Rose Du Preez, Michael Bendixen and Russell Abratt
The purpose of this study is to develop and test a comprehensive model for the outcomes of internal brand management (IBM), linking it to brand citizenship behavior (BCB) and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop and test a comprehensive model for the outcomes of internal brand management (IBM), linking it to brand citizenship behavior (BCB) and intention to stay (IS) through job satisfaction (JS) and brand commitment (BC).
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive literature review is undertaken to develop the proposed model. The sample consists of three separate cases, a financial services firm, a multinational telecommunications company, both based in South Africa, and a regional grocery chain operating in the USA. Useable samples of 154, 96 and 241 were achieved for the three cases, respectively. In all cases, the majority of the respondents were customer contact employees.
Findings
The structural models showed some surprising results, the major one being that brand proselytization is not a component of BCB. Despite using the same instrument, the levers that drive IBM were different in each of the three cases and different from previous studies.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this research indicate that IBM and BCB are contextual. This implies that a universal instrument to measure these constructs has yet to be developed, representing an interesting avenue for future research.
Practical implications
Regarding employees as internal customers and including them in various marketing initiatives and brand-orientated human resource practices (recruitment, induction and training) are key to a successful IBM program.
Originality/value
A comprehensive model for the outcomes of IBM was developed and tested, linking it to BCB and IS through JS and BC. It is the first time that research has been conducted with customer contact employees only.
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The results of the application of an integrated econometrictime‐series model for advertising effectiveness is presented. The modelform gives rise to three possible advertising…
Abstract
The results of the application of an integrated econometric time‐series model for advertising effectiveness is presented. The model form gives rise to three possible advertising effects: brand loyalty, current effects (both simple and compound) and carryover effects. The inherent nature of these effects is related to the degree of involvement and the affective or cognitive aspects of the purchase decision. Consequently, the positioning of the product on the Foote, Cone & Belding grid may be used to hypothesize the nature of effects. The results of the application of this model to new car purchases in the South African market by media type lead to the propositions that: (1) the creative devices and content of an advertisement determine whether it will be effective but not the magnitude of the effect; (2) the magnitude of the effectiveness of an advertisement is dictated by the extent to which the medium in which it is placed is used.
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Robert Ankomah Opoku, Russell Abratt, Mike Bendixen and Leyland Pitt
The purpose of this paper is to analyse web site brand communication by small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the restaurant franchise industry, using Aaker's brand…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse web site brand communication by small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the restaurant franchise industry, using Aaker's brand personality dimensions. It shows how an SME can test its intended positioning against competitors.
Design/methodology/approach
A multistage methodology using a combination of content analysis and correspondence analysis was used. The intention was to illustrate a technique that can be used by SMEs at low cost and with ease.
Findings
Food SMEs are able to communicate brand personality by way of their web sites. The brands and the personality types are presented which clearly reveals the positioning of the competitors.
Practical implications
This paper illustrates a powerful, but simple and relatively inexpensive way for SMEs to study communicated brand personality.
Originality/value
The major contribution of this study is to alert SME scholars and retailers to the potential of computerized content analysis as a means of studying web site content, and the subsequent use of correspondence analysis to understand how to position against competitors.
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Veronica Diaz, Russell Abratt, Ruth Clarke and Mike Bendixen
The purpose of this paper is to report on the degree of success in international assignments that public relations (PR) practitioners experience and explores the influence of both…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on the degree of success in international assignments that public relations (PR) practitioners experience and explores the influence of both organizational culture and national culture.
Design/methodology/approach
PR practitioners in the USA and South Africa were surveyed.
Findings
Results show that there is no difference between PR practitioners from the USA and South Africa with experience in international assignments, in terms of degree of success in international assignments and of level of preparedness for international assignments. It was also found that there is no significant correlation between national culture or organizational culture and the degree of success in international assignments for those respondents with international experience.
Research limitations/implications
The response rate was limited and therefore the results cannot be generalized. Future research would be to further extend this study to include additional countries.
Practical implications
The results support the concept that a PR practitioner with an organic organizational culture and a long‐term orientation of national culture will be better prepared to engage in international assignments than a practitioner with a mechanistic organizational culture and a short‐term orientation of national culture.
Originality/value
This study adds to the literature on international PR practice, and compares the practice in a developing economy, South Africa, to a developed economy, the USA.
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Stephen Graham Saunders, Mike Bendixen and Russell Abratt
The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of the banking needs of urban informal poor consumers in South Africa. These consumers find it difficult to obtain access…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of the banking needs of urban informal poor consumers in South Africa. These consumers find it difficult to obtain access to banking products.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of consumers was undertaken in a large informal settlement outside Johannesburg. A qualitative exploratory pilot study was undertaken first to gain a better understanding of these consumers and to develop a research instrument. Second, a quantitative analysis was undertaken among 200 households.
