'Ibis research exvlores the relevance of the current concept of mission statements in professional service f i . Whilst there 1s now an emerging body of knowledpe on mission statements in private and pubhi c&por&ons, almost nothing has been pub- lished on the subiect in ~rofessional service f m . The erowine recognition that skategic marketing discipl&es have much10 off; these firms has led to this investieatim. The s~ecial characteristics of professional service firms offer Gew insights bn the applications and limitations of mission statements. These learnings may have utility in all organisations.