2Mod 1 Week 1Contains Module 1 Week 1 General Mil
To begin, please note that you are required to post each week (i.e., posting in Week 1 and Week 2 of Module 1 is a requirement of this course). We are going to have discussions on strategic management topics, as they apply to companies.
For this assignment, we will focus on General Mills, a multinational food manufacturing company: http://www.generalmills.com/
WEEK 1:
As you research General Mills, you may want to compare and contrast that company with the other food service retailers – such as Kraft Foods, Nestle, Tyson Foods, ConAgra, and Kellogg.
Please visit the General Mills site, and identify the company’s mission and vision, as well as their major stakeholders (you may need to interpret and/or make assumptions here, as all mission and vision statements are not crystal clear – nor are they always explicitly stated. You should note that the stakeholders aren’t simply the shareholders. “Stakeholders” include everyone and anyone who is affected by the success or failure of the company).
Response #1
Mod1 Week1
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posted Apr 29, 2019 6:30 PM
Hello Class,
All companies should have a mission statement. It does not have to be long, but it should give a snapshot of what the company is about and what it does. Strategic Management tells us that a mission statement expresses a company’s goals purpose and values. (The Business Vision, n.d.). It took some time for me to find the General Mills Mission Statement. It of course was not labeled “Mission Statement”. It states, “We serve the world by making food people love.” (General Mills, n.d.). If I understand the definition of a mission statement correctly, their mission statement expresses what they do and who they do it for. Their vision statement was a list of statements. They express their passion and values.
Company stakeholders are those businesses or people who would suffer a loss if something negative were to happen to the company. Some of the stakeholders for General Mills are their management teams and board of directors. The company must ensure to make decisions that benefit the company as well as their stakeholders.
References
General Mills. (n.d.). Our Purpose. Retrieved from https://www.generalmills.com/en/Company/purpose
The Business Vision. (2007). The Business Vision and Company Mission Statement. QuickMBA. Retrieved from http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/vision/
Response #2
Mod 1 Week 1
Contains unread posts
posted Apr 29, 2019 4:35 AM
A company’s mission statement is a description of what an organization does and why it exists (Heathfield, 2009). General Mills clearly sites its mission statement on its website as its purpose: “we serve the world by making food people love” (“Purpose”, n.d., para. 1).
In contrast, a vision is a declaration of what an organization wants to become (Heathfield, 2009).Despite some in-depth searching, General Mills seems to be lacking a clear vision. The company provides great depth and information about other topics such as their values which are putting people first, making food with passion and treating the world with care however, there is no clearly laid out vision (“Purpose”, n.d.). This is in unlike their competitor Kraft which openly states their vision “to be the best food company, growing a better world” (“Investor Relations”, n.d., para. 1). However, if trying to interpret a vision for General Mills one could look for inspiration in the value General Mills is trying to create. This value is based on “continually enhancing our products by improving nutrition, expanding variety, and increasing sustainability” (“Creating Value”, n.d., para. 1). Therefore, the company vision could be interpreted as: General Mills is recognized as a premier food producer through their production of nutritious and sustainable food products.
Finally, an organization’s stakeholders are “individuals and groups of individuals who have an interest (give-and-take) relationship with the firm” (Luca, 2007, p. 3). In a message to General Mills stakeholders, CEO Jeffrey Harmening states that his company’s stakeholders are “consumers, works, communities and the planet” (Global Responsibility Report, 2019, p. 3). In addition to this and based on General Mills engagements around the world, these stakeholders can also be expanded to include suppliers, investors, regulators, non-governmental organizations, and industry associates (Global Responsibility Report, 2019). Overall, General Mills has a broad and diverse range of stakeholders that have an interest relationship with this company.
References
Creating Value. (n.d.) General Mills. Retrieved from https://www.generalmills.com/en/Company/purpose/va…
Global Responsibility Report. (2019). General Mills. Retrieved from https://globalresponsibility.generalmills.com/HTML…
Investor Relations. (n.d.) Kraft Heinz. Retrieved from http://ir.kraftheinzcompany.com/
Luca, A. (2007). Organizational Stakeholders. [Power Point Presentation]. Retrieved from https://tlc.trident.edu/content/enforced/125989-MG…
Purpose. (n.d.) General Mills. Retrieved from https://www.generalmills.com/ en/Company/purpose