I have to say What was at stake
Buisiness writing skills or Selling and marketing skills because when you work for corporate communications division of a retail organization Corporate communication helps organizations explain their mission, combine its many visions and values into a cohesive message to stakeholders. The concept of corporate communication could be seen as an integrative communication structure linking stakeholders to the organisation
If you are talking about books, then there are two important American classics that were written in 1947, so I guess you can choose either one of them:
1. A Streetcar Named Desire, written by Tennessee Williams
2. The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck
If you are not talking about books, then you should tell us what you mean by classics.
