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Burgess (2003) has identified 16 different South African consumer groups. For the purpose of this research, and for the sake of simplicity, the 16 consumer groups were combined into four clusters. The four clusters are the following: the rural survivalist, the emerging, the urbanised middle class and the urban elite consumer group. The main objectives of the research were the following: <ul> <li>To determine the rural consumers‟ perceptions of the corporate image of Pharmaceutical organisations in the greater Bushbuckridge area. </li> <li>To provide guidelines for aligning organizational behaviour more closely with the rural consumers‟ perceptions of corporate image. </li> </ul> Structured interviews were conducted to determine the consumers‟ perceptions on how corporate image should be structured in order to improve healthcare delivery in the pharmaceutical sector in Bushbuckridge. A sample of 850 rural consumers was interviewed and the data obtained were analysed through content analysis and descriptive statistics. The following main conclusions were made: <ul> <li>With respect to corporate social responsibility, the consumers consider HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS treatment and support for pensioners as the most important intervention areas for the pharmaceutical organisations. </li> <li>With respect to corporate business conduct, rural consumers expect leaders to be able to listen, treat people with respect and to act intelligently. </li> <li>Expectations when buying medicine: The respondents expect the pharmaceutical companies to be trustworthy, act in confidence, to be able to analyse and clarify consumers‟ needs. </li> <li>Distribution channels: Respondents prefer to buy their medicine at pharmacies, government hospitals and clinics. </li> <li>Qualities of the sales force: Respondents expect that pharmaceutical companies should emphasise the following services: privacy during consultation, clean environment and training on how to live a healthy live. </li> <li>Pharmaceutical products: Western medicine is preferred in Bushbuckridge. </li> <li>Employee behavior: It is evident from the study that the respondents value “ubuntu”, believe that time is money, are undecided towards the influence of witchcraft in the workplace and also undecided towards the value of the extended family. </li> </ul> The literature review and the resulting empirical survey will assist leaders in the pharmaceutical sector to obtain a better understanding of rural consumers‟ perceptions of corporate image. / Thesis (PhD (Organizational Behaviour))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Human Resource Management / PhD / unrestricted

This mixed method research evaluates corporate image theory and its impact on assets of brand equity. It consists of a single case study of a CFL franchise coming back to a market that has experienced two failed franchises. The first phase involved the collection of archival material and the execution of semi-structured interviews. Through content analysis, four higher order themes emerged: the importance of Football Tradition, the need for a new Sport Facility, and the importance placed on both Identity and Brand Awareness. These themes denoted the importance of history and tradition for a franchise making its debut in a new, yet pre-existing market. The second phase involved survey research via an online method. Demographic data was compiled and analyzed to understand the various market segments that this franchise should be targeting as future fans. The findings suggest that this team should find a new name and a new logo.

The subject of this thesis is the study of issues of a corporate identity - an instrument which a company (subject) makes an attempt to create a positive image that would allow it to withstand present competetive evironment. The thesis confronts the theoretical basis of a corporate identity creation with the practical reception of this identity. The thesis is supplemented by the marketing research.

Pohled na firemní identitu a firemní image. Práce přináší několik úhlů pohledu na prvky determinující firemní identitu: Corporate Design, produkt organizace, kulturu organizace, organizační chování a komunikaci organizace. Aplikace psychologických, sociologických teorií a teorie řízení a managementu na dané téma vysvětluje, jakým způsobem je pomocí firemní identity vytvářen firemní image. Praktická část se zabývá analýzou firemní identity a image firmy InBev, Staropramen.

D. Phil. / Whetten (1985), Dutton and Dukerich (1991) and Van Tonder (1987; 1999; 2004a). Organisation identity is often simply described as the distinctive character of the organisation and more formally defined as the core, unique, enduring and unifying features of the organisation. Labich (1994) argued that it is a central factor in corporate failure, while De Geus (1997) concluded that organisation identity is a critical factor in long-living organisations, but empirical research on organisation identity is exceptionally rare. In particular, the organisation identity–performance relationship, which raises and illuminates the relevance of the organisation identity construct, especially at an applied level and from the perspective of organisational management, has not received formal research attention. The present study was expressly concerned with the relevance of the organisation identity construct and specifically investigated the relationship between organisation identity and organisational performance. It elaborates on an earlier empirical study by Van Tonder (1999), which indicated that organisation identity relates to several critical organisational variables, including organisational culture, institutional focus, lifecycle stage, and organisational performance, and which suggested the relevance of the construct. The present study aimed to isolate and illuminate the key variables of organisation identity and organisational performance in order to study and clarify the relationship between these constructs. Consistent with a growing trend towards non-participation, only three of the organisations that were approached eventually participated in the research. Predominantly quantitative in approach, the study used an adapted organisation identity questionnaire (cf. Van Tonder, 1999) together with an organisational performance questionnaire (the PI or Performance Index) (Spannenberg & Theron, 2002). Results from the 274 respondents revealed that organisation identity – both the ‘fact-of-identity’ and the organisational ‘sense-of-identity’ – are directly and indirectly related to the organisation’s performance. It was concluded that these findings are significant from the perspectives of the construct’s relevance to science, theory confirmation and building and at an applied (organisational managerial) level. The findings and their implications for continued research are discussed.

