University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES POLICY FOR CORPORATE IDENTITY AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES, ACCRA (UPSA): A PROPOSAL BY PEACE MAWUNYO ADZADI 10003900 A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF A MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES. MARCH, 2012 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DECLARATION I, Peace Mawunyo Adzadi, do hereby declare that, but for references to other people’s works which have been duly acknowledged, the work presented has been done by me as an M.A. student of the School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. To the best of my knowledge, this project has not been previously submitted for any degree in this University or elsewhere. ………………………………….. ………………………………… SUPERVISOR STUDENT MR. JOSEPH ALLOTEY-PAPOE PEACE MAWUNYO ADZADI MARCH 2012 i University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DEDICATION This project is dedicated to my daughters, Caroline, Catherine and Vanessa. ii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks first of all is to the Almighty God who, in spite of the numerous challenges I faced in the course of this programme, granted me strength and grace to complete it. I express my heartfelt gratitude to my project supervisor, Mr. Joseph Allotey-Pappoe for his comments, direction and advice throughout this project. I greatly appreciate your invaluable support and encouragement. My thanks also go to the lecturers of the School of Communication studies, University of Ghana, Legon for the knowledge imparted to me. I am greatly indebted to the Vice Chancellor and Registrar of UPSA, who spared time out of their heavy schedule to grant me interview for this project. I am grateful to Major Albert Donchebe, the Director, Corporate Planning and Communication of the Export Development and Investment Fund and President of Institute of Public Relations, Ghana as well as Mr. Torgbor Mensah, the CEO of Design and Display Publicity, who gave me expert knowledge and insight into corporate identity and image management. To the faculty members, administrative staff and students of the University of Professional Studies as well as the external stakeholders who granted me interviews regarding the identity and image of the University, I say a big thank you. iii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of friend, Mrs. Mary N. Essiaw, the head of department, Business Administration, UPSA for her invaluable support. I also say a big thank you to Mrs. Salome Asare, who supported this project with her secretarial expertise. I am grateful to my family, who sacrificed their comfort to enable me focus on the project, bore some of the pressure of this work and also provided the needed support. Mr. Bright Gakpe, I really appreciate the time you sacrificed to read though this project. Finally, to all who contributed in several ways to make this project a reality, I say thank you. iv University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ABSTRACT The project aimed at proposing policy for corporate identity and image management of the University of Professional Studies.The scope of the project covered policy on corporate visual identity, communication, corporate behaviour and culture. An image audit was conducted to ascertain the perception of the internal and external audiences concerning the image of the University. Top management of UPSA was interviewed for their view on the identity of the institution. Experts in the field of Public Relation and Advertising were also interviewed for expert knowledge. Both primary and secondary data were used for the project. The articles reviewed on the topic and the documents of other institutions consulted provided secondary data. The interviews constituted the primary data. The articles reviewed and the interviews revealed that visual identity and communication, corporate culture and behaviour as well as competitive market conditions are the core elements of corporate identity.This led the researcher to propose policies for all the core elements for the corporate identity and image management of the University of Professional studies. The project is expected to enable the University to manage its image and identity in a standardized and consistent manner. It is also expected to give more insight into corporate identity and image management to enable both scholars and practitioners pay more attention to all core elements of corporate identity for better understanding of the concept and design programmes and policies for competitive advantage. v University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGE Declaration i Dedication ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract v Table of contents vii Appendices ix List of figures x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Project 1 1.2 Problem Statement 4 1.3 Purpose of the Project 4 1.4 Objectives of the project 4 1.5 Significance of the Project 5 1.6 Limitations 5 1.7 Presentation of Work 5 CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY 2.1 Introduction 7 2.2 Respondents 8 2.3 Sources of data 9 2.4 Data collection 9 vi University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2.5 Definition of terms 10 2.5.1 Advertising 10 2.5.2 Corporate Identity 10 2.5.3 Corporate Image 10 2.5.4 Culture 10 2.5.5 Behaviour 11 2.5.6 Typography 11 2.5.7 Marketing 11 2.5.8 Market Conditions 11 CHAPTER THREE FINDINGS FROM THE AUDIT AND INTERVIEWS 3.1 Visual identity 12 3.2 Communication 13 3.3 Vision, Mission and Philosophy 14 3.4 Culture 15 3.5 Behaviour 16 3.6 Market conditions 17 3.7 Internal Audiences 18 3.8 External Audiences 19 3.9 Experts 19 3.10 Overall Evaluation 21 vii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER FOUR PROPOSED POLICY FOR CORPORATE IDENTITY AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT 4.1 Preamble 25 4.2 Policy Statement 25 4.3 Purpose 26 4.4 Vision, mission and Philosophy of UPSA 26 4.5 Strategic direction and focus 27 4.6 Scope of policy 28 4.6.1 Visual identity policy 28 4 6.2 Corporate communication policy 35 4.6.3 Cultural identity policy 39 4.6.4 Behaviour policy 42 4.6.4.1Employee behaviour 42 4.6.4.2 Students behaviour 44 4.6.4.3 Faculty behaviour 46 CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION, SUGGESTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Conclusion 49 5.2 Suggestions 50 REFERENCES 52 viii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh APPENDICES APPENDIX I Organisational Structure of UPSA 54 APPENDIX II Structure of the Public Affairs Directorate 55 APPENDIX III Annotated Bibliography 56 APPENDIX IV Transcript of Interviews 89 APPENDIX V Interview Guide 106 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1 A corporate identity model 24 Figure 4.1 Meaning of the Coat-of-Arms 29 Figure 4.2 Logo with the name in full 30 Figure 4.3 Logo with name abbreviated 30 Figure 4.4 Logo with tagline beneath it 30 Figure 4.5 Logo with name at the side 31 Figure 4.6 Logo with name beneath it 31 Figure 4.7 The adinkra symbol used, ako ben 31 Figure 4.8 A proposed logo 32 ix University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Project There is a growing practitioner and academic interest in corporate identity and image management in recent years due to the recognition of its potential for differentiation and competitive advantage (Markwick and Fill, 1997). Business organizations have particularly been interested in this development. The trend is now catching up with the education sector, which is increasingly seeing the importance of positive identity and image for survival and growth. The education sector in most countries, just like the corporate environment, is becoming increasingly crowded and keenly competitive (Melewar &Akel, 2005). This is as a result of globalization, deregulation and the development of information and communication technology, among other environmental changes. In Ghana, there has been a phenomenal growth in the number of tertiary institutions in recent years. This is due to the deregulation of the tertiary education sector in the early 1990s, with increased private sector participation in education as one of its goals. It is worth noting that Ghana had only three public universities up to the early 1980s. Following the deregulation and the tertiary sector reform, however, the number of both public and private higher academic institutions increased to about forty-five (45) by 2012. Twenty-nine of these are private institutions (Adu, 2009; SAPRI/GHANA, 2001). Most of these institutions run business related courses. The result is a keen competition in the sector and a search for ways to be ahead of the competition. Some researchers have noted that education, hitherto considered as a public good and paid for by the state, is now seen as a service to be advertised and marketed, (Melewar and Akel, 2005). Apart from the quality of academic programmes, universities are now becoming increasingly aware of the importance of their identity and 1 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh image as essential factors in attracting high quality staff and students as well as ensuring their growth and survival. In the higher education sector in Ghana, however, the notion of corporate identity and image management is rather an emerging trend with only a few institutions such as the University of Ghana, the Ghana Telecom University College and the University of Professional Studies taking the initiative. The issues of corporate identity and image management should be given the needed attention by any institution that wants to differentiate itself from other competitors. As observed by Christensen & Askegaard (2001) that in the twenty-first century, the notions of image and identity are receiving growing scholarly and managerial attention. Corporate identity is defined as the “organization‟s presentation of itself to its various stakeholders and the means by which it distinguishes itself from all other institutions” (Markwick and Fill, 1999: 397). Corporate image on the other hand is seen as the customers‟ response to the total offering and is defined as “beliefs, ideas and impressions that a public has of an organization” (Tang Weiwei, 2007: 58). The articles reviewed have revealed that organizations and universities are developing and implementing corporate identity and image management programmes as differentiation strategies in order to stay ahead of the competition (Melewar & Akel, 2005; Nguyem and Leblanc, 2001). A review of the identity programmes of some institutions such as Cambridge University, Warwick University and Florida University revealed a focus on the visual component only. Van Riel and Balmer (1997) noted that corporate identity was traditionally equated with the visual elements alone because originally, many corporate identity consultants were graphic designers who prescribed what corporate identity should be. Melewar and Akel (2005) however noted that a corporate identity programme that focuses on just one element is uni-dimensional and is actually a failure. They added that Melewar and Jenkins (2002) have identified four sub-constructs of corporate identity as follows: 2 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh (1) Communication and visual identity; (2) Behavior; (3) Corporate culture; and (4) Market conditions. All the elements above are important and interrelated and should be incorporated in any identity and image management programme. The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), was established as a tuition provider for business professional programmes in accountancy and management. In 2005, it started running degree programmes in business and other disciplines. The strategic goals put in place to be able to achieve the vision and mission of the University are to:  Build a new Learning Environment and Image  Enhance Research Enterprise  Improve Institutional effectiveness  Compete in a global economy A Public Affairs Directorate and a Marketing Unit have been created with a mandate to manage the new identity and image of the University among other responsibilities. The units have proposed a policy on the visual identity, specifically on the logo, colours and promotional materials. An enduring corporate identity and image management programme that ensures the competitiveness and long-term survival of an institution should embrace all core elements in the corporate identity mix as mentioned earlier. This will enable an organization to pay attention to every aspect of its operations, present a consistent identity and do things distinctively so as to set itself apart from the competitors. Also, for consistency in the identity and image management endeavours, a policy must be developed to provide a guide and an action plan required to successfully manage such a programme. Some 3 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh researchers have observed that image is in the mind of the stakeholder and cannot be managed directly except through the management of identity (Mackwick &Fill, 1997). Other writers also noted that “image cannot be projected by firms via messages and logos. Rather, image is as a result of how the signals and messages sent by the organization are interpreted over time by the stakeholders” (Arpan, Raney & Zivnuska, 2003). A corporate identity policy, well implemented is expected to translate into a positive image of an organization. 1.2 Problem Statement UPSA wants to differentiate itself through a corporate identity and image management programme in order to be nationally and globally competitive. So far, the Public Affairs Directorate has proposed a visual identity policy which has even not yet been embraced by management. There is no policy guideline for the other core elements of the identity mix, even though management acknowledges these elements as important aspects of the University‟s identity. There is therefore a need for a policy that covers all core elements of the corporate identity mix. It is in the light of this that this project seeks to propose a policy to cater for all aspects of the University‟s identity and image programme to enable it to manage its identity for competitive advantage. 1.3 Purpose of the Project The goal of this project is to provide a policy framework that will enable UPSA to manage its identity and image consistently across departments, faculties and school. 1.4 Objectives of the Project The objectives of the project are:  To identify the elements that shape the corporate identity of UPSA.  To draw up a policy that will enable UPSA to present a consistent identity to its publics. 4 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh  To recommend a template for corporate identity and image management programmes of the University. 1.5 Significance of the Project Corporate identity and image management programmes have originally focused on symbolism or visual identity (van Riel & Balmer,1997). This is due to the fact that originally, many corporate identity practitioners were graphic designers who prescribed what corporate identity should be (van Riel & Balmer, 1997). As a result, related policies also center only on the visual component. Identity and image management programmes are however, of strategic intent. Therefore to differentiate oneself through the management of corporate identity and image and to have an edge over one‟s competitors, such a programme should cover all relevant elements of the corporate identity mix. This project seeks to enable UPSA to be more comprehensive in its identity and image management drive. The proposed policy covers all core elements in the corporate identity mix as identified by Melewar and Jenkins (2002) and is expected to enable the University to present a consistent identity to its publics. 1.6 Limitations A project of this nature would produce a better result when done both quantitative and qualitatively. Sale (2002) has argued that qualitative and quantitative researches complement each other and produce better outcomes. However, due to limited time frame for this project, the researcher used only the qualitative approach with a limited number of interviews. The researcher acknowledges that the above factors could undermine the objectivity of findings and affect the quality of the work. 1.7 Presentation of work The researcher intends to present this work in five chapters. Chapter One gives an introduction to the project. 5 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Chapter Two presents the methodology that was used to collect data for the project. The interviews and the information obtained are discussed in this chapter. Chapter Three presents the findings from the audit. The policy is covered in chapter Four. Here the policies that should guide the corporate identity programme of UPSA are proposed. Chapter Five gives conclusion, suggestions and recommendation. 6 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY 2.1 Methodology refers to the theory of how research should be undertaken (Saunders et al., 2012). Two main methodological approaches used in research are quantitative and qualitative approaches or a combination of both. Quantitative research attempts a precise measure of something, usually knowledge opinions and attitudes and mostly uses surveys. It also uses probability sampling with larger sample size. Quantitative research is often used for theory testing. Qualitative research on the other hand seeks in-depth understanding of a situation and is preferred in studies that focus on perceptions, descriptions and emotions among others. The primary data collection technique in qualitative research is an interview, beside other approaches such as focus group discussions and document analysis among others. It uses non-probability sampling technique. The sample size used in qualitative study is usually smaller than the size required for quantitative study (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). The study did not seek to test any theory nor specifically measure anything so the researcher decided to use qualitative approach. The methodology used for the study was mainly an image audit combined with in-depth interviews. An image audit is a research method that seeks to determine audiences‟ beliefs and understanding of an organization‟s image. It also involves the description of important values and characteristics of an organization (Cornelissen, 2004; Belasen, 2008). The purpose is to determine discrepancies between the desired and the actual image of UPSA. In-depth interviews were also conducted with top management of UPSA and some experts in the fields of public relations and advertising. The University of Professional Studies seeks to differentiate itself by implementing corporate identity and image management programme. The aim of this project is to propose a policy framework that will enable the Institution present a consistent and unified identity to its audiences. According to Markwick and Fill (1997) “image is in the mind of the stakeholder 7 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh and cannot be managed directly except through the management of identity”. Christensen & Askegaard (2001) also noted that corporate identity is the way the organization presents itself to its audiences and corporate image is the perception the stakeholders form as they interact with the organization. A policy that is expected to have a positive impact on both the identity and image of an organization must take cognizance of stakeholders‟ view of the organization‟s image. Based on this, an image audit was conducted to determine the perception of the University‟s audiences about its image. In addition, interviews were conducted with experts to gather information on the relevance of identity and image management and to gain more insight in the field. 2.2 Respondents The respondents were made up of the University‟s internal and external audiences as well as experts in the field of identity and image management. The respondents were purposively selected based on their varying associations and experiences with the University. The internal audiences were made up of top management, faculty members, non-academic staff and students. With regard to the students both graduate and undergraduate students were interviewed. These audiences were selected on the basis of their daily interaction and experience with the organization. These experiences and the ways they projected the University would largely influence how outsiders viewed the Institution. The external stakeholders comprised parents, educationists, prospective students, service providers, media representatives and a representative of the National Accreditations Board. These people are associated with the University in various ways. They were used for the study to ascertain their views about the organization. Expert knowledge was sought from practitioners in the fields of advertising and public relations to obtain hands-on information on corporate identity and image management issues. On the whole, twenty-four (24) people were interviewed for the study. 8 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2.3 Sources of Data The work is a qualitative study. Both primary and secondary researches were used to collect data for the project. The main sources of the secondary data were the articles reviewed for the independent study on the concepts of identity and image (see appendix iii). The vision, mission and strategy of the University were also examined to determine the extent to which they reflect what the University actually it is doing. A proposed visual identity policy of UPSA and those of other higher academic institutions were also reviewed. Interviews were the main source of primary data. Open-ended, unstructured questions and semi structured interviews were used for the study. Some internal and external audiences of the University as well as some experts in the field of corporate identity and image were interviewed. 2.4 Data Collection The work is a qualitative study so a self-developed interview guide was used to source information from top management and some experts in the fields of advertising and public. Semi structured interviews were also used to obtain information from the University‟s internal and external audiences. According to Mackwick & Fill, (1997), image is in the mind of the stakeholder and cannot be managed directly except through the management of identity. Based on this, an image audit was conducted to determine the perception of the internal and external audiences concerning the University as a whole, and on some core elements of corporate identity such as visual identity, culture, communication and behaviour. The questions also covered other attributes that determine the image of a university such as facilities, range of courses, atmosphere and level of satisfaction with the University, the quality of teaching and of faculty members as well as non-academic staff‟s attitude to work. Data was collected from top management to determine the state of identity and image 9 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh management at UPSA and the reasons behind it as well as their assessment of the visual identity, communication, culture and behaviour of internal audiences. Internal audiences were made of faculty members, non-academic staff and students. Educationists, representatives of the National Accreditation Board, the media, service providers, parents and prospective students constituted the external audiences. Experts in the fields of Advertising, Public Relation and communication were also interviewed to obtain expert knowledge on identity and image management. 2.5 Definition of Terms The terms defined below have been used in specific terms, and are meant to inform the policy set out in this document and to create a shared understanding among the end users of this document. 2.5.1 Advertising The structured nonpersonal communication of information that calls public attention to a product, service, or the Institute by means of paid announcements so as to affect perception or arouse consumer desire to make a purchase or take a particular action. 