本論文探索創業家如何透過植基於創業過程的修辭策略，塑造組織的合法性。本研究結合Aristotle提出的三種修辭策略，包括：邏輯、情感、信譽，以及Suchman提出的三種合法性：組織實用、道德、認知的合法性，針對一個探索性個案：亞馬遜公司，以及該公司的創辦人Jeff Bezos做為修辭者，進行研究分析。本論文透過内容分析，採用嚴謹、多步驟的研究流程，分析亞馬遜公司自1997至2016年的致股東通知信函。研究結果顯示：亞馬遜發展的20年間，創業家通過三種組合的修辭策略獲得組織實用的合法性：情感－價值策略，邏輯－證據策略以及情感－必须策略。

This paper extends the role of rhetor’s in shaping company legitimacy through rhetorical strategy based on the entrepreneurial process. This study elaborates with Aristotle’s three types of rhetorical strategies – logos, pathos, ethos, and combines with Suchman’s three types of legitimacy – pragmatic, moral and cognitive legitimacy for analyzing the data. This research is based on a single and exploratory case study of Amazon company and Jeff Bezos as the rhetor. This study adopts content analysis of Amazon’s letter to shareholders from 1997 to 2016 and used for the primary data in the analysis and follows several steps in order to appeal more accurate result. This article then resulting that during 20 years of Amazon development, rhetor wants to achieve pragmatic legitimacy from the audiences with three combinations of rhetorical strategies: pathos-value, pathos-need and logos-evidence strategy.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract	                                      I
Table of Contents	                            III
List of Tables	                                     IV
List of Figures	                                     IV
1. INTRODUCTION	                                      1
2. LITERATURE REVIEW	                              4
	2.1 Rhetorical strategies in organization     4 
	2.2 Legitimacy in organization	              7
	2.3 Rhetoric and legitimacy relationship     12 
	2.4 Entrepreneurial process in organization  13 
3. METHODS	                                     16
	3.1 Research Setting	                     16
	3.2 Data Sources	                     23
	3.3 Data Analysis	                     24	
4. ANALYSIS	                                     29
	4.1 Rhetorical strategies analysis	     29
	4.1.1 Initiation and Development period of Amazon (1995 – 1999)	                                     31
	4.1.2 Breakthrough and Growth period of Amazon (2000 – 2010)	                                     34
	4.1.3 Expansion and Establishment period of Amazon (2011 – 2016)	                                     38
	4.2 Legitimation strategies analysis	     43
	4.3 Discussion	                             47
5. CONCLUSION	                                     52
	5.1 Conclusion	                             52
	5.2 Research implication and limitations     53
References	                                     56
Appendix I. Amazon’s Invention and Innovations products and services	                                     60
Appendix II. Amazon’s timeline and major events     62
Appendix III. Summary of Amazon’s Letter to Shareholders (1997 – 2016)	                                     64
 

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Rhetorical strategies in organizational	         6
Table 2. Percentage of rhetorical strategies in Amazon’s letter to shareholders	                                30
Table 3. Rhetorical and legitimacy strategies in Amazon	44


LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.  Amazon innovations in products and services	17
Figure 2. Amazon’s Annual Revenue and Net Income from 1997 to 2016	                                                18
Figure 3. Amazon Net Income from 1997 to 2016 (in million)	                                        18
Figure 4. Amazon stock price (USD per share)	        19
Figure 5. Amazon employees’ development (in thousand)	20
Figure 6. Data structures	                        27
Figure 7. Theoretical framework	                        28
Figure 8. Ethos, pathos and logos distribution in Amazon’s letter to shareholders	                                29
Figure 9. The classification period of Amazon’s entrepreneurial process	                                31

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