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Outi Katariina Juusola
- Associate Professor
- Ext: 6823
Dr. Katariina Juusola is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing at Ajman University. She holds a Ph.D. and an M.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration from Finland. Her research focuses on nation branding and interdisciplinary studies on management education, internationalization of higher education, and education policy. Dr. Juusola's work has been published in leading international academic journals in the fields of management and marketing, including Academy of Management Learning & Education, Organization, Journal of Management Inquiry, and International Marketing Review. Her research has also garnered attention in the Financial Times, as well as being featured in press releases by the Academy of Management and Times Higher Education, highlighting its impact beyond academia. Dr. Juusola's research has earned prestigious international awards, including “Outstanding Article of the Year 2014” in Academy of Management Learning and Education and “Best Critical Management Learning and Education Paper” by the Academy of Management's Critical Management Studies Division in 2016.
Education
- Doctor of Science in Economics and Business Administration, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, 2015.
- Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration, University of Oulu, Finland, 2011.
- Bachelor of Business Administration, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Finland, 2007.
Doctor of Science in Economics and Business Administration, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, 2015.
Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration, University of Oulu, Finland, 2011.
Bachelor of Business Administration, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Finland, 2007.
Experience
- Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing, Ajman University, UAE, August 2020 - present.
- Assistant Professor, Faculty of International Management, Modul University Dubai, 2018 - 2020.
- Assistant Professor, The Faculty of Business and Law, The British University in Dubai, UAE, 2016 - 2018.
- Visiting Faculty, College of Business & Economics, UAE, 2014 - 2016.
Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing, Ajman University, UAE, August 2020 - present.
Assistant Professor, Faculty of International Management, Modul University Dubai, 2018 - 2020.
Assistant Professor, The Faculty of Business and Law, The British University in Dubai, UAE, 2016 - 2018.
Visiting Faculty, College of Business & Economics, UAE, 2014 - 2016.
Teaching Area
- Marketing
Marketing
Research
- Nation Branding
- Business Schools and Management Education
- Internationalization of Higher Education and Educational Policy
Nation Branding
Business Schools and Management Education
Internationalization of Higher Education and Educational Policy
Publications
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JournalLahrech, A., Juusola, K. & AlAnsaari, M., Toward more rigorous country brand assessments: The Modified Country Brand Strength Index, International Marketing Review, Vol: 37, pp.319 - 344, Apr 2020, doi: 10.1108/IMR-06-2019-0152
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JournalJuusola, K. & Alajoutsijarvi, K., Revisiting Dubai’s business school mania, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Vol: 18, pp.484 - 492, Oct 2019, doi: 10.5465/amle.2018.0287
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JournalSiltaoja, M., Juusola, K. & Kivijarvi, M., ‘World-class’ fantasies: A neocolonial analysis of international branch campuses, Organization, Vol: 26, pp.75 - 97, Nov -0001, doi: 10.1177/1350508418775836
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JournalJuusola, K. & Rensimer, L., Transnational degree program franchising and the challenge of commercial franchisees, International Journal of Educational Management, Vol: 32, pp.257 - 269, Nov -0001, doi: 10.1108/IJEM-02-2017-0048
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JournalKleber, D. & Juusola, K. , Open innovation—An explorative study on value co-creation tools for nation branding and building a competitive identity, Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, Vol: 7, pp.206 - 206, Oct 2021, doi: 10.3390/joitmc7040206
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JournalJuusola, K., Coping with managerialism: Academics’ responses to conflicting institutional logics in business schools, International Journal of Management in Education, Vol: 17, pp.89 - 107, Dec 2022, doi: 10.1504/IJMIE.2023.127783
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JournalJuusola, K., & Srouji, R., Challenges associated with sustainability accounting and reporting practices: a legitimacy perspective., International Journal of Law and Management, Vol: 65, pp.64 - 87, Feb 2023, doi: 10.1108/IJLMA-06-2022-0113
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JournalJuusola, K., Enhancing teaching and learning through the co-creative learning community approach, Educational Action Research, Vol: 31, pp.102 - 117, Jan 2023, doi: doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2023.2166090
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JournalLahrech, A., Aldabbas H. & Juusola, K., Determining the predictive importance of the core dimensions of nation brands, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol: 32, pp.1207 - 1219, Jun 2023, doi: 10.1108/JPBM-10-2022-4183
