International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

Mission statements exposed

Tahir Sufi, Howard Lyons,
Article information:
To cite this document:
Tahir Sufi, Howard Lyons, (2003) "Mission statements exposed", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality
Management, Vol. 15 Issue: 5, pp.255-262, https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110310482173
Permanent link to this document:
https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110310482173
Downloaded on: 13 April 2018, At: 07:43 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 42 other documents.
To copy this document: permissions@emeraldinsight.com
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 9398 times since 2006*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
(2002),"The mission statement is a strategic tool: when used properly", Management Decision, Vol. 40 Iss 5 pp. 448-455 <a
href="https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740210430461">https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740210430461</a>
Downloaded by University of York At 07:43 13 April 2018 (PT)

(2014),"The mission statement: organisational culture perspective", Industrial Management &amp; Data Systems, Vol. 114
Iss 4 pp. 612-627 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-10-2013-0455">https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-10-2013-0455</a>

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:239791 []
For Authors
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service
information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please
visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.
About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com
Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of
more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online
products and additional customer resources and services.
Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication
Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.

*Related content and download information correct at time of download.

 Mission statements exposed
Keywords
Hospitality industry,
Mission statements,
Financial performance, Strategy
Downloaded by University of York At 07:43 13 April 2018 (PT)
Abstract
In the strategic management
literature mission statements are
said to be an inseparable part of
corporate strategy. It has been
argued that they have an impact
on the performance of the
organization, yet the evidence is
unclear. This study is an
investigation into the relationship
between the financial success of
hospitality enterprises and their
mission statements. Mission
statements of 30 top hospitality
enterprises were evaluated. This
sample is of significance as it
represents some of the largest
corporations, and about 200 of the
largest brands in the hospitality
industry. The mission statements
were scored and these scores
were tested for correlation with
three financial performance
indicators. The results indicated
that while there was a statistically
significant correlation between
the mission statements and the
annual turnover, there was no
significant correlation with the net
profit margin or the return on
equity. The article concludes by
considering how firms may
improve their performance by
better managing their mission
statements.
International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality
Management
15/5 [2003] 255-262
# MCB UP Limited
[ISSN 0959-6119]
[DOI 10.1108/09596110310482173]
Tahir Sufi
Centre for International Hospitality Management, Sheffield Hallam University,
Sheffield, UK
Howard Lyons
Centre for International Hospitality Management, Sheffield Hallam University,
Sheffield, UK
Introduction
Mission statements are said to be an
inseparable part of corporate strategy
because they have an impact on performance.
However, research does not conclusively
support this assertion. This article reports
our study of the relationship between the
financial success of hospitality enterprises
and the quality of mission statements. The
conclusion of this research is that there is no
significant relationship. As the purpose of
mission statements is self-evidently sensible,
we briefly reflect on how they may be
designed to improve performance.
Mission statements: what the
literature says
The study of mission statements started in
the early 1970s, and Drucker (1971) referred to
them as a precursor to ``clear and realistic
business objectives''. Since Drucker,
researchers have used a range of emotive
terms to describe mission statements,
including:
. ``smoke and mirrors'' (Barktus et al., 2000);
. ``building blocks, invisible hand'' (Strong,
1997); and
. ``motherhood statements, the hippocratic
oath, lantern, anchor, conscience, office
manifesto, company slogan and motto''
(Fletcher, 2001).
Mission statements now have a key place in
both the literature, and company strategic
planning processes.
Mission statements are often based on the
founding values of entrepreneurs, although
increasingly generated by professional
managers with an eye to internal and
external stakeholders. Historically business
was regarded as an economic institution
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister
where profit maximization was the only
business objective. However, Drucker (1959)
proposed that the central objective of the firm
should be its survival. Survival is achieved
through focusing on a set of goals. For
Drucker profit maximization per se is
misplaced. Stakeholder theory indicates that
balancing the conflicting claims of the
various stakeholders in the firm, which
include investors, managers, workers,
suppliers, and customers, should derive the
objectives of the firm. The firm has a
responsibility to all stakeholders and a firm's
objectives must be configured to give each a
measure of satisfaction.
Notwithstanding the stakeholder analysis,
share price maximization is probably the
most important goal of most of the
corporations. Share price is a surrogate that
represents the view of the market on the
ability of a firm to make profit and to
