INTRODUCTION
In 1973 Peter Drucker wrote that "mission and philosophy is the key starting point in business" and claimed that the lack of thought and attention given to them as the cause of many frustrations and failures in business.
Subsequently Pearce (1982), David (1989), Campbell and Tawadey (1990) and others developed a body of knowledge on mission statements as a strategic tool essential for good management practice.
The Ashridge model:
MAINTAINING A CORPORATE FOCUS
mission statement is a powerful instrument which can significantly influence the actions of an organisation
Campbell and Tawadey (1990) put the mission statement into
the context of a mission model, entitled "The Ashridge
Mission Model", which comprises four elements:
*Purpose describes why the organisation exists
*Strategy focuses on how the purpose might be achieved
*Values are what the organisation cherishes and believes in
*Behaviour standards are the policies and patterns existing
within the organisation which guide and colour how it operates
*key issues are whether such elements have been addressed and
whether the organisation's stance is clearly understood by
all employees
* Strong links between the four elements will result in a
strong mission
During the 1990s attitudes to company mission statements were generally positive with more companies using them and academics and consultants engaged in defining and evaluating them. Most of this was within the context of strateg ...