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JournalJuusola, K., Boakye, K., Blankson, C. & Cao, G, A comparative examination of the motivating factors underpinning consumers’ loyalty toward credit card usage in the United States and France, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol: 41, pp.1743 - 1768, Aug 2023, doi: 10.1108/IJBM-11-2022-0482
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JournalJuusola, K., Wilkins, S. & Jamous, S., Branding discourses in transnational higher education in the era of hypercompetition: leveraging secondary brand associations, Compare, Vol: Not available, pp.1 - 18, Dec 2023, doi: 10.1080/03057925.2023.2292533
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JournalJuusola, K., & Lahrech, A, Modeling transitions in nation brand equity: An empirical assessment of the nation equity power grid, Australian Journal of Management, Vol: 49, pp.249 - 271, Nov 2022, doi: 10.1177/03128962221135496
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JournalJuusola, K., Kleber, D. & Popat, A., Transformative social marketing and social innovation for sustainable development through participatory design with economically marginalized users, Journal of Social Marketing, Vol: 14, pp.210 - 227, Apr 2024, doi: 10.1108/JSOCM-05-2023-0106
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JournalJuusola, K., Venkitachalam, K, Kleber, D. & Popat, A, Knowledge sharing in open social innovation for sustainable development: evidence from rural social enterprises, Journal of Strategy and Management, Vol: Not available, pp.Not available - Not available, Apr 2024, doi: 10.1108/JSMA-12-2023-0322
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JournalJuusola, K., Lahrech, A. & AlDabbas, H. , Exploring the relationship between innovation efficiency and nation brand strength: a panel study, Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Vol: Not available, pp.Not available - Not available, Nov 2024, doi: 10.1007/s13132-024-02427-5
Lahrech, A., Juusola, K. & AlAnsaari, M., Toward more rigorous country brand assessments: The Modified Country Brand Strength Index, International Marketing Review, Vol: 37, pp.319 - 344, Apr 2020, doi: 10.1108/IMR-06-2019-0152
Purpose – This study focuses on country branding indices. The main purpose of this study is to build an objective country brand strength index using secondary data. The new index, the Modified Country Brand Strength Index (MCBSI), builds on Fetscherin’s (2010) Country Brand Strength Index (CBSI) but uses more rigorous methods and design to create a complementary index to be used together with the survey-based Anholt–GfK Nation Brands Index (NBI). The MCBSI also utilized human development, which is an important dimension of country brands not captured by CBSI. Design/methodology/approach – The MCBSI addresses three significant limitations of the CBSI by using an alternative methodology in constructing the index: specifically, it uses weights for the dimensions, longitudinal data, and relative values by dividing each factor by its cross-country maximum. Findings – Our index ranks 131 countries based on the strength of their country brand.Astronger correlation was found between the MCBSI and NBI than between the CBSI and NBI. Practical implications – Our contribution has strong implications for both policymakers and academic researchers as it provides a tool for assessing the strength of country brands through accurate but less costly data compared to primary data collected by consultancies for country brand strength indices. The MCBSI informs country brand managers regarding how well their country brand performs across a range of critical dimensions, including export, tourism, foreign direct investments, immigration, government environment and human development. Originality/value – This study contributes to the emerging academic literature on country brand indices. Currently, there is a lack of objective measurement instruments for assessing country brands. The MCBSI is designed for this purpose to complement the NBI by measuring country brands with objective secondary data. Viewed together, the NBI and our index overcome the obvious shortcomings inherent in each method by providing objective, factual data on country brand equity while providing insight into how people socially construct and evaluate nation brands. Keywords Nation brand, Country brand, Brand index Paper type Research paper
About the journal
Juusola, K. & Alajoutsijarvi, K., Revisiting Dubai’s business school mania, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Vol: 18, pp.484 - 492, Oct 2019, doi: 10.5465/amle.2018.0287
We continue the ongoing dialogue in AMLE on business school hubs and addresses from Rogmans (2019, this issue) by evaluating the applicability of Dunning’s OLI advantages—Ownership (O), Location (L), Internalization (I)—in explaining Dubai’s emergence as a global education hub. Because business schools typically possess few transferable Ownership-advantages, Dunning’s OLI advantages theory appears simplistic and decontextualized when applied to the global business school field. This commentary contributes to existing research on business school hubs by providing some guiding points for future discussions seeking to develop a better understanding of international branch campuses.
