1.1. What is a vision statement?

The vision statement for The Economist is its strategic plan for the future – it defines what and where The Economist Company wants to be in the future. The vision statement for The Economist is a document identifying the goals of The Economist to facilitate its strategic, managerial, as well as general decision making processes.

1.2. Components of the vision statement

1.2.1. Concise

The vision statement of The Economist is brief and to the point. This means that the company has not used long dialects and dialogues to delivers its opinion ad stance to the public and relevant stakeholders. The vision statement should be brief and comprehensive – it should communicate the essence of the business, and its future plans to help the stakeholders understand its business philosophy and business strategy.

1.2.2. Encompassing description

The vision statement of The Economist should be brief but should be holistic in nature. This means that the visions statement should be complete in its description and information of what the company desires, and how it plans to achieve its long term goals strategically. The vision statement should be a comprehensive statement identifying the company’s core strengths, which would enable it to achieve its futuristic goals.

1.3. How to develop a vision statement

The company should identify the following t be able to guide its business decisions towards future success and progress to be able to develop a successful vision statement:

1.3.1. Look at the organizational history

• When did The Economist start the business?
• How many employees did the company have during the beginning?
• The significant milestones that The Economist has achieved since being started, and when were these milestones achieved?
• Include all positive and negative milestones that The Economist has faced, and how it overcame them?
• What does The Economist enjoy the most about its business and why?

These questions will help the management and key decision makers at The Economist to critically assess the history and the various decisions that were made for The Economist and the business. These will be critically reviewed for the positive o the negative consequences they brought, and how that influenced the general business direction or The Economist to have it stand in its present position.

1.3.2. Look at the present

• What is the business landscape for The Economist currently?
• How many employees does the business have currently?
• What is the unique value proposition offered by The Economist
• What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats being faced by The Economist in the present?
• What is the financial strength of the company in the present?

These questions will help strategic managers and decision-makers identify the need of the business to progress, as well as identify the resources needed for advancement. In addition, these questions will also help The Economist in deciding the future direction it wants to take on, and how to achieve and realize that direction. Lastly, assessment of present standing for The Economist will help the business identify how it can improve the business with potential changes.

1.3.3. Look at the future of the organization

• What are the long term goals for The Economist?
• What are the short term goals for The Economist?
• How can the company improve its offerings?
• Which processes and ideas can be implemented to help the business gain higher effectivity and efficiency?
• What is the potential for growth for The Economist?
• What are the secondary goals of the business?

These questions will allow managers and decision makers for The Economist to clearly think about where they want the business to be in the future, and how this future and its goals can be achieved and realized.

1.3.4. Identify loopholes

The process of critically assessing the past, present and future of The Economist is important for vision building because:

• It allows identification of gaps and loopholes between the present an the future
• It directs The Economist towards filling those loopholes through correct resource allocation
• It helps idea generation for enhancing business performance
• It allows strategic decision making for fueling business growth

1.4. How to implement a vision statement

1.4.1. Gathering for a meeting and idea generation

• The Economist should gather all employees from different managerial levels in groups
• These groups should work towards generating ideas based on what the organization stands for, and what it offers
• The idea generation should be based on the employee's perception
• The ideas should also involve where the progression of the company should be focused on
• In addition, the employees should also focus their ideas on foreseeing a potential future for The Economist

1.4.2. Grouping similar ideas and developing drafts

• Similar ideas should be grouped
• Senior level employees should develop and compare descriptions for grouped ideas
• The grouped ideas should be categorized according to themes
• The thematic groupings should be prioritized with the organizational offerings and values
• Draft vision statements should be created based on high priority groups of ideas and descriptions

1.4.3. Evaluating the vision statement

• Visions statements should be evaluated on their criteria of matching with the organizational offering and potential
• The vision stamen should also reflect the work environment and business potential of The Economist
• The vision statement should be in line with the values of The Economist

1.4.4. Communication of vision statement

• The visions statement should be communicated to all relevant stakeholders of The Economist
• The visions statement should be incorporated in the annual statement
• The visions statement for The Economist should also be updated, and transparently be drafted within the organization
• The visions statement should be sued to guide the drafting of the mission statement

2. The mission statement of The Economist

2.1. What is a mission statement?

The mission statement for The Economist is a public document that details the values and strategic aims of The Economist. The mission statement of The Economist also identifies the purpose of the organization existence, highlighting the services and the products it offers. Further, the mission statement also identifies the organization’s operational goals for The Economist, the processes the company uses to achieve those, the target customer groups, and the region where the company operates.

2.2. Components of a mission statement

2.2.1. Customer satisfaction

The mission statement of The Economist focuses on addressing issues of customer satisfaction. The mission statement of The Economist has identified its target customer groups, and also identified their needs and demands. The mission statement reflects on how its products and services work towards increasing customer satisfaction for its target customers.

