Specifically, this dissertation explains the rise of the for-profit university in the United States. Generally, it explains the legitimation of a new (form of) organization in an institutional environment.In this dissertation I demonstrate that organizational legitimation is a process whereby a key audience serving as an institutional gatekeeper cognitively comprehends an applicant as a member of an existing category in the audience's classification system. When this process is problematic or contested, it consists of active negotiations between the audience and the applicant (and sometimes third parties) over how to apply or interpret the rules of classification.Using a case-study framework I selected seven cases from the history of the leading for-profit university, the University of Phoenix. These cases represented episodes of successful legitimation by the three key gatekeeping audiences in the postsecondary education environment. I assembled the documentary record for each of these cases and supplemented them with informant interviews. With this evidence I compiled a narrative for each episode which I then analyzed using comparative and historical methods.I found that audiences' classification systems varied according to their category configurations and their classification rules, and that these variations may affect how legitimation proceeds. I further found that audiences and applicants draw from their own tool kits of unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral strategies. Finally, I found that legitimation may proceed according to one of several different temporal models.

This thesis examines how Boohoo, Shein, and Zara communicate their sustainability efforts on Instagram and how users react. Despite increased global awareness of sustainability, the fast fashion industry's rapid trend turnover, driven by social media and influencers, fuels consumption and environmental harm. Guided by theories of strategic communication, organizational legitimation, CSR communication, and transparency, the research used critical visual methods, including semiotic and qualitative text analysis. The analysis found that these companies use visual content to appear transparent, shift environmental responsibility onto individuals and the industry, make vague sustainability claims, and partner with influencers for legitimacy. User comments reveal concerns about worker treatment, skepticism towards sustainability efforts as greenwashing, and criticism of influencer partnerships. However, some users legitimize these practices, believing all businesses are equally culpable. The study concludes that while fashion companies recognize the risks they pose and attempt to address them, users are unimpressed by superficial efforts. The gap between companies' staged transparency and users' demand for real change highlights the need for genuine commitment to sustainability. Companies must be transparent and accountable to avoid greenwashing accusations and maintain consumer trust. This growing consumer awareness and empowerment suggest that critical examination by users and authentic sustainability efforts by companies are essential for future legitimacy.