Importance-Performance Gap Analysis of the University Brand Equity Dimensions

This study examines the gaps between the importance students place on brand equity dimensions and their perceptions of how well their university performs on each dimension. It also assesses if the brand equity dimensions differ based on student demographics including gender, class level, and their living arrangement. Data were collected from a university in the Midwestern U.S. from undergraduate students. The findings reveal significant gaps between the importance and performance perceptions of students, and that females, students living on campus, and freshman require specia

Examining the Relationships Between Branding Factors and Likelihood of Recommending: Determinants of Net Promoter Score

The study identifies the branding factors related to Net Promoter Score (NPS) that would predict the likelihood of recommending the two strategic business units of the company--convenience store and fuel. It investigates customer perceptions of branding factors of a convenience store/fuel station corporate chain and the relationships among them. The data were collected from the members of the company’s loyalty program. The results reveal that the company has been performing well in branding factors, where the loyalty program is perceived the highest, followed by friendly employees, likelihood to recommend fuel, satisfaction with fuel, and helpful employees. The correlation and regression analyses show that repeat purchase, satisfaction, mindshare, emotional bond are significant predictors of recommending the convenience store and fuel station. The purchase frequency is positively related to NPS. Based on the findings, the study offers effective strategies for building a strong brand

Understanding Student Perceptions of their Personal Branding in Higher Education

Please see attached for an formatted extended abstrac

Understanding Employer Needs and Expectations from the Perspective of Human Resources

This pre-test study attempts to understand employers’ current needs and expectations of recent graduates from a 4-year business program at higher education institutions from the perspective of human resource managers/specialists. After conducting a literature review and a pre-test survey, the authors developed scale items that measure the importance of certain knowledge and skill sets as well as behavioral traits from the perspectives of human resource specialists. The feedback received from the human resource specialists who participated in pre-test survey identified additional skill sets, knowledge areas, and behavioral traits that are most important to employers’ needs. After pre-testing the measurement items and improving the survey for the main study, the data were collected through an online survey built in Qualtrics from a convenience sample. The sample was comprised of human resource managers/specialists who were the members of a human resource management organization located in central Pennsylvania. The survey results reveal the skill sets and knowledge areas that are most important to employers’ needs, and the behavioral traits employers are currently seeking in addition to new and emerging trends in these areas. The demographic data of the human resource managers/specialists were also captured for classification purposes. The study compares the results to the findings of prior research, discusses the implications of the findings, and offers suggestions for future studies

Examining the Use of Social Media in Building a Student Personal Brand and the Impact of Demographics

Personal branding has recently gained interest as employer requirements and recruitment practices have been transformed with advancements in technology. Social media platforms have made personal branding efforts both easy and challenging. Prior research pointed out that college students and graduates entering the job market need to understand the importance of current technology tools and utilize them in building their personal brand and searching for jobs. However, empirical research on the topic is very limited. To respond to this void, this study examines students’ perceptions of their efforts for building their personal brands using social media. Data were collected using an online survey at two universities in the U.S. The findings reveal that students’ perceptions of their efforts in building their personal brands differ by their use of social media platforms and demographics. Practical implications are discussed

Examining the Use of Social Media in Building a Student Personal Brand and the Impact of Demographics

The extended abstract is uploaded for publication in the 2021 AMTP conference proceedings

A Logo Selection Method

Many companies and sports teams have revised their logos over time in efforts to reposition their brand image. Still, the need for establishing a reliable method to guide this important decision still persists. This study offers an empirical method for selecting logos for companies and/or brands by testing the perceptions of consumers using 16 bi-polar personality traits adapted from the literature. The data were collected from undergraduate marketing students for demonstration purposes. The paper proposes that the perceptions for a logo of multiple samples from the same target population will be the same. The findings support the proposition. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed

A Survey of Employer Needs and Expectations from Business Programs at Higher Education Institutions

