Breaking the monolithic mould

Morison, Ian

doi:10.1108/02652329710175253

Cited by 30 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The dominance of generic corporate identity in the British banking industry is also highlighted in Morison's (1997) thesis. Drawing from a case of Midland Bank (Now HSBC), Morison (1997) argued that the generic nature of corporate identity in the British banking industry manifests through the adoption of a monolithic identity system, which allows major operators of this industry to pursue a variety of business activities in the name of their parent banks.…”

Section: Wwwccsenetorg/ijmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drawing from a case of Midland Bank (Now HSBC), Morison (1997) argued that the generic nature of corporate identity in the British banking industry manifests through the adoption of a monolithic identity system, which allows major operators of this industry to pursue a variety of business activities in the name of their parent banks. Morison's (1997) thesis traces the failure of the banks to develop a pluralist corporate identity to three important issues. First is a similarity in the banks' corporate history with reference to how these banks developed, grew and expanded over time.…”

Section: Wwwccsenetorg/ijmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4, No. 6;2012 Actively constructed discourse: The notion of generic corporate identity has attracted the attention of a handful of authors who in their works (Wilkinson and Balmer, 1996;Morison, 1997;Harris, 2002;He and Balmer, 2005) constructed this concept thoroughly, comprehensively and painstakingly. Chronologically, Wilkinson and Balmer's (1996) paper provides one of the pioneering works devoted primarily to generic corporate identity.…”

Section: Wwwccsenetorg/ijmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, it appears that marketing literature (He and Balmer, 2005;Morison, 1997;Howcroft and Lavis 1986;Balmer and Wilkinson, 1991;Wilkinson and Balmer, 1996) have for some time associated the notion of generic corporate identity to banks alone. However it appears that this may not truly the case.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The concept of generic corporate identity is generally accepted as a phenomenon reflective of a strong homogeneity (Otubanjo, 2008;He and Balmer, 2005) dominating an industry, sector or industry group (Morison, 1997;Howcroft and Lavis 1986). It is indicative of a collective business culture and similar business behaviour (Olins, 1978;Balmer and Wilkinson, 1991;Wilkinson and Balmer, 1996) expressed unconsciously by firms within a specific industry.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conceptual Insight into Generic Corporate Identity in the Banking Industry and a Semiotic Evidence of Its Presence in Professional Services Firms (PSFS)

Otubanjo¹

2012

IJMS

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Purpose of this paper: This paper aims to provide an insight into the dominant arguments in generic corporate identity literature -and offers evidence of the presence of generic corporate identity in professional services industry.Design/method/approach: Existing literature on generic corporate identity is reviewed leading towards the development of three conceptual perspectives of generic corporate identity, namely active, passive and parenthetic. The weakness of existing theoretical literatures (in relation to their inability to explicate how generic corporate identity develops) is highlighted. Consequently, a new process model grounded on the notion of institutional isomorphism is presented to fill this gap. A semiotic deconstruction of corporate identity statements in annual report and accounts of the big four professional services firms in the United States is presented to provide evidence of the presence and emergence of generic corporate identity in professional services firms. Findings:A number of findings emerged in this study. First are three pedagogical themes of generic corporate identity. Second is a four stage generic identity development process model, which explicates how generic corporate identity emerges. Third, a semiotic deconstruction of some sections of annual report and accounts of the big four professional services firms in the United States supports the presence and emergence of generic corporate identity in professional services firms. Theoretical implication:The introduction of a generic corporate identity process model in this study clarifies how generic corporate identity evolves. This clarification aids the understanding of the development process of generic corporate identity, which until date remains vague, fuzzy and unclear. In addition, the semiotic deconstruction of texts, which gives insight into the presence of generic corporate identity in Professional Services Firms (PSF), takes the argument in marketing literature a step further. Specifically, the outcome of the deconstruction of texts indicates that the problem of generic corporate identity is not a banking problem alone but a professional services issue as well. The study adds to existing knowledge on the theory of generic corporate identity and contributes towards an understanding of corporate identity theory in general. Practical implications:Insights into the elements that influence the development of a generic corporate identity imply that managers can map out plans that enable firms or clients to challenge or avoid the acquisition of generic corporate identities. By circumventing the development of generic corporate identity, firms develop distinct corporate identities, which position them competitively in the business environment.Limitation of study and future research direction: The empirical evidence presented in this study merely supports the presence of generic corporate identity in professional services firms. The study does not address this issue in other service industries such as tourism, hospitalit...

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Section: Wwwccsenetorg/ijmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Wwwccsenetorg/ijmsmentioning

confidence: 99%