China is a country that has been using sport in order to reach political goals for many years. Lately such political exploitation of sport is directed at shaping the desirable international image of this country. This is done most of all through hosting sports events, but also through sports victories. The last aspect is the subject of this research. The aim of the article is therefore to investigate the issue of utilization of performance in international sport in order to enhance international image of a China. The research presented in the article is a case study concerning sport as a tool of nation-branding. Its main objective is to analyse motivation of China’s decision-makers to use sports performance in order to enhance the country’s international perception, and to observe how this goals is executed. The main hypothesis to be tested states that China perceives sports performance as an important tool of enhancing its international image. 

An important standpoint in national branding discourse is to draw attention to the fact that the international public, as well as each individual member, has certain associations connected with the countries, its inhabitants and national products. Connotations received over the years, which are strongly related to the upbringing in social groups, give us the opportunity to establish order, hierarchy, categorization and thus easier understanding of the world. The subjective interpretation of the mentioned factors and many others defined by Simon Anholt as “one million of private convictions” create country image which can be managed by the implementation of nation branding strategy.

Artykuł stanowi krytyczny przegląd podejść teoretycznych do fenomenu brandingu narodowego. Rozważania otwiera omówienie idei przewodniej oraz podstawowych założeń, na których opiera się branding narodowy, wraz z próbą odpowiedzi na pytanie o przyczyny jego aktualnej popularności. Następnie są prezentowane dominujące podejścia teoretyczne oraz omawiane najważniejsze definicje. Celem nadrzędnym poniższego artykułu jest sprawdzenie, czy można mówić o jednej, spójnej, powszechnie akceptowanej koncepcji brandingu narodowego. Autorka artykułu konkluduje, że raczej mamy do czynienia z wieloma odmiennymi koncepcjami, które łączą wspólne elementy.

This study focuses on the effect that internationalization of higher education has on the nation branding of South Korea. To better understand the role that international students in higher education play in nation branding, research is needed on the actual experiences of international students in the country. In this study, current and former African university students’ experiences living and studying in South Korea are investigated. This study, therefore, uses the nation branding framework within the context of South Korea and the role of higher education as an image enhancement strategy geared toward global public inclusion; its focus is on the experiences of African students. In order to obtain multiple perspectives on African student experiences, a survey was conducted using a questionnaire. The empirical evidence obtained in this study demonstrates that African students’ experiences in South Korea are relevant in their perceptions of the host country. The results suggest the positive impact that the South Korean government has on improving the country’s image through encouragement of internationalization of higher education, especially among African students who come to the country for their tertiary education.

Sweden has a substantially long tradition of conducting an image policy using both public diplomacy and nation branding. The refugee crisis is a significant challenge for maintaining a strong nation brand and positive perceptions of this country, mostly owing to contradictions between the declared values of Sweden’s image and nation brand and the real steps undertaken by the government to limit refugee immigration. The aim of this article is to discover potential correlation between the refugee crisis and changes within Sweden’s image and the strategy for promoting the country abroad, as well as Sweden’s methods and forms of international communication.

Public and cultural diplomacy in European cities and states’ branding

Article “Public and cultural diplomacy in cities’ branding” is a try to set ideas of city diplomacy and idea of branding into theory of international relations. Also, analysis of two West-European and two East-European cities is a chance to analyze chances and threats that both states and cities can encounter during a process of brand building. The main questions that article is answering are “Can cities use their resources and connections to make public and cultural diplomacy?” and “What influence on that process has factor of being a city in post-soviet country or former Soviet Satellite state?” It can be said that cities are able to brand and rebrand itself and they are more flexible than states that cannot run away from some aspects of its identity. In case of difference between western and post-soviet states, the difference is none. In research, numerous rankings, articles and analyses were used as a primary sources in order to characterize how different are images of Italy, Germany, Hungary and Ukraine. Also, paper tries to determine, what is relation between states brand and branding of its cities.

Theoretical and Methodological Aspects the Concept of International Image of the State

The article considers the theoretical and methodological aspects of the formation of the international image of the state through: analysis of conceptual approaches to the concept of international image of the state; identification of factors influencing the formation of an effective image of the state in the international arena; formulation of essential features of the state image and determination of their influence on the international competitiveness of the state; defining criteria for assessing the international image; analysis of areas of international state image-making. The international image of the state is a strategic tool for strengthening the status of the state in the international arena and the main criterion for its effectiveness. The international image is formed under the influence of natural factors and purposeful activity of state and other actors. The author identifies specific features of the international image of the state: compliance with the level of political, socio-economic and cultural development of the state; emphasis on the brightest and specific characteristics of the state; the presence of significant emotional and psychological composition; easy to display object; symbolization of some aspects of state life. The main criterion for the effectiveness of the state image is to strengthen the status of the state in the international arena. The result of the analysis of the main directions of international state image-making is the allocation of three areas: geopolitical direction forms the idea of geographical space as a territory for domestic and foreign policy; marketing direction provides promotion of economic processes of the state on the world stage; branding direction based on the recognizability of formal and informal symbols of the state contributes to the recognizability of the state on the world stage. Thus, the international image is a manageable category that can be built according to the political or economic demands of the state.