Varumärkesorienteringens strategiska betydelse i icke-vinstdrivande organisationer ´En explorativ studie

Abstract: Background A brand oriented company is recognized by its regard of strong brands and the ability to build strong brands as strategic resources. For a long time, companies in the private sector have had a monopoly on brand focused activities and research in this area has often been targeted to this specific sector. Another category of organizations has recently discovered the perks of building strong brands; the non-profit sector. The effects of a brand oriented mindset in these organizations are yet to be conclusively determined. Purpose The main purpose of this study is expressed with the following main question How does brand orientation affect non-profit organizations? From the main purpose the following subsidiary purposes are derived Develop a robust theoretical framework to act as an explanatory model for brand orientation in non-profit organizations. Create a qualitative assessment tool to analyze success in non-profit business network organizations. Evaluate possible strategic routes and give recommendations to the case organizations based on their current strategic orientation and ambitions for the future. Critically evaluate wether the produced and modified theoretical framework and the assesment tool is applicable on other non-profit organizations and make suggestions for modofications and improvements. Delimitations This report is limited to the study of non-profit business network organizations defined by the following criteria Membership revenues comprise the majority of the financial turnover. The organization offers services to its members. Apart from membership services the organizations offer consultancy services to non-member corporations. Method This study is qualitative and the result from five different case organizations (four interviews and a six month observation) has been filtered through an extensive theoretical framework constructed by a literature review, an expert interview and an observation of a non-profit business network organization. Conclusions Through our research we've created a qualitative measurement tool for the analysis of success in non-profit business network organizations (NLOs). The tool is named Framgångsmodellen (the model of success) and contains three direct, mission fulfilling dimensions (service, business relations and advocacy) and two indirect, supporting dimensions (efficiency and capacity). This result has been set against the strategic orientations of the case organizations to determine the following trends When reviewing the direct dimensions of success it is noticeable that the suitability of prioritizing business relations decreases with the degree of brand orientation. On the other hand a distinguishable increase in the suitability for service and advocacy was identified in the brand oriented organizations. The indirect dimensions of success efficiency and capacity are improved with a higher degree of brand orientation • Brand orientation is considerably more complex than market orientation and demands large resources and internal competences for successful implementation. The trends were summarized and illustrated in a conclusive model Orienteringsresan (the journey of orientations), which can be utilized to map possible strategic routes for NLOs in regards to their strategic orientation.