Internal Branding Model Design Islamic Azad University of Isfahan Branch (Khorasgan)

Subject Areas :

Homan Amir Ahmadi ¹ , Mehrdad Sadeghi de cheshmeh ^{2 *} , Siamak Korang Beheshti ³

1 - Doctoral student of Cultural Management and Planning, Faculty of Islamic Governance, Isfahan Islamic Azad University (Khorasgan), Isfahan, Iran
2 - Assistant Professor of Management Department, Isfahan Branch (Khorasgan), Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
3 - Assistant Professor of Management Department, Isfahan Branch (Khorasgan), Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

Received: 2023-06-10 Accepted : 2023-10-12 Published : 2024-05-02

Keywords: Brand, Internal Branding, Cultural Approach, Azad University of Khorasgan.,

Abstract :

Research Objective:The aim of this study is to identify the factors influencing internal branding, with an emphasis on the cultural approach of Azad University of Khorasgan.

Research Methodology: The research is qualitative in nature (Grounded Theory) and is applied in terms of its purpose. Interviews were used to collect data. The external validity and qualitative reliability of the data have been calculated and confirmed. The research population consists of experts and faculty members from Azad University of Khorasgan. Initially, the number of participants was 9, which later expanded to 12 participants until data saturation was reached. Through interviews and using open and axial coding, categories and concepts were extracted, resulting in 80 open codes and 28 axial categories.

Findings: As derived from the interview texts, several key points are crucial for internal branding at the university: internal branding aims to increase employee commitment to the organization; however, this can only be achieved if senior management supports human resource management activities and employees. The greater the support, the higher the employee commitment and the stronger the internal brand. Additionally, human resource managers were aware of all human resource management processes such as recruitment, retention, performance evaluation, training, development, health and safety, communication, suggestion systems, etc. Their major challenge was the failure to implement these processes due to various reasons, including destructive organizational cultures, lack of support from senior managers, disregard for the human resources unit, and human resources issues.

Originality/Scientific Value:This study, utilizing the Grounded Theory approach and emphasizing the cultural context of a specific university, accurately identifies the factors influencing internal branding, which has been less explored in the research literature in a localized and context-specific manner for universities. Therefore, the findings can serve as a basis for designing practical strategies to enhance the internal brand of Iranian universities, especially in similar cultural settings.

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