Marketing Plan For Tui Travel Plc Tourism Essay

Marketing Plan For Tui Travel Plc Tourism Essay This section resumes the marketing opportunities, strategy and financial objectives for senior manager who are in charge with the approval of the marketing plan. TUI Travel PLC is looking to extend its already integrated operations by opening a sightseeing division. The pilot will be executed in the UK, as London is one of the major destinations for overseas travellers. The company will be able to compete with the sightseeing at local level and the pilot out of London tour, which provides the same attractions as the three already established sightseeing tour operators. The product will be offered to all our customers, orientated principally to families and empty nesters. The primary marketing objective is in line with the corporate policies of integrating and offering customers a customised service suitable to their needs. 2 BUSINESS OVERVIEW TUI AG is considered the leading integrated tourism provider in Europe, it is divided in three sectors: TUI Travel PLC, TUI Hotels Resorts and the Cruise brands Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten and TUI Cruises. TUI Travel PLC was formed in 2007 by the merge of First Choice PLC and the Tourism Division of TUI AG. The company operates in four sectors: Mainstream, Specialist and Emerging Markets, Activity and Destination and Accommodation. According to Interbrand, the success of TUI AG as a corporation is the message embedded in its mission statement Putting a smile on peoples faces, along with their corporate culture of excellency aim to provide customers with an unforgettable experience during their holidays, while reinforcing sustainability in all its destinations. TUI Travel PLC possesses the strengths inherent from being part of a major corporation including brand awareness, comprehensive services, leading domestic player. The key opportunities come from the joint ventures and the growth in hotel industry. Its principal weakness is dependence in the European market; also face the threats of competition from low cost carriers and slowdown in the markets economy. Strengths Brand Awareness: TUI Travel PLC operates principally through First Choice and Thompson, both have a reputation for servicing the leisure travel customer, providing differentiated and flexible options to meet changes in demand. Comprehensive Services Having a broad range of services, the companys operations cover the whole tourism segments and the diverse stages of a holiday: from retail, tour operating, flying and accommodation up to additional services at the destination. The company owns a network of travel agencies with active presence in more than 15 markets in Europe, as well as a fleet of aircraft through TUI Fly. TUI Hotels provides hotel accommodation to its various destinations. Additionally, the company offers luxury and premium class cruise liners through its Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten joint venture. Leading domestic player The company supplies travel services for over 30 million customers from 27 source markets. It also provides airline services with a fleet of more than 146 aircraft and 350 retail shops in Europe. Additionally, TUI Hotels Resorts is considered the leading hotelier in Europe with around 243 hotels with approximately 154,000 beds in 28 countries. The major brands of hotels include Riu, Grupotel, Iberotel, Robinson, Grecotel, Magic Life, and Dorfhotel. Weaknesses Dependence on Europe TUI AG is greatly dependant on Europe for its income generation, around 79% of its revenues. High focus of operations in a single region increase the companys chances to more diverse risk exposure such as local factors i.e.: lower demand, severe weather conditions, labor strikes, change in regional laws and economic conditions, thus constraining the ability for growth. Opportunities Joint venture agreements In March 2009, TUI Travel and Air Berlin come into a long-term strategic partnership for their German sector flight segment, based on a cross ownership where TUI Travel, through a subsidiary, will have an interest of 19.9% in Air Berlin. Growing global hotels and motels industry The worldwide hotels and motels sector has observed a major growth in recent years. The industry performance is anticipated to recover further. With well-built geographic presence in hotel industry, TUI Hotel Motel is well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity head on. Treats Economic slowdown in Europe Since the companys revenues rely on the general economic conditions of the region and the economic position of Europe is projected to be weak after the recent chaos in financial markets and consumer attitude, it could reduce the demand for the companys products and services. Competition from low cost airlines Whereas traditional airlines are encountering rigorous challenges such as elimination of routes and reducing staff, the low cost sector carry on expanding at a incredible rate, trends show that the low cost carriers are becoming leading players on a considerable number of intra-European short -haul point-to-point routes. Strong competition from low cost airlines could negatively influence the companys operations. 