Managing Schools Corporate Image - a Case Study in University Essay

Managing Schools Corporate Image - a Case Study in University - Essay Example Just as any other corporations present in the community, pedagogical institutions are not exempted from this common situation in the community. It is necessary for educational institutions to project a good image and identity towards the community since they are considered responsible in shaping the future of every nation. As simple as these two ideas may seem yet in reality, this is one of the most difficult and the most complex challenges that a business may face that concerns management these days. In order to address this challenge, every organization must understand and recognize the importance of corporate image and identity. (http://www.lippincottmercer.com/insights/a_roberts03.shtml, para 4) In order to make sure that the company is developing the reputation it seeks from the community, the need for perfectly aligning these two elements - corporate image and corporate identity, is held necessary furthermore considered to be the only way of attaining such expectations. (http://www.lippincottmercer.com/insights/a_roberts03.shtml, para 2 & 5) "Identity goes to the heart of how a company creates value in the marketplace and in the financial markets. In a nutshell, that is the very essence of image management". This key element in building the reputation of the organization includes the organization's purpose, its vision, its strategy and its business objectives. " (http://www.lippincottmercer.com/insights/a_roberts03.shtml, para 2, 5 & 6) As a whole, corporate identity consists of all its products and services, as well as how its people behave that is projected through the shared values of the organization and its employees. Corporate identity digs deeper as to the process and the ways in which the company creates its own value in the community where it markets its products and services. (http://www.lippincottmercer.com/insights/a_roberts03.shtml, para 2, 5 & 6) On the other hand, corporate image has to do something with the people who had availed of the corporation's products and services, their impressions and associations towards the corporation as perceived through their experiences with the company. Generally, these impressions and association that the consumers have developed within themselves can however be controlled by the corporation. Everything that the consumers have to go through is capable of being controlled by the corporation to a greater or lesser degree. This "may include the tone and manner of its employees, its pricing structure, the quality of its customer service, the publicity it receives from the media, its social responsiveness and its activities in the community". (http://www.lippincottmercer.com/insights/a_roberts03.shtml, para 7) It is and has been conceptualized largely in terms of the visual aspect it projects to the people. In business management studies, they also suggest that image is determined mostly by the organization and is presented to the employees in both verbal and visual form. (qtd in Moffit & Williams, 1997) Managing effectively the corporate image and identity is considered as the only way of building the desired reputation of the corporation towards its target consumers. (http://www.lippincottmercer.com/insights/a_roberts03.shtml, para 7) Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) - A Case Study Pedagogical institutions, unlike any other corporations, have a more challenging management strategy