4) Corporate Image/Identity Corporations can benefit from having a strong and positive corporate image and/or identity. Typically, the corporate image is respected or admired by those in the demographic(s) who purchase/use their products or services. Company X is considering a corporate rebranding or updating their corporate image. What is corporate identity? Corporate image? • When would corporate identity/image be a concern? ⚫Are there benefits and drawbacks of a corporate rebranding? If so, what, and why? For whom? • Who has engaged in the best/worst practices and what are the lessons learned? • How could the company implement a successful rebranding? • What criteria would the company need to develop to ensure success? STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The rapid growth of our company over the past five years has reduced the sense of community among our staff. People no longer feel like part of an intimate organization that values teamwork. PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF WORK The purpose of this study is to determine whether social networking technology such as Face- book and Socialtext would help rebuild a sense of community within the workforce and whether encouraging the use of such tools in the workplace will have any negative consequences. The study will attempt to assess the impact of social networks in other companies in terms of community building, morale, project communication, and overall productivity. SOURCES AND METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION Data collection will start with secondary research, including a review of recently published articles and studies on the use of social networking in business and a review of product information pub- lished by technology vendors. Primary research will focus on an employee and management survey to uncover attitudes about social networking tools. We will also collect anecdotal evidence from bloggers and others with experience using networks in the workplace. PRELIMINARY OUTLINE The preliminary outline for this study is as follows: I. What experiences have other companies had with social networks in the workplace? A. Do social networks have a demonstrable business benefit? B. How do employees benefit from using these tools? C. Has network security and information confidentiality been an issue? II. Is social networking an appropriate solution for our community-building needs? A. Is social networking better than other tools and methods for community building? B. Are employees already using social networking tools on the job? C. Will a company-endorsed system distract employees from essential duties? D. Will a company system add to managerial workloads in any way? III. If we move ahead, should we use a "business-class" network such as Socialtext or a consumer tool such as Facebook? A. How do the initial and ongoing costs compare? B. Do the additional capabilities of a business-class network justify the higher costs? IV. How should we implement a social network? A. Should we let it grow "organically," with employees choosing their own tools and groups? B. Should we make a variety of tools available and let employees improvise on their own? C. Should we designate one system as the official company social network and make it a permanent, supported element of the information technology infrastructure? V. How can we evaluate the success of a new social network? A. What are the criteria of success or failure? B. What is the best way to measure these criteria? TASK ASSIGNMENTS AND SCHEDULE Each phase of this study will be completed by the following dates: Secondary research: Hank Waters Employee and management survey: Julienne Cho Analysis and synthesis of research: Hank Waters/Julienne Cho Comparison of business and consumer solutions: Julienne Cho Comparison of implementation strategies: Hank Waters Final report: Hank Waters September 15, 2021 September 22, 2021 October 6, 2021 October 13, 2021 October 13, 2021 October 20, 2021