2.5.2 Corporate identity Identity means the sum of all the ways a company chooses to present itself to all its publics- the community, customers, employees, the press, present and potential stockholders, security analysts, and investment bankers. 2.5.3 Corporate image Corporate Image on the other hand, is the perception of the company by its publics. 2.5.4 Culture Culture in this context refers to the commonly held and relatively stable beliefs, attitudes, values and the way of life of internal audiences. 10 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2.5.5 Behaviour Behaviour in this sense refers to attitude to life and work of management, academic and non- academic staff as well as that of students of the University. 2.5.6 Typography Typography is the manner in which the official type, pertaining to font, alignment and spacing is set as will be prescribed in the corporate identity policy. 2.5.7 Marketing The various techniques used to attract and persuade consumers. Within the context of the University the consumers refer to students and specific stakeholders such as staff, alumni, donors, the community, media etc. 2.5.8 Market Conditions Market conditions in this project refers to competitive nature of the education sector and the degree of marketability of the University‟s products. 11 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER THREE FINDINGS FROM THE AUDIT AND INTERVIEWS The themes and elements that emerged from the audit and expert interviews were: vsual identity, communication, culture and behaviour. The findings on them are presented as follows: 3.1 Visual Identity According to top management, UPSA‟s visual identity is seen in the infrastructure, corporate colours and logo, which all communicate various messages to the publics. Management is making efforts to project the identity of the University through these visuals elements, but the publics, both internal and external, appear not to be very aware of these messages. This is seen in the responses provided when the respondents were asked to describe the logo and colours and to explain their meaning. While most of the internal audiences were able to describe the colours of the UPSA logo, only a few were able to give a full description and detailed meaning of the colours and logo of the university. According to top management, the logo means the following: The Symbol is an adaptation of the Adinkrah symbol „Ako Ben‟. “Ako Ben” literally translated as „War Horn‟, a horn used by the Akan traditional War Chief to call his warriors to war. It represents a state of readiness to deal with situations and the seriousness to tackle issues and reminds staff and students of the attitude that will enable them excel at whatever they do. The symbol, in navy blue colour, signifies the readiness of the University of Professional Studies to promote higher education, by transforming students into graduates who are critical thinkers, confident and have absolute authority in their fields of discipline. 12 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The Shield: The Shield with the gold colour is a symbol of protection of the wealth or assets of the University, that is: its intellectual property- which is its pride; its Faculty members – who are the drivers of the knowledge and skills development process; its students – who are the reason for its existence and its alumni – who are the evidence of the success of University. The Banner / Scroll: This has the inscription – Scholarship with Professionalism – which is the motto of the University. The motto is an expression of the academic intent of the University to provide students with the knowledge and skills so that as graduates, they would develop a problem-solving mindset and attitude for the socio-economic development of Ghana. The University has in place a variety of facilities for both study and recreation ranging from sporting facilities, computer laboratories, a canteen, a library and lecture halls which also constitute the visual identity. While some of the internal stakeholders of the university (faculty and students) rated its facilities as moderate, many more commented on the need to improve facilities. Some stated that the facilities were not very conducive for academic work. Most of the respondents were however quick to add that they could see a lot of infrastructural work being done. In all both students and employees which made up the internal stakeholder base of the university have an overall positive image of the institution while pointing out the need for improvements to be made to the existing infrastructure of the university. 3.2 Communication With regards to communication across the campus concerning the dissemination of information from staff to students via email, print and, phone, etc or the access to members of 13 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh staff by students such as administrative staff and faculty members, opinions were a bit varied amongst respondents. Management believes there is adequate information to staff and students concerning all relevant issues, but admits that there is delay at times. Faculty in general cited communication to and from students as being very satisfactory with some even describing it as „‟excellent‟‟. Views from students however, tended to be quite different. Many students thought that communication and academic support received from lecturers was not adequate. Internal communication channels The internal communication channels at UPSA include but are not limited to:  E- mails  Memos  Telephone Calls  Notice Boards  Meetings and  Web-Site External communication channels include:  Telephone calls  Web-site  Publications, advertising and media relations among others 3.3 Vision, Mission and Philosophy The vision, mission and philosophy of UPSA, the details of which are presented in the policy, communicate both academic and professional excellence. There is a blend of scholarship with professionalism. This informs the motto of the University which is “Scholarship with Professionalism”. The audiences do not appear to be paying much attention to the messages. It is worth noting however, that the word „excellence‟ has not been captured in the motto. 14 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh This observation has also been made by one of the experts interviewed and will therefore be addressed in the proposal. 3.4 Culture Culture in this context refers to the commonly held and relatively stable beliefs, attitudes, values and the way of life of internal audiences. Top management acknowledges that it has not been easy developing a unified culture because of the different schools, faculties and departments. Steps are however taken to ensure that the University‟s core values of integrity, respect and service reflect in the way things are done across the Institution. According to top management, the culture at UPSA can be described as collegial. When there is the need to formulate policies to address issues, committees and meetings are used. There is cordiality and respect between staff and students, but efforts are still being made to further strengthen the bond of cordiality. Lower level staff generally feels the same way about the corporate culture. According to management, majority of the staff are duty conscious. There have however, been instances where they have to deal with lapses concerning punctuality. Management also observed that in terms of performance, the UPSA culture cannot be described as high performing. A few respondents, made up mostly of students stated that some lecturers are not punctual to work. The audit has revealed that there are no organized programmes for the celebration of the heroes and heroines and the successes and achievements of the University. There is the need to address this because it is a way of getting the audiences to identify with the Institution and develop pride in it. The audit also revealed that not much has been done in terms of community service. This shortfall needs to be addressed to foster cordial relations with the community as stated in the University‟s strategic plan. Management stated that efforts were 15 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh being made to give Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training to pupils from deprived areas in the community. 3.5 Behaviour Behaviour in this sense refers to attitude to life and work of management, academic and non- academic staff as well as that of students of the University. Behaviour is an aspect of culture and are much the same; they have, however, been separated in this project for policy consideration. With regards to the quality of academic staff faculty members are encouraged and supported to pursue their PhDs, and this will reflect in the quality of service they offer to students. To a large extent, there is cordial relationship between faculty members and academic staff, between academic staff and students and between administrative staff and students. Some of the internal publics however do not understand the importance of these relationships. Where there are lapses, measures are in place for such issues to be addressed. In terms of the relationship among the internal audiences, the academic and non-academic staff generally cited the behaviour of lecturers and other staff as cordial and amicable. Most students however, rate the behaviour of lecturers, administrative staff and top management as not very cordial. This could be generalized to include the sentiments of students who find it difficult to contact lecturers for academic advising and other support. It may also be extended to include inadequate communication from teaching and administrative staff to students. Respondents in this category cited the behaviour of teaching staff in general as not being “very cordial with students‟‟ and “having little regard for students‟‟. It is worth noting the disparity or gap on views of behaviour amongst the different group of respondents in this study. Perhaps this revelation could shed some light on some issues of communication and dialogue between staff and students which are yet to be addressed. 16 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 3.6 Market Conditions Market conditions in this project refer to the competitive nature of the education sector and the degree of marketability of the University‟s products. Management is aware of the extent of competition in the higher academic sector. To make the University‟s products competitive in the national and international job market, courses are designed to be theoretical and practical as well as academic and professional. Efforts are also made to attract high quality national and international students and staff, even though infrastructure poses a challenge to that initiative. The final category of the audit examines the perceived value of the Institution and its awarded degrees in local and international spheres. Both internal and external stakeholders expressed positive opinions regarding this theme alike. Across the board, most respondents view the degrees of UPSA to be very valuable both locally and abroad. Even in terms of the quality of academic training in business amongst various tertiary institutions in Ghana, the prevalent consensus amongst respondents was as follows (in order of priority and rank): 1. The University of Professional Studies (UPS) 2. Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) 3. The University of Ghana 4. Cape Coast University 5. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) On the other hand, a few respondents felt that the programmes offered by the University were not suitable and relevant to the job market of Ghana. That notwithstanding, many respondents expressed confidence in UPSA as the best Institution to provide human resource for the country‟s socio-economic development. Others agree that the UPSA has a good academic blend of “locally tailored” programmes for the Ghanaian domestic market and many praise the excellent nature of the programmes which are both practical and theoretical, 17 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh making it unique among other public institutions offering higher business education. Top management and other staff confirm that a number of students who go on industrial attachment as part of their practical and hands-on training are sought after by the companies they work for. And also financial institutions send letters in search of the University‟s products. Thus while many see the Institution as providing good orientation towards the local market by growing and grooming personnel for industry, a few admit that the university still has barriers to break in the international arena. The University‟s vision is to position it as world class education provider in both academic and professional disciplines, nationally entrenched, regionally recognized and globally relevant. In this regard, top level administrators and faculty and students of the University recognize the need to improve upon the quality of its academic programmes and graduates to enable them to be better positioned internationally. Generally, however, the perception of the university‟s values and image concerning local recognition is very positive. 3.7 Internal Audiences The internal image reflects the views and prestige accorded the university by its own internal stakeholders. The notable stakeholders in this bracket are staff and students. In this area, almost all staff - academic and non- academic staff strongly expressed their pride in working in the institution. Many when asked if they would forgo their opportunity to work as part of the administrative and academic staff of the institution if given another chance stated that they would choose to work at the UPSA over again no matter the conditions prevailing. Many cited their strong bond and attachment to the university, its cordial working environment, its committed staff and unique offer of professional and academic programmes as reasons for their continual preference of the University over others. However while some wholeheartedly declared their choice and commitment to the university over others, other members of staff 18 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh declared this half-heartedly citing the need for improvement in teaching infrastructure and residential facilities to be provided and/or improved before any consideration of the University when given a second chance. The views of students were also somewhat varied. Some cited their obvious preference of the UPSA over its competitors due to its combination of both professional and academic courses and programmes and its unique blend of practical and theoretical instruction as reasons for their choice. Others emphatically declared to decline admission to the Institution given a second chance. Reasons for this included some students being disillusioned with some aspects of their chosen fields of study, the lecturer-student relationship and simply the cumbersome nature and “not very cordial atmosphere‟‟ as well as seemingly congested environment. 3.8 External Audiences The audit aimed at finding out whether there were any discrepancies between the perception of internal and external stakeholders regarding the identity top management and employees are projecting. Most of the external audiences are familiar with the University and have a favorable attitude toward it. They view the overall image of the University as positive just like the internal audiences. Common themes that were identified in the course of the audit are visual identity, communication, behaviour and corporate culture as factors that set UPSA apart from other similar institutions. 3.9 Experts The interview with experts was to gather information on the relevance of identity and image management and the measures to take to make identity and image management a success. According to an interviewee, a PR expert. “image is everything”, as the slogan of the Institute of Public Relation states (interview, 2012). It is important for attracting funds from donors and sponsors. The sources of image are visuals, the way an institution presents itself as well 19 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh as its concepts and values. The visuals, especially the architecture and the environment speak a lot about the mentality of the people. Identity and image management is about first impression. This is manifested in all aspects of an organization, notably, visuals-logo, colours, font, colour, motto premises, staff outfit, behavior, communication and culture. Colours must be deliberately selected for distinctiveness. Blue as one of the corporate colours of the University can mean a serene and relaxing learning environment. Learning takes place in a healthy environment which also has a psychological impact on employees. An advertising expert (interview, 2012) also added that “the significance of logos and colours is specific to those who adopt them so it must be communicated to the publics for them to understand” (interview). The corporate colours must be distinctive and set the University apart from its competitors. The blue and yellow as colours of UPSA are too close to that of their very close neighbour and competitor, the University of Ghana. The experts also noted that:  It is important to choose a striking font. The typeface must also be clear and modern.  Uniforms must also be distinctive from that of competitors.  Correspondence must also be done distinctively and professionally.  Vehicles must also be painted distinctively. There is the need for total communication. Communication is both verbal and non-verbal. UPSA‟s identity must be communicated in the way they do their things. Consistent communication must be delivered to stakeholders. Every opportunity to project UPSA positively to the publics must be exploited. There is the need to reinforce relationship with the media and to bring them into more activities of the University such as those concerning faculties and council. It is important to develop a press corps and be in a close relationship with them. 20 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Efforts to present a positive identity must cut across everything the university does and must be consistent and repetitive. In terms of culture, UPSA has certain uniqueness and this must reflect in everything they do. For instance, the University has made its name over the years as a tuition provider for professional accountancy and management programmes. It has now expanded into the academic sphere, blending scholarship with professionalism. There is, therefore, the need to demonstrate that it aims at excelling in whatever it does, expert opinion (interview, 2012). The interviewee also noted that the word „Excellence‟ should be captured in the University‟s motto (interview). The experts also noted that advertising should be done to reflect the strength of the University. They should be designed in a way to enable the audiences to recognize UPSA at a glance. They should also provide clarity and impact. The layout must communicate excellence and professionalism. The visuals, communication, behaviour and culture should blend together to project the uniqueness of UPSA. 3.10 Overall Evaluation In response to questions to determine why students chose UPSA among other competitors, majority of respondents cited the unique blend of professional and academic programmes as well as the prospects of securing a good job. According to the respondents, corporate identity in the context of the University refers to the uniqueness of UPSA and how things are done differently from other institutions. This means the visual elements, behavior, culture and communication combine to project the identity of the University. The identity of UPSA is also reflected in the programmes it offers. There is a unique blend of academic and professional programmes in business and other relevant disciplines which reflects in the UPSA motto of “Scholarship with Professionalism”. To summarize, this paper finds the overall evaluation from the sample 21 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh of respondents contacted in this study to be generally positive while still admitting the need for improvement in certain areas, notably in faculty and staff- student relationship. The interviews reveal that the identity of UPSA is first of all seen in the way things are done differently from other similar institutions. In terms of the visual identity, the interviewees mentioned the name, the logo, campus infrastructure and facilities as well as the University‟s colours as obvious visual identity symbols. The logo, the colours, (the details are given in the visual identity policy) vision and mission statements are communicating various messages to the publics of the University, but most members seem oblivious to these messages. While the Institution‟s name has been changed to reflect its new mandate, no immediate changes are anticipated in its logo, vision, mission and philosophy. Since all these elements are believed to be communicating the identity of the University, it is clear that the change in name alone is not enough to effectively communicate the University‟s new identity. It is believed that there is timely information to staff and students on issues concerning their work and welfare, there is however, delay in communication at times. Effective communication motivates employees and gets them to contribute effectively towards the achievement of the organization‟s goals and objectives. Highly motivated staff who derive satisfaction from their jobs will communicate positive messages and for that matter, positive identity of the University. Students will do same if there is effective communication concerning their studies and welfare. It is generally accepted that the behaviour of employees is important in expressing the identity of an organization, especially in the service industry. Concerning behaviour and culture at UPSA, there is respect and cordial relationship among all the internal publics. Both staff and students apply integrity to whatever they do even though there are some lapses 22 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh where, for instance, students are found to falsify grades or attempt to cheat during examinations. Such issues are however , dealt with as appropriate. Punctuality to work is also another challenge management is trying to deal with. Developing a unifying culture is a management challenge. Besides, the culture of UPSA cannot be described as high performing; measures are however in place to develop a high performing culture. There are different units, sections, departments, and faculties in the University, with their various approaches and attitudes to programmes and activities. Developing a corporate level culture becomes a challenge. The identity of an organization should also guide the behaviour of employees. For consistency in behaviour and corporate level core values, there is the need for policies to enable students and employees to project the desired values and identity. Common themes that could be identified in most of the articles reviewed are visual identity, communication, behaviour and culture. The audit also revealed the same themes as factors that set UPSA apart from similar institutions. However, so far there is a work in progress only on visual identity. Based on the above, the researcher proposes that for the management of its identity and image, the University adopt Melewar and Jenikins‟ (2002) identity model as follows: 23 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh A Corporate Identity Model Uncontro llable Communication Corporate Communications Communication and Visual Identity Architecture and Location Corporate Visual Identity Corporate Behaviour Management Behaviour Behaviour Employee Behaviour Corporate Goals, philosophies & Principles Identity Nationality Corporate Culture Organisational Imagery and History Nature of Industry Corporate / Marketing Market Conditions Strategies Source: Melewar and Jenkins (2002, p.81) Fig 3.1 24 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER FOUR PROPOSED POLICY FOR CORPORATE IDENTITY AND IMAGE MANAGEMENT 4.1 Preamble The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) is a premier public academic and professional business institution in Ghana. Driven by the pursuit of scholarship and professionalism, the University seeks to project its unique and distinct identity and image to the publics. This proposed policy is to enable the University to differentiate itself from other similar institutions. 