Singapore, 1 June 2017 (Thursday) – The Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) at Singapore Management University (SMU) (卓越服务研究院) has today launched its inaugural ISE Essay Competition to celebrate the Institute’s 10th anniversary. The competition serves as a platform to engage the undergraduate student community in Singapore and drive conversations about the role of customer service in the current economic climate.

Themed “Excellence Explored”, participants are to discuss issues related to technology, culture or talent through an opinion piece with analysis on the opportunities and challenges facing Singapore’s service landscape and how service may be leveraged for Singapore to stay economically competitive and productive. While the focus of the essay should be on Singapore, students may choose to reference or cite examples and/or best practices from abroad. The essays should be no longer than 2000 words.

“The service landscape is on a trajectory of exciting developments with disruptive technology and changing needs profile shaping market trends and the way people consume. We want to hear from our next generation of future leaders about their thoughts on the future of service sector and how their expectations have changed,” said Ms Neeta Lachmandas, ISE Executive Director.

Undergraduate students from Singapore-based universities are invited to submit their entries by 31 August 2017. Winners will be announced on 31 October 2017 on the ISE website.

The competition will be judged jointly by the management teams of Institute of Service Excellence and Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Singapore Management University.

Entries will be evaluated for grammar, organisation, style and personal voice, and clarity of content and ideas.

The following prizes will be awarded for the three best essays:

1st Prize: Certificate and $3,000

2nd Prize: Certificate and $2,000

3rd Prize: Certificate and $1,000

For more information about the inaugural ISE Essay Competition, please visit ise.smu.edu.sg/essay-competition

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For media queries, please contact:

Ms Kamini Lam

Manager, Partnerships and Programme Development

Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) at Singapore Management University

DID: (65) 6828 9571

Mobile: (65) 9818 4291

Email: kaminirl [at] smu.edu.sg

Mr Teo Chang Ching

Senior Assistant Director, Corporate Communications

Office of Corporate Communications and Marketing

DID: (65) 6828 0451

Mobile: (65) 9431 8353

Email: ccteo [at] smu.edu.sg