generate wealth. Ansoff (1985) explained that
capital investment theory makes no use of
the concept of ``strategy''. Rather, return on
the capital employed focuses the firm for the
creation of new opportunities. Thus the
importance of objectives and goals are more
important to strategy formulation than
anything else.
Businesses are influenced by worldview
and philosophy, termed ``organizational
vision''. Lynch (2000) explained that in
developing the future of the organization
there is a need to develop a vision of the
organization's future. The vision is of the
possible and desirable future state or long-
term aim of the organization, and also the
backdrop of purpose and strategy. Hussey
(1998) explained that the vision statement
should include the values of the organization.
Objectives are needed (derived from the
vision), linked to the measurement of
corporate progress, cascaded down to
personal standards of performance. Even
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0959-6119.htm
[ 255 ]
 Tahir Sufi and Howard Lyons
Mission statements exposed
International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality
Management
15/5 [2003] 255-262
Downloaded by University of York At 07:43 13 April 2018 (PT)
[ 256 ]
though vision and mission statements are
distinct in the strategic management
literature, many companies confuse them.
This provided a research problem and we
sometimes had to infer the company mission
statement for the purpose of analysis in our
research. An example of this proxy is the
vision/mission statement of Hilton Hotels
which states:
Building on our rich heritage, and the
strength of the Hilton Brand, we will make
our hotels the first choice of the world's
travellers in a competitive global market. We
will achieve this vision through aggressive
expansion, leveraging our resources, fast,
focused and flexible delivery of innovative
products, services and processes, consistently
exceeding expectations, empowerment
through training and accountability,
continuously improving our balanced score
card. The result: a world-class brand and
loyal customers, our shareholders/owners,
the community, the strategic partners, and
our Hilton Team members.
This vision of Hilton Hotels is also its
mission statement. Another example of the
combining of vision/mission statements is
that of McDonald's, which states that:
McDonald's vision is to be the world's best
quick service restaurant experience. Being
the best means providing outstanding quality,
service, cleanliness and value, so that we
make every customer in every restaurant
smile. To achieve our vision, we are focused
on three world-wide strategies, to be the best
employer in each community around the
world, deliver the operational excellence to
each customer in each of our restaurants, and
to achieve enduring profitable growth.
Drucker's (1973) question, ``What is our
business for?'' is largely synonymous with
the question, ``What is our mission?'' David
(1993) defines the mission statements as:
The enduring statements of the purpose that
distinguishes one business from another
similar firm ± and identifies the scope of the
firm's operations in terms of products and
markets.
This definition contains the elements that
the managers of Hilton believe distinguish
it from other businesses, and it identifies
the scope of the company in terms of
products and markets. Campbell and
Tawadey (1992) argued that the mission
statements include the broader elements
like purpose, strategy, value and
behavioural standards.
Company values, as defined by Raynor
(1998), are the principles to which the
company should align all actions and are
essential and enduring tenets. Collin and
Porras (1996) explained that company values
are a small set of general and guiding
principles that are not to be confused with
the specific cultural or operating practices,
nor to be compromised for financial gain or
short-term expediency. They further
explained that the key step in building a
visionary company is to articulate core
ideology, which is expressed as:
Core ideology ˆ Core values ‡ Purpose:
The core ideology of fast food chain Wendy's
is explained in its mission statement:
Our organization has a strategic vision
focused on these core values:
Quality: Freshly made products and superior
service are our passion; consistent Excellence
is our goal.
Integrity: We keep our promises. All actions
are guided by absolute honesty, fairness and
respect for every individual.
Leadership: We lead by example and
encourage leadership qualities at all levels.
Everyone has a role to play.
People Focus: We believe our people are key to
our success. We value all members of our
diverse family for their individual
contributions and their team achievements.
Customer Satisfaction: Satisfying internal and
external customers are the focus of
everything we do.
Continuous Improvement: Continuous
improvement is how we think; Innovative
change provides competitive opportunities.
Community Involvement: Giving back is our
heritage. We actively participate and invest
in the communities where we do business.
Commitment to Stakeholders: We serve all
stakeholders and, through balancing our
responsibilities to all, we maximize value to
each of them.
If the core ideology of Wendy's is identified
through the list, what does the list represent?
Mintzberg and Quinn (1996) explain the core
ideology as a rich system of values and
beliefs about an organization, shared by its
members, that distinguishes it from other
organizations. They referred to the
organizations with core ideology as
``stylistically rich organizations'', as their
beliefs have a quasi-religious value.
Campbell and Tawadey (1992) explain that
mission is made real only when it affects the
behaviour and guides the peoples' actions.
They go on to argue that strategy contains
the message about what should be achieved;
for example, low cost production and
excellent service contain the message about
how things should be done. The synergy
results in the strong behavioural standards,
which are organizations' rule of the thumb
