Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Zabriskie, Queen

Area of Concentration

Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies

Abstract

This thesis utilizes a lens of performance to conduct a comprehensive case study of Elizabeth Holmes, a once world-renowned entrepreneur who used persuasion to defraud investors and create a company valued at $9 billion. Goffman’s model of self-presentation as performance is used as the overarching framework through which Holmes and her use of performance in corporate settings is explored. This thesis presents a literature review which details performance and its ability to persuade others, the role of corporate theatre in business leaders, entrepreneurial persuasion and business success, and how gendered self-presentation affects entrepreneurship. The methods section delineates how grounded theory and an inductive approach are utilized to collect, synthesize, and analyze both non-academic sources and data about Elizabeth Holmes and the supporting academic literature. The literature review in conjunction with the case study conducted reveals Holmes’s use of corporate theatre to intentionally augment her presentation of self and create a performance which constituted a given reality to those around her - until the audience of the world started seeing behind her act. While findings presented indicate that Elizabeth Holmes harnessed the power of performance and corporate theatre to convince investors of her legitimacy and in turn raise over $1 billion in capital for a technology she knew did not work, they additionally show evidence that the character Elizabeth Holmes created and performed for over a decade has now shifted in light of recent indictments and convictions. This thesis exhibits the importance of performance as a tool by which an individual can project a desired reality.

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