Image as a factor for increasing the competitiveness of the company on the market. Abstract of the PhD thesis in economics.

Abstract

The actuality and importance of the problem addressed. As the economic activity of businesses becomes global, companies have the task and obligation to compete in a much more competitive environment, where issues such as the image that companies create both internally and externally become crucial. A company with an inferior image does not position itself distinctively in the market and thus cannot gain a sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors, and the lack of competitive advantage leads directly to the disappearance of the company from the market. At the present stage, competing in the market is a challenging task. In addition to the fact that a company must make a continuous effort to streamline its operations to maintain its competitiveness, it also must compete with other companies that carry out similar, and in some cases even identical, activities. Increased competition has led to a much wider range of products and services which makes it even more difficult to make a purchasing decision. Today's consumer has dozens and hundreds of similar offers, communicated through similar channels, to choose from. This speaks of an identity crisis among companies lost in the crowd, or in other words, a lack of a distinctive image to facilitate purchasing decisions. Developing strategies aimed at the sustainable development of a company's image in the market, exploiting opportunities and using the tools offered by marketing science and practice can make a crucial contribution to strengthening a distinctive image in the mind of the consumer that influences the purchasing decision, so that the company can gain and maintain sustainable competitive advantages.