Susan Kapusta

Defense Date

10-27-2008

Graduation Date

Fall 1-1-2006

Availability

Campus Only

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Communication and Rhetorical Studies

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

Janie Harden Fritz

Committee Member

Ronald C. Arnett

Committee Member

Kathleen Glenister Roberts

Keywords

communicative praxis, community relations, postmodern society

Abstract

In recent postmodern years, United States Steel Corporation has gained international recognition for successfully pioneering grassroots community relations programs that attain the mutually achievable goals of fiscal, social and ethical accountability. This paper offers two of their praxis-driven recycling and environmental education programs as particular examples of applied communication in an increasingly important marketplace and scholarly area. By examining United States Steel Corporation's community relations programs from multiple theoretical perspectives, insights are drawn about theory and praxis. In the marketplace, this multi-dimensional perspective implies that community relations is impacted by an ensemble of intertwined ethical, technical, intercultural, legislative, economic and social realities that can be interpreted and leveraged through practical wisdom for a hermeneutical renewed understanding of corporate communication that I posit to be the metaphor of ethical corporate community communicative praxis. In terms of implications for higher education, this study sets the stage for academics to walk this metaphor into the marketplace. Finally, this study offers five points of significance that point toward the need for continued scholarly inquiry into corporate community communicative praxis. In postmodern times, being responsive to the communicative demands of the historical moment is a process upon which a company's success or failure depends. Therefore, communicative praxis is particularly fitting for analysis of corporate approaches to community relations.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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