Running Head: CPK Mission, Vision CPK Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals INTRODUCTION The California Pizza Kitchen was founded in 1985 by attorneys Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax. The two lawyers worked together to fulfill their desire to enter the restaurant business. They created innovative toppings for their menu with recipes such as the Jamaican Jerk Chicken and the Pear & Gorgonzola pizzas. According to their website, they operate “more than 250 CPKs in 32 states and nine foreign countries. ” (California Pizza Kitchen, unk. )
The company opened with rather inauspicious beginnings. Many restaurants were opening at that time. Unfortunately, many were also closing shortly afterwards due to poor management, inadequate financing, and a litany of other reasons. However, CPK did not fall prey to the negative business environment. As stated in a 2001 article regarding the company’s success, “Flax and Rosenfield attribute the company’s success to their product and their corporate culture. ” (Engle, 2001) CPK VISION, MISSION, VALUES, AND GOALS The CPK website does not list a mission statement.
Instead, visitors to the site are given an optimistic view of the company through its investor relations and FAQ pages. A review of the site leads to the following observations of its mission: CPK intends to be a “leader in authentic California-style cuisine (and to be) widely known for its innovative menu items. California Pizza Kitchen (will) provide a range of creative dishes, from signature California-style hearth-baked pizzas, creative salads, pastas, soups and sandwiches to extensive beer and wine lists with a full bar. ” (California Pizza Kitchen, unk. There is no vision statement listed on the web site either. However, Internet searches show some instances where the company’s founders have discussed their initial vision. Rosenfield states in one interview, “From day one, we’ve always had this vision of creating a global brand. ” (Smith, 2007) To this end, the company does not franchise in the US, but has international, wholly owned franchises. Addionally, the company has expanded its operations to include a deal with Nestle and Kraft Foods to distribute their premium frozen pizzas.
This expansion will likely continue into the company’s foreseeable future. Perhaps the lack of a formalized mission or vision statement on the web site is a testament to their unorthodox beginnings. Maybe the company founders do not believe that a mission statement is necessary for success. Despite the reasoning, the allusions on the web site to the company’s mission and vision are barely enough to inspire confidence. However, the success of the company is proof that they have found a winning formula.
The closest depiction of their values and goals is represented in their company’s philosophy, represented by the acronym ROCK. ROCK stands for Respect, Opportunity, Communication, and Kindness. As Larry Flax stated in the Star-Bulletin article, “Each word reflects our company spirit. ” (Engle, 2001) The company philosophy reflects the founders’ goal to create an organization that expresses their lightheartedness and commonsense approach to business. Using ROCK as a statement of the company’s philosophy is a good idea.
The values, while not a direct statement of their financial goals, lends credence to the founders’ innovation and exceptional business sense. In the right context, the philosophy is motivational and reassuring to company’s employees and investors. GOALS AND NEEDS OF SPECIFIC STAKEHOLDER GROUPS Still, if the purpose of the mission statement is to “make clear to the world what your organization is about”, the California Pizza Kitchen has a terrible job of stating their mission. (Leadership-Tools. com, unk. ) The site is rife with platitudes and ambiguous language alluding to their innovative success.
The clearest language to be found relating to their direct expectations is on the investor relations page. There, one can find the company’s SEC filings. From those reports, the company’s performance and near-term plans can be gathered. In order to make the site better, there should be a version of a standard mission and vision statement. Although the idea may seem antithetical to the “different” mode of operating that the company’s founders have developed, it would help investors to understand where the company plans to go and how it intends to get there.
CPK’s success thus far has been the result of the intense efforts of its two founders. However, the track they are on now leads to the expectation that the company will not function as well once they have left it. This may not be affecting them now since many of the company’s investors are investing based on the company’s past performance and the promise of continued gains. However, without a clearer vision, the company faces a greater risk of loss in the event of a significant change in its management or financial standing.
Bibliography California Pizza Kitchen. (unk. ). Investor Relations. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from California Pizza Kitchen Web Site: http://investor. cpk. com/ California Pizza Kitchen. (unk. ). Investor Relations: CPK Fact Sheet. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from California Pizza Kitchen Web Site: http://investor. cpk. com/factSheet. cfm Covey, S. (unk. ). Mission Statement Definition. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from Leadership-Tools. com Web Site: http://www. leadership-tools. com/mission-statement-definition. html Engle, E. 2001, April 25). Call Them Anything But Late For Dinner. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from Honolulu Star-Bulletin: http://archives. starbulletin. com/2001/04/25/business/story2. html Leadership-Tools. com. (unk. ). Mission Statement Definition. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from Leadership-Tools. com web Site: http://www. leadership-tools. com/mission-statement-definition. html Smith, R. M. (2007, June 25). Rolling in Dough. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from Newsweek Web Site: http://www. newsweek. com/2007/06/24/rolling-in-dough. html
