Today, most of the worldwide organisations consider the mission and mission statement of an organisation as an important principle. But are mission statements really necessary to be unique and successful in today’s business? And how such a mission statement of an organisation has to be formulated to be authentic, sharp and appropriate for the particular organisation? In the following essay, I would like to give the reader a theoretical background of mission and mission statement and discuss the role of mission statements. Therefore, in a first step the difference between mission and mission statement should be made clear. The reader should understand how such a mission statement has to be composed and what is the function behind all this. In a second step, appropriate examples of mission statements of several world-famous organisations from different industries will be shown, which gives the opportunity to discuss and scrutinize the role of mission statements in today’s world. The essay will be closed by a summary.
Table of Contents
1) Introduction
2) Mission and Mission Statement
2.1 Definition Mission
2.2 Mission Statement
2.2.1 Definition and whole Purpose of a Mission Statement
2.2.2 Broad vs. specific Mission Statements
2.3 The Role of Mission Statements
2.3.1 Non-Profit Organisations: Greenpeace
2.3.2 Services Sector: Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
2.3.3 Consumer Goods Sector: Dean Foods
2.3.4 Consumer Goods Sector: Nike
3) Summary
Objectives & Core Themes
This essay explores the theoretical foundations of missions and mission statements in modern organizational management, aiming to analyze their functional importance and real-world application across various industries through specific case studies.
- Conceptual differentiation between organizational mission and mission statements.
- Strategic importance of clear, detailed mission statements for internal and external stakeholders.
- Comparison of broad versus specific mission statement approaches.
- Practical analysis of mission implementation in non-profit, service, and consumer goods sectors.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3.1 Non-Profit Organisations: Greenpeace
Non-profit organisations are a crucial part of today’s life. These organisations depend on important stakeholders as for instance volunteers and employees. Furthermore, they need donors on a regular basis to finance their activities. Therefore, they need meaningful mission statements to appear trustworthy and serious (Bradach et al., 2008:90-91). By doing so – in contrast to industrial businesses – non-profit organisations see the environment or the community as their “customers” (Drucker 1989). Therefore, non-profit organisations generally have lots of different overarching goals and it might be harder for them to shape their mission statement in an appropriate way (Saloner et al., 2001:26). To illustrate these claims, I would like to discuss the mission statement of Greenpeace (see appendix 1).
With this specified mission statement, Greenpeace settled a clear definition of its purpose and values: everybody knows what the organisation is doing, standing for, and fighting for. By its clear declarations, there is no space for any interpretations. For a global non-profit organisation as Greenpeace, it is essential to establish such a statement to appear as a trustworthy organisation. Otherwise, Greenpeace could have difficulties in getting donors and supporters. Greenpeace lives every single element of its mission statement, with partly provoking and cheeky campaigns. With its rectilinearly manner, the organisation is fighting for every goal settled in its statement.
Summary of Chapters
1) Introduction: Defines the scope of the study, highlighting the need for organizations to possess authentic and clear mission statements to remain competitive.
2) Mission and Mission Statement: Provides the theoretical framework, defining missions as strategic purposes and mission statements as communication instruments, while contrasting broad versus specific approaches.
3) Summary: Concludes that while the necessity of a mission statement is universally accepted, its effectiveness depends on whether it is specifically defined or remains vague and broad.
Keywords
Mission Statement, Organizational Strategy, Strategic Management, Stakeholders, Corporate Values, Non-Profit Organization, Service Sector, Consumer Goods, Greenpeace, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Dean Foods, Nike, Organizational Purpose, Employee Motivation, Brand Identity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this publication?
The publication examines the significance of mission statements in modern organizational management, evaluating how they function as strategic tools to define organizational purpose and values.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
Central themes include the differentiation between mission and mission statement, the role of stakeholders, the impact of mission statements on employee motivation, and the effectiveness of broad versus specific statements.
What is the primary objective of this study?
The primary objective is to demonstrate that an authentic and specific mission statement is essential for organizations to be unique, successful, and capable of guiding both management decisions and stakeholder expectations.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The work utilizes a theoretical approach combined with a comparative case study methodology, analyzing mission statements from diverse industries to evaluate their practical impact.
What content is covered in the main section?
The main section covers the definitions of missions and mission statements, explores their functions as communicative instruments for stakeholders, and discusses industry-specific examples including non-profit, service, and consumer goods sectors.
Which keywords best describe the paper?
The paper is characterized by terms such as organizational strategy, mission statement, corporate values, stakeholder management, and strategic purpose.
Why is the "we" in Royal Caribbean Cruises' mission statement highlighted?
The author notes that every sentence starting with "we" promotes employee involvement and internal motivation, showing how language choice in a mission statement directly impacts organizational culture and service quality.
How does the author evaluate the mission statement of Dean Foods?
The author critiques Dean Foods for having a statement that is too broad and unspecific, arguing that it serves primarily for publicity rather than as a functional guideline for the company's activities or stakeholders.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2016, The Role of Mission Statements, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/350496