``the way we do things around here''. This
 Tahir Sufi and Howard Lyons
Mission statements exposed
International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality
Management
15/5 [2003] 255-262
Downloaded by University of York At 07:43 13 April 2018 (PT)
forms the platform for the culture that
Hofstede (1980) describes as the collective
mental programming, which is the property
of a group, not of the individuals, although it
is the individuals who carry it. This sense of
belonging is, in itself, a powerful source of
motivation for employees.
Peters and Waterman (1982) explained that
the sense of belonging, itself a source of the
motivation for employees, is the result of the
shared ideology, which drives behaviour.
They describe successful organizations as
those where people are driven by a sense of
excitement, with a strong feeling of belonging
to the organization. This feeling of belonging
and the sense of excitement are emphasised
in the mission statement of Ritz Carlton,
which contains a unique blend of strategy
and values:
We will always select employees who share
our values. We will strive to meet individual
needs because our success depends on the
satisfaction, effort and commitment of each
employee. Our leaders will constantly
support and energise all the employees to
continuously improve productivity and
customer satisfaction. This will be
accomplished by creating an environment of
genuine trust, respect, fairness, and
teamwork through training, education,
empowerment, participation, recognition,
rewards, and career opportunities.
If this Ritz Carlton mission statement
contains a mixture of values as well as
strategy, it is useful to see where mission
statements fit in with regard to perceived
purpose and actual impact.
The impact and the purpose of
mission statements
There is thought to be evidence for the
contribution of mission statements to
business success. Being a starting point for
developing organizational strategy, mission
statements have been widely adopted by most
companies. Bart et al. (2001) studied the
relationship between mission and
organization performance. They found that
mission statements could affect the financial
performance. Several mediating elements,
including commitment to mission, and the
degree to which the organization aligns its
internal structure, policies and procedures
were important. These variables are found to
be positively and directly associated with
employee behaviour.
Germain and Cooper (1990) concluded that
customer service mission statements are
effective in sensitising all employees.
Campbell (1997) indicated that mission
statements could be useful for getting senior
managers to discuss their differences and
bring out a common view. Klemm et al. (1991)
shared the view and explained that there are
two simple views on the purpose of the
mission statements. Either they are for
external public relations or internally
focused to motivate staff. They also noted
that mission statements could be an assertion
of leadership.
Mission statements can serve as an
important tool for communication within the
organization (for employees) and outside the
organization (investors, etc.). Bartkus et al.
(2000) come to a conclusion that the best
mission statements are those which are
communication tools and which simply
define the company business and suggest a
future goal.
Components of mission
statements
Many organizations define their reason for
existence in terms of their mission
statements, providing a statement to
stake holders of what the company stands for,
its purpose, image and character. Jauch and
Glueck (1988) explained that mission
statements could be of varying length, format
and content. Total Research, Strategic
Marketing Services (1999) indicates that
mission statements range from seven to 1,000
words. The longest mission statement in this
study belongs to Ritz Carlton, 365 words, and
the shortest was CBRL ``pleasing people''.
Table I shows the list of components of
mission statements thought to be important
by the different researchers.
Fred (1996) indicated that practitioners
consider an effective mission statement to
contain the following:
. Who are the firm's customers?
. What are the firm's major products or
services?
. Where does the firm compete?
. Is technology a primary concern of the
firm?
. Is the firm committed to economic
objectives of survival, growth, and
profitability?
. What are the basic beliefs, values,
aspirations, and philosophical priorities
of the firm?
. What is the firm's distinctive competence
or major competitive advantage?
. Is the firm responsive to social,
community, and environmental concerns?
. Are employees considered to be a valuable
asset for the firm?
Lynch (2000) explained that since no two
organizations are the same in terms of the
[ 257 ]
 Tahir Sufi and Howard Lyons
Mission statements exposed
International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality
Management
15/5 [2003] 255-262
Downloaded by University of York At 07:43 13 April 2018 (PT)
Table I
Components of mission statements
Abell (1980) Satisfied customer group, satisfied needs, how the needs are satisfied
McGinnis (1981) Define organization, organizational aims, flexible, should evaluate current and
prospective activities, clearly interpreted
Pearce (1982) Target customer, market, products and services, geographical domain, core technology,
survival, growth, profitability, company philosophy, self-concept, public image
Ackoff (1986) Goals, differentiation factors, organizational aspirations, role of all the stakeholder
groups
Want (1986) Purpose, business aims, corporate identity, company policies, and values
Campbell and Customers, products/service, lcation, technology, concern for survival, philosophy,
Tawadey (1992) self-concept, public image, employees
Fred (1996) Customers, products, markets, technology, survival, growth, profitability, philosophy
Total Research, Customer care/focus, products and service quality, leadership, competitiveness,
Strategic Marketing innovation, staff focus, social responsibility and shareholder value

