Ao, Jingning
(2023)
Essays on the Language Lens of Strategy: Theoretical Assumptions, and Discursive Strategy in the context of SpaceX.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
This dissertation comprises of two essays (Chapter 2 and Chapter 3) that aim to delve into the language perspective of strategy. The concept of language has been increasingly gaining recognition in strategy research. However, a challenge arises as its theoretical advancement lags behind empirical work. Investigating the language lens can be beneficial in improving theoretical clarity and promoting enhanced reflexivity in strategy.
The first essay (Chapter 2) focuses on how strategy scholars approach language using a qualitative approach. I demonstrate the plurality of language, as it can be viewed as a window that objectively represents reality, or an enabler that constructively enacts reality. The former considers language as a proxy for measuring constructs, while the latter places language at the center of research. Additionally, I bring attention to an extreme enabling view as a linguistic trap, namely the outdated Whorfian hypothesis, which suggests that language determines thought and behavior. Reliance on this outdated theory undermines the convincing power of research that employs it.
The second essay (Chapter 3) builds on the first one and explores the enabling view of language in strategy research empirically. Specifically, I examine the enabling language and its relationship with other communicative elements, such as visuals and audio, in the field of discursive strategy. I investigate how discursive strategy, through social media, can be actively utilized to promote entrepreneurial firms, such as SpaceX. Employing a mixed-method inductive analysis of the top 50 most-viewed SpaceX YouTube videos, I find that videos serve as effective tools of discursive strategy that convey disruptive innovation and inspire stakeholders to pursue future-making aspirations.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
|
| Date: |
23 May 2023 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
12 April 2023 |
| Approval Date: |
23 May 2023 |
| Submission Date: |
21 May 2023 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
152 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business > Business Administration |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
language, Whorfian hypothesis, research settings, linguistic assumptions, discursive strategy, entrepreneurial firm, SpaceX, video analysis |
| Date Deposited: |
23 May 2023 20:50 |
| Last Modified: |
23 May 2023 20:50 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/44888 |
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