Corporate Identity Management Research Articles

Exploring corporate identity management in the Malaysian higher education sector

Exploring corporate identity management in the Malaysian higher education sector

Corporate identity management: A study of employees’ perceptions in the context of the retail and the hospitality and tourism sectors

This research delves into the evolving landscape of corporate identity and its interplay with corporate reputation. To construct a relevant corporate identity scale, we relied on the existing literature and conducted comprehensive interviews with personnel in the hospitality and tourism, and retail sectors. We then gathered survey responses from 690 individuals in hospitality and tourism, and 649 in retail, to evaluate the corporate identity scale's dimensions and its link to corporate reputation. Our findings validate the proposed model, highlighting that corporate reputation is significantly shaped by various facets of corporate identity. Notably, empowerment directly influences corporate reputation, while elements like corporate purpose, strategy, culture, and a climate fostering inclusion and diversity have an indirect impact. The study underscores the importance of cultivating an inclusive, supportive workplace that prioritizes employee well-being and empowerment, thus underscoring employees’ pivotal role in enhancing an organization's reputation.

The relationship between corporate identity-management constructs and relationship-management constructs

This article investigates the relationship between corporate identity-management constructs andthe quality of employer-employee relationships at the North-West University. Internal stakeholderssuch as employees are not so much concerned about how the organisation is visually representedas about the behavioural aspects of the organisation.Companies are continually finding themselves in positions where they are encouraged to managetheir corporate identities with a view to managing their reputations so as ultimately to strengthenand maintain good relationships with their stakeholders. The realisation that employees formpart of the external corporate identity of a company has shifted the focus of corporate identitymanagement inwards towards employees as an internal stakeholder group. Although it isassumed that good corporate identity management leads to good relationships, little researchhas been done on the direct link between the two concepts. Research in this regard has found arelationship between employees’ perceptions of how effectively the company upholds its values(as part of the non-visual corporate identity) and the quality of its employee relationships.

MANAGING CORPORATE IDENTITY DURING ORGANISATIONAL TRANSFORMATION IN A PUBLIC INSTITUTION IN KENYA

Purpose: Universities, like other institutions, are under pressure to manage their corporate identity and corporate reputation, in the global competitive climate. Few studies in Africa focus on the impact of internal communication on corporate identity and reputation management during organizational transformation. This study interrogates how a transforming and complex public institution in Kenya managed its corporate identity, image and corporate reputation during transformation for competitive advantage. The study sought to establish whether Multimedia University of Kenya (MMU) management communicated excellently with its employees to nurture the corporate identity, image and reputation during a ten-year period of rapid transformation.
 Methodology: Data was collected using in-depth interviews from eighteen seniour and mid-level management and employee representatives who were purposively selected. In addition, data was gathered through 153 self-administered questionnaires using the stratified random sampling method from MMU faculty and administrative staff.
 Findings: The study established that MMU management created awareness of institutional changes and identity using formal meetings as well as interactive and mediated channels such as telephone conversations and intranet which facilitated record-keeping. It was noted that top-down and bottom-up communication approaches build employee engagement and trust yet respondents lacked trust in the accuracy of the information from subordinates which implied an element of information exclusion. Thus, the employees advocated for digital, interactive and interpersonal channels such as social media, telephone exchanges, personal visits by MMU management, and university events for bonding, engagement and identification in the changing institution. The study established that publicity and marketing activities to prospective students and sponsors be through paid media using private television and vernacular radio stations, owned media using MMU radio and website, and earned media using traditional print media to manage MMU brand and image. The respondents recognized the MMU brand as a leader in telecommunication, technology, mechanical, manufacturing, and media training with state-of-the-art equipment and robust faculty. These findings challenge university administration to engage with the corporate communication function and focus on the continual enhancement of corporate identity and reputation management practices for competitive advantage.
 Recommendations: The study recommends a communication policy and management practice for effective employee interpretation of institutional messages to enhance engagement, positioning, brand ambassadors, and employee coaching to nurture the new ethos, identity and brand during institutional changes. A progressive policy in which institutional management addresses inclusion to build trust, provides for interactive digital channels for engagement, and articulates identity through written and verbal channels to effectively communicate corporate messages and enrich the corporate reputation of a transforming public institution.
 Keywords: Corporate communication, corporate identity, corporate image, corporate reputation, employee engagement, organizational transformation

