Socio-hermeneutic Discourse Analysis of Sustainability Based on Visual Materials

This article aims to demonstrate the discourse analysis on sustainability - the study object - based on visual materials. Sustainability reports published over the past five years (2007–2011) by the studied company were used as discursive sources. We concluded that the company’s discourse on sustainability, from the methodological perspectives of visual material analysis and socio-hermeneutic levels of discourse analysis, is a construction loaded with explicit and implicit interests. The study contributes to exploring the potential of incorporating these materials in the analysis of organizational phenomena and to stimulate the use of this approach as a methodological practice.

本文旨在开展以视觉材料为依托的可持续发展话语分析，其研究对象为可持续发展议题。本研究以目标企业在2007至2011年这五年间发布的可持续发展报告作为话语分析语料来源。基于视觉材料分析与话语分析的社会诠释学维度这两种方法论视角，本研究得出结论：该企业的可持续发展话语实为一套兼具显性与隐性利益取向的话语建构。本研究既有助于探索将此类视觉材料纳入组织现象分析的应用潜力，亦可推动该分析方法作为规范化方法论实践的推广应用。