Services (1999)
Lynch (2000) Specific, distinctive, realistic/attainable, and flexible
Frequent attributes Customers, product/service, technology, market, survival, growth, profitability,
company philosophy, differentiation factors, image, values, leadership, stakeholders,
clarity and social responsibility

ownership, resources, or environmental stressed in the academic literature and also

circumstances, the mission statements are
personal to each organization. He suggested
that the criteria for judging the mission
statements should be specific, distinctive,
realistic, attainable and flexible. The
contents of mission statements as explained
by Want (1986) are purpose, principal
business aims, corporate identity, policies of
the company and corporate values. Pearce
(1982) identified the foci of mission
statements, which include, target customer,
markets, principal, products/services,
geographical domain, core technology,
commitment to survival, growth,
profitability, company philosophy,
self-concept, and public image.
Abell (1980) suggested that the question
``What is our business?'' could be answered in
terms of three dimensions:
1 ``What are the customer groups that are
being satisfied?'';
2 ``What needs are being satisfied?''; and
3 ``How are the needs being satisfied?''
From the literature, the components of the
mission statements, which are agreed upon
by most of the writers are: concern for the
customers, purpose, identity/image,
differentiation factors, corporate values,
products, markets, and concern for the
survival, growth, profitability, company
philosophy and employee and social concern.
Of all these components, the primary seems
to be ``customer oriented'', which has been
[ 258 ]
in actual mission statements.
Methodology
A total of 30 mission statements from the
largest hospitality firms were analysed. The
list of firms was compiled from Dun and
Bradstreet (2000) Industry Handbook. The
companies chosen were publicly quoted.
These firms represent about 200 of the largest
brands, as most large firms operate several
brands in food service or hotels. Where
individual brands have their own mission
statements, they are typically derivative
from the mission statement of the company.
Using publicly quoted corporations
facilitated access to financial data used in the
correlation with the mission statement
scores. Flamholtz and Zeynep (2000) used the
return on shareholders' equity as the
performance measurement tool to test
organizational success and failure. The
return on equity measure in this study was
justified on the basis of evidence available in
the literature. Titelbaum (1996) and Eiseman
(1997) consider return on equity as a good
measure for assessing the overall
performance of the firm and the performance
of the firm's management as well. Wheelan
and Hunger (2000) explain that financial
ratios such as return on equity, overall
turnover sales and profit margin are
fundamental when analysing corporate
financial accounts. Financial performance of
 Tahir Sufi and Howard Lyons
Mission statements exposed
International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality
Management
15/5 [2003] 255-262
Downloaded by University of York At 07:43 13 April 2018 (PT)
the companies in this study is compared with
their mission statement scores, using
correlation analysis. The components of the
mission statements that were identified from
the literature review on the basis of being
discussed frequently and considered
important in the academic literature are:
1 Whether the mission statement defines
the company business.
2 Communication about where the
company is and where it is heading.
3 Whether the mission statement carries
the concern for customers.
4 Whether the mission statement carries
the concern for employees as well.
5 The philosophy about which all the
employees feel proud.
6 The firm's concern for surviving and
growth.
7 Desire to be the jewel in the industry and
society as well.
8 The firm's concern for product/service
quality and innovation.
9 Markets where the company competes.
10 What are the firm's major sources of
competitive advantage?
In this study mission statements were scored
on the basis of the presence of these ten
components. For each component available
in the (real or proxy) company mission
statement, a score of one mark was given.
The total score of a mission statement was
calculated as a mark out of ten. The score of
the mission statement determined a measure
of the ``quality'' of the mission statement. The
possible correlations between the quality of
mission statement and the firm's
performance on the basis of its return of
equity, net profit margin and annual
turnover were computed.
Statistical results of the survey
The correlation analysis of the data
(Pearson's product moment ± one tail)
between the mission statement score and the
performance indicators was computed using
SPSS software. Possible relationships
between the various variables, i.e. mission
statement score and performance indicators
(return on equity, net profit return and
annual turnover), were tested with bivariate
correlation. The correlation between the
mission statement score and performance
indicators was carried out on a one to one
basis. As the data are parametric, Pearson's
product-moment correlation coefficient was
used. From the literature review we
developed the hypothesis that the mission
statements have a direct and positive impact
on the performance of the business.
Therefore a one tailed test was the
appropriate test of significance.
The correlation analysis between the
mission statement score and the performance
indicators indicated no particular
correlation with the return on equity and net
profit margin. In both cases the significance
of the correlation coefficient is not near to
zero (p < 0.001) or fluke, which could have
established any correlation. The significance
of the probability in both the cases is much
greater (p > 0.001). Thus no correlation of the
mission statement score could be established
with either of these performance indicators.
The mission statement score showed
significant correlation with the annual
turnover of the companies (see Table II). The
correlation coefficient in this case is
(r = 0.388) and the significance of this
probability is less than 0.05 which is the
acceptable probability value for social
scientists. In this case p = 0.041 is much less
than the acceptable value, p < 0.05. This
establishes the positive correlation between
the mission statement score and annual
turnover of the companies.
The content analysis of the mission
statements generated showed that the
majority of companies focus on customers
and communication. This reflects the
strategic management literature as well. The
concern for survival is demonstrated by the
86 per cent of companies which identify the
factor. Businesses do not exist for profit
making only; the main objective of survival
is reflected in Drucker's theory of business
purposes.
Firms are concerned with ``company
values'' and these may be present in more
than component 4, in Table III. A mission
statement may define the behavioural
standards of the company. The mission
statements can seek to tune the personal
values of all employees to that of the
company.
Employee care is another dimension,
which the mission statements touch.
Significant numbers of companies aim to
care for their employees, and this is
reflected in the content analysis of the
mission statements. Mission statements
were also seen to emphasise a concern for
quality and innovation.
Over half of mission statements failed to
include the means of achieving goals and
location in which market the business is
going to compete. However this does not
mean that these firms do not have the
strategic direction. This may be a deficiency
in the mission statements rather than the
strategic direction of the companies.
[ 259 ]
 Tahir Sufi and Howard Lyons Table II
Mission statements exposed Correlation between mission statement scores and performance indicators
International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Return on Return on Net profit Annual
Management equity ± TTM equity margin turnover
15/5 [2003] 255-262
Mission statement Pearson correlation score 0.198 ±0.063 0.356 0.388
Significance (one-tailed) 0.208 0.397 0.057 0.041
n 30 30 30 30

23 treat each other with respect and dignity;

Table III
24 embrace diversity;
The frequency of occurrence of the key
25 contribute positively to customers;
mission statement components in the study
26 environmental responsibility;
Component Frequency (per cent) 27 provide a memorable experience; and
1. Customer focus 95 28 easiest company to do business with.
2. Communication 90 This list of 28 variables highlights a problem
3. Survival 86 of design. It is too easy to construct a
4. Values 86 good-looking mission statement from this
5. Employee care 76
Downloaded by University of York At 07:43 13 April 2018 (PT)

