Be A Manager

Standard Chartered Marathon 2010

What is the objective of this event? Give a brief background to this event.
The objective of this event is to promote health and wellness in Singapore and in the region. It is meant to be an all-inclusive race that caters to everyone – from the beginners to the elites, as well as from children to grandparents.

The Standard Chartered Marathon is an annual international marathon race which is held on the first Sunday of December in Singapore. It has grown significantly since its inaugural race in 1982 – in 2010, the event attracted a total of 60,000 entrants for all competitions (including the ‘half’ and 10k); the upper limit established by the organizers.

There are four separate categories of competition: the full marathon, the half marathon, the 10 kilometres run, and the 10 km wheelchair race. Furthermore, 10 km team competitions as well as a number of short running competitions for children.

Who is the target audience?
Everyone – from beginners to elites, children to grandparents.



How is the event publicized? (In other words, how does the target audience get to know about the event?)
Through advertisements in the papers, television, radio as well as online.



Is the event reported in the media? If yes, how widely is it reported? (Do a quick analysis of the reports, in terms of the angles that the media take, the importance of the coverage, and your opinion of the impact of the coverage). If no, why do you think the media did not cover the event? What do you think could be done to attract media coverage?
Yes. There were several articles on it, with most of it being about road closures and participation levels. Link

There were also articles on the elite runners running for the cash prizes. Link

There was also some negative media coverage of the event, with regards to wrong T-shirt sizes. Link

Assume you are the manager overseeing this project. Evaluate the success/failure of this event. How would you do it differently for greater success?
It was a rather successful event, other than the minor setbacks with regards to public outcry regarding the T-shirt sizes. But nonetheless, this is an area which needs to be improved on. If I was the manager, I would check through details thoroughly and delegate people to look into all the little issues. I would also improve on the location of the main activities (the padang) as it was wet and muddy because of rain.

The Manager

Fernie Ng, 23

Manager of Little Ice Cream Kafe (Katong)

Briefly describe your job responsibilities as a manager.

I handle the day to day operations of the business. Basically I manage the staff, ensure ample supply of ice cream, order the raw ingredients, stock take and handle customer enquiries.

What is your management style?

I like to make sure I run through all the basics with a new person I hire, ensuring that they know what to do. Then after a month or so, I expect them to be able to do things by themselves. Of course, the delegation of duties still ultimately lies with me, and the staffs are expected to report to me for any major decisions. Administrative management.

What are some of the difficulties you face as a manager?

Some employees are slower at learning than others, and because most of the staffs are part-timers, it becomes quite a hassle having to train and retrain staff. Part-timers tend to work only for a period of approximately 3 months or so before they leave. Of course, there are many of those who stay on longer than that. I also face some difficulties with handling dissatisfied customers, who more often than not ask to see me for the smallest issue.

How do you overcome these difficulties?

I just have to live with it. It is a constant difficulty I have to face, and it is part of what the job encompasses.

In your opinion, what makes a good manager?

In my opinion, I think a good manager is someone who can keep the day to day operations of a business smooth without hiccup.