4.2 Policy Statement UPSA is taking measures to manage its identity and image through the implementation of a Corporate Identity and Image management programme. This document proposes a set of policies that take into account the core elements of the corporate identity mix such as visual identity communication behaviour and culture. The University is dependent on its identity and image programme to achieve a consistent and appropriate image for positioning itself as a “premier” academic and professional business education institution of the public sector in Ghana. This policy defines the scope of the identity and image management programme. The document is a comprehensive corporate identity programme that will present and communicate a consistent identity to the publics. According to Mackwick and Fill (1997: 397) “corporate identity is the organization‟s presentation of itself to the publics.” Christensen & Askegaard, (2001) also compared identity and image to the linear model of communication in which identity is the message the sender conveys and image is the message received by the audience. It is expected that the policy will enable the University present a positive identity to the publics and this will ultimately enhance the perception that the audiences have of the Institution. 25 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.3 Purpose The purpose of the set of policies proposed in this document is to standardize the use of the University‟s visual identity symbols that identify it in order to promote it in a formalized, professional and uniform manner and to protect these symbols and official web site from infringement. The document also aims at providing a framework for acceptable behavior expected of the internal publics of the University and also promote unique and consistent culture of the University. 4.4 Vision, mission and philosophy of UPSA  Vision To be a world class education provider in both academic and professional disciplines, nationally entrenched, regionally recognized and globally relevant.  Mission Statement We strive to provide and promote quality education and training in management and other related disciplines by leveraging a structured mix of Scholarship with Professionalism in Ghana and beyond. We believe our first responsibility is to the students, staff, alumni parents, the government and the media among others. In meeting their needs, everything we do epitomizes scholarship with professionalism. Scholarship to us means the pursuit of knowledge, and professionalism means the application of knowledge for development in an ethical way. These two are the key driving forces of UPSA‟s existence. 26 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Continual Improvement is the hallmark of UPSA‟s existence.  Values Integrity, Respect and Service are the key values of the Code of Conduct of UPSA.  Integrity UPSA is determined to act consistently in accordance with its principles and core values.  Respect Respect in the University‟s community means, respect for one‟s self and the University‟s values.  Service Service in the UPSA community means recognizing social needs and applying our strengths and knowledge to address those needs.  Quality Statement “Superior Educational Value” 4.5 Strategic Direction and Focus The University‟s vision, mission, goals and objectives have been reviewed to provide a new strategic direction (UPSA Vision 2015) to enhance the University‟s competitive advantage. The strategy also takes into consideration the measure of the scope of the products which UPSA offers and intends to offer; and the underlying environmental commitments held in relation to the tertiary education sector. It also takes into consideration the recognition of the key players in the University‟s strategic management. The strategy is to position UPSA as a unique business education and research model that blends scholarship with professionalism and an institution of excellence in Ghana, Africa and beyond. The following are among the four broad weighted strategic goals identified to achieve the mission and vision of the Institution. 27 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh  Build a new Learning Environment and Image  Enhance Research Enterprise  Improve Institutional effectiveness  Compete in a global economy 4.6 Scope of policy This proposed policy covers visual, comunication, cultural and behaviour identities. According to Mackwick & Fill (1997: 398) “image is in the mind of the stakeholder and cannot be managed directly except through the management of identity”. Based on this, the proposed policy focuses on the core elements of the identity mix and it is expected that through it the image of the University will be enhanced. 4.6.1 UPSA Visual Identity Policy The University‟s corporate colours, the logo and the seal are the initial visual manifestation and primary identifier of the Institution. They express the University‟s, values and its readiness to rise up to the academic demands and professionalism that distinguish it from other colleges and universities. In addition, the architecture and landscaping also convey messages of safe and serene learning environment. Official Colours An interview conducted with top management revealed that the official corporate colours of the University of the Professional Studies are White, Navy Blue and Gold. White Gold: pantone, PMS-873 28 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Navy blue pantone 282 The Gold colour symbolizes wealth, optimism and success; The Navy Blue colour symbolizes importance, confidence, power and authority. It also shows a loving atmosphere, which is an indication of serene and congenial atmosphere for academic pursuit; and The White colour symbolizes purity, cleanliness and innocence. The Logo The logo is the main visual identifier of the University of Professional Studies. I t consists of the Coat-of Arms and name of the University (either in full, abbreviated or its combination). The Coat-of-Arms The Coat-of-Arms of UPSA is made up of a Symbol, a Shield and a Banner/Scroll with the inscription Scholarship with Professionalism – the motto of the University. The Symbol is embedded in the Shield (to form a Crest) and the Banner/Scroll is placed below the Shield. The colour of the Symbol is Navy Blue and the Shield is Gold. The Banner has the corporate Gold colour, the inscriptions and the boarders of the Banner are in the corporate Navy Blue colour. Meaning of the Coat-of-Arms Symbol Shield Banner / Scroll Fig. 4.1 29 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh These are shown below. SCHOLARSHIP WITH PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE Fig 4.4 UNIVERSITY OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Fig. 4.5 UNIVERSITY OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Fig. 4.6 Ako Ben Fig.4.7 31 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The above „adinkra‟ symbol is what is used in the logo. However, it does not look the same way in the logo. The researcher proposes that the logo should be redesigned with the „Ako Ben‟ properly drawn for a clearer communication. An attempt made by the researcher is shown below. UNIVERSITY OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES SCHOLARSHIP WITH PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE Fig. 4.8 A proposed logo Colours of the Logo The colors used in the University‟s logo treatments contribute to a distinguishable element of the identity of the University, it is therefore important to be consistent in the use of the logo colours. 32 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In instances where it is not possible to use full colour, such as black-and-white print ads, the logo may be used in black colour. Position of the Logo The logo should be positioned such that it is visually clear of congestion. It shall be surrounded by a clear minimum space of 25” to separate it from other text and graphic elements. Consistent use of the logo The logo represents the strongest visual element within the University‟s overall identity system and its use in a consistent manner builds awareness of the University in the academic community and beyond. The correct and consistent use of the logo will reinforce the identity of the University, position its uniqueness in the mind of the audiences and ensure an effective communication of the identity. As such:  The logo should always be used in combination with the full name of the University on all official documents and properties.  The colours of the logo should not be changed.  The logo should be produced at the size that gives impact and visual appeal within the environment in which it appears. Use of the Logo The correspondences of the University in any form are also expressions of the University‟s identity with its multiple stakeholders. The stationery and other basic communication materials should be standardized in harmony with other elements within the visual identity system for them to have a significant impact on the stakeholders. 33 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Care should be taken to adhere to the design and production standards so that they do not deviate from the accepted standard. Letterheads, memorandum templates, envelopes, business cards and invitation cards should be designed for impact. Typography In order to create first impression with the University‟s business documents, all fundamental rules for creating such documents shall be observed. Letter Spacing There shall be single spacing between lines and double spacing between paragraphs. The layout of documents must be attractive. The use of the University‟s logo and colours in publications is also very important. The logo must appear in full colour on the front page of brochures, flyers, folders and other printed materials produced by the University for external communication. For internal communication, the logo can appear in black and white. Vehicles Vehicles purchased by the University for its Work must be in any of the corporate colours of the University. The logo and the University‟s name must appear on all official vehicles. The seal and all other visual identity elements are the properties of the University and should not be used by unauthorized persons. The logo should not be combined with any other mark, symbol or graphic to create a new mark (secondary logo). The creation of secondary logo is prohibited and may be undertaken, under extreme conditions, with permission from the Marketing Manager in consultation with the Vice Chancellor. 34 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Considering the size of the university and the fact that the name has recently been changed from „The Institute of Professional Studies‟ to „The University of Professional Studies‟, the use of secondary logo by departments, faculty and schools should be discouraged in the short run. The University‟s Public Affairs Directorate and the Marketing Unit are responsible for ensuring that the new visual identity is preserved and enhanced through effective, well- designed communications. They should monitor the use of the logo and corporate colours and also make graphics available to the University‟s community and other authorized parties. 4.6.2 UPSA Corporate Communication Policy Corporate communication at UPSA covers internal and external communication. It is through communication that the vision, mission, core values, strategy and all other relevant information is communicated to the publics. Effective communication also enables the University to achieve its goals and objectives. The corporate communication policy of UPSA is to ensure consistency and effectiveness in communication. Internal Communication Internal communication at UPSA refers to communication with the internal publics- faculty members, administrative staff and students. Communication plays a critical role in an organization. It is therefore a management function. Management communication is considered the most important form of corporate communication (Van Riel, 1995). Top level managers are seen as the main medium of communication since they are responsible for transmitting corporate philosophy and vision to internal stakeholders (Melewar and Jenkins, 2002). At UPSA, the Vice Chancellor is the head and reports directly to the Governing Council. The reporting and the communication lines are specified in the organizational chart. (See Appendix I). To facilitate adequate and effective flow of information, the Vice 35 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Chancellor has also created a Public Affairs Directorate. See appendix ii for structure of the Public Affairs Directorate. The purpose of internal communication is to enable the university achieve its goals and objectives. To this end: A high quality shall be maintained in all internal communications. Information shall be provided in a way as to enable the internal audiences know of the activities of the University. All communication shall equip the audiences to enable them be effective image ambassadors of the University by manifesting the identity in their day-to-day activities and by word-of- mouth. Management should give students and staff the information they need, when they need it to enable them show commitment to goals and objectives. Staff and employees should be provided with clear and current information on important policies and procedures concerning the University‟s corporate identity. All information shall be effective, clear, concise and complete and measures should be taken to encourage communication at all levels and provide the employees the opportunity to give feedback and be part of an open communication climate. To allow the smooth and adequate flow of information, appropriate communication channels should be used at all levels to communicate messages effectively to the Institution‟s internal audiences. This should include but not be limited to internal memos, notices, meetings, website and get-togethers which are currently in use. In addition the researcher proposes:  the use of intranet targeted at faculty, staff and students;  newsletters;  durbars. 36 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The researcher proposes the publication of internal newsletters for internal distribution and newsletters for distribution to other stakeholders to provide news items on events and activities of the University as well as activities on community service. The University should also have its own frequency radio broadcast station for the purpose of information dissemination. External Communication This refers to communication with our external publics: the media, alumni, suppliers, potential students, parents, and prospective employees through advertisements, fliers, website and the media among others. All information to our external publics must be factual, timely and accurate. The Rector is the voice of the University in all official communication and must give his approval to any information that goes to the public domain. The head of corporate communication, and in the case of UPSA, the head of the Public Affairs Directorate plays a critical role and should be a member of the management team. The public Affairs Directorate and the marketing units must be well informed about pertinent issues and activities of the institution. This will help ensure high quality communication. All requests for public or internal release of information must be approved by the submitting department‟s dean. Information for press release should be submitted at least one day in advance of the desired release. Currently the University uses the following external channels  Institutional identity standards  Press Releases  Publications  Advertising  Website 37 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh  Internet  Media relations In addition the researcher proposes the following:  Newsletters  Public relations  News conferences and documentary  Coordinated outreach activities  TV and radio production  On-line broadcast facility  Podcast  Provision should be made on the University‟s website for expert comment to enable experts contribute their views and comments on the University‟s activities.  Crisis Communications Undergraduate and postgraduate prospectuses provide details of courses of study on offer as well as information on student life, grading system and dress code among others. They should effectively communicate the identity of the University. Advertisements should be in clear and open lay out that provides distinct areas for information right from headlines, sub-headings body and contact information. Media Relations The media are among the most important source of information about the University for the publics. Information provided to the media by UPSA should create awareness about the University and its activities to enable the media convey objective and accurate information about the University. UPSA must maintain a proactive approach in dealing with the media. Interaction with the media should be non-confrontational. A press corps should be developed and the University must be in close relation with them. 38 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The head of the Public Affairs Directorate has responsibility for all media contacts. As such, they must be fully familiar with the media‟s ethical guidelines. Crisis Communication A crisis is a situation in which events beyond the University‟s control threaten to damage its image. Decision-makers concerning any crisis situation must have all relevant information handy. A crisis communication flow chart should be designed to make the public aware of how to communicate during crisis. 4.6.3 UPSA Cultural Identity Policy This cultural identity programme has been necessitated by internal and external environmental factors. Internally, there has been an extension in the University‟s mandate that has enabled it to run business and other relevant degree programmes alongside its traditional professional programmes. In the external environment, globalization of education and other related factors have meant keen competition. Culture is a way of life. These new developments, which imply a change in the Institution‟s way of life has to be entrenched in the fabrics of the Institution and effectively communicated to the publics. At UPSA success depends on our people, and that includes all our internal and external publics. These are the people who create the fundamental value of the University, and help achieve its goals, and ultimately establish worth in our operations. UPSA is an innovative, dynamic ever improving higher academic Institution committed to excellence in scholarship and professionalism as well as community service. A key part of its identity and image management programme is the creation and development of cultural policy that seeks to:  Empower and engage all of its internal and external publics; 39 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh  Engage the interest of the University in the wider sphere;  Serve the community, of which it is part locally, regionally, nationally and internationally,  Promote its corporate culture;  Develop change agents that will help diffuse the institutional culture effectively. Organizational history and imagery should be entrenched in the Institute‟s culture and effectively communicated to the publics whenever possible.  Team work shall be the ideal of all staff  All staff must demonstrate a success oriented attitude;  High performance shall be the focus of all internal audiences  There should be a strong collaboration with business and industry;  In the academic sphere, UPSA has a unique culture- that of a blend of academic and professional business education. As a professional business education tuition provider, the University has a very cordial working relationship with the parent professional bodies. This should be strengthened and maintained.  Goals and philosophies must reflect in mission statement and be seen in the lifestyle of internal audiences;  All opportunity must be sought to tell the history of the University;  Avenues must be created to celebrate the achievements of the University to enable the internal audiences identify with it and develop pride in it.  Strong ties with both our internal and external publics are basic to our corporate culture. The academic and administrative staff of UPSA must continuously build good inter-relationships through respect, timely results, innovation, and responsiveness.  Currently, the University is competing locally, but expects to be regionally and globally competitive. To this end: 40 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The University must encourage continuous learning and strive for satisfactory teaching and learning environment; Develop the research capacity of faculty and acknowledge and reward high quality research; Embark on aggressive high performance awareness creation. Stick to high admission standards.  Cordial relationships that model the core values of UPSA must be encouraged and nurtured.  High quality teaching and learning that are the best in our class must be provided measures should be taken to continuously improve quality.  Innovation and entrepreneurship are parts of our identity. The University is focused on rapid growth through innovative teaching and learning and developing the skills of entrepreneurship. New and innovative ways of teaching and learning must be integral parts of our operations and reflect in our course content.  Our employees and students are our image ambassadors and must spread the message about our activities.  Safety and environmental responsibility are values, not priorities. UPSA is committed to achieving high standards of environmental responsibility and safety. This includes providing a safe and healthy workplace for our employees, contractors and the communities we serve. We expect employees to report potential safety hazards, and be involved in implementing solutions.  At UPSA, healthy and serene environment is key to work and academic pursuit. Efforts should be made to conserve natural resources and reduce the environmental burden of waste generation and emissions to the environments in which we operate. 41 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh  UPSA should be leaders in reducing, reusing and recycling waste, and we expect our audiences to properly dispose of any wastes in a safe and environmentally sound manner.  All staff must be punctual at work. Students are also expected to be punctual at lectures. Measures to check absenteeism and lateness to work and class should be put in place.  We value excellence and teamwork. We encourage students and employees to help one another, solicit input in an atmosphere of open and honest communication to enable them excel at what they do. We take steps to make the time we spend together enjoyable. We strive to make trust, respect, and integrity a part of all relationships in the University. 4.6.4 UPSA Behaviour Policy With increasing emphasis on financial accountability, globalization, keen competition, faculty and staff are seen as assets to be managed for competitive advantage. The main sources of income at UPSA are internally generated fund, research, government subvention, alumni, sponsorship and donations. The appropriate behaviour that will enable UPSA present a distinctive identity and image in order to sustain these sources of funding is important. In addition, learning at UPSA must be exciting and must be within the context of unique and cordial relationship among the internal publics. As a result the following behaviour policy is proposed. 