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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.

This paper sets out to describe the FASB Statement on Fair Value Measurements (FAS 157).

Explains the Statement's definition of fair value, the three valuation techniques pre‐scribed by the Statement, a fair value hierarchy established by the Statement, a valuation method used when inputs are based on bid and ask prices, and disclosures required by the Statement to enable users to assess the inputs used to develop fair value measurements.

The Statement identifies three valuation techniques: the market approach, the income approach, and the cost approach. The Statement establishes a fair value hierarchy based on whether the inputs are “observable” or “unobservable”.

Explains a new accounting statement that may change some accounting practices of investment companies and broker‐dealers.

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.

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.

The value added statement has been voluntarily reported by South African companies for many years despite reservations about its usefulness. This article examines current literature on value added statements in two areas: the usefulness of the value added statement in South Africa and the relevance of social accounting theories in explaining its continued disclosure in South African listed companies’ annual reports. It also reports the results of a questionnaire survey addressed to preparers of value added statements.The research studies examined in the literature review indicate that legitimacy theory is more likely to provide an explanation for the disclosure of value added statements in annual reports in South Africa. The results of the empirical survey indicate that the majority of the respondents are of the opinion that it is desirable to prepare a value added statement, but that it is not used in the majority of companies. Furthermore, the reasons advanced by the preparers for the desirability of the value added statement provide some evidence that legitimacy theory may be behind the propensity of companies to publish a value added statement. The article recommends that the preparation of the value added statement should be standardised. However, the disclosure of an independently prepared value added report may be more useful to all users.

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.

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.

This paper aims to examine the communicative value of assurance reports by investigating whether the impact on information asymmetries is contingent on the length of the contractual relationship between clients and assurance providers, which can compromise the provider’s independence.

Using a firm-level data set of publicly listed international firms from 2007 to 2016, the authors estimate several regression models for panel data by using the generalized method of moments estimator to address the endogeneity issue.

Results find that the greater the communicative value in assurance statements, the lower the information asymmetries. However, this effect is constrained when the assurance provider’s independence is compromised due to an excessively long-term contractual relationship. In other words, assurance statements with more informative value enhance the firm’s transparency and increase users’ confidence in the sustainability information provided. However, the loss of independence linked to longer tenure jeopardizes the communicative value of the assurance report and contributes to reducing information asymmetries.

The study makes at least three clear contributions to current literature. First, the authors contribute to the limited existing research about the communicative value attributed to assurance statements by stakeholders. Second, the authors indirectly contribute to the literature that analyses whether stakeholders understand the assurance report, a complex statement in a growing market. Addressing the communicative value of assurance is certainly a difficult task, as it is a novel and complex activity. Third, the main contribution is providing initial empirical evidence about the moderating effect that assurance provider tenure has in the relationship between the informational content of the assurance report and the level of information asymmetries. To date, there is no empirical evidence regarding the moderating effect of long assuror’s tenure as an important feature of the assurance market, and beyond that, regarding its impact on the communicative value assigned by stakeholders to assurance statements.

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.