Corporate Identity Structure in Hotels: An Exploratory Study

Corporate identity is regarded as a critical element of competitiveness in a dynamic business environment. Effective management of corporate identity is vital to demonstrate the strengths of the company to internal and external stakeholders. It is therefore necessary to define and clarify corporate identity and to reveal its dimensions, and more so for hotels operating in a highly competitive international market.
 The paper aims to find out which dimensions construct the corporate identity in hotel establishments, through a holistic and multidisciplinary approach. Hence, the main aim of this study is to explore and conceptualize the dimensions of a holistic corporate identity structure in hotels via an exploratory method and a multidisciplinary approach based on the conceptual corporate identity dimensions put forward in the light of different disciplines and different paradigms existing in relevant literature. Research sample consists of the managers of 5-star hotels operating in İzmir. The research was designed with a qualitative approach, a field research has been conducted and semi-structured, in depth interviews were used to gather data. Research findings point out 8 dimensions that make up the corporate identity structure in hotels. Considering the themes and codes that were revealed according to the content analysis, the dimensions that constitute the corporate identity in hotels are determined as corporate culture, corporate structure, corporate strategy, corporate design, corporate communication, corporate behaviour, destination identity and industrial identity. Based on the emerging dimensions, the definition of corporate identity has been developed in the conclusion section.

How do merged banks create their intended corporate image? Evidence from Sudan

This study seeks to explore the direct and indirect relationships perceived by bank employees among leaders' trustworthy behaviors, communication, corporate identity management, and the creation of the intended corporate image (ICI) at merged banks. A questionnaire survey was used to test the developed model. Proportionate stratified sampling was used to collect data from 394 respondents. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for empirically investigating the hypotheses. The study revealed that leaders’ trustworthy behaviors had signi?cant positive relationships with corporate identity management and ICI. In addition, merged banks’ communications moderated the relationship between trustworthiness and organizational identity. Further, organizational identity was a partial mediator between trustworthiness and intended corporate image. Merged banks are advised to practice a trustworthiness strategy and behave appropriately to not only perform efficiently but also explain to their primary stakeholders that the prevalence of trust is harmonious with its corporate identity, does not adversely affect the stakeholders' future interests, and increasingly contributes to forming the intended image of the bank. This study contributes to a better understanding of the importance of leadership's trustworthy behaviors and of communicating these behaviors to manage the corporate identity and create an ICI in the Sudanese context.

Evaluating the factors of corporate website favorability: a case of UK and Russia

PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the significance of the corporate website favorability notion and examines its factors in developing competitive advantage in the context of retail and service settings in the UK and Russia.Design/methodology/approachBased on the attribution, social identity and signaling theories, this study adopted the qualitative exploratory approach by conducting 14 interviews with retail experts and eight focus groups with retail users in the UK and Russia, combined with experts in website design, communication and marketing.FindingsThe study findings indicated that it is crucial to build and maintain a favorable corporate website that reveals the corporate identity as part of the overall company strategy. The study suggests that navigation, visual, information, usability, customization, security, availability, website credibility, customer service, perceived corporate social responsibility and perceived corporate culture are the factors of corporate website favorability that contribute to the company’s competitive advantage. The findings show that consumers from Russia as well as from the UK found the significance of a favorable corporate website (i.e. corporate website favorability), as well as the factors affecting corporate website favorability. However, consumers in the UK are more critical and demanding in the level of expectation of the website overall and put more weight than consumers from Russia on the perceived corporate social responsibility, perceived corporate culture, customer service and website credibility.Practical implicationsCorporate website favorability should be adopted by the companies, as part of the overall corporate identity management. Furthermore, it is advised to take into consideration the variations in the level of importance of the factors of corporate website favorability in different countries. The findings of this study suggest that this investigation will make a considerable managerial contribution to the understanding of a company’s decision-makers, communication professionals and website specialists about the building of a favorable corporate website in line with corporate identity strategy of the company.Originality/valueThere has been little systematic study of the effect of corporate websites on consumer evaluations of the websites; also, there is a lack of research with regard to the factors that contribute to the development of a favorable corporate website (i.e. corporate website favorability). This is the first study of its kind to find the effect of corporate website favorability in Russia, representing a non-western country, and the UK, representing a western country. Therefore, it contributes to the corporate visual identity literature by presenting the corporate website favorability construct and demonstrating the factors that influence corporate website favorability.

