*2.4. Hypotheses*

In carrying out this study, it was intended to understand the relationship between EB and AOC constructs. This study intends to focus on current employees in order to know their perceptions regarding the brand of their employer, with the general objective of evaluating the impact of EB strategies on the employees' a ffective commitment. Considering this problem, the following research question was raised: "What is the impact of employer branding strategies, implemented by organizations, on the employees' a ffective commitment?"

Once the research question has been formulated, specific objectives that guide the line of investigation must derive from it: identify the general perception of employees regarding EB strategies; identify the EB strategy with a more positive perception by employees; identify the employer branding strategy with a less positive perception by employees; identify the general perception of employees regarding their level of AOC, that is, if employees feel committed, at an a ffective level, to the organization; identify which EB strategy has the greatest positive impact on AOC; identify which EB strategy has the least positive impact on AOC; analyze if AOC has a positive impact on EB strategies; analyze if there is a correlation between EB and AOC; and analyze the e ffect of sociodemographic components on AOC.

The hypotheses of this study are as follows:

**Hypothesis 1(H1).** *EB strategies have a positive impact on the employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 1a(H1a).** *EB strategies related to the function have a positive impact on the employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 1b(H1b).** *EB strategies related to compensation and incentives have a positive impact on employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 1c(H1c).** *EB strategies related to the mission, vision and values have a positive impact on employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 1d(H1d).** *EB strategies related to the team have a positive impact on the employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 1e(H1e).** *EB strategies related to career development have a positive impact on the employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 1f(H1f).** *EB strategies related to culture and the work environment have a positive impact on the AOC of employees.*

**Hypothesis 1g(H1g).** *EB strategies related to management processes have a positive impact on the employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 1h(H1h).** *EB strategies related to communication and image have a positive impact on the employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 2(H2).** *AOC has a positive impact on EB strategies.*

**Hypothesis 3(H3).** *Sociodemographic variables have a positive impact on the employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 3a(H3a).** *The age group has a positive impact on the employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 3b(H3b).** *Gender has a positive impact on employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 3c(H3c).** *Educational qualifications have a positive impact on AOC.*

**Hypothesis 3d(H3d).** *Seniority has a positive impact on employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 3e(H3e).** *The employment relationship has a positive impact on the employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 3f(H3f).** *The activity sector has a positive impact on the employees' AOC.*

**Hypothesis 4(H4).** *The combined e*ff*ect of sociodemographic variables with EB strategies on AOC is positive.*

Therefore, four groups of hypotheses were defined (Figure 1). The first group was formulated to identify the impact of EB strategies on the AOC and then of each EB strategy on the AOC; these results will allow to proceed with the objectives of identifying which EB strategy has the greatest positive impact on AOC and identifying which EB strategy has the least positive impact on AOC. With this purpose, the impact of EB strategies on the affective commitment of individuals was tested. According to Punjaisri and Wilson [51], the various human resource managemen<sup>t</sup> strategies must be integrated into the EB process, covering all areas of the organization, namely: communication and image, operations management, marketing, culture, mission and values, and training and development, as well as recruitment processes. According to Biswas and Suar [11], EB has been gaining importance due to the growing focus on factors, such as the power of branding, the commitment of employees, the war for talent, and the role of human resource managemen<sup>t</sup> in business.

**Figure 1.** Conceptual model.

In the second group of hypotheses, it is intended to test whether the affective component of organizational commitment has a positive impact on EB strategies in order to achieve another specific objective of the study: to verify whether there is a positive and significant association between the dimensions that measure the EB strategies and the affective component of organizational commitment. In the literature, there is evidence that the perception of organizational commitment in all of its components, including the calculative and normative components, in addition to the affective component, has a positive and significant association with the dimensions of human resource management, such as those applied in EB strategies. According to Across [52], a greater perception of organizational commitment is associated with a greater perception of dimensions, such as: remuneration, career, communication, supervision, and nature of the function.

In the third group of hypotheses, it is intended to verify the effect of sociodemographic and labor components on the AOC, both in its entirety and individually. Meyer et al. [53] claim that certain sociodemographic variables, such as age, seniority, or gender, influence AOC. To test the effect of sociodemographic variables on AOC, Mann–Whitney U non-parametric tests (bilateral significance) and the Wilcoxon test were performed to test the effect of gender on variables. As for the remaining sociodemographic variables, the Kruskal–Wallis non-parametric H test was performed.

In the fourth group, the combined effect of sociodemographic variables, with EB strategies on AOC will be tested. The chi-square test of independence (descriptive analysis with a cross-reference table) will be performed to verify if there is a relationship between the variables EB and SDV (sociodemographic variable). The results actually indicate that *p* = 0.093, therefore, it was not significant (*p* ≤ 0.05). The variables EB and SDV are not dependent on each other, from which we can conclude that they are independent in the way they relate to AOC. Gouldner [54] a ffirms that there is reciprocity between individuals and the organization and understands that this relationship of reciprocity is related to the valuation and perception that employees have of organizational practices. On the other hand, the association between organizational practices and a ffective commitment will change with age [55], and the antecedents of AOC di ffer with sociodemographic variables [56].
