Citation

Mohamed Ayub, Mohamed Shafiq (2026) Mediating role of corporate identity management in the relationship between internal branding, internal crisis communication, and employee brand performance in the Malaysian automative industry. PhD thesis, Multimedia University.

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Abstract

Managers in Malaysian automotive firms engage in fragmented internal branding, corporate identity management and internal communication, especially during crises. This misalignment weakens employee brand identification and behaviour, limiting consistency of brand delivery, crisis resilience, and long term brand equity, and there is limited evidence on identity based mechanisms in industrial settings. Besides that, this study identified several research gaps related to this topic, including empirical, knowledge, theoretical, practical knowledge, evidence-based, methodological, and population gaps that it aimed to narrow. Given these issues and gaps, this study aimed to investigate the relationships among internal branding, internal crisis communication, and employee brand performance in the Malaysian automotive industry, focusing on the mediating role of corporate identity management. Using a positivist research paradigm, this study adopted a quantitative design and used an online survey questionnaire as the primary data collection method. This study distributed the survey questionnaire to Malaysian automotive employees and collected 455 valid responses. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLSSEM), this study first confirmed that all measurement scales demonstrated high reliability and validity, with strong indicator loadings, internal consistency, and satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity. This suggested the constructs were well suited for structural analysis. Structural model analysis showed that all hypothesised paths were positive and significant. Internal branding also strongly influenced corporate identity management, confirming its contribution to organisational identity development. Both internal branding and internal crisis communication significantly influenced employee brand performance, with internal crisis communication showing a relatively stronger direct impact, particularly during periods of uncertainty or crisis. Mediation analysis showed that corporate identity management partially mediated the effects of internal branding and internal crisis communication on employee brand performance. Corporate identity management had a stronger mediating effect on internal branding, underscoring its profound role in identity formation. The predictive relevance (Q²) results indicate good model adequacy, and fit indices and universal collinearity diagnostics suggest that the model is stable and adequate. Overall, this study highlighted internal branding, internal crisis communication, and corporate identity management as critical drivers of improved employee brand performance and organisational effectiveness. This study is believed to have contributed not only to the body of knowledge in Malaysia's automotive industry but also to Social Exchange Theory and Internal Brand Theory.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Additional Information:	Call No.: HD59 .M64 2026
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Corporations—Public relations
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28-70 Management. Industrial Management > HD59-59.6 Public relations. Industrial publicity
Divisions:	Faculty of Applied Communication (FAC)
Depositing User:	Ms Nurul Iqtiani Ahmad
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2026 04:30
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2026 04:30
URII:	http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/id/eprint/16923

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