Mission Case

Since its incorporation in Florida in 1986, Office Depot, Inc. has become one of the largest global suppliers of business and personal office products and services. Since its 2013 merger with office supplier OfficeMax, Office Depot operates in over 2,000 retail stores in about nearly 60 countries around in the world. In addition, Office Depot sells its merchandise online on its e-commerce site, by catalog, through call centers, and through contract sales (Hoover’s). Office Depot trades publicly on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP, where the stock price ranged between $3.84 and $5.85 within the last year (Yahoo).

Office Depot defines its diversity mission statement as “At Office Depot, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all people are valued and respected. Diversity is an important dimension of Inclusion, Innovation, and Customer Focus -- three of our core values -- and keys to our success in a global marketplace.” Office Depot lists the following as their actions to achieve this policy: recruiting a workforce that is reflective of the communities in which we do business; providing a work environment that all people related discussions are made objectively, based on merit; and utilizing a base of diverse suppliers. Office Depot further administers these actions by holding managers at all levels accountable for implementing these actions to achieve the goals of the diversity mission statement. Office Depot does not have a vision statement, but instead places a strong emphasis on diversity in its mission and value statements.

Office Depot’s diversity value statement directly supports its mission by further explaining how it keeps its commitment to diversity. Office Depot’s diversity value statement consists of five commitments to a diverse workforce, how it serves diverse communities, and how it supports fostering a diverse vendor network (Office Depot Inc., 2014).

Office Depot’s mission statement is effective as it does include the majority of the components of an effective mission statement. The mission statement identifies its market as a global marketplace, it defines it philosophy by expressing the importance of diversity, there is a high level of self-concept that is explained in its core values Inclusion, Innovation, and Customer Focus, there is also a high level of concern for the firm’s public image exemplified in the first sentence of the diversity mission statement, and the highest concern is for its employees, which Office Depot implements in its action plans to achieve the policy of the mission statement. The mission statement barely identifies who its customers are and completely lacks any inclusion of its products and services.

As mentioned previously, Office Depot merged with OfficeMax in November