Mintzberg defines a mission as follows: A mission describes the organization’s basic function in society,in terms of the products and services it provides for its customers.

Mission The organization’s reason for existance

Purpose Why the business exists Values What management Believes in Standards & Behaviours The rules that guide How the business operates Strategy & Scope What business and how A clear business mission should have each of the following elements:

A company’s mission is concerned with: Who we are What we are What we do Why we are here

A mission statement focuses on current business activities --“who we are and what we do”–Current product and service offerings–Customer needs being served– Technological and business capabilities A strategic vision Concerns a firm’s Future business path --“wherewe are going”– Markets to be pursued –Future technology- product-customer focus –Kind of company that management is trying to create

Company’s present products Company’s present services Types of customers it serves Technological and business capabilities A mission statement usually provides information about:

To Refresh the World...in body, mind, and spirit. To Inspire Moments of Optimism...through our brands and our actions. To Create Value and Make a Difference...everywhere we engage.

Ford will democratize the automobile" Ford Motor Company (early 1900's)

Oasis Ford t-model

"Become the company most known for changing the worldwide poor-quality image of Japanese products" Sony (early 1950's)

Boeing (1950) "Become the dominant player in commercial aircraft and bring the world into the jet age"

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream: "To make, distribute & sell the finest quality all natural ice cream & euphoric concoctions with a continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients and promoting Business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment

Sun Microsystems: Solve complex network computing problems for governments,enterprises, and service providers

Our mission is to provide any customer a means of moving people and things up, down, and sideways over short distances with higher reliability than any similar enterprise in the world Otis Elevator

Pass the Mother Test A mission statement must be a concise paragraph describing what your company does and for whom. Show your mission to your mother, if she does not understand it, start again. Self-Igniting: Your mission is for you and your business. It does not have to be an earth moving statement. It can be whatever inspires you. Value Alignment: Forget the money. A meaningful mission goes beyond the dollars and cents. If your small business is creative, focus your mission on creativity. Try to be what your core competency is. 3 Keys of Meaningful Mission Statements

Making profit is the obvious intent of every commercial enterprise, and mission statements structured around making a profit reveal nothing valuable about a company’s business or the market arena in which it operates. Warning