Introduction
A mission statement describes the reason why a company or a business organization was formed. It gives guidance to the organization activities and its achievement of long term goals. A vision statement gives the picture of the company. It inspires the strategic planning of the organization.
The vision statement outlines what the organization wishes to achieve and how it will achieve it. Values statement outlines the benefits of the organization that are shared among the stakeholders (The business vision and company mission statement, 2007).
This essay analyses the mission, vision and values statement of Kraft Foods Group and gives recommendations on how the statements can be improved.
Company’s Mission Statement and Analysis
The mission of Kraft Foods Group is “to be North America’s best food & Beverage Company” (Kraft, 2013). This mission informs that the organization cares about improving the lifestyles of their consumers. Its mission is to provide the best quality foods and offer the best services in the region.
Providing best foods and beverages also means that the company aims at providing healthy food that will benefit the consumers in terms of their health. This mission statement holds a lot of information about the company.
It speaks a lot about the products and the services that the organization provides. By reading the mission statement, one is able to know that the services provided there are of high quality and that they are aimed to provide absolute satisfaction and value for money.
In addition, the mission statement informs the customer that The Kraft Foods Group is an organization that is concerned with the well -being of their customers. The organization is not just aimed at making profits.
Rather, it also ensures that the foods they provide are healthy, and that they are not harmful to the health of consumers. The organization aim is to be the best in all categories, which include services, food taste and quality, customer and employee satisfaction.
The mission is an accurate one for an organization like Kraft Foods Group. It has a heritage that it is aiming to have a future that is even brighter and greater (Welch & Welch, 2008).
Company’s Vision and Analysis
The company’s vision is “to make a legacy” (Kraft, 2013). This is a very interesting vision by Kraft Foods Group since it gives the reader a very big picture of what the organization is really about. For one to leave a legacy, first they must have made a rare achievement.
Second, they must have done the best compared to the rest of the competitors. Therefore, the company aims to provide the best services to be distinguished from the competitors in order to make a legacy.
By doing so, it will have to help people eat well and live better by providing quality food. The vision is the one that guides the organization activities, and it is actually written in bold on the first page of their website.
They have to meet the consumer needs and ensure satisfaction. The company has to treat its employees in a distinct manner.
Every stakeholder is expected to act in the guidance of this vision (McNamara, 2009). The company is aiming at having a great future, and this is in line with its vision to make a legacy.
Company’s Values and Analysis
The company’s website does not give a clear statement about its values. However, close examination of its activities can give an idea of its values. The values of Kraft Foods Group are safety, quality, innovation, integrity, and respect.
These values can be summed up in one word; “responsibility” (Kraft, 2013). From its mission which is to become the best food and beverages company in North America, it is clear that the company values quality and innovation.
These are the two values that can be highly effective in making it the best. It is important to note that innovation is the life blood of most organizations today. As a result, valuing innovation will definitely take the company to greater heights as it aims to be in the future.
The company also aims at providing the best foods to their customers. This is an indication that it values respect to their customers and it embraces integrity in that it does the right thing to both its customers and employees (McNamara, 2009).
Alignment of Company’s Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals with Stakeholders’ Interests
The stakeholders of any company are people who have varying interests in the organization. They include customers, employees, shareholders, as well as the managers and directors (12manage.com., 2009). Each of the above stakeholders aims to get maximum benefits from the organization.
As a result, the mission, vision, and the values of the company must be in line with the interests of its stakeholders (Luca, 2007). The mission statement should not be filled with jargons, which do not give direction to the organization.
Most companies have failed to succeed since their mission statements lack clarity, and it becomes difficult for such organizations to pursue any objective. The mission statement should be long- term. It should give the long term objectives of the organization.
It should answer the questions of: “What is the purpose of our organization? Where do we want to be in the future?”
The vision of an organization, on the other hand, gives the short term objectives of the company. The vision should give guidance to the day-to-day activities of the organization. It should be short and clear. The vision leads to the attainment of the company’s mission.
Finally, the values should give guidance to what the organization stands for. It is important for any organization to have strong values that will give it a competitive advantage (Heathfield, 2009).
The mission of Kraft Foods Group is to become the best food and Beverages Company in North America (Kraft, 2013). This mission statement is one that gives a long term sight for the organization. It is a short statement, but it carries a lot of weight.
Being the best in North America indicates that the company will offer the best quality products and services to create a strong consumer base. This is in line with the customer interests since customers wants to get the best from any organization.
The vision of Kraft Foods Group is to make a legacy (Kraft, 2013). Therefore, it thrives to be the best in terms of services provision. This vision leads to satisfaction of customer needs since the company aims at offering safe and healthy foods.
This will increase the level of sale and hence cater for the shareholders’ interests. The success of the organization is the major interest of its managers and directors. The company also values employees, thus all their interests are catered for.
Workplace and culture are outlined as the responsibilities of the company. Through corporate governance, the rights of shareholders are respected and valued. Kraft Foods Group has the outline compliance and integrity as one of its responsibilities (Heathfield, 2009).
Therefore, it complies with all the legal requirements that are laid by the government. The interests of the government as a stakeholder are, therefore, aligned with the mission statement, vision and values.
Recommended Changes
The mission statement of Kraft Foods Group is one that can be admired and shows the commitment of the organization toward achievement of its goals. To be the best, there must be commitment from all stakeholders. However, the mission is too general and may sound unattainable.
The mission could be made better by categorizing their goals. For instance, the statement could state that Kraft Foods Group wants to be the best retailer in the region or aims to make the most sales. This sounds more attainable and the stakeholders will direct all their efforts towards that.
In the process, the company will eventually become the best in North America. On the other hand, the vision statement of Kraft Foods Group is to make a legacy. In my opinion, the vision statement could be improved by outlining the ways in which the company intends to make that legacy.
This would give a more clear guidance to the employees. The values of the organization are the best that any organization would have. However, it can be added on by including its cultural and change value.
Conclusion
The mission, vision and value statements of an organization are very important since they give guidance to its activities. They give a description of the purpose of the organization and also the fate that it wants to achieve in the future.
It is, therefore, important that when the managers and directors of an organization are designing its mission, vision and value statements, they should take time to think critically about what is best for that organization.
References
12manage.(2009).Stakeholder analysis. Assessing who or what really counts. 12manage: The executive fast track. Web.
Heathfield, S. M. (2009). Build a strategic framework: mission statement, vision, values. Web.
Kraft, (2013). Kraft. Web.
Luca, A. M. (2007). Organizational stakeholders. Power Point presentation
McNamara, C. (2009). Basics of developing mission, vision and values statements. Web.
The business vision and company mission statement. (2007). Web.
Welch, J., & Welch, S. (2008). State your business: Too many mission statements are loaded with fatheaded jargon. Play it straight. Businessweek, 4066(80). Web.