Hoofdstuk 9 in 'Lessen uit crises en mini-crises 2012' van Duin, van M., Wijkhuijs, V. en Jong, W. (red.) (p. 139-149). In de nacht van dinsdag op woensdag 18 juli 2012 brandt het gemeentehuis van Waalre (gelegen in de buurt van Eindhoven) volledig uit na een opzettelijke brandstichting. Rond drie uur ’s nachts rijden twee personenauto’s in op het gebouw en vliegen vervolgens in brand. De vlammen slaan in korte tijd uit het dak. De brandweer, die snel ter plaatse is, schaalt op naar zeer grote brand. Rond negen uur ’s ochtends kan het sein brand meester worden gegeven. Het tachtig jaar oude, architectuurhistorische monument gaat echter geheel in vlammen op. Een grote rookwolk drijft over Waalre en omgeving. Vrijwel onmiddellijk is duidelijk dat opzet in het spel is. Er wordt een groot onderzoek gestart en 40 rechercheurs worden op de zaak gezet. Wat betreft de motieven en achtergronden van de brandstichting worden alle opties opengelaten. Het huis van de burgemeester wordt uit voorzorg bewaakt.
This paper aims to show how current insights on place branding are used to organize “green” entrepreneurship in the Dutch Utrechtse Heuvelrug region. The role of place is explored in establishing a differentiated meaning for green entrepreneurship and providing an inspirational source for innovations, resulting in a green economic value proposition designed and communicated through branding. Design/methodology/approach: From the literature, different perspectives on the role and function of the place were derived, which lead to the choice of an identity-based entrepreneurial brand. To define the regional identity, qualitative and quantitative research were conducted. In addition, co-creation sessions were organized to further develop the brand. Findings: Taking place branding as the starting point, a framework has been developed, introducing the regional identity as an open space, linking locally based sub-brands to enhance power. To deliver economical and social value in an area with no leading business to sustainability and well-developed business skills, cluster development has been introduced as a way to create new economic activity and sustainable impact. Practical implications: The strategy of separating stakeholders and position them as locally based brands enables place planners and marketers to manage place brand complexity, which generally delays the process, often limiting place branding to “logos and slogans”. Originality/value: This paper provides a case study, which offers new perspectives on the issue of managing complexity, which is inevitable in organizing a place brand.
LINK
Positioning is hot. Not only in the realm of consumer goods manufacturers, but also for other companies, institutions, governments and even individual persons. An explosion of good quality products on the market and targeted media and advertising campaigns has led to an increasing interest from organizations as to how to strategically position their brand. Up to now, only a few books on positioning were published. Positioning the Brand picks up the gauntlet with an approach based on two fundamental choices: Firstly, the book was written from the perspective of the brand manager, and has therefore been shaped as a practical roadmap. Secondly, this book advocates a new stance on positioning, teaching the reader to look from the inside-out, instead of adopting the usual outside-in methodology. This inside-out approach departs from an analysis of the corporate identity, enabling better fulfilment of external positioning, and ensuring internal support. This book is intended for (future) managers, marketing professionals and communication professionals responsible for the commercial success and reputation of a brand. The contents have a practical set-up, reinforced by engaging examples, and enable the reader to individually complete a positioning process.
LINK
The project is a field study for several diverse hotel chains, including individual properties operated under the Marriott brand, Postillion Hotels. Each brand has unique values, missions, and visions. Therefore, this integration will lead to the development of company-specific sustainability strategies and processes. The study will use the model of levers of control to provide such tailor-made solutions and determine if a generic approach can be developed to match a corporate sustainability strategy with a corporate strategy and develop a supporting management control system for operationalizing the sustainability strategy. Research question: How can a hotel brand formulate and implement a sustainability strategy with a supporting management control system that not only complies with the new CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) legislation but also emphasizes the creation of substantial value in financial and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) aspects, based on double materiality, in line with the organization's corporate values and beliefs? Objective The aim is to develop a validated method, including tools, that hotels can use to create a sustainability strategy in line with the CSRD guidelines. This strategy should create value for the organization, the environment, and society, while aligning with the hotel's values and beliefs. Merely being compliant with the CSRD is not enough for hotels. Instead, they should view the implementation of the CSRD as an opportunity to stand out in terms of sustainability. By creating value in areas such as environment, safety, and governance, or through the six capitals (financial, manufactured, intellectual, human, social and relationship, and natural) that align with the UN-SDGs, and explicitly taking both an inside-out and an outside in perspective (double materiality), hotels can significantly enhance their sustainability reputation.
