How can unclear objectives be made clearer? Illustrate with an example

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Objectives should be clear to ensure their success. Murky objectives invite confusion. For example, one of the Hilton
objectives states that the hotel business should target emerging markets for growth, but how is growth defined?
Number of rooms? Number of hotel properties? And when is the growth to be completed? How do we know we
have completed the objective without knowing the specifics?
To ensure clarity, marketing plans should include specific objectives with which to manage the plan's proposed
project (sometimes called management by objectives, or MBO). Objectives should follow the S.M.A.R.T. objective
framework: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time -based. Let us see how Hilton's growth objective
might change using the S.M.A.R.T. method:
• Specific: Specific objectives are precise about what they intend to achieve (answering who, what, when, where,
and why). For example, Hilton's growth objective could be made more specific by stating: "Increase the number of
hotels in emerging markets..."
• Measurable: Measurable objectives are quantified. For example, Hilton could state: "...by 200 hotels with a sum of
10,000 rooms..."
• Achievable: Achievable objectives are possible and leverage existing abilities and skills (or abilities and skills that
could be easily learned). For example, Hilton could mention that the objective leverages its current skill base.
• Realistic: Realistic objectives are rational and allocate an adequate amount of resources to support their
completion. For example, the Hilton objective could add the following phrase: "...leveraging a dedicated team and
sufficient capital..."
• Time -based: Time-based objectives state when the objective will be completed. Hilton could make the objective
time-based by adding: "...to be completed by the end of the calendar year."