Multiple stakeholders and B2B branding in emerging markets

PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to investigate perceptions about and contributing activities to business-to-business (B2B) brand value by corporate managers and local stakeholders in the context of emerging markets.Design/methodology/approachThe case study examines brand strategies of a multinational company in the high-tech industry. By using NVIVO, this research analyses the brand narratives by corporate managers of Axis Communications in Sweden and local stakeholders in Russia, Brazil and India. The study evaluates perceptions about brand value and contributing activities emphasized by corporate managers, local managers, local partners and local end-customers.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that corporate managers underutilize contributing activities by local managers and other local stakeholders, despite these activities being central to enhancing brand value. This research provides insights into how corporate and local managers can develop successful brand strategies in emerging markets. Consequently, a general typology of contributing activities to B2B brand value by local stakeholders is proposed.Originality/valueThe company-centred approach to B2B branding stresses the importance of unique components of brand value and their consistent communication to multiple stakeholders. Prior studies provide limited evidence on how various stakeholders perceive brand value and enhance it through their contributing activities. Following the stakeholder-encompassing approach, this study advances branding research by examining perceptions about and contributing activities to B2B brand value by corporate managers and local stakeholders in a cross-cultural setting. Future studies are recommended to apply a stakeholder-encompassing approach in developed and transition economies and considering other relevant groups of stakeholders

Corporate rebranding failure and brand meanings in the digital environment

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dynamic process of brand meaning creation by multiple stakeholders during corporate rebranding in the digital environment. Design/methodology/approach: By applying a symbolic interactionist perspective, the case study analyses a failed corporate rebranding of Gap. A variety of narratives by managers, consumers, designers, and marketing professionals were captured by collecting qualitative data on Facebook, Twitter, and professional forums on the internet. Findings: The study demonstrates that the process of brand meaning creation is affected by the complexity of brand meaning negotiation within and between different stakeholder groups. The findings illustrate that the polarisation of brand meanings, in which both antagonistic and supportive forms co-exist, has a determinable impact on the outcome of corporate rebranding. Research limitations/implications: The study analyses one case of corporate rebranding failure with the focus being on the four key stakeholder groups. Future studies could examine multiple cases of successful and failed corporate rebranding, including a broader variety of internal and external stakeholders. Practical implications: Marketing managers should engage multiple stakeholders proactively during the process of brand meaning creation. They are encouraged to learn from antagonistic incidents of brand meaning negotiation as well as to utilise opportunities arising during constructive episodes of brand meaning co-creation. Originality/value: The study contributes to previous research by exploring how the process of brand meaning creation can trigger the collision of brand meanings, which lead to the failure of corporate rebranding

Organizational resilience and internal branding : investigating the effects triggered by self-service technology

The majority of studies on internal brand equity examine its various dimensions and relationships between them. While prior research specifies organizational practices relevant for successful internal branding, the insights about the impact of essential organizational factors on internal brand equity are still limited. This study focuses on organizational resilience that is vital for the existence of organizations not only during a crisis, but also during everyday operations. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of organizational resilience on internal brand equity considering the effects triggered by self-service technology (SST) in retailing. Since retailing had been significantly transformed by technological innovations over the past decade, we explore the effects of employees’ perceptions about performance of SST. The results of a survey conducted among retail employees in Sweden demonstrate that organizational resilience and employees’ perceptions about technological innovations are critical for enhancing internal brand equity, which includes brand orientation, internal brand knowledge, internal brand involvement, and internal brand commitment

The knotted paradox of coopetition for sustainability : Investigating the interplay between core paradox properties

Despite the fact that many organizations must manage frequently multiple paradoxes in their operations, extant paradox studies have under-researched the phenomenon of a knotted paradox that emerges when actors navigate in conditions of contradicting demands, which stem from several paradoxes simultaneously. In this study, we explore the knotted paradox of coopetition for sustainability, a process in which competitors cooperate to address sustainability challenges, and examine the interplay between its intensity, balance, and outcome. The findings of a quantitative study conducted among organizational actors in the housing sector demonstrate that coopetition intensity has a significant yet complex impact on sustainability outcomes. In the relationship characterized by an inverted U-shaped curve, an increase in coopetition intensity and balance leads to an increase in sustainability outcomes, but only until a specific limit, after which sustainability outcomes decrease with further intensification of coopetition. The findings indicate that coopetition balance and sustainability balance do not have a significant relationship. The study provides insights for managers on how coopetition in different conditions can contribute to corporate sustainability. The study demonstrates that coopetition and sustainability can be knotted successfully, although the intensity of competing demands and the balance between them need to be cautiously managed