heterogeneous list, yet real commitment to a

6. Quality/innovation 71 component is not always easy to achieve.
7. Public image 67 There is a hierarchy of components, some of
8. Business 62 which relate to overall business activities
9. Location 43 and others which pragmatically relate to
10. Self-concept 33 particular business functions.
Although the list of 28 components may
bear further scrutiny, one contribution of
So far the discussion has related to this research is that we have identified
correlations and quantitative measures, next elements that hospitality enterprises have
we will consider the messages contained in included in mission statements. This list may
the analysis of the content of mission be of value to other researchers seeking
statements. either to analyse mission statements, or to
practitioners seeking to construct a company
mission statement.
Mission statement contents Mission statements are said to be a very
The descriptive list of the components of the important part of strategic and corporate
mission statements of the hospitality firms planning. However, it appears that it is only
was prepared. A total of 28 components were the big hospitality companies which possess
identified: the higher scoring mission statements. So
1 best company; far as business performance and
2 best provider of customer service; effectiveness is considered the companies
3 best employer; with the better mission statements do not
4 deliverer of operational excellence; necessarily perform better. However, as the
5 achiever profitable growth; literature suggests there is a strong indirect
6 investor in technology and innovation; influence of the mission statements on the
7 seeker of new markets; business performance. They are effective
8 strengthen the brand; because of their unique ability to motivate
9 exceed the expectations; the employees who share the same set of
10 empower through training and values as suggested in the mission
accountability; statements. The necessity of having good
11 improve the balanced scorecard; mission statements arises from the fact that
12 recognise the values; they are powerful communication tools. The
13 quality leader; interests of investors, customers,
14 use freshly made products; employees, suppliers and strategic partners
15 achieve consistent excellence; are linked with those of the company. A
16 satisfy internal and external customers; good mission statement can provide an
17 serve all the stakeholders; assurance to all these stakeholders that the
18 maximise the value of each shareholder; company is considering their interests. This
19 build on the strengths; is what makes a mission statement an
20 enrich the lifestyles; effective tool for the corporate
21 anticipate the needs; communication, which is vital for the
22 provide a great work environment; success of any business.
[ 260 ]
 Tahir Sufi and Howard Lyons
Mission statements exposed
International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality
Management
15/5 [2003] 255-262
Downloaded by University of York At 07:43 13 April 2018 (PT)
A manager's guide
The following comments are designed to help
managers improve the company mission
statements:
1 Remember that your mission statement
provides a point of difference within the
industry. Try to be distinctive.
2 The stakeholder analysis needs to be
focused, for example:
. Stock/shareholders often include
hospitality as part of a balanced
portfolio, and seek affirmation about
financial parameters such as risks and
returns.
. Customers are segmented, and a five
star hotel company is different from a
motel or fast food chain.
. Employees include both an educated
managerial class, and increasingly
deskilled employees. However,
students are now becoming an
important constituency amongst a
deskilled workforce.
3 For many hospitality firms, mission
statements need to be simple to be
communicable. This is because:
. Much of the industry is composed of
small units, even if large firms own
them.
. As an international industry, for many
firms a mission statement must
translate into many languages and
cultures.
. The level of franchising within
hospitality means that a simple
message is required so that it may be
widely understood and shared.
Consideration of these factors should help to
improve the mission statement.
References
Abell, D.F. (1980), Defining the Business: The
Starting Point of the Strategic Planning,
Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Ackoff, R.L. (1986), Management in Small Doses,
Wiley, New York, NY.
Ansoff, I.H. (1985), Corporate Strategy, Sedgwick
& Jackson, London.
Bart, C.K., Bontis, N. and Taggar, S. (2001), ``A
model of the impact of the mission statements
on the firm performance'', Management
