, 2005. / Typescript (photocopy) Bibliography: leaves 369-375.

Thesis (PhD) -- AUT University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (vi, 276 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.) in the Archive at the City Campus (T 338.47919300688 WES)

Thesis (Ph.D.(Tourism Management))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

The effect of globalization is recognized as the impetus which is forcing places to compete globally. Place marketing approach is an alternative for places to attract their target markets. Review on past literature indicates sustainable competitive concept is a possible solution to handling problem of place competition. The gap in knowledge indicated by rare studies on sustainable competitiveness implies the need to identify factors that describe sustainable competitive places. The sustainable competitive concept is explained through the assessment of the roles and the relationships among factors of place sustainability, place competitiveness, place attachment, place satisfaction, and place loyalty. Conceptual model of sustainable competitive factors demonstrates the relationships of these factors. Quantitative technique based on samples of two medium-sized Malaysian cities provides usable data on residents’ perception of the sustainable competitive factors. Variance based Structural Equation Modeling reveals the conceptual model’s explanatory power and predictive capability to explain sustainable competitiveness of places. The findings mark the importance of place attachment in explaining sustainable competitive places. Economic and social factors are the main components of place sustainability, and quality of life is the main component of place competitiveness. The findings reveal place loyalty as the main factor that influences sustainable competitive place. Inconsistencies in the conclusions of previous studies suggest that they fail to notice the aspect of attachment as an important predictor in investigating place - human relationships. Implications of the thesis findings are given to policymakers.

Inledning Under många år har det varit svårt för fotbollsklubbarna i allsvenskan att locka publik till sina matcher och de senaste 10 åren har det dessutom byggts nya arenor med större publikkapacitet. För att attrahera fler åskådare till fotbollsmatcherna är marknadsföring en viktig del där problematiken ligger i att det är flera delar som behöver samordnas. Syfte Syftet med studien har varit att kartlägga och beskriva hur fotbollsklubbarna arbetar med olika marknadsföringsstrategier för att locka mer publik till matcherna. Studien grundas på de lag som spelar på fotbollsarenor som byggts eller renoverats de senaste tio åren. Metod Genom relevanta vägval har studiens frågeställning kunnat besvaras. Det genom insamling av material i form av teoretiskt material från litteraturen och genom intervjuer. Studien har utgått från en hermeneutisk forskningsprocess för att tolka det insamlade materialet. Slutsats Fotbollsklubbarna i studien använder sig på något sätt av alla de marknadsföringsstrategier som har presenterats. Det behövs dock läggas mer arbete på att få en bättre balans mellan dem för att kunna skapa en framgångsrik marknadsföring. Lyckas de få en liten höjning av publikantalet kan det i slutändan hjälpa då folk lockar folk.

The purpose of this study is to analyze how a rural muncipality with negative population growth promotes year-round residency. Using Lysekil municipality as an example, this study aims to investigate both the consequences of a declining year-round population, and how the municipality encourages population growth in the Commune. Of course, this is an extremely broad subject which can be approached from many angles. With this in mind, areas such as urbanization, attractiveness and place-marketing were scrutinized in detail. Using qualitative research (and empirical data) from various literature, as well as semi-structured interviews with employees of Lysekil municipality, the study revealed that a declining year-round population resulted in declining tax revenue. This tax shortage could lead to the municipality becoming unable to offer services that meet the expectations of the local population. However, the study also revealed that Lysekil municipality has great potential to achieve the population growth it desires. This can be accomplished by appropriate investments into attractive living situations as well as effective communications in the shape of the local internet and public transportation. For Lysekil municipality to become a year-round vivid municipality would require several measures, alongside investment, in both outer and inner factors.

Over the last three decades, within the context of globalisation and intensified inter-urban competition, we have observed the growing use of market-centred strategy such as ‘marketing or branding places’. Despite the worsening of the economic situation since the 2008 global financial crisis, the overall trend of expansion of place marketing based on marketing science keeps going further in many cities in South Korea. Why does this phenomenon happen? How can we interpret it at this time? What does this mean for the cities and their residents? In order to answer these questions, this thesis attempts to understand the process of place marketing projects, and analyse how they were politically formed and what their actual effects were for residents. In addition, it develops a critical understanding of the evolution of urban place marketing projects from the political perspective in Gwangju, South Korea: the Gwangju Biennale, the Asian Culture Complex, the Dome Baseball Stadium, the Urban Folly, and the Gwangju Universiade 2015. Through a nation-wide Korean expert survey and a case study of Gwangju, this research shows that Korean place marketing shares common trends with Western cities as well as having some specifically Korean characteristics. In particular, it tries to reveal the evolving nature of Korean place marketing by employing a combination of multi-scalar and cultural politics approaches. The thesis concludes that some Korean cities such as Gwangju have moved toward neo-liberalisation by employing entrepreneurial strategies of place marketing.

