CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 THE CONSTRUCTION OF CORPORATE IDENTITY IN PUBLIC RELATIONS1.2 THE RISE AND FLOURISH OF SOCIAL MEDIA 1.3 THE TRANSFORMING CHINA AND ITS BANKING SECTOR 1.4 SCOPE OF RESEARCH AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 1.5 OUTLINE OF THE THESIS CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION 2.2 IDENTITY, CORPORATE IDENTITY AND LANGUAGE USE 2.2.1 Identity formation and language use 2.2.1.1 Psychological and sociological perspectives 2.2.1.2 Linguistic and communication perspectives 2.2.2 Discursive constructions of corporate identity 2.3 IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION IN CORPORATE COMMUNICATION: HOW? 2.3.1 Corporate identity construction online: websites to social media2.3.2 Impression management 2.3.3 Dialogue theory: the dialogic communication turn in public relations 2.3.4 Emotional branding 2.3.4.1 Emotional branding and the conversational human voice 2.3.4.2 The communication of corporate social responsibility 2.4 INTERACTIONAL SOCIOLINGUISTICS 2.4.1 The anthropological insights from John Gumperz 2.4.2 The sociological insights from Erving Goffman 2.4.3 The linguistic insights from Deborah Tannen 2.4.4 Face and linguistic face-work in social interaction 2.4.5 Conversation analysis 2.5 NEW MEDIA DISCOURSE2.5.1 An overview 2.5.2 Microblogging Discourse 2.6 RESEARCH GAPS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PRESENT STUDY CHAPTER 3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND RESEARCH METHODS 3.1 INTRODUCTION 3.2 TOWARDS A DIALOGIC THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 3.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 3.4 GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 3.5 METHODS OF ANALYSIS 3.6 DATA COLLECTION 3.7 DATA COLLECTION METHODS 3.8 GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF TEXTUAL DATA CHAPTER 4 HETEROGENEOUS CORPORATE IDENTITIES OF BANKS ON SINA WEIBO 4.1 INTRODUCTION 4.2 HETEROGENEOUS IDENTITIES OF THE CMB ON THE SINA WEIBO 4.3 HETEROGENEOUS IDENTITIES OF THE BOC ON THE SINA WEIBO 4.4 CORPORATE IDENTITIES REALIZED IN CORPORATE SOCIAL MEDIA 4.5 SUMMARY CHAPTER 5 FRAMING WHO WE ARE: IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES OF CORPORATE IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION ON THE SINA WEIBO 5.1 INTRODUCTION 5.2 HUMANIZING AND POPULARIZING THE CORPORATE SELF 5.2.1 'Playing cuteness' as a distinctive conversational style in corporate Weibo5.2.2 Face-work 5.2.2.1 Greetings 5.2.2.2 Expressing gratitude 5.2.2.3 Teasing followers and self-ridicule 5.2.3 Offer of free material benefits to followers 5.3 PERSUADING OTHERS INTO TRUSTING (AND EVENTUALLY TRADING WITH) THE CORPORATE SELF 5.3.1 The change of footing along posts: establishing power or solidarity 5.3.2 Devoting themselves to follow-up and interaction 1685.3.3 Detailing company awards and benefits of promotions or launches 5.4 SUMMARY CHAPTER 6 FOLLOWERS' CO-CONSTRUCTING BANKS' CORPORATE IDENTITY ON WEIBO 6.1 INTRODUCTION 6.2 DIALOGIC COMMUNICATIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA 6.2.1 Active contributors 6.2.2 Listeners6.2.3 Interlocutors 6.2.4 Lurkers6.3 SUMMARY CHAPTER 7 CROSS-BANK VARIATIONS IN CORPORATE IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION 7.1 INTRODUCTION7.2 VARIATIONS OF IDENTITY PROJECTION BETWEEN THE BOC AND THE CMB 7.3 INTERVIEW INSIGHTS OF CORPORATE IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION: INSIDER STORIES 7.3.1 The interview with the BOC 7.3.1.1 Two critical identities the BOC wishes to construct 7.3.1.2 Corporate ide