4.6.4.1 Employee Behaviour The unique characteristic of an organization‟s identity is seen in the behaviour of its employees All employees of the University have a duty to carry out their work to the best of their ability and to abide by the terms and conditions of their employment. This policy defines the 42 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh minimum standards of performance that the University will accept from members of staff. This policy document however, does not provide detail of standards expected from members of staff in every respect, the following instances are unacceptable and a breach may lead to disciplinary action. It shall be the policy of the University of Professional Studies that certain rules and regulations regarding employee behavior are necessary for the efficient operation of the Institution and for the benefit and safety of all employees. Conducts that interfere with operations, negatively affect the identity and image of the Institution, or is offensive to students or fellow employees will not be tolerated.  UPSA shall provide each employee with internal policies that establish rules and regulations for employees to let them know in advance what is expected of them.  Employees must always respect internal policies which are in accordance with the legislature of the country.  Employees are responsible for regular and punctual attendance at work and other events and ceremonies.  Employees shall discharge their duties in an atmosphere of open communication, trust and mutual respect, help and support fellow employees in need of any assistance regarding their work.  They are expected to respect and observe breaks as stipulated in the University‟s regulations.  Employees shall always be present at their work station and shall discharge their duties to the best standards.  Employees should avoid outside activities that substantially interfere with work performance 43 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh  A cordial relationship must be encouraged between administrative staff and academics, administrative staff and students and between faculty members and students.  Staff must enable students to feel they belong to the University.  The behaviour of staff should also enable students to enjoy high quality campus life. 4.6.4.2 Students Behaviour  Every student is expected to attend every class session for which the student is duly registered. It is the prerogative of the University to set attendance policy for each individual course, and to inform students of that policy in the course syllabus or other written document within the first week of the semester.  It is the idea of the Governing Council of the University that faculty, student groups and organizations, and the Institution‟s athletic coaching staff is sensitive to the academic needs of students and the need for students to comply with the attendance policies in their respective courses. In general, class absence should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. If a student is involved in activities that result in class absence (such as intercollegiate athletics, band, debate, other class activities, etc.), it is the student‟s responsibility to negotiate specific arrangements with individual instructors about any absences before the scheduled time..  The Council also recognizes the fundamental value of extra- and co-curricular activities and their significance in students‟ overall educational experience. Instructors should recognize that participation in such activities is an integral part of students‟ education and helps to fulfill the comprehensive mission of the University. Therefore, instructors are urged to accommodate students who participate in extra- and co- curricular activities as far as may be compatible with academic requirements. 44 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh  A department may, at its discretion, drop from a course any student who is absent from the first class meeting of a semester or term unless the student notifies the department or instructor by the end of the day of the first class meeting of his or her intention to take the course. When possible, departments and instructors should reinstate a student who, for reasons beyond his or her control, was unable to contact the department or instructor by this deadline.  The determination of individual class attendance requirements and their enforcement at the University of Professional Studies is governed by its attendance policy.  The students‟ handbook which contains all relevant information pertaining to the students‟ studies and campus life must be given to fresh students early.  Students must be encouraged to diligently read the handbook and any misunderstandings and confusions promptly discussed with their academic advisor or head of department as the case may be. Student Complaints about the Quality of Instruction  Under ordinary circumstances, a student approaching an administrator to complain about a member of the academic staff will be encouraged first of all to confer with the faculty member and seek a resolution.  When a student is unable to resolve a difficulty with an instructor to the student's satisfaction, there are two acceptable ways in which the student may lodge a complaint against a member of the instructional staff before an administrator or any person who has administrative duties.  The student may file a formal grievance or the student may submit a letter of complaint to the administrator. Anonymous or unsigned statements must be disregarded and destroyed. Formal letters of complaint are to be filed in the departmental student complaint file. 45 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh  Upon receipt and before acting upon a letter of complaint, the staff member shall be informed of the complaint and given timely opportunity to rebut the accusations or explain the circumstances as viewed by the staff member. If submitted, documents presenting the staff member's position also are to be placed in the departmental student complaint file. The student who files a complaint is entitled to know how the complaint was processed and what actions were taken in response to it. 4.6.4.3 Faculty Behaviour Every lecturer is responsible for:  informing his or her students within the first two weeks of the course of the objectives, content, assignments, policy on return of student work, and examination procedure in each course and, within reason, abiding by those statements;  specifying in writing within the first two weeks of the course the methods by which students will be assessed;  making available to all students all relevant class material;  giving adequate advance notice regarding interim assess and end of semester examinations;  providing assignments to permit students to benefit from continuous assessment during the course;  being fair and impartial in evaluating all student performances, i.e., evaluating all students according to common criteria;  maintaining academic discipline by ensuring students do not submit late assignments.  reviewing and discussing assignments and other class assessments early enough within the semester after evaluating such papers; 46 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh  treating students with courtesy and respect at all times. Courtesy and respect do not prohibit strong criticism directed at the student's academic errors and scholarly responsibilities;  endeavoring to ensure that the learning environment is free from all forms of prejudice that negatively influence student learning, such as those based on age, ethnicity, gender, mental or physical impairment, race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity;  Excellent research performance shall be encouraged. Office Hours for academic Staff  Every faculty member is expected to establish and maintain regular office hours within which he or she may be readily available to students and other staff members. These office hours should be announced to students and those concerned at the beginning of each semester and posted on the office door. Advising  Members of the instructional staff should serve as academic advisers to students assigned to them by the department head or any other person with that mandate. Students should remain with their adviser throughout their undergraduate career or so long as they continue a major within the division and department of the adviser.  Besides advising students on immediate academic problems and long-term academic programs, advisers are also expected to discuss with them the vocational and career opportunities and opportunities for graduate study in the field of their major, how to obtain scholarships and fellowships. They should also write recommendations for students applying for jobs or to graduate schools. 47 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Attendance and Absence of academic Staff  It is important for each member of the academic staff to meet all class engagements for which he or she is scheduled. On medical and any other justifiable grounds, class absences by lecturers are accepted.  A lecturer who, for any reason, may not be able to honour any of his/her scheduled class engagements should give prior notification to his/her head of department. 48 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION, SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Conclusion A lot of changes have taken place in higher academic institutions globally and in Ghana for that matter. Government funding has been dwindling and there is keen competition in the sector to attract funds. Higher academic institutions are now being managed like corporate bodies for competitive advantage. Traditionally, universities have focused on their programmes to attract high quality staff and students. In recent years however, higher academic institutions have gained cognizance of the importance of their identity and image in ensuring their long-term growth and survival. The University of Professional Studies used to provide tuition for business professional programmes in the fields of accountancy and management. The mandate of the Institution has, however been extended and it started running academic programmes in business and other related disciplines. UPSA has since been taking measures to communicate this new identity to its publics. A visual identity policy has been proposed by the Marketing Unit for Management‟s consideration. Experts in the field of identity and image management, however argue that corporate identity is not only visual, but includes behaviour and culture and also takes into consideration the competitive market condition. Interviews with the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar of the Universiy also confirm the importance of the above elements in the formation of the identity and image of an institution. In order to give a strategic twist to the identity and image management programme of UPSA and communicate a consistent message about the University to its publics, a corporate identity and image management policies based on the important elements in the corporate identity mix has been proposed for the consideration of management. 49 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 5.2 Suggestions and Recommendations A corporate image audit should be conducted periodically. In this exercise, the internal and external publics of the University should be interviewed to ascertain their perception of the Institution. This will reveal whether the identity the University believes it is projecting is the image the publics are forming of the Institute. Any gap identified should form the basis of a new corporate identity and image management programme. A corporate identity manual should be designed for the University. This should contain important information regarding everything being done to project the desired identity of the Institution. The manual will also ensure consistency regarding the identity being communicated to the publics. A corporate identity committee should be set up. The committee should review issues relevant to corporate identity and image and advise management as appropriate. The logo of any institution conveys messages about its identity and values that explain why in most cases, logos are referred to as identities. The logo should be a symbol that represents what the University stands for and convey message about the University‟s positioning and values. The course content of both graduate and undergraduate courses should be periodically reviewed to include a broad range of subjects that are highly marketable nationally, regionally and internationally. An aggressive effort should be made at raising the quality of staff. Faculty members are expected to be knowledgeable and to use the most modern technology and teaching methods. Measures should be put in place to ensure that faculty members rise up to these challenges. 50 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The principle of continuous learning and improvement should be maintained to enable staff deliver the highest quality of service to students and other external beneficiaries of our services. Management should document appropriate codes of professional ethics for faculty members and administrative staff. This will ensure that the highest professional standards are maintained. The Vice Chancellor, in a bid to enhance communication among the publics of UPSA, has created a Public Affairs Directorate and a Marketing unit to streamline communication within the organization. However, there is still the need for increased and effective communication from the management team to faculty, staff and students. This will enable the people concerned to embrace quality enhancement policies. A corporation communications directorate should be created to combine the functions of the Public Affairs Directorate and the Marketing Unit. The directorate should design a comprehensive corporate communications policies and procedures that will effectively communicate the identity of the Institute. Culture, and for that matter corporate culture includes the people‟s history and philosophy. The history of UPSA should be well documented to include their achievements, successes and the feats of their heroes and heroines. This should be effectively communicated during important events and ceremonies, using appropriate communication channels. There should also be a major expansion in infrastructure to address the issue of crowded space. 51 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh REFERENCES Arpan L. M., Raney A. A. and Zivnuska S. (2003). “A cognitive approach to understanding university image” Corporation Communication: An International Journal Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 97-113. Askegaard, S. and Christensen, L. T. (2001). “Corporate identity and corporate image revisited: A semiotic perspective” European Journal of Marketing Vol. 35 NO. ¾ , PP.292-315. Belasen, A. T. (2008). The Theory and Practice of Corporate Communication: A Competing Value Prespective, Sage Publications, Inc., London, United Kingdom. Cooper, D. R. and Schindler, P. S. (2011). Business Research Methods, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York, United States. Cornelessen J. (2004). Corporate Communications, Theory and Practice, Sage Publications Inc., London United Kingdom. Kazoleas, D. Kim, Y. and Moffitt, M. A. (2001). “Institutional Image: A Case Study.” Corporate Communications: International Journal volume 6. No. 4, pp.205-216. Mackwick, M. and Fill, C. (1997). “Toward a framework for managing corporate identity” European Journal of Marketing, Vol.31 No. 56, 1997 pp.306-400. Melewar, T.C. and Akel S. (2005). “The role of corporate identity in Higher Education Sector: A Case Study,” Corporate Communication: an International Journal, Vol.10 No.1, pp 41-57. Moigeon, B. and Ramanantsoa, B. (1997). “Understanding the corporate identity: The French school of thought” European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31 No. 56 1997 pp.383-395. Nguyem, N. and Leblanc G. (2001). “Image and reputation of higher education institutions in students retention decision” The international Journal of Educational management Vol.15 No. 6, pp.303-311. Otubanjo, O. B. and Melewar, T.C. (2007). “Understanding the meaning of corporate identity: a conceptual and semiological approach” Corporate Communication: An International Journal, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp414-432. 52 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Sale J.M. (2002). Revising the qualitative – quantitative debate: Implications for mixed method research, Sage publishers, London, U.K. SAPRI/GHANA. (2001). The Impact of SAP on access to and quality of tertiary education Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2012). Research Methods for Business Students, Pearson Education Limited, Edinburgh Gate, England Tim O. B. and Joachim K. (2007). “Corporate behaviour vs brand behaviour: towards an integrated view” Journal of brand management Vol, 15 No. 10, pp32-40. Tang,W. (2007). “The Impact of Corporate Image and Corporate reputation on customer loyalty: A Review”. Management Science and Engineering, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp 52-62. Van Riel C. B.M. and Balmer J. M.T. (1997). “Corporate identity: the concept, its measurement and management” European Journal of Marketing Vol. 31 No. 5/6, pp. 340-355. IN-HOUSE DOCUMENTS Strategic Plan, Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) 2008-2012 Brand and Style guide, Institute of Professional Studies Marketing Policy, Institute of Professional Studies INTERNET SOURCES Adu, K. H. (2009, June 28). GHANA: Private higher education on the rise. Retrieved December 16, 2012, from University World News: http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20090626115442537 http:www.montana.edu/cpa/graphics, Retrieved on October 25, 2011 www.cam.ac.uk/offices/.../identity guidelines/guidelines, Retrieved December 14/12/2012 www.adelaide.edu.au/vi/guide accessed on 14/12/2012 biology.usf.edu/ib/data/flyers/USF_logo-standards, accessed on 14/12/2012 www.miami.muohio.edu/documents/secretary/MUPIM, accessed on 14/12/2012 53 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh APPENDIX I Organizational Structure of UPSA. COUNCIL VICE CHANCELLOR ACADEMIC BOARD PRO- VICE CHANCELLOR LIBRARIAN INTERNAL FINANCE REGISTRAR DEANS AUDITOR DIRECTOR DEPUTY DEP. DEPUTY DIR. OF DIRECTOR QUALITY DIR. OF MARKETING LIBERIAN INTERNAL FINANCE ACADEMICS ADMIN. ASSURANCE MEDICAL MANAGER DIRECTOR UNIT AUDITOR SERVICES SNR. ASST. LIBRARIAN HEADS OF COORDINATORS PHYSICAL SNR. DEPARMENT SENIOR ASSISTANT DEV. INTERNAL REGISTRARS OFFICER AUDITOR HEADS OF UNIT ASSISTANT QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM LIBERIANS OFFICER ADMINISTRATOR LECTURERS/ ASSISTANT ACCOUNTANT ASSISTANT RESEARCH INTERNAL REGISTRARS ASSISTANT FELLOWS AUDITOR REGISTRARS 54 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh APPENDIX II Structure of the Public Affairs Directorate RECTOR PRO-RECTOR REGISTRAR DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS SENIOR, PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER SENIOR, PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSISTANT FRONT DESK PERSONNEL 55 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh APPENDIX III ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES INTRODUCTION The education sector, just like the corporate environment is becoming increasingly competitive in Ghana and in other parts of the world. This is as a result of globalization, deregulation and the development of information and communication technology, among other environmental changes. It is generally acknowledged that customers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and informed of the existence of the offerings of competitors. Education, hitherto considered as a public good and paid for by the state is now seen as a service to be advertised and marketed (Melewar & Akel, 2005). The terms „on-line‟ and „distance education‟ are used in advertising such programmes. Britain, Canada and some other countries mount educational fairs in Ghana to create awareness about their institutions of higher learning. The higher education sector in Ghana is rapidly increasing both in the private and public sectors. These institutions have to compete with one another to attract high quality students and staff nationally and internationally. Traditionally, universities have focused on the quality of academic programmes as a unique selling proposition. Keen competition now highlights the identity and image of a high academic institution as a strong competitive factor, and as a way of ensuring the growth, survival and long-term success of every organization including the academic institutions. Universities have to be more visible and innovative. In the section that follows, annotated bibliographies are compiled on the concepts of corporate identity and corporate image. Related concepts such as corporate reputation and corporate personality may appear in the course of the annotation. 