Service Operations Management (SOM) – Individual Assignment October Semester, Academic Year 2025/2026 – Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY

Individual Assignment 

1. Assignment Objective:

Students will research, observe (on-site visit) and apply their knowledge on Service Operations Management in performing an evaluation study assignment of a service organisation in Singapore.

2. Assignment Requirements:

Select a service organisation from any service industry, e.g. Food & Beverage, Retail, Hotel, Spa & Wellness, etc. and perform the following tasks:

a. Research and summarise concisely on the background and introduction of the service organisation that you are working on.

b. Illustrate the service organisation’s current system in managing waiting lines using the following Psychology of Waiting components:

• That old empty feeling (Empty or unoccupied time goes slowly)
• A foot in the door (Pre-service waits seem longer when it has not started)
• The light at the end of the tunnel (Reducing anxiety)
• Excuse me, but I was first (Fairness)

c. Share 1 good and 1 bad waiting experiences observed in the organisation’s current management of customer waiting. The waiting process may be before or after entering the facility.

d. Elaborate and substantiate on 2 recommendations on how to improve the organisation’s current system in managing waits.

e. Describe your chosen organisation’s current location (a specific outlet, e.g. NTUC FairPrice Finest at Bukit Timah Plaza) using any 5 of the following Site Selection Considerations:

• Access
• Visibility
• Traffic
• Parking
• Expansion
• Environment
• Competition
• Complements

3. Assignment Approach

You will work individually to complete this assignment. Student will have to conduct relevant research, observations and is encouraged to have direct contact and interactions to experience the services in the chosen service organisation.

Your individual assignment should be presented in PowerPoint presentation format (narrated) and should include the following sections:

• Cover Slide (1 slide)
• Introduction of the Company (1 slide)
• Psychology of waiting components (no more than 4 slides on this section)
• Sharing of good and bad experiences in the management of customer waiting and recommendations (no more than 8 slides on this section)
• 5 site selection considerations (no more than 5 slides on this section)
• Reference/Bibliography List (1 slide)

4.2  The ‘Assignment Cover Slide’ outlines the assignment title, name of the service organisation, due date and name of student and tutor.

4.3  References/Bibliography – There are several styles that you may use.  However, you must be consistent and ensure that you include all the relevant information such as: authors name(s), date, title of publication, and either publisher and place (for a book) or volume number (for a journal) and the pages you are referring to.

Example:

Book:

Morrison, A.M., (2002), ‘Hospitality and Travel Marketing’, 3^rd Edition, Delmar, Thomson Learning, Albany, New York

Journal Article:

McKercher, B, (1998), ‘The Effect of Market Access on Destination Choice’, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 37 (1), pp. 39-47

Newspaper Article:

The Straits Times, (2000, September 30), ‘SIA Promises a Greater Way to Fly’, The Straits Times, pp. 108

The Internet:

Internet 1: ‘Attraction Owners to Woo More Visitors’

http://www.stb.com.sg/media/press/19880612.stm

Internet 2: ‘Singapore Tourism Conference’98: New & Innovative Ways to Market Singapore to the World’

http://www.stb.com.sg/services/stc/STC-InnovMtrpt.stm

4. Due Date

This presentation slides (with narration/voice over) are due on Week 8, 12 Dec 2025 @ 2359 hr. A softcopy is to be submitted via SafeAssign in PoliteMall. This will constitute 25% of the semester grade for SOM.

5. Assessment Criteria

Your report will be assessed as follows:

Introduction of the Company                                                                                      10%

5 site selection considerations                                                                                    25%

Psychology of waiting components                                                                            20%

Sharing of good and bad experiences in the management of customer waiting       20%

Recommendations with explanations                                                                         20%

Overall presentation of the report and grammar                                                          5%

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