Industry construction of the meaning of corporate identity in Nigeria's banking services sector: An interpretive analysis of corporate advertisements, 1970-2005

Abstract

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 13/10/2008.This thesis seeks to examine how the meaning of corporate identity was constructed through the corporate advertisements that were published in Nigeria's national press media between 1970 and 2005 by the major operators in the Nigerian banking industry. In order to accomplish this task, this research has been divided into ten chapters. The first chapter introduces the research. It conceptualises a research question and provides an overall trajectory for this thesis. Chapter two established four ontologically grounded reasons for pursuing this research from the social constructionist perspective and chapter three sought to examine how the meaning of corporate identity was constructed (in theoretical literature) between 1970 and 2008. Chapter four presents an analysis of the construction of the meaning of the concept of corporate identity in the Nigerian banking industry between 1970 and 2005. Chapter six concerns research methodology and the specific research method drawn to address the question being investigated in this research. Chapters seven and eight presents the empirical findings and chapter nine makes an attempt to establish what has been accomplished in the process of this research by discussing its outcomes. Chapter ten concludes the thesis. It considers the contributions emerging from this research and its implications in terms of relevance for corporate identity theory and practice. In addition, it examines the limitations of the research as well as possible future research directions of this study. Finally, the thesis ends with a summary and conclusion. Findings from this research indicate the emergence of four new scholarships, namely generic, distinctive, innovative and transformative corporate personalities. Importantly, the outcome of this study provides ample evidence to argue that the industry construction of the meaning of corporate identity witnessed an ongoing flow of changes and stabilities, which run through these new scholarships