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EXPLORING THE PROCESS OF EMPLOYEE BRANDING IN
HIGHER EDUCATION IN MULTINATIONAL CONTEXT
ABSTRACT
A brands reputation is predominantly an ensuing occurrence to a favourable brand identity
and image. Such brand identity and image is considered vital in all sectors. Considering the
services sector, the image creation depends on the nature and quality of service provided by
the service organisation. The promised service is delivered only by the employees of the
service organisation. It necessitates the seeding of desired brand image in the minds of the
employees. Such incorporation of desired brand image in employees minds in facilitated by
employee branding.
The employee branding process helps the organisation to deliver its desired brand image to
customers, thereby ensuring a clear position in the minds of customers and employees alike.
It assists in gaining competitive advantage achieved through employees who have
internalized the desired brand image and are motivated to project that image to customers and
other organizational constituents. This article unfolds the employee branding process in
higher education sector which focuses on internalising the desired brand image among
employees. It also models the employee branding process in higher education which portrays
the flow of internalisation commencing from brand identity to favourable outcomes. This
study focuses on multinational perspective on employee branding to embellish the
importance of incorporating the desired brand image in the minds of the employees.
Exploratory research design is used to unearth the stance of higher education institutions with
regard to employee branding. Samples were drawn from countries like India, USA, Canada
and Singapore. The sample constitutes 25 teaching faculties from top-notch higher education
institutes of diversified academic discipline. Snow ball sampling method is used to collect
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data. Data collection involved two phases. First phase involved in-depth interviews with 15
teaching faculties in India. Second phase involved mailing of open-ended questions to 10
teaching faculties in USA, Canada and Singapore.
Content analysis was performed on the collected data. Text analysis method is also used to
extract the keywords and fine tune the transcribed data. An employee branding model is
formed on the basis of fine tuned results and available literatures. It suggests that identifying
a higher education brand through its vision, mission and values lead to image creation in the
minds of the employees. The image of higher education institutions are determined by the
academic, research and recognition factors. It is internalised through external and internal
communication methods and practices such as training, meeting etc. Such internalisation
evokes commitment and psychological ownership among employees which ensures
positioning of image in the minds of the stakeholders through brand promise delivery. The
beneficiaries identified are students, employees themselves, management and corporate.
Based on the qualitative nature of the study, only limited generalisations can be made as the
purpose is to add to theory-building rather than to generalise to a population. There is a clear
need for further empirical research. Such research could help quantify the nature of the
relationships between the variables suggested. This paper would be of value to researchers
and practitioners seeking to understand and promote the specific role of employee branding
in higher education.
Paper type: competitive paper
Keywords: Employee branding, Brand identity, Brand image, service, Higher education,
internalisation
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EXPLORING THE PROCESS OF EMPLOYEE BRANDING IN HIGHER
EDUCATION IN MULTINATIONAL CONTEXT
INTRODUCTION
In an era that has been witnessing the shrinkage of virtual borders between countries,
businesses have started globalising their enterprise. This has made the concept of brand
identity, a subject of prime attention of the moment. The brand identity supports, expresses,
communicates, synthesises and visualises the brand (Wheeler 2003). Brand identity is
described in terms of psychological and emotional associations that the brand aspires to
maintain in the minds of the consumers (Coop 2005). The brand is identified through various
communication channels by the consumers. Such identification catalyse image in the minds
of the consumers. Brand image is the perception of brand as reflected by the brand
association held in consumer memory (Keller 2003). Taking into consideration the service
sector, the brand image is primarily determined by the quality of service provided by the
service organisation. The employees are the vital component of a service brand. The
consumers expectation about the service brand is met by the employees by delivering the
brand promise. Internal marketing was proposed as a solution to the problem of delivering
consistently high service quality (Berry et al 1976). It communicated and motivated the
employees to deliver a satisfying customer experience. This added value to the service brand
and insisted the service organisations to deliver the promise made by the brand. This created
a paradigm shift in service quality delivery. Making customers to live the brand was given
priority than focusing on mere satisfaction. Such target could be achieved only by employees
who offer the promised service. To deliver the promised service and to build the desired
image in the minds of the customers, the employees must incorporate the brand value and
image in work. Such incorporation of brand image in work is facilitated by internal branding.
