Mission Statements in U.S. Colleges of Business: An Empirical Examination of Their Content With Linkages to Configurations and Performance

Abstract

Mission statements are an increasingly important component for accreditation of universities and colleges of business. Thus, understanding similarities and differences in the content of mission statements of business schools is especially timely. To provide insights concerning the use of missions in colleges of business, we analyzed the content of mission statements from 408 AACSB schools and explored relations between mission content and measures of business school characteristics, including performance. Overall, there was considerable variance in the content of organizational missions. Using a previously established framework to analyze mission content, we found business school missions generally lacked comprehensiveness. Relying on a quasi-balanced scorecard approach, we found differences in business school performance were related to mission content. Last, we were able to detect distinctions among configurations of business schools in the use of mission statement components and performance. Overall, this study provides an in-depth look at the status of mission statements among business schools at a time when their use has become critical to accountability, assessment, and accreditation.