1.3 Organisational objectives Flashcards
Mission statement
A statement of the business’s core aims, phrased in a way to motivate employees and to stimulate interest by outside groups
Vision statement
A statement of what the organisation would like to achieve or accomplish in the long term
Reasons for vision and mission statement
Quickly inform groups outside the business of aim and vision
Motivate employees
Guide individual employee behaviour if it is based on work
Explains what the business is about
Criticisms of vision and mission statement
Too vague
Based on a public relations exercise to make stakeholders feel good
impossible to analyse
No specific detail
Corporate aims
The long term goals which a business hopes to achieve
Divisional/operational objectives
Short or medium term goals or targets usually specific in nature which must be achieved for an organisation to attain its corporate aims
Benefits of a corporate aim
Become the starting point for divisional/operational objectives on which effective management is based.
Can help develop a sense of purpose and direction for the whole organisation
Allow an assessment to be made
provide the framework within which the strategies or plans of the business can be drawn up
What should operational objectives be?
SMART
What does SMART stand for?
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic and relavant
Time specific
Why are divisional, operational objectives set by senior managers?
Coordination between all divisions
Consistency with strategic corporate objectives
Adequate resources are provided to allow for the successful achievement of the objectives
Hierarchy of objectives
Aim
Corporate objectives
Divisional objectives
Departmental objectives
Individual targets
Example of an aim
To maximise shareholder value
Example of a corporate objective
To increase profits of all division by 10% per year
Example of a divisional objective
For marketing would be to increase profit margins by 7%
Example of an individual target
For marketing would be increase shares by an average of 5% per client
Strategy
A long term plan of action for the whole organisation, designed to achieve a particular goal
Tactic
Short term policy or decision aimed at resolving a particular problem or meeting a specific part of the overall strategy
Differences between strategy and tactics
Strategy decisions are long term
Strategy decisions are difficult to reverse once made
Strategy decisions are taken by directors
Strategy decisions are cross functional
What are the common corporate aims
Profit maximisation
Profit satisfying
Growth
Increasing market share
Survival
Maximising short term sales revenue
Maximising shareholder value
Disadvantages of profit maximisation objective
High short term profits can lead to competitors to enter the market
Small business owners are more concerned over independence
Most businesses look at return on capital employed
Not liked by all stakeholders
Difficult to determine profit maximisation
Disadvantages of growth objective
Over rapid expansion can lead to cash flow problems
Can come at the expense of profit margins
Large businesses can experience diseconomies of scale
Growth in new business areas can lead to loss of focus
Advantages of being brand leader with the highest market share
Retailers want to stock the best selling brand
Profit margins offered to retailers can be lower than for competing brands as shops are so keen to stock it, more profit for the producer
Promotional campaigns can say that they are the brand leader
Ethics
Moral guidelines that determine decision making
Ethical code
A document detailing a company’s rules and guidelines on staff behaviour that must be followed by all employees