Decision, Vol. 39 No. 1, pp. 19-35.
Bartkus, B., Glassman, M. and McAfee, B. (2000),
``Mission statements: are they smoke and
mirrors?'', Business Horizons, November/
December.
Campbell, A. (1997), ``Mission statements'', Long
Range Planning, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 931-2.
Campbell, A. and Tawadey, K. (1992), Mission and
Business Philosophy, Butterworth-Heinnman,
Oxford.
Collins, J. and Porras, J.I. (1996), Built To Last,
Successful Habits of Visionary Companies,
Random House, London.
David, F.R. (1993), Strategic Management,
Macmillan Publishing, New York, NY.
Drucker, P. (1971), Management, Butterworth-
Heinemann, Oxford.
Drucker, P.F. (1959), ``Challenges to management
science'', Long Range Planning, Vol. 5 No. 3,
pp. 238-49.
Drucker, P.F. (1973), Management, Tasks,
Responsibilities and Practices, Harper and
Rowe, New York, NY.
Dun and Bradstreet (2000), Industry Handbook,
Hospitality and Entertainment, Gale Group,
Farmington Mills, MI.
Eiseman, C.J. (1997), ``Value added: donor advised
funds at community foundations'', Trust and
Estates, Vol. 136 No. 4, pp. 16-20.
Flamholtz, E.G. and Zeynep, A. (2000),
``Organizational success and failure: an
empirical test of a holistic model'', European
Management Journal, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 488-98.
Fletcher, W. (2001), ``Hypocritical oath or mission
impossible'', The Times, 19 January.
Fred, R.D. (1996), Strategic Management,
Macmillan Publishing Company,
New York, NY.
Germain, R. and Cooper, M.B. (1990), ``How a
customer mission statement affect the
company performance'', Industrial Marketing
Management, Vol. 19.
Hofstede, G. (1980), Cultural Consequences:
International Differences in Work Related
Values, Sage, London.
Jauch, L.R. and Glueck, W. (1988), Business Policy
and Strategic Management, McGraw-Hill,
New York, NY.
Klemm, M., Sanderson, S. and Luffman, G. (1991),
``Mission statements: selling corporate values
to the employees'', Long Range Planning,
Vol. 24, pp. 10-20.
Lynch, R. (2000), Corporate Strategy, Pearson
Education, Harlow.
McGinnis, V.J. (1981), ``The mission statement:
key steps in strategic planning'', Business,
November-December, pp. 39-43.
Mintzberg, H. and Quinn, J. (1996), The Strategy
Process ± Concepts, Contexts, Cases,
Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Pearce, J.A. (1982), ``The company mission as a
strategic goal'', Sloan Management Review,
Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 15-24.
Peters, T.J. and Waterman, R.H. (1982), In Search
of Excellence, Harper and Row, New York, NY.
Raynor, M.E. (1998), ``The vision thing: do we need
it?'', Long Range Planning, Vol. 31 No. 3,
pp. 368-76.
Strong, C. (1997), Journal of Applied Marketing
Practice, Vol. 3 No. 4, pp. 268-83.
Titelbaum, R.S. (1996), ``What is driving return on
equity?'', Fortune, Vol. 133 No. 8, pp. 271-6.
Total Research, Strategic Marketing Services,
(1999), UK Mission Statements, What are They
[ 261 ]
 Tahir Sufi and Howard Lyons
Mission statements exposed
International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality
Management
15/5 [2003] 255-262
Downloaded by University of York At 07:43 13 April 2018 (PT)
[ 262 ]
For and How Effective Are They?, Total
Research, Brentford.
Want, J.H. (1986), ``Corporate mission'',
Management Review, Vol. 75 No. 8, pp. 48-50.
Wheelan, T.L. and Hunger, J.D. (2000), Strategic
Management Business Policy, Prentice-Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Further reading
Bart, C.K. (1997), ``Accepting the mission'', CA
Magazine (Chartered Accountant), August.
Brigham, E.F. and Gapenski, L. (1991). Financial
Management Theory and Practice, The
Dryden Press, Orlando, FL.
Cyert, R.M. and March, J.G. (1963), A Behavioral
Theory of the Firm, Prentice-Hall, Englewood
Cliffs, NJ.
Glassman, M. and McAfee, B. (2000), ``Mission
statements: are they smoke and mirrors?'',
Business Horizons, November/December.
Hofstede, G. (1991), Organizations and
Culture-Software of Mind, McGraw Hill,
Maidenhead.
Hussey, D. (1998), Strategic Management from
Theory to Practice, Butterworth-Heinemann,
Oxford.
Jackson, J., Siew, Y., Gitlow, H. and Scaundura,
T. (1994), ``Mission statements in service and
industrial corporations'', International
Journal of Quality Science, Vol. 1 No. 1,
pp. 48-61.
Rarick, C.A. and Vitton, J. (1995). ``Mission
statements make cents'', Journal of Business
Strategy, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 11-12.
Sanderson, S., Klemm, M. and Luffman, G. (1991),
``Mission statements: selling corporate values
to the employees'', Long Range Planning,
Vol. 24, pp. 10-20.
Zairi, M. and Letza, S.(1994), ``Corporate
reporting'', Management Decision, Vol. 32
No. 2.
 This article has been cited by:

1. Tero Reunanen, Riikka Maijala. Management Style, Focus and Purpose in Development of LEAN in University Hospital
52-64. [Crossref]
2. Subhanjan Sengupta, Arunaditya Sahay. 2017. Comparing mission statements of social enterprises and corporate enterprises
in the new and renewable energy sector of India: a computer aided content analysis study. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship
Research 7:1. . [Crossref]
3. Lara Penco, Giorgia Profumo, Roberta Scarsi. 2017. Stakeholder Orientation in Cruise Lines’ Mission Statements.
Sustainability 9:11, 2151. [Crossref]
4. Marta Mas-Machuca, Maria Ballesteros-Sola, Adrián Guerrero. 2017. Unveiling the mission statements in social enterprises:
a comparative content analysis of US- vs. Spanish-based organizations. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship 8:2, 186-200.
[Crossref]
5. Carlos Rey, Miquel Bastons. 2017. Three dimensions of effective mission implementation. Long Range Planning . [Crossref]
6. Rachna Gulati, Osama Mikhail, Robert O. Morgan, Dean F. Sittig. 2016. Vision Statement Quality and Organizational
Performance in U.S. Hospitals. Journal of Healthcare Management 61:5, 335-350. [Crossref]
7. Isabel Maria Macedo, José Carlos Pinho, Anabela Martins Silva. 2016. Revisiting the link between mission statements
and organizational performance in the non-profit sector: The mediating effect of organizational commitment. European
Management Journal 34:1, 36-46. [Crossref]
8. S. Sai Manohar, Shiv R. Pandit. 2014. Core Values and Beliefs: A Study of Leading Innovative Organizations. Journal of
Business Ethics 125:4, 667-680. [Crossref]
Downloaded by University of York At 07:43 13 April 2018 (PT)

