Strategic Management: Mission & Vision Statements

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Executive Summary Mission statements and vision statements potentially have great power, if properly utilized. Southwest Airlines Company has a powerful presence. This presence would do well to be transformed into a clearly defined mission statement and vision statement. The following are recommendations for updating the currently publicized mission and vision statements, as well as restatement options for their organizational goals. Strategic Management: Mission & Vision Statements Southwest Airlines Company has both Mission and Vision Statements posted on their website. The lack of substance within these statements are reflective of the commonly accepted notion that strategy is overshadowed by change and speed, and that business moves so fast that a leader cannot afford to pause long enough to establish a Mission and Vision statement (Hammonds, 2001). This, of course, is absolutely not true! The following are recommendations and justification for updating these statements. Vision Statement There can be many not easily quantifiable behaviors that contribute to an organizations success. A vision statement speaks to perpetuating good behavior and should also do the following: • Reflect the corporation culture and values system • Inspire and guide employees as they conduct business • Reflect an overly optimistic view of future company goals • Speak to the needs of current and potential customers • Be open to changes in organizational strategy Southwest Airlines Company has made great strides towards supporting their triple bottom line, which they identify as ‘our Performance, Our People, and our Planet’. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had 34,901 active fulltime equivalent employees, consisting of flight, maintenance, ground, Customer, fleet service, management, accounting, marketing, and clerical personnel. Employees make a positive

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