2.2.2. Based on core competencies

The mission statement of The Economist is based on its integral strengths and competencies. This is important for The Economist as the mission statement will highlight the different systems and processes as well as strategic tactics that the company uses to achieve its organizational and strategic goals. The achievement of the goals will depend on how well The Economist makes use of its core competencies.

2.2.3. Realistic and clear

The mission statement for The Economist is also realistic and clear. This means that The Economist has used simple, string, and easily understood words and phrases in the drafting of its mission statement. Clarity is important so that the mission statement is understood by all relevant stakeholders of The Economist Company. The Economist’s mission statement is also realistic, which makes it able to achieve various set goals and targets.

2.2.4. Motivational and inspirational

The mission statement of The Economist is motivational in that it works towards inspiring the employees and the workforce towards giving their optimal best performance towards the goal achievement of The Economist. The mission statement of The Economist is also inspirational in that it develops the need for growth and progress in individuals – for the betterment of not only the company but also for their own selves.

2.2.5. Specific and sharp

The mission statement of The Economist is precise and to the point. It is easy to understand and delivers what the audience must know about The Economist’s offerings and operations. It is important to keep the missions statement short, sharp and precise to be able to successfully communicate the company’s standing to stakeholders, instead of dragging it on into long pages with repetition and non-important aspects.

2.2.6. Reflects the company’s offerings

The mission statement of a company should be based on what the company has to offer in terms of products and services. This means that the mission statement for The Economist highlights its offerings, but ensures that this offering is in line with the values that the company stands for. The mission statement for The Economist, therefore, identifies the ethical grounds through which the company systematically works to deliver its offering.

2.3. How to develop a mission statement

It is important to follow the following steps and answer the following questions to be able to develop successful mission statements:

2.3.1. What does The Economist do?

• Define the purpose of The Economist
• Define its brief history
• Define the need for existence for The Economist

2.3.2. How does The Economist manage to achieve its promised offering?

• Explain the systems and operations employed at The Economist
• Identify relevant ethical policies in place at The Economist
• Highlight the use of transparency at The Economist in all matters
• Define the processes that The Economist uses to deliver its promised offering to target customer groups

2.3.3. For whom does The Economist produce offerings?

• Define target market customers for The Economist
• Target market customers from different regions can also be defined
• The Economist can also explore secondary target market groups, and define them in the mission statement

2.3.4. What value is The Economist adding on?

• Define the value additions being brought forward by The Economist in the customer’s life
• Define the purpose of the offerings being delivered by The Economist
• Highlight the importance of The Economist in the lives of its customers

2.4. How to implement the mission statement

2.4.1. Communication

• The Economist should communicate the mission statement to all stakeholders – employees, customers, shareholders, public, government etc.
• The Economist should also keep the mission statement transparent and accessible at all times

2.4.2. Training

• The Economist should encourage its employee force to undergo training if need be to meet the requirements of the mission statement
• The Economist should regularly hold workshops to refine the values being defined in the mission statement and build them in its employee force

2.4.3. Goal setting

• The Economist should develop SMART goals to meet the strategic targets identified in the mission statement
• The Economist should also develop ethical grounds to remain in line with the mission statement
• The Economist should keep goals flexible, but the means to achieve the goals should be stringent and should reflect the values drafted in the mission statement

3. Goals of The Economist

3.1. What are organizational goals

Organizational goals are those business and strategic objectives that define the purpose of The Economist. Organizational goals are strategic targets that The Economist wants to achieve over a period of time. This time period is generally long term. The goals of The Economist help direct its employee behaviour, as well as help in directing the operations of the business in the short term.

3.2. Components of goal

3.2.1. Achievable

The goals set by The Economist should be achievable. This means that The Economist should have the resources and the finances necessary for being able to realize the organizational goals over the long haul. The Economist should also have the strategic leadership to be able to achieve these organizational goals.

3.2.2. Time-frame defined

All goals set by The Economist- even for the long term – have an attached time frame. This is important to ensure that the organization is effective and efficient in realizing its goals.an attached time frame for the goals set for the long term future also helps in establishing a related time frame for the more short term organizational objectives.

3.2.3. Easy to understand

The goals should be fairly simple and should be easily understood by all employees of The Economist. This is important as only when employees are clear about what the goals are, their importance, and the urgency of achieving them will they be able to relate with them and work towards achieving them.

3.2.4. Easy to communicate

The goals set by The Economist should also be easy to communicate. This means that the jargon used for goal setting and goal communication should be clear and precise. These goals should be communicated with all managerial levels, and all employees to allow them a directive path to help the organization achieve these goals.

3.2.5. Pragmatic

The goals set by The Economist should also be realistic in nature. This means that all strategic goals defined by The Economist should take into consideration not only its internal financial position and resources but also the skill set of its employees and the larger macro environment. This will enable the company to set goals that will sue the core competencies of The Economist to help it achieve the strategic goals easily, and realistically.

