Is Saudia Airlinesa Good Mission Statement?

Andrew Campbell, a director of Ashridge Strategic Management Centre and a long-time contributor to LongRange Planning, proposes a means for evaluating a mission statement. Arguing that mission statements can be more than just an expression of a companys purpose and ambition, he suggests that they can also be a company flag to rally around, a signpost for all stakeholders, a guide to behavior, and a celebration of a companys culture. For a company trying to achieve all of the above, evaluate its mission statement using the following 10-question test. Score each question 0 for no, 1 for somewhat, or 2 for yes. According to Campbell, a score of over 15 is exceptional, and a score of less than 10 suggests that more work needs to be done.

Does the statement describe an inspiring purpose that avoids playing to the selfish interests of the stakeholders? Score1. The statement talks of improving the reputation of Saudia, which is good. However, it leaves out so many other stakeholders like the broader customers it will serve, shareholders among others. It sounds like one which appeals to the selfish interests of Saudia as a host country.

Does the statement describe the companys responsibility to its stakeholders? No. What it does is offering a blanket statement, and at no point does it specify particular responsibility for its stakeholders. However, there is one key message from the statement, enhancing its reputation, which is a responsibility to stockholders who benefit whenever that is achieved, and improving the companys image. We have to ask who benefits from a strong reputation and excellent image. It would be good if it specified.

Does the statement define a business domain and explain why it is attractive? No. The statement does not attempt to mention its business domain. It just leaves the message, maybe for readers to deduce for themselves.I wouldnt call it attractive since anyone who comes across it may not be sure what it is all about unless someone explains.

Does the statement describe the strategic positioning that the company prefers in a way that helps to identify the sort of competitive advantage it will look for? Somewhat. Its strategic positioning seems to be in the Saudia Kingdom, and the fact that it is emphasizing on reputation and image means they know the market expectations.

Does the statement identify values that link with the organizations purpose and act as beliefs with which employees can feel proud? No. The statement does not talk about the companys culture, which would reveal their values. Fundamentally, it does not address employees at any point, despite being important stakeholders.

Do the values resonate with and reinforce the organizations strategy? No. The statement does not mention the companys values.

Does the statement describe important behavior standards that serve as beacons of the strategy and the values? No. The statement does not describe any important behavior standards. In fact, other than a description of their role as a company in the market, there is no other real important in it.

Are the behavior standards described in a way that enables individual employees to judge whether they are behaving correctly? No. The mission statement does not talk about behavior standards to enable answer this question.

Does the statement give a portrait of the company, capturing the culture of the organization? No. The mission statement does not figuratively or otherwise capture what the organization stands for. At least, not from what the mission statement talks about.

Is the statement easy to read? Yes. It is very straight, and short. I could even judge it as too short to address critical issues which are pertinent to a good mission statement.