A data-driven lab in the context of open data : opportunities and challenges for a sustainable business model

The report investigates theoretical and practical perspectives on sustainable business models in the context of open data. The main purposes of this report are (1) to investigate the opportunities and challenges for establishing a regional data-driven lab in the context of open data, and (2) to explore the possibility of developing a sustainable business model for a data-driven lab in Umeå (Västerbotten). The report examines conceptualizations of open data that initially emerged in the public sector and highlights the requirements open data are expected to comply with. The report identifies several types and categories of open data, which can be used to provide a variety of benefits for the public and private sectors, stimulate data-driven innovation, and enhance public value. In addition, the report acknowledges the barriers to the publishing and re-use of open data. The review of contextual conditions includes prominent examples of international, regional, and national initiatives for stimulating practical activities and policy-making in the context of open data. Furthermore, the report addresses different theoretical perspectives on how to conceptualize business models, ranging from presenting a company’s organization and its strategic view to emphasizing the elements required for creating, delivering, and capturing value in a specific context. The report elaborates upon the capacities of sustainable business models to achieve long-term success through business model innovation and to address environmental and social challenges while sustaining economic performance. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the importance of considering a complex ecosystem engaging diverse stakeholder groups and the open data lifecycle for developing a successful business model in the context of open data. The report reviews the business models used in the open data industry and discusses the important practical considerations for a data-driven lab. Overall, the report emphasizes the critical importance of creating the conditions that will enable the valuable resource of open data to be exploited and prioritizing the establishment of a regional data-driven lab by considering its potential to stimulate data-driven innovation and increase public value for society.Recommended reference:Biedenbach, G., &amp; Boström, G.-O. (2018). A data-driven lab in the context of open data: Opportunities and challenges for a sustainable business model. Report. Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, Umeå University, Sweden. ISBN 978-91-7601-990-0.</p

A data-driven lab in the context of open data : opportunities and challenges for a sustainable business model

The report investigates theoretical and practical perspectives on sustainable business models in the context of open data. The main purposes of this report are (1) to investigate the opportunities and challenges for establishing a regional data-driven lab in the context of open data, and (2) to explore the possibility of developing a sustainable business model for a data-driven lab in Umeå (Västerbotten). The report examines conceptualizations of open data that initially emerged in the public sector and highlights the requirements open data are expected to comply with. The report identifies several types and categories of open data, which can be used to provide a variety of benefits for the public and private sectors, stimulate data-driven innovation, and enhance public value. In addition, the report acknowledges the barriers to the publishing and re-use of open data. The review of contextual conditions includes prominent examples of international, regional, and national initiatives for stimulating practical activities and policy-making in the context of open data. Furthermore, the report addresses different theoretical perspectives on how to conceptualize business models, ranging from presenting a company’s organization and its strategic view to emphasizing the elements required for creating, delivering, and capturing value in a specific context. The report elaborates upon the capacities of sustainable business models to achieve long-term success through business model innovation and to address environmental and social challenges while sustaining economic performance. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the importance of considering a complex ecosystem engaging diverse stakeholder groups and the open data lifecycle for developing a successful business model in the context of open data. The report reviews the business models used in the open data industry and discusses the important practical considerations for a data-driven lab. Overall, the report emphasizes the critical importance of creating the conditions that will enable the valuable resource of open data to be exploited and prioritizing the establishment of a regional data-driven lab by considering its potential to stimulate data-driven innovation and increase public value for society.Recommended reference:Biedenbach, G., &amp; Boström, G.-O. (2018). A data-driven lab in the context of open data: Opportunities and challenges for a sustainable business model. Report. Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, Umeå University, Sweden. ISBN 978-91-7601-990-0.</p

