Construction Of Corporate Identity Research Articles

An Intercultural Perspective on Construction of Corporate Identity of Chinese and American Enterprises —— Taking Fin-Tech Unicorns as an Example

Benefiting from the progression of science and technology, an increasing number of enterprises begin to delve into the construction of corporate identity through their official websites, regarded as an international door today. The researches about the building of corporate images takes a large amount of shareholdings in academic area. Notwithstanding, there are only few scholars studying the portray of the profile from an intercultural perspective with “About us” section in company websites as the data. With the help of the corpus analytic tool AntConc, this paper intends to discuss the common and distinctive corporate identities of Fin-Tech unicorns in China and the US respectively which are manifested in high-frequency vocabulary, key words, communication strategy and style. It is discovered that the common identities include international financial technology companies, payment services provider and caring about consumers. Apart from this, CF takes the mixture of proactive and reactive strategy in building its images and tends to be more impersonal and hierarchical in communication style. The proactive strategy and casual communication style constitute to the construction of UF’s identities. From the cultural perspective, CF expresses all of the cultural dimensions specific in China except that of masculinity and femininity and the situation of UF is the same with CF. CF should endeavor to narrow the cultural gap thorough applying effective intercultural communication strategies and keep in line with the local culture. In this way, CF might be able to grab the chances along with the advance of globalization.

Rhetorical strategies for the construction of a corporate identity

Abstract Using Huawei annual reports as data sources, this study examines rhetorical strategies in business discourse for the construction of corporate identity. A socio-pragmatic framework is proposed for analysing such strategies, incorporating a textual analysis of rhetorical strategies, a discourse analysis of pragmatic functions and discursive tendencies, and a social analysis of the construction of corporate identity. The research concludes that, among other strategies, allusion and reference demonstrate the discursive tendency of commodification, while parody and metaphor highlight the discursive tendency of democratisation. In terms of the constructive functions, allusion, reference, parody, and metaphor are used to construct the commerciality, legitimacy, approachability, and entrepreneurship of an enterprise, respectively. This study highlights the importance of rhetorical strategies for the construction of corporate identity and the necessity for annual report writers to employ rhetorical strategies for better corporate communication.

The discursive construction of corporate identity in the corporate social responsibility reports: A case study of Starbucks.

Both corporate identity and corporate social responsibilities are of strategic importance to companies’ reputation and competitiveness. From a social constructivist view, identity is constructed in discourse. Therefore, this study sets out to investigate how corporate identity is discursively constructed in corporate CSR communication. Taking Starbucks as an example, this corpus-assisted study explores how Starbucks deploys nomination, predication, and intensification strategies and the corresponding linguistic resources to discursively construct itself and its main stakeholder groups in the CSR reports from the perspective of Discourse-Historical Approach to Critical Discourse Analysis. Also, how Starbucks addresses or presents issues in which scandals or problems reside is investigated. The findings show that Starbucks explicitly constructs itself as the supportive care-taker of the partners, faithful deliverer of good customer experience, powerful helper of poor farmers, and CSR-conscious selector of suppliers, who takes a strongly committed and proactive CSR stance through the discourse. However, behind such discursive construction are the hidden ideologies and corporate agenda of a capitalistic nature, with Starbucks veiling the power dominance and unequal power relations. This study not only contributes to the understanding of the discursive construction of corporate identity, but also helps raise peoples’ awareness of the power game at play behind the corporate discourse.

Discursive construction of corporate identity through websites: An intercultural perspective on the commercial banks of the United States and China.

With the assistance of the corpus analysis tool Wmatrix 4.0, this paper analyzes the semantic categories of the top 10 commercial banks of China and the United States to figure out their social-cultural behavior in the Internet business context. It is discovered that both common and distinctive identities were constructed: the common identities include the professional financial service provider, responsible corporation for employees, and relevant communities with environmental and social consciousness, while the distinctive identities are manifested in the communication strategy, style, and persuasion mode: (1) The Chinese Commercial Banks adopted the proactive strategy for corporate identity construction, are prone to take hierarchical and impersonal communication style, and more focused on the “credibility appeal” and “rational appeal” in persuasion mode; (2) the commercial banks of the United States are more reactive in the communication strategy, position themselves in short distance with the putative audience in communication style, and conform to the typical “affective appeal” regarding the persuasion mode. From the intercultural perspective, the distinctions are the representation of the peculiar high-context culture and low-context culture based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory. Chinese banks should try to shorten the cultural gap by adopting communication strategy in conformity with the local cultural when going global rather than sticking to the domestic communication strategy.