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Internal branding describes the activities undertaken by an organisation to ensure that the
brand promise reflecting the espoused brand values that set customers expectations is
enacted and delivered by employees (Punjaisri and Wilson 2011). Internal branding focuses
on brand promise delivery by the employees. This becomes the primary determinant of
perceived brand image in consumers minds. Such emphasis on internalisation of brand
image nurtured the fine tuned concept of internal branding, i.e. employee branding. Employee
branding is the process by which employees internalise the desired brand image and are
motivated to project the image to customers and other organisational constituents (Miles &
Mangold 2004). The concept of employee branding is incipient in the academic arena, but
has gained paramount dominance in the corporate realm. In globalised business set up,
employee branding becomes inexorable as the employees from all walks of life meet
diversified consumers across the globe. Such employee branding is intrinsically practised in
service sector. Studies on internal branding in various sectors have provided a robust base for
employee branding. Though the study on employee branding on airline industry formed a
base, its practical implementation and extension on other service sectors are scarce.
The purpose of this study is to explore the employee branding process in higher education
sector. Education has also emerged as a competitive sector in this era. Consumers demand
for global recognition, prominence, transfer of high profile knowledge base, and
multinational research opportunities has made the internationalisation of higher education
indispensable. Higher education institutions sedulous attempts to meet global demand have
made the education business hypercompetitive. Such competition has given importance for
identification and positioning of the desired brand image of the higher education institutions
in the minds of consumers, i.e. students and corporate. This emphasise the internalisation of
desired brand image among the employees in higher education institution to deliver the brand
promise to its stakeholders. This paper attempts to model the process of internalisation in
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higher education institutions. From the practical perspective, the study draws attention of
higher education institutions in terms of implementing employee branding programs
effectively. From academic perspective, this study proposes a new model of employee
branding in education sector, which paves way for future research.
REVIEW OF LITERATURES
Services branding
An era commenced which viewed organisation as a different entity from the products and
services it offered. Such separate identity concept seeded the need of branding. There are five
steps for effectively branding services. These are: building a brand proposition; overcoming internal
barriers; measuring delivery against the proposition; continual improvement; and expansion (Dobree
and Page 1990). They also recommend developing a service contract internally to create ownership
for the service brand across all levels of the organization. A service's marketing mix consists of 7Ps -
product, price, place, promotion, physical evidence, process and people (Booms and Bitner 1981).
A service brand is not only communicated through advertising and marketing but also from
the interaction that takes place between employees and consumers. There is an emotional
bond that customers have with the service brands and this bond is created from the
relationships that the customers build with the employees (Vallaster and Chernatony 2005).
Many literatures in services branding strengthened the need for employees to internalise the
brand they work for the purpose of delivery of better service quality. Such internalisation of
brand is facilitated by internal branding.
Internal branding and Employee branding
Internal branding describes the activities undertaken by an organisation to ensure that the
brand promise reflecting the espoused brand values that set customers expectations is
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enacted and delivered by employees (Punjaisri and Wilson 2011). To develop a corporate
brand there must be greater internalisation of brands core values, more consistent the brands
identity. More congruent the brands core values with stakeholders personal values, more
favourable the brands reputation (chernatony and Harris 2000). This led to the procedures
necessary to build the brand inside.
Brand success is more likely when employees internally believe in their brand values.
Commitment, internal loyalty, consistent brand delivery are resultants of shared brand values.
Brand knowledge and values stimulate staff behaviour (chernatony and horn 2003).
The result of internalising the brand is to have a better position about the brand image in the
minds of the consumers. The employees need to project the desired brand image to
consumers. Such internalisation and projection of desired brand image was chained into a
process, which was termed as employee branding. Employee branding is the process by
which employees internalize the desired brand image and are motivated to project the image
to customers and other organizational constituents (Miles and Mangold 2004). Companies
engaging in successful employee branding efforts are also likely to benefit from higher levels
of customer satisfaction and loyalty, and a favorable overall reputation because the desired
brand image is being consistently reflected by employees (Miles and Mangold 2005). The
internal message systems, both formal and informal, contributed both to employees
knowledge of the desired brand image and to the upholding of their psychological contracts
with their employer. The external formal message systems contributed to employees
knowledge of the desired brand image while the external informal message systems
contributed both to employees knowledge of the desired brand image and to the extent to
which the psychological contract was upheld (Miles and Mangold 2011).
