ABSTRACT
The concern for identity in management is not new. Balmer (1994) traced its origin back to the late 1950s when design consultancies in the US began to emerge. These consultancies aimed at managing companies’ corporate identities, which at the time essentially meant logos and visual identification systems. In 1958, in a Harvard Business Review article, P. Martineau wrote about the “personality” of retail stores. Within academia, in the field of management, the “parenthood” of the concept of “organizational identity” is generally attributed to S. Albert and D. Whetten. Since the publication of their seminal article in 1985, research on identity and related subjects, such as organizational image and identification, have multiplied. In the past five years, this activity has been even more enthusiastic. In parallel, within business circles, issues relating to identity, such as corporate identity (which now encompasses more than just design), corporate image, reputation management, and corporate branding have come to the fore. Industry surveys have reported that identity now ranks high on business leaders’ agendas.
