Practitioner Conceptualisations of Corporate Identity, 1945-2008 : Review and Analysis

Purpose of this paper: This paper is drawn to provide a broad insight into practitioner conceptualisations of corporate identity since the coinage of the terminology "corporate identity" by Walter Margulies in the early post Second World War period. Design/method/approach: The objective of this paper is achieved through a comprehensive review and analysis of existing literatures (authored by practitioners) which has appeared in practitioner and academic journals between the 1950s and date. Findings: The outcome of the review of theoretical literature on practitioner conceptualisation of corporate identity indicate that the concept of corporate identity has focused on seven dominant issues including 1-corporate identity planning; 2-management, 3-challenges, 4-change and 5-corporate identity (CI) mix, 6-evaluation and 7-meaning. The review of these literatures also indicates that these conceptualisations has been driven principally by four main factors namely 1-conceptual novelty, 2-fierce business competition arsing from the return of Japanese and German multinational firms into the international market after the second World War, 3-vertical disintegration of business activities, 4-the publication of influential corporate identity theory. Theoretical implication: The attempt (in this study) to provide a precise insight into the practitioner conceptualisations of corporate identity indicates that knowledge on this nascent discipline (which has appeared in top international business journals) has matured and is now recognised globally as firmly established business discipline. Practical implications: Insight into the conceptualisations of corporate identity creates awareness about various approaches to the management of corporate identity. Such awareness is not only likely to influence the continued pursuit of these practices but more importantly, it may encourage the development or adoption of other new but useful approaches to the pursuit of the concept of corporate identity. Limitation of study and future research direction: Work on corporate and organisational marketing has extended beyond corporate identity into corporate branding. Unfortunately, this study could not examine the academic and practitioner extensions into these new fields of study because it is limited to the boundaries of corporate identity. It would however be interesting, insightful and intuitive to see how the academic and practitioner conceptualisations of the concept of corporate identity have extended into these new fields of study. This limitation provides opportunities for future research. Original value of the paper: The paper offers a practical guide to fresh researchers starting out a doctoral or academic research career within the disciplines of corporate identity, corporate branding and corporate level marketing. The insights provided in this study allow academic researchers to gain a quick understanding of the debates within the discipline of corporate identity and in so doing advance quickly in their study