mission statement

A mission statement is a formal, short, written statement of the purpose of a [company] or [organization] . The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making. It provides "the framework or context within which the company's strategies are formulated." Historically it is associated with [Christian] [religious] groups; indeed, for many years, a [missionary] was assumed to be a person on a specifically religious mission. The word "mission" dates from 1598, originally of Jesuits sending ("missio", Latin for "act of sending") members abroad [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php ?term=mission] .

Content

Mission statements often contain the following:

- Purpose and aim of the organization
- The organization's primary stakeholders: clients, stockholders, congregation, etc.
- Responsibilities of the organization toward these stakeholders
- Products and services offered

According to Hill, the mission statement consists of:
1. a statement containing the reason for using your product
2. a statement of some desired future state (vision)
3. a statement of the key values the organization is committed to
4. a statement of major goals

The mission statement can be used to resolve differences between business [stakeholder] s. Stakeholders include: employees including managers and executives, stockholders, board of directors, customers, suppliers, distributors, creditors, governments (local, state, federal, etc.), unions, competitors, [NGO's] , and the general public. Stakeholders affect, and are affected by, the organization's strategies.

According to Vern McGinis, a mission should:
:Define what the company is
:Define what the company aspires to be
:Limited to exclude some ventures
:Broad enough to allow for creative growth
:Distinguish the company from all others