What would be your definition to a corporate identity?

Corporate identity in a nutshell to me is best described as "substance rather than form".  It is not enough to just look good & have a glowing image or logo which is "form".  What it means is that for a company to have a great corporate identity it must display a number of key behaviours as a business i.e. "substance":

• strictly compliant to governance process
• quality of its business process is transparent & efficient
• good paymaster, good HSSE & IR practises including reward system & staff development
• vibrant & motivated workforce that are focussed on achieving business objectives (vision & mission)
• has in-build issues management process that are clearly linked & supports business planning processes
• walks the talk & parctises planned & strategic communication programme both internally & externally
• engaging with all key stakeholders & has a grievance mechanism in place to ensure quick action on addressing & closing issues

These are the few things that I believe weighs & defines corporate identity.  The experience one has with a company that is strong on corporate identity is that of full satisfaction either of its services or the way such a company treat anyone that has an interest in the company.

1. A corporate identity is the overall image of a corporation or firm or business in the minds of diverse publics, such as customers and investors and employees.