Abstract
Based on Martin and White’s (2005) heteroglossic engagement system of Appraisal Theory, adopting UAM Corpus Tool and Chi-Square test, this study aims to explore authorial stance and distinctive rhetorical strategies that have been employed to realize interpersonal meaning by the application of engagement resources in American and Chinese CSR reports. It can be concluded that all types of engagement resources are widely employed in both American and Chinese corpus, with contraction resources significantly different in two corpora. It also finds that American CSR reports employ each type of engagement markers equally, while Chinese CSR reports tend to highly use expansion resources to enhance authorial voice. Besides, American CSR reports employ contraction resources in a more diversified and flexible way than Chinese CSR reports writers do. Lastly, they are also different in acknowledging what kinds of external propositions as expansion resources. This study confirms that engagement system is an important tool to help CSR reports writers to align authorial voices with readers, thereby accomplishing promotional and persuasive purposes. It may give some implications to CSR report addressers, addressees, business English teaching and reading.
Highlights
The release of corporate social responsibility report involves CSR communication between corporations and stakeholders (Podnar, 2008)
This study tries to find out the answers to the following questions: 1) What are the types of engagement resources and their frequencies employed in American and Chinese CSR reports respectively?
Expansion markers occupy an overwhelming majority of all engagement resources, with 59.50% in American corpus versus 72.79% in Chinese corpus, suggesting that textual voice in CSR reports genre is represented as entertaining alternative positions and allowing various voices to exist in the same context
Summary
The release of corporate social responsibility report (hereafter CSR report) involves CSR communication between corporations and stakeholders (Podnar, 2008). CSR report covers a wide range of issues from carbon footprints to human rights, and concerns various stakeholders such as investors, communities, employees etc. The initial aim of producing CSR report is to ensure more transparent business operation and to enable a more democratic social order (Gray, 2006; Spence, 2009). Corporate report indicates the marketing of corporate ideology. It is not surprising to hold the view that CSR report, a subgenre of business reports, is used as a main tool to legitimize CSR information, and to achieve more important interpersonal functions such as building credibility, persuading putative readers, maintaining positive corporate image etc
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
