Political brand image: an investigation into the operationalisation of the external orientation of David Cameron’s Conservative brand

This paper seeks to address the limited understanding of how to operationalise the external brand image of a political brand. More specifically, this research critically assesses the transfer potential of the six variables of brand image by Bosch, Venter, Han and Boshoff to deconstruct the UK Conservative Party brand from the perspective of young people aged 18–24 years during the 2010 UK General Election campaign. This research demonstrates the applicability of the six variables otherwise known as the ‘brand image framework’ to the political environment. However, the application of the brand image framework in its original conceptualisation proved problematic. Many of the brand image variables were clarified, rearticulated and simplified to address the political context. This refined conceptualisation provided an in-depth understanding of how to investigate the political brand image of David Cameron’s Conservative Party. This study addresses the paucity of research that operationalises external brand image and provides practitioners and academics within and beyond the context of political branding a mechanism to understand the external orientation of brands. This research may also be used by political and non-political brands as a basis to explore external brand image and compare its consistency with internal brand identity.     

基于优化HRNetV2的高分辨率遥感影像土地利用自动分类

研究目的：基于语义分割模型HRNetV2实现高分辨率遥感影像的土地利用自动分类,以期推动深度学习语义分割方法实现遥感影像的土地利用自动分类研究,并为该类研究提供可参考的案例。研究方法：首先对语义分割模型HRNetV2从损失函数、特征提取方面进行优化,以提高模型的分割精度;其次用优化后的HRNetV2模型对民乐县2 m的高分辨率遥感影像进行土地利用分类,并基于混淆矩阵对分类的结果进行评估。研究结果：（1）优化后的HRNetV2语义分割模型的MIOU达81.9%,相较于优化前提高了4.4%, 证明了优化方法的有效性;（2）针对民乐县进行的土地利用自动分类总体精度达89.72%,Kappa系数达0.888。研究结论：优化后的HRNetV2语义分割模型在高分辨率遥感影像的土地利用自动分类中具有较强的应用前景。     

一种SAR与可见光图像压缩感知融合增强方法

针对机载多传感器成像战场态势感知的问题,提出了一种合成孔径雷达(Synthetic Aperture Radar,SAR)与可见光图像压缩感知融合增强方法。该方法首先对SAR与可见光图像分别进行压缩感知测量,得到压缩测量值,然后通过基于局部权值的融合方法实现对压缩测量值的融合,再利用有序度最优分割法提取SAR图像的强散射目标,最后对融合测量值重建得到初步融合图像,初步融合图像通过目标对比度增强得到最终融合图像。对多组图像进行了仿真分析,视觉及数值结果表明该方法能显著增强融合图像的目标对比度,提升了图像纹理清晰度,较大程度降低了图像融合过程中的数据计算量。     

旅游者认知地图研究综述

认知地图是行为地理学中的一个重要研究领域,本文在梳理认知地图的概念体系、地理学与心理学对认知地图研究基础上,综述了近30年国内外旅游者认知地图的研究.研究发现:①旅游者认知地图是具有空间定位功能的、动态的、三维的旅游环境综合表象;②受旅游活动特点和旅游地类型影响的旅游者形成了独特的认知地图类型与空间结构;③旅游者在环境习得速度和过程方面都与一般环境学习存在显著差异;④旅游者认知地图形成过程中的人类影响因素主要表现为游客类型影响因素;⑤旅游领域的研究多采用适合现场情境的方法和技术;⑥旅游者认知地图研究尚处于不成熟阶段,主要表现为研究思想、内容和方法技术等方面的缺陷.最后提出旅游者认知地图几个多学科的重要命题.旅游者认知地图研究对于旅游规划、旅游目的地营销和旅游空间行为研究具有一定理论和实践意义.     

Temporal influences on image change

Hunt (1971) defines state image as the impressions that a person or persons hold about a state in which they do not reside. But image is more complex than a single perception, for Brand identification as well as people's perceptions of attributes of various activities or attractions within an area will interact to form a composite state image. Research into such images is a basis for product positioning of a state's various attractions or activities against other regions. The effects of temporal influences on image change may have consequences for product positioning. Within the limits of this research design, very little image change was seen to result from short-term seasonal differences. However, the minor changes noted were in the hypothesized direction, leading to the conclusion that further research should be conducted on image change as a result of temporal influences.     