Logo Kerupuk Mie "Kembang Matahari" dari Prespektif Estetika DeWitt Parker

Visual identity is the main thing that must be built by an entity to be known to the wider community through appropriate visual communication. The forms of visual communication carried out can take the form of anything, such as logos, corporate identities, to the visual formation of their branding. Visual communication that is constantly being built will make people more familiar with the products or services offered to the community. Mie Kupuk "Kembang Matahari" is trying to shape its visual identity, starting with the logo it made. The method used is descriptive qualitative method with visual analysis of identity. The approach to creativity and aesthetic theory is elaborated to find out more about how the Visual Identity will be built by Crackers Noodle "Kembang Matahari". Through excavation of ideas, construction of corporate identity, overall design, the visual identity to be built by crackers noodle and the making of "Kembang Matahari" is a superior product of the city of Bogor. This paper discusses the visual of a new logo on Crackers Noodle "Kembang Matahari" and the visual identity that the company wants to build by using the aesthetic theory formulated by Parker. This paper concludes that the new logo form that will be used as the visual identity of Crackers Noodle "Kembang Matahari" has the power of ideas that are sufficient to be introduced to the wider community as seen from the principle of Unity, Principle of principle, Principle of variation, Principle of balance, Principle of Development, Principle of Layout seen from the logo of Mie Kupuk "Kembang Matahari".

Corporate identity vs. corporate image in the eyes of professionals: an interview-based study

Contrary to subsequent studies focused on the construction of corporate identity, this article aims to examine the stakeholder’s perception of corporate identity projected to the public through language and visual manifestations on corporate “About us” pages. A qualitative, data-driven approach has been taken in the study. The results, based on data collected from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with twenty professionals, demonstrate the interviewees’ deep scepticism towards corporate narrations, which are interpreted as persuasive and serving corporate ends. Thus, online projections of corporate identities do always match actual images held by stakeholders. The interviewees have emerged as critical readers of corporate communications and active constructors of corporate image.

Defining and delimiting the scope of the Corporate Identity construct

This paper defines and delimits the scope of the Corporate Identity (CI) construct by exploring its applicability outside its usual research focus on large corporate entities. We also provide an important bridge between the management literature where the concept of Organisational Identity (OI) is better researched and understood, and the marketing literature where it is more common to find research defined in terms of CI. The conceptual underpinning of this paper favours a view of CI as a construct that is ‘multi-modal and multi-sensory’, therefore we use an all-encompassing definition of CI as the presentation of an organisation to every stakeholder. Moreover, research into CI and smaller entrepreneurial family-owned organisations is relatively underdeveloped, thus we based our findings on a conceptualisation of the seven broad dimensions of CI namely: Corporate Communication; Corporate Design; Corporate Culture; Behaviour; Corporate Structure; Industry Identity; and Corporate Strategy, as they relate to small family firms.

Corporate identity on the Web: The case of telecommunication companies in Ghana

The corporate website is an offi cial communication medium for the construction of corporate identity. This study explores an important feature of corporate websites, the About Us section, within the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to establish how corporate identities are constructed, the discursive strategies used in constructing those identities and how ideology, hegemony and power inform the corporate identities and the discursive strategies used in enacting the identities. Data for the study are from the websites of the four leading telecommunication service providers in Ghana. The study has established that a glocalised corporate identity that is informed by Eurocentric capitalist ideology is constructed by the companies. The discursive strategies employed in enacting identity include the inverted pyramid structure of the narratives, interdiscursivity and binarity. It was also found out that the ideology that underpins the identities constructed created a power fl uidity that resulted in hegemonic paradox.

The future in reports

Company disclosures are often looked at as narrative rather than argumentative or directive texts. And yet “irrealis” statements – references to future or hypothetical processes – do play a role and contribute greatly to the construction of corporate identity. Combining a corpus and a discourse perspective, the paper looks at references to the future in a corpus of CSR (corporate social responsibility) reports. After a preliminary analysis of frequency data, a case study of markers of futurity is presented, focusing on ways of expressing prediction or commitment, together with attitudinal values or evaluations of importance. Keywords and phraseology are studied to highlight how prediction and commitment statements are used to legitimize the company’s (past) conduct.

An investigation of the corporate identity construct in China: Managerial evidence from the high technology industry

The study develops and extends existing frameworks of corporate identity and investigates what organisations in China perceive as essential components of the corporate identity concept including their dimensions and contents. The study adopted a qualitative approach and the method of research was a case study. Using the soft-laddering approach, and a multidisciplinary categorisation of analyses of corporate literature and websites, a systematic analysis of the corporate identity was carried out. Different from previous studies, the study reveals new dimensions on the basis of the industry practitioners’ views. The context of China has shown to influence a different focus, more significantly around the ‘impression’ that corporate identity can contribute with commercially. It is suggested that new high-tech firms in China may not have enough experience and capacity to engage in a more holistic corporate identity concept provided. The lack of such experience is particularly likely for new firms, which are still in their early stage of development. Implications for management of corporate identity in China are presented along with directions for further research in the marketing communications literature.

