Title: Content analysis of mission statements: insights of large and medium-sized enterprises

Authors: Kristijan Breznik; Severina Kovačič

Addresses: International School for Social and Business Studies, Mariborska Cesta 7, 3000 Celje, Slovenia; Faculty of Environmental Protection, Trg mladosti 7, 3320 Velenje, Slovenia ' International School for Social and Business Studies, Mariborska Cesta 7, 3000 Celje, Slovenia

Abstract: This study applies a novel network analytics approach to the mission statements of Slovenian large and mediumsized enterprises, addressing a critical underexplored context in the literature on strategic language and corporate identity. By mapping keyword frequency and cooccurrence patterns, we identified keywords as growth, to provide, quality, service/product, and public image as the most salient terms. Among them, growth functioning was the most central, unifying keyword. Our analysis further distilled the keywords network into six coherent thematic clusters, named as public image, philosophy, growth, customer, distinctive competence, and product/service, revealing a pronounced duality between internal operational priorities and external stakeholder engagement. The methodological approach not only enriches the theoretical discourse on mission statement content by uncovering hidden structural relationships, but also offers practical insights for managers seeking to align organisational narratives with strategic objectives.

Keywords: mission statement; network analysis; content analysis; strategic management; cluster analysis; business strategy; strategic communication.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMED.2026.152693

International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 2026 Vol.25 No.2, pp.159 - 183

Received: 05 Jan 2025
Accepted: 27 Apr 2025
Published online: 07 Apr 2026 *

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