56 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1.0 Markwick, Migel and Fill, Chris “Toward a framework for managing corporate identity” European Journal of Marketing, Vol.31 No. 56, 1997 pp.306-400. The writers noted that interest in corporate identity and image management had increased over the last decade for various reasons. They mentioned practitioners like Bernstein (1994) and Olins (1990) and academics such as Abratt and Shee (1989), Dowling (1996) and Van Riel (1995) among others whose works have contributed to the understanding and application of the concepts. According to Markwick and Fill (1997), evidence of the increase in corporate identity and image activity is seen in the number of articles written about corporate image, the growth of research in the field, and the growing number of consultants in the area. The authors mentioned the need to differentiate an organization due to increased competition, mergers and diversification, as well as increasing evidence of crisis situations impacting on organizations as some of the reasons for the growth in corporate identity and image management. Referring to works of other researchers, Markwick and Fill, (1997) stated that there is a great deal of evidence to show that organizations are becoming more interested in the benefits they can derive from identity management (Van Riel, 1995) and the impact that a strong corporate brand might have on stakeholder loyalty (Balmer, 1995). Markwick and Fill (1997) added that the recently formed International Corporate Identity Group is a testimony to that effect. The writers further noted that corporate identity has a number of components: corporate image, reputation and personality. The study explored the concepts individually and later integrated them to form a corporate identity management process. Corporate Identity The authors defined corporate identity as “the organization‟s presentation of itself to its various stakeholders and the means by which it distinguishes itself from all other organizations” (Markwick and Fill, 1997: 397). This identity is projected to stakeholders in 57 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh different ways. It can take the form of planned communications that use corporate identity programmes consistent with content in advertisements, dress codes, operating procedures and policies. Some will constitute the organization‟s visual identity, while others will focus on behaviour, the actions of organizations and other forms of communication. Corporate Image Corporate image can be said to be “the totality of a stakeholder‟s perception of the way an organization presents itself either deliberately or accidentally” (Markwick and Fill, 1997: 398). The researchers added that image is in the mind of the stakeholder and cannot be managed directly except through the management of identity. Referring to the works of Bernstein, (1984); Spetor (1961) and Topalian, (1984), Markwick and Fill, (1997) observed that images are formed through the encounters with the characteristics of an organization; it is the net result of the interaction of all experiences, beliefs, knowledge and impression that each stakeholder has about an organization. Organizations have many stakeholders and for that matter, multiple images. Markwick and Fill, (1997) talked about the importance of establishing consistent and sustainable images among internal employees to enable them project the organization positively to other stakeholders. Tang Weiwei (2007) and Nguyem and Leblanc (2001) also emphasized the need for managers in the service industry to base their argument on the quality of their service personnel in order to influence customer behaviour positively towards their services. Corporate Reputation Markwick and Fill, (1997) noted that reputation is often used synonymously with image which can lead to confusion. The researchers added that Dowling (1994) sees corporate reputation as the total expression an entity makes, and reputation is the evaluation or esteem in which an organization‟s image is held. In their opinion, however, reputation is a reflection of the historical, accumulated experiences. This means that as individuals and groups observe 58 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh and also interact with the organizational members in different ways, they form a reputation of an organization. The reputation, according to the writers is more lasting than image. Corporate Personality Corporate personality is the sum total of the characteristics from which the identity is generated. This can be seen in the product offering, facilities, cultures, systems and skills. Corporate personality is what the organization actually is (Markwick and Fill, 1997). Markwick and Fill (1997:400) presented a framework of corporate identity management process with five main components: corporate personality, corporate identity, environmental influences, corporate image together with corporate reputation and strategic management. These are interrelated and form part of a cohesive whole which together constitute the corporate identity management process. All the elements must be linked together for the effectiveness of the communication system. The authors noted that organizations use various methods to understand their personality, identity and image. For instance, they use self- analysis to understand their own qualities, capabilities and direction. To understand their identity, most of them use Bernstein‟s Cobweb method and Lux‟s Star method, both of which are explained by van Riel (1995). Some organizations focus on corporate visibility and associated policies to enable them understand their image. The linkage between identity and image is primarily through corporate communication. Markwick and Fill (1997) suggested that the results of image studies should be fed back into the strategy development process. This will in turn impact corporate personality and corporate identity. The writers used information from image research to illustrate how such knowledge can be used to enhance the strategic development of an organization through the use of the Corporate Identity Management Process (CIMP) framework. The image study done by the researchers was a quantitative study on a manufacturing organization in the European Eurospace industry. Three stakeholder groups were used on the basis of their potential impact 59 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh on the organization. The results showed that the respondents were involved with the organization and so had some influence on its identity and image. Markwick and Fill (1997) noted that if image research studies are designed to reveal how key stakeholders of an organization view significant attributes and how competitors perform against these same attributes, organizations can incorporate the information into CIMP for strategic development to correct, improve or maintain the image perception held by stakeholders. This strategy can be developed when an organization understands the images held by its relevant stakeholders. The researchers noted that image is in the mind of the stakeholder and cannot be managed directly except through the management of identity. The idea of the existence of multiple images due to the presence of multiple attributes that form the image of an organization and the recognition that image is a subjective perception have all been mentioned in the study. The writers also suggested the need to feed the result of image studies back into the strategic development process. 60 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2.0 Van Riel Cees, B.M. and Balmer John M.T. “Corporate identity: the concept, its measurement and management” European Journal of Marketing Vol. 31 No. 5/6 1997, pp. 340-355. In this study, the researchers alluded to the existence of divergent views within the literature regarding the exact meaning of corporate identity. They noted that originally corporate identity was equated with graphic design. According to the writers the graphic design view of corporate identity was because originally, many corporate identity practitioners were graphic designers who prescribed what corporate identity should be. Corporate identity as symbolism is now assigned a greater role and has shifted from its original purpose of increasing organizational visibility to a position where it is seen as a tool to communicate corporate strategy. The researchers further explained that some experts like Berneistein (1986) advocated corporate communication as an important component of corporate identity, and that he and Grunig (1992) implied that the corporate communication mix and its management is fundamentally different from and is more complicated than the marketing communication mix. They added that some corporate consultants consider corporate identity as combining perspectives from different disciplines. Starting from Olins (1978), followed by Birkight and Stadler (1980), the understanding of corporate identity has broadened and is now taken to indicate how an organization‟s identity is revealed through behaviour, communication and symbolism to internal and external audiences. The researchers also indicated that academics and consultants have realized the difficulty of defining corporate identity. Recently an International Corporate Identity Group (ICIG) was formed and its steering committee decided not to give a definition to corporate identity but rather a statement which articulates the multidisciplinary nature of the concept and how different it is from brand management. 61 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The researchers also explained that experts use many methods to reveal an organization‟s actual corporate identity. Many of the methods come from the consumer behaviour research which draws on survey techniques to ascertain an organization‟s external image. The researchers reported that other methods used include the use of semi-structured interviews (Berneistein, 1986; Lux, 1986), ethnography (Balmer, 1996) and heuristic analysis of historical sources. (Ramamantsoa, 1989). Van Riel and Balmer (1997) noted that visual audit is also a popular method among design consultants. According to them, ethnography is the study of a culture sharing group. The researcher who adopts this methodology describes and interprets the shared and learned patterns of values, behaviour, beliefs and language of the group. With heuristic analysis, the researcher becomes involved in the study to the extent that the lived experience of the researcher becomes the focus of the study. Visual audit refers to the review and evaluation of the visible elements of corporate identity. According to the writers, most corporate identity programmes are a result of internal change such as reorganization and employee reduction or external turbulence such as a merger or the threat of a decreased market share, which can threaten the profitability and survival of an organization. They noted thatexperts such as Abratt (1989); Balmer (1995); Cutlip, Center and Broom (1994) have described how to set up an effective corporate identity programme. The researchers provided various checklists and action plans which can help in decision making pertaining to corporate identity management. Many of the plans tend to adopt a basic four stage process: problem recognition, development of strategies, execution of action plan and implementation. They suggested that before embarking on an action plan, senior managers must consider the organization‟s original as well as current identity. In addition, they should begin the plan by examining the relative strengths and weaknesses of the organization. Management should 62 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh also ascertain whether the original identity programme failed through a mismanagement of the corporate identity mix. This assessment will determine whether a new strategy is required or not. A new strategy will also require a communication strategy which will involve senior managers from various departments. It will also be advisable to involve external communication strategists. The main task is to ensure consistency between behaviour and corporate communication. The special contributions this study has made to the understanding of corporate identity is the idea that corporate identity is not only revealed through symbolism but also through behaviour and internal and external communication. It has also described the methods used to ascertain an organization‟s identity. In addition, the study has provided checklists and action plans that can be used to develop and implement a corporate identity programme. 63 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 3.0 Otubanjo, Olutayo B. and Melewar, T.C. “Understanding the meaning of corporate identity: a conceptual and semiological approach” Corporate Communication: An International Journal, Vol. 12 No. 4, 2007 pp414-432. The article annotated here is a concept paper which examined how corporate identity, considered as one of the elements of Balmer‟s 6Cs of corporate marketing: „character‟, „communications‟, „constituencies‟, „covenant‟, „conceptualization‟ and „culture‟, could be better understood. The document outlined what it referred to as a sub-paradigm within the corporate marketing mix as follows: corporate identity, corporate communication, marketing and stakeholder management, corporate brand management, corporate reputation, and organizational identity. The paper also addressed how an analysis of one of the elements (i.e. communication: corporate advertising) could provide deeper insight into what corporate identity truly means. The researchers examined various theoretical approaches which have compartmentalized the meaning of corporate identity. They used the following social theories to explain what the theorists mean by corporate identity: Balmer’s (1995b) seven schools of thought on corporate identity The elements identified in the seven schools of thought are strategic, visual, strategic-visual, behavioural, behavioural-visual, corporate communication, visual communications design-as- fashion. Strategic articulates the corporate mission, while strategic visual relates to strategic change through visual means. The behavioural school concerns the nurturing of a distinct cultural mix among others. Van Riel and Balmer’s (1997) three perspectives on corporate identity The three perspectives used in this case to explain corporate identity are: graphic design, integrated corporate communication and interdisciplinary. The graphic design perspective views corporate identity as a visual phenomenon. Integrated communication refers to the visual and non-visual presentation of organizational characteristics. The interdisciplinary perspective sees corporate identity as a combination of behaviour, symbolism, organizational imagery, history, market condition and strategy. 64 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Ramanantsoa’s (Moingeon and 1997) French school of thought These authors equate corporate identity with personality and made reference to Cornelissen and Harris‟s (2001) three metaphorical perspectives of corporate identity. The metaphors used for corporate identity by these authors are: corporate identity as an expression of corporate personality, corporate identity as reality and corporate identity as all expressions of the company. He and Balmer’s(2005) five perspectives of corporate identity The five perspectives used by these authors to explain corporate identity are: visual identity, corporate identity, multidisciplinary identity, collective organizational identity and organizational identification. These manifest in the organization in different ways. According to Van Rieal and Balmer (1997), the social theory models enhanced the development of the literature on corporate identity, and attempt to explain the meaning of the concept. A number of weaknesses however prevented the models from providing a deeper understanding of corporate identity. For instance, several interrelated terminologies were fragmented and addressed as separate concepts. Besides, the models also did not provide any insight to how firms perceive corporate identity. To address these shortfalls, the writers developed two conceptual models to explain the meaning of corporate identity. With this approach, they identified and integrated common and similar lines of argument from different schools of thought, paradigms and perspectives. One concept identified the corporate identity mix as symbolism, behaviour and corporate communications. The second concept portrayed corporate identity as corporate personality. The writers further used the semiotic approach and explained how it could be used to explain corporate identity. Semiotics is from the word semiology which, according to the authors, is the study of signs in society and the laws governing them. Semiology addresses the role of signs as part of social life (de Saussure, 1983). The authors analyzed the United Colours of 65 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Benetton‟s (UCB) corporate advertisement to empirically support how signs are interpreted to produce meaning. The authors‟ choice of the semiotic process to further explain the meaning of corporate identity is because they believed the conceptual study only gave a scholarly understanding of the meaning of corporate identity, but failed to offer real value to corporate identity and corporate communication managers. In addition, the conceptual model failed to explain how industry perceives corporate identity. As a result, scholars run the risk of not gaining deeper insight into what the concept of corporate identity truly means from the point of view of firms. By deconstructing signs in the corporate communication texts, the semiotic method provided an insight into how firms perceive corporate identity. The approach is believed to allow researchers to explain how the concept is conceived in practice. It will also aid managers‟ understanding of how to manage a firm‟s corporate identity. The analysis of the semiotic method revealed that corporate identity could be misinterpreted since various stakeholders can interpret it based on their own perception of reality. They advised organizations to consult experts who can give professional advice on what meanings stakeholders are likely to draw from corporate advertisements. With the exception of market conditions, the constructs identified by their concepts and semiotic method, namely, symbolism, behaviour, corporate communications and corporate personality largely confirm Melewar and Jenkins‟s (2002) four sub-constructs of corporate identity, which are communication and visual identity; behaviour; corporate culture and market conditions. The article is very relevant because it has revealed common themes in various theories on corporate identity and showed how they actually mean the same despite the use of various terminologies. This has enhanced the meaning of corporate identity which will facilitate the development of programmes and policies toward its management. The semiotic process 66 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh model they used also gave an added dimension to the meaning of corporate identity and revealed how various stakeholders are likely to misinterpret the message in corporate advertisements. 67 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 4.0 Moigeon, Bertrand and Ramanantsoa, Bernard “Understanding the corporate identity: The French school of thought” European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31 No. 56 1997 pp.383-395. The writers acknowledged the existence of various perspectives on the concept of corporate identity. They gave examples of other writers like Abratt (1989); Albert and Whetten (1985); Balmer (1995) who made the same observations. The researchers observed that for academics and practitioners to fully benefit from these perspectives, they must clearly understand what experts mean by corporate identity. They added that different authors use the term corporate image, corporate culture and corporate personality to describe the same concept. The writers suggested that once the concept has been understood, a theory should be proposed and a methodology adapted to create and manage the corporate identity. According to identity researchers in the French school Larson and Reiter (1979); Moingeon (1991) among others, the visible part of an organization is only an aspect of the organization‟s identity. It takes time to diagnose the identity of an organization and this also requires theoretical and methodological skills. The goal of these researchers was to enable academics and practitioners to better understand the organization in all its complexities. They explained that corporate identity as a notion surpasses that of culture, and further added that the theories that attempt to explain identity combine concepts from sociology, psychology and psychoanalysis. In the paper, the writers presented principal concepts and methods developed over the last 20 years by corporate identity researchers in France. They also described the most recent developments which are based on Pierre Bourdieu‟s sociological theory of the „habitus and of the field‟. The authors made reference to the works of other writers and noted that the French concept of corporate identity incorporates and extends the notions of corporate personality and corporate identity as they are defined by Olins (1978), as well as the corporate culture. The 68 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh French concept of corporate identity is related to the concept of corporate image because it addresses internal images, which is the perception that employees have of their organization (Dutton and Dukerich 1991).They added that the French school of thought defined corporate identity as „a set of interdependent characteristics of the organization that give it specificity, stability and coherence Larson and Reitter‟ (1979). Concerning the distinction between corporate culture and corporate identity, the researchers noted that the use of identity theory to study organizations adds value and enhances the understanding of the organization. They added that the concept of identity is deeper than corporate culture and is connected to the history of the organization. It permits researchers to explain in more depth the dynamics of organizations. The authors proposed that the methods of diagnosing identities should be of special interest to practitioners responsible for managing the corporate image and corporate communications to enable them acquire a deeper understanding of the organization. A diagnosis of identity is an analysis of the visible and the hidden parts of the organization. They referred to the visible part, which is made up of rites, myths and taboos as symbolic products. The hidden part which they referred to as organizational imagery comprised basic assumptions, impulses and values which govern the behaviours of organizational members. The researchers proposed two methodologies, ethnography and socio analysis for the study of the visible and hidden parts respectively. They noted that the symbolic products can be studied using the ethnographic approach. This requires patience, a well-developed capacity for observation, and a prolonged immersion in the organization. The most delicate part of the diagnosis of identity deals with organizational imagery, which most of the time organizational members are not aware of. It is therefore difficult for researchers to have access to relevant information. The authors proposed the use of socio analysis in the study of the hidden parts of the organization. The approach can help 69 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh researchers to carry out genuine analysis and in the process uncover and even discover images that reveal basic assumptions held by members of an organization. In many respects, socio analysis is an original interviewing methodology. It involves a planned way of listening to the interviewer which could induce the latter to carry out a genuine assisted self-analysis. This can be facilitated through the use of three different internal images of the firm (Larson and Reitter, 1979); its image in the eyes of the members, their common views on what constitutes ideal qualities, and the way they picture power distribution. The researchers discussed Pierre Bourdieu‟s theory of habitus and the field and suggested its application to identity studies. Habitus is the embodiment of social rules and relationships. A field is a space of positions on which an effect is exerted. Moingeon (1991) sees the field as a space of positions in organizations. The organizational structure can be considered as a product of power struggle between agents. There is a group of properties which is characteristic of each position. For instance being a commercial director means having a lot of power in a given multinational company whereas being a technical director could have a totally different meaning. The authors believe the application of this theory to identity studies can overcome the challenge of sameness and conflict. Sameness relates to the idea of shared values in an organization‟s culture and conflict has to do with power struggle within organizations. The theoretical framework and the methodology advanced in the work were to permit practitioners to have a better understanding of the functioning of organizations. This is to help executives to study the symbolic products of the organization and how such products send signals internally and externally that are not deliberate and conscious. This knowledge should be an important step in a communication strategy. 70 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The study reaffirmed the close link between identity and image, and presented the opinion that culture is just an aspect of the organization. For an in-depth understanding of an organization, researchers should study the identity rather than the culture of the organization. The principal objective pursued by the French identity school was to gain a better understanding of the functioning of organizations. The study is very relevant because to develop an identity and image management programme and the relevant policies and procedures, it is very important to fully understand the functioning of the organization as well as its existing identity and image. 