Authors: Joep Cornelissen; Phil Harris

Source: Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 17, Numbers 1-2, February 2001 , pp. 49-71(23)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

The metaphor of corporate identity may enlighten our theoretical understanding of corporate behaviour and communication, or, conversely, may mystify and distort our view of these affairs. The authors review the various metaphorical uses of the term and observe that much previous theorising has been based on deductions metaphorically transferred from theorising about human identities, rather than being based on empirical observations. A number of explanations based on these deductions are criticised as theoretically naïve and empirically false. The article reviews these misconceptions and identifies the theoretically as well as empirically legitimate ways to conceptualise the corporate identity metaphor.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1362/0267257012571456

Publication date: 2001-02-01

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