Enhancing Brand Equity Through Sustainability: Waste Recycling

Unlike many existing research studies that explain reverse marketing from a purchasing perspective, this study recognizes it as an honest effort made by managers aiming to promote sustainability by purposefully managing waste and discusses the spillover effect of their initiatives on brand equity. It argues that efficient recycling of products through reverse marketing by a brand demonstrates its sincere intent to adopt sustainable business practices and enhances its equity in the marketplace. A business-to-business viewpoint has been used to combine knowledge about waste recycling and management through reverse marketing based on the unpretentious operations and management practices. The propositions reflect on the criticality of engaging business customer firms in a procedural mechanism of recycling for increase in brand equity as the success of reverse marketing. A comprehensive adoption of an initiative like waste management through reverse marketing by a brand highlights how sustainability initiatives can create value for the customers of the brand and ultimately drive brand equity

A relational insight of brand personification in business-to-business markets

Customers find it difficult to differentiate between competing products based on their functional aspects. The shortening life cycle of products due to quick adoption of technological innovations by competitors makes it difficult for them to identify products based on specifications. The contemporary academic literature related to relationship marketing and brand management is passionate about customer and consumer psychology but little attention has been given to the brand selection criteria of resellers as business customers of the brand. This paper combines branding and relationship marketing as two broad functions of marketing. The paper argues upon the role of human representatives of the brand as brand personified in managing these two functions of marketing in business-to-business markets. The proposal of the paper is to use human representatives as a tool for the execution of relationship marketing and branding strategies. The objective behind using human representatives is to maximize the mindshare of resellers towards the brand and create value for them beyond products and service

Nation Branding: Issues, Insights and Impacts

We are honoured to present this special issue of Corporate Reputation Review devoted to the increasingly studied field of nation branding. This special issue is intended to contribute to the ongoing production of high-quality academic research in the nation branding domain. It is interesting to note that several emerging issues have been investigated by researchers in this field. The notion of nation brand personality has been examined by three papers published in this issue. Aspects of co-branding, indigenous identity and country image have also emerged as areas of interests by academics around the world. In this special issue, we have also unfolded insights and impacts into areas such as, lead- ership, mega-events, government compe- tences, tourism and media

Transfer of brand knowledge in business-to-business markets: A qualitative study

This is the author's accepted manuscript (under the provisional title "Transfer of brand knowlede in business-to-business markets by brand when personified as a human: A qualitative study"). The final published article is available from the link below. This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here (http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/8377). Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Purpose – This paper presents the approach of a one-to-one relationship for branding in business-to-business markets. With qualitative evidence, the paper seeks to clarify the links between branding, relationship marketing and purchase intention of resellers and to discuss the contribution of brand personified as brand representatives to the brand knowledge of resellers. The aim of this paper is to understand how this transfer of knowledge by brand personified as representatives of the brand is reflected in the selection process of brand for resale by resellers. Design/methodology/approach – The theory is used to develop a testable model. Information from the field was gathered through 12 in-depth interviews of brand managers of international IT brands. These interviews helped to give a deeper insight into the topic and contributed to the categorization of different themes to be developed into constructs. Components that emerged from the interviews were from different disciplines and were useful in making linkages between these disciplines. Findings – Interviewees associated the role of brand personified (as brand representative) as a conduit between brand and resellers. Given the findings, brand when personified as a human can be used to manage reseller relationships in a business-to-business network. The brand personified with its metaphorical properties enables the resellers not only to clearly understand brand-related information but also to make positive evaluations about the brand. Empirical research would be helpful to establish the indicators of brand personification and to enhance the understanding of the concept. Practical implications – The study will be useful for senior managers of brands operating in competitive and complex business-to-business networks. It will enable them to use the categories and components to ensure that their brand is the preferred brand for resellers operating in the network. Originality/value – The approach will be helpful in linking different functions of the organization to measure the contribution made by employees representing the brand to resellers in competitive markets by imparting knowledge about the brand to resellers

Corporate logo: history, definition, and components

Both academics and practitioners alike have directed increasing attention to the field of the corporate logo, and yet, a definitive construct of the corporate logo and its measurement does not yet exist. In this article, we marshal the literature relating to the historiography of the corporate logo. Furthermore, we report the findings of a literature based study that sought to clarify the definitions and components of the corporate logo; namely, color, typeface, corporate name, and design. Challenges in developing a corporate logo are discussed. An important recommendation made by this research is about

How do entrepreneurs learn and engage in an online community-of-practice? A case study approach

This paper investigates the ways in which entrepreneurs use communities of practice (CoPs) to express themselves, using narrative theory and rhetorical analysis, to gain insight into an electronic social network medium, namely, YoungEntrepreneur.com. In particular, the study focuses on CoPs themes, including why entrepreneurs engage in CoPs, what role the moderators and resident entrepreneurs can play in managing online CoPs, on communication rituals of the knowledge sharing through interactivity, and on ‘how to develop an intervention’ to maintain and stimulate entrepreneurs for engaging in an online community. Findings reveal that the topic title plays a major role in attracting people. Successful topics with successful conclusions (in terms of the original query that was answered) will not necessarily get high responses and vice versa. It is observed that the domain expert does not play a big role in keeping the discussion going. Finally, the study also discovered that entrepreneurs like to communicate in a story telling genre. A comprehensive set of engagement measurement tools are introduced to effectively measure the engagement in a virtual CoP, along with a classification to define and categorise discourse of messages in terms of content and context, which allow practitioners to understand the effectiveness of a social networking site