71 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 5.0 Christensen, Lars Thoger and Askegaard, Soren “Corporate identity and corporate image revisited: A semiotic perspective” European Journal of Marketing Vol. 35 NO. ¾ ?, 2001, PP.292-315. In this article, the writers used the semiotic perspective to explain prevailing thoughts and assumptions on corporate identity and corporate image. With more competing brands, intensified communication and the advent of new information technology, strong identity gives a number of potential benefits to an organization (Christensen & Askegaard, 2001). In addition, growing media attention and increasing criticism of private business organizations by various interest groups, marketing and other related disciplines have began to understand the value of positive corporate image. The researchers noted that, in spite of a number of attempts made by experts to clarify the definitions of identity and image, there has not been any precision in the usage of the concepts. According to the authors, available literature in the field attempts to distinguish between the two concepts. A close look however, suggests some commonalities. The researchers reported that some experts view identity as a set of symbolic representation (Abratt, 1989; Balmer, 1995; Olins, 1989; van Riel and Balmer, 1997). Other writers see image as the total impression an organization makes on its various stakeholders (Bernstein, 1992; Ditcher, 1985; Gray, 1986; Kennedy, 1997). The notion of corporate identity is seen as belonging to the sender side of the communication process while corporate image is most commonly related to the receiver side of the communication process (Christensen & Askegaard, 2001). This is based on the assumption that communication is a one-way process and the sender and receiver are fixed elements in the communication process. As a result, it is not prudent to talk of identity, without reference to image. The researchers used semiotics, which is the study of signs and their meanings, to further explain corporate image and corporate identity. From this perspective corporate image refers to the total sum of signs that stand for an organization. Signs in this context are not limited to 72 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh visual corporate signifiers. The authors maintained that signs can be anything that represents something else. The researchers suggest that corporate identity and image should be seen as closely interrelated. Scholars and practitioners should think of the interplay between the two concepts as an ongoing negotiation between signs and interpretations. This article has enhanced the understanding of the relationship between corporate identity and corporate image. There is the assumption that there is a fixed sender and receiver of the corporate communication message, in which case, identity is from the sender, and image is what the receiver receives. This implies that, since even in a simple one-way communication, one cannot talk of the sender and the message sent without making mention of the receiver, it is not prudent to talk about the identity of an organization without any effort to describe the message being received by the audiences, which is image. 73 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 6.0 Melewar, T.C. and Akel Sibel, “The role of corporate identity in Higher Education Sector: A Case Study,” Corporate Communication: an International Journal, Vol.10 No.1, 2005 pp 41-57. The authors of this article noted that globalization of business has finally been embraced by the higher education sector in which education is seen as a service that could be marketed. They emphasized that universities and other institutions of higher education have to compete with each other to attract high quality students and other academic staff at an international level. Competition thus extends beyond national frontiers. Education and training have become a global business sector and education marketing is developing standards like consumer goods marketing. This development presented the challenge of developing a customer oriented service approach to education and an increasing emphasis on corporate image. Universities must develop competitiveness based on unique characteristics. In addition universities must communicate those characteristics in an effective and consistent way to all relevant stake holders. Universities have realized the role of corporate identity (CI) as a source of competitive advantage, and most of them have started to develop and implement CI programmes as part of their strategic growth and expansion drive. Corporate identity requires the presentation of the organization as a whole and consists of several components, referred to as CI sub- constructs. The writers referred to other researchers on corporate identity, Melewar and Jenkins (2002), who were said to have identified four sub-constructs of corporate identity as follows:  communication and visual identity;  behaviour;  corporate culture;  market conditions. 74 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The elements mentioned above are multidisciplinary in perspective and combine the psychological, graphic design, marketing and public relations paradigms which reflect different views and schools of thought on corporate identity. In May 2002, the University of Warwick launched a new CI programme which focused on the University‟s logotype, typography and colour. The paper used Melewar and Jenkins (2002) model to examine whether a visual identity-focused CI programme was the appropriate approach to close the gap between the University‟s identity and how it was perceived by the publics. The researchers also looked at whether a more balanced approach to CI should have been a better strategy. The new corporate visual identity aimed to project the University of Warwick as:  high quality and responsible;  forward looking and innovative;  confident and creative;  accessible and inclusive; and  professional and business-like (Jones, 2001). The above identity was pursued through the creation of a style that features:  simplified use of the university logo;  clear and modern typeface;  blue as the dominant corporate colour;  confident use of photography and layout; and  highly professional feel. In addition to the above, one of the first aims of the new Vice Chancellor was to enhance communication among all members of the University, across research, teaching, 75 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh administration and students. A comprehensive intranet, „Warwick InSite‟ was set up to inform all of the audiences about the University‟s agenda. The InSite also aims to ensure good communications between staff and students. The paper used the sub-constructs identified by Melewar and Jenkins (2002) referred to earlier on to demonstrate that corporate identity is a combination of several elements. The writers noted that it was failure to assume that one element was more important than the others. The study however, revealed that Warwick‟s CI programme only focused on corporate communication and visual identity. In that sense the CI programme could be seen as one dimensional and not sufficiently expressing the multidisciplinary perspective of corporate identity. The researchers believed that the approach was strategic and could be seen as a first step of an evolving CI programme. The study revealed that a CI programme should be comprehensive and must portray an organization in its totality. Anyone planning to develop a CI programme has to consider all the elements in the CI sub-construct as in the example of those identified by Melewar and Jenkins (2002). A policy and procedures must thus extend beyond the visual component and cover all the other elements. 76 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 7.0 Kazoleas, Dean; Kim, Yonwook and Moffitt, Mary Anne “Institutional Image: A Case Study.” Corporate Communications: International Journal volume 6. No. 4, 2001 pp.205-216. The article is a case study, which examined the concept of higher academic institutional (university‟s) image from a cultural studies perspective. The researchers used their own and other research findings to suggest that multiple and changing images exist within each individual and that these images are affected by certain factors which are personal, environmental and organizational. This is in line with the finding of Mackelo and Druteikiene (2010) which revealed the existence of various elements that might lead individuals and groups to form different images of the same organization since image is subjective. The study considered corporate image as a receiver-oriented and audience-specific construct, primarily controlled by the organization. The researchers suggested that the image could vary as a result of the influence of external environmental factors which have great impact on corporate image and must be taken into consideration if one wanted to understand how corporate image is formed and received by the public. The study focused on how institutional image is received and negotiated by the audiences. The conceptualization of image formation was built on a cultural studies model of meanings which acknowledged that images are generated not only by multiple kinds of factors, but also through the interaction of these factors. The authors explained that in the process of image formation, these multiple factors could effectively compete with each other, resulting in a particular image held by a person at a particular time. The researchers viewed the process of image creation as flexible, ever-shifting and multi- factorial which is influenced by environmental factors beyond the control of the organization and audiences. They used the multi-disciplinary perspectives of image, by drawing on theories from marketing, advertising, management and public relations to support their study. For instance, they used the two-step model and the diffusion theories of persuasion to 77 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh succinctly explain the point that images are communicated to others through personal contact. The study revealed that the sources of greatest influence on image formation were close personal relationships that had close or actual experience with the university. The researchers suggested that the university and other institutions should focus image enhancement efforts on the way they deliver service to their customers: students, staff, administrations, community residents or students` parents. Such efforts must emphasize community and customer relations rather than focusing on mass media campaigns to depict the quality of the institution and its commitment to service. They advocated that an organization should position itself through positive messages about its programmes and academic strengths to the audiences that serve as change agents. It could then plan an image strategy, design messages and communications strategies that can effectively communicate the message to the publics. The particular strength of the study is its portrayal of how audiences who have had some experience with an organization could communicate the image to others. Organizations are to focus their image creation efforts on how they deliver service to their customers. Institutions must also target positive message about the quality of their staff to audiences they see as change agents. Images are generated through multiple factors. In this respect universities must ensure that all relevant factors such as facilities in the lecture hall, libraries, general architecture and landscaping among others communicate positive and consistent image about the institution. The study implied the importance of behaviour, communication and visual identity in identity and image development programmes as well as the related policies. 78 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 8.0 Arpan Laura M., Raney Arthur A. and Zivnuska Suzanne “A cognitive approach to understanding university image” Corporation Communication: An International Journal Vol. 8 No. 2, 2003 pp. 97-113. The study used two groups of evaluators to examine the phenomenon of university image. The authors noted that the concept of image is used interchangeably with the concept of reputation. They quoted the definitions of image by various authors to support their statements that the concept has been variously defined. They stated that a study that aimed to examine the criteria used by audiences to form a perception or image of universities is an important and timely endeavour since universities are increasingly competing among themselves in recruiting students and staff. As a result, they examined the criteria used by audiences to determine whether a university has a positive or a negative image. The study also examined the possibility of varying images across stakeholder groups. The researchers did an extensive review of literature on previous and relevant studies on organizational images which examined the source of an organization‟s image, and also on research addressing the possibility of varying images across stakeholder groups. The writers also reviewed literature on elements of a multidimensional image construct. Some of their findings are as follows: 1) Source of an image: Image cannot be projected by firms via messages or logos. Rather image is as a result of how the signals on messages sent by the organization are interpreted overtime by stakeholders and the real image makers are the publics (Fombrun & Shanley, 1990; Williams and Moffit, 1997; Treadwell and Harrison, 1994). 79 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2) Image variation by group: The study reviewed revealed that an organization is unlikely to have a consistent image across stakeholder groups. Image is rather likely to vary based on the group among which the image is assessed since image is a perception, and different groups use different criteria when assessing an organization (Avenarius, 1993; Brown and Dacin, 1997; Fombrun and Shanley, 1990). 3) The emerging image construct: Other studies have revealed that image is a multidimensional concept, based upon a variety of factors including the size of the organization, extent of diversification, an individual‟s degree of familiarity with an organization and the perceived quality of products and services (Fombrun and Shanley, 1990; Shenkar and Yutchman-Yaar, 1997 & Lee, 1999). Moffit (1992, 1994) also identified several factors that can influence the stakeholder group‟s image or perception of an organization such as persuasive messages released by the organization, prior transactions with the organization and exposure to the organization‟s facilities. 4) Image of universities: According to the authors, multiple images exist, besides there are multiple image attributes. Even images and attributes struggle against each other within each individual based on the factors(s) influencing image(s) at a particular historical moment. A study conducted by Harrison (1994) revealed that factors such as academic excellence, having a well-regarded business school and the image the school has at the national level influence the university‟s image. 80 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The current study The study examined the factors that audiences consider when rating the image of universities. Furthermore, the study considered the extent to which such factors predicted image ratings across different groups of evaluators. The paper further examined the criteria that contribute to image rating across several universities. The study found that factors such as academic and athletic attributes as well as news coverage affected how students rate the image of universities. The article is very informative in the sense that it has presented the findings made by some other researchers regarding the sources of a university‟s image. By focusing on the criteria that determine the rating of the image of universities in the current study, the researchers believed those who develop such programmes will draw management‟s attention to such attributes. 81 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 9.0 Tang, Weiwei. “The Impact of Corporate Image and Corporate reputation on customer loyalty: A Review”. Management Science and Engineering, Vol. 1 No. 2, December, 2007, pp 52-62. The article attempted to establish the relationship between corporate image and corporate reputation. The author believed that the distinctions would help management to differentiate between the concepts and use them more effectively in its communication strategy. The writer did not make reference to any specific articles, but said that several studies have shown that improving service quality and customer satisfaction resulted in better financial performance for businesses. The author added that more and more researchers have realized that corporate image and corporate reputation are the most important factors in ensuring customer loyalty. The two concepts which are distinct but closely related are important in developing and maintaining loyalty on the part of the customers. The writer described corporate image as what comes to mind when travelers hear the name of a place, a hotel or a restaurant. Corporate image is the customers‟ response to the total offering and is defined as “beliefs, ideas and impressions that a public has of an organization” (Tang Weiwei, 2007). It is related to business name, architecture, variety of products and services, tradition, ideology and to the impression of quality communicated by each person interacting with the organization‟s clients (Tang Weiwei 2007). The writer noted that a company‟s image could affect its credibility and effectiveness in reaching its internal and external audiences such as clients, employees and the media. According to the writer, corporate image has two components: functional and emotional. The functional component is related to tangible attributes that can be easily measured, while the emotional component is associated with psychological dimensions that are more manifested by feelings and attitudes toward an organization. Concerning corporate reputation, the writer quoted Bennett and Kottasz (2000), as observing that corporate reputation theory had its origins in the 195O's when the concept of corporate image emerged. The concept evolved in 82 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the 197O's and 198O's, to focus more on corporate identity and later developed into its modern form. The author quoted Bennet and Rentscheler‟s (2003) definition of reputation as „a concept related to image but one that refers to value judgments among the publics about an organization‟s qualities formed over a long time, regarding its consistency, trustworthiness and reliability.‟ Regarding the relationship between corporate image and corporate reputation, the writer said that a review of past research in the field showed little empirical results except for some general statements. For example, Porter (1985) suggested that a good reputation may help a pioneer firm build an innovative image in the industry. Franklin (1984) also proposed that corporate reputation is a global and final outcome of the process of building a corporate image. Thus while some authors see corporate reputation as leading to corporate image, others portray image as that which leads to corporate reputation. However, based on the meaning generally accepted for each concept, one observes that both corporate image and reputation are the external perceptions of the firm. The former is the firm's portrait made in the mind of a consumer, while the latter is the degree of trust (or distrust) in a firm's ability to meet customers' expectations on a given attribute. From the perspective of marketing, however, the impact of corporate image and reputation on consumer behaviour is well recognized in spite of the lack of empirical evidence. Numerous authors assert that a good corporate image or reputation helps to increase a firm‟s sales and market share (Shapiro 1980) and to establish and maintain loyal relationship with customers. The writer also noted that the exact relationship between image and reputation was still unknown. The researcher suggested that managers in the service industry should not consider only intrinsic attributes such as customer satisfaction and service quality in their communication strategy. In the service industries, the association between corporate image or corporate reputation and a company‟s offering is intangible and therefore much more difficult 83 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh to pin-point. Other tangible characteristics may be used to make the image more discernible. To influence customer behaviour, service providers should advance arguments based on contact personnel and physical environment which might be some benefits provided in the service transaction. In this regard, educational institutions can emphasize the competence of their faculty members and other administrative staff as well as other facilities such as lecture halls, library and Information and communication technology as critical factors that determine the client‟s perception of their image and reputation. This would make the intangible tangible and is an efficient way to create a more compelling image. The study is very relevant in the sense that it highlighted the importance of contact personnel in the formation of image and reputation in the service industry. The author also talked of the importance of the distinction between corporate image and corporate reputation in communication strategies of organizations aimed at influencing consumer behaviour. He emphasizes the fact that services are intangible and can only be evaluated after consumption, hence the need to focus on the quality and competence of service providers. The researcher also drew attention to the importance of the service environment in image creation. 84 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 10. Nguyem, Nha and Leblanc Gaston “Image and reputation of higher education institutions in students retention decision” The international Journal of Educational management Vol.15 No. 6, 2001 pp.303-311. The article investigated the role of institutional image and institutional reputation in the formation of customer loyalty. It also examined the link between the two concepts. The results indicated that the degree of loyalty has a tendency to be higher when perceptions of both institutional reputation and institutional image are favourable. The researchers, without reference to specific articles, stated that past literature in the field showed little empirical evidence on the links between institutional image and institutional reputation. According to the researchers, the role of institutional reputation and image in customer buying decision and their use as instruments to influence students‟ choice of higher education has been documented in marketing and educational services management. There is, however, not much evidence in the field of management education to support the relationship between these constructs and customer loyalty. The study, therefore, attempted to assess the impact of the two constructs from the perspective of business education and their effect on students‟ decision to stay with an institution. The writers suggested the importance of knowing the roles of image and reputation since it helps management to use them more effectively in communication strategy aimed at enhancing an institution‟s position statement. They also pointed out that analyzing image and reputation was a challenging task since their levels of abstraction might be high and thus complex to conceptualize and difficult to measure. The researchers quoted Barich and Kotler‟s (1991) description of image as the „overall impression on the minds of the public about the organization‟. The image is related to physical and behavioural attributes of an organization, and it has two components: functional and emotional. The functional image is related to tangible characteristics that can be easily measured, while the emotional component is associated with psychological dimensions manifested in feelings and attitudes towards an organization. An institutional image is 85 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh therefore an aggregation of the various attributes such as price, innovativeness and quality among others. In addition, an institution does not possess a unique image. It may rather possess various images according to the perception of the various publics. It is therefore important to harmonize the activities of the organization in order to present a consistent image. The researchers also pointed out that reputation has been studied in the fields of economics and organizational theory and management. They stated that Wartick (1992) defined institutional reputation as „an aggregate of a single stakeholder‟s perception of how well organizational responses are meeting the demands and expectations of organizational stakeholders.