Abstract
This paper critically examines the language drawn on to describe socially responsible activities (CSR) in the context of the corporate web page. I argue that constructions of CSR are made plausible and legitimised according to the context of the expression. The web site is a genre of communication which addresses a broad and discerning audience; hence fractures in the institutionalised nature of argument may be apparent. The focus of this paper is to examine how the rhetoric of CSR is legitimised and to develop a framework of argumentation repertoires that operate in this context
Similar content being viewed by others
References
P Alasuutari (1995) Researching Culture Sage London
M Alvesson D Karreman (2000) ArticleTitleTaking the Linguistic Turn in Organizational Research: Challenges, Responses, Consequences Journal of Applied Behavioural Science 36 136–158
K. A Appiah (1994) Identity, Authenticity, Survival: Multicultural Societies and Social Reproduction C Taylor (Eds) Multiculturalism Princeton University Press Princeton, New Jersey 149–163
Armstrong, A. and J. Hagel III: 1996, ‘The Real Value of On-line Communities’, Harvard Business Review, May–June, pp. 134–141.
C. E Arrington A. G Puxty (1991) ArticleTitleAccounting, Interests and Rationality: A Communicative Relation Critical Perspectives on Accounting 2 31–58
J Austin (1962) How to do Things with Words Oxford University Press London
P. L Berger T Luckmann (1966) The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge Penguin Books London
C Bullis (1997) ArticleTitleBusiness Communication and the Natural Environment: Using Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives to Understand the Connections Journal of Business Communication 34 IssueID4 455–477
A Carroll (1999) ArticleTitleCorporate Social Responsibility – Evolution of a Definitional Construct Business and Society 38 IssueID3 268–295
G Cheney (1991) Rhetoric in an Organizational Society University of South Carolina Press Columbia South Carolina
S Correll (1995) ArticleTitleThe Ethnography of an Electronic Bar: The Lesbian Café Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 24 270–298
C Coupland (2003) Corporate Identities on the Web: An Exercise in the Construction and Deployment of ‘Morality’ Academy of Management Conference, Organizations and the Natural Environment Stream Seattle, U..S.A
A Crane (2000) ArticleTitleCorporate Greening as Amoralization Organization Studies 21 IssueID4 673–696
B Czarniawska (2000) Identity Lost or Identity Found? Celebration and Lamentation Over the Postmodern View of Identity in Social Science and Fiction M Schultz M. J Hatch M. H Larsen (Eds) The Expressive Organization Oxford University Press Oxford 271–284
C Deegan (2002) ArticleTitleThe Legitimising Effect of Social and Environmental Disclosures – A Theoretical Foundation Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal 15 282–311
S Deetz (1992) Democracy in an Age of Corporate Colonization University of New York Press Albany
A Dillon B. A Gushrowski (1999) ArticleTitleGenres and the Web: Is the Personal Home Page the First Uniquely Digital Genre? Journal of the American Society for Information Science 51 IssueID2 202–205
Dowling, J. and J. Pfeffer: 1975: `Organizational Legitimacy: Social Values and Organizational Behaviour’, Pacific Sociological Review, January, 122-136.
N Fairclough (1995) Media Discourse Oxford University Press New York
N Fairclough (2001) The Discourse of New Labour: Critical Discourse Analysis M Wetherell S Taylor S. J Yates (Eds) Discourse as Data: A Guide for Analysis Sage London 229–266
S Fineman (1996) ArticleTitleEmotional Subtexts in Corporate Greening Organisation Studies 17 IssueID3 479–495
S Fineman (1997) ArticleTitleConstructing the Green Manager British Journal of Management 81 31–38
S Fineman (1998) The Natural Environment, Organization and Ethics A Parker (Eds) Ethics and Organizations Sage London 238–252
C. J Fombrun V. P Rindova (2000) The Road to Transparency: Reputation Management at Royal Dutch/Shell M Schultz M. J Hatch M. H Larsen (Eds) The Expressive Organization Oxford University Press Oxford 77–96
D Grant T Keenoy C Oswick (1998) Discourse and Organization Sage London
C Hardy (2002) ArticleTitleResearching Organizational Discourse International Studies of Management and Organization 31 IssueID3 25–47
S. L Hart (1995) ArticleTitleA Natural-resource-based View of the Firm Academy of Management Review 20 IssueID4 986–1014
S. C Herring (1996) Computer Mediated Communication John Benjamin Amsterdam
M Horton-Salway (2001) The Construction of M.E.: The Discursive Action Model M Wetherell S Taylor S Yates (Eds) Discourse as Data Open University Press Milton Keynes 147–188
M Kaptein (2004) ArticleTitleBusiness Codes of Multi-national Firms: What Do they Say? Journal of Business Ethics 50 IssueID1 13–31 Occurrence Handle10.1023/B:BUSI.0000021051.53460.da
T Keenoy C Oswick D Grant (1997) ArticleTitleOrganizational Discourses: Text and Context Organization 2 147–158
D. A Kernisky (1997) ArticleTitleProactive Crisis Management and Ethical Discourse: Dow Chemical’s Issues Management Bulletins 1979–1990 Journal of Business Ethics 16 IssueID8 843–853 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1017901501108
Lindblom, C. K.: 1994, `The Implications of Organizational Legitimacy for Corporate Social Performance and Disclosure’, paper presented at the Critical Perspectives on Accounting Conference, New York.
