Enhancing Employee Brand Relationships in Higher Education: The Moderating Role of Job Autonomy in Internal Brand Management
Meningkatkan Hubungan Jenama Pekerja dalam Pendidikan Tinggi: Peranan Moderasi Autonomi Kerja dalam Pengurusan Jenama Dalaman

Faculty of Economics and Management
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43000 Bangi, Selangor, MALAYSIA.

hsharizal@ukm.edu.my

Faculty of Business and Management UCSI University, Sarawak Campus
93450 Kuching, Sarawak, MALAYSIA.

uroojahmed@ucsiuniversity.edu.my

Abstract

This study investigates how internal brand management (IBM) practices shape Employee Brand Relationship Quality (EBRQ) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and whether job autonomy strengthens these relationships. Drawing upon Social Exchange Theory and Self-Determination Theory, the study tests the effects of communication, training, and leadership on EBRQ, with job autonomy as a moderator. Data were gathered from 372 employees in public and private HEIs in Pakistan and analysed using PLS-SEM. The results demonstrate that training and leadership significantly enhance EBRQ, whereas communication does not exert a significant direct effect. However, job autonomy strengthens the effects of communication, training, and leadership on EBRQ, confirming its role as an important contextual enabler. The findings indicate that IBM is most effective when employees are empowered through capability-building, value-driven leadership, and sufficient discretion to enact institutional brand values authentically. The study contributes to internal branding literature by showing the differentiated effects of IBM mechanisms and by positioning job autonomy as a boundary condition in employee–brand relationship formation. Practically, HEIs should move beyond communication-focused branding and adopt autonomy-supportive, development-oriented strategies to strengthen internal brand alignment and support SDG 4 and SDG 8.

 

Keywords

employee brand relationship quality; higher education institutions; Internal brand management; job autonomy; PLS-SEM
https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2026-76-10

Citation

Hashim, S., & Ahmed, U. (2026). Enhancing Employee Brand Relationships in Higher Education: The Moderating Role of Job Autonomy in Internal Brand Management. Jurnal Pengurusan, 76, 149–163. https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2026-76-10

@article{hashim2026enhancing,
  title={Enhancing Employee Brand Relationships in Higher Education: The Moderating Role of Job Autonomy in Internal Brand Management},
  author={Hashim, Sharizal and Ahmed, Urooj},
  journal={Jurnal Pengurusan},
 

volume={76},
  number={},
  pages={149—163},
  year={2026},
  doi={https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2026-76-10},
  publisher={Penerbit UKM},
}

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76 (2026) 149 – 163

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