Identity, image and reputation: A conceptual model of the three sides of the corporate identity pyramid

This paper proposes a conceptual model that examines corporate identity (CI) of an organization through the lenses of identity, image and reputation. It reviews the literature that explains the tangible and non-tangible aspects of an organization as a form of CI and traces the development and evolution of the CI concept. The paper examines extant literature in the area of store image, corporate image and CI in explaining the motivations underlying the development of a conceptual model proposed in this paper. This model posits that the gap between ‘identity’ (the view of internal stakeholders on CI) and ‘image’ (the view of external stakeholders on CI) influences the perceived reputation of the company. It also presents a number of research propositions for further research.