Brand Management and Strategic Performance

ABSTRACT

This article reports on a study using a previously published checklist to assess the brand management practices of South African firms. Indications are that the perceptions of a sample of senior managers regarding how well their institutions manage their brands are reasonably positive, and that the management of brands has effects on a firm's profitability, market share and growth compared to competitors. While the checklist used seems to possess the characteristic of reliability, further development needs to be done on aspects of its underlying structure. Implications for managers and further avenues for research are identified and discussed.     

Brand Management as an Internationalization Strategy for SME: A Multiple Case Study

ABSTRACT

This research examines the role of branding in the Portuguese SME internationalization process and how the internationalization and brand strategies are articulated in the search for a better business performance within a competitive framework and increasing competitiveness environment. The article aims specifically at: (a) the strategy of creation and brand management; (b) the relevance given to the brand; (c) the importance of brand creation and management in the internationalization strategy. We chose a qualitative methodology, based on four cases studies. Our results suggest that branding strategies of SME cannot be compared with the strategies of multinationals. Budgetary constraints and human resources lead companies to invest in low-cost strategies. The importance of the brand lies in the distinction that allows competition with similar products within the sectors. Management of the brand does not come up as an essential strategy for the internationalization of a Portuguese SME.     

A Natural Resource Scarcity Typology: Theoretical Foundations and Strategic Implications for Supply Chain Management

World population growth and increased consumption stemming from economic leveling are leading to scarcity of a number of natural resources on a global scale. Scarcity of critical natural resources such as oil, water, food, and precious metals has the potential to greatly impact commercial activity as the twenty‐first century progresses. The challenge of continuing to provide needed goods and services in the face of these constraints falls to supply chain managers, who are ultimately responsible for delivering utility to customers. Unfortunately, there has been almost no research focused on supply chain strategies aimed at mitigating natural resource scarcity’s (NRS) potential effects. The current research positions NRS as a supply chain risk and proposes an NRS typology based on key resource attributes. Supply chain mitigation strategies to counter each resource status are offered, with an overall objective of improving supply chain performance. The study recommends future research aimed at further developing theory and methods for countering NRS based on resource, systems and behavioral theories. In addition, this study has critical implications for practitioners faced with the growing threat of NRS in their supply chains.     

Strategic,Operational, and Analytical Customer Relationship Management

Abstract

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) means different things to different people. For some, CRM is the term used to describe a set of IT applications that automate customer-facing processes in marketing, selling and service. For others, it is about an organizational desire to be more customer focused. Others associate CRM with the capture, analysis and exploitation of customer-related data. One distinction that has been made is between strategic, operational and analytical CRM. This paper sets out to understand, conceptualize and operationalize these terms. Our research generally supports the idea of a multi-dimensional conceptualization of CRM. We develop and present an instrument, consisting of a thirteen-item scale, which can be used to assess an organization's orientation towards one or more of these three forms of CRM.     

Typology of Online Brand Communities: An Examination of South Korean Automobile Online Brand Communities

The study explores how brand communities are structured and operate in the context of Korean Automobile Online Brand Communities (KAOBCs). The content analysis method was used to examine the characteristics of KAOBCs and identify the typology of the communities. The most popular search engine of South Korea, naver.com, was used to select sample KAOBCs. Our research finds that the socially-oriented community type is the most popular of the KAOBCs, followed by communication, information and business oriented communities in order. The number of community members, number of community staff, and duration of the community are the main determinants of KAOBCs.     

国内农产品品牌战略管理研究述评

20世纪80年代末以来,实施农产品品牌战略管理,提升农产品品牌竞争力,一直是我国农业企业和理论界关注和研究的热点。本文从世界农产品品牌战略管理的成功经验、我国农产品品牌战略管理的误区和品牌战略管理实现途径等方面,对现有研究成果进行述评,并展望今后的研究方向。     

Brand management in small and medium-sized (SME) retailers: A future research agenda

Abstract

Recently, an emerging body of literature has advocated the importance of branding to small and medium-sized (SME) retailers. Nonetheless, this discourse has ignored the complexities and idiosyncrasies of retail branding. The aim of this paper is to provide a new theoretical understanding of brand management by SME retailers. In order to achieve this aim, the paper integrates the brand management, SME branding, and retail branding literature, and offers a conceptual framework for SME retail branding. A number of propositions are included that aid understanding of brand management in SME retail organisations. It is anticipated that these propositions will help shape future empirical research in this area. Further in-depth research into the application of branding within the SME retail context would address a significant gap in academic knowledge. In doing so, it would also provide important insights for management practice.     

