Corporate Image Case Study

2.1 Background of the Chapter:

Overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general . . . a place in public esteems or regard: good name. (Merriam-Webster)

In the corporate world, Good name or Image is seen as a major element of an organization’s attribution alongside and included in financial performance and innovation. Image is the perception of constituencies on how an organization actually presents itself (Van Riel, 1995) in front of its audience. Literature says corporate image plays a crucial role to generate loyalty among consumers. Other than corporate image, service quality and customer satisfaction are also viewed as key drivers of customer loyalty (Lai et al., 2009) and research generally tends to consider the links

Several studies have been conducted to attempt to understand the role of corporate image on customer satisfaction and loyalty of Telecommunication Services customers (for example). Most of these studies emphasize that customer loyalty and analysis of factors affecting it are important for the success of telecommunication services firms. Furthermore, they agree that customer loyalty is the main important mediate goal for telecom service providers on their way to obtain economic

Corporate image is defined as the perception of an organization that customers’ hold in their memories. Because it works as a filter through which a company’s whole operation is perceived, a corporate image reflects a company’s overall reputation and prestige. Brown andDacin (1997) claim corporate image derives from customers’ perceptions of capability and social responsibility. Corporate capability refers to the company’s expertise in delivering product and service offerings, such as effective innovation and high service quality, while corporate social responsibility refers to the company’s management of social issues. Corporate image thus impacts a customer’s evaluation of service quality, satisfaction and loyalty (Andreassen and Lindestad, 1998; Zins, 2001