Al Qa’ida

Al Qa’ida is the spelling most people recognise from reports and headlines, and that familiarity comes from its role as the name of a militant network rather than any commercial enterprise. By our assessment, the main strength of the label is how instantly it signals a specific kind of organisation to anyone who has heard of it. The downside is that, as a company card, it offers nothing like a product, a service, or even a sane comparison point against ordinary firms. In use, the name carries heavy public baggage and almost no ambiguity. It stands apart from normal businesses so completely that the only sensible judgment is a cautious one.