Wally Olins (1930–2014), corporate identity ascendancy and corporate brand hegemony. Celebrating the life of Wally Olins: Leading corporate identity exponent and prominent brand proponent

This article outlines the nature, significance and legacy of Wally Olins (1930–2014) vis-a-vis corporate identity and brand management. Celebrated for his corporate identity/corporate brand consultancy work he is also known for his considerable published output relating to corporate identity and branding. In the writer’s estimation, Olins helped to inspire a generation of marketing scholars who, in turn, established corporate identity a distinct area of marketing thought. The author notes the significance of his binary definitions of corporate identity. Olins states that corporate identity is essentially design focused. He also states that it relates to an institution’s core traits and activities. As such, his reflections explain why, today, there are different approaches (both academic and practitioner) to the area. His explication of the corporate personality is also of note. It is argued that Olins was part of the English corporate-level marketing revolution where, along with academics and practitioners, the later including David Bernstein and Stephen King, he accorded importance not only to products and services in marketing contexts but, significantly, to corporations and other organisations too. For much of his career (1965–2000) he was a champion for corporate identity and the author herein offers two explanations why Olins distanced himself from the corporate identity construct post 2000 and focused on brands, and corporate brands.

Remodelling the corporate visual identity construct

PurposeDespite a well‐established corporate identity construct there is still ambiguity and disorientation regarding the corporate visual identity construct. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the inconsistent use of terminologies such as “symbolism” and “corporate design” as well as pointing towards an insufficient conceptualisation of the corporate identity and visual identity construct vis‐à‐vis other sensory dimensions.Design/methodology/approachA review of existing categorisations and conceptualisations of the corporate identity and visual identity construct is provided.FindingsThe paper presents a remodelled corporate visual identity construct that takes a holistic sensory perspective and proposes the corporate sensory identity construct as a more adequate and flexible reflection of current business reality.Practical implicationsThe paper offers fundamental guidance for managers regarding the integrated and holistic utilisation of a set of sensory communication activities as part of their corporate identity management.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the further understanding of the complexity of corporate identity management by addressing additional sensory dimensions apart from visual identity management. Moreover, by stressing the particular relevance of music and sound, this paper stimulates the integration of the auditory dimension as additional facet of a communication tool kit.

BRITISH COMPANY MAGAZINES, 1878–1939: THE ORIGINS AND FUNCTIONS OF HOUSE JOURNALS IN LARGE-SCALE ORGANISATIONS

In the 1880s company magazines began to appear in large-scale British organizations. By the 1930s almost every corporation had one. Based on business archives and using a combination of business and media history, this article attempts to map the rise and spread of the company magazine. At the same time, it examines the organizational roles and functions of this media. Company magazines came to perform a number of important roles within large-scale business such as the construction of corporate identity, the creation of organizational culture, the validation and negation of managerial power and the evolution of industrial welfare. It is the multi-faceted nature of the company magazine that suggests the rise in its importance, and also its centrality to those interested in the relationship between business and media history.

Corporate Identity: A Paradigmatic Shift in the Theoretical Construction of its Meaning

