Various writers have developed conceptual models of corporate image formation and corporate identity management. These models reflect the way in which corporate identity and corporate image have been conceptualised over the past three decades. This paper

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A ligning the multiple identities of the corporation is one of the most critical tasks to be undertaken by senior executives. Where meaningful identity misalignments occur the result can be deleterious. When placed in context, the following quote from the "Values" section of a company report of 1998 provides a powerful example of the damage caused by identity misalignments-in this case between corporate communications (communicated identity) and an organization's distinctive traits (actual corporate identity). It read as follows:"We treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. We do not tolerate abusive or disrespectful treatment. Ruthlessness, callousness and arrogance don't belong here." 1The company was Enron. The AC 3 ID TestHow can senior managers diagnose and resolve the identity misalignments that regularly characterize their organization? The framework outlined here seeks to address the above. The authors acknowledge the support and observations of faculty colleagues and students at Strathclyde University, Bradford School of Management, Brunel University, Queensland University of Technology, The Catholic University of Australia, and Harvard Business School with whom we have shared our insights from the early 1990s vis-à-vis the various identity changes effected at British Airways (see also Appendix). The authors appreciate the helpful comments of three anonymous reviewers.

Bernstein wrote that we should be concerned about the image our company projects not because we want to manufacture it but because we need to discern how we are being received and how those perceptions square with our self‐image (Bernstein 1984, 13). The importance of image being based on reality was incorporated by Abratt (1989) into his conceptual model in the form of an ‘interface’. This interface can be conceived of as the moment of truth for an organisation where the corporate identity is externalised, and, therefore, examination of the dynamics of this interface is of vital interest to corporate identity research. The results of empirical research into this interface, denoted as the corporate identity/corporate image interface in this research, are presented in this paper. A resultant model of the corporate identity management process is then advanced, based on the dimensions of a factor analysis of the multi‐item scale developed for the research. The research revealed that, whereas the selection of an accountancy firm is based on the corporate image that it projects, retention of an accountancy firm is based on continuing positive experiences, including the responsiveness of employees, the physical environment and the values that the accountancy firm holds dear. This implies that the corporate identity/corporate image interface must be a coherent entity for the successful projection of corporate identity.

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