About the journal
Siltaoja, M., Juusola, K. & Kivijarvi, M., ‘World-class’ fantasies: A neocolonial analysis of international branch campuses, Organization, Vol: 26, pp.75 - 97, Nov -0001, doi: 10.1177/1350508418775836
In this article, we build on postcolonial studies and discourse analytical research exploring how the ‘world-class’ discourse as an ideology and a fantasy structures neocolonial relations in international branch campuses. We empirically examine how international branch campuses reproduce the fantasy of being so-called world-class operators and how the onsite faculty members identify with or resist this world-class fantasy through mimicry. Our research material originates from fieldwork conducted in business-school international branch campuses operating in the United Arab Emirates. Our findings show the ambivalent nature of mimicry towards the world-class fantasy to include both compliance and resistance. Our contributions are addressed to postcolonial management studies by discussing the ambivalent nature of mimicry in international branch campuses and the significance of grandiose constructions in organizations for neocolonial relations.
About the journal
Juusola, K. & Rensimer, L., Transnational degree program franchising and the challenge of commercial franchisees, International Journal of Educational Management, Vol: 32, pp.257 - 269, Nov -0001, doi: 10.1108/IJEM-02-2017-0048
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the interrelationship of branding practices and legitimacy-building of commercial degree program franchising within transnational higher education (TNHE). It aims to understand how commercial franchisees’ branding practices employ discursive and symbolic strategies for building legitimacy, and how these practices impact both organizational development and stakeholder perception. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study uses document and visual content analysis, supported by discourse analysis, as the methods in analyzing commercial franchisees’ branding practices of their franchised programs. The sample of the study consists of five commercial franchisees offering primarily Western MBA programs in the United Arab Emirates. The data were obtained through franchisees’ websites, marketing materials, student prospectuses, visiting campuses and their marketing events, and through interviews with franchise managers. Findings The findings of this study indicate that growing a sustainable brand for a commercial franchisee requires successful building of its legitimacy in the host country. Legitimacy in such arrangement however involves two paradoxes: the “self-promoter’s paradox” where the franchisees often engage in legitimacy-building practices that decrease their legitimacy, and the “legitimacy-borrowing paradox” that happens when the commercial franchisee initially borrows its legitimacy from the franchised program, but simultaneously this borrowing of legitimacy prevents it from becoming a fully legitimate higher education institution. Originality/value This study contributes to the research on management of TNHE by exploring the branding practices of franchised programs, which so far has been a neglected area in research. Furthermore, interconnections of legitimacy-building and branding practices are underrepresented within the broader higher education research.
About the journal
Kleber, D. & Juusola, K. , Open innovation—An explorative study on value co-creation tools for nation branding and building a competitive identity, Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, Vol: 7, pp.206 - 206, Oct 2021, doi: 10.3390/joitmc7040206
Nation branding has gained increasing popularity among marketeers, academics, and practitioners during recent decades. However, awareness among multidisciplinary researchers has been raised in the recent past. The purposes of this conceptual study were to address the lack of research on the process of building a competitive identity for nation brands and to suggest the use of open innovation-based approaches, such as value co-creation, as new potential tools for such purposes. This study identifies, discusses, and evaluates two scientific models, the PERFA Framework and the Four Actions Framework, which were originally developed to increase value propositions in organizations, and applies them as suitable tools for nation branding in building a competitive identity. The authors argue that applying open innovation-based value co-creation frameworks will create a solid basis for competitive nation branding, as the method engages multiple stakeholders.
About the journal
Juusola, K., Coping with managerialism: Academics’ responses to conflicting institutional logics in business schools, International Journal of Management in Education, Vol: 17, pp.89 - 107, Dec 2022, doi: 10.1504/IJMIE.2023.127783
This article discusses the implications of conflicting institutional logics guiding business schools and builds a conceptual model on how such conflicts manifest in academics' identity work. Four coping strategies for conflicting institutional logics by Pache and Santos (2010) known as compromise, avoidance, defiance and manipulation are discussed in how academics have developed coping strategies to manage their identities. Various coupling strategies are identified as part of academics' identity work mechanisms in how they simultaneously accommodate and resist some of the practices and goals of conflicting institutional logics. Along with this process, academics are found not only to engage with traditional coupling processes (decoupling and selective coupling) but also with two new types of couplings, mental decoupling and manifest decoupling, which are used for developing and maintaining a dual identity to manage the conflicting demands of institutional logics.
