The values which a company adheres to are often explicitly stated in some form of mission statement , often to be found in its annual report.
Established as a trading company in Mumbai, India, in 1868, the Tata group has developed into a major multinational. It operates worldwide (Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas) in a number of sectors, including steel manufacturing, IT, automobile production and financial services.

Examine the statements below, taken from the website of the Tata group – see source below–which describes the purpose and values of the Tata group.

Purpose
At the Tata group we are committed to improving the quality of life of the communities we serve. We do this by striving for leadership and global competitiveness in the business sectors in which we operate. Our practice of returning to society what we earn evokes trust among consumers, employees, shareholders and the community. We are committed to protecting this heritage of leadership with trust through the manner in which we conduct our business.

Core values
Tata has always been values-driven. These values continue to direct the growth and business of Tata companies. The five core Tata values underpinning the way we do business are:

● Integrity: we must conduct our business fairly, with honesty and transparency. Everything we do must stand the test of public scrutiny.

● Understanding: we must be caring, show respect, compassion and humanity for our colleagues and customers around the world, and always work for the benefit of the communities we serve.

● Excellence: we must constantly strive to achieve the highest possible standards in our day-to-day work and in the quality of the goods and services we provide.

● Unity: we must work cohesively with our colleagues across the group and with our customers and partners around the world, building strong relationships based on tolerance, understanding and mutual cooperation.

● Responsibility: we must continue to be responsible, sensitive to the countries, communities and environments in which we work, always ensuring that what comes from the people goes back to the people many times over.

Questions
1. Which elements of the corporate culture of Tata group can you distinguish that relate to national culture (subsidiaries) and organisational culture (as defined by Schein)?

2. Look at another corporate website, for example Shell (www.shell.com). Click on ‘About Shell’, then ‘who we are’ to discover the company’s purpose and values. Then, answer the above question, but in this case for Shell.