3 MARKET OVERVIEW Although the tourism industry had a steady growth over the last few years, it is evident that it is not immune to the effects of economic and health alerts. According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of visits to the UK fell in 2008 for the first time since 2001, overseas residents made 31.9 million visits to the UK in 2008 compared with 32.8 million in 2007, a fall of 2.7 per cent. Despite the decline in the number of visits, spending on trips to the UK reached record levels during 2008; overseas residents coming to the UK spent a total of  £16.3 billion, an increase of 2.3 per cent on the 2007 figure (published 16th July 2009)  [1]   However the same office, has reported that in the three months to February 2010, compared with the previous three months, the seasonally adjusted results from the international Passenger Survey showed that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Overseas residents visits to the UK increased by 2 per cent to 7.5 million. Figures for the most recent months are provisional and subject to revision in light of (a) more accurate data on passenger figures becoming available at the end of each quarter (published 15th April 2010)  [2]   Although the figures above only represent the winter trends, gives an indication of improvement in the market. TUI Travel PLC, could see such indication as an opportunity to get stronghold in the market in the future. 3.1 CUSTOMER INFORMATION The company uses a policy based on its brand identification, for example First Choice is aimed primarily to families, while Thompson has characterised its segment target to be oriented to couples and seniors. Both segments assumed to have additional disposable income. 3.2 SERVICE INFORMATION As previously stated, the company offers an integrated range of tourist services, personalised according to customers demands and needs. Thus, in order to integrate further its operations the aim of this project is to highlight the relevance of a sightseeing venture to facilitate the overseas customers visiting UK for example. 4 OBJECTIVES The key objectives for the UK sightseeing division under TUI Travel PLC are: Further integration of services provide to overseas customers. Continue with the differentiation policies in all products offers. Aim to carry 50% of UK visitors from its various brands to different sightseeing attractions during the first year of operations. The carrying rates are to rise on 20% on yearly basis thereafter. 5 STRATEGY The UK Sightseeing division will provided customers with a friendly, personalised experience while using professionals guides to accompany groups in their trips to the historic and most relevant sights. 5.1 PRODUCT Initially the products will encompass the following products: London tourist sights: Panoramic of London, Photo stop at Buckingham Palace, Photo stop at Saint Paul Cathedral, Lunch in a traditional English pub, cruise for the river Thames and entrance to the London Eye. Outside London: Entrance to the Windsor Castle, Roman Bath with walking tour of the historic town, Lunch in a traditional English pub in Salisbury and entrance to Stonehenge. Customers will be pick-up from their hotels at a pre-determine time in order to ensure that all passenger are present at time of departure. At the meeting point customers will be introduce to their guide for the day and will be taken to the vehicles designated for the chosen tour. 5.2 PRICE Considering that there is three more sightseeing tour operators in the UK, the prices should be in line with similar products offers by the competitors in order to maintain the demand for the products. However, since the business unit will be part of a package holiday, TUI Travel will surely achieve a higher level of economies of scale when contracting the services of suppliers involved on the operational side of the tours. 5.3 PLACE PROMOTION Stores: The Company have to its disposition over 650 retail shops around UK, which will give them a competitive advantage over its competitors, as the three major sightseeing operators only serve London through their call centres. Website: First Choice and Thompson both enjoy large websites, which are characterised for being user friendly and easy to navigate, thus any customer interested in additional services will be able to find the combination of products suitable to their needs. Search engines optimization: To improve the discovery of the websites, UK sightseeing division will ensure that links are built within key Internet search engines sites, as well as key word register to the main domains (i.e. holidays, short breaks, all inclusive, etc) Advertising: Once the operational site of the UK sightseeing division is up and running, TUI Travel will make the announcement through its major website, as well as to link the release news on the websites for all its subsidiaries within the group, to ensure that customers booking holidays in advance are aware of the new available services. Public Relations: Prior to the opening the company will invite representatives from its hotel portfolio to enjoy the tours offered and request feedback on their views as to evaluate the services in offer. The company will arrange for a formal launch of its new division, inviting relevant press representatives from major newspapers as well as tourism specialised magazines. Promotion: High quality brochure is to be promoted and make available in all hotels belonging to the group for display (concierge desk for example) available to all customer staying at the hotels. 