About the journal
Juusola, K., & Srouji, R., Challenges associated with sustainability accounting and reporting practices: a legitimacy perspective., International Journal of Law and Management, Vol: 65, pp.64 - 87, Feb 2023, doi: 10.1108/IJLMA-06-2022-0113
Purpose The purpose of this study was to use legitimacy theory to discuss three important aspects of sustainability accounting and reporting practices: the historical building of legitimacy for such practices, how organizations have adhered to them when building organizational legitimacy in a new legitimacy context (the Middle East and North Africa [MENA] region) and how sustainability professionals assess the legitimacy of them in this context. Design/methodology/approach The study applied an exploratory qualitative design and a paradigm-type approach to organizational discourse analysis. It used a document analysis and eight expert interviews as data sources. Findings The findings revealed that sustainability accounting and reporting face considerable challenges in the MENA region. Four discourses on organizational sustainability in the region were identified, namely, the normative/pragmatic, compliance, restrictive and performative discourses. Practical implications Awareness of the challenges and mechanics of sustainability accounting and reporting practices is important for managers, policymakers and consumers, who typically lack in-depth understanding of such practices and so would benefit from being better able to assess companies’ sustainability performance. The four identified discourses facilitate stakeholders’ understanding of sustainability practices in the MENA region. Originality/value The legitimacy of sustainability accounting and reporting has not previously been comprehensively investigated in non-Western contexts. This study discusses three important aspects of legitimacy: legitimacy of an object, legitimacy of a subject and legitimacy from an evaluator’s perspective. In doing so, it identifies the paradoxical nature of organizations’ attempts to comply with sustainability reporting practices.
About the journal
Juusola, K., Enhancing teaching and learning through the co-creative learning community approach, Educational Action Research, Vol: 31, pp.102 - 117, Jan 2023, doi: doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2023.2166090
This study is positioned at the crossroads of pedagogical action learning and action research, as it addresses the challenges in designing and implementing action-learning approaches in the Middle East. In particular, it focuses on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and draws from a reflective analysis of a university – industry ‘business challenge’ collaboration. This resulted in the development of the co-creative learning community (CCLC) approach in which students, instructor, academic peers, and business practitioners can engage in co-creative, collective learning. The CCLC model was found to be an effective, learner-centric approach that can improve student engagement while addressing complex learning goals, as it requires active collaboration and knowledge exchange between the learning community participants. The CCLC model developed in this study will benefit university faculty in the Middle East who aim to incorporate action learning in their classrooms to facilitate the learning of a more complex set of skills, as expected from 21st-century higher education institutions.
About the journal
Lahrech, A., Aldabbas H. & Juusola, K., Determining the predictive importance of the core dimensions of nation brands, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol: 32, pp.1207 - 1219, Jun 2023, doi: 10.1108/JPBM-10-2022-4183
Purpose Informed by the resource-based and resource-advantage theories, this study, a comparative study, aims to examine the core dimensions of nation brands – culture, tourism, exports, foreign direct investment, migration and governance – from the company-based brand equity perspective in a sample of 48 countries clustered into three groups (strong, moderate and weak nation brands) from 2011 to 2019 to identify the most critical predictors of nation brand strength in each cluster. Design/methodology/approach A clustering technique was applied to the modified Country Brand Index to cluster the included countries into strong, moderate and weak nation brands. The authors were then able to analyze each cluster in an effort to explore the relative importance of the predictor variables and determine if that importance varied across the clusters. Findings This approach revealed novel findings of great importance to policymakers and academics. The results indicate the resources that contribute the most to nation brand equity in each cluster. Such information can guide policymakers in effectively leveraging these strategic resources. First, the cultural dimension was a more critical predictor concerning countries with moderate and weak nation brands than countries with strong brands. Second, tourism exhibited the highest predictive importance concerning all the clusters. For academics, these findings help foster a better understanding of the determinants of nation brand strength, as aligned with the resource-based and resource-advantage theories. Originality/value The findings of this study contribute to the literature concerning nation brand management, particularly the stream related to nation brand equity monetization.