Purpose of this paper: This paper aims to develop a longitudinal analysis of the theoretical construction of the meaning of corporate identity between 1970 and 2008. Design/method/approach: A series of theoretical evidences are presented to argue that the construction of the meaning of corporate identity has witnessed an ongoing stability and change over time. Thus, a 'theoretical framework of movement', which describe the ongoing change and stability in the construction of the meaning of corporate identity, is presented. More importantly, a schema, which gives a representation of a 'paradigmatic shift' from the search for a universal 'definition' towards an 'understanding' of the concept, is highlighted. Findings: The review of theoretical literature indicates that the meaning of corporate identity was constructed theoretically as corporate personality and CI mix between 1970 and 1985. The stability witnessed during this period was cut-short following the construction of corporate identity as corporate distinctiveness in 1985. This construction continued unabated until 1995. Following this stable period, the theoretical construction of corporate identity changed dramatically to the notions of 'central', 'enduring', 'distinctiveness' (CED) and image between 1995 and 2008. Second, theoretical evidence will be drawn to argue that the stability witnessed in the construction of the meaning of this concept as corporate personality and CI mix extended beyond the 1970 to 1985 period into 1985 to 1995 and the 1995-2008 periods. Third, it is also conceived that work on the construction of the meaning of corporate identity witnessed a paradigmatic shift from the search for a universal definition to 'understanding' between 1995 and 2008. Fourth, a framework of synthesis highlighting the emerging overlaps in the ways that the meaning of corporate identity has been reconstructed through social theory model is identified. Theoretical implication: Although the meaning of corporate identity has been fraught by heated disagreements, it however appears that a consensus is gradually emerging. The clusters of accord in this study provide ample evidence in this regard. Practical implications: This paper provides scholars with a broad view of the meaning of corporate identity and it gives insights into the scope and boundaries of the meaning of the concept. An insight into the boundaries and scope of authors' conceptualisations of corporate identity provides the basis on which other managerial issues (i.e. strategy, planning, management, measurement of corporate identity etc) that depend on a clear understand the meaning of corporate identity can advance. Limitation of study and future research direction: This study is limited to the theoretical construction of the meaning of corporate identity. Unfortunately, it fails to account for how firms construct the meaning of this concept. An important future research direction might be to understand how firms construct the meaning of this phenomenon over time. Originality and value of paper: The review of literature indicates that existing studies on corporate identity has focused mainly on the attempt by authors to establish a universal definition for corporate identity or to draw social theory models to explain the meaning of this concept. This paper makes a departure from extant theory and adds to existing literature by providing a longitudinal analysis of how this constructed has been constructed. Specifically it analyses how the construction of the meaning of corporate identity has witnessed a stability and change over time.

Multinational Corporation Codes of Conduct: Governance Tools for Corporate Social Responsibility?

ABSTRACTManuscript Type: EmpiricalResearch Issue: We investigate the assumption found in code and corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature that suggests codes are primarily associated with the CSR practices of an organization.Research Findings/Results: A web‐based study of 150 corporations from three different countries indicates there is little empirical support for this link between codes and CSR. Thus, if a corporation has a code, it is more likely used to govern traditional business concerns, such as compliance with third party governance requirements, internal issues such as conflict of interest, bribery and corruption, insider trading, etc. This is consistent across all three countries. Therefore we must be cautious against assuming a link between codes and CSR. Evidence of the different governance contexts is also briefly discussed.Theoretical Implications: Findings are addressed to theoretical debates about the construction of corporate identity, the amoralization of business, and the globalization of management practices.Practical Implications: Stakeholders must be careful in assuming that the presence of a code indicates CSR commitments or behavior. Stakeholders need to look at the content of the code to confirm or deny this assumption, particularly such stakeholders as investors who tend to use the existence of a code as evidence of CSR practices to tick “check the box.”

CEO Portraits and the Authenticity Paradox*

abstract Top executive and CEO portraits represent significant sites for the visual construction of corporate identity and image, but they also highlight what we call the authenticity paradox. At first glance such photographs may appear to convey an impression of the kind of authentic presence many consider crucial for establishing a strong corporate image. But a closer look at the constructed nature of both CEO identity and portrait photography lays bare the elusive nature of authenticity itself, as well as the way that CEO portraits can function also to expose the corporation's chronic lack of authenticity. We explore the authenticity paradox and its implications by means of an analysis of executive portraits taken by one prominent Danish photographer, Per Morten Abrahamsen. We also map out an agenda for the further exploration of CEO portraits and images as an important element in the social and symbolic construction of business leadership.

The Ethics of Managing Corporate Identity

This article addresses the issues of identity and ethics. Individual identity can be understood from an essence and/or constructive perspective, and organizational identity from an individual and/or strategic perspective. Three ethical dilemmas are identified in relation to human identity: construction of corporate identity, change of corporate identity, and the corporations’ role in society, summarized as the utility vs humanity dilemma. The conclusion recommends an increased focus on human values management and a process of detachment and transparency in identity issues.

Determinants of the corporate identity construct: a review of the literature

Corporate identity has received significant attention from both academics and practitioners in the last 25 years. Despite many articles written in this area a definitive construct of corporate identity and its measurements does not yet exist. The objective of this paper is therefore to provide a review of the literature on the corporate identity construct and its components and also to present the academic and managerial implications of this study.

Defining the Corporate Identity Construct

Both practitioners and academics alike have directed increasing attention to the field of corporate identity. Despite significant contributions in the last several years towards understanding and identifying this concept, a definitive construct of corporate identity and its measurements does not yet exist. Much anecdotal literature and many case studies surround this area of study, but to date no research study has empirically tested the domain of this construct. This paper examines the definitions, models, and specific elements of corporate identity through a review of literature. Based on this review, a holistic corporate identity model is developed. This paper also discusses the challenges in developing the corporate identity construct.