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Despite the fact that many organizations must manage frequently multiple paradoxes in their operations, extant paradox studies have under-researched the phenomenon of a knotted paradox that emerges when actors navigate in conditions of contradicting demands, which stem from several paradoxes simultaneously. In this study, we explore the knotted paradox of coopetition for sustainability, a process in which competitors cooperate to address sustainability challenges, and examine the interplay between its intensity, balance, and outcome. The findings of a quantitative study conducted among organizational actors in the housing sector demonstrate that coopetition intensity has a significant yet complex impact on sustainability outcomes. In the relationship characterized by an inverted U-shaped curve, an increase in coopetition intensity and balance leads to an increase in sustainability outcomes, but only until a specific limit, after which sustainability outcomes decrease with further intensification of coopetition. The findings indicate that coopetition balance and sustainability balance do not have a significant relationship. The study provides insights for managers on how coopetition in different conditions can contribute to corporate sustainability. The study demonstrates that coopetition and sustainability can be knotted successfully, although the intensity of competing demands and the balance between them need to be cautiously managed.

Contemporary corporate branding embraces the principles of conscientious brand management, which highlight the engagement of multiple stakeholders in the co-creation of a corporate brand with a transformative purpose. The chapter explores how conscientious corporate brands can be co-created inside-out through values-driven branding. The chapter provides insights about the opportunities and challenges related to establishing a conscientious organization and to implementing values-driven branding. The chapter explains how organizations can commit to internal branding with a conscience and build a conscientious corporate brand inside-out. The chapter introduces a novel categorization of corporate brands based on a conscience, which includes (1) a spiritual corporate brand, (2) a hypocritical corporate brand, (3) a toxic corporate brand, and (4) a destructive corporate brand. The chapter provides an illustrative practical case demonstrating how an organization can make a long-term commitment to building continuously its conscientious brand inside-out by engaging, inspiring, and empowering employees. The chapter calls for the increased efforts by practitioners and researchers that are needed for building conscientious corporate brands, which have the potential to increase the common good and to contribute to a sustainable future.

Challenged by demanding contextual conditions, public sector organizations struggle to succeed in internal branding. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of value congruence in internal communication and positive organizational practices on employees’ brand perceptions. The study examines the impact of PSM on these variables. The results of a survey demonstrate the importance of value congruence and positive organizational practices for facilitating employees’ brand identification, brand pride, and brand commitment. The findings show that PSM directly impacts employees’ opinions about value congruence and positive organizational practices, and indirectly influences their affective responses to the organizational brand.

The majority of studies on internal brand equity examine its various dimensions and relationships between them. While prior research specifies organizational practices relevant for successful internal branding, the insights about the impact of essential organizational factors on internal brand equity are still limited. This study focuses on organizational resilience that is vital for the existence of organizations not only during a crisis, but also during everyday operations. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of organizational resilience on internal brand equity considering the effects triggered by self-service technology (SST) in retailing. Since retailing had been significantly transformed by technological innovations over the past decade, we explore the effects of employees’ perceptions about performance of SST. The results of a survey conducted among retail employees in Sweden demonstrate that organizational resilience and employees’ perceptions about technological innovations are critical for enhancing internal brand equity, which includes brand orientation, internal brand knowledge, internal brand involvement, and internal brand commitment.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of human capital and relational trust on business-to-business (B2B) brand equity.

Design/methodology/approach: Data collection was conducted among the clients of one of the Big Four auditing firms in Sweden. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized effects.

Findings: The results demonstrate positive effects of human capital and relational trust on the core dimensions of brand equity. In the context of the professional services, human capital was found to have a stronger direct impact than relational trust on brand associations, perceived quality and brand loyalty.

Practical implications: The study provides practical recommendations for marketing managers on how to consider the nature of B2B brand equity and its determinants in developing successful branding strategies. The findings indicate that although relational trust has a positive impact on brand equity, it draws on the clients’ positive perceptions of the service providers’ human capital. Thus, investments that generate positive perceptions of a service provider’s human capital will strengthen its competitive position. Leading to the creation of relational trust and having a strong impact on the dimensions of brand equity, human capital is a strategic asset that needs careful management.

Originality/value: The study advances extant knowledge on B2B brand equity by examining contextual conditions and factors that are critical for building strong brands in industrial markets. The study demonstrates that clients’ perceptions about the knowledge, skills and abilities of service providers are more important than relational trust for enhancing B2B brand equity.

The increased interest of public organizations in using corporate branding principles creates a need to understand how to implement such principles effectively. Although previous research investigates challenges related to branding in this context, the findings provide contradictory evidence and opposing recommendations. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review of literature on branding in the public sector and to explore directions for future research. The results demonstrate that owing to the distinct differences between the private and public sectors, there is a need to adapt branding principles to meet the sector-specific challenges faced by public organizations. However, the extent of the required changes needs further research. This literature review presents a number of potential directions for future studies, which focus on diverse topics related to the internal and external aspects that are crucial to the successful branding of public organizations.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of individual and organizational resilience on perceptions of employees about the performance of self-service technologies (SSTs) and determinants of employee-based brand equity in a retailing context. The data was collected by distributing an online survey among employees of grocery stores and chains in Sweden, who were members of a panel of one large marketing research organization. The data was analyzed by using structural equation modeling. The findings advance research on internal branding by demonstrating the relevance of considering individual and organizational resilience, as well as perceptions of employees about technological innovations, such as SSTs, in the development and implementation of internal branding strategies. The study contributes to research and managerial practice by adopting an employee perspective and examining the impact of employees’ perceptions about technological innovations and resilience, which are found to be critical for enhancing employee-based brand equity.