Examining Effects of Internal Branding on Hospitality Student Interns’ Brand-Supportive Behaviors: The Role of Value Congruence

ABSTRACT

With the importance of hospitality internships being universally recognized, this study examines the salient impact of internal branding on hospitality student interns’ brand-supportive behaviors through the mediation of value congruence. This study reveals that internal branding has direct positive effects on all three brand-supportive behaviors (hospitality interns’ brand service performance, intention to work for the brand after graduation, and positive word of mouth) and indirect effects through value congruence on the two outcome variables (intention to work for the brand after graduation and positive word of mouth). This study contributes to the literature by enhancing researchers’ understanding of the influence of internal branding on a brand and assists hospitality practitioners with marketing and human resource management practices associated with student interns.

KEYWORDS:

• Brand-supportive behavior
• hospitality internship
• internal branding
• value congruence