5.4 PEOPLE Appropriate staff is essential for a service to be perceived and recognised by its customer. The difference between customer retention or not is mostly attributed to the way services and management customer techniques are delivered by a company. Staff must have the suitable interpersonal skills, attitude, and service knowledge to give the service that consumers are paying for.  [3]   TUI is very supportive when it comes to training and ongoing development and believes it is vital that people are given opportunities to learn throughout their career. The company has its own dedicated in-house Learning and Development team and there are many opportunities for development such as workshops on a variety of topics, one-to-one coaching, e-learning and where appropriate, TUI support their staff to undertake professional and vocational qualifications relevant to their role. All staff has regular one-to-one reviews with their managers to support their ongoing development and explore further opportunities for training and development.  [4]   5.5 PROCESSES Relates to the systems used to aid a company to deliver the service. The company will ensure that time tables are kept in order to avoid delays on the running of the tours. Make certain that customers place their lunch order in time during the morning tour, as to ascertain that lunch meal will be served according to schedule. Any complains or recommendation should be dealt promptly to maintain customer confidence. 5.6 PHISICAL EVIDENCE The physical evidence is an important element of the service mix, customers evaluate their perceptions based on their view of the service provided, having an impact on the organisations perceptual plan of the overall service.  [5]   Primary the company will aim to close the gap between customer expectations and company perception of the customer needs. 6 BUDGETS Item Date Cost Measure of success Website adjustment 30 May  £2500 Number of hits per month 3000 Payment to search engines adv to increase exposure 15 June  £13000 All subsidiaries sites carrying links Brochure 01 June  £10000 Deliver to all hotels in the group Advertising in specialised magazines 01 June  £10000 Monthly slot secure for 6 months Site hosting costs 15 June  £8000 Google, Mozila secure feature on first page Launching Night 15 June  £5000 300 people attendance  £35,500 7 ACTION PLAN Action May June July Aug Improvement of website 07 Logo design align with TUI Travel 15 Link website into Sub- websites 20 Advert in magazines 27 Invite reps from news papers and mag 01 Launch night 15 Brochure delivery 10 Complimentary tours 01 First customer running tour 10 Measure of passengers on tours 10 Evaluation of results/correctives if needed 15 8 Evaluation of Results During this face of the project, the aim is to evaluate the overall performance of the tours operational and tactical side. TUI Travel subsidiaries websites (First Choice and Thompson) have the capability of allowing customers to publish live comments on their experience. A team will be assigned to evaluate and quantify the comments in order to assess the performance of tours, and implement correctives if necessary. 9 Conclusion Where TUI Travel to implement the above plan, it will improve further their policy of differentiation and facilitate customer choices at the time of browsing for a package holiday with London as a destination. The assumption is that the new business unit will be implemented as a pilot project to evaluate its feasibility and acceptance from customers in general, local and overseas travellers. TUI AG, continue to endorse its mission statement even in the light of lost of revenue in the case of natural disasters; like the one recently experience due to the Volcanic ash from Island which closed European airspace for over a week. TUI Travel PLC, announced on the 21st April that they were implementing their crisis plans, which included provision of welfare to customers in resorts and commencing the repatriation action as soon as possible. Their plan contemplate repatriation through coaches, ferries and owned cruises and according to their estimation all of its customers will be back in England by Friday 23rd April. Measures implemented as above, form milestone for brand recognition and undoubtedly give customer peace of mind, as they are confident that their travel company cares about them and will do whatever takes to ensure a safe return home. Individual Critical Reflection of Learning Outcomes During the course of the subject Marketing Management, I came to realise that marketing is a complex theme. The models and other techniques studied where made easy to understand by the tutor and the evaluation of it through practical examples facilitate the assimilation of the material. Personally I feel that the simulation done through the Marketing Game software was critical for the understanding in how marketing a product affects the whole of an organisation, and how the decisions made in terms of cost/investment can have both, positive or negative outcomes. Another skill that was put to the test relates to communication, as in some cases we were grouped in teams to solve/discuss material regarding the subject matter. Regarding the assignment I found it quite difficult to tackle as, first English is my second language and 2nd although I have presented written works before they were in my mother tongue and oriented to practical experiences rather than research itself. As a next step, I will work through future assignments with more time in order to share my queries with my tutor, as to ensure that I have understood the approach to be evaluated with the written work.

