Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control, Third Edition

(local, national or international), political pressure groups, the financial

community at large and society in general. These groups can exercise

influence over the organisation through such things as legislation and

ethical campaigning.

Criticisms of mission statements are that many are too bland and ill

defined and therefore fail to give clarity to the business’s endeavours. This

could well be the result of the development of a statement that attempts to

satisfy the interests of all stakeholders in the business. There are also some

who feel mission statements are too brief to clearly depict the organisa-

tion’s strategic intent.

■ Statement of strategic intent

Some writers see strategic intent, or the corporate vision, as a concept sep-

arate from the mission. They would argue that a mission statement merely

states what the organisation is currently doing and that a statement of

intent, or a vision statement, is also needed. A statement of strategic intent

describes what the organisation aspires to become. However many com-

panies strive to achieve both objectives within the single mechanism of

the mission statement.

■ Nature of support for the mission

statement

Mission statements can be put to use in different ways depending on

which stakeholders have the dominant influence and what the nature of

their support for the vision is. The dominant stakeholder will either be

internal or external to the organisation. Stakeholders’ attitudes can be

split into passionate campaigners for the mission and those who will

afford more equivocal support (see Figure 7.2).

● Faint support: A mission statement is likely to be paid lip service where

strategic decision making is dominated by internal managers that

view other stakeholders and corporate governance in general merely

as constraints. In these circumstances a mission statement has little

influence on the strategic developments of the organisation.

● Passionate support: Where the strategic process is dominated by internal

managers who have a close identification with the values and

philosophy of the organisation, the mission statement will be central

to their actions. These managers will use the mission statement

as a vehicle to drive the corporate aims and aspirations through the

organisation.

● Dissipated mission: If strategic decisions are the territory of external

stakeholders, whose overriding concerns are to do with corporate

138 Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control