A Masters dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of the Master of Commerce (Marketing) in The School of Economic and Business Sciences, at the University of the Witwatersrand. DECEMBER 2015 / Tourism has become one of the most significant export sectors in many developing countries and is purported to be the most viable and sustainable economic option, and in some of these (developing) nations, the main source of foreign exchange returns. It is therefore incumbent on destinations to effectively differentiate themselves especially when considering the increasingly competitive nature of tourism markets and an environment where many places that present similar features are becoming substitutionable. Contemporary urban development literature stresses the significance of place branding as an asset in the effective differentiation and positioning of places. It is noted that while many sources viewed the three main target markets for place branding as companies, visitors and residents, the role of the resident was limited to passive beneficiary as opposed to one of active engagement. Given the pervasion of the “staycation” and the concurrent rise in popularity of the Braamfontein Precinct, this paper will investigate the influence that place branding has had on the region’s perceived image by those within the precinct. Self-administered structured surveys were distributed electronically and using the street-intercept method to individuals aged 18 – 35, who were in the Braamfontein Precinct. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were examined. Path Modeling, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were also carried out in order to further analyse the data. The findings with regard to presented city brand, city brand equity and city brand meaning having a positive relationship with city brand image were both supported and significant at a 5% level of confidence. The findings with regard to city brand awareness having a positive relationship with city brand image were insignificant and consequently rejected. The study presents that investment in the presented city brand that goes beyond marketing communications to include city brand properties such as facilities, scenery, heritage and transport (amongst other amenities) will result in a favourable city brand image. It is also important that regional managers do not take a unilateral approach on deciding on a brand meaning but rather a consultative one that will result in involvement and ultimately investment from the various stakeholders. Additionally, the generation of curiosity and interest in the city brand is vital to encouraging customer involvement with the precinct. Digital marketing tools can be employed in this regard; online and search advertising can be used to raise awareness. Finally, social media can be used for customer generated content, allowing for both participation on the consumers’ part and insights on the part of the regional management. This allows for engagement with consumers and provides branding opportunities for the region. / MT2017

This thesis explores the political use of branding in international relations by focusing on the branding exercises of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the State of Qatar over the last two decades. In most of the existing literature, branding is theorised as a representational and instrumental practice that is strategically used to increase a country's competitive edge. Adopting a critical constructivist lens to the study of International Relations (IR), this thesis challenges this reading and argues instead that branding is a productive and inherently political practice that (re)produces dominant interpretations of state-identity rather than merely describing them. Based on the core constructivist claim that much of politics revolves around the competition to give meaning to the world, this thesis argues that the version of the state promoted through branding is neither neutral nor brand new, but inherently politicised and tied to the conversation and legitimation of the incumbent political regime. Inspired by the ongoing practice turn in IR, the starting point for the analysis is a focus on the display of the state through a range of everyday practices long ignored by IR scholars. In particular, it focuses on how the political leadership in both Kazakhstan and Qatar has used the urban development of their capital cities, the hosting of international sports events, and the construction of 'world-class' universities to present new ideas about their state to various inter/national audiences. Using an original data corpus of multimodal primary and secondary material, the analysis traces how branding practices produce and normalise a certain interpretation of Kazakhstani and Qatari statehood, and then interrogates how we can understand this interpretation as politicised and tied to the interests of the regime. The goal of the analysis is twofold. First, this thesis aims to elucidate how relevant instances of state- branding unfold and travel across different empirical contexts (Kazakhstan and Qatar) and cases (urban development, sports and education). Second, it aims to push current scholarly understandings by (re)conceptualising branding as a genre of contemporary identity politics, and produce broader insights about the characteristics and mechanisms of this increasingly normalised - yet often as politically non-salient dismissed - practice of international relations.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management of Strategic Marketing, Johannesburg, 2016 / Place branding is defined as the application of marketing techniques and activities, to differentiate and attract interest to promote the social and economic growth of cities, regions and countries. If marketers are to market their respective places effectively, they need to get a sense of the key characteristics that make up a place identity, with particular attention paid to what is perceived or understood as the image. The role of local residents is emphasised in the process of identifying the key attributes that comprise the identity and image of a place. The purpose of this research is to establish the identity of the City of Johannesburg from the perspective of stakeholders responsible for branding the metropolitan and to investigate the perceptions and image of the metropolitan by local residents. The research methodology adopted was a mixed method approach. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with destination marketing practitioners and the results were content analysed to identify key themes. The quantitative study sought to investigate the perceptions and image of the City of Johannesburg held by local residents using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions relating to views on place identity, place image and communicated identity. Structural equation modelling was employed in the study for the purpose of analysing the quantitative data. Given the common brand associations made by practitioners and local residents interviewed, one can conclude that the City of Johannesburg is fundamentally South Africa's business hub and associated with opportunities and these associations are unlikely to change and will stay constant as the City goes through various growth cycles. The multi-faceted image of the City of Johannesburg was demonstrated by the different responses elicited from marketing practitioners and local residents. The crime association image does not bode well for the metropolitan and concerted ii efforts are required from all stakeholders involved in marketing the City to deal with the city's negative image / GR2018