MBA 640 Conduct a Research

11/23/2020 Mission

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Mission

An organization should have a clearly defined mission that guides decisions and (along

with an organizational vision) future directions. While organizations’ missions are typically

stable, changes in scope and sometimes even purpose do occur. Sometimes these changes

are intentional, and the rationale is easy to discover. but sometimes this is not the case. A

common occurrence known as mission creep can happen when an organization’s scope

expands, often incrementally, in a direction that was not originally intended. You will also

see changes in mission caused by market expansion or contraction, mergers and

acquisitions, innovation, changing societal needs, and so on.

Another common occurrence, known as mission proliferation, can happen when different

parts of the organization articulate and publish independent missions, often to help inspire

and direct those working in subunits. In theory, each subunit mission statement should

align with and support the organization’s mission, but this is not always the case and

deviations from the organization's mission may contribute to confusion. This outcome may

be especially true in organizations that are large and complex, or in ones where decision

making is decentralized.

An organization's mission may be found in a formal published statement or explained

verbally be the CEO or another senior leader. Public sector organizations sometimes have

two organizational mission statements—an official version that is long and detailed, and an

abbreviated version used for public dissemination. A mission can change over time, and it

can be instructive to examine the process used the bring about that change. It is also

useful to ask whether there is evidence an organization's mission is having a positive

impact on its performance.

Learning Topic

11/23/2020 Mission

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Benefits, characteristics, components, and examples of customer-

oriented mission statements (http://ezproxy.umgc.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=bth&AN=120658252&site=eds-live&scope=site)

Missions and Mission Statements

(http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.umgc.edu/10.4135/9781412956260.n523)

A Mission Statement Analysis Comparing the United States and Three

Other English Speaking Countries (http://ezproxy.umgc.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=bth&AN=55304164&site=eds-live&scope=site)

Does Company Size Affect Mission Statement Content?

(http://ezproxy.umgc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/docview/1645904050?accountid=14580)

Resources

11/23/2020 Mission

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Question 1

What purposes should an organizational mission serve?

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Question 2

What is mission creep?

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Question 3

One of the potential challenges associated with organizational missions is

mission proliferation. Explain what this means and why it can be

problematic.

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Question 4

What are some of the things that a mission statement should

accomplish?

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Question 5

What are some of the problems that can occur in the absence of an

effective and organizational mission and well-written mission statement?

Check Your Knowledge

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Question 6

Below are mission statements for Coca-Cola and Pepsi published on their

corporate websites in 2016. Apply what you have just read about

effective missions and mission statements to an analysis of these two

examples.

1. Which statement does the best job describing the company's

purpose and why? What about if you were an investor?

2. Would your conclusion change if you were looking at this from

the perspective of a customer? What about if you were an

employee?

Coca-Cola Our Mission Our Roadmap starts with our mission, which is

enduring. It declares our purpose as a company and serves as the

standard against which we weigh our actions and decisions. To refresh

the world… To inspire moments of optimism and happiness… To create

value and make a difference.

Pepsi As one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world,

our mission is to provide consumers around the world with delicious,

affordable, convenient and complementary foods and beverages from

wholesome breakfasts to healthy and fun daytime snacks and beverages

to evening treats. We are committed to investing in our people, our

company and the communities where we operate to help position the

company for long-term, sustainable growth.

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