Despite research on relationships between branding constructs such as corporate identity, corporate image, employer branding, corporate branding and corporate reputation over the past years, limited research has been conducted on the influence of employees on these constructs. Although the concept of personal branding has been debated by many, there is a dearth of research on personal branding and the relationship between personal branding and employer branding, corporate branding and corporate reputation. As a result, this study was carried out in order to explore the influence of employer branding, employee’s personal branding and corporate branding on corporate reputation. It is argued in this study that corporate reputation is one of the most valuable intangible assets of an organisation. Organisations need to ensure that they comprehend the elements in the establishment of a corporate identity and a corporate image, and how employees influence these constructs. It became clear that an individual’s associations, awareness and assessment of an organisation influence their direct and indirect experiences with an organisation resulting in the formulation of a corporate reputation. The study also emphasised that employees are one of the most important tangible assets of an organisation and play an important role in establishing a corporate reputation and corporate brand. It was stated that an organisation combines a set of organisational qualities that focus on streamlining priorities, escalate productivity and improve recruitment, commitment and retention of employees through the process of employer branding. The study revealed that potential employees use the organisational attractiveness as an essential decision making tool in their quest to find the perfect employer. During the employer branding process prospective employees compare their own needs, values and personalities to that of the employer brand of the organisation. It is suggested that a well-executed employee branding process alleviates the profile of the organisation internally as well as externally, enhancing the competitive advantage of, and ultimately the corporate brand and reputation of an organisation. The study revealed that the emotional connections that stakeholders make with employees are moulded through formal and informal interactions with customers. Throughout the study it became evident that the individual provides a ‘package’ of their own values and qualities (what they believe in) expressed by what they do and how they do it, in order to create their own unique selling proposition in the market place through personal branding. It is, therefore, imperative that organisations find the correct person-organisation fit. The study indicated that the establishment of a personal brand is important for the employee but equally important for the organisation that becomes the employer. This highlighted the fact that any misalignment between the employee’s brand package content and the organisation’s brand values, objectives and personality results in the employee behaving differently to the expectations of the organisation. In order to establish the relationships between the variables of the study, empirical research was conducted. The study employed an exploratory as well as a causal approach. The Top500 best managed companies in South Africa was used as the sample population of the study. Companies were selected from the Top500 list and was guided by the sectors they have been assigned to. Eight industries were chosen that broadly constitute the most important sectors in the South African context. All five companies within the following sectors were selected: Arts/entertainment/recreation; Finance and Insurance; Banking sector; Government and Public administration; Hotel and Food services; Manufacturing and Retail. A self-administered web-based survey, consisting of five sections was utilised as measuring instrument. The questions in sections one to four related to the variables of the study whilst Section five was used to collect the demographic data of the respondents. A total of 312 usable questionnaires were received from a possible 900 respondents, indicating a 35 percent response rate.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:28984 |
| Date | January 1900 |
| Creators | Potgieter, Adéle |
| Publisher | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Doctoral, DPhil |
| Format | XXX leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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