Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. HOW CRITICAL DO YOU THINK HAVING A MISSION STATEMENT IS RELATIVE TO THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF AN ORGANIZATION? :

The mission statement is a clear and concise representation of the enterprise's purpose and reason for existence.

A mission statement should incorporate socially meaningful and measurable criteria addressing concepts such as the moral/ethical position, public image, the target market, products/services, the geographic domain and expectations of growth and profitability.

A mission statement is an embodiment of the following:

* The moral and ethical position of the enterprise

* The desired public image

* The key strategic influence for the business

* A description of the target market

* A description of the products/services

* The geographic domain

* Expectations of growth and profitability

If you look at the Wal-Mart's mission statement "To give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same thing as rich people." it speaks to the community it servers.

Wal-Mart also wants to portray its image as a low price store severing the ordinary people. The statement also defines the key strategies and initiates to provide low price products. Wal-Mart is loud and clear about the target market and the product and services Wal-Mart offers.

The above example show how critical and important is to have a well defined mission statement.

2. WHAT ELEMENTS AND CRITERIA SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN A VISION STATEMENT AND A MISSION STATEMENT? DOES YOUR EMPLOYER MEET THESE CRITERIA? :

A mission statement should have the following elements:

* The