About the journal
Juusola, K., Boakye, K., Blankson, C. & Cao, G, A comparative examination of the motivating factors underpinning consumers’ loyalty toward credit card usage in the United States and France, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol: 41, pp.1743 - 1768, Aug 2023, doi: 10.1108/IJBM-11-2022-0482
Purpose This study aims to develop and validate a cross-national framework to identify the motivation underpinning consumers' (i.e. the general public's) loyalty toward credit card usage. The following research questions guided the study: (1) What factors motivate consumers to stay loyal to their credit card? (2) Does the investment model (regarding satisfaction and investment size) mediate the relationship between factors motivating consumers to stay loyal to their credit card? Design/methodology/approach This study employs the investment model theory (Rusbult, 1980) as a theoretical framework and uses structural equation modeling to develop and validate a cross-national framework, addressing factors that motivate consumers to stay loyal to credit card brands. In addition, the authors test the mediating effect of the investment model on the relationship. Survey data were collected from the United States and France. Findings The findings revealed four factors (incentives, customer service, investment size and satisfaction) that impact consumer credit card loyalty behavior in the two mature credit card markets. The authors find empirical support for two of four hypotheses. That is, investment size mediates the relationship between incentives and consumer loyalty, and satisfaction mediates the relationship between customer service and consumer loyalty. Moreover, unlike the French sample, the American sample produced a significant finding for investment size to mediate the relationship between customer service and consumer loyalty. Originality/value This paper validates and extends the investment model theory in the marketing of credit cards within a cross-national setting. Most studies on credit card consumption focus on the college student segment, and there is less understanding of the motivation to stay loyal to using a credit card from the general public who are not necessarily college students. Given the scarce stream of empirical studies dealing with cross-national consumer motivation, choice criteria of credit cards, and loyalty toward credit cards, this research comes at an opportune moment as credit card firms differentiate their card brands in the global marketplace. Further, a dataset originating from two mature Western economies has been put forward for the benefit of practitioners and researchers.
About the journal
Juusola, K., Wilkins, S. & Jamous, S., Branding discourses in transnational higher education in the era of hypercompetition: leveraging secondary brand associations, Compare, Vol: Not available, pp.1 - 18, Dec 2023, doi: 10.1080/03057925.2023.2292533
Transnational higher education (TNHE) providers are a notable part of many domestic higher education systems. Historically, TNHE providers benefitted from the perceived value proposition of offering ‘something different’ or ‘something superior’ compared to local institutions, but nowadays the domestic provision of higher education poses a more significant threat for the TNHE providers. A particular challenger type of institution is the local, foreign-affiliated (branded) university, which represents a rather unexplored type of TNHE. This research compares international branch campuses and local, foreign-affiliated universities in different TNHE contexts, to identify how the institutions leverage secondary brand associations in branding. The study identified four shared branding discourses (grandiosity, third space, place brand, and boundary-spanning) and the common underlying secondary brand associations used in each branding rhetoric. The findings strengthen our understanding of the importance of authentic branding in the era of hypercompetition for the future of TNHE development.
About the journal
Juusola, K., & Lahrech, A, Modeling transitions in nation brand equity: An empirical assessment of the nation equity power grid, Australian Journal of Management, Vol: 49, pp.249 - 271, Nov 2022, doi: 10.1177/03128962221135496
The purpose of this study is to assess longitudinal nation brand performance by modeling transitions in nation brand equity and to develop a method for nation brand performance assessment. This study has two objectives: (1) to empirically test Steenkamp’s nation equity power grid conceptual framework; its categories (dominant, receding, niche, emerging, and weak nation brands), and their expected development trajectories, and (2) to identify new types of nation brands and development patterns to complement the framework. To do this, this study used objective secondary data and applied the smooth transition technique. We assessed 41 countries’ nation brand performance over the 1995–2017 period to understand the development of their nation brand equity. Particular attention was paid to countries that had significantly improved their performance and countries that had lost their brand strength. Our findings support the categories proposed by Steenkamp, but we provide a more nuanced approach to analyzing countries’ brand strength and the possible development trajectories, and introduce new categories of nation brands called volatile nation brands and booming nation brands. Our approach to using the nonlinear smooth transition demonstrated how countries’ brand strength evolved over time, and also detected the speed of any transitions; in other words, how fast nation brands moved from one level to another. Our findings benefit country brand managers, enabling them to better determine their country’s positioning and the necessary means to improve brand equity. Understanding the mechanisms behind transitions in brand equity can also help researchers link these transitions back to various economic, social, cultural, and political transitions that have occurred in nations. Our method therefore has powerful explanatory value for a wide range of marketing, economics, and other social science studies.