Ondanks het feit dat er al een decennium lang een professionaliseringslag gaande is in de culturele sector - hetgeen onder andere leidde tot een governance code - verscheen er in 2019 een brandbrief waarin wordt gepleit voor de dringende noodzaak tot professionalisering van het strategische en financiële risicobeleid van podiumkunsten. Bij de gesprekken over de implementatie van de code bleek dat kennis over vormen van standaardisatie over financieel en strategisch beleid ontbreken. De zakelijk leiders geven aan dat zij niet beschikken over de kennis en de instrumenten om zowel het strategische als het financiële risicomanagement effectief te kunnen uitvoeren. Dit onderzoek stapt in deze lacune. Het doel is zakelijk leiders van podiumkunstinstellingen een instrumentarium te bieden dat hen in staat stelt strategische en financiële risico’s van hun organisatie te identificeren, te beheersen en bespreekbaar te maken in hun eigen organisatie. Het instrumentarium dient de zakelijk leiders tevens te helpen een balans te zoeken tussen enerzijds hun strategische en financiële risico’s en anderzijds hun artistieke en maatschappelijke risico’s. Het instrumentarium koppelt de iteratieve werkpraktijk van zakelijk leiders aan lange termijnbeleid. Daarvoor hebben we de volgende onderzoeksvraag geformuleerd: ‘Hoe kunnen zakelijk leiders binnen de podiumkunstinstellingen in de cultuursector hun risicomanagement in het licht van organisatiecontinuïteit professionaliseren, zodat de balans tussen hun financiële en strategische risico’s enerzijds en hun artistieke en maatschappelijke risico’s anderzijds gewaarborgd blijft. We maken dit instrumentarium samen met zakelijk leiders en andere stakeholders, omdat we juist hun kennis van de praktijk willen verzamelen en gebruiken voor de ontwikkeling van het instrumentarium. De resultaten van dit onderzoek maken de invoering van professioneel en gestandaardiseerd risicomanagement door zakelijk leiders werkzaam binnen de podiumkunsten mogelijk. Het instrumentarium zorgt ervoor dat bestuur, financiers en creatieve professionals weten binnen welke financiële en continuïteitsrisico’s de organisatie de artistieke en maatschappelijke doelstelling(en) waarmaakt.
Despite Dutch Hospitality industry’s significant economic value, employers struggle to attract and retain early career professionals at a time when tourism is forecasted to grow exponentially (Ruël, 2018). Universally, hospitality management graduates are shunning hospitality careers preferring other career paths; stimulating the Dutch Hospitality to find innovative ways of attracting and retaining early career professionals. Following calls from the Human Resource Management (HRM) community (Ehnert, 2009), we attribute this trend to personnel being depicted as rentable resources, driving profit’’ often at personal expense. For example, hotels primarily employ immigrants and students for a minimum wage suppressing salaries of local talent (Kusluvan, et al 2010, O’Relly and Pfeffer, 2010). Similarly, flattening organizational structures have eliminated management positions, placing responsibility on inexperienced shoulders, with vacancies commonly filled by pressured employees accepting unpaid overtime jeopardizing their work life balance (Davidson, et al 2010,). These HRM practices fuel attrition by exposing early career professionals to burnout (Baum et al, 2016, Goh et al, 2015, Deery and Jog, 2009). Collectively this has eroded the industry’s employer brand, now characterized by unsocial working hours, poor compensation, limited career opportunities, low professional standing, high turnover and substance abuse (Mooney et al, 2016, Gehrels and de Looij, 2011). In contrast, Sustainable HRM “enables an organizational goal achievement while simultaneously reproducing the human resource base over a long-lasting calendar time (Ehnert, 2009, p. 74).” Hence, to overcome this barrier we suggest embracing the ROC framework (Prins et al, 2014), which (R)espects internal stakeholders, embraces an (O)pen HRM approach while ensuring (C)ontinuity of economic and societal sustainability which could overcome this barrier. Accordingly, we will employ field research, narrative discourse, survey analysis and quarterly workshops with industry partners, employees, union representatives, hotel school students to develop sustainable HRM practices attracting and retaining career professionals to pursue Dutch hospitality careers.