Cues adopted by consumers in examining corporate website favorability: An empirical study of financial institutions in the UK and Russia

The purpose of this paper is to explore, reconcile and depict corporate website favorability (CWF), its antecedents and consequences in the financial setting in the UK and Russia context. To achieve the goals of this study, the research adopted a mixed method research design by using a survey, which is supported by insights from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied to gain insight into the various influences and relationships. The paper develops and empirically validates the framework of CWF antecedents and consequences. The paper indicates essential guidance for cross-functional managers and designers regarding the integrated and holistic practice of building favorable corporate websites as part of the corporate identity management. The paper adds to the understanding of CWF and discusses the antecedents of CWF by drawing upon the existing literature. Furthermore, it offers possible consequences of CWF and provides a framework for future testing.

The role of corporate identity management in the higher education sector: an exploratory case study

This paper examines the corporate identity concept and presents an empirical test of a corporate identity model in the context of the higher education sector. The various components of corporate identity are investigated and the results are presented in diagrammatic form in the proposed and updated corporate identity taxonomy. A qualitative exploratory approach was taken, comprising in-depth interviews with key informants involved in the implementation of corporate identity at a major UK university. The taxonomy illustrates communication, design, culture, behaviour, structure, industry and strategy as the main components of corporate identity. The study also demonstrates how and where issues of corporate identity are discussed within an organisation and how the results of these discussions are fed into management structure. As with any such exploratory case study, there are limits to the generalisability of the findings. Further research is required to ascertain whether the findings of this study also apply in other settings. The results will be helpful to communication professionals who deal with an organisation’s corporate identity, branding and communication and who aim to enhance the consistency of messages both written and visual within their organisation.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) for ethical corporate identity management

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the framing and rhetorical devices employed by luxury brands to build CSR-based, ethical corporate identities while managing complexities of the CSR-luxury paradox, the perceived clash between the self-transcendent values of CSR, and the self-enhancement values of luxury.Design/methodology/approachQualitative frame analysis was conducted to create detailed frame matrices for each dimension of CSR message content, followed by quantitative content analysis to establish the extent of usage of these frames across 43 luxury brand websites in the apparel, beauty, jewelry, and watch categories.FindingsLuxury brands predominantly framed their CSR efforts as discretionary, driven by altruistic motives. They foregrounded brand over social issue and highlighted substantial input into CSR efforts consistently over a period. CSR efforts were put into programs that were congruent with the brands’ business and that conveyed impact in abstract terms, evoking emotions over logic. Such framing across the CSR message-dimensions of issues, motives, importance, commitment, fit, and impact reflected a sophisticated understanding of communicating to a socially and environmentally conscious demographic while simultaneously aligning with the central, enduring, and distinctive characteristics of luxury.Originality/valueThis study contributes to emerging empirical work on CSR as a tool to build ethical corporate identity. This study also adds to the literature on identity management and CSR communication in the luxury industry, a sector that exceeded €1 trillion in retail sales in 2016.

