A Critical Hermeneutics Analysis of CEO/Chairman Letters written to Shareholders of Shoprite Holdings

Abstract

This research is a critical analysis of Shoprite's annual reports particularly CEO/Chairman letters written to shareholders during and after the apartheid era. This paper aims at studying business communication at specific historical junctures using the critical hermeneutics. This is done to uncover the symbolic meaning in business communication which serves the interests of the socially and political powerful. Also, this paper will investigate the usefulness of the CEO/Chairman letters and examine if they give a true and fair view of the company or they are just a rhetorical tool used to convince stakeholders.