Findings
Banking products used by the sample are discussed as well as all their patronage motives. It was established that the majority of consumers did have a bank account and there was a significant association between having an account and various demographics such as income level, employment status and level of education.
Research limitations/implications
Each informal settlement may have unique characteristics and therefore it may be difficult to generalize the findings.
Practical implications
Banks will have to address the patronage factors of these consumers as they have very different needs when compared to middle and upper income customers. Specify strategies are recommended to bank management.
Originality/value
No study has been done on the banking needs of this segment of the market and very little is known about the urban informal poor in general. This paper gives insight into how banks can play their part in uplifting the poor in societies where they make up large segments of the population.
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Abraham J. Oberholster, Ruth Clarke, Mike Bendixen and Barbara Dastoor
The purpose of this exploratory, empirical study is to identify motivations for expatriation among religious and humanitarian (R&H) workers.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this exploratory, empirical study is to identify motivations for expatriation among religious and humanitarian (R&H) workers.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 158 active expatriate Christian R&H workers from 25 countries, representing 48 international organizations, completed a survey with 45 reasons for expatriation, derived from literature on corporate expatriation, international volunteering, and international migration. Data analysis includes factor analysis and cluster analysis.
Findings
In total, eight latent motivation factors were found: career development; economics; international experience; escapism; altruism; outsider support; family life; and location. Workers in the not‐for‐profit sector are primarily motivated by altruism, and thus integrate organizational mission with personal purpose in their decision to work abroad. Using cluster analysis, four groups of humanitarian and religious workers in the Christian sub‐sector were identified: Caring Missionary; Focused Worker; Self‐Directed Careerist; and International Family Custodian. Workers from developed versus developing countries exhibit different motivators.
Practical implications
The findings provide insight into differences between developed versus developing country workers and between R&H workers. Recognizing the differences in motivation can assist international human resource managers in the effective recruitment, selection, training and development, career management, and support and encouragement of non‐profit organizations (NPO) expatriates. The authors provide propositions to be tested based on the application of self‐determination theory to expatriate motivation.
Originality/value
This exploratory, empirical study of Christian R&H workers extends the organizational and country context and builds on motivation for expatriation research to include this sub‐sector of workers from both developed and developing countries operating in global organizations. The findings provide new insights into motivation for expatriation and lead to propositions for future research.
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Merlyn Mittins, Russell Abratt and Peter Christie
The purpose of this paper is to determine how and to what extent corporate reputational elements are reflected in organizational storytelling in a telecommunications company. In…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine how and to what extent corporate reputational elements are reflected in organizational storytelling in a telecommunications company. In addition, it seeks to establish the importance of employees as part of reputation building.
Design/methodology/approach
Taking a case approach, this paper examines storytelling in a branch of a well‐known South African telecommunications service provider, Nashua Mobile. The staff went through in‐depth interviews.
Findings
Many different stories were told about Nashua and other organisations to illustrate an idea or concept. There was a mixture of negative and positive, funny and serious stories that, although contrary, are the sum of the personality, culture, image or heritage of Nashua. The emphasis of the values that the stories revealed determined the more important cultural beliefs. This does have an influence on the firm's identity, corporate brand and reputation.
Practical implications
The more stories are shared, the more in‐tune with employees' needs, ideas, behaviour and concerns management can be. Management can only benefit by a process where staff collaborate and share their views. It is an important tool that should be used for organizational communication.
Originality/value
This is one of the first papers that links storytelling to corporate reputation. It recognises the key role employees play in building and influencing the reputation of an organisation.
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Pantea Foroudi, Reza Marvi, Mohammad M. Foroudi, Sayabek Ziyadin and Solongo Munkhbat
Finding an efficient way for enhancing brand reputation by using social media among customers and business partners has long been the main purpose of every business. However, due…
Abstract
Finding an efficient way for enhancing brand reputation by using social media among customers and business partners has long been the main purpose of every business. However, due to micro and macro changes in the business field, strategies to find a way to improve brand reputation with business partners and customers have altered from transaction marketing to newer approaches such as employing a social media platform. However, not all brands make use of social media to enhance their reputation. The present study uses Apple as an example of the one of the best known brands which does not benefit from social media platforms as to the degree expected.
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This chapter looks at how Latin American immigrants go about shopping for groceries in Nashville, Tennessee, and relates this simple act to a wider political economy. The chapter…
Abstract
This chapter looks at how Latin American immigrants go about shopping for groceries in Nashville, Tennessee, and relates this simple act to a wider political economy. The chapter examines the act of shopping for groceries and the immigrants' preferences through elements largely ignored by the prevailing economic paradigm. To some extent, the immigrants are aware that their mode of shopping is not entirely “rational” and that their choices are often informed by nothing more than “feelings” toward a place or product. The ethnography examines how the immigrants deal with their now dislocated practice of shopping in their everyday life in the new city. In examining this process, the ethnography considers the public spaces in which the practice of shopping takes place, and includes both those stores catering directly to immigrants and those serving a wider market.