Research Companion to Language and Country Branding brings together entirely new interdisciplinary research conducted by scholars working on various sociolinguistic, semiotic, anthropological and discursive analytical aspects of country branding all over the world. Branding is a process of identity construction, whereby countries gain visibility and put themselves on the world map as distinctive entities by drawing on their history, culture, economy, society, geography, and their people. Through branding, countries aim not only at establishing their uniqueness but also, and perhaps most importantly, at attracting tourism, investments, high quality human capital, as well as at forging financial, military, political and social alliances. Against this backdrop, this volume explores how countries and regions imagine and portray others and themselves in terms of gender, ethnicity, and diversity today as well as the past. In this respect, the book examines how branding differs from other, related policies and practices, such as nation building, banal nationalism, and populism. This volume is an essential reference for students, researchers, and practitioners with an interest in country, nation, and place branding processes.

A review of the literature shows that there is much room for growth on nation brand research. For example, contemporary empirical research on national character is limited in that the research tends to incorporate human personality traits to define the brand or character of countries. Since the research tradition in national character roots itself in the early to mid-20th century around the same time that human personality research is beginning to flourish, there is no surprise for the influence of using human personality traits to describe nations. Unfortunately, a nation brand is more complex than what can be explained by human personality traits. Another example of limitations in the literature are the many case studies of branding nations that do not provide sufficient empirical methods to analyze the nation brands. Contributing to this problem is the lack of consistent usage of a standard term to refer to the concept of a nation brand.

How do non-state actors matter in international relations? This volume recognizes three types of non-state actor: non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and transnational corporations. It illustrates how they play roles alongside nation-states and are interrelated in matters of international regulation and coordination. After an introductory part on current qualitative and quantitative sources, this comprehensive collection of state-of-the-art essays is comprised of four main thematic parts: Part II examines actors other than governments, such as transnational religious actors, business representatives and experts, and also parliamentarians and agencies set up by IGOs. Part III studies the perceptions and understandings in political philosophy, international law and international relations theory. It questions concepts used (civil society, NGO, governance) and covers the limitations to be kept in mind. Part IV analyses the nature and impact of non-state actors. Chapters discuss processes within international bureaucracies (diplomacy, dynamism, bureaucratic power, contribution to democracy) and the quintessence of deliberation and decision making within NGOs and IGOs and of implementation, accountability and dispute settlement. Part V studies specific worlds of non-state actors: humanitarian aid, human rights, security, the North-South divide, health, trade and environment. Accessible and articulately written, The Ashgate Research Companion to Non-State Actors is aimed at a wide readership of scholars and practitioners in international relations.

This book provides an explanation of nation branding theory and practice within the European context, exploring how countries build and manage their reputations globally. Each chapter focuses on a specific European country, selected from a cross-section of large, medium-sized and small countries to provide a breadth of cases from across the continent. The chapters are written from a wide range of academic and practitioner perspectives. Nation Branding in Europe is valuable supplementary reading for advanced undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students interested in nation branding and will appeal to students from marketing, communications, and international relations disciplines. Outside of academia, the book will be of interest to those working in the areas of public diplomacy and strategic communications, as well as public relations and branding practitioners involved in designing nation branding campaigns.

Usually, a country brand is not focused, resulting in unsuccessful place branding. It is possible to successfully raise your national identity to the level of an attractive brand. Building a country brand is an investment, with strong positive returns. This book will guide you along the path to building a successful brand.

Essentials of Marketing Research takes an applied approach to the fundamentals of marketing research by providing examples from the business world of marketing research and showing students how to apply marketing research results. This text focuses on understanding and interpreting marketing research studies. Focusing on the 'how-to' and 'so what' of marketing research helps students understand the value of marketing research and how they can put marketing research into practice. There is a strong emphasis on how to use marketing research to make better management decisions. The unique feature set integrates data analysis, interpretation, application, and decision-making throughout the entire text. The text opens with a discussion of the role of marketing research, along with a breakdown of the marketing research process. The text then moves into a section discussing types of marketing research, including secondary resources, qualitative research, observation research, and survey research. Newer methods (e.g. using blogs or Twitter feeds as secondary resources and using online focus groups) are discussed as extensions of traditional methods such. The third section discusses sampling procedures, measurement methods, marketing scales, and questionnaires. Finally, a section on analyzing and reporting marketing research focuses on the fundamental data analysis skills that students will use in their marketing careers. Features of this text include: - Chapter Openers describe the results of a research study that apply to the topics being presented in that chapter. These are taken from a variety of industries, with a greater emphasis on social media and the Internet. - A Global Concerns section appears in each chapter, helping prepare students to conduct market research on an international scale.This text emphasizes the presentation of research results and uses graphs, tables, and figures extensively. - A Statistics Review section emphasizes the practical interpretation and application of statistical principles being reviewed in each chapter. - Dealing with Data sections in each chapter provide students with opportunities to practice interpreting data and applying results to marketing decisions. Multiple SPSS data sets and step-by-step instructions are available on the companion site to use with this feature. - Each Chapter Summary is tied to the chapter-opening Learning Objectives. - A Continuing Case Study follows a group of students through the research process. It shows potential trade-offs, difficulties and flaws that often occur during the implementation of research project. Accompanying case questions can be used for class discussion, in-class group work, or individual assignments. - End-of-Chapter Critical Thinking Exercises are applied in nature and emphasize key chapter concepts. These can be used as assignments to test students' understanding of marketing research results and how results can be applied to decision-making. - End-of-chapter Your Research Project provides more challenging opportunities for students to apply chapter knowledge on an in-depth basis, and thus olearn by doing.

Written in a detailed and fascinating manner, this book is ideal for general readers interested in the English language.