‟ An organization can have numerous reputations on each attribute such as price, product, quality, innovativeness, management or global reputation. They also noted that the term „customer loyalty‟ has been variously defined and researchers have focused attention on products and services. The writers however, added that social and psychological factors must also be taken into consideration in order to have a more comprehensive view of loyalty. Loyalty truly exists when the customer resists pressures to switch to other brand. Considering the diversity of service industries, the researchers suggested studies in other service areas. They also recommended the inclusion of other moderating factors which may determine the relationship between image and reputation. Tangible elements such as contact personnel and physical environment might be included since they have some effect on institutional image. In educational setting, contact elements such as faculty members, other employees, and facilities on campus may be considered as critical factors which determine the students‟ perception of the image or reputation of higher educational institution. The fact that the image of an institution is an aggregation of various attributes, and that image is neither static nor unique and can vary with time from one individual to the other have well been noted in this study. In all, the relevance of such factors as behaviour, physical 86 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh environment or visual component of image creating factors has been stated. These are very important for any identity and image creating programme and policy. 87 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh REFERENCES Arpan L. M., Raney A. A. and Zivnuska S. (2003), “A cognitive approach to understanding university image” Corporation Communication: An International Journal Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 97-113. Askegaard, S. and Christensen, L. T. (2001), “Corporate identity and corporate image revisited: A semiotic perspective” European Journal of Marketing Vol. 35 NO. ¾ , PP.292- 315. Kazoleas, D. Kim, Y. and Moffitt, M. A. (2001), “Institutional Image: A Case Study.” Corporate Communications: International Journal volume 6. No. 4, pp.205-216. Markwick, M. and Fill, C. (1997), “Toward a framework for managing corporate identity” European Journal of Marketing, Vol.31 No. 56, 1997 pp.306-400. Melewar, T.C. and Akel S. (2005), “The role of corporate identity in Higher Education Sector: A Case Study,” Corporate Communication: an International Journal, Vol.10 No.1, pp 41-57. Moigeon, B. and Ramanantsoa, B. (1997), “Understanding the corporate identity: The French school of thought” European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31 No. 56 1997 pp.383-395. Nguyem, N. and Leblanc G. (2001), “Image and reputation of higher education institutions in students retention decision” The international Journal of Educational management Vol.15 No. 6, pp.303-311. Otubanjo, O. B. and Melewar, T.C. (2007), “Understanding the meaning of corporate identity: a conceptual and semiological approach” Corporate Communication: An International Journal, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp414-432. Tim O. B. and Joachim K. (2007), “Corporate behaviour vs brand behaviour: towards an integrated view” Journal of brand management Vol, 15 No. 10, pp32-40. Tang,W. (2007), “The Impact of Corporate Image and Corporate reputation on customer loyalty: A Review”. Management Science and Engineering, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp 52-62. Van Riel C. B.M. and Balmer J. M.T. (1997), “Corporate identity: the concept, its measurement and management” European Journal of Marketing Vol. 31 No. 5/6, pp. 340-355. 88 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh APPENDIX VI- INTERVIEWS INTERVIEW WITH THE RECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Ques: Prof., Please what immediately comes to mind when we talk about corporate identity? Ans: Identity normally refers to what we are showing, what we are doing, how do we want to be seen. What we do differently because there are a lot of universities offering business education. Ques: What are the obvious things that will communicate the differences between IPS and other universities? Ans: Obvious things are that we blend scholarship with professionalism. Other universities are purely academic, others are purely professional. Ques: What are the elements of our visual identity? Ans: Infrastructure, we are trying to paint all our buildings blue and white, yellow wall, blue windows and blue roofing. When one sees IPS on the wall, the colours blue and light orange appear prominent Ques: When we talk of IPS are these the only two colours? Ans: Yes, blue and light orange are the two main colours used in the infrastructure, looking at the windows, roofing etc. Ques: What specific things do you think the colours are communicating? Ans: I am not a person who is too much into colours. All institutions have their colours and there are reasons behind those colours. Take for instance Ghana (black implies mourning). Blue is a colour which shows some kind of loving atmosphere, and so it is believed that a relaxed and congenial atmosphere should be provided for academic purposes. Ques: What is the coat of arms of IPS made up of? Ans: The adinkra symbol i.e. the horn of war (because once you step on IPS soil, you have a battle to fight in terms of your academic work). It is more difficult to be in school than outside working. Ques: Are there other factors that will come together to project how IPS does its things differently? Ans: We blend scholarship with professionalism, and in designing our course content, we take into consideration the professional programmes that we have as well as seeking advice from industry, so that by the time you complete, you have been well baked so that you have both the professional and academic touch. 89 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Ques: Our vision and mission, what messages are they communicating? Ans: Both professional and academic excellence, not only in Ghana, but in Africa and beyond, as well as being a school of excellence. This is what is being communicated and being worked towards. Ques: Where we are now, what is likely to change within the next two to five years? Ans: Change of name, even though this will not guarantee quality. What will guarantee quality is giving the institution a competitive edge. Even though everything is being done here as in other university, the name institute does not place us on fair grounds. As such changing the name to university will place it on level grounds to compete with other universities. With the products that we have, changing the name will help us to excel. Infrastructure development is also ongoing, and an increase in the number of masters program is anticipated. In two to three years, collaborations will be done with other universities to see how we can go about/ start PhD programs. Ques: What are our internal communication channels? Ans: E-mails, telephones, notice boards, memos. Ques. What about our external communication? Ans: Our external communication channels are telephone calls, website. Ques: Have we made any efforts to find out about the effectiveness of channels? Ans: We have not done anything. We have not done any research but I think it is working. Ques: How timely is information available to both to students and staff regarding issues that them? Ans: We do our best possible to make information available. However, sometimes information will be late, and this has got to do with how fast we process information and send it out there. Before you send out information, you should be careful about what you are sending out. Even though you might be awaiting that information, the processing might delay. In such cases, the people concerned are informed of the delay and apologized to. Ques: About our behaviour and culture. In our strategic plan, we mention our core values, as integrity, respect and service. In essence we are saying that is our culture. How are these evident at IPS? Ans: It has not been very easy, in terms of culture and how we do things but for now we don‟t have any reason to complain negatively about how our people do things. For now we think that we are on track. In terms of integrity, we are doing very well because we have not received any complaint from outside. 90 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Ques: To what extent is IPS involved in community service? Ans: With respect to community service we are behind, from the faculty we‟ve not done much. But the students offer service to the community. Ques: Are there measures to make sure as an Institution, we do some concrete things in terms of community service? Ans: A proposal was presented at our retreat last year. We are coming out with programmes to offer IT training to in basic schools in the community. This is because most of the basic schools in the community are less endowed, and if they are offered computer training, they will be well endowed to enter the secondary schools. Ques: How do you describe the quality of faculty members? Ans: It is growing. In terms of the students-lecturer ratio we are far behind. We are doing everything to have our faculty members upgrade their skills. At the moment, most of the lecturers are reading their PhDs. We are advertising to get more lecturers. But in the area of management science we are having a problem getting the PhD holders and professors in that area. That‟s why we are training our own products. Ques: The skills of our faculty members as it is now and the efforts being made towards skills enhancement, how do they translate into the services we are trying to offer our students? Ans: For quality, of course it will come, for now I have no reason to complain. We do appraise our lecturers and I think for now, as you move from masters to PhD, you gain more knowledge not only in your field, but also in research. In an academic institution like this, research is key and if the lecturer has studied this, he/she can pass it on to students. Ques: Let us talk a little about market conditions and competitions the higher academic sector is. How competitive are our products in the job market? Ans: Our products are working in industries. Many financial institutions write to us to come for our products. Ques: How do you describe our course content? Ans: Scholarship with professionalism. The course content is both practical and theoretical. Ques: How do you describe the quality of service offered by the faculty members to students? Ans: So far we have not receive any student complaints, so it‟s okay Ques: practical measures 91 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Ans: It has to do with the type of production, because the products are going out there to market you. We have to focus more on our course outline, method of teaching and the way we handle our students. We also need to show external visibility i.e. we have to look at our infrastructure, because even if you have the best to offer and the packaging is poor, you will not get the needed attention. Our relationship with the media is also important, so that they can project a good image of us to the public Ques: Infrastructure Ans: the facilities are multi-purpose, sporting facilities, tennis court, volleyball court, basketball court library. 92 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh INTERVIEW WITH THE REGISTRAR OF THE INSTITUE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Ques: When we talk of the corporate identity of IPS, what are some of the things that come to mind? Ans: IPS was previously known to be related to accountancy and other related professional courses (ACCA, ICAG). However IPS goes beyond that. There are the marketing, administrative and secretarial courses as well. There is also ICSA and CIMA, which are both UK based. Most of our courses are UK based with the exception of ICAG Ques: What visual elements are there to communicate information/messages about us to publics? Ans: We didn‟t have much to write home about in terms of infrastructure. However, over the past few years, this is changing with the putting up of more structures. One thing that puts us apart is our colours. Once you visit the Institute you are able to associate the colours with IPS. Ques: What are the main colours of IPS? Ans: The overriding colour is sea blue, which is in a way garnished with yellow and maybe black, which carries the symbol in the set-up. It consists of an adinkra symbol, the horn, which signifies readiness to do battle with whatever activities we have to carry out. It also tells us we have an ambiance of peace within which to carry out these activities. Ques: What are the colours (blue, gold etc) communicating about us? Ans: Blue-life that covers where we are; gold/yellow depict the wealth/riches of the Institute. Beyond the walls of IPS, entrenched in natural colours to depict wealth of Ghana. Ques: What are the components of the coat of arms/logo of IPS, and how relevant are they? Ans: The adinkra symbol that carries the horn-showing battle readiness to take deal with whatever situation that you have before you. This is expected to sound the seriousness of IPS in whatever we undertake. The symbol the horn is sitting on refers to the various facets of IPS which are all moving in the same direction. Ques: Are the publics ([internal]students, employees, faculty members [and external]) aware of what we are communicating through the colours, logo and coat of arms? Ans: The concerned external publics within Ghana that are knowledgeable of the symbol are aware of what is being communicated. However only a few of the internal publics 93 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh are aware/understand, simply because they do not look at the message that is being sent across by way of trying to describe them in other materials that are being sent across, even though they are in written forms that people can have access to. Ques: Since the internal publics are our mouthpiece, are we putting measures in place to be able to communicate these measures to the internal publics more effectively so that they can also carry it out to the external publics? Ans: We are putting measures in place to make the internal publics aware of the essence of these symbols and the messages that they carry because we understand that the internal publics are the vehicle for carrying out these messages to the external publics. Ques: Looking at behaviour as another aspect of identity, how would you describe the relationship between faculty members and administrative staff? Ans: This is very cordial, and there are plans/intentions to further deepen the cordial relationships between the administration and the faculty because we are all supposed to be complementing each other. This is because we are both here for the students, so we need to work together to realize our various objectives. Some people don‟t understand the complementary roles, but these are very few and so the cordial relations will be deepened by bringing this to the fore. Ques: What about the relationship between the administrative staff and students? Ans: The student is supposed to be in the centre of the activities between faculty members and administration. As such, whatever the administration is doing is supposed to serve the purpose of the students‟ presence in IPS. We can‟t say this has been carried out to the fullest satisfaction of students; however the culture for carving good interactions with the students is present. Sometimes, there are misunderstandings, either from the administration or from students, about what administration can do for students, and what students should do when seeking certain services from the administration. There is a better understanding of relationships on campus now, and the changing trends tend to deepen the relationships between stakeholders, whilst making them understand each other‟s roles as well as making them aware of how their roles affect what business we are here to carry out. Ques: Are there practical steps to let students know how to address such grievances (misunderstanding between students and administration) Ans: There are, and have always been. However at times there are short comings on the part of students in the sense that the student handbook is supposed to contain all the information that they require whilst they are here as students. It is supposed to be a 94 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh compass to guide them in their stay on campus with regard to their status, but not all students make use of it. In the past, efforts were made to inform students that the handbooks are not for decorative purposes, but they are supposed to keep referring to them. The answers to any question they might want to ask are found in the handbook. At orientation, there are conscious effort s to help students to refer to the handbooks, so that this will guide them, because the rules and regulations are found in the handbook, telling staff members how to deal with students. There are a few staff members who don‟t do what is expected of them either as a result of individual differences or because they know what to do, but just won‟t. The numbers of such staff are however negligible. Even if the answers are not found in the hand book, there are still laid down procedures that students need to follow for their grievances to be addressed (department head-dean of faculty-dean of students) Ques: How would you describe the attitude of IPS staff to work? Ans: Majority of the staff are all conscious of what they are doing. However, like any other human institution, there is still room for improvement. The issue of punctuality is one area in which most staff are found wanting, and this prevents them from carrying out some of their duties on time. That aside, the staff is polite and respectful, and antagonism is not seen in staff members. They act in accordance with directives given them. Ques: Can you mention some of the measures in place to correct erring staff members? Ans: The main issue is punctuality. Members are expected to clock on when they arrive, and those who are found to arrive late over a period of time are cautioned. Staff are expected to report by 8:00 am. A line is drawn in the log-in book to separate those who come before and after this time, and offenders are dealt with as appropriate. There are also plans to use a central timing system (time clocking device) to tell when staff report to and leave work instead of staff members reporting with their own watches. With this tracking of staff, should there be any news about someone not coming to work or something happening to a staff member, it can be determined whether that member reported to work or not. This is helpful for both staff and administration in the same way Ques: What type of culture do you think we have at IPS? Ans: Like any other tertiary institution, there is a collegial relationship. Most of the time decisions are taken on a consensus basis and related to those who have to carry it out for implementing. If there is a need to find out ways of implementing a policy, 95 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh committees are set up and tasked to find out the most effective way of doing this. When this is done, the information is carried across by the use of notices, memos. Lately, some members of faculty agitate that the Intranet be used to carry across information and activities. At IPS, the way and manner activities are carried out are born primarily based on the collegial system of always having discourse on an issue that rises before a final decision is taken. Ques: Is the culture one that facilitates high performance or low performance, generally? Ans: The culture is not high performance however, it‟s on the ascendency. Employees are aware that certain actions will yield certain results such as recommendation or promotion, so staffs engage in such actions for their recommendations and promotions. A lukewarm attitude means one is doing nothing to contribute towards the goals of the Institution. Everybody‟s actions are geared towards achieving the goals of the institution. The culture is one that spurs the staff members on to achieve the objectives and goals of the institution, but it is not necessarily a high performance culture. Ques: How do our core values (integrity, respect, service) reflect in how we do things at IPS? Ans: Cordiality will not come if there is no respect, and nothing can be achieved without integrity. All these are interlinked, and efforts are made to inculcate them in staff and students so that there will be a move towards achieving set objectives. Ques: Are there measures in place to attract high quality foreign staff (faculty and administrative) and students to help boost our image? Ans: There is an intention to do so, and it is even being carried out, albeit not at once. The last advertisement that was put out for faculty members was made open (for applicants within and outside Ghana). At the beginning of the interview, it was mentioned that the Institute is still working on its infrastructure. It is very important to have the full compliments of what makes a foreigner feel at home, and one way of doing this is providing hostels or residential facilities. As such, the institution is embarking on a project to build hostels which will have components that will take care of people who will be living away from home, as well as full scale sourcing these stakeholders. If these are not put in place, they will be disappointed when they arrive and find out that the facilities necessary to make life bearable for them are absent. In terms of faculty members, it is in full swing. There is an understanding that we are in competition with several others, and we are doing it from the point of view that we 96 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh are underdogs or in a disadvantaged position. As such it‟s necessary to double our efforts. As such we are putting in place measures to attract all these stakeholders. INTERVIEW WITH EXPERTS ONE Q: Could you comment on this logo? When you respond to a call, it means that is you. The logo is good, but the name of the Institution must be incorporated in it to separate it from other organisations or institutions. That is why even the coat of arms has Ghana on top and freedom and justice beneath to identify it with Ghana. The colours are good. Colours mean a lot. The selected colours must mean something to the person who designed it-there must be a reason behind the selection of those colours. The best logos are those that are simple. Q: You mentioned that you are not into adinkra symbols, but I don‟t know if you are into specific interpretation of the various adinkra symbols. A: I didn‟t go there because every symbol means something to the person who chooses to use it. There might be personal reasons to choosing a particular symbol, for example the sun in the Japanese flag was chosen because of its radiant attribute. The symbol of the cross which is now associated with Christians was previously associated with death. However, because Jesus Christ died on it, it is now linked with Christianity. Q: This symbol represents a war horn, to show readiness and preparedness for battle. Since the range is not here, I will leave that for now. You however hinted at the colours. A: Whoever chose it has a good reason for it. Q: Every logo and colour is specific to the given institution. A: Yes. This is the reason for the change from IPS to UPS. As you said, the adinkra symbol in the logo signifies a war horn, and life is war. You must be ready to face it and come out victorious. I have graduated from the university. Five years later, I am the MD of a company. 