3.2.6. Relation with job tasks

All goals should be relatable with the employees of The Economist. This means that all goals should directly or indirectly be tied to the job tasks and job nature of employees. This is to ensure that employees don’t feel redundant and use their skills to help the organization progress.

3.3. How to develop goals

3.3.1. Strategic evaluation

• Assess and review the vision statement
• Based on the vision statement and company values, decide where The Economist should be in the next five years

3.3.2. Brainstorming

• Brainstorm goals that will help The Economist achieve its long term direction
• Group goals according to themes
• Cluster the goals, and briefly describe each group and cluster
• Set long term goals for the company according to different clusters and groups

3.3.3. Prioritization

• Prioritize different clusters and groups
• Set and define long term goals based on prioritization
• Prioritization should be based on how soon the different defined goal groups and clusters will help The Economist progress and achieve its desired position in the next five years or so to develop a successful vision statement

3.4. How to implement goals

3.4.1. Communication

• Communicate the goals to all managerial levels
• Goals should also be communicated to all relevant stakeholders – including distributors, shareholders, third-party contractors etc.
• Goals may also be communicated to customers
• Communication of goals will help The Economist achieve goals by defining roles and milestones needed for achievement

3.4.2. Periodic strategic evaluation

• Evaluate the progress of goal attainment periodically
• This evaluation is done at a strategic level and operational level
• Different goals should be set for different departments of The Economist to help it achieve the broader long term goals
• These departmental goals help in directing operations towards the larger strategic goal attainment

3.4.3. Training

• Employee training to develop skills needed and necessary for goal attainment
• Training can be in-house or out-house for employees
• Training for The Economist should be continual and should be consistent with the goals set

4. Objectives of The Economist

4.1. What are organizational objectives

Organizational objectives for The Economist are the short to medium term targets and goals that the organization sets to achieve the bigger strategic goals set for the long term. The organizational objectives are important in shaping resource allocation within The Economist as well as in determining the policies, schedules and processes that are implemented in The Economist.

4.2. Components of objectives

4.2.1. Specific

All objectives set by The Economist are specific and clear. This helps employees, as well as managers, manage and maintain focus on the targets and the end results that need to be achieved. At the same time, specific objectives help managers determine skill development and training needs within their departments as well.

4.2.2. Measurable

Objectives at The Economist are also measurable. This means that all objectives can be tracked for progress. This is important for The Economist as it helps in meeting deadlines. The element of measurability is added in objectives by adding quantifiable criteria for determining progress and objective achievement.

4.2.3. Attainable

The goal should be attainable that even in stretching the abilities of the employees and challenging them, it should remain possible to achieve. The objectives at The Economist are attainable in that they push the employees out of their comfort zones but remain possible to achieve.

4.2.4. Realistic

Objectives at The Economist are also attainable in that they are realistic. This means that The Economist sets objectives keeping in view the organizational resources and constraints to be able to achieve objectives effectively and within time.

4.2.5. Timely

Objectives at The Economist are also time-bound in that they have a specified start and finish date. The timeliness of the objective helps The Economist maintain a sense of urgency in employees, and keep them motivated towards achieving the objective.

4.3. How to develop objectives

4.3.1. Focus on overall strategy

• Objectives should focus on the broader organizational strategy
• This will facilitate the organization in keeping in view the broader purpose and at the same time work towards achieving quantifiable goals and objectives
• By keeping in view strategic focus, The Economist also maintains proximity with the vision of the organization and works towards enhancing the performance of the organization

4.3.2. Focus on goal

• Objectives at The Economist should be set keeping in view the set organizational goals
• Objectives at The Economist should flow from the organizational goals, and work towards helping the company and its departments and operations achieving the set goals
• This is important as it keeps objectives strategically relevant to the organizational processes and systems

4.3.3. Focus on the time frame and skill sets available

• Objectives at The Economist should focus on the time constraints present in terms of resource present, as well as the urgency of the organization and the industry
• Objectives at The Economist should also focus on the skillset of employee and organizational resources available
• Focus on resources and skills is important to ensure that all objectives are attainable
• Focus and relevance with resources and skills will also help The Economist identify gaps that it needs to fill through training

4.4. How to implement objectives

4.4.1. Communication

• Objectives at The Economist should be discussed with employees mutually
• Purpose of the set objectives should be clearly discussed, and communicated with the employees
• This discussion should entail not only the objective, but also the time period within which it is expected to be completed, and the processes and means to achieve it
• Objectives should also include aspects of personal and individual growth and development of employees to make sure that employees remain motivated throughout

4.4.2. Performance appraisal

• The performance appraisal at The Economist helps managers and supervisors keep track of objective achievement and employee performance
• The performance appraisal also helps keep the objectives time bound through regular reviews and discussions
• The performance appraisal also helps identify skills development aspects that employees need and helps the managers develop suitable and needful strategic training programs for skill development and skill improvement