An exploratory study on corporate identity in hotels, the case of İzmir

It is an indisputable reality that just as individuals have an identity, so do companies. Although it is not a new concept, it is still viewed as a concept with uncertainties due to its being studied and interpreted within different disciplines. The abstract and ambiguous nature of the concept has been addressed in various studies and has led to different definitions of identity and different dimensions. This uncertainty continues from personal identity to corporate identity. Corporate identity is seen as an important step in ensuring that companies that exist in a changeable and dynamic environment can survive in a competitive environment and gain competitive advantage. Effective management of corporate identity is also used as an effective tool to show the strength of the company to internal stakeholders and external stakeholders. It is important to clarify the corporate identity concept and to reveal its dimensions in order to increase their rate of preferability by revealing the existences in the hotels that are a high substitution and to getting a share from the international market operating in a highly competitive environment. In this study it is sought the answer that the corporate identity is formed of which dimension by a holistic and a multidisciplinary point of view in hotels. Hence, the main aim of this study is reveal dimensions explaining the components of the corporate identity structure in hotels via exploratory method. To reveal the identity structure type and paradigm of the corporate identity of hotels are sub-aims. Research sample consists of the managers in 5-star hotels operating in İzmir province. In this study designed with a qualitative approach, semi-structured in depth interviews used as data collection techniques in field research. The obtained data is coded thematically, after being subjected to qualitative content analysis. The encoded data that have been collected classified under specific themes. Based on the emerging dimensions, the definition of corporate identity has been developed in the conclusion section. The research findings point to the 8 dimensions that constitute the corporate identity structure in hotels. These dimensions are corporate culture, corporate strategy, corporate communication, corporate structure, corporate behavior, corporate design, destination identity and sector identity. When the models in the corporate identity literature are examined, it is seen that the sector identity is not taken into consideration in the most of models and destination identity is also a new dimension. In this context, it has been seen that the corporate culture, corporate strategy, corporate communication, corporate structure, corporate behavior and corporate design as well as the sectoral features and destination features are effective in the formation of corporate identity in hotels. In this study, in identifying identity structures constituting sub-research questions, it is specified the monolithic identity, supported identity and brand identitiy codes according to some characteristics of being managed by a single business, a center or a holding or having different brands. Findings show that hotels according to the ownership and the management features establish their corporate identities in the type of supported identity and brand identity. Which paradigm have been effective in the formation of corporate identity that is the other sub-research question, findings point to the functionalist paradigm that can be managed and shaped corporate identities. Key words: Hotels, Corporate identity, Corporate identity models