Dyslexia :: essays research papers

DYSLEXIA AND THE PHONOLOGICAL MODEL Over one hundred years ago, in November 1896, a doctor in Sussex, England, published the first description of the learning disorder that would come to be known as developmental dyslexia. "Percy F.,... aged 14,... has always been a bright and intelligent boy," wrote W. Pringle Morgan in the "British Medical Journal," "quick at games, and in no way inferior to others of his age. His great difficulty has been--and is now--his inability to learn to read.† (Sec 3) In that brief introduction, Morgan captured the illness that has intrigued and frustrated scientists for a century. In 2000 as in 1896, reading ability is taken as a substitute for intelligence; most people assume that if someone is smart, motivated and schooled, he or she will learn to read. But the experience of millions of dyslexics, like Percy F., has shown that assumption to be false. In dyslexia, the relation between intelligence and reading ability breaks down. Early explanations of dyslexia in the 1920s, held that defects in the visual system were to blame for the reversals of letters and words thought to typify dyslexic reading. Eye training was often prescribed to overcome these alleged visual defects. Later research has shown, however, that children with dyslexia are not unusually prone to reversing letters or words and that the deficit responsible for the disorder is related to the language system. In particular, dyslexia reflects a deficiency in the processing of the distinctive linguistic units, called phonemes that make up all spoken and written words. Current linguistic models of reading and dyslexia now provide an explanation of why some very intelligent people have trouble learning to read and performing other language-related tasks. Over the past twenty years, a consistent model of dyslexia has emerged that is based on phonological processing. The phonological model is consistent both with the clinical symptoms of dyslexia and with what neuroscientists know about brain organization and function. To understand how the phonological model works, one first has to consider the way in which language is processed in the brain. Researchers theorize the language system as a hierarchical series of modules or components, each devoted to a particular aspect of language. At the upper levels of the hierarchy are components involved with semantics (vocabulary or word meaning), syntax (grammatical structure) and discourse (connected sentences). At the lowest level of the hierarchy is the phonological module, which is dedicated to processing the distinctive sound elements that constitute language.

Character Compare and Contrast Essay

The 2 characters that are the main spotlight in this story are Jack and Ralph. They are great leaders but they have different ways of leading others. However they have different goals and that leads to arguments and in the end separation. Even in all the hardships, the littleuns still caused Ralph and Jack to add another worry about the â€Å"beast† into their list of worries Even though Jack and Ralph are innocent and mature at the start, they will break mentally in the end without civilisation to keep them sane. Jack and Ralph are great leaders but they have different ways of leading. Jack’s way of leading is more into the dictator type but Ralph is more into the democracy type. Ralph likes to get ideas and ask for volunteers to do them while Jack likes to tell others what to do.Even though they all agreed to the cliffs and the outhouses and there always has to be water in the coconut shells, but they all forgot about it and do it everywhere. As time passes arguments happens and they fought for leadership. Even though Jack and Ralph work well together but different goals caused them to separate. Jack’s goal is to hunt pigs and go wild in the forest ,but Ralph’s goal is to get off the island and stay alive. They are enthusiastic about the idea of building a signal fire to go back home, the hunters who are supposed to look after it were too focused on hunting the pig for food and left it to go out at the most crucial point. While they are hunting and the fire went out, a ship came pass by and went past them like they didn’t even exist.This accident caused Ralph and Jack into an argument that would eventually lead to separation. The littleuns like to play around but even though they they don’t have to do anything, they also have to make Jack and Ralph worry about the â€Å"beast.† Even though the littleums don’t have to do anything, they still have to create problems by lighting a spark of fear into others by the story of the â€Å"beast.† The day after the kid with the birthmark told them about the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"beast,† he’s gone and no one has yet seen him and they just took him out of their memories and made him disappear like he never existed. Even though the fear of the â€Å"beast’s† gone, once a fear of it is lit it would stay there forever and hunt them even in their dreams. Once they all are mentally broken, Jack took action and rebelled, overthrowing Ralph’s leadership. Even though both Jack and Ralph has the same background and have a similar life style, they still argue with each other and fought over the conch, the symbol of leadership. Jack and Ralph are great leaders but they have different ways of leading and thinking. They also have 2 different priorities which Ralph’s is staying alive and getting off the island back to their homes, but Jack’s priority is to hunt and go wild. Even though they have to worry about who’s in power constantly, the littleuns still have to light a spark of fear that gradually built up like pressure in a pressure tank and once it went over the limit, it blew. Even though they fought and argued they still did well staying alive even with out adults. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the flies. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 2012. Print

No need for a Mission Statement or Corporate Objectives.

