Mission Statements

A Mission or Purpose is a precise description of what an organization does.
According to Wikipedia , a Mission Statement “ is a brief statement of the purpose of a company, religious group or organization”.The main intention is to keep the stakeholders, mainly the members and users aware of the organization`s purpose. For public commercial companies , the main objective is to upload the interests of the shareholders, whatever the mission statement.

The mission statement should be a “clear and succinct representation of the enterprise`s purpose for existence.” Among other things it should incorporate socially relevant and ‘measurable addressing concepts’ such as the moral/ethical position of the enterprise, reputation , the target market, products/services, the geographic domain and the expectations of growth and profitability.

It should describe the business the organization is in. It is a definition of ‘why’ the organization exists currently.Each member of an organization should be able to verbally express this mission.
The mission statement of an organization should be representative of the broadest perspective of the enterprise`s mission.

At other times one may also want to have a very specific grass-roots level mission statement. Some may view it as an opportunity to define their business at the most basic level.

Characteristics of a Mission Statement :

Ø It should contain a formulation of the firm`s objectives that enables progress toward them to be measured.

Ø A company`s mission statement should differentiate it from other companies. It should establish the individuality , if not the uniqueness, of the firm.

Ø A mission statement should define the business that the company wants to be in, not necessarily is in .

Ø A Mission Statement should be relevant to all the firm`s stakeholders. The stakeholders include its customers, suppliers , the public, shareholders and employees.The mission should state how the company intends to serve each of them.

Ø And most importantly , a mission statement should be exciting and inspiring. It should motivate all whole participation in its pursuit is sought. It does not have to appear to be feasible, it only has to be desirable.


A meaningful mission can act as a moral and corporate compass.It helps in making our decisions align with our goals and values.

Each person needs a mission for his or her life.The alignment of your life`s mission with your organizations`s mission is one of the key factors in whether you are happy with your work and workplace.If they are incongruent , you are likely to be dissatisfied with your choice of work and work-place.

As has been summarized by Laurie Beth Jones of “The Path:Creating your Mission Statement for Work and for Life” – “It is the key to finding your path in life and identifying the mission you choose to follow.Having a clearly articulated mission statement gives one a template of purpose that can be used to initiate, evaluate , and refine all of one`s activities.”

Few Examples of Good Mission Statements :

The Elephant Sanctuary: "A Natural-Habitat Refuge Where Sick, Old and Needy Elephants Can Once Again Walk The Earth In Peace and Dignity." One powerful statement that evokes emotion and instant attachment to the cause of this organization.
Sun Microsystems: "Solve complex network computing problems for governments, enterprises, and service providers." A simple mission statement identifying who their market is and what they do.
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream: A product mission stated as: "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." This mission inspired Ben and Jerry to build a cause-related company.

REFERENCES :

1) Wikipedia , Mission Statement . Retrieved on 9th September 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_statement

2) Tim Berry , Writing a Mission Statement . Retrieved on 9th September 2008 from http://articles.bplans.com/index.php/business-articles/writing-a-business-plan/writing-a-mission-statement/

3) Ackoff , E. l., (1986). Management in Small Doses, Wiley, NY . Retrieved on 9th September from Effective Mission Statements.