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The purpose of this study is to develop and test a comprehensive model for the outcomes of internal brand management (IBM), linking it to brand citizenship behavior (BCB) and intention to stay (IS) through job satisfaction (JS) and brand commitment (BC).

A comprehensive literature review is undertaken to develop the proposed model. The sample consists of three separate cases, a financial services firm, a multinational telecommunications company, both based in South Africa, and a regional grocery chain operating in the USA. Useable samples of 154, 96 and 241 were achieved for the three cases, respectively. In all cases, the majority of the respondents were customer contact employees.

The structural models showed some surprising results, the major one being that brand proselytization is not a component of BCB. Despite using the same instrument, the levers that drive IBM were different in each of the three cases and different from previous studies.

The results of this research indicate that IBM and BCB are contextual. This implies that a universal instrument to measure these constructs has yet to be developed, representing an interesting avenue for future research.

Regarding employees as internal customers and including them in various marketing initiatives and brand-orientated human resource practices (recruitment, induction and training) are key to a successful IBM program.

A comprehensive model for the outcomes of IBM was developed and tested, linking it to BCB and IS through JS and BC. It is the first time that research has been conducted with customer contact employees only.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding of the philosophy adopted by organizations in making the decision to outsource contact centers or not.

A phenomenological study was used to develop an understanding of industry participants’ experience of the outsourcing of contact centers in South Africa. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted. Content analysis identified key thoughts and common themes. This was used to develop a model for outsourcing.

Evidence was found to support three propositions developed from the literature regarding the reasons for and the unintended consequences of outsourcing. A model was developed to illustrate how costs can be reduced by outsourcing under different conditions of “headcount constraints” and “failure costs” of customer relationship management.

The study was conducted in a single emerging market. Future research should confirm the validity of this model in other markets.

Outsourcing contact centers can lead to a loss of control over CRM and internal brand management. This can be avoided by paying considerable attention to the governance of the contract. There are two key messages for managers: to resist the short-term attraction of potential cost savings and marketing must play an active role in the outsourcing decision.

New knowledge is provided about the philosophy adopted by organizations when outsourcing contact centers. A model is presented to guide managers in the outsourcing decision-making process.

This article presents a content analysis of Marketing Intelligence & Planning (MIP) for the period 1990‐2010. The aim was to identify key trends in the evolution of MIP.

Four areas were addressed, including an analysis of the nature of authorship, identification and ranking of the most prolific authors, recognition of the most influential articles based on number of citations, and an exploration of the research themes within the published articles. During the 21 years a total of 952 papers appeared in the journal and out of these, 856 were research articles and thereby included in the content analysis. A coding protocol was developed, covering author demographics, citations and research themes.

Findings show a trend going from single‐authored articles towards increased collaboration both within and across countries, and across institutions. The 24 most productive authors counted for 20.2 per cent of the analysed articles, and most of them were from the UK. The 856 articles included in the analysis received 9.368 citations. The five most prevalent research topics during the 21‐year period as a whole were: marketing strategy, consumer behaviour, research measurement and metrics, global/export marketing, and customer relationship management. Differences with respect to the research topics were found over the time period.

This analysis identifies key trends in the evolution of MIP. To date there has been no historical analysis of the journal and this analysis provides useful information for the MIP editorial team as well as other researchers and authors.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which internal brand management (IBM), a subset of internal marketing, impacts on the three dimensions of job satisfaction ( JS), brand commitment (BC) and intention to stay (IS).

A financial services company in Southern Africa was selected using convenience sampling. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify the dimensions of IBM, BC, JS and IS. Partial least squares path modeling was used to test the model and the hypotheses. The Mann-Whitney test was used to identify any statistically significant differences between frontline staff and management/support staff.

The EFA of the components of IBM did not yield the three expected dimensions. For service staff, IBM significantly contributes to JS, BC and IS. Internal brand communication is the most important contributor to IBM.

In common with others, this research uses a limited sample size in a specific geographic location. The results may differ if replicated in other geographies or organizations.

Executives and managers of financial service firms are advised to drive focussed IBM practices rather than waiting for it to become the passive consequence of human resource management.

Given the paucity of research into the practical application of IBM, the purpose of this research is to explore the impact of IBM on frontline employees in the financial services industry.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Internal brand management was a major contributor to job satisfaction, brand commitment and intention to stay for service staff at a Southern African financial services company. While brand identity and external brand communication play important roles in creating sound internal brand management, internal brand communication is the most important contributor.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The primary purpose of this research is to conceptualise and validate the comprehensive framework for effectively measuring and managing employee-based brand equity (EBBE) benefits. The study endeavours to integrate professional and socio-emotional facets of employees' into the proposed model, lending it a more holistic approach.

The study focusses on the banking sector in Kosovo, employing structural equation modelling to analyse data from a sample of 325 employees.

Both professional and socio-emotional perspectives significantly influenced brand knowledge, positively impacting EBBE benefits such as employee satisfaction, retention and positive word of mouth (WOM). These findings provide empirical support for the theoretical assumptions concerning the role of professional and socio-emotional perspectives in building EBBE.

Theoretically, this research could bridge marketing and organisational behaviour theories by highlighting employees' role in building brand equity. Moreover, it might expand the social identity theory within an organisational context, emphasising employees' identification with the brand as a crucial element.

The study offers practical implications for the banking industry and similar contexts, suggesting robust internal marketing strategies prioritising professional development and socio-emotional connectivity. Theoretically, this research could bridge marketing and organisational behaviour theories by highlighting employees' role in building brand equity. Moreover, it might expand the social identity theory within an organisational context, emphasising employees' identification with the brand as a crucial element.

The paper presents an original contribution to the field of brand equity research by proposing and validating a novel framework for EBBE that uniquely integrates both professional and socio-emotional dimensions of employees' experiences. This approach is particularly innovative within the context of the banking sector, offering new empirical insights.

This paper aims to measure exposures to airborne contaminants during three-dimensional (3-D) printing and post-processing tasks in an industrial workplace.

Contaminant concentrations were assessed using real-time particle number (0.007 to 1 µm) and total volatile organic compound (TVOC) monitors and thermal desorption tubes during various tasks at a manufacturing facility using fused deposition modeling (FDM^TM) 3-D printers. Personal exposures were measured for two workers using nanoparticle respiratory deposition samplers for metals and passive badges for specific VOCs.

Opening industrial-scale FDM^TM 3-D printer doors after printing, removing desktop FDM^TM 3-D printer covers during printing, acetone vapor polishing (AVP) and chloroform vapor polishing (CVP) tasks all resulted in transient increases in levels of submicrometer-scale particles and/or organic vapors, a portion of which enter the workers’ breathing zone, resulting in exposure. Personal exposure to quantifiable levels of metals in particles <300 nm were 0.02 mg/m³ for aluminum, chromium, copper, iron and titanium during FDM^TM printing. Personal exposures were 0.38 to 6.47 mg/m³ for acetone during AVP and 0.18 mg/m³ for chloroform during CVP.

Characterization of tasks provided insights on factors that influenced contaminant levels, and in turn exposures to various particles, metals < 300 nm and organic vapors. These concentration and exposure factors data are useful for identifying tasks and work processes to consider for implementation of new or improved control technologies to mitigate exposures in manufacturing facilities using FDM^TM 3-D printers.