1.

Lecture Outline for sample PI: Footwear (Entertainment)

Student’s version

This sample PI uses