Universitätsbibliothek
Weimar Open Access

Jonas Steffl

• Business development and brand management are core functions of a business that fuel corporate growth and drive value for consumers, for companies, and for society. Integrating the two business areas promises synergistic added value that goes beyond their individual impact spectrums. While academic research has collectively advanced our understanding of brand management, research in businessBusiness development and brand management are core functions of a business that fuel corporate growth and drive value for consumers, for companies, and for society. Integrating the two business areas promises synergistic added value that goes beyond their individual impact spectrums. While academic research has collectively advanced our understanding of brand management, research in business development is relatively underrepresented. As a management concept that is of great importance in the corporate world today, the relevance of business development cannot be denied in academia. Moreover, the interrelationship between business development and brand management has been widely neglected. Both business fields benefit from each other, suggesting an exigency for a deeper integration between the two. Towards that goal, this dissertation presents a comprehensive overview of the reciprocal relationship of business development and brand management that further stretches the academic knowledge space. Throughout the doctoral thesis, the author structures this interrelationship, enhances theory for both business areas and their integration, suggests managerial implications and identifies future research directions that require scholarly attention. The doctoral thesis aims to align business development and brand management theory and practice with the realities of the business world. In three research papers, this thesis develops an analysis of the reciprocal relationship of business development and brand management. For this purpose, a variety of methods ranging from a systematic literature review and qualitative work to empirical research employing structural equation modeling and experimental studies are applied. Theoretically, business development, innovation management, brand management and sustainability inform the frame of this work. Finally, this research project aims at contributing to (sustainable) business and brand growth.…