The generic structure of CSR reports: dynamicity, multimodality, complexity and recursivity

This paper examines the CSR report as a corporate communication genre characterized by dynamicity, multimodality, complexity and recursivity. Its socially recognized communicative purpose is to disclose the company’s economic, environmental and social performances which are relevant to its internal and external stakeholders. The study uses a comparative approach to explore the generic features of CSR reports.The paper examines CSR reports in Italian, Chinese and English and provides an account ofn the similarities and variations regarding its generic structure, with a particular focus on the self-presentation section. The analysis investigates five textual aspects of the CSR reports: the part-genres, the two sections of the main report, the lay-out formats, and the rhetorical moves, with a focus on the self-presentation section. The conclusions sum up the results in a discourse-analytic and cross-linguistic perspective.