M.A. (Industrial Psychology) / This study attempted to measure the public image of an organisation, and to determine the applicability of a Semantic Differential scale for use in telephone surveys. The public image of an organisation plays an important role in the success of that organisation, as the environment continually provides inputs in the form of favourable or unfavourable actions towards the organisation. It is also important for management to know the public's image of that organisation, and which scales and surveys can be used in the determination of that image. Data were collected from two random samples of N = 220 and N = 190 whites respectively. The first sample's image of Company X was measured with a Likert type mail questionnaire. The second sample's image of Company X was measured using a Semantic Differential type telephone questionnaire. The data was then analysed using parametric statistics. Results on both the Likert scale and semantic differential indicated that the white public exhibited relatively favourable attitudes towards Company X, Afrikaans speakers were, on the whole, more positive towards Company X, than English sneakers. Only two aspects of the public image namely the utilization of employees, and employer - employee relations, were evaluated negatively.

Background: This research focused on sport sponsorship related to six sponsors from different industries that are affiliated with a South African football club, namely Kaizer Chiefs; and has drawn from the perceptions and experience of Kaizer Chiefs supporters at in their ability to identify and assess the six sponsors. Results: This research has provided a framework to investigate the interrelationships between sport sponsorship, sponsor awareness, corporate image and intention to purchase sponsors' products. The main findings of the research were that category sport sponsorship awareness has a positive effect on sponsor awareness; and that corporate image has a positive effect on intention to purchase sponsors' products. No significant positive relationship was found between sponsor awareness and corporate image. Furthermore, no conclusive evidence was found to support the hypothesis that sponsor awareness has a positive effect on intention to purchase sponsors' products. Conclusion: The framework proposed within this research has highlighted the supporting role that sponsor awareness plays in achieving media coverage objectives, as well as the role that corporate image plays in achieving sales objectives. The results have further emphasised that corporate image is the more dominant indicator of sponsorship effectiveness as it ultimately leads to increased sales. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

A good corporate reputation is extremely valuable, and confers substantial benefits to the organisation. In order to better manage their corporate reputation, companies need to align their corporate identity and corporate image. Where they do not align and there are gaps, company directors need to identify and reconcile those identity-image gaps.In this research study, corporate reputation, and specifically image and identity, is investigated to understand whether there is gap between how the company views itself (corporate identity) and how it is viewed by its stakeholders (corporate image).Directors' perceptions of gaps between corporate identity and corporate image were explored through a qualitative research methodology that focussed on collecting primary data using an exploratory, phenomenological approach. Ten depth interviews were conducted with directors of companies operating in South Africa, who were selected through convenience sampling.A framework is proposed to assist the management of corporate reputation by reconciling identity-image gaps in companies. The core causes of these gaps are found in the company, the staff of the company, and in the external marketplace. Once these identity-image gaps are identified and acknowledged, mechanisms are proposed to reconcile the gaps through focusing on knowledge management, relationship management, communication, trust and implementation. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att studera och jämföra hur några företag i Halmstad upplever sig själva respektive hur allmänheten upplever dessa. Vidare är målet med denna jämförelse att kunna dra slutsatser utifrån de studerade företagen i Halmstad. Teoretisk referensram: Den yttre och den inre upplevelsen speglas bland annat i faktorer såsom: vad de anställda förmedlar, de egenskaper man kan förknippa företaget med, färger och symboler kring företaget, eventuella kundsamhörigheter kopplade till företaget samt reklamen och marknadsföringen som företaget förmedlar. Metod: Fyra företag i Halmstadsområdet fick genom två till tre anställda genom intervjuer besvara hur de upplevde det egna företaget. Även två fokusgrupper om fyra personer vardera sattes samman för att fånga det allmänna perspektivet av de medverkande företagen. Resultat: Den slutliga analysen visade att både det interna och det externa perspektivet av de fyra företagen generellt sett var mer lika än olika. Slutsats: Från resultatet drog vi slutsatsen att den interna företagsidentiteten upplevd bland anställda och det externa perspektivet som det uppfattades av allmänheten överlag var samstämmiga. Nyckelord: Organizational identity, Corporate image, Brand / Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study and compare how some companies in Halmstad experience themselves and how the general public experiences these. Furthermore, the goal of this comparison is to be able to draw conclusions based on these companies in Halmstad. Theoretical framework: The external and the internal perception is reflected in factors such as: what the employees mediates, characteristics you can associate the company with, colors and symbols around the company, brand communities linked to the company and the advertising and marketing that the company displays. Method: Four companies in the general region of Halmstad with two to three employees respectively attended simultaneous interviews, where they shared the company´s perceptions about themselves. Furthermore, two focus groups of four subjects each were formed to represent the public´s view of the attending companies. Results: Ultimately, via our study we found that both the internal and external perspective of the four companies were generally more similar than different. Conclusion: From the results we concluded that the internal organizational identity perceived by employees and the external corporate image perceived by the general public were for the attending companies in general in agreement. Keywords: Organizational identity, Corporate image, Brand