旅游区域的形象竞合研究——以中国香格里拉四川片区为例

本文在总结国内外旅游形象30年来的研究基础上,以中国香格里拉四川片区为案例,立足甘孜州、凉山州和攀枝花市3个地区的旅游资源和市场竞争,研究旅游形象的竞合关系,探讨政府、企业和社区以可持续发展链条,形成旅游形象核心竞争力的发展策略.     

An exploratory study into brand alignment in B2B relationships

B2B relationships are characterized by strategic partnerships between firms and the suppliers of goods and services integral to their offerings. Failure to choose the right partner could jeopardize the survival of both partners. While a number of studies suggest that partnering firms need to be aligned operationally, few studies look at whether there should be alignment between the brands of firms and their suppliers. Therefore, we build on existing studies on sexual selection to develop a theory of whether similarity in brand attributes affects the success of B2B relationships. We propose that firms wishing to portray particular brand images to their customers choose suppliers whose images mirror their own. To develop our proposition, we investigate the brand personality alignment between well-known firms and their suppliers in four industries. The findings of our analysis have significant implications for scholars and managers interested in the nature and success of B2B partnerships.     

Online brand community within the integrated marketing communication system: When chocolate becomes seductive like a person

This study proposes brand communities as an effective tool within the integrated marketing communication (IMC) system. The paper utilizes the Brand Concept Map quali-quantitative technique in order to represent and compare mental association texture within one group of non-members of a brand community versus one group of people engaged in the same community. Brand stimulus is Nutella (chocolate cream) which boasts a crowded and lively online brand community: Nutellaville. Results show that brand community is effective in terms of contribution, commonality, and complementarity within the IMC system. In particular, Nutella brand image within the online community participants is composed of some mental associations overlapping other communication tools (commonality), and by new mental associations (complementarity) referred to the brand image dimension named ‘brand as person’ (seductive, popular, reassuring); second, this anthropomorphism effect solves the issue of sense of guilt excited by chocolate (contribution).     

Preference for a career in retailing: a question of personality

Drawing on previous findings from the field of brand personality research and employer branding, this paper aims to explore the symbolic attributes of the retail industry image in South Africa and to identify those personality traits that distinguish preferred industries from the retail industry. The research provides a contemporary overview of the current image of the retail industry in South Africa from the perspective of young university students and allows retailers to strengthen their joint communication effort accordingly. Therefore, a quantitative survey study with 1426 participants from five South African universities was conducted. Participants assessed personality characteristics of the retail industry as well as their most preferred industry. The main results suggest that retail and non-retail students hold different personality perceptions of the retail industry and that prior retail involvement accounts for this difference to some extent. Moreover, the analysis shows that retailing performs significantly worse on those personality attributes that are of major importance for future job seekers. Additionally, the study identifies those attributes that exert a strong effect on students’ preferences for the retail industry. The findings provide useful communication themes for educational institutions, retail companies, and industry associations in order to foster positive personality perceptions associated with the retail industry.     

Tourism image, evaluation variables and after purchase behaviour: inter-relationship

Numerous authors have pointed out the influence of tourism image on consumer behaviour. Tourism image will also exercise some influence on the quality perceived by tourists and on the satisfaction obtained from the holiday experience. This paper focuses on the relationship between the image of a destination as perceived by tourists and their behavioural intentions, and between that same image and the post-purchase evaluation of the stay. We will also examine the relationship between quality and satisfaction and between these variables and the tourist's behaviour variables. We place the accent on a joint analysis of these relationships, using a structural equation model. The results of the empirical study show that tourism image is a direct antecedent of perceived quality, satisfaction, intention to return and willingness to recommend the destination. The role of image as a key factor in destination marketing is thus confirmed. With reference to the other relationships, on the one hand, it is confirmed that quality has a positive influence on satisfaction and intention to return and that satisfaction determines the willingness to recommend the destination. However, the influence of quality on ‘willingness to recommend’ and the influence of satisfaction on ‘intention to return’ cannot be corroborated. In this sense, further research could be necessary.