Employee Behaviour, Social Interaction and Internal Communication as Predictors of Corporate Image: Evidence from a Nigerian Executive Education Organisation
Abstract
This study examined how the corporate identity cues that stakeholders encounter in day-to-day organisational practice relate to corporate image in an executive education organisation based in Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey design was used, and data were collected from 100 respondents—employees, faculty members, and clients—through a structured questionnaire with 30 items covering five constructs: employee behaviour, visual elements, social interaction, internal communication, and corporate image. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.865 to 0.901, indicating acceptable internal consistency. The data were analysed using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. Employee behaviour (β = 0.321, p < 0.05), social interaction (β = 0.264, p < 0.05), and internal communication (β = 0.236, p < 0.05) significantly predicted corporate image, whereas visual elements did not (β = 0.103, p = 0.135). Together, the four predictors accounted for 54% of the variance in corporate image, F(4, 95) = 27.42, p < 0.05. The findings indicate that, in a relationship-intensive service setting, the informal cues stakeholders experience firsthand weigh more heavily in image formation than the organisation's formal visual identity. Because the design is cross-sectional and confined to a single organisation, the results describe associations rather than causal effects.
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