The meaning of mission statements
Investors can learn a lot from the way that companies describe their goals
“WE ARE A community company committed to maximum global impact. Our mission is to elevate the world’s consciousness.” The opening lines of WeWork’s prospectus for its planned initial public offering in 2019 seem to confirm the worst about mission statements. People sit in a room earnestly discussing the differences between their purpose, their vision and their mission. There are whiteboards and bottles of kombucha. Nonsense ensues.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Why mission statements matter”
Business October 23rd 2021
- Samsung Electronics wants to dominate cutting-edge chipmaking
- Facebook’s rumoured name-change reflects ambition—and weakness
- The meaning of mission statements
- All manner of industries are piling into the hydrogen rush
- Zhongwang, a Chinese aluminium giant, resists American pressure
- Huawei should dissolve, disperse and seed China’s high-tech future
From the October 23rd 2021 edition
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