Establishing the legitimacy of a profession is not a new idea. Many others have
attempted to do so within their own field, most notably Kenneth Boulding. As an
economist and a philosopher, Boulding published over 400 papers during his
career. About 10 of these were concerned with the concept of legitimacy. The
authors will use the model developed by Boulding and used by him to establish
the legitimacy of economics to advance the legitimacy of the profession of
business communication. Examples meeting the criteria identified in the model
will be discussed to support this legitimacy. The future of the profession must
include an awareness of characteristics that assist in the legitimization of a
profession. Internal and external acceptance of professional legitimacy is
necessary for continued success.
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