General Mills Mission and Vision Statements

Discussion
Unlike similar firms, General Mills offers a comprehensive statement of purpose rather than a traditional mission statement or statement of vision. General Mills’ statement of purpose is succinct, capturing the company’s core mission, values, and vision. “We serve the world by making food people love,” (“Purpose,” 2017). Unsurprisingly, the General Mills mission statement is remarkably similar to that of their competitor Kraft, which is “Helping people around the world to eat and live better,” (“Kraft Food’s Mission Statement,” 2011). The word “serve” suggests that General Mills wants to cultivate a consumer-focused approach to food-related businesses, while the “food people love” phrase connotes comfort food and food that is culturally appropriate.
General Mills also lists five main pursuits, including putting people first, building a culture of creating, making food with passion, earning people’s trust, and treating the world with care (“Purpose,” 2017). Each of these separate pursuits is addressed on the company website, including sections related to diversity and corporate social responsibility. Farmers and other food suppliers around the world, distributors and other members of the supply chain, General Mills employees, and consumers are the primary stakeholders. General Mills also commits to sustainable sourcing of their top ten ingredients by the year 2020 (“Our Planet,” 2017). The company also aims for a business model that focuses on both upstream and downstream ethics, paying attention to stakeholders in the supply chain but also consumer and end-user stakeholders. An assessment of the General Mills statement of purpose is that although it does not conform to traditional mission and vision statement standards, it does indicate where the company is headed, what it hopes to achieve, and how it hopes to achieve those goals.
References
“Kraft Food’s Mission Statement,” (2011). Kraft Foods. http://kraftblogr.blogspot.com/2011/09/kraft-foods-mission-statement.html
“Our Planet,” (2017). General Mills. https://www.generalmills.com/en/Responsibility/OurPlanet
“Purpose,” (2017). General Mills. https://www.generalmills.com/en/Company/purpose
Response to Peer
It is true that General Mills purposefully avoids addressing the company’s vision and mission, instead offering a statement of purpose. On the one hand, their approach encapsulates their overall vision but lacks specificity. It is possible that General Mills banks on its longevity as a company, its history, and its brand identity. However, the Module 1 background information does indeed suggest, “The mission statement should be the first consideration for anyone engaged in the strategic planning process, or in decisions which have strategic implications,” (p. 1). It is unlikely that General Mills lacks the strategic planning focus, given that the firm has been in existence for over a hundred years. Few other firms could get away with a statement of purpose alone, not offering a mission and vision statement.
The comparisons with both Nestlé and Kraft are appropriate. I also noticed that the General Mills statement of purpose resembled the Kraft mission statement in that both were vague. These are companies that are diversified to the extent that strategic planning could have been difficult if their mergers and acquisitions occurred less organically. As it stands, both companies have managed their growth by incorporating new strategies and visions that align with core goals.
A statement of purpose, mission, and value offers focus and clarifies the company philosophy. The strength of the General Mills statement of purpose is that it shows how the company intends to fulfill its mission, and not just what the mission is. For example, General Mills does indicate that it is dedicated to upstream, in-house, and downstream ethics. Upstream ethics are related to how the company treats its members of the supply chain such as farmers and distributors around the world. In-house refers to the employees and working conditions, creating a healthy and robust corporate culture. Finally, the downstream issues relate to customer service and customer relations, taking into account what consumers need and how General Mills’ products can align with consumer values.

References

“Module 1 Background.
“Our Planet,” (2017). General Mills. https://www.generalmills.com/en/Responsibility/OurPlanet
“Purpose,” (2017). General Mills. https://www.generalmills.com/en/Company/purpose





References

“Kraft Food’s Mission Statement,” (2011). Kraft Foods. http://kraftblogr.blogspot.com/2011/09/kraft-foods-mission-statement.html
Module 1 Background.
“Our Planet,” (2017). General Mills. https://www.generalmills.com/en/Responsibility/OurPlanet
“Purpose,” (2017). General Mills. https://www.generalmills.com/en/Company/purpose