Transparency and Vague Language: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Rail Sector

Abstract

The present case study aims to investigate how Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are discursively constructed not only in response to the pandemic, which has led to a crisis in the job sector, but also in the wake of recent events and movements, such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo. In particular, the aim of this study is to explore changes in the use of vague language in the communication of DEI in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports of rail companies operating in Europe, North America, and Asia from the pre-pandemic to the post-pandemic context.

In parallel to Malavasi’s study (this issue), this paper takes into account the same micro-diachronic corpus of CSR reports of rail companies operating in Germany, North America, and Japan, namely Deutsche Bahn, Amtrak, and West Japan Rail Company. The corpus will be analysed under the lens of vague language from 2018 (pre-Covid) to 2022 (post-Covid) and will examine any diachronic changes that may have occurred in the communication of DEI issues across the timespan under consideration.

Results shed light on both changes and new paths that transportation companies have adopted in terms of transparent communication as well as the self-presentation of their image according to stakeholders, potential employees and the public in general.