Unpacking Nordic branding: the value regimes of Nordicness

Purpose This paper aims to develop place branding theory toward the accommodation of a multifaceted understanding of value and value negotiation by Nordic branding actors by way of answering the following question: How is Nordicness appropriated by Nordic branding actors and what value regimes are drawn on in the process? Design/methodology/approach Using field data from a selection of branding actors and sectors in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, a qualitative analysis of Nordic branding performances is used to unpack the negotiations of valuation of worth. Findings The analysis identified three principle orders of worth behind Nordicness (civic, green and inspired) that are negotiated through compromises between orders of industry and domestic and by contesting the orders of fame and market. The findings indicate how Nordicness is performed as principle worths and tensions and how these are rendered meaningful as propositions of “value as difference” as they are performed in practice by brand actors. Originality/value Several studies focus on how place branding “adds value;” however, few studies have been aimed at unpacking how a “value universe” is negotiated as a more complex understanding of worth or “value.” This study thus opens up for branding heterogeneity, which signifies awareness of competing notions and orders of worth among small- and medium-sized enterprises and other central stakeholders; this could further inspire interdisciplinary, value-based research into the potential contingencies of (product) branding and place branding in other contexts and regions.

Discursive Strategy of the Relationship Between Islam and Democracy on Room for Debate Rubric of nytimes.com

Different perspectives on the compatibility between Islam and Democracy are still problematic and have been widely discussed on the international media, especially after the Arab Spring. This study aimed to reveal the changes in social beliefs about the relationship between Islam and democracy within the discourse on Room for Debate rubric, nytimes.com. The data were the written text (verbal) comprising the introductory segment from the editor, the opinion segment comprising 6 articles, and the public comment segment. The method used in this study was the qualitative method. This study employed Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (2013) to reveal the discursive strategy of the writers in negotiating the democratic and Islamic values, to investigate the production, distribution, and consumption of the text, and to identify the social context which causes the discourse of the relationship between Islam and Democracy to appear. The finding showed that there were some democratic values negotiated within the discourse that showed changes in social beliefs about the relationship between Islam and democracy in the modern view. The value negotiation showed the alignment of the writers towards the progressive Muslim actors who supported the modern democratic government system.