No need for a Mission Statement or Corporate Objectives. Free Online Research Papers This essay examines the need for a company to construct a Mission Statement. This statement generally contains the central values and beliefs of the firm and it must be adhered to by all employees. However, the question posed here is that in today’s intensified competitive business world, is there any requirement for such a document. There is no doubt that competition has become the focal point of many businesses’ concentration, with a perceived neglect of these beliefs and values. This is simply a reflection of the market. In saying this, it is still my opinion that there is a place for companies to make and adhere to a Mission Statement. I will further develop my opinion on this. Introduction: â€Å"If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there† Raymond G Viault, CEO, Jacobs Suchard, Switzerland. â€Å"A voyage of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It is important that that step is in the right direction.† Old Chinese saying, undated. â€Å"How can we go forward when we don’t know which way we are facing?† John Lennon, 1972. â€Å"Most strategic planning involves preparing dense documents filled with numbers and jargon. But building the process around the picture yields much better results† (Chan Kim and Mauborgne, June 2002,p.77). Mission, vision, values and strategic goals are appropriately called directional strategies because they guide strategists when they make key organisational decisions (Duncan et al, p.1 87). In this paper we examine the key directional strategies of the organisation and their application to real world situations. The mission - providing direction: The mission of an organisation attempts to capture the distinctive purpose or reason for being. Primarily it is a statement of purpose and when clearly understood the complexity of the environment can be reduced and organised in a way that can be analysed in light of the goals the organisation wishes to achieve. Thompson (2002, p.93) suggests that a mission statement should not address what an organisation must do in order to survive, but rather what it has chosen to do in order to thrive. It should be positive, visionary and motivating. Ackoff (1986) proposes that a good mission statement have five characteristics: It will contain a formulation of objectives that enables progress towards them to be measured, It differentiates the company from its competitors, It defines the business that the company wants to be in, not necessarily is in, It is relevant to all stakeholders in the firm, not just shareholders and managers, It is exciting and inspiring. Campbell (1989) argues that to be valuable mission statements must reflect corporate values, and the strategic leader and the organisation as a whole should be visibly pursuing the mission. He takes a wider perspective to include aspects of the corporate vision arguing that there are four issues involved in developing a useful mission. Firstly, it is important to clarify the purpose of the organisation and why it exists. Secondly, the business and its activities should be described and the position that it wants to achieve in its field. Thirdly, the organisation’s values should be stated. How does the company intend to treat its employees, customers and suppliers? Finally, it is important to ensure that the organisation behaves in the way that it promises it will. This is imperative because it can inspire trust in employees and others who significantly influence the organisation. Mission statements can all too easily just state the obvious and as a result have little real valu e. The secret lies in clarifying what makes a company different and a more effective competitor, rather than simply restating those requirements that are essential for meeting key success factors. Companies that succeed long term are those which create competitive advantages and sustain their strong positions with flexibility and improvement. Both the vision and mission should support this. As noted by Thompson (2002, p.94) the principal purpose of these statements is communication, both internally and externally and a major benefit for organisations is the thinking they are forced to do in order to establish sound statements. It is essential that the mission or indeed the vision is more than a plaque on a wall in the foyer; employees have to make the words mean something through their actions. For a mission statement to be a living document, employees must feel that the organisation actually means what it is saying in the mission and vision statements and must develop a sense of ownership, commitment and purpose in its implementation. Critically there must be an element of trust, for without it the desired outcomes will not be achieved. Employees should be involved in the development and communication of the mission and top-level management must be committed including the CEO in mission formulation. The mission clearly should correspond to the basic philosophy or visio n underlying the business, and if there is a sound philosophy, strategies that generate success will be derived from it. In the hierarchy of goals, the mission captures the organisation’s distinctive character. It is not merely an expression of hope but is an attempt to capture the essence of purpose and commit it to writing. In essence, an organisational mission is a broadly defined and enduring statement of purpose that distinguishes a health care organisation from other organisations