Running head: JETBLUE MISSION/VISION STATEMENTS 1. JetBlue Mission/Vision Statements and Their Equivalents. Steve Brindza. Ohio Dominican University

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1 Running head: JETBLUE MISSION/VISION STATEMENTS 1 JetBlue Mission/Vision Statements and Their Equivalents Steve Brindza Ohio Dominican University

2 JETBLUE MISSION/VISION STATEMENTS 2 JetBlue Mission/Vision Statements and Their Equivalents This portion of the paper outlines the formation of a vision statement and the mission and values JetBlue embraces. A firm can initiate strategic management once it forms a mission statement. That statement allows the firm to aspire to its potential while bearing in mind what it wants to avoid as is successfully grows (Barney and Hesterly, 2010). JetBlue s mission primarily has been to be a premier lowcost carrier, and the firm has been lax in updating its original, short statements. JetBlue s Mission Statement JetBlue currently files its mission statement under an annual report heading of Our Value Proposition. This mission statement appears as more of a slogan and is quickly dispensed in one sentence: Our mission is to bring humanity back to air travel ( JetBlue Annual Report, 2010). However, as the expanded mission description and incorporated vision attest, successive statements further expand on the corporate goals. These four statements read as follows: High Quality Service and Product Low Operating Costs Brand Strength Strength of Our People The company has never formalized a standard vision plan or traditional vision statement, as noted in the 2003 interview with Nigel Adams, Vice President of Customer Service. One of our values is fun, Adams said, We're allowed to have fun, we're supposed to have fun, and that comes from the top (Judd, 2003). JetBlue replaces a formalized mission statement with five core values: safety, caring, fun, integrity, and passion (Judd, 2003). These five values are deemed so significant that they are printed on every paper paycheck JetBlue issues ( Effectively Managing, 2004). These values also provide the framework for the company s culture, as noted by Chief Security Officer, Usto Schultz. Adams agrees, and posits that once a company s values are framed, the company s culture

3 JETBLUE MISSION/VISION STATEMENTS 3 carries itself (Judd, 2003). As the annual report (2005) states, JetBlue looks enhance the JetBlue experience to further differentiate our company from the competition. JetBlue s culture embodies what it considers the crucial three Ps that are introduced by high-level offers to each new employee on his or her first day of orientation: people, performance, and prosperity. Founder David Neeleman stated in 2004 that he attends a portion of the multi-day orientation program, and he speaks to staff regarding how customers (passengers) are to be treated. It is vital that everyone understands and believes in our philosophy about treating people, he says (Ford, 2004). JetBlue teaches its staff that each of the three Ps has measurements associated with it that help JetBlue translate the essential core values into quantifiable terms ( Effectively Managing, 2004). Although the three Ps have associated, measurable subtopics, one usual corporate objective is lacking: growth. JetBlue places company expansion under its business plan rather than mixed in with its employee expectations ( Effectively Managing, 2004). JetBlue tempers its mission considerably via its famous 2007-penned document, JetBlue s Customer Bill of Rights. Drafted in response to an 11-hour stranding of passengers on a JFK tarmac, this document specifies refund options and dollar amounts awarded as compensation for cancelled flights (Barney and Hesterly, 2010). Founder and former CEO, Dave Neeleman has summed up another component of his company s philosophy after JetBlue infuriated customers by releasing manifest and account information to the Pentagon after 9/11. Speaking on behalf of the entire JetBlue team, Neeleman commented, When we make a mistake, we admit it, and we do what we can to make it right (Peterson, 2004). Enhancing JetBlue s Mission Statement JetBlue should put together more than a 10-word sentence in order to convey the firm s mission. Values could be separated by making the five core components bullet points. A new version could read as follows: JetBlue strives to put the customer s care first in its efforts to retain humanity in air travel. We stress the following core values, on which every JetBlue employee is trained:

4 JETBLUE MISSION/VISION STATEMENTS 4 Safety Integrity Passion Caring Fun JetBlue s employees work as team players to ensure customers are more than passengers shuttled about. We want our customers to find our low fares and extra-mile employee service to be such an accommodating blend that they choose JetBlue time and again. We will continually revamp our Customer Bill of Rights so all air travelers can be assured of JetBlue s ongoing commitment to fair treatment and good value. JetBlue s Potential Vision Statement This segment details JetBlue possibly formalizing a vision statement in JetBlue s 2005 annual report features a quotation from then-ceo David Neeleman that serves as a summation of company vision: As JetBlue continues to grow, we know our commitment to friendly, helpful service, combined with amenities customers want, will continue to keep JetBlue #1 in the eyes of our customers ( JetBlue Annual Report, 2005). That statement reads well within that six year-old annual report. JetBlue has grown substantially since 2005 and Neeleman since has been replaced by Dave Barger as CEO ( JetBlue Annual Report, 2010). Barger could expand on the Neelman s vision and offer the following vision in 2011: JetBlue s vision is one of continual emphasis on providing competitive rates for customers for all of our destinations. We will strive to maintain our industry-standard lowest cost-permile, and will continually seek new strategies and technologies that keep down the costs for every one of our flight routes. We foresee JetBlue as a value-driven leader, understanding that as a lower-cost carrier we will surpass customer expectations by offering noticeable amenities such as wider seats and satellite radio channels to improve the in-flight journey.

5 JETBLUE MISSION/VISION STATEMENTS 5 As JetBlue continues to expand into new regional markets, it won t need to change its vision or mission statements so long as the company remains true to being a low-cost carrier that strives to provide on-time service with the most competitive airfares in the industry.

6 JETBLUE MISSION/VISION STATEMENTS 6 References Barney J. B., & Hesterly, W. S. (2010). Strategic management and competitive advantage: Concepts and cases, (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Effectively Managing Performance Measurement Systems. (2004). JetBlue Case Study, Retrieved from Business Source Complete. Ford, R. C. (2004, May). David Neeleman, CEO of JetBlue Airways, on people +strategy = growth. Academy of Management Executive, 18(2), JetBlue annual report (2005). The JetBlue experience. Retrieved from JetBlue annual report. (2010). Retrieved from item=ugfyzw50suq9mzg1mdqzfenoawxksuq9mzg2nzexffr5cgu9mq==&t=1 Judd, H. (2003, November 20). JetBlue succeeds with fun and passion, exec tells USU. Hard News Cafe Archive. Retrieved from Peterson, B. S. (2004). Blue streak: Inside JetBlue, the upstart that rocked an industry. New York: Portfolio.

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