A Sound Mission Statement:

The mission statement should be a clear and succinct representation of the organization’s purpose for existence. It should incorporate socially meaningful and measurable criteria addressing concepts such as the moral/ethical position of the organization, public image, the target market, products/services, the geographic domain and expectations of growth and profitability.

For example, Merck, a company that produces pharmaceuticals products and provides insurance for pharmacy benefits, publicly states the following values.

• Corporate social responsibility
• Unequivocal excellence in all aspects of the company
• Science-based innovation
• Honesty & integrity
• Profit, but profit from work that benefits humanity