of its type and identifies the scope of its operations in product, service and market terms (Duncan et al, 2006, p.188). As noted by Duncan et al (2006, p.189) the mission statement is a crucially important part of strategic goal setting. It is the superordinate goal that stands the test of time and assists senior managers and indeed workers in navigating through periods of turbulence and change. It is described as â€Å"the stake in the ground that provides the anchor for strategic planningà ¢â‚¬ . However, mission statements cannot be substituted for well-conceived and carefully formulated strategies. A sense of mission is not a guarantee for success. The organisation has to adhere to the mission and regularly review it to be sure it remains relevant in changing times and should carefully evaluate strategic decisions with the use of its mission statement. When new opportunities present for the organisation, there are three critical questions to be considered such as â€Å"are we not doing some things we should be doing†, are we doing some things we should not be doing? and are we doing some things we should continue to do but in a fundamentally different way?† to determine whether or not the new opportunity is consistent with its essential distinctiveness. As outlined by Duncan et al (2006, p. 193) there is no single way to develop and write mission statements. To define the distinctiveness of an organisation, mission statements must critically emphasise those aspects of the business that make them unique. Mission statements invariably include the target customer and market, they indicate the principal services delivered or provided by the organisation, specify the geographical area within which the organisation intends to concentrate its activities, identifies the organisation’s philosophy, confirms the preferred self-image and desired public image. Components such as organisational philosophy, self-concept and desired public image are particularly associated with higher performing organisations (Bail et al, 1999). Academics and consultants have developed an armoury of tools to help companies understand their strategic positioning. Chan Kim and Mauborgne (2002, p.78) describe the drawing of a strategy canvas as a â€Å"unique tool to mapping strategic direction.. .11 does three things in one picture†. It shows the strategic profile of an industry by depicting very clearly the factors that affect competition among industry players as well as possible future factors, it shows the strategic profile of current and potential competitors, identifying which factors they invest in strategically and finally it draws the company’s strategic profile or value curve, showing how it invests in the factors of competition and how it might invest in them in the future. Southwest Airline’s profile is a perfect example of a good strategy, because it shows the three complementary qualities that characterise an effective strategy: focus, divergence and a compelling tag line â€Å"the speed of a plane at the price of a car whenever you need it†. As noted by Chan Kim and Mauborgne (2002, p. 83) â€Å"Completing the four steps of visualising strategy will put strategy back into strategic planning, and it will greatly improve your chances of coming up with a wining formula. As Aristotle pointed out â€Å"The soul never thinks without an image†. Vision - an expression of hope: Vision is a description of what the organisation will be like and look like when it is fulfilling its purpose. Effective visions possess four important attributes: idealism, uniqueness, future orientation and imagery. Visions are about ideals, standards, and desired future states. Effective visions are statements of destinations that provide a compass heading to where the organisation’ s leadership collectively want to go. Visions are built on images of the future and images motivate people to pursue the seemingly impossible. As aptly put by Gerry M Murphy, CEO, Greencore plc, Ireland â€Å"strategy development is like driving around a roundabout. The signposts are only useful if you know where you want to go. Some exits lead uphill, some downhill - most are one-way streets and some have very heavy traffic indeed. The trick is in picking the journey’s end before you set out - otherwise you go around in circles or pick the wrong road†. The job of building a vision for an organisation is frequently referred to as pathfinding. As noted by Duncan et al, 2006 the goal of the pathfinder is to provide a vision, find the paths the organisation should pursue, and provide a clearly marked trail for those who will follow. A vision-led organisation is guided by a philosophy to which leaders are committed but that has not yet become obvious in the daily life of the organisation. The role of the strategic leader must be the keeper of vision, who holds on to the vision even when others have lost hope. For an organisational vision to be successful it must be clear, coherent, consistent, have communicative power and be flexible. An effective vision must remain open to change as the picture of the future changes and as the strategic capabilities of the organisation emerges and changes over time. Although visions are futuristic and based on hope, they require strategic leaders who can articulate the vision and translate it into term s that everyone in the organisation understands and accepts. It should translate into a common language and ordinary currency. Values what we stand for and believe in: Values are the fundamental