ABSTRACT

In this chapter, we provide an overview of the four in-depth case studies that form Part III of the book and briefly introduce each of them. A first case focuses on the roles of diagrams and charts in representing organizational structure and processes. We discuss diagrammatic communication and exemplify social semiotic analysis on the basis of several diagrams. A second case explores multimodality in the field of organizational logos and its relevance for constructing organizational identities. On the basis of a single organization, we illustrate the analysis of multimodal identities. A third case takes digital ‘resemiotization’ as its starting point and shows how meaning is constructed multimodally in online shopping. Finally, a fourth case summarizes insights from several studies on the visual and multimodal construction of corporate social responsibility and sustainability, and shows how these are attempts to support organizational legitimacy. Each case relates to specific communicative relations in and around organizations, introduces a specific organizational domain, discusses a number of organizational issues, and reflects on the use of texts and media, as well as different semiotic modes.