Bilal Mustafa Khan

Human resource management: an Islamic perspective

Purpose – Organizations manipulate themselves as per the legal, political, and social values of the particular country where they operate. As a result, the operations and human resources (HRs) of business corporations are handled as the environmental fabric of that country suggests. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework describing the aspects of modern day human resource management (HRM) and HRM from Islamic perspective.Design/methodology/approach – The framework is presented in five broad categories – the message of Islam, Islam in different nations, Islam and work, Islam and managerial dimensions, and Islam and HRM practices. Secondary data have been used to gain knowledge about teachings of Islam and how they can be practiced in order to manage HR effectively. Detailed discussion has been incorporated regarding the Islamic culture and how it can be practiced in the organizations while conducting different HR activities. It has been kept in mind to maintain the originality of th...

Importance of ‘brand loyalty, brand awareness and perceived quality parameters’ in building brand equity in the Indian pharmaceutical industry

The Indian Pharmaceutical sector is highly fragmented with more than 20,000 registered units. It has expanded drastically in the last two decades. At least as many as 250 pharmaceutical companies s...

The effect of content credibility on consumer-based brand equity: the case of Indian television channels

With the entry of foreign direct investment (FDI) the media industry has proliferated and multiple brands now vie for eyeballs in the television industry. Consequently content of the channels is no longer directed by fourth estate prerogatives. This is reflected in the proclivity of the news channels in resorting to sensationalism and constant ‘breaking news’. Thus the purpose of this article is to explore the influence of credible content and packaging on consumer-based brand equity of television channels. Here credibility measures have been taken from journalism content credibility constructs, on the other hand, Aaker’s (1991) dimensions of CBBE have been used to measure the brand equity construct. The study reveals that content credibility only explains 47% of the variance in brand equity. However, there are strong correlations between the constructs.

Influence of advertising led brand personality consumer congruity on consumer’s choice: evidence from Indian apparel market

This paper aims to analyse the influence of advertising led brand personality congruity on consumers response in formulation of favourable attitude towards the apparel brands and the congruity effect on the purchase intention of consumers. It attempts at integrating the concepts of congruity, attitude towards the advertisement, attitude towards the brand and the purchase intention. Stimuli of seven fashion apparel brands with different expected personalities were evaluated by the respondents on brand personality scale of Aaker (1997). This paper presents viable propositions as managerial implications for building the brand personality. The study fills the gap in the literature about the congruence between brand and human images, and demonstrates how advertising led self-image congruity dimensions impact brand preference and purchase intention among consumers.

Operationalising Young and Rubicam's BAV™ as a consumer-based brand equity measure

This paper aims to operationalise Young and Rubicams brand asset valuator (BAV) in the form of a consumer-based brand equity measure. Brand value is conceptualised as a multidimensional construct of higher-level abstraction relative to its various dimensions consisting of brand differentiation, relevance, esteem and knowledge. This relationship is built employing higher order structured equation modelling on the data collected, and the study concludes that all four dimensions of the BAV are positively correlated and significantly loaded on to two second-order factors, namely brand strength and stature, which load on to a third factor that we term brand value.

Measuring brand equity of foreign fashion apparels in the Indian market

Globalisation, high disposable income, economic prosperity and an increasing demand for Western wear have ushered the entry of many international fashion brands in India. Every year, internationally acclaimed brands are affiliating to the Indian fashion industry, thereby providing exhaustive purchase options for the modern Indian consumer and exacerbating the market competition. This paper attempts to assess the consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) of international fashion apparels and apprehend their salience in the Indian market. Top five global fashion brands (as rated by Interbrand (2012)) were selected for this study, and a structured questionnaire was administered to over 500 respondents aged between 18 and 39 years from six Indian metropolises. Four hundred and forty eight questionnaires were found acceptable for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and path analysis. The results revealed that brand awareness and brand loyalty influence brand equity more than brand associations and perceived quality.

An Exploratory Analysis of Marketing Elements and Brand Equity in the UAE FMCG Category

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between the marketing elements, brand equity (BE) dimensions and BE construct in the UAE fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category with a view to strengthening the understanding of the relationship as postulated by Aaker (1991) and validate the scales developed to test the constructs in previous studies. Design/methodology/approach: Aaker (1991) proposed that the BE construct is built on brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality, brand associations, and other proprietary brand assets, which in turn are built by managing the elements of marketing. A priori, it is postulated that there are 10 constructs of which five are marketing elements (price, distribution intensity, advertising, price promotions, and non-price promotions) and four BE dimensions (brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality, and brand associations) and a final construct—overall brand equity. Thirty-three items were carefully selected from previous studies covering all the constructs. Data were collected from 536 respondents using major brands to stimulate answers on a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was done to identify factors and rename them to be descriptive of the factor. Scale reliability was conducted on the overall items and the individual factors and also for the individual summated scales as per the factors. Findings: The 33 items were factored into seven factors with the four marketing elements’ factors (price, distribution, advertising, and promotions price and non-price factored into one) as per the a priori assumptions. Items measuring BE and its dimensions were factored into three factors instead of the theoretical five constructs. The BE factor encompasses the BE dimensions with brand awareness with brand association (BABA) and brand image coming up as separate factors. Seven of the eight factors also showed strong scale reliability. Practical implications: This study suggests that the four marketing elements can be modeled and measured based on the items selected. BE dimensions do not factor into the assumed dimensions but the three dimensions that are factored can be renamed to be more representative and incorporated into the model. Furthermore, these items can be used to construct measurement scales for the identified constructs within the UAE and the larger Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Originality/value: This study, being the first of its kind in the UAE, contributes to the general body of knowledge on branding and marketing. The respondents covered are both Arabs and Asians, who constitute the majority of the population in the region. The sample size is large and covers gender, age groups, ethnic background, income group, and education level hence being highly representative of the actual consumers. The constructs identified and the items tested can be used for further studies and also used to construct measurement scales which can be used in practical business situations.

Finding Congruence Between Sensation Seeking, Brand Personality and Purchase Intention: An Empirical Study

Human needs give way to the engagement of consumers in different activities which provide avenues for self-expression or to experience the anticipated emotional benefits that differentiate them from others. One such category of consumers is termed as Sensation Seekers. This research study explores the phenomenon of congruence and examines the correlation between sensation, brand personality and purchase intention. The key focus of the study is the brand personality of the automobile brands in India and with the use of multistage methodology, the purchase intentions of sensation seeking is being explored. Data was analyzed statistically and the study concludes that there is no marked difference in the purchase intentions of High and Low Sensation Seeking.

Reinventing the LG brand: a manifesto for corporate brand management

The main reason for undertaking this research is to understand the process of changing and managing corporate brand at LG and to identify key reasons for its successful makeover as a global leader in digital technology. The development of the case may provide useful insight to corporations aiming to become global leaders in their field. The paper provides empirical insights about how corporate identity change is brought about during an identity makeover. It suggests corporate identity is affected by the company history, its mission, its philosophy, core values and its culture, which in turn determine the brand platform and positioning. Asian brands, except those from Japan, typically have negative associations. LGs transformation in face of such negative association and its corporate brand management practices can be a reference point for organisations aiming to acquire a trans-border orientation.