S. M Livesey K Kearins (2002) ArticleTitleTransparent and Caring Corporations? A Study of Sustainability Reports by The Body Shop and Royal Dutch Shell Organization and Environment 15 IssueID3 229–254
S. M Livesey (2001) ArticleTitleEco-identity as Discursive Struggle: Royal Dutch/Shell, Brent Spar and Nigeria Journal of Business Communication 38 IssueID1 58–91
S. M Livesey (2002) ArticleTitleThe Discourse of the Middle Ground: Citizen Shell Commits to Sustainable Development Management Communications Quarterly 15 IssueID3 309–343
H. W Love (1992) ArticleTitleCommunication, Accountability and Professional Discourse: The Interaction of Language Values and Ethical Values Journal of Business Ethics 11 IssueID11 883–895 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00872369
D Matten A Crane W Chapple (2003) ArticleTitleBehind the Mask: Revealing the True Face of Corporate Citizenship Journal of Business Ethics 45 109–120 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1024128730308
M Miles A Huberman (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis Sage London
D Neu H Warsame K Pedwell (1998) ArticleTitleManaging Public Impressions: Environmental Disclosures in Annual Reports Accounting, Organizations and Society 23 IssueID3 265–282 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0361-3682(97)00008-1
G O’Donovan (2002) ArticleTitleEnvironmental Disclosures in the Annual Report: Extending the Applicability and Predictive Power of Legitimacy Theory Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal 15 344–371
C Oswick T Keenoy D Grant (2000) ArticleTitleDiscourse, Organizations and Organizing: Concepts, Objects and Subjects Human Relations 52 IssueID9 1115–1124
N Phillips C Hardy (1997) ArticleTitleManaging Multiple Identities: Discourse, Legitimacy and Resources in the UK Refugee System Organization 4 IssueID2 159–185
N Phillips C Hardy (2002) Discourse Analysis: Investigating Processes of Social Construction Sage London
J Potter M Wetherell (1987) Discourse & Social Psychology: Beyond Attitudes & Behaviour Sage London
J Potter (1996) Representing Reality: Discourse, Rhetoric and Social Construction Sage London
P Ricoeur (1981) Hermeneutics and the Human Sciences: Essays on Language, Action and Interpretation Edited and Translated J. B. Thompson Cambridge University Press Cambridge and New York
D. C Robertson N Nicholson (1996) ArticleTitleExpressions of Corporate Social Responsibility in U.K. firms Journal of Business Ethics 15 1095–1996 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00412050
P. D Schultz (1996) ArticleTitleThe Morally Accountable Corporation: A Postmodern Approach to Organizational Responsibility Journal of Business Communication 33 IssueID2 165–178
A. H Segars G. F Kohut (2001) ArticleTitleStrategic Communication Through the World Wide web: An Empirical Model of Effectiveness in the CEO’s Letter to Shareholders Journal of Management Studies 38 IssueID4 535–577 Occurrence Handle10.1111/1467-6486.00248
P Shrivastava (1995) ArticleTitleThe Role of Corporations in Achieving Ecological Sustainability Academy of Management Review 20 IssueID4 936–960
J. A. A Sillince (1999) ArticleTitleThe Organizational Setting, Use and Institutionalization of Argumentation Repertoires Journal of Management Studies 36 IssueID6 795–830 Occurrence Handle10.1111/1467-6486.00159
R. R Sims J Brinkmann (2003) ArticleTitleEnron Ethics (Or: Culture Matters More than Codes) Journal of Business Ethics 45 243–256 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1024194519384
Spar, D., J. J. Bussgang: 1996, ‘The Net’, Harvard Business Review May–June, pp. 125–133.
C Taylor (1994) Multiculturalism Princeton University Press Princeton, New Jersey
E Tseelon (1991) ArticleTitleThe Method is the Message: On the Meaning of Methods as Ideologies Theory and Psychology 1 IssueID3 299–316
H Tsoukas (1999) ArticleTitleDavid and Goliath in the Risk Society: Making Sense of the Conflict between Shell and Greenpeace in the North Sea Organization 6 IssueID3 499–528
T. A Van Dijk (1997) Discourse as Social Interaction Sage London
K Weick (1995) Sensemaking in Organisations Sage Thousand Oaks
M Wetherell (1998) ArticleTitlePositioning and Interpretative Repertoires: Conversation Analysis and Post-Structuralism in Dialogue Discourse and Society 9 IssueID3 387–412
L Winner (1995) ArticleTitleAristotle Needs a Web Page Technology Review 98 IssueID8 66–68
L Wittgenstein (1967) Philosophical Investigations EditionNumber3 Blackwell Oxford
D. J Wood (1991) ArticleTitleCorporate Social Performance Revisited Academy of Management Review 16 IssueID4 691–718
E Wynn J. E Katz (1997) ArticleTitleHyperbole over Cyberspace: Self-presentation and Social Boundaries in Internet Home Pages and Discourse The Information Society 13 297–327
R.K Yin (1994) Case Study Research, Design and Methods EditionNumber2 Sage Publications Newbury Park
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Coupland, C. Corporate Social Responsibility as Argument on the Web. J Bus Ethics 62, 355–366 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-1953-y
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-005-1953-y