DSpace at Khazar University

The statement needs to be concise, but at the same time it must provide
unambiguous guidance. It is this last requirement that makes mission statements so
difficult to get right. Although brevity is desirable, if it results in ambiguity or, worse
still, a set of bland and generalized "motherhood", the statement will not be a living
document. It will be viewed cynically and seen as irrelevant.
Although it may be desirable to include value statements about concern for
employees or the environment, this should only be done if the team members believe in
them sufficiently to back them up with visible actions. If the team puts in pious
statements for public and/or employee relations purposes that it has no real intention of
implementing, then as soon as one piece of evidence is found that demonstrates a lack
of commitment to the espoused values, the mission statement as a whole will fall into
disrepute.
As a working document for managers, the statement should be as tough and as
clear as possible. If a statement is required for PR purposes, then one should be drawn
up separately to meet this requirement. The trap of trying to construct one statement to
satisfy two requirements should be avoided, since the usual result of the attempt is a
bland "wish list" that satisfies neither need well.
In order to draw up a mission statement, the management team must engage in a
full-scale strategic analysis. When setting the guidelines for the medium-term strategy
of the firm, markets must be analyzed, trends in customers' needs understood, and the
relative performance of competitors and the threat of entrants assessed. Choices must be
made to move in to or out of particular markets or segments of markets. The
competences required to deliver the strategy must be identified and target levels of
attainment should be set: for example, the fastest new-product development cycle in the
industry, or 99 percent right first time.
In summarizing the essence of the competitive strategy it is sometimes useful to
focus attention, first, on those product/service dimensions that are valued by customers
and can be made better than those offered by the competitors, and, secondly, on those
dimensions where the aim is to be as good as the competitors.
One way of judging how good the statement is, is to ask the following
questions about it:
Would a new manager entering the firm have a clear view, just from reading
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