| Course | BUSI 400 Strategic Planning/Business Policy (BUSI400) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 2 |
| Assignment | Group Assurance of Learning Exercise 1 |
| Paper type | Group vision and mission exercise |
| Length | about 590 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: a group written exercise applying the module/week's chapter on business vision and mission to a real organization |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| Points | 62.5 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 2 in Liberty's published BUSI 400 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 400 Week 2
Does Hershey's Purpose Say Enough? Testing a Mission Against Nine Components
[Student Name]
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 400: Strategic Planning/Business Policy
Group Assurance of Learning Exercise 1
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The textbook's exercise and cohesion case are not public, so a group mission statement exercise on a public company, The Hershey Company, stands in for them; the company facts, research and textbook cited are real, and the proposed statements are the group's own.
Does Hershey's Purpose Say Enough? Testing a Mission Against Nine Components
Do Mission Statements Matter?
Mission statements are easy to dismiss as slogans, so our group began by asking what the research shows. Bart et al. (2001) studied firms and found that mission statements affected performance indirectly, by shaping employees' behavior and commitment when organizations aligned their systems with the mission. Desmidt et al. (2011) pooled twenty years of studies and found that mission statements had a modest positive association with financial results. The effect is modest, which suggests a mission statement helps only when it is specific enough to guide decisions and is actually used.
Hershey's Current Statement
Hershey describes its purpose in terms of making more "moments of goodness," a phrase that connects its candy and snack brands to the experiences consumers share. The company's annual report describes a portfolio of confectionery brands, such as Hershey's and Reese's, alongside salty snacks, sold mainly in North America (The Hershey Company, 2026).
Evaluation Against Nine Components
David and David (2017) argue that an effective mission statement addresses nine components. The table shows our ratings.
| Component | Addressed? | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | Partly | Implied consumers, but not named |
| Products or services | Partly | Brands are known, but snacks are not mentioned |
| Markets | No | No reference to North America or international markets |
| Technology | No | Nothing on manufacturing or innovation |
| Survival, growth and profitability | No | No financial aim stated |
| Philosophy | Yes | Goodness suggests values and care |
| Self-concept | Partly | Heritage implied, distinctive strength not stated |
| Public image | Yes | Positive, community-minded tone |
| Employees | No | Employees are not mentioned |
A purpose that inspires consumers can still leave employees without direction. Hershey's language is warm and memorable, but it leaves out markets, technology, financial goals and employees, the components that help managers choose among strategies.
Each gap has consequences. Without a statement about markets, managers have no guidance on whether international expansion is central to the company or a sideline, a question that matters for a company whose sales are concentrated in North America. Without technology, the statement says nothing about the manufacturing and innovation capabilities that let Hershey launch new products and control costs. Without a financial aim, it gives no direction on how to weigh growth against profitability when cocoa costs squeeze margins, as they did in 2025. Without employees, it overlooks the thousands of people whose work turns the purpose into products, and the research suggests that employees' commitment is exactly how a mission statement improves performance.
Revised Vision and Mission
Vision: To be the most trusted maker of snacks that bring people together.
Mission: The Hershey Company makes chocolate, sweets and salty snacks that create moments of goodness for families across North America and in growing markets abroad. We combine more than a century of craftsmanship with innovation in recipes, packaging and production, source ingredients responsibly, and grow profitably so we can reward shareholders, support our communities and give our employees meaningful, secure work.
The revision names customers, products, markets, technology, profitability and employees while keeping the original purpose phrase. The vision is deliberately short; David and David (2017) treat the vision as an answer to what the organization wants to become, while the mission answers what business it is in and how it intends to serve.
Testing the Revision
Our group tested the revised mission against three questions. First, could an employee use it to make a decision? A plant manager choosing between a cheaper and a more responsibly sourced ingredient would find guidance in the commitment to responsible sourcing. Second, does it exclude anything? It excludes businesses unrelated to snacks, which helps focus acquisitions. Third, is it memorable? At about 70 words it is longer than a slogan but short enough to repeat in training and on the company's website. The group also checked that no component crowded out the original purpose, since the warmth of Hershey's language is a strength worth keeping.
How the Group Worked
Each member researched different components in Hershey's filings and press materials, and the group drafted the revised statements together in a shared document, voting on wording where members disagreed. The revised mission will guide later exercises, especially when we judge which strategies fit Hershey's stated purpose.
