THE QUALITY OF MISSION STATEMENTS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY: AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT

The present paper tries to advance knowledge on the quality of mission statements in the tourism industry. Despite the importance that strategic management literature have already recognized to a high quality mission statement for formulating, implementing and evaluating firms' strategy, minimal attention has been given to the understanding of the role and quality of mission statements in tourism firms. Mission statements of cruise companies are, in fact, an under-researched topic, considering that a relevant systematic study does not exist in the literature review. The theoretical analysis is completed by an empirical exploration, where we evaluate, using a content analysis technique, the mission statements of 44 cruise lines operating in the standard/ocean market and in the luxury/niche segments. We employ, in particular, three measures of "quality'' derived from academic literature: (1) inclusion of stakeholder groups; (2) mention of specific "mission" components (Target/Customers/Segments; Products; Location; Technology; Concern For Survival; Philosophy; Self Concept; Concern For Public Image; Concern For Employees); (3) reference to four goals assigned to mission statement: disclosure of the sense of future direction, definition of control mechanism, decision making guide, and a motivation tool for employees.. The results suggest that the statements fall short of meeting the quality criteria suggested by the strategic management literature and provides useful insights both for academics and practitioners. Variations from the "ideal" and high quality missions are discussed, together with the differences between the two market segments.