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Branding in higher education
Like many service-oriented organizations, universities are facing an increasingly competitive
environment in which they must find ways to differentiate their institution and tell their story.
Various technological and social changes continue to erode the monopoly that universities
once had over intellectual resources and privileges (Burbules and Callister 2000). When
addressing new challenges, the higher education paradigm must be continually reengineered
from the ground up to facilitate an entrepreneurial spirit and a coordinated, customer-driven
strategy (Dimun 1998). Universities have increasingly implemented integrated marketing
techniques in an effort to strengthen promotional efforts (Wasmer et al 1997). As part of
institutional efforts toward a coordinated, customer-oriented marketing system, universities
must also include a focus on developing the university brand. Within the university setting,
a brand is a name, an image, a compelling description of an organization that captures the
essence of the value that your college provides (Frederick et al 2000). The usefulness of this
brand is that it allows individuals to make a decision on a limited amount of information
(Papp 2002). Selecting a university to attend is certainly a complex consumer decision, and
looking to the brand simplifies the selection process for many. Thus, universities have
increasingly recognized the importance of developing a brand identity for the university.
Brand identity is the essence of how you would like alumni, prospective students,
legislators, and the public to perceive your institution (Lawlor 1998). Internalising such
brand becomes essential as it enhances the perception of employees about the higher
education brand, which in turn helps the brand in delivering the promise to intended
stakeholders. Employees awareness and knowledge about the brand helps in delivery of the
brand promise. Such brand knowledge paves the way for employees brand commitment
(King and Grace 2005). The knowledge leads to the generation of psychological ownership
which influences the citizenship behaviour in organisation (Chang et al 2005). The
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knowledge is received through communication within and outside organization. Such
communication helps in identifying the brand which evokes commitment and loyalty (Neha
Sharma and kamalanabhan 2012). Such identification, commitment and loyalty generates
favourable which benefits management, students and corporate.
METHODOLOGY
Data collection
To be able to unearth the aspects of employee branding, grounded approach was selected
(Glaser and Strauss 1967). Exploratory research design is adopted. The data collection was
done in two phases in top notch higher education institutions. Phase one consisted of 15 semi-
structured face-to-face interviews. The respondents were teaching faculties in premier
institutes in India. Questions were selected on the basis of the available literatures on internal
and employee branding. Phase two consisted of mailing open ended questions through e-mail
to 10 respondents which were framed after transcribing and analysing the phase one response.
The e-mail respondents are teaching faculties in higher education institutions in USA, Canada
and Singapore. Due to confidentiality concerns, the institute and the individual identities have
been made anonymous. It should be noted that the size of the institutions and limitations in
terms of time, distance and resources made it impossible to attempt to target the entire
organisations. As a consequence it was decided to centre the research on manageable sample
which was functionally and responsibility wise diverse. The interview and e-mail sample
consisted of junior, senior teaching faculties and some teaching faculties who occupied
middle management level designations. The semi-structured interviews were recorded and
transcribed. The transcribed response was analysed through text analysis (Robert 1997). The
lexical density was calculated. The word frequency was tabulated and the ranks were given
on the basis of frequency. The keywords involved in each questions were ranked and
clustered together into major constructs. Those constructs were selected on the basis of
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available literatures and open-ended questions were framed based on those constructs. The
questions were mailed to 10 respondents who are teaching faculties in top notch institutions
abroad. The snowball sampling was adopted in this method to select the samples (Biernacki
and Waldorf 1981). The response received through e-mails was analysed using text analysis.
The results of two phases were compared and it paved the way for conceptual level analysis
from descriptive level analysis.
Analysis
A content analysis of the transcribed interview and mails was performed to unveil the main
themes of the study. The major components or themes of employee branding are listed below:
Brand identity Brand image Communication methods Internalisation Outcomes
Table I lists the research questions asked in interview
Research questions Topics/Codes for analysis
Explain a higher education brand in your own words starting point
What does this higher education institutions brand stands for?
