Why Should We Go to China? - The Dynamics of Generic and Context-specific Legitimation

Abstract

This paper addresses the dynamics of generic and context-specific legitimation strategies in the context of new market entry. More specifically, we use Critical Discourse Analysis in order to analyze rhetorical tactics used in strategy conversations concerning Sino-Finnish business. The micro-textual analysis reveals how the strategists make use of several generic legitimation strategies acting in favor and one context-specific legitimation strategy acting against market entry. The combination of these strategies results in a discursive struggle producing ambiguity in terms of strategy-making. In addition to the analysis of general legitimation strategies described in prior research, our study offers a fine-grained analysis of a new type of context-specific legitimation strategy, Orientalist distancing, which is embedded in neo-colonial othering. Our paper suggests first, that the research on legitimation strategies in general would benefit from a more contextual analysis and second, that the research on legitimation strategies within the context of international business would benefit from the analysis of the re-production of colonial relationships in their different forms.