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This paper aims to examine 611 values statements to determine if values statements contain characteristics of organizational culture as provided by Denison and Mishra (1995). The general hypothesis given is there is a relationship between values statements and culture characteristics. Four testable hypotheses, one for each of Denison and Mishra’s (1995) characteristics, are created and tested.

The process in testing the hypotheses had two components. First, a taxonomy of the values statements had to be determined. This involved using natural language characteristics rather than predetermined classes to create a taxonomy based on the language itself. Second, a custom dictionary for each characteristic had to be created based on Neuendorf (2017) to perform content analysis. Once the values statements were coded with a taxonomic classification and with culture characteristics, a Chi-Square test was performed to determine a relationship between the statement type and the cultural characteristic, and then a multinomial regression test was performed to determine strength and direction of the relationships.

The tests for all four hypotheses produced significant results in the Chi-Square test. The multinomial regression tests showed primarily that Business statements types often lack adaptability and stakeholder involvement cultural elements. Additionally, Religion statement types are positively related to adaptability and mission.

This paper creates a taxonomy and supplies the rules for classification. Values statements can now be classified using those rules and the classification used in analysis. Additionally, as values statements span over organizational culture, strategic management and strategic communication, these statements become a focal point for studying multiple topics across these fields. More particularly, finding the negative relationship between the Adaptability characteristic with the Business statement type and the involvement characteristic with the Business statement type may provide a cultural explanation for many mixed result studies on organizational success.

Organizational culture can be displayed by way of values statements and can potentially affect organizational strategy and organizational communication. Wording is extremely important in creating a values statement, and that statement must clearly reflect the cultural values of the organization.

First, this paper creates a taxonomy of values statements that is far more complete than anything created before. Second, by examining language, this paper discovers a link between organizational culture, strategic management and strategic communication.

The purpose is to propose a structure for corporate value statements, which is useful as an underlying organizing principle that makes them more comprehensible, and at the same time identifies values that can serve as criteria for strategic decision‐making.

The main approach is theoretical development of value categories. It is followed up by an empirical investigation of value statements on corporate web pages to see if the proposed principles are applicable.

The paper proposes a comprehensive value system that consists of three main value categories juxtaposed on the same level: Core values prescribe the attitude and character of the organization. They are often found in sections on code of conduct, values statement, or credo. Protected values are protected through rules, standards and certificates. They are mostly found in sections concerning health, environment and safety. Created values are the values that stakeholders, including the shareholders, expect in return for their contributions to the firm. They are often found in sections on objectives and always in the annual report.

The empirical research is limited to companies listed on two stock exchanges. Further research should include other types of organizations.

It is hoped that the proposed value system can contribute to making corporate value statements more comprehensible and useful for strategic decision‐making.

It is believed to be a new idea to propose a holistic value system for value communication that can incorporate all values.

Mission statements are perceived as effective strategic tools and foundations of an organization's objectives, driving the development of strategic plans to meet the established goals. A vast number of studies have investigated mission statements in industry; however, little is known on how mission statements affect institutes in the higher education sector. Every university is intrinsically different, with its own mission and goals. This study aims to explore how mission statements make the difference among universities, by understanding the values delivered by the mission statements.

This study attempts to understand the core values of universities through a content analysis of the mission statements of the top 250 universities worldwide.

The results show four core dimensions in university mission statements, namely, “Education Philosophies”, “Strategic Orientation”, “Social Responsibility” and “Values to Stakeholders”, while the most common core values are “Research”, “Educate” and “Student”.

Mission statements offer insightful venues for the analysis of the strategic directions of universities. The results show that top universities present their core values through their mission statements. Some mission statements are more service-oriented (towards students) and some are more social-oriented (towards society and stakeholders). These mission statements are communicated to various stakeholders. “Education philosophies” are communicated to educators and students, “Social responsibility” is to the society, “Values to the stakeholders” are towards the different parties involved in the education system and the last one “Strategic orientation” is for the strategy setting.

This paper proposes a new methodology of mission statement studies, covering not only studies on mission statements but also the internationalization strategies of universities, which attract attention from academics and education researchers.

To study the values espoused by top MNEs operating in Colombia, through their vision and mission statements, in order to interpret their ethical orientation and to examine their concern toward diverse stakeholders.

Content analysis – an analytical framework was crafted from the literature review, while allowing room for emergent phenomena. Thus a combination of deduction and induction was enacted.

Most values are either teleologically oriented or grounded in deontological values, with a significant amount of values that could be related to a virtue ethics. Regarding stakeholders, narrow definitions tend to prevail.

The comparability of the vision and mission statements could be affected because sometimes they are offered at the national level and others at corporate level.

By offering a critical regard at the values that are publicly espoused by some of the most influential companies in Colombia, we enhance the comprehension of the prevailing ethical environment and the compatibility with the principles of the Global Compact.

