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Abstract:
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The objective of this Master thesis is to analyze the utility of corporate branding in connection
with public organizations in general and for the organization CSU Egedammen in particular.
The motivation for this work is the following. In connection with the structural reform in 2007, the
authority and financial responsibility for the organization CSU Egedammen (Center of Special
Education) were transferred to the municipality of Hillerød. In this process, the organization
became rate funded and its public services started to face a strong competition from other similar
institutions at market terms. This transformation required a change of attitude with increased
focus on effective operation and economic rationality, and it called for an optimization of the
quality and efficiency of the offered services in order to attract customers from a variety of
municipalities. Hence we want to study if corporate branding could be a possible management
tool in trying to be successful in this new competitive environment.
In this work, we investigate and discuss how the concept of corporate branding, with an offset in
market oriented logics, can be developed and implemented within a public organization in
general, and how it can be used as an effective tool by the management of CSU Egedammen in
particular. In this connection we address important concepts such as actor networks, storytelling,
quality descriptions, mind sharing brands, trust, and protreptic coaching.
Our analysis reveals that branding in public institutions can evolve by the introduction of marketlike
competitive conditions. However, in this process it is also very important to account for the
special properties and values of the individual organization such as its identity, culture, image and
vision. Successful branding is therefore not only a question about marketing strategy and how to
sell the public services in the most efficient way.
It is also a question about applying management of meaning through branding to external
stakeholders about the values of the organization, and to direct and relay on the organizational
members to do what is best for the organization.
In this way, corporate branding can be developed into an effective tool for value management,
which promotes the organization and attracts the potential customers, clients and pupils. On the basis of this work, we conclude that corporate branding can be successfully extended to
the public sector, and provide an effective tool for the management of public organizations
provided they are in a competitive environment. |
