A Study On The Corporate Image Of Huawei In American Mainstream Media From The Perspective Of Appraisal Theory

Under the situation that western mainstream media dominates the initiative to speak in international society,the image of Chinese enterprises often seem to be linked with China’s politics.Facing the awkward situation of Chinese enterprises being shaped by others,Chinese scholars need to focus on Huawei’s image in American mainstream media.Therefore,based on appraisal theory,this thesis explores corporate image of Huawei with critical discourse analysis method,with selecting 59 pieces of news articles from in the New York Times.Firstly,the types and distribution features of appraisal resources are given detailed description according to statistical results of UAM Tool.Secondly,corporate image of Huawei is discussed by analyzing appraisal resources targeting Huawei and its elements including “products,employees and culture”.Finally,socio-culture contexts are considered to explain the construction of stigmatized corporate image of Huawei.The research has the following findings.In the system of Engagement,the New York Times,when shaping Huawei’s image,mainly uses acknowledge resources in dialogic expansion,and counter resources in dialogic contraction.In the system of Attitude,capacity,propriety and valuation resources are the most frequently used attitudinal resources to evaluate overall Huawei;valuation,reaction,tenacity and composition resources are the most frequently used attitudinal resources to evaluate Huawei’s elements.Graduation resources used by the New York Times to describe corporate image of Huawei are nearly all force resources,which are realized by intensification and quantification.The New York Times constructs Huawei as a maker of leading but threatening technology,a provider of inexpensive,popular but untrustworthy equipment and a competitor of being aggressive and relentless.China-U.S.competitive relation,the strategy of extensive network security in America,and the Media stereotypes are socio-cultural factors for stigmatized corporate image of Huawei in the New York Times.The study of corporate image sheds some light on the construction of corporate image in Chinese media.Also,the thesis can enrich the research about corporate image construction and expand the scope of the application of appraisal theory.