Corporate Identity Management and Employee Brand Support: Enhancing Marketisation in Higher Education Sector

Marketing literature has recognized Corporate Identity Management (CIM) in higher education sector as an important area of research. Moreover, current research trend within the continuum of CIM has indicated some ambiguities surrounding corporate identity in higher education. In fact, there is paucity of empirical studies on corporate identity from a higher education perspective. Consequently, the objective of this study is to examine the relationships between university’s CIM and employee brand support as well as its relevant causal mechanisms in the higher education sector in Malaysia. The study employed a survey (472) with Malaysian university staff as respondents to test the research hypotheses and the proposed conceptual model. Findings of the study indicated that the Malaysian university staff has some external validity in exploring CIM and employee brand support. The results also demonstrated that the CIM in universities should be merged with strategic communication. Finally, this study provides a better corporate identity management to policy makers, regulators, managers and government in the higher education sector. For example, institutions can inculcate employee brand support in their academic staff to ensure corporate identity management moves in the right direction. Keywords: corporate identity management, employee brand support, image, visual identity, higher education

The corporate identity, total corporate communications, stakeholders’ attributed identities, identifications and behaviours continuum

PurposeThis paper aims to introduce a new integrated strategic framework entitled, “The corporate identity, total corporate communications, stakeholders’ attributed identities, identifications and behaviours continuum” and elucidates the central and strategic importance of corporate identity apropos corporate communications, corporate image, attributed stakeholder identifications and resultant behaviours. The strategic importance of corporate identity is noted. The continuum incorporates a variety of disciplinary/theoretical perspectives.Design/methodology/approachThe paper/framework is informed by corporate marketing and strategic perspectives; legal theory of the firm; social identity branch theories; and stakeholder theory. The effects and management of corporate identity are seen as a continuum. The framework accommodates Tagiuri’s (1982) scholarship on corporate identity.FindingsThis paper formally introduces and explicates “The corporate identity, total corporate communications, stakeholders’ attributed identities, identifications and behaviours continuum”. Corporate identity management is an on-going strategic senior management/strategic requisite. Notably, the legal theory of company law – routinely overlooked – and its impact on corporate identity management is accepted, acknowledged and accommodated. The importance of stakeholders and stakeholder identification (a derivative of social identity theory) is underscored.Practical implicationsVia the explication of the continuum, managers can comprehend the nature and importance of corporate identity; appreciate that corporate identity adaptation/change is on-going; comprehend its interface/s with corporate communications, stakeholder attributed identities, identifications and the business environment; understand the need for on-going fidelity to an institution’s legally based core purposes and corporate identity traits (juridical identity); cognise the efficacy of constant stakeholder and environmental analysis. Corporate identity sustainability requires corporate identity to be advantageous, beneficial, critical, differentiating and effectual. Stakeholder prioritisation is not solely dependent on power, legitimacy and urgency but on legality, efficacy, ethicality and temporality.Originality/valueThe resultant framework/approach, therefore, aims to make a meaningful advance on the territory and, moreover, seeks to be of utility to scholars and practitioners of corporate marketing, strategy and company law. Arguably, therefore, the framework is more ambitious than extant framework on the domain. The resultant framework/approach, therefore, aims to make a meaningful advance on the territory and seeks to be of utility to scholars and practitioners of corporate identity, communications, images, identification, stakeholder theory, company law and, importantly, corporate strategy.

Impression Management Activity in Vision, Mission, and Values Statements: A Comparison of Commercial and Charitable Organizations

:This article investigates the extent to which vision, mission, and values (VM&V) statements play a role in corporate identity management by commercial and charitable organizations. Impression management (IM) theory was used to analyze how these statements could influence stakeholders’ impressions of an organization. A qualitative empirical study was conducted to explore VM&V statements on the websites of 100 commercial and 100 charitable organizations, using content analysis to identify IM activity in the statements. The findings have implications for academics and managers, as there were evidently gaps between theory and practice. Many of the commercial and charitable organizations underutilized VM&V statements as corporate identity cues, and there is subsequently potential for greater use of these statements as part of corporate identity management by organizations in both sectors. Managers should also ensure that the influence of the statements on stakeholders’ impressions of the organization aligns with the desired corporate image.

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.