principles that organisations stand for and which makes them unique. Ethical behaviour and socially responsible decision making are often associated with organisational values. It is important that managers, employees and key stakeholders understand the values that are expected to drive an organisation. Mission, vision and value statements are tools for â€Å"getting better at what we do†. Framed mission, vision, values and slogans are merely exercises and futile if they are not made real by commitment and action. As noted by Treacy and Wiersema (1993, p.84) â€Å"Companies that have taken leadership positions in their industries in the last decade typically have done so by narrowing their business focus, not broadening it. They have focused on delivering superior customer value in line with one of three value disciplines - operational excellence, customer intimacy or product leadership†. Dell for instance is a master of operational excellence - providing customers with reliable products or services at competitive prices and delivered with minimal difficulty or inconvenience. Customer intimacy, the second value discipline, is about segmenting and targeting markets precisely and then tailoring offerings to match exactly the demands of those niches. Companies that excel in customer intimacy combine detailed customer knowledge with operational flexibility so they can respond quickly to almost any need, from customising a product to fulfilling special requests. As a consequence these comp anies engender tremendous customer loyalty such as Home Depot which is better than any other company in its market at getting the customer precisely the product or information he/she wants. The key guiding principle of the newly structured Irish health services (Health Service Executive) is that all decisions at the HSE should be measured against what will deliver the best care for patients. â€Å"It is vital that the enthusiasm of our staff is harnessed by working in collaboration and communicating with each other, by building relationships and working as true partners and teams†(p.6). As aptly put by Duncan et al (2006, p. 185) in the health care environment, with its emphasis on cost reduction, consumer loyalty assumes strategic importance because loyal customers enable the organisation to make money, save money and save time. Placing the customer first is an organisational value that must permeate the entire staff at all levels, yet placing the customer first cannot be achieved without also having the organisation value employee loyalty - customer loyalty starts with employee loyalty. Loyalty is a long-term commitment and is dependent on an organisation’s ability to consistently deliver a memorable customer experience that leaves them with an ongoing favourable image, feeling and union with the provider. A memorable customer experience is not from a single event but transcends many differentiating service encounters across a wide spectrum of employee-customer interactions. Customer loyalty is much more fundamental than just customer satisfaction and is c ritical in highly competitive markets, In essence, the organisation that has a value to place customers first and values employees who achieve customer loyalty will have value itself (Duncan et al, 2006, p. 186). Strategic goal setting - towards mission accomplishment: Goal-setting should be focused on those areas that are critical to mission accomplishment. Mission statements and strategic goals should be consistent, compatible and aligned with each other, for instance does the mission provide for the formulation of a set of goals that are specific enough to give guidance to the organisation yet broad enough to provide for the necessary flexibility required? Duncan et al (2006,p. 208) identifies critical success factors as the foundations for strategic goal setting. The strategic goals, in turn, become the anchors for objectives and action plans. Critical success factors are those activities that organisations must engage in and do in order for the organisation to achieve high performance and must be compatible with the mission, vision and values. Leaders must identify a relatively small number of activities that are critical and essential to accomplish the mission aid build momentum to realise the vision Strategic goals provide more specific direction in accomplishing the mission and vision and possess characteristics such as: Activities critical to mission accomplishment, The link between critical success factors and strategic momentum, Formulated by leaders but have a common currency and language throughout the organisation, Limited in number. Evaluating Mission Statements: In managing strategic momentum, managers should continuously assess the performance of the organisation against the mission, vision, values and goals to determine whether they remain appropriate and critically revisiting the road map again. Engaging as many groups and stakeholders as possible throughout the organisation in developing directional strategies is critical in building a successful future for the organisation. In the HSE Corporate Plan Professor Drumm CEO notes â€Å"As this Plan has been framed during a time of transition, we would envisage that we may need to incorporate additional actions, or indeed revisit some actions, during the life of the Plan†(p. 5). It is critical that not just a partial but full evaluation takes place in order that the Irish Health Services, delivered as a single entity continues to strive towards achieving