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Russell Abratt: Graduate School of Business Administration, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Thabiso Nsenki Mofokeng: Graduate School of Business Administration, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Introduction
The purpose of this article is to establish how organisations manage their corporate image process. From an academic point of view, there has been much work on the development of models and processes recently. As Van Riel and Balmer (1997, p. 350) point out, "the corpus of the knowledge on corporate identity is beginning to reach maturity. Management and academics are showing a renewed interest in the area who, in addition to marketers, include those undertaking research in organisational behaviour, human resources, strategic movement, graphic design, public relations and communication studies". While there is now a clear theoretical understanding of how companies develop their corporate image, there is a need to test these from a management and practitioner point of view.
A number of models of the corporate image management process have been developed. These include Dowling's (1986) model of the image formation process, the Shee and Abratt (1989) model of the corporate image management process, the corporate programme model of Van Riel (1995) and the corporate identity formation model developed by Balmer (1998).
This article aimed to gather empirical evidence of the corporate image process in South African organisations. The objective is to validate the general applicability of current thinking and constructs in the area and to make recommendations for change if necessary. In particular, the objective is to empirically test the Shee and Abratt (1989) model of the corporate image management process.
The corporate image management process
A good review of corporate identity can be found in Van Riel and Balmer (1997), while the relationships between organisational culture, identity and image are discussed by Hatch and Schultz (1997). The visual identity is discussed by Baker and Balmer (1997) and a framework for managing corporate identity is discussed by Markwick and Fill (1997). A good historical overview of corporate identity has been described by Balmer (1998).
The basis of the corporate image management process is the assertion that the existence of a corporate image for all organisations is not a matter of preference on the part of the organisation. An organisation cannot detach itself...