1.1 The Business Mission
A search of the literature failed to unearth SIA’s mission statement. Even
the company’s website did not carry a mission statement. Does this mean that SIA
is more of a doer than a firm mired in rhetoric, which seems to be the
preoccupation of Western companies? For example, the Mission Statement of
Southwest Airlines is: dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service
delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company
Spirit.3 It has to be assumed, therefore, that SIA’s top management has been
able to communicate in other ways to its employees about the company’s mission,
and that a written mission is unnecessary. There is no doubt that SIA’s implicit
mission is to meet the needs of customers beyond their dreams! This is evident
from the accolades and awards that SIA has received from aviation bodies. By
1979, SIA became the ninth largest airline in the world, up from the 57th position
prior to its spin-off from MSA, achieved due to a continuous average annual growth
rate of 46% over its initial seven-year period (Harvard Business School, 1989, cited
in Chan, 2000a). The raison d’etre for SIA was service, and at the heart of its
service reputations is the “Singapore Girl” (Chan, 2000a).