Read the Mission, Vision, and Value Statements . Required: Write two (2) Forum posts

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Mission statement

A mission statement is a short statement of:

· why an organization exists;

· what its overall goal is;

· identifying the goal of its operations;

· what kind of product or service it provides;

· its primary customers or market;

· its geographical region of operation.

It may include a short statement of such fundamental matters as the organization's:

· values;

· philosophies;

· a business's main competitive advantages;

· a desired future state—the "vision".

A mission is not simply a description of an organization by an external party, but:

· an expression, made by its leaders, of their:

· desires;

· intent for the organization.

The purpose of a mission statement is to:

· communicate the organization’s purpose;

· direction.

to its

· employees,

· customers,

· vendors, and

· other stakeholders.

A mission statement also creates:

· a sense of identity for its employees.

Organizations normally do not change their mission statements over time, since they define their continuous, ongoing purpose and focus.

A commercial mission statement consists of three essential components:

· Key market: the target audience;

· Contribution: the product or service;

· Distinction: what makes the product unique or why the audience should buy it over another.

Research shows that in practice, only about ten percent of mission statements say something meaningful. For this reason, they are widely regarded with contempt.

Purpose

The sole purpose of a mission statement is to:

· serve as a company's goal/agenda;

· outline clearly what the goal is.

Generic examples of mission statements would be:

"To provide the best service possible within the banking sector for our customers."

"To provide the best experience for all of our customers."

The reason why businesses make use of mission statements is to make it clear what they look to achieve as an organization to:

· themselves;

· employees;

· customers;

· shareholders.

As a company evolves, so will their mission statement. This is to make sure that the company:

· remains on track;

· to ensure that the mission statement does not lose its touch and become boring or stale.

It is important that a mission statement not be confused with a vision statement. It is not necessary to go into detail for the mission statement

The main purpose of a mission statement is to get across the ambitions of an organization in a short and simple fashion;

The reason why it is important that a mission statement and vision statement are not confused is because they both serve different purposes. Vision statements tend to be more related to strategic planning and lean more towards discussing where a company aims to be in the future.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

1) Provides direction

Mission statements:

· direct a business into the right path.

· play a part in helping the business make better decisions

Without the mission statement providing direction, businesses may struggle when it comes to making decisions and planning for the future. This is why providing direction could be considered one of the most advantageous points of a mission statement.

2) Clear purpose

Having a clear purpose can remove any potential ambiguities that may surround the existence of a business.

People who are interested in the progression of the business want to know that the business is:

· making the right choices;

· progressing more towards achieving their goals,

A mission statement can:

· act as a motivational tool within an organization;

· allow employees to all work towards one common goal that benefits both the organization and themselves;

· help remove any doubt the stakeholders may have in the business;

· help with factors such as employee satisfaction;

· help with productivity.

It is important that employees feel a sense of purpose. Giving them this sense of purpose will allow them to focus more on their daily tasks and help them realise the goals of the organisation and their role.

Disadvantages

There are some situations where a mission statement can be considered not useful to a business.

1) Unrealistic: In most cases, mission statements turn out to be

· unrealistic and

· far too optimistic.

An unrealistic mission statement can also affect the

· performance and 

· morale of the employees within the workplace.

This is because an unrealistic mission statement would reduce the likelihood of employees being able to meet this standard which could demotivate employees in the long term.

Another issue which could arise from an unrealistic mission statement is the:

· poor decisions that could be made in an attempt to achieve this goal

· potential to harm the business and be seen as a waste of both time and resources.

2) Waste of time and resources 

Mission statements require planning. This takes time and effort for those who are responsible for creating the mission statement. If the mission statement is not achieved, then the process of creating the mission statement could be seen as a waste of time for all of the people involved.

Design

The following questions must be answered in the mission statement:

· “What do we do?” — The mission statement should clearly outline the main purpose of the organization, and what they do.

· “How do we do it?” — It should also mention how one plans on achieving the mission statement.

· “Whom do we do it for?” — The audience of the mission statement should be clearly stated within the mission statement.

· “What value are we bringing?” — The benefits and values of the mission statement should be clearly outlined.

When designing a mission statement, it should be very clear to the audience what the purpose of it is. It is ideal for a business to be able to communicate their

· mission,

· goals and

· objectives to the reader

Richard Branson says:

This further backs up the idea that a good mission statement is one that is clear and answers the right questions in a simple manner, and does not over complicate things. An example of a good mission statement would be Google's, which is "to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."

EXAMPLES:

1. Life is Good: To spread the power of optimism.

2. Patagonia: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

3. American Express: We work hard every day to make American Express the world's most respected service brand.

4. Warby Parker: To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.

5. InvisionApp: Question Assumptions. Think Deeply. Iterate as a Lifestyle. Details, Details. Design is Everywhere. Integrity.

6. Honest Tea: To create and promote great-tasting, healthy, organic beverages.

7. IKEA: To create a better everyday life for the many people.

8. Nordstrom: To give customers the most compelling shopping experience possible.

9. Cradles to Crayons: Provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school and at play.

10. Universal Health Services, Inc.: To provide superior quality healthcare services that: PATIENTS recommend to family and friends, PHYSICIANS prefer for their patients, PURCHASERS select for their clients, EMPLOYEES are proud of, and INVESTORS seek for long-term returns.

11. JetBlue: To inspire humanity – both in the air and on the ground.

12. Workday: To put people at the center of enterprise software.

13. Prezi: To reinvent how people share knowledge, tell stories, and inspire their audiences to act.

14. Tesla: To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.

15. TED: Spread ideas.