About the journal
Juusola, K., Kleber, D. & Popat, A., Transformative social marketing and social innovation for sustainable development through participatory design with economically marginalized users, Journal of Social Marketing, Vol: 14, pp.210 - 227, Apr 2024, doi: 10.1108/JSOCM-05-2023-0106
Purpose The study is positioned at the crossroads of transformative social marketing and social innovation literature through the lens of participatory design (PD). This exploratory study aims to explore how social enterprises in India engage economically marginalized people in transformative social marketing and innovation for sustainable development through PD. Design/methodology/approach The study includes a case study with a matched pairs analysis approach. The data analysis reports three themes depicting the role of PD in different stages of the social innovation process (codiscovery, codesign and scaling-up), the challenges faced in the process and the outcomes of the PD process. Findings The authors propose that social enterprises can act as sustainable development catalysts for more inclusive sustainable development through their proactive and creative uses of PD. Still, PD also has limitations for addressing the challenges stemming from marginalized contexts, which requires effective social marketing strategies to overcome. Originality/value The study contributes to the emerging dialogue on PD with marginalized users and widens the scope of studies on transformative social marketing and innovation. The findings also provide practical insights for PD practitioners on how designers can learn from diverse PD practices in the context of economically marginalized people.
About the journal
Juusola, K., Venkitachalam, K, Kleber, D. & Popat, A, Knowledge sharing in open social innovation for sustainable development: evidence from rural social enterprises, Journal of Strategy and Management, Vol: Not available, pp.Not available - Not available, Apr 2024, doi: 10.1108/JSMA-12-2023-0322
Purpose This study aims to explore the use of knowledge sharing (KS) in delivering open social innovation (OSI) solutions for sustainable development in the context of economically marginalized, rural societies in India. Design/methodology/approach The study is guided by an exploratory, qualitative approach using an embedded case study design with four social enterprises. The study approaches the use of KS in three stages of OSI: (1) the stages of ideating and prototyping, (2) the initial stages of experimenting and business development and (3) the more current and future-oriented stages of organizations’ strategies for expanding market opportunities for maximizing impact. Findings The first stage used KS for collaborative efforts among diverse stakeholders to recognize the needs of marginalized people and ideate suitable ecological solutions. The social enterprises acted as orchestrators in this stage. The second stage involved a more dynamic role of KS in the refinement of social enterprises’ market offerings, generating additional innovations and value propositions, which diversified the scope of the social enterprises. This was facilitated by enterprises’ ability to be open systems, which change and evolve through OSI processes and KS. In the third stage, social enterprises’ use of KS was shifted towards future business development by expanding market opportunities with solutions that tackle complex societal and ecological problems, thereby contributing to sustainable development goals. Originality/value The present study contributes to studies on OSI, focusing on sustainable development and the role played by social enterprises operating in rural, economically marginalized areas, which have been an understudied phenomenon in the open innovation literature.
About the journal
Juusola, K., Lahrech, A. & AlDabbas, H. , Exploring the relationship between innovation efficiency and nation brand strength: a panel study, Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Vol: Not available, pp.Not available - Not available, Nov 2024, doi: 10.1007/s13132-024-02427-5
This study examines the economic dimensions of knowledge and innovation by investigating the connection between innovation efficiency and nation brand strength— two critical factors in the economic development of knowledge economies. Although the link between innovation efficiency and nation brand strength has not yet been scientifically validated, prior research on innovation efficiency has identified relevant sub-factors, such as innovation inputs and outputs, which can be applied to assess nation brand performance. The study seeks to answer two key questions: Is there a direct or indirect relationship between nation brand strength and these innovation sub-factors? And if so, is this relationship affected by a country’s average income level (measured by GDP per capita)? The findings indicate that GDP per capita impacts both the direct relationship between innovation outputs and nation brand strength and the indirect relationship between innovation inputs and nation brand strength, mediated by innovation outputs. Moreover, GDP per capita has a stronger effect on nation brand strength in low- and medium-income countries than in high-income ones. Understanding these relationships can help policymakers refine their nation brand management strategies by focusing on improving innovation inputs, outputs, or both. These insights advance the theory and practice of national innovation systems and innovation efficiency, as well as contribute to the research on nation branding by analyzing the long-term relationship between innovation sub-factors and nation brand strength across 49 countries from 2011 to 2019.
About the journal
Conference Presentation
- Exploring CSR Initiatives and Stakeholder Discourse in International Branch Campuses: A Stakeholder and Institutional Perspective.
Exploring CSR Initiatives and Stakeholder Discourse in International Branch Campuses: A Stakeholder and Institutional Perspective.
Memberships, Awards and Honors
- Best Critical Management Learning & Education Paper, 2016, Academy of Management Conference, Critical Management Studies Division.
- Award for Best Publisher, 2014, Department of Marketing, Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics.
- Outstanding Article of the Year, 2014, in Academy of Management Learning & Education.
- Journal of Management History Award for Best International Paper, 2013.