Classifying Company Purpose in 10-K Statements

Authors:

Umang Vinayaka, David Shin, Ranjay Gulati

Date Created:

2025-01-01

Course Title:

Professor:

Not specified

About Paper:

Company executives often assert that their firm‘s performance coded statements, we are training LLMs to classify purpose into and success are closely tied to its purpose, strategy, and culture.three categories: performance-oriented aspirations, sustainability- However, the purpose of an organization or company has been an focused visions, and broad or ‘purpose-washing’ statements. We ill-defined and often understudied construct. This mixed-methods also distinguish firm identity, culture, and strategy as concepts study attempts to systematize the identification of corporate distinct from purpose. Finally, we identify whether companies purpose using 10-K statements; we use annual reports because discuss how they implement their stated purpose to understand they represent company-wide statements that are available to the practical steps companies are taking to realize their missions. shareholdersandthegeneralpublic,whichmakesthemaconsistent This project hopes to extend literature on corporate purpose by source to identify overarching purpose. Drawing on qualitatively providing a scalable typology of purpose.

Abstract:

Company executives often assert that their firm‘s performance coded statements, we are training LLMs to classify purpose into and success are closely tied to its purpose, strategy, and culture.three categories: performance-oriented aspirations, sustainability- However, the purpose of an organization or company has been an focused visions, and broad or ‘purpose-washing’ statements. We ill-defined and often understudied construct. This mixed-methods also distinguish firm identity, culture, and strategy as concepts study attempts to systematize the identification of corporate distinct from purpose. Finally, we identify whether companies purpose using 10-K statements; we use annual reports because discuss how they implement their stated purpose to understand they represent company-wide statements that are available to the practical steps companies are taking to realize their missions. shareholdersandthegeneralpublic,whichmakesthemaconsistent This project hopes to extend literature on corporate purpose by source to identify overarching purpose. Drawing on qualitatively providing a scalable typology of purpose.

Source:

Harvard / Spelman College | Psychology | 2027 / 2025

Topics:

purpose, company, statement, often, firm, performance, strategy, culture, corporate, identify, classifying, executive

Co-authors:

@umangvinayaka221 , @davidshin222 , @ranjaygulati223