Corporate Image: The Role of Communications in Development and Maintenance

This thesis will focus on corporate image - what it is, what it does, why it is necessary and how to develop and maintain it. The term corporate identity\u27\u27 was first coined in the 1960\u27s by Walter Margulies. Corporate identity is the term most commonly used to define a corporation\u27s sense of self. Corporate image is a direct offshoot of identity. Corporate image is the picture that an audience has of an organization through the accumulation of all received messages. The bridge between corporate identity and corporate image is corporate communications. The most effective way to manage corporate image is to adopt a sound and ethical corporate identity policy and communicate it clearly and consistently, thus fostering a positive corporate image with the intended audience. This study will focus on corporate image and its impact on business success or failure. Crisis communication will be discussed in detail because it has direct bearing on a corporation\u27s image - be it positive or negative. The goal of this thesis is to highlight the importance of corporate image in context with other business functions and to demonstrate effective image management techniques in the event of a corporate crisis