If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This paper investigates what organisations perceive as the essential components of corporate identity concept and their contents. It proposes an operational definition of corporate identity on the basis of the practitioners' views. Design/methodology/approach -The information was gathered through 32 in-depth interviews with managers from different organisations (mainly multinational companies) and an analysis of corporate literature and web sites. The initial analysis is based on a multidisciplinary categorisation developed by the first author, which facilitated the systematic analysis of a wide range of components (e.g. corporate communication, corporate design, corporate culture etc.) associated with corporate identity. Findings -The study shows that there is a considerable divergence in opinions concerning the fundamental components of corporate identity among practitioners. Most interviewees heavily associated identity with the areas of corporate design, communication, behaviour and strategy whereas there was no unanimous agreement as to whether or not corporate culture was a product or determinant of corporate identity. Research limitations/implications -Developing sub-items and their measures for each dimension presented in the proposed definition and examining the possible relationships between them might be the further step. Also additional empirical research which considers consequences of corporate identity management in relation to company performance indicators could enhance overall understanding of the concept. Practical implications -Senior company management can use the categorisation discussed in this paper as a starting point for development of corporate identity management strategies. Originality/value -Recategorisation of Melewar's corporate identity dimensions, which help define corporate identity concept in measurable terms. Unfolding the corporate identity conceptCorporate communication A number of academics have stressed the links between corporate communication and corporate identity (Cornelissen and Harris, 2001;Van Riel, 1995;Varey and Lewis, 2000). Corporate communication is a term that encompasses all the ways in which the organisation commu...

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the corporate identity concept. This investigation initially provides a brief review of the literature and clarification of the various components of the corporate identity concept. Then, through a series of in-depth interviews with 32 individuals from twenty different organisations in different industries, it aims to develop an understanding of the benefits organisations believe can be derived from a strong identity. The study shows that many practitioners and academics believe that a virtuous corporate identity is pivotal to their success. Many interviewees stated that the benefits of a strong and positive corporate identity could boost employee motivation, increase the ability of the organisation to recruit and retain high quality employees, provide a strong base for organisational culture in the event of mergers and acquisitions, increase transparency of business practices, bring competitive advantage, help to develop better relationships with other businesses and aid investment into the company. The study recommends that businesses should try to develop systematic methods of measuring and managing their corporate identity.

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This paper focuses on the importance of corporate identity mix and unplanned (uncontrolled) communication elements in corporate image formation. It aims to define the scope of the communicators of corporate identity in the consumers' context. It presents a literature review with highlights on corporate identity management and corporate communication fields. Subsequently, the paper posits several propositions for future empirical testin

The demand in the healthcare industry is increasing exponentially due to aging population of the world and this is leading to a rapid increase in the cost of healthcare. The emergency departments of the hospitals are the frontline of health care systems and play an additional critical role in providing an efficient and high-quality response for patients. The overcrowding at the emergency departments due to growing demand results in a situation where the demand for ED services exceeds the ability to provide care in a reasonable amount of time. This has led countries to reconsider their health policies in a way to increase their efficiency in their healthcare systems in general and in emergency departments, in particular. As in many countries, there has been a steady and significant increase in the number of patients that seek health services at the emergency departments of state hospitals of Turkey, due to the significant structural reforms in health services since 2003. While meeting this increasing demand, it is ever more important to provide these critical health services efficiently. Therefore, the efficiency of the emergency departments of seven general hospitals run by Istanbul's Beyoglu State Hospitals Association have been analyzed using categorical Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models. The analysis of DEA results is supported by a set of statistical methods to make it easier for the hospital administrators to interpret the analysis and draw conclusions. The analysis shows that less-equipped EDs are supported by better equipped, larger EDs, resulting in a hub-and-spoke type of structure among the EDs where "satellite" EDs serve an important referral function and thus evaluating their efficiency without taking the interoperability among these units into account would not be an accurate assessment of their performance.