the organisational vision of â€Å"consistently providing equitable services of the highest quality to the population we serve†. We wait to see if the mission statement, as set out in diagrammatic format attached, proves to be â€Å"the stake in the ground that provides the anchor for strategic planning†. All of this evidence can only serve to show the true importance of having a mission statement. I will now discuss the mission statement in terms of the respective schools of strategic management. Prescriptive Emergent Schools There are many ways to think about strategic management in organisations. In fact, Henry Mintzberg identified ten distinct schools of thought concerning organisational strategy. Three of these approaches were prescriptive: the design (conceptual) school, the planning (formal) school and the positioning (analytical) school. Six schools of thought were descriptive (emergent, intuitive) and dealt with philosophical approaches to strategic management: the entrepreneurial school (a visionary process), the cognitive school (a mental process), the learning school (an emergent school), the political school (a power process), the cultural school (an ideological process), and the environmental school (a passive process). The final school of thought, the configurational school, specifies the stages and sequence of the process and attempts to place the findings of the other schools in context. Given the careful reasoning of the proponents of these various approaches to strategic management, it is safe to assume that there is no one best way to think or learn about strategy making in organisations. Prescriptive approaches to strategic management rely on the development of a logical sequence of steps or processes (linear thinking). Emergent models, on the other hand, rely on intuitive thinking, and learning and are viewed as being a part of managing. Both approaches are valid and useful in explaining an organisation’s strategy. However, neither the prescriptive nor the emergent assumption, by itself, is enough. David K. Hurst explained: â€Å"The key question is not under which of these approaches of action is right, or even which is better, but when and under what circumstances they are useful to understand what managers should do. Modern organisational life is characterised by movements between periods of calm, when prospective rationality seems to work, and periods of turmoil, when nothing seems to work. A t some times, analysis is possible: at other times, only on the ground experience will do.† As a result, both approaches are required. It is difficult to initiate and sustain organisational action without some predetermined logical plan. Yet in a dynamic competitive market, managers must expect to learn and establish new directions as they progress. In reality, the methods are both complementary and contradictory- the prescriptive approach is similar to a map, whereas the emergent model is similar to a compass. Both may be used to guide one to a destination but in some cases they may indicate different routes. Maps are better in known worlds – worlds that have been charted before. Compasses are helpful when leaders are not sure where they are and have only a general sense of direction. Therefore, what is needed is some type of model that provides guidance or direction to strategic managers, yet incorporates learning and change. I f strategy making can be approached in a disciplined way, then there will be an increased likelihood of its successful implementation. A model or map of how strategy may be developed will help organisations view their strategies in a cohesive, integrated and systematic way. Models are abstractions that attempt to identify, simplify, and explain processes, patterns, and relationships inherent within certain situations. As a result, models are quite useful because they circumvent the need to store masses of data and allow us to recognise the logic underlying a series of interdependent activities. Without a model or map, managers run the risk of becoming totally incoherent, confused in perception, and muddled in practice. Conclusion: As I have stated during this essay, a mission statement is vital to a company’s success. This still rings true in today’s competitive environment and in the schools of strategic management. The reasons for this have been explored throughout. I hope I have succeeded in proving my point that a mission statement is still an important part of a company’s palns. Bibliography: 1. Chan Kim,W, Mauborgne, R, Charting Your Company’s Future, Harvard Business Review, June 2002. 2. Health Matters, Summer 2006, Volume 2 Issue 2. 3. Swayne, L. E.,Duncan, WJ.,Ginter, P.M. Strategic Management of Health Care Organisations, 2006 Blackwell Publishing, London. 5. Thompson, J.L. Strategic Management, 2002, Gray Pubishing, Tunbridge Wells. 6. Thompson, J.L. Understanding Corporate Strategy, 2001, Gray Publishing, Tunbridge Wells. 7. Treacy,M, Wiersema, F Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines, Harvard Business Review, Jan/Feb 1993, Vol. 71 Issue 1. Research Papers on "No need for a Mission Statement or Corporate Objectives.†Open Architechture a white paperBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfResearch Process Part OneWhere Wild and West MeetAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Project Managment Office SystemDefinition of Export QuotasMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalMind Travel

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