Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As part of Milligan University’s fall Faculty Lecture Series, Dr. Brad Ward, associate professor of business administration, will present a lecture titled “Do Mission Statements Matter? A study of small-cap financial companies.”

The lecture will be held in Hyder Auditorium in the university’s Science Building on​​ Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m.  

Ward’s lecture builds upon an article he published in December of 2023 titled, “The Relationship Between Mission Statement Components and ROA (Return on Assets): A Study of Small-Cap Financial Firms,” in the IUP Journal of Business Strategy.

The article summarizes Ward’s research on 108 finance companies listed on the S&P Small-Cap 600 index to see if a mission statement’s presence and comprehensiveness were related to financial performance. 

“Since the 1990s, it has been assumed that organizations will have mission statements,” said Ward. “The mission is considered the foundation of what a company values, leading to the kinds of decisions it will make.”

In his lecture, Ward will explore if companies with mission statements outperform those without a mission and try to discern what components of a mission statement are most critical.

The topic of mission statements is an important component of Ward’s business strategy courses and also connects to other areas of business, including economics, finance and the principles of management. The focus of his lecture is also vital to any organization looking to craft a mission statement or seeking to analyze their organization’s vision.

Ward joined Milligan’s faculty in 2016 and previously served as a professor of business management at Kellogg Community College in Michigan. In addition to his academic experience, Ward also possesses significant industrial work experience in quality product planning. He published the book, “The Motivated Worker: A Manager’s Guide to Improving Job Satisfaction,” through McFarland Publishing and has had articles published in the Journal of Ethics & Entrepreneurship, the IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior, and the Community College Journal of Research and Practice. He holds a doctorate in business administration from George Fox University. 

The Faculty Lecture Series provides students and other members of the Milligan community a glimpse into the active world of academic research and writing at Milligan. The lecture is free and open to the public.