Digital technology and marketing management capability: achieving growth in SMEs

Purpose – The intentions of this study is to evaluate the constructs relationships in order to gain more insight and definitive clarification of the factors related to company’s growth in UK. Based on resource-advantage theory, this research addresses “to what extent does digital technology influence marketing capability which loads to company’s growth?” Design/methodology/approach – The data was gathered through 21 in-depth interviews with managers from different multinational organizations and 6 focus groups with employees and new empirical insights are offered. Findings – The study identifies the two key components of digital technology (information quality and service convenience). In addition, the relationships between digital technology, tangible/intangible assets, and marketing capabilities perform significant role of facilitator between company’s growths. Research limitations/implications – The focus on UK SMEs limits the generalisability of the results. Further study should be collected in other sector and country settings in order to examine the associations recognized in the current study. Originality/value – This study illustrates the main impacts of digital technology on intellectual/physical assets that while managers and employees have specified that marketing capability is significant for organizations, there are a few other areas of concern with regard to consequences related to company’s growth, competence, and core competence, particularly in a SMEs settings

A framework of place branding, place image, and place reputation: antecedents and moderators

Purpose – This paper develops a framework that links the concepts of place branding, place image, and place reputation. Focusing on the antecedents and outcomes of place branding in the context of an emerging country, namely Iran, the model further examines critical moderation variables. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was undertaken, comprising face-to-face in-depth interviews with fifteen respondents, involved in communicating about their country for various purposes such as encouraging tourism, promoting exports, and attracting investments. Based on analysis of the qualitative data, a comprehensive framework for place branding was formulated. Findings – Findings indicate that the key indicators of identifying a place brand come under two headings, namely national culture (country’s name, country’s brand, country attributes, social changes, geography and environment, people, culture (history, language, etc.), and infrastructure (security, economic condition, technological advancement, tourism development goals, place marketing and promotional strategy), which influences on the favorability of place branding. In addition, five main moderators of the outcomes of place branding were identified, namely, political perception, social media and news, place awareness, place association, and tourism experience. Practical implications – Effective place branding could help a country attract tourists, visitors, traders, and investors. Place branding should be considered a constructive tool that can be successfully applied to managing a country’s image. Originality/value – Place branding has received little attention in the context of emerging markets. This is the first known study undertaken with a view to understand and develop a place branding model that links with place image and place reputation in an emerging country. The study identifies twelve antecedents of place branding and five important moderators. Findings will help policy makers, country brand managers, and communication professionals more generally who deal with a country’s image and reputation and those involved in improving the tourism industry in Iran

Returns on social development initiatives of MNEs: issues and perspectives

Purpose This paper aims to reflect on different issues and perspectives on returns on investments made by MNEs towards social development. Need for an inclusive society drives accountable and effective cooperation between different actors in a market. Although multinational enterprises (MNEs) that operate in developing markets invest in social development, their managers find it very challenging to incorporate social development agenda into their business practices. Therefore, academics should develop business models which can guide thoughts and actions of managers of MNEs towards social development while allowing them to hold on to the business objectives and targets. Design/methodology/approach A review of current literature with available anecdotes about business practices helped the author to form a viewpoint and make recommendations. Findings The objective of the eighth millennium development goal is to promote global partnership between MNEs and domestic firms with or without intervention of a subsidiary. Addressing the particular needs of developing countries, such as capability enhancement or poverty reduction by managers of MNEs in a global setting, becomes a very complex issue. Investments by MNEs in developing countries towards these objectives are driven by different factors such as operational transparency, technological efficiency, investment types, innovation capability, branding strategy, quality assurance, public–private partnership, market-based pricing, reciprocity, distribution for penetration, etc., apart from linkages they create for developing resource-based competencies required for survival in a competitive market. Research limitations/implications Empirical investigation of the viewpoint presented here will be required to convert recommendations into models applicable by managers of MNEs. Practical implications This study will help to enable managers of MNEs to perform need-based socially responsible actions. Social implications This study will facilitate participation of MNEs in social development through their contributions towards poverty reduction and capability enhancement. Originality/value This paper pushes managers and academic scholars to think about the strategies required to incorporate social agenda into business models of MNEs benefiting from developing markets

Leadership Strategies for Sustaining Business Success in the Post-Pandemic Era

This special issue explored how firms can develop capabilities to sustain businesses in the post-pandemic era. The collection of research papers in this issue focuses on various issues, such as the challenges and impediments faced by employers and employees during the Covid-19, the impact of the pandemic on business models and efficacy and pitfalls of revamped strategies and business practices used to cope-up with the pandemic. Drawing insights from the research papers featured to date on this subject, we present leadership strategies designed to empower businesses towards success in the post-pandemic era