Brand identityWhat is its vision and mission?
What is you perception of this institutes brand?
Brand imageWhat is it conveying to you?
How do you get information about HE brand vision, mission etc Communication methods
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What are the methods of communication adopted by
management to communicate to employees about its vision and
mission?
How do you implement the communicated vision and mission
in your work?
Brand knowledge
Does such communication and information provide knowledge
about vision and mission?
Does your perception of HE brand image drive commitment and
loyalty?
Employee brandingOutcomes
How do you contribute to building HE brand image?
What are the favourable outcomes of projection of such image
from your perspective? Who are the beneficiaries of suchoutcome?
The transcribed and coded responses were clustered into five topics. Having the base of such
response, the questions were framed for mail respondents. It was open-ended in nature, which
would help in exploring their notions. The questions sent through e-mail are listed below.
What does the higher education institutions brand that you are working stands for? What is your perception of the HE brand? What are the sources of external and internal communication which communicates the
image, vision and mission of HE brand?
How do you internalise the communicated message in your work? Is such knowledge about the mission, vision and image driving commitment and
loyalty?
How do you contribute towards building the image of your institution? What are the favourable outcomes of projection of such image from your perspective?
Who are the beneficiaries of such outcome?
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The response from e-mail and interview were analysed descriptively and conceptually.
Descriptive analysis was performed using text analysis. The detailed text analysis is given in
tables below.
Table II: Table showing analysis of transcribed response of Brand identity and Image
Complexity factor (Lexical Density) : 39.3%
Readability (Gunning-Fog Index) : (6-easy 20-hard) 10.3
Lexical density shows the number of unique words used in the transcribed text. The Gunning-
Fog index which measures the readability of the transcribed text indicates a measure of 10.3,
which confirms that the text can be read easily by the intended audience (Parkan and Warren
1978). The vital keywords are extracted after tokenising and stemming the text content
Table III: Results showing text analysis of words used in brand identity and image
Words Occurrences Frequency Rank
brand 29 4.3% 1
Vision & Mission 25 4.1% 2
education 23 3.4% 3
research 16 2.4% 4
quality 15 2.2% 5
faculties 14 1.7% 6
excellence 12 1.6% 7
institution 10 1.5% 8
professionals 5 0.7% 9
global 5 0.7% 9
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diversity 5 0.7% 9
placements 4 0.6% 10
alumni 4 0.6% 10
popularity 4 0.6% 10
development 3 0.3% 11
service 2 0.3% 11
knowledge 1 0.1% 12
recognition 1 0.1% 12
The term brand has a high number of occurrences which makes it a top keyword. It is no
surprise to have education, research and quality as succeeding keywords in higher education
institutions. Other key components of brand identity and image that are ranked are faculties,
excellence, institution, professionals, global, diversity, placements, alumni, popularity,
development, service, knowledge and recognition.
Table IV: Table showing analysis of transcribed response of communication methods
Complexity factor (Lexical Density) : 57.9%
Readability (Gunning-Fog Index) : (6-easy 20-hard) 10.9
The lexical density of 57.9% indicates that the transcribed text contained many unique words.
It illustrates that many communication channels and methods were mentioned by the
respondents. After tokenising and stemming the transcribed text, the major keywords were
alone extracted. Those keywords were ranked on the basis of frequency of occurrence.
Table V: Results showing text analysis of words used in communication methods
Words Occurrences Frequency Rank
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Media 30 5% 1
Websites 17 2.8% 2
Social Networking 12 2.1% 3
Mails 10 1.7% 4
Newspapers 8 1.4% 5
Meetings 8 1.4% 5
Journal Publications 7 1.3% 6
Ranking 6 1% 7
Magazines 5 0.8% 8
News 5 0.8% 8
Informal Network 4 1.3% 9
Project 4 1.3% 9
Accomplishments 3 0.5% 10
Training 3 0.5% 10
Alumni 3 0.5% 10
Seminars 3 0.5% 10
Advertising 3 0.5% 10
Interviews 2 0.3% 11
Events 2 0.3% 11
Announcements 2 0.3% 11
Forums 1 0.2% 12
Presentations 1 0.2% 12
Lectures 1 0.2% 12
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Circulars 1 0.2% 12
Conferences 1 0.2% 12
Digital 1 0.2% 12
Newsletters 1 0.2% 12
Workshops 1 0.2% 12
The highest frequency word in media, followed by websites, social networking, mails etc.
