Abstract

This paper proposes a metaphor-based approach to the discourse about the company's past in a cross-cultural perspective. Specifically, it analyses the metaphorical schemata used to build corporate identity through the conceptualisation of "social forms" of organisational culture in a context of remembering. The paper contends that the discourse of Italian companies deployed for the construction of a corporate memory hinges on 'specialised' aspects of the war/game/building metaphors used to conceptualise company success in terms of collective achievements, stability and strategic leadership.