Mission, Goals, Objectives

A firm's mission, goals and objectives also require global involvement. For example, for political-legal reason, firm may need to locate manufacturing facilities abroad; or to reduce costs, a firm may seek production sites in foreign countries.

Moreover, global management is complex because it involves the simultaneous management of multiply missions and objectives. Bartlett and Ghoshal point out, that global organization has three functions that must be managed simultaneously:

1. Its assets and resources are, "widely dispersed, but mutually supportive" to achieve global efficiency.
2. The roles and responsibility of various units are differentiated, but interdependent to maximize national flexibility.
3. Its knowledge and initiatives are linked throughout a worldwide learning capability that assures the efficient development and diffusion of innovations.

Mission

Firms' missions must be tested against many different social, political and economic circumstances. One reason it is so difficult to achieve a culturally acceptable global corporate mission is that a mission statement is the connection of a corporation by definition operates in many different societies.

This means that is mission must be stated in a way that is attractive to the greatest number of people from the greatest number of cultural, social, economic, and political backgrounds. Organizational mission and international involvement are connected through the economic concept of comparative advantage.