The ranking shows the respondents choice of external communication channels which
dominated the internal communication.
Table VI: Table showing analysis of transcribed response of brand knowledge
Complexity factor (Lexical Density) : 38.5%
Readability (Gunning-Fog Index) : (6-easy 20-hard) 8.1
The lexical density of 38.5% indicates that the unique words used in response are less. The
response was more of one word, close-ended answer.
Table VII: Results showing text analysis of words used in brand knowledge
Word Occurrences Frequency Rank
yes 19 6.1% 1
image 10 4.3% 2
research 6 1.9% 3
knowledge 5 1.6% 4
Mission & vision 3 1% 5
goals 3 1% 5
definitely 3 1% 5
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commitment 2 0.6% 6
certainly 2 0.6% 6
channels 1 0.3% 7
internalization 1 0.3% 7
development 1 0.3% 7
The text analysis results substantiates that the communication provides knowledge about the
brand among employees, as the word yes occupies the first position followed by research,
knowledge, vision, mission etc.
Table VIII: Table showing analysis of transcribed response of commitment and loyalty
Complexity factor (Lexical Density) : 60%
Readability (Gunning-Fog Index) : (6-easy 20-hard) 7.3
The lexical density is 60% which indicates percentage of unique words used. Though the
response was mostly close-ended, the occurrence of unique words was resulted for
identifying the brand, organization, image etc.
Table IX: Results showing text analysis of words used in commitment and loyalty
Word Occurrences Frequency Rank
yes 14 4.7% 1
image 7 2.3% 2
development 4 1.3% 3
definitely 4 1.3% 3
loyalty 4 1.3% 3
commitment 4 1.3% 3
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value 4 1.4% 4
certainly 2 0.7% 5
ownership 2 0.7% 5
research 2 0.7% 5
experiences 1 0.3% 6
salary 1 0.3% 6
increments 1 0.3% 6
award 1 0.3% 6
The word yes is ranked top based on the frequency of occurrence which was the response
to the question, Is communication about the image triggering commitment and loyalty?
The words definitely and certainly are also ranked which shows strong acceptance from
the respondents.
Table X: Table showing analysis of transcribed response of favourable outcomes
Complexity factor (Lexical Density) : 63.4%
Readability (Gunning-Fog Index) : (6-easy 20-hard) 8.9
The lexical density indicated 63.4% of unique words in the transcribed response. It indicates
a good number of unique terms that are related to the favourable outcome response.
Table XI: Results showing text analysis of words used in favourable outcomes
Word Occurrences Frequency Rank
students 14 3.3% 1
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Management 12 2.8% 2
quality 9 2.1% 3
image 7 1.7% 4
research 6 1.4% 5
knowledge 3 0.7% 6
training 3 0.7% 6
placements 3 0.7% 6
education 3 0.7% 6
attract 3 0.7% 6
corporate 2 0.5% 7
academic 2 0.5% 7
commitment 2 0.5% 7
teaching 2 0.5% 7
internalize 2 0.5% 7
industries 1 0.2% 8
consultation 1 0.2% 8
journals 1 0.2% 8
satisfaction 1 0.2% 8
The text analysis of favourable outcome response was tokenised and stemmed. Unique
keywords alone were extracted and ranked based on the frequency of occurrence. It
elucidated the favourable outcomes which benefitted students, management and corporate.
Comparing both the text analysis and response statements, the results were derived and the
model was framed.
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FINDINGS
Brand identity and Brand image
The brand identity should be strategic, reflecting a business strategy that will lead to a
sustainable advantage, while the brand image tends to be more tactical (Aaker 1996). The
strategy adopted by the higher education institution brand is sculpted by the vision and
mission of the organisation. An associate professor from a premier business school at Canada
stated that vision and mission statements determine the goals to be achieved. Elaborating the
identity component he stated,
The terms of "vision," "mission" are defined by the related committees and are declared as
the university`s goals to achieve. The achievements of faculties, departments and schools are
followed and assured that they are aligned with organisations requirements.