References
Bart, C. K., Bontis, N., & Taggar, S. (2001). A model of the impact of mission statements on firm performance. Management Decision, 39(1), 19-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005404
David, F. R., & David, F. R. (2017). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach, concepts and cases (16th ed.). Pearson.
Desmidt, S., Prinzie, A., & Decramer, A. (2011). Looking for the value of mission statements: A meta-analysis of 20 years of research. Management Decision, 49(3), 468-483. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741111120806
The Hershey Company. (2026). Annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0000047111&type=10-K
What the BUSI 400 Week 2 instructions ask
Module/Week 2 assigns chapter 2 of David and David, on business vision and mission, and one presentation. The first Group Assurance of Learning Exercise applies that chapter to the cohesion case in the group the instructor assigned at the end of Module/Week 1, and it is worth 62.5 points. Each member then submits a peer evaluation score for every other member, and the group grade is multiplied by each student's average peer score. Because the textbook's exercise and case are not public, this sample applies chapter 2's tools to a public company, which lets every claim be checked against the company's own filings.
How this BUSI 400 Week 2 example is built
The exercise begins with why mission statements matter, citing evidence rather than assuming it. It then sets out the nine components from chapter 2 in a table and rates Hershey's current purpose language against each, with a short reason for every rating. The group's revised vision and mission follow, written to cover the missing components while staying short enough to remember. A closing paragraph explains how the group divided the work, how it reached agreement on wording and how the revised statements would guide later exercises, such as choosing which strategies fit the company's stated purpose. The ratings are written as short reasons so readers can disagree with specific judgments. A short paragraph on the group's process shows how members reached agreement on the final wording.
BUSI 400 Week 2 grading rubric: where the points go
Group exercises are graded on accurate application of the chapter's concepts to the case, the quality of the group's analysis and recommendations, and clear writing with sources in current APA format; individual grades are then adjusted by peer evaluations. In a mission statement exercise, instructors look for an evaluation against the chapter's components that gives reasons, not just checkmarks, and for revised statements that are concise, inspiring and complete. Research on the value of mission statements strengthens the case for the exercise. Revisions that copy corporate language or grow into long paragraphs miss the point of the chapter. A revised mission that names employees and markets usually addresses the most common gaps.
BUSI 400 Week 2 help: mistakes that cost points
Find the company's own statement of purpose, mission or vision in its annual report or website before evaluating it. Rate it against each of chapter 2's nine components and write one sentence explaining each rating. Keep the revised mission under about 100 words and the vision to a sentence. Check that the revision covers the missing components without becoming a list. Divide the research among group members, but write the final statements together so the wording reflects the whole group. Submit peer evaluations on time, since a missing evaluation lowers your own grade. Compare the company's statement with a competitor's to see what a stronger statement includes.
Related BUSI 400 sample papers
Other BUSI 400 weeks
- BUSI 400 Week 1: Individual AOL Exercise 1
- BUSI 400 Week 3: Group AOL Exercise 2
- BUSI 400 Week 4: Individual Case Analysis 1
- BUSI 400 Week 5: Individual AOL Exercise 2
- BUSI 400 Week 6: Group Case Analysis 1
- BUSI 400 Week 7: Individual Case Analysis 2
- BUSI 400 Week 8: Group Case Analysis 2
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BUSI 400 Week 2 questions, answered
What is BUSI 400 Group Assurance of Learning Exercise 1?
The first group exercise, worth 62.5 points in Module/Week 2, applying David and David's chapter on business vision and mission to the course's cohesion case.
Where can I find a free BUSI 400 Week 2 sample paper?
Here you will find a complete BUSI 400 Week 2 group exercise evaluating Hershey's purpose statement against nine mission components, with a revised vision and mission.
What are the nine components of a mission statement?
Customers, products or services, markets, technology, concern for survival, growth and profitability, philosophy, self-concept, concern for public image, and concern for employees. These come from David and David.
Do mission statements improve company performance?
Twenty years of research, pooled in a meta-analysis, linked mission statements modestly to better financial results, with stronger effects when employees were involved and committed.
What else is due in BUSI 400 Module/Week 2?
Peer evaluations of each group member follow the exercise; students read chapter 2 of David and David and watch one presentation. The exercise counts for 62.5 points.
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