Journal article
The Analysis of Self-Presentation of Fortune 500 Corporations in Corporate Web Sites
Business & society, v 55(5), pp 706-737
01 May 2016
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
In the digital age, many corporations communicate with their publics via online channels. Among many channels, a corporation's official Web site is often used for informing publics of its performance and other corporate-related information and for shaping a positive corporate image. This study quantitatively analyzed corporate Web sites, particularly the About us Web pages of Fortune 500 corporations based on symbolic convergence theory (SCT), which describes the formation of symbolic reality and the shared meaning of that symbolic reality among the public. A content analysis revealed that economic corporate management was the dominant rhetorical vision, and the fantasy, in the context of SCT, of being a superior company was emphasized by the 500 examined corporations. Such symbolic reality was constructed using corresponding structural tools of Web content, such as dramatis personae, plot line, and scene. In addition, the rhetorical vision and fantasy themes created by the Web sites turned out to be contingent on business classifications (retailer/distributor, manufacturers, and financial/informational/recreational services). Companies that pursued other types of fantasy themes (such as admirable, futuristic, and competent/stable) and rhetorical visions (such as socially responsible corporate management) were also identified. Some suggestions for corporate communicators are provided based on the results of this analysis.
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Details
- Title
- The Analysis of Self-Presentation of Fortune 500 Corporations in Corporate Web Sites
- Creators
- Jongmin Park - Kyung Hee UniversityHyunmin Lee - Saint Louis UniversityHyehyun Hong - Chung-Ang University
- Publication Details
- Business & society, v 55(5), pp 706-737
- Publisher
- Sage
- Number of pages
- 32
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Communication
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000374492700003
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84963595095
- Other Identifier
- 991021862787204721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Business