As the sector selected was education, the image statements were in tune with the mission and
vision which focused more on academic, education, research, recognition etc. The statements
that focused on the components of image witnessed a contrast between the faculties in India
and abroad. While questioned about the HE institutes brand image, many faculties in India
perceived the university brands prioritising education, quality and placements. They placed
research after education and quality. An Indian professor said,
It stands for quality education. I really mean it is for quality education. It is a technical
education brand which is well-recognised by the student community and the alumni. In
industry we are getting good placements.
Whilst Indian professors image on higher education recorded dominance of education over
research, faculties from abroad put forth research first. A professor from leading business
school in Singapore mailed his perception regarding his institution brand which stated,
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A top notch research stressing business school
The contributions from faculties in research are considered as a predominant factor in
building brand image in stakeholders. Its significance was enunciated from a response from a
professor in leading university in America. He stated,
We engage in various research projects which bring reputation to our institution and bags
funds for institutional development. It also helps in bringing quality students and high profile
faculty members. We publish in top notch journals and our knowledge contribution through
journals adds a lot of value.
This portrays the perception of teaching faculties in India and abroad regarding the higher
education institutions brand. The overall analysis after considering the national and
international response identified the factors associated with brand identity as vision and
mission. The image was determined on the basis of academic, research, recognition and
quality aspects of higher education institutes. The recognition component of brand image is
found to have very less occurrence, but, it is also included as a major component as its
importance in building image is proved in previous study (Bosch et al 2006). The text
analysis results also justify the selection of the above mentioned factors as determinants of
brand identity and image.
Communication methods
The internal message systems, both formal and informal, contributed both to employees
knowledge of the desired brand image and to the upholding of their psychological contracts
with their employer. The external formal message systems contributed to employees
knowledge of the desired brand image while the external informal message systems
contributed both to employees knowledge of the desired brand image and to the extent to
which the psychological contract was upheld (Miles et al 2011).
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The communication methods of foreign education institutes differed from that of Indian
institutes. The exclusive marketing and communication department in foreign institutes
handled external and internal communication process and is updated regularly. Though
Indian institutes has exclusive public relation and personnel department, its functioning on
disbursing messages is done with negligence. It was well exhibited from the response of
many Indian faculties. A senior teaching faculty from India stated,
We dont have media within the organization to communicate. Only the media outside the
organization communicates
The vital role of office of marketing and communication in institutes was explained through
mail responses from faculties of HE institutes abroad. An excerpt of their response illustrates,
We have a separate communication and marketing department in our organization. We get
regularly informed through mails and institutes website. Our accomplishments are displayed
regularly in our website. Our mission and vision are regularly conveyed to us through
meetings.
The response on internal communication showed a unanimous acceptance of teaching
faculties from India and abroad over the methods adopted by managements and respective
departments to communicate vision, mission and image. Some of the methods identified were
meetings, internal mails, websites etc. The mail response of a professor from USA stated,
There are faculty meetings every month where a specific department shares its plans,
mission, vision, etc with members of its faculty. The department also has events such as talks,
seminars, lectures, presentations, etc to present its mission and actions towards reaching
those goals. Events, announcements via email, monthly publications, etc work towards
establishing certain missions and also dictating the progress towards reaching them
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Many Indian professors response gave emphasis on external source of communication and
grapevine communication in internalising the desired brand image.
Internally we have a lot of informal groups. Though formally we get lots of information, we
have an image which is largely provided by the informal groups of different kinds of people.
So that is how we are getting information. Largely it is informal. During Heads meeting and
deans meeting, we are coming and many things are discussed and we become aware that
these things are happening.
Another faculty stated,
Communication through media and social network adds image. We gain knowledge about
brand through passed out students also. By means of conducting workshops, seminars,
newsletters, by offering training programs to the employees boost their brand image.
The communication through external and internal sources builds brand image in the minds of
the employees.
