Best Mission Statement

Module 2 Exercise #1

After reviewing all the best mission statements from exhibit 2.2, most of the organizations do not follow the guidelines discussed in this chapter mainly because they do not answer all the five basic questions. A mission statement is a clear and concise statement that explains the organization’s reason for existence (Ferrell & Hartline, 2014, p. 30). In addition, a well-devised mission statement should answer the same five following questions:
• Who are we?
• Who are our customers?
• What is our operating philosophy (basic beliefs, values, ethics, etc.)?
• What are our core competencies or competitive advantages?
• What are our responsibilities with respect to being a goose steward of our human, financial, and environmental resources?
Boeing’s 1995 statement, for instance is more of a vision statement rather than a mission statement.
The statement does not answer who their customers are and what operating philosophies they offer. Although, as the years go by Boeing manages to form a mission statement by identifying its customers. Same goes for Intel Corporation, they do not incorporate their operating philosophies, nor their competitive advantages. Personally, I believe Leo Burnett and Celestial Seasonings mission statements provide the most clarity and consistency only failing to identify one out of the five questions. It is important that a company’s mission statement delivers a clear answer to each one of these questions installing a foundation for the development of the marketing
plan.

Reference:
Ferrell, O. C., and Michael D. Hartline. Marketing Strategy. 6th ed., S. J. Cengage Learning, 2014.