The relationship between employment brand perceptions and employer and employee brand perceptions : an exploratory case study

M.A.Abstract: The purpose of this study was to present a valid, theoretical framework to describe and understand the relationship between the brand concepts employment, employer and employee brand and other branding concepts such as corporate brand and reputation, in order to reveal the brand value of these concepts for the organisation. A review of available literature pointed to a lack of clarity in the distinction and understanding of the relationship between employment brand and its’ components – employer and employee brands. This lack of clarity and distinction extended to related branding concepts namely corporate brand and corporate reputation. No theoretical framework had been developed in the literature which had the ability to depict and describe the relationships between employment, employer and employee brand within an organisational context. It was surmised that such a theoretical framework would have the potential to reveal the interdependent relationships which influence employment, employer and employee brand. It could also reveal the subsequent relationship of these branding concepts within, and in relation to the brand value of these concepts for an organisation. The formulation of a sound, valid theoretical framework was achieved through a multi-step research approach which included an extensive literature review and a case study analysis of an organisation in the financial services industry. The dimensions of the systems based theoretical framework constructed from the literature review were measured quantitatively by means of a survey to determine internal validity and reliability, and then qualitatively, by means of semi-structured interviews to ensure trustworthiness of the results. The quantitative and qualitative results revealed that the majority of the theoretical framework dimensions were valid and that the theoretical framework was sound. The objective of depicting, describing and defining the relationships between employment, employer and employee brand and related brand..