9. Patricia Martínez, Andrea Pérez, Ignacio Rodríguez del Bosque. 2014. Exploring the Role of CSR in the Organizational
Identity of Hospitality Companies: A Case from the Spanish Tourism Industry. Journal of Business Ethics 124:1, 47-66.
[Crossref]
10. Gamze Orhan, Dilek Erdoğan, Vildan Durmaz. 2014. Adopting Mission and Vision Statements by Employees: The Case of
TAV Airports. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 150, 251-262. [Crossref]
11. Katarina Babnik, Kristijan Breznik, Valerij Dermol, Nada Trunk Širca. 2014. The mission statement: organisational culture
perspective. Industrial Management & Data Systems 114:4, 612-627. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
12. William Phanuel Kofi Darbi. 2012. How do high‐performing organizations define their mission in Ghana?. African Journal
of Economic and Management Studies 3:2, 184-204. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
13. Sebastian Desmidt, Anita Prinzie, Adelien Decramer. 2011. Looking for the value of mission statements: a meta‐analysis of
20 years of research. Management Decision 49:3, 468-483. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
14. Ebrahim Gharleghi, Fatemeh Nikbakht, Golpar Bahar. 2011. A Survey of Relationship Between the Characteristics of Mission
Statement and Organizational Performance. Research Journal of Business Management 5:3, 117-124. [Crossref]
15. Mary Blair-Loy, Amy S. Wharton, Jerry Goodstein. 2011. Exploring the Relationship between Mission Statements and
Work-Life Practices in Organizations. Organization Studies 32:3, 427-450. [Crossref]
16. Azaddin Salem Khalifa. 2011. Three Fs for the mission statement: what's next?. Journal of Strategy and Management 4:1,
25-43. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
17. Mohammad Pakneiat, Monireh Panahi, Javad Noori. 2010. Firm capabilities and diversification: how mission matters. Business
Strategy Series 11:4, 248-260. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
18. Sacha Stöcklin. 2010. The Initial Stage of a School’s Capacity Building. Educational Management Administration & Leadership
38:4, 443-453. [Crossref]
19. Evanthia P. Vorria, George A. Bohoris. 2009. Criteria requirements of the European business excellence model: a suggested
approach. The TQM Journal 21:2, 116-126. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
20. Barbara Bartkus, Myron Glassman, Bruce McAfee. 2006. Mission Statement Quality and Financial Performance. European
Management Journal 24:1, 86-94. [Crossref]
21. Mehmet Eymen Eryılmaz, Olcay Bektaş. An Examination of the Relationship Between Vision Content and Amount of
Innovation in SMEs 20-44. [Crossref]
22. Sacha Stocklin. Building Capacity by Managing a Mission 115-139. [Crossref]