We have studied key actors in a growing emerging market, which could advance Global Compact principles. Besides we have crafted a pedagogic and systemic prism through which values can be taught and thought. Thus, the methodological and theoretical framework facilitates subsequent empirical research, both in comparative and longitudinal ways.

It has been suggested that “space and artifacts constitute systems of communication which organizations build up within themselves” (Gagliardi, 1992a, b, p. vi) and reflect the cultural life within that organization. This is a study of how the “landscape” of a public library (“Library X”), as an information retrieval system, relates to the values of the people who created it. The efforts here are geared towards understanding the physical instantiation of institutional culture and, more specifically, institutional values as they are reflected through the artifact.

This paper examines the impact that fair-value recognition of non-financial assets has on the judgments of commercial lenders.

Commercial lenders, who were attending a national banking conference, participated in a controlled experiment.

The experimental results show that commercial lenders incorporate fair values into their judgments but only when this information is recognized (vs disclosed) on the financial statements. Additionally, lenders assigned the highest loan interest rates when recognized fair values increased net income, and they assign the lowest loan amounts when recognized fair values decreased net income.

Typical limitations regarding behavioral experiments are acknowledged in the paper. For example, the commercial lenders in this study could not request additional information. In addition, because of the difficulty in obtaining these participants, the sample size is relatively small.

US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) does not allow the fair-market valuation for most non-current assets while International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) require such valuations. The article adds to our understanding about how a significant user group of financial statements, commercial lenders, view GAAP and IFRS accounting.

This article provides insights regarding how commercial lenders' decisions may change based on accounting principles related to asset valuation. Obtaining credit through loans has significant implications for society.

This article is unique because it examines commercial lenders' judgments using different asset valuations on the financial statements.

This study highlights the instrumental role of the mission statement as a tool used by managers to shape value congruence to achieve enhanced employee performance levels.

A variance-based structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data obtained from a sample of 123 managers working in private organisations in Malaysia.

The management sensemaking approach is useful in mission statement research. Managers' involvement in clarifying the mission statement to various firm stakeholders, especially employees, is the strongest predictor of value congruency between employees and the firm, leading to improved levels of employee behavioural performance. Managers can influence value congruency through two processes: (1) guiding and shaping employees' values and (2) adapting the mission statement's contents.

Future studies can consider the impact of managerial role modelling on employees' value alignment with the firm in longitudinal studies. Other aspects of alignment offer further research opportunities, for example, HR policy alignment and alignment of marketing and operation strategies with the mission statement.

Managers should move beyond treating the mission statement as a management tool. Instead, it is a firm philosophy that reflects managers' words and deeds and exemplifies their philosophical ideals.

Despite three decades of research into the relationship between the mission statement and performance, the results have been mixed. Therefore, this study adopts a sensemaking approach to research the mission-performance relationship underpinned by the resource-based view (RBV) theory.

This study examines comprehensiveness and responsiveness of mission statements for the top 100 retailers on the 2020 National Retailers Federation list in order to (1) evaluate how effectively they communicate organizational identity, values and purpose, (2) underscore a distinctive commitment to stakeholders and (3) what extent these efforts are reflected in revised mission statements or addenda to meet global pandemic challenges.

The study employs a 4-question metric to measure comprehensiveness and a two-pronged qualitative method of analysis consisting of keyword searches followed by content analysis.

Retailer statements are considerably comprehensive in describing purpose and audience yet very few articulate stakeholder value, differentiate themselves as distinctive or substantively reaffirm their core mission and values. Retailers seem more invested in strategic communication around diversity, equity and inclusion, based on web content in their consumer, job seeker and investor touchpoints.

Coding and interpreting language through content analysis methods may introduce some level of subjectivity, particularly when dealing with unstructured data. Implications for how organizations acclimated in order to survive and thrive, while maintaining focus on stakeholders and strategy. Examining organizational mission statements and their contexts yields perspective into how organizations define themselves and what they do during times of crisis.

This study provides insights into the content, structure and functions of the statements against a specific comprehensiveness metric and reveals patterns about the texts and their contexts during a pandemic and strong cultural and societal movements.

Using corporate value statements of the top Fortune 300 firms for the year 2012, we examine relationships among the stated values of these companies, their industries, and their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance measures. We classify stated values into 21 broad categories. We find that corporate values exhibit strong industry affiliations. Correspondence analysis and regression models indicate that 19 out of 21 values are related to at least one performance measure and while some values are associated with improved performance (e.g., ethics), others (e.g., safety) have a negative impact. Further, while some values have the anticipated impact on performance (e.g., the shareholder value is positively associated with financial performance), some show no relationship (e.g., the environment value is not associated with environmental performance). Finally, our findings also suggest possible CSR washing in some cases. Overall, the study finds corporate values do affect their performance.