97 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Logos are so personal that you cannot criticize them. It is believed that the ewes and igbos are the only people who give names for a reason. You cannot criticise them because they are very personal. Q: So when we talk about visual symbols/ identity, are there others apart from the logo and colours? A: We are spirits, as the good book says. There is always a spirit behind everything we do. Our way of life is also a form of identity. Even though it looks like this change came out of the blue, it occurred because one person wanted a change, and shared the thought with some other people who together saw to it that the vision materialised. Q: The scroll has scholarship with professionalism. In terms of advertising, is there a way to capture or depict what we do? IPS traditionally used to be a professional institution, focusing mainly on accounting and management. Later, we added the academic programmes. A: Luckily for you, IPS has made a good name already. A high percentage of IPS students have distinguished themselves wherever they are. What is missing is not the professionalism, but the excellence. Q: You said people are known by their behaviour. Does it mean identity is also inherent in behaviour? A:Yes Q: Is there a way communication can be done (aside the graphics) to depict what we do (scholarship, professionalism)? A: It can be done through the way we behave and carry ourselves around. The image we portray of ourselves, consciously or unconsciously says a lot about us. Q: Should culture be an important component of identity? A: Of course. Every institution has a culture. That is how come it is easy to tell the institution a person is coming from by watching the way they behave. Every institution has a culture 98 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh because it attracts its likeness. Before you leave that institution, you would have imbibed some of its cultures, and they will become a part of you. Q: How should marketing be done, generally? A: Marketing is done to market the sense of an institution or product. For example, even though coca cola is dangerous because it contains a lot of sugar, this is not mentioned in their adverts. Only the good sides are mentioned, like it is cool, it is pop etc. You should focus and sell your best sides. EXPERT INTERVIEW TWO Q: Aside the visual components, what other elements come to mind/play when we talk about identity? A: Identity, image and reputation have a relationship. To my understanding, when you talk about identity, you are putting more emphasis on the physical, tangible and visual. Image is a bit more intangible, for example, the things you have come about as a result of representation or a certain performance. Performance is how the organisation has worked and this will create its image, the way the organisation has presented itself, not in the physical world, but psychologically, and also in its concepts and values. Those kinds of things would make up or determine the image of the organisation. Reputation is over a long period of time, what type of track record has the organisation left? What imprint has the organisation left in the minds of people? This shows there is a relation among the three-identity, image and reputation. If you want to focus on identity, it is more visual, physical and tangible- what you can touch, feel and see. Q: what role does behaviour play in identity management? A: Whatever you do in representing your physical being will determine your behaviour in the sense that if an organization works on untidy premises, it will have a psychological impact on the employees. The physical will affect the metaphysical. Physical identity is very important, and can‟t be divorced from your physical. It will transfer to the image which will then have an effect on the reputation. The way we see an organisation starts from your identity. You can‟t have a dirty environment (identity) and say that you have a good image because you are caring and receptive to your customers. First impressions matter a lot. What people see, feel 99 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh and touch will already prejudice their minds before they hear you speak. Like we teach in PR image is everything. Particularly in our society, where no one is going to wait to hear you speak before drawing conclusions as to whether you are well spoken, full of wisdom etc. The person starts to make impressions as you walk in, as he sees you. And whether he likes it or not, consciously or unconsciously, he starts reacting to you, and starts blocking you in his mind. First impressions matter a lot. They may colour impressions forever, and so one must be on his best foot all the time. There is never a second opportunity to make a first impression. That is why image for us is everything. The person has formed an impression in his mind “I want to listen to this person. I believe this person will speak sense because he looks like sense.” His mind is positively oriented to listen to you. You put yourself on the good foot if you are attractive in appearance and fit the third party‟s image of someone who looks like he will speak sense. That is at the individual level. At the organisational level, it is the same. That is why organisations must take time to ensure that their premises and environment look good, their staffs are well dressed. (We are a funding institution, and our stakeholders need to believe that they can deal with us. We must look trust worthy, solid and able to deliver the facts. We have a dress code. We believe that dressing to a certain standard is very important.) I as president of IPR believe that the form of everything you do is as important as the substance. Identity has a lot to do with form, so whatever you do, the packaging is very important. How an item is packaged can detract from the weight of the transaction itself. Identity is like a service. It is physical and tangible. What people can see is as important as what is really inside. Q: What are the things that communicate messages about an entity to people? A: You must be concerned about the physical, the tangible and the visual. The environment is very important, especially for an academic institution because it speaks volumes of what kind of people are there, what is their mentality, and what kind of environment are they trying to create? We both know that learning takes place in a very conducive environment. Conducive is a very powerful word. It means that the environment must be attractive, restful, reassuring, attractive, one in which your senses feel relaxed. Any institution which aspires to let people see it as a “citadel of learning” must be able to translate that ambition into its physical appearance. I have observed that recently, a lot has been put into improving the appearance of UPSA which for me is fantastic. If the environment of an organisation is unkempt, there is no way I can be convinced that studies there will be effective. The reverse is very true. Even if the inside is hollow, investing in the outside (appearance) will add weight to the institution as a whole. However, the chances that those who invest on the outside are going to be empty on 100 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the inside are very minimal. Those who invest more in their environment are more likely to be perceptive and purposeful. We come from an environment that doesn‟t believe in maintaining a good physical environment. We take pleasure in sayings such as “he has the stuff, even though he looks unkempt.” Academics take a lot of pleasure in that- unkempt beard, hair not well groomed, faded shirt, and yet believe it is okay because they have the “stuff.” Implying that his ability to get the stuff is more important than how he looks. We in PR think that they must communicate at all times. Communication is a total business. You cannot say I want to/will communicate, but I will do so only by voice. You must communicate totally, in your person. Whatever you do, even the car you drive must communicate a certain kind of discipline- it must be total and total starts from the physical. What you can see and touch is probably as important as what you cannot see and touch. I however, believe it is even more important because when it comes to what we cannot see and touch, we can all draw our conclusions, but what we can see and touch is there for all to see. I believe that for an institution, the biggest impressions that you can make upon stakeholders is how you look. Many of the reputed and known as institutions in Ghana are judged as such first by the way they look before the internal. KNUST is an imposing campus. Immediately you pass by the gate, you will be curious to find out what is in there. The University of Ghana gate in its original majesty – when you enter and use the driveway, what you see is enough to tell you that this indeed is the University of Ghana. If an institution is disorganised, and the facade is unattractive and it doesn‟t stir up any curiosity in the observer to make them want to go inside, except those die-hards who want to go beyond. A lot of people will just go by, and form their impressions based on what they see on the outside. It is only a few people who will go inside. As such, if you do your externals well, you may be able to deceive a lot of people. We believe that image is everything because what you visualise on the outside is likely to tease you into probing further. Q: You talked about the environment, which refers to the infrastructure. What about the culture? A: Identity has got elements. You need to think through carefully. When we speak about the physical and the tangible for an institution, you need to deliberately select certain colours to convey a certain image/position. Now the academic market is cluttered, and as such one needs to deliberately and consciously position oneself. So you have to communicate through various channels using various tools. One of the most powerful is how you look, and this must be consistent. If you choose a logo, it must communicate in a powerful way, I know you have a Ghanaian traditional (adinkra) symbol, like University of Ghana and many other 101 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh institutions. Those who selected it did so with a reason in mind, because the symbol has a meaning. The yellow and blue colours are very relaxed and restful. I can understand why they were chosen. The challenge will be that since this colour is very popular, it will be difficult to make yourself distinct because your neighbour to the side is also blue and yellow. Since that one is older, and many of us are alumni, anytime we see it, we are likely to get the impression that you are trying to say “me too.” I was expecting that UPS would have chosen something completely different and distinct, because here, University of Ghana can accuse u of just imitating them or even “stealing” their colours. You should be original and look for something which will distinctively mark you because you want to separate yourself from them. For me, the symbol is okay, but the colours are problematic because you will struggle to distinguish yourself from University of Ghana, and you are neighbours too. The motto is very precise and easy to take in, unlike the mission and vision statements of other institutions which are long and difficult to remember. Q: Are you a bit into colours, so that perhaps you can go a bit into the significance of the chosen colours? A: I am not into colours myself. In choosing colours, one must be careful. Choosing colours is a whole industry. For me, the colours of UPSA are inappropriate because they are the same as that of University of Ghana. And because of how close the two institutions are, it will be difficult for observers to tell the difference. For the new university to make its mark and stand out, I would have preferred that you choose different colours. The logo and even the font play a role in the image/identity. In branding organisations, there must be consistency. If a colour has been chosen, it must run through. Now the educational (university) field has become so crowded that it is important to make sure you are so distinct in your visual identity that even without UPS written against your logo/colours, people will know that this is UPS. The banks can be seen doing this. I don‟t have a problem with the logo or the tagline. However with the colours you have chosen, it will be more difficult for people to see that you are a distinct institution. The moment people see the yellow and blue, their mind will first go to University of Ghana. Because the area is crowded, it would be better for you to use colours that are distinctive and unique to UPS. Q: You mentioned architecture and colour. Is there anything to say about font? A: There is nothing unique about the chosen font, but there are all kinds of fonts which can be used which are very distinctive. The uniform can also define you. If you have uniformed people in your organisation, you need to think carefully about how to uniform them because they can also communicate on your behalf. The more people can remember you, the better it 102 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh is for your organisation. It must be carefully thought through, consistent and repetitive. It must run through your range of identities, your environment, dress, correspondents, your transports which must be painted with a (the same) particular colour. The physical attributes must be represented with the same identity. Transport is a fantastic tool because it is not static, but always moving. All the transport vehicles must be branded with a particular colour and/or logo, so that people who see it will be able to identify and associate it with UPS, thus it sticks in the minds of people. All these things must be branded in a certain manner, and that is why I say your identity must be consistent and repetitive. If you could do something about the font, it would be great. Having come new, it would be good to use a new font to create a new impression in the minds of people and make them aware of your existence. However, it is also possible that you do not want to deviate from what has already been done in the past (IPS) because educational institutions are supposed to be conservative. You want to seamlessly move to the present but keep the link to the past, so that the virtues and benefits and credits acquired in the past will be linked with UPS. Q: You spoke about packaging. I would like to find out how we can package our adverts to appeal more? A: I have observed that your institution has been relaunched, but your communication has not been consistent. I don‟t know whether you have plans to really... you know, we say that you rebrand and then you relaunch. And to do it, normally you go on a road show. You need to go into the media, put up bill boards and the like. Even though there have been some changes to the environment, e.g. a rebranded gate, you need to do more, because not many people will come to the premises. If you want to communicate nationally, you need to hold other activities, maybe outside Accra e.g. Kumasi and the North to consolidate the fact that IPS has changed to UPSA. After that you need to consolidate it with other communication tools e.g. radio adverts. Also, find a way to do some activities that will focus the attention of media on the institution. Q: How should communication be done in order to properly carry the message across? A: Communication must be total, in the sense that it shouldn‟t only be charged to the outfit in charge of communication. The VC, the staff, the students all have a task of communicating the new institution. Efforts must be made to ensure that every opportunity to reinforce the UPS should be exploited. It should not only be left in the hands of the PR, because they are believed to be in charge of communication. The first communicator of every institution is the Chief Executive (VC). Whatever you do, you are communicating. If you realise that, you will be able to reach a lot more people. All your documents should be changed to tally with the 103 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh new image, so that there is no miscommunication. You can develop a formal plan to spell out how the change will be carried out through communication. The change can be subtly put out into the general public through all opportunities the organisation gets through its staff, students, dealings with other suppliers, partners, other institutions etc. Fliers or brochures that are done to help spread the message about the change will help in solidifying the change. A: What about our media relations? Q: The media is very important in communicating the new image to the public. If the ties are not strong, more should be put into strengthening them. The media is like a megaphone, further broadcasting what is already being done. They should be involved in broadcasting faculty activities or other activities that were done in the past without media involvement. All this helps to put the institution at a certain position/pedestal. UPS has a certain uniqueness in the sense that it is more professional inclined. This can be put across for the public to know that you are different from Legon since your professors are professional first before academia, unlike Legon where it‟s all about academia. Q: How should our culture reflect the new „us‟? A: You have a logo, a new tag line, colours etc which are distinctive. Identity will help to develop and market the new culture which you are aiming at developing. You need to find out if you want to maintain the IPS culture, or if you want to create a new one for UPS. If you do then you need to quickly put things in place and get the media involved for publicity. This is one of the reasons why the media is very important. The only way u can come out of the dark is to let light shine into the darkness, and light can only be shown by the media. There should be deliberate efforts to ensure that your media relations are good. In many organisations, this is done by what is called a press core i.e. develop some media persons from some media houses who will know a lot about the university and who would continuously be invited to your functions. Time should be taken to take these people off site and train them on the vision, mission and goals of the institution so that they know what is going on. People like this who have developed a rapport with key officials of the institution will report with some background. They are less likely to report the negative because they have been accorded some level of respect and have been drawn into the inner fabric of the institution. It is believed that having a press core is better than changing media persons from event to event. Q: What is the place of policy in identity management? A: Identity management should be part of your communication. You must have guidelines/policies governing your communication, and identity is one of them. A policy in 104 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh respect of identity management must be such that you must have what is called a brand book or identity book which no one must deviate from. It must be precise in the sense that it spells out where and which colours can or cannot be used, why these colours must be consistent. Livery (dressing for vehicles) must be standardized, i.e. painted in a certain manner consistently. Even your external advertising- the flags that you fly outside your Head Quarters/university must all have a standard size. You must be consistent in whatever you do so that over time you communicate a certain type of identity which is recognisable even in a flash. Consistency, repetition, order and a certain standardization is important in everything that you do. All these should be governed by policy. Even who can/can't speak, where to channel or find out info to/from should also be governed by policy. There must only be one source for communication- the university affairs/relations office. No unauthorized person, no matter how high ranking, should speak on behalf of UPS. All these policies should be in print (documented), and distributed so that anyone who picks it up can easily have aces to d info. In so doing, a charge can be levelled against anyone who goes contrary to what is stated in it. The policy must cover culture, behaviour, everything. The physical is critical. The ambience of the institution is important. If you have miscoloured buildings, it doesn‟t create a good impression/image, unless that is the policy. In Legon for e.g., all the new buildings are fashioned to conform to the other already existing ones. There is a commonality of colours, and this creates a certain ambience. If there are certain colours you want associated with you, one easy way to do this is by the colours used in painting the buildings because these are the tangible features of the institution which will quickly communicate who you are. 105 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh APPENDIX V- INTERVIEW GUIDE Interview Guide My name is Peace Mawunyo Adzadi, a student of the School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. I am currently working on corporate identity and image management in partial fulfillment for the award of an M.A. in communication studies. I am requested to conduct this interview as an aspect of the methodology I am using to gather information for the project. I am also requested to record the interview proceeding but I assure of high confidentiality. Thank you very much. Questions for management-administrative affairs 1.0 Could you mention some elements that constitute the visual identity of IPS? 2.0 What factors make IPS visible to the public? The logo-components and message 3.0 What type of messages do they convey? 4.0 What other factors shape the identity of IPS? 5.0 What communication channels does IPS use to communicate internally/externally? 6.0 What can you say about the availability of timely information to students and staff concerning their studies and work respectively? Behaviour 1.0 How can you describe the relationship between the academic and administrative staff? 2.0 What about the relationship between the administrative staff and students? / between faculty members and students? 3.0 How can you describe IPS staff‟s attitude to work? 4.0 How you describe the employees‟ in terms of the relationship toward one another? Corporate Culture Our beliefs, attitudes and values Our values as stated in our strategic plan are reflected in integrity, respect and service. 1. How do you describe the culture of IPS? 2. How are these core values reflected in the employees‟ attitude? 3. To what extent is IPS involved in community service? 4. What measures are in place to empower our staff? Market conditions 106 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Highly competitive market place 1.0 What measures do we have in place to attract high quality students and staff from other nationalities? Questions for management –academic affairs 1.0 Could you mention some elements that constitute the visual identity of IPS? 2.0 What factors make IPS visible to the public? The logo- components and message 3.0 What type of messages do they convey? 4.0 What other factors shape the identity of IPS? 5.0 What messages are our vision and mission communication to our stakeholders? 6.0 How effectively are they being communicated? 7.0 What things are likely to change in our vision/mission within the next 2-5 years 8.0 What communication channels does IPS use to communicate internally/externally? 8.0 What can you say about the availability of timely information to students and staff concerning their studies and work respectively? Behaviour /Culture 1.0 Generally, how will you describe the culture of IPS? 2.0 To what extent are our core values reflected in the way we do things at IPS? 2.0 How can you describe the quality of faculty members? 3.0 How can you describe our quality of service to students and other business audiences? 4.0 What measures do we have in place for professional training? Market conditions 1.0 To what extent are our degrees marketable nationally, regionally, internationally. 2.0 How can you describe our course content? practical/ theoretical demanding? 3.0 How can you describe the general atmosphere at IPS? Opinion of stake holders Has there ever been any interaction with students, alumni and other stakeholders to find out how they see IPS? What practical measures are we taking to set IPS apart from our competitors? 107