Corporate identities on the web: An exercise in the construction and deployment of 'morality'

Abstract

Exploring a company web site, for how a socially responsible identity is constructed, enables an investigation of interaction between hegemonic discourses, which operate internally and externally to the organization, in the context of this relatively new genre of communication. From a focus on how identity is discursively constructed, the appearance of a socially responsible identity is examined. Through the analysis I illustrate how organizations in an environmentally-aware sector of industry appear to serve the two masters of business and the environment. The web sites of four multinational oil companies were examined and analysed using a discourse analytic technique. The construction of a socially responsible identity for the organizations in the paper is set in the context of alternative versions being publicly available. A claim for a plausible, authentic and legitimate identity therefore situates the ‘virtual’ identity, constructed on a web site, into an ongoing interaction. By examining this method of communication, which addresses an audience beyond the confines of the organization, fractures in the institutionalised nature of argument may be revealed. In contrast to some claims regarding amoralization, I argue the language of morality is the currency in which these organizations currently operate. This has implications for the repertoires on which an organization may draw in recognition of the ambiguous, fluid, fragile nature of a legitimate corporate identity. With particular reference to a socially responsible identity, the process of overt amoralization (Crane, 2000) is simply not an option for this sector of industry.