grounded theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). This resulted in the hypothesis that
corporate identity formation is grounded in a basic social psychological process
(BSPP) based on affinity. The research showed that the basic social
psychological process (bspp) underpinning corporate identity was complex and
multilayered in that personnel had an affinity with a range of values and beliefs.
These values and beliefs take many different forms including those of the
organization's founder, those of the holding organization, those of the subsidiary
and business units, those of a professional class and those of an external culture.
Balmer is of the view that the composite of values and beliefs forms the
corporate personality which he sees as a key determinant of an organization's
corporate identity.