Philip Morris and Mission Statement

Philip Morris the makers of Marlboro cigarettes, amongst other leading brands, have taken steps to alert its customers of the dangers of smoking. The company have faced a number of major legal actions in the United States the most recent being a $10 billion (£6 billion) damages settlement related to its marketing of 'light' cigarettes. The company have taken out adverts in major newspapers to advise customers that 'light' cigarettes offer no significant health benefits over any other type of cigarette.
A Mission Statement defines the organization's purpose and primary objectives. Its prime function is internal – to define the key measure or measures of the organization's success – and its prime audience is the leadership team and stockholders. There are four main points in the Philip Morris’s mission statement. The first point is to invest in leadership, this meant they would take care and invest in only the best people to lead the product forward; this also includes investing in leading brands and external stock holders. The second point is to basically understand the concerns of the society and try to meet the demands relevant to their company. The third point is to create innovative products which will satisfy the demands of the adult portion of the public better. Lastly it is to have growth in the company; this includes executing plans correctly and having growth both in the marketing sector and the return for shareholders.
In my opinion Philip Morris cannot satisfy all of the demands of the stakeholders while maintaining a strict regulation on the ethical issues. The most important ethical issue is the fact that smoking damages health. More than 5,000 chemicals -- or smoke constituents – are formed when tobacco is burned. Approximately 100 of these smoke constituents have been identified by public health authorities as causes or potential causes of smoking related diseases, including cardiovascular disease (heart disease), lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema, chronic bronchitis). Smokers are far more likely to become sick with one of these diseases than non-smokers. In addition, smoking is addictive, and it can be very difficult to stop smoking. Since it is harmful the company will not be able to meet the demand of the customers against smoking.
Another ethical issue with cigarettes is the environmental impact of cigarettes. According to Action on Smoking and Health, the tobacco plant is prone to lots of diseases and insects. Because of this, the plants are often sprayed with chemicals and pesticides including DDT, Aldrin, and Methyl bromide which is awful for the ozone layer. These chemicals can get into water supplies. The manufacture of cigarettes also uses about 600 million trees a year. Cigarettes are the number one littered item worldwide cigarette butts strewn about can be very harmful to wildlife and waterways. A 2008 survey called the Keep America Beautiful Pocket Ashtray Study included over 1,000 smokers and found that 35% litter five or more cigarette butts per pack on the ground. Cigarette butts that are littered and not put out can also cause wildfires and it releases all of those 4,000 chemicals into the air.
On the other hand the company Philip Morris will be able to fulfil their profit goals and give returns on the shareholders money. This is proven by the fact that Philip Morris International is the leading international tobacco company, with products sold in approximately 180 countries. In 2011, the company held an estimated 16% share of the international cigarette market outside of the U.S., or 28.1% excluding the People's Republic of China and the U.S. In terms of market share, it is the number one company in 13 markets and number two in a further nine of the 30 largest markets by cigarette industry size.