Brand knowledge
Just as customers having knowledge of the brand is considered to be the driving force of
organisational benefits, as manifested in brand equity, employees having knowledge of the
brand is also to considered to be significant in deriving significant benefits for the
organisation (King and Grace 2007). The communication methods intended to seed the
desired brand image in the minds of employees creates knowledge about the brand. The
responses from the faculties invariably supported this link between communication and
knowledge. Faculties gave an unrivalled yes for receiving knowledge through
communication. A teaching facultys response highlighted such bond between brand
knowledge and communication.
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Yes certainly. It helps me in acquiring knowledge about the brand. It provides information about
institutes development. We try to be at par with such development. The communication about the
development makes us to compete to catch that growth level
The relation between the communication methods and brand knowledge is strengthened by
the text analysis results which show the highest frequency of the term yes. It was given as
an answer when questioned about the brand knowledge.
Brand commitment
When staff have a clear understanding of brand values, they are more likely to be
intellectually and emotionally engaged with the brand (Thomson et al 1999). As internal
branding strives for a shared understanding of brand values across the organisation, recent
studies have found it has a positive influence on employees brand commitment (Punjaisri
and Wilson, 2007; Punjaisri et al 2008). This exploratory study endorses the link between
knowledge and commitment. The responses of faculties from various countries asserted it.
When questioned about the communications impact on commitment, a facultys response
was,
Yes, yes, certainly. The way I used to approach things has certainly changed. The way I
deliver things has changed. This brand makes such change. It drives commitment and
loyalty
The text analysis result supports the association between the knowledge and commitment by
ranking the terms yes and definitely in top positions.
While answering to question on commitment, an Indian professor stated,
Surely, now where I am is because of this organisation. I even feel the ownership on it.
Though we get many opportunities outside, we feel comfortable here. This gives the sense of
ownership. We are attached to it. Attrition rate is less here.
This response brought the psychological ownership factor to limelight in this study. This
psychological ownership is also supported by literatures. Brand psychological ownership
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positively affects brand citizenship behaviours, which reveal employees with brand
psychological ownership can have altruistic brand spirit and then display brand citizenship
behaviours that may strengthen brand values (Chang et al 2012).
Favourable outcomes
The internalising part which consisted of getting knowledge about the brand, being
committed to it and feeling the sense of ownership results in the major desired outcome
which is brand promise delivery. It in turn positions the desired image of the HE institutions
brand in the minds of the customers, i.e. students, corporate and other allied stakeholders.
The beneficiaries are management, students, corporate and in turn employees too. A response
from a faculty elucidates it.
There are lots of benefits. The image will enhance. We will be able to have a better tie up
with industrial institute. Students will get benefit in terms of quality. Organization will be
benefitted because they will get good quality students, good research projects High profile
faculties.
Based on the results of response and text analysis, the process of internalising the desired
brand image is modelled. The conceptual model of employee branding in higher education is
portrayed below.
Figure 1: Employee branding model in higher education
Desired
Brand
Image
Academic
Research
Recognition
Quality
Brand
Identity
Mission
Vision
Values
Source of
Messages
Externalcommunication
Internal
communication
Favourable
Outcomes:
Management
Employees
Students
Brand
Knowledge
Brand
commitment
Brand
psychological
ownership
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CONCLUSION
The analysis of content of in-depth interviews and e-mails has paved the way for construction
of employee branding model in higher education sector. This model represents the methods
of internalising the desired brand image in the minds of employees and examines the
favourable outcomes of it. The identification of the service brand through its vision, mission
and values leads to the image creation in the employees minds. Such desired image is
formed through internal and external communication channels and methods. This forms the
knowledge about the brand. It creates commitment and ownership feeling which induces
employees to deliver the brand promise with spirit and enthusiasm.
This study is carried in higher education institutions in India, USA, Singapore and Canada.
As this is of exploratory in nature, the chosen sample becomes quantitatively small in
representing population. It must also be empirically tested to know the accurate quantified
relationship between the constructs. Various moderating variables that influence the
relationship between the constructs, as identified by prevailing literatures, must also be
included in future research.
The future research can be proceeded with empirical validation of constructs. This study
throws light on the internalising practices in education sector, which encourages researchers
and academicians to analyse and implement it.
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