Industry Self‐Regulation: A Game‐Theoretic Typology of Strategic Voluntary Compliance

We analyse the possibility of successful industry self‐regulation in terms of the strategic interactions between industry members and government. In particular, this article presents a game‐theoretic typology of generic self‐regulatory scenarios and evaluates these in terms of the resulting likelihood of collective compliance. We discuss the advertising, press and life insurance industries in the UK as examples of the scenarios. Conclusions for corporate and public policy are offered.     

Brand Orientation: A Mindset for Building Brands into Strategic Resources

Learning to see intangible values and symbols as resources is the necessary step in brand orientation. At certain companies, this can mean a step into a new reality - brand reality. A new way of approaching brands within companies. This is the heart of the discussion that will be pursued in this article. In the research field that deals with strategic brand management, considerable steps forward have been taken through the development of such concepts as brand equity and brand identity. Nonetheless, there has as yet been no fundamental discussion about the way in which brands are mentally approached or about the overarching conceptual frameworks that are used by companies that compete primarily via their brands. Based on experiences from case companies, including Nestlé, DuPont, Tetra Pak, Volvo, and Pharmacia Upjohn Nicorette, the critical question will be examined of how an organization's approach is affected when its brands become to an ever greater degree the hub around which operations and strategies revolve. The organization's overall goals, values, and positions come to be expressed through brands, and thus acquire an identity. Does this changed mindset mean that we must begin to rethink the market concept and challenge the assumption that "the customer is always right"? Should the guiding light of brand development always be that of "unreservedly satisfying the customer's wants and needs", no matter what the price? Experiences from the above companies show that integrity and brand competence are required in order to create, develop, and protect brands that have an identity, and not just an image.     

A Typology of Moral Problems in Business: A Framework for Ethical Management

This paper develops a typology of moral problems in business. The cross-classification of two fundamental dimensions of ethical conduct: judgment and motivation, is employed to distinguish four types of moral problems: genuine dilemmas, compliance problems, moral laxity, and no-problem problems. Actual cases are brought to illustrate each type of problem, and corresponding coping strategies are presented. The paper highlights the need to design a dynamic strategy that will take into account the relationships among different types of ethical problems. In its capacities as both an analytical tool for identifying and clarifying an ethical problem and a strategic tool for handling it, the typology has direct implications for developing ethical awareness, assigning accountability, and unfolding typical rationalizations in business activity.Aviva Geva is senior lecturer in the Open University of Israel, with a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The author of two text books and a monograph (in Hebrew) relating to business ethics and consumer behavior, she has also published a number of articles on issues of attitude change and moral decision making in business.     

新疆中小企业品牌建设的制约因素及对策分析

目前,新疆中小企业品牌建设存在的问题是:缺乏长远的战略计划;没有建立以消费者为中心的品牌管理体制;资金匮乏,融资困难;品牌产品定价过低;大众传播渠道单一,品牌营销渠道狭窄。为促进中小企业品牌建设,新疆应做好品牌战略规划,通过完善品牌管理体制、拓宽融资渠道、加大政策扶持力度、明确产品定价策略、拓展品牌营销渠道等策略,加速新疆中小企业的发展进程,从而促进新疆区域经济的长远发展。     

Customer Relationship Management: A Strategic Perspective

Over the last decade and a half Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has developed into an area of major significance. However, there is considerable confusion in the academic and managerial literature about what is meant by CRM and how if differs from relationship marketing. Further, despite heavy investment by organizations in CRM, there is extensive reporting of CRM’s failure to achieve anticipated results in the literature. This article reviews the conceptual differences between CRM and relationship marketing and defines these terms. It argues that, in many organizations, CRM failures have occurred through a lack of strategic focus. Key strategic issues are identified. A CRM Strategy Matrix is presented which considers the strategic context of companies and the implications for the development of their CRM strategies. Four alternative approaches towards building customer relationships are identified and migration paths between them are reviewed. Implications for implementing CRM strategy and future research are discussed.

