Abstract

This article examines the types of textual and discursive relations that can be found within a genre system and across the borders of such a system. Based on the results, the need for and possibility of drawing genre boundaries between texts with different genre labels is discussed. The study is based on four communication strategy texts from two Finnish insurance companies. Communication strategy texts, such as communication strategies, policies and plans, are used in organizations to regulate the corporate communication function. The analysis is based on genre theory and the model of intertextual analysis presented by Charles Bazerman. The results indicate that the intertextual profile of the texts studied is relatively uniform, whereas the interdiscursive profile tends to vary according to the company and the intended audience. The texts studied form overlapping combinations of genres with multiple communicative purposes, which reflects the somewhat labile character of strategy texts in general.