Discovering a Rosetta Stone for Firm-Side Authenticity: An Empirical Investigation

While most academic research has considered authenticity from the consumers perspective, this paper proposes and tests a new empirical operationalization of Beverlands (2005) widely cited proposition that firm-side authenticity is…partly true and partly rhetorical (p.1008). Our study presents a model based on the Competitive Advantage (CA) that results from congruence between the partly true aspects of the firms internal culture, resources, and capabilities measured as Innovation Capacity (IC), alongside Corporate Identity Management (CIM) as the organizations partly rhetorical outwardly-directed corporate branding and marketing promotions activities. Our findings are interpreted through a four-quadrant Rosetta Stone framework for evaluating firm-side authenticity across organizational contexts and environments describing how high-IC/high-CIM (i.e., Authentic) firms create differentiation from low-IC/low-CIM Inauthentic organizations and low-IC/high-CIM Faux Imitators competitors who attempt to compensate for their lack of IC through increased investments in CIM.

Corporate identity management and employees’ responses

Main goals in this study are to analyse the effects of corporate identity management (CIM) on the employees’ responses, and the moderating effects of two employee personality traits: proactive personality and resistance to change. Two hundred and ninety-three branch managers in the banking sector in Spain participated in the study, and their responses were analysed through structural equation modelling. Results show that organizational identification is a key variable to explain the CIM effects on employees’ responses. Moreover, employees’ proactive personality and resistance to change exert a moderating influence on the way identification leads to extra-role behaviours. Human resource practices should take into account that proactive employees are more prone to externalize their identification by spreading positive WOM. Besides, identification with the organization will lead to loyalty, especially in employees with low resistance to change.

Corporate identity management in the banking sector: effects on employees’ identification, identity attractiveness, and job satisfaction

This paper analyzes the effects of corporate identity management (CIM) on employees’ responses. Specifically, it advances previous literature by exploring how CIM dimensions affect identity attractiveness, organizational identification, and job satisfaction from the employees’ perspective. The empirical study is aimed at 293 branch managers in the Spanish banking sector, an industry facing changes in the corporate identity of many financial entities. The results show the relative importance of each dimension and help brand managers to anticipate the effects of CIM practices. Of all the dimensions, it highlights the key role of the employee–client focus strategy.

Evaluation of the Conceptual Model for Corporate Identity Management in Health Care

This paper reflects findings from the evaluation of the conceptual model for corporate identity management in health care developed by Rutitis and Batraga (2013). First, expert surveying (n=8) was carried out to evaluate the understanding of the health care experts regarding assumptions included in the development of the conceptual model for corporate identity management in health care. During the second stage, health care sector company survey (n=52) was implemented to evaluate the expression of corporate identity dimensions outlined in model by Rutitis and Batraga within the health care enterprises in Latvia

The end of silence? Qualitative findings on corporate auditory identity from the UK

Sensory dimensions of corporate identity such as auditory identity are nearly absent in academic literature so far. This paper addresses this shortage by presenting qualitative findings from interviews with brand consultants and managers on the nascent topic of auditory identity. Findings include, inter alia, strong support for the construct definition of auditory identity as proposed in this paper. Moreover, factors driving corporate auditory identity management at an organisation are examined. Furthermore, based on the conceptual similarity between visual and auditory identity consequences as perceived by managers are discussed. Moreover, findings addressing type of company, type of business and industry sector are presented. Finally, findings advocating corporate auditory identity as a valid ingredient of corporate identity management are presented and academic and managerial implications are given.

The Role of Retail Identity in Corporate Crisis Management: The Case of the 2013 Horsemeat Scandal

The 2013 horsemeat adulteration scandal provides the most recent illustration of how negative ‘signals’ can undermine stakeholder trust and corporate images. This study compares and contrasts the corporate identity and crisis response of two large UK grocery retailers, Tesco and Morrisons. Using a comparative case study design, it makes a two-fold contribution: first, the analysis of the recent horsemeat scandal breaks new empirical ground. Secondly, this study fills an analytical void, by reconciling the separate literatures on corporate identity and crisis management. The empirical findings highlight that corporate identity is a major but conditional resource for managing reputational crises effectively. It requires the consistent alignment of internal and external identity. These results have important implications. For one, future research should ensure a more nuanced theoretical discussion of corporate identity. Furthermore, an important practical lesson for retail managers is that strong corporate reputations require long-term management horizons and a proactive approach to corporate accountability.