品牌生态管理:21世纪品牌管理的新趋势

本文针对传统品牌管理败落的症结,重点研究了品牌管理理论演化、发展的过程及其生态特性,提出了适应21世纪品牌管理的新趋势——品牌生态管理,并对其概念、实质、与传统品牌管理的区别、以及品牌生态管理的主要内容进行系统阐述。     

新业态:旅游业可持续发展的战略选择

在传统的旅游业发展框架内,旅游开发与保护之间存在零和博弈,旅游业可持续发展面临诸多困境。在此背景下,基于产品、技术、市场、资源配置和组织等五大层面的创新交错融合发展起来的旅游新业态,能够深化拓展旅游产品的内涵和外延,推动旅游产业的结构调整转型和优化升级,提升我国旅游企业的国际竞争能力和构建大旅游业体系,是旅游业可持续发展的战略选择。     

Assessing the Dimensionality of Business Success: The Perspectives of Malaysian SME Owner-Managers

Realizing that the measurement of success in the context of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) is somewhat disparaging, this study aims to validate the business success construct based on the perspectives of SME founder-managers in the Malaysian context. Following a data collection of a sample of 212 SME founder-managers, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the factorial validity of the success measure and to assess its goodness of fit. The result indicates that business success is a four-factor structure, reflecting in (a) satisfaction with financial performance, (b) satisfaction with non-financial performance, (c) performance relative to competitors, and (d) business growth.     

浅析中小企业财务管理存在的问题及对策

中小企业由于领导者缺乏财务管理意识,企业内部控制制度不完善,缺乏高素质的财务人员,资金短缺投资融资能力差以及财务信息系统不完善等问题,使中小企业的企业财务管理和内部控制控制作用得不到充分发挥。中小企业应转变观念,强化财务管理意识,提高中小企业筹资融资能力,建立健全内部控制制度,加强财务人员队伍建设,引进法务会计人员,完善财务信息系统,促使其走上健康发展的道路。     

创建名牌的战略举措

目前 ,市场上名牌企业 ,名牌产品的份额在不断扩大 ,其市场优势十分显著。在市场上处于垄断地位 ,且在高水平的基础上又保持着强劲的增长势头 ,这使越来越多的商家意识到卖产品不如卖信誉。为此 ,确立名牌战略成为企业参与市场竞争的重要手段。     

跨国并购的品牌资源整合策略选择

在跨国并购中,并购双方品牌资源的整合是跨国并购整合管理的重要内容之一。并购方可以选择的品牌资源整合策略主要有:品牌收购、品牌租赁、贴牌、使用自有品牌、树立本土化的新品牌等。在对各种整合策略进行比较分析的基础上,以中国企业跨国并购案例为样本,选择MNL离散选择模型,对企业跨国并购的品牌资源整合策略选择问题进行实证分析。     

品牌传承:内涵、价值、发现途径及其对中国品牌管理的战略启示

如何保持品牌的基业长青?学术界对此问题长期关注。本文在最新研究的基础上,提出品牌传承(Brand heritage)是探究"品牌何以长寿"问题的最新洞见。这一概念以那些历史悠久、业绩优秀并坚守自身价值观的卓越品牌为考察对象,总结出品牌传承的五大维度:核心价值观、业绩记录、长寿性、象征符号和历史价值。文章通过对这五个维度的详述,来建立对品牌传承概念的深入理解,并阐述了其理论研究价值所在。继之,文章从实践角度,指出企业可通过"发现和识别"、"激活和提取"以及"保护和培育"这三大步骤来进行品牌传承的管理和运用。最后,从"本土高端品牌的打造"、"新兴品牌的发展战略"以及"老字号品牌的管理"三个方面来深入阐述品牌传承概念对中国品牌的战略启示。