Content of Corporate Vision Statements in Maritime Logistics: A Case Study of the Largest Companies

Abstract

The importance of maritime logistics for the world’s economy necessitates urgent investigations of the corporate strategies in this industry. The present case study aims to examine the vision statements of the largest (by cargo capacity) companies of maritime logistics. Methodologically, it follows the previous research focused on the elements of corporate strategic communication: the principal components of the vision statements are distinguished, and their frequencies are calculated. Additionally, the similarity between all pairs of statements is measured. A total of twelve components are established, namely, service, customers, quality, business, geography, image, staff, history, innovation, sustainability, society, and environment. The most common from them are service and business, and the least common are history and staff. The contents of the vision statements differ to a certain degree between West European and East Asian companies. It is established that the average similarity of the vision statements is low. This case study provides an example for judgments about industry-level corporate strategic communication with vision statements. It contributes to the existing literature revealing the diversity of these statements. From the practical point of view, the study provides the information for designing vision statements by managers, who may choose from a wide set of components and should not forget about such important issues as the staff or environment.