Building Corporate Reputation: A Rhetorical Analysis of Press Releases from Fortune's 2010 Most and Least Admired Companies

Reputation is a concept based on perceptions--perception itself being a term reliant on subjectivity. What is more intriguing is that many companies have found it difficult to admit that "intangible assets" such as reputation may have value (Fombrun, 1996). However, such intangible assets "create economic value because they reinforce a company's competitive position" (Fombrun, 6). Because of this insight, businesses are beginning to understand the value in having "a good name." Rankings, such as those of Fortune magazine, are becoming increasingly important, and strategies have been employed to improve reputation standings in order to garner a higher rank. A common technique businesses use to relay company news is through online press releases. The following research analyzes language use within online press releases of <italic>Fortune's</italic> 2010 Most and Least Admired Companies in the Airline, Entertainment and Food Services industries to determine whether these companies communicate their successes and failures differently.

Grantor dc:publisher

Wake Forest University

Year dc:date.issued

2011

Author dc:creator

• Hodges, Tiara

• communication

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/36149

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/36149