GOOD AND EVIL IN THE CHAIRMENS BOILER PLATE - AN ANALYSIS OF CORPORATE VISIONS OF THE 1970S

Boiler plates, the chairman's message that begins each corporation's a nnual report, provide a reflection of the self-image of American big b usiness. This paper uses the method of dramatism for discovering and i nterpreting corporate dramas inherent in the language of the boiler pl ates of the Dow Jones Industrials. The U.S. economy of the 1970s provi des the dramatic setting, with the company as hero, the government as villain and public interest groups as minor players. The overriding co rporate drama can be traced to the archetypal drama of pure competitio n. Understanding corporate dramas allows us to see how companies creat e a shared rhetorical vision to unify their shareholders with manageme nt and employees, label actions as good or evil, and influence the pub lic by putting forward a positive corporate self-image.