Positive reputation – a factor of success – using the example of German food retail companies

Abstract

The positive impact of a well organised reputation management has been sufficiently discussed in literature. It strikes that the majority of the studies is limited to the positive impact on major enterprises. It was found, that in particular, medium-sized companies with flat hierarchy structures are eligible to generate a positive impact and higher added value. In times of globalisation and growing competitive pressure, it is especially these market participants, who will exploit every possible means to hold their grounds. In this context, customer loyalty and qualified personnel play a decisive role. Hence, this theory not only analyses the positive impact on the shareholder value in detail but also the origin and development of reputation. In the following, the benefit of positive corporate reputation for the entire German food retail enterprise as well as for the stakeholder groups 'customers' and 'employees' will be explained.