مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد تصویب جهت گیری برند در زمینه SME – اسپرینگر 2018

Introduction

Brand orientation is an organisation-wide approach to branding, enacted by organisations to shape their processes around a single brand concept (Evans et al. 2012; Urde 1999). Brand orientation as a concept was defined when Urde (1999) observed organisations shifting their strategic focus beyond satisfying their customer’s immediate needs to instead orienting themselves around a strong, consistent and value-driven brand concept for long-term benefits (Evans et al. 2012; Urde et al. 2013). Researchers have observed the use of a brand oriented approach in a variety of contexts (e.g. Gromark and Melin 2011; Hankinson 2001; Hirvonen and Laukkanen 2014; Wong and Merrilees 2007) often by looking for the presence of indicators of brand orientation such as those used in Gromark and Melin’s (2011) brand orientation index, or Baumgarth’s (2010) values, norms, artefacts and behaviours. Within the range of conceptualisations in the brand orientation literature, we find two fundamental issues: first in the assumption of the presence of brand orientation in some conceptualisations, and second in the nature of the relationship observed between brand orientated and the characteristics of brand orientation constructed. Moreover, it is important to recognise that observing the presence of aspects of brand orientation in an organisation does not necessarily mean that the organisation has deliberately chosen to be brand oriented, nor that they have fully committed to this approach or succeeded in implementing Urde et al. (2013) acknowledges that a brand orientation approach may not be suitable for every organisation, despite its proven benefits (e.g. Gromark and Melin 2011; Hankinson 2011; Hirvonen and Laukkanen 2014; Urde 1999; Wong and Merrilees 2008). Indeed, the usefulness of a brand oriented approach in the context of small to medium enterprises (SME) (see Note for definition of SME groupings1 ) is something that researchers are still working to determine (Muhonen et al. 2017). There is evidence that a strategy like brand orientation may assist SME’s to achieve their long-term goals. For instance, research in branding has highlighted the value and feasibility of employing brand management strategies in small organisations (e.g. Berthon et al. 2008; Centeno et al. 2013; Hirvonen and Laukkanen 2014; Hirvonen et al. 2013; Krake 2005). Wong and Merrilees (2005) and Hirvonen et al. (2013) notably contribute to this view, demonstrating how brand orientation can be characterised at various levels in a small business environment and is a viable strategic option for SMEs. SMEs are a significant competitive force in the modern marketplace (Ahonen 2008; DIISR 2011; Mowle and Merrilees 2005). However, our understanding of the application and usefulness of brand orientation is still under-examined in this context. There is also still work to be done on understanding exactly how to best implement a brand orientation strategy (Baumgarth et al. 2013), and further the benefits to be attained by exploring this in an SME context. This research seeks to build on the understanding of SME brand orientation enactment via an abductive research approach. At its core, abduction is underpinned by a desire to puzzle out new or unexpected explanations in a systematic way.