Abstract
In most coherent organisations, there is some sense of identity and strategic direction. People may not be able to articulate it and it may be blurred by a business unit identity, but there is normally some glue that holds everyone together in the pursuit of a common purpose. In quite large organisations there is normally an accepted way of doing things: a set of cultural precedents that people can draw on. All of this, however, can become unravelled when the status of a company changes. When an organisation merges, de-merges or allies itself with another, questions about what the corporate brand means for both internal and external audiences start to be asked. There is uncertainty and fear and a lack of understanding as to what the new relationship with the organisation will be. Its values and purpose may change — factors that perhaps had determined the reason for the relationship in the first place. Its strategy may alter and change the business rationale for being a stakeholder. At worst, the company may cease to be a friend and become an enemy.
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Notes
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© 1997 Nicholas Ind
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Ind, N. (1997). Mergers, De-mergers and Strategic Alliances. In: The Corporate Brand. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230375888_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230375888_8
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