Botniabanan - nya spår mot större arbetsmarknad? Slutrapport

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur en stor infrastrukturinvestering, Botniabanan, påverkar vilka föreställningar arbetstagare och arbetssökande har av arbetsmarknadens tillgänglighet och att undersöka arbetsgivarens föreställningar om tillgänglighet på arbetskraft och kompetens. Eftersom Botniabanan anslöt till Ådalsbanan i söder och skapade ett större sammanhängande transportområde har även kommunerna längs Ådalsbanan inkluderats i studien. Fokus i studien ligger dock på kommunerna längs Botniabanan från Örnsköldsvik och norrut eftersom det är där som trafiken varit i gång längst. Innan starten på Botniabanan genomfördes två föremätningar i form av enkätstudier riktade till arbetsgivare, dels individer i kommunerna längs hela sträckningen av Botniabanan samt ådalsbanan för att fånga situationen och förväntningarna innan trafikstarten. Strax efter den så kallade tjuvstarten genomfördes en ytterligare enkätstudie riktad till individer. Även intervjuer har genomförts. 2013 genomfördes två eftermätningar, i form av enkäter till arbetsgivare och till individer. Resultaten visar att inställningen till infrastruktursatsningen Botniabanan och ådalsbanan är positiv såväl 2010 som 2013. Individer och arbetsgivare ser fortsatta möjligheter framför allt för ”andra” människor på bostadsorten/i kommunen, för den egna orten/kommunen och för Norrland som helhet. Däremot ser de mer begränsade möjligheter för sig själva eller för den egna organisationen vid båda mättillfällena. Mer än en tredjedel av arbetsgivarna i studien från 2013 upplever att arbetsmarknaden blivit större, och om endast arbetsgivarna längs sträckningen av Botniabanan från Umeå till Örnsköldsvik beaktas är det en majoritet. Arbetsgivarna tror även på en fortsatt förstoring av arbetsmarknaden fortsatt till följd av trafiken på Botniabanan och Ådalsbanan. Vidare upplever även en majoritet av de arbetsgivare som nyligen varit mer aktiva i rekryteringen att arbetsmarknaden har blivit större, och det är samtidigt en minoritet av arbetsgivarna som upplever att deras rekryteringsmöjligheter har förbättrats av den nya trafiken. För arbetssökande är det individer från Umeå till Örnsköldsvik förbättrade personliga möjligheter på arbetsmarknaden till följd av trafiken. Dessutom upplever personer som 2013 hade sökt arbete de senaste 12 månaderna i större utsträckning att de fått ökade möjligheter på arbetsmarknaden jämfört med respondenter som inte sökt arbete. Resultaten visar att såväl arbetsgivare som arbetstagare och potentiella arbetstagare anser att en restid på en timme enkel väg är en övre gräns för rimlig pendling. Flera sträckor längs Botniabanan och Ådalsbanan har fått förkortade restider vilket gör det möjligt att resa längre sträckor inom ramen för en sådan ”tidsbudget”. Det hade under perioden 2018-2013 skett en ökning av pendlare över kommungränser främst på sträckan mellan Umeå och Örnsköldsvik (17 procent från Umeå, 32 procent från Örnsköldsvik), även om det av den statistiken inte framgår hur många som reser med tåg. De respondenter som rest med tågen på Botniabanan och Ådalsbanan är i studien från 2013 övergripande nöjda med själva resandet/tågen. Pendlingsresenärerna är, jämfört med gruppen resenärer som helhet, något mindre nöjda med resandet längs Botniabanan och Ådalsbanan, framför allt med avseende på faktorer som kan relateras till förseningar och inställda tåg. De respondenter som reser med tågen till arbete eller till studier uppger dock att de tänker fortsätta med det.Botniabanan - dubbla spår mot större arbetsmarkna

Dynamic nature of B2B brand equity: Investigating the mediating effects of brand relationships

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating effects of brand relationships in the dynamic process of B2B brand equity development. The study considers the mediating effects of relational factors and their significance for enhancing brand equity in industrial settings. The findings of this study confirm the importance of brand relationships established between service providers and their clients in the B2B context. More specifically, the study demonstrates the significant mediating effects of customer perceptions about human capital and established relational trust on B2B brand equity. The existence of significant effects between the dimensions of brand equity, human capital, and relational trust confirms the relevance of considering these factors in the dynamic process of brand equity development