The recent economic slowdown and changing nature of business environments have made it increasingly challenging and competitive for recent graduates to qualify for higher level positions. Higher education institutions continuously ask what employers are looking for in a newly graduated candidate. However, most do not exactly know the answers. Understanding the changing needs and expectations of employers has become a priority for higher education institutions to remain competitive in their markets. Academics also have to respond to these changes by understanding whether they prepare their students to meet the needs and expectations of employers. This exploratory study aims to understand employers’ needs and expectations of those newly graduated from 4-year business programs at higher education institutions. Through a literature review and interviews with faculty, employers, and alumni, the authors developed measurement items that gauge the importance of certain knowledge and skill sets for the needs and expectations of employers. After pre-testing the measurement items, an online survey built in Qualtrics was used to collect the data from over 800 employers listed in a local Chamber of Commerce member roster. The results reveal not only which skill sets and knowledge areas that are most important to employers’ needs but also explore how well a 4-year business degree program at a campus of a large university located in a state of the mid-Atlantic region prepares its employed graduates to meet the needs of their employers based on the opinions of the managers. Additionally, survey results report the new and emerging trends in business, and how important it is that business education address new and emerging trends in technological innovation and interpersonal skills. The demographic data of the employers of the 4-year business program graduates were also captured for classification purposes. The results are compared to the findings of prior research and suggestions for future research are offered

A Collaborative Logo Design Project for a Startup Therapeutic Medicine Company

A logo design project was initiated in collaboration to serve the research, teaching, and service needs of the faculty, learning experience needs of the student, and the brand recognition need of a startup company. The company for which logo was developed and tested specializes in producing an herbal supplement for Type II diabetics that is naturally derived from plants and taken orally with a well-known Type II diabetes medication. Most literature has focused on how to design effective logos but only a few studies have focused on the methods to develop and test the associations that logos represent. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to: 1) provide a description of the step-by-step process of the logo design method using the semiotics theory; 2) measure and test the designed logo’s semiotic associations, industry representation, ease of recognizability, and its ability to create trust, and 3) examine the strength of the relationships among the antecedent factors that contribute to the logo’s ability to build trust in the company. In order to design a new logo, the theory of semiotics was utilized. To build strong associations with a therapeutic medicine brand, the authors started the logo design process with understanding the mission statement of the company and the description of its offering. The first draft of the logo was a hand-drawn sketch illustrating a human figure holding a leaf overhead enclosed in a circle. One of the main features of this logo was the use of certain colors to tie into the therapeutic industry utilizing the associations and meanings reported in the literature. For example, because maintaining normal blood sugar levels for diabetics is important, the dark red color is chosen for the human body to symbolize blood, and being active and healthy. With the company owner’s approval of the logo, the finalized logo’s associations were tested anonymously (i.e., without the company name attached) using an online survey instrument. A total of 102 completed surveys were obtained within two weeks. The survey included 15 semiotic adjectives to measure the perceived associations for the logo on a 7-point Likert scale (1= Strongly Disagree to 7=Strongly Agree). The industry representation comprised of 23 industries on a 7-point likelihood scale that the logo represented (1=Least Likely to 7=Most Likely). Ease of Recognition construct was measured with 5 statements, the Logo’s Image was measured with 5 statements, and Trust in Logo was measured with 5 statements on a 7-point Likert scale. In addition, to control for a person’s tendency to trust others in the evaluation of the logo’s trustworthiness, the authors included 3 statements to measure Disposition to Trust using a 7-point Likert scale. Disposition to trust (i.e., a person’s natural tendency to trust others) was used as a moderating variable in order to test any possible bias from the respondents in assessing the logo’s ability to build trust. The testing of the associations and industry representation of the logo revealed that the logo created positive associations and represented the Therapeutics Medicine and Healthcare industries the most. In an SEM model using SmartPLS, the study also tested the relationships between the ease of recognition, Logo Associations/Image and Trust in the Company, moderated by a person’s disposition to trust others in general. The relationships were significant and positive indicating that as long as a logo is designed to be easily recognized (and recalled) and conveys positive associations, it will lead to an initial trust in the company, assuming that the company lives up to its promises and regardless of consumers’ disposition to trust others. Besides the collaborative work described in this paper, this project provided the faculty member with multiple opportunities to work with different students to teach the concept of semiotics, logo design process, empirically measuring and testing the associations based on the literature and company mission, and analyzing and interpreting the data