Current Mission Statement Emphasis: Be Ethical and Go Global

INTRODUCTION Mission statements are vital communications used by corporations to define themselves to their various stakeholders including customers, employees, creditors, and stockholders. Mission statements can be as short as one sentence or expand to one or two paragraphs. These statements attempt to communicate the organization's values, purpose, identity, and primary business goals. Mission statements are often longer than a vision statement which provides a broader statement reflecting the future aspirations of the company. Fred David argues that a mission statement is a declaration of an organization's "reason for being" (David, 2009). A clear mission statement is necessary for the firm to effectively establish objectives and formulate long-term strategies. David also states that every organization has a reason for being and any organization that fails to develop a comprehensive and inspiring mission statement loses the opportunity to present itself favorably to existing and potential stakeholders. According to David, a good mission statement reveals an organization's customers, products or services, markets, technology, concern for survival, growth, and profitability, philosophy, self-concept, concern for public image, and concern for employees. These factors, he believes, serve as a practical framework for evaluating and writing mission statements. Peter Drucker believes that firms need to develop a mission statement that answers the questions "What do we want to become? " and "What is our business? " when the firm has been successful (Drucker, 1974). This proactive approach attempts to define how the firm can continue to excel and improve operations. Many authors feel that organizations develop mission and vision statements only when the company is in trouble (David, 2009). This reactive approach is far less effective and David feels that development of mission statements in times of crisis is a gamble that "characterizes irresponsible management. " Rebecca Leet believes that developing a mission statement is especially important for non-profit organizations and charities (Leet, 2008). Leet feels that just as strategic planning taught groups how to organize and focus their functions internally to achieve their missions, developing a strategic message teaches them how to organize and focus externally by recognizing who their supporters are and linking the organization's goals to what drives people to take the action it seeks. This basic philosophy applies to for-profit organizations since these firms want customers to continue purchasing their goods and services and also hope that stockholders and employees will continue to support the organization. According to King and Cleland, a carefully constructed mission statement must, among other things, ensure unanimity of purpose within the organization, provide a basis, or standard, for allocating organizational resources, establish a general tone or organizational climate, serve as a focal point for individuals to identify with the organization's purpose and direction, and specify organizational purposes and translate them into objectives for the firm (King and Cleland, 1979). It is clear that a mission statement is expected to serve many purposes as it includes goals and objectives that affect both internal and external stakeholders. Steiner feels that a mission statement should be expressed at high levels of abstraction (Steiner, 1979). He feels that mission statements are not designed to express concrete ends but instead should promote "motivation, general direction, an image, a tone, and a philosophy to guide the enterprise. " Steiner feels that excess detail in the statement could be counterproductive. A certain amount of vagueness provides more flexibility in adapting to changing environments and internal operations (Steiner, 1979). Vern McGinnis believes that a good mission statement must accomplish a number of important objectives (McGinnis, 1981). …