Dr. Tocquer's Research on HR Branding has been accepted by Journal of Brand Management

Research on HR branding in luxury hotel chains in Thailand by CMMU's Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gerard Tocquer and his colleague at Chiang Mai University has been accepted for publication in Journal of Brand Management, a leading international journal on brand strategy.  In general, branding has been largely considered as a marketing topic, but successful corporate branding essentially has some HR elements to it.  This research report is entitled "Employees Commitment to Brands in the Service Sector."  Certainly, CMMU HR students will be able to learn first-hand about this HR approach to branding with Dr. Gerard.  Publication of this report is just another evidence to confirm CMMU's status as a leading business school in Asia.

Authors:
NARUMON KIMPAKORN. Chiang Mai University, Thailand.
GERARD TOCQUER. College of Management, Mahidol University.

Abstract
In the past, many service brands have applied a consumer-goods approach to branding to respond to a more competitive environment. This approach emphasises the role of advertising in building a strong brand, but underestimates the role played by employees in developing the brand during their interactions with customers. More recently, the development of models that provide an understanding of the process of building a powerful service brand has emphasised the role of employees and their contribution to enhance brand equity. The role of employees in building the brand and making the brand 'come alive' is seen as essential. Employees must be committed to demonstrating the brand values (as expressed by top management) each time a customer interacts with the brand. The present research explores employees' brand commitment in the hotel industry in a highly competitive market (the 5-star hotel category in Bangkok).  Employees' brand commitment is defined as the extent to which employees experience a sense of identification and involvement with the brand values of the company they work for. The dimensions of employer brand (the organisation's image as seen through the eyes of associates and potential hires) are used as independent variables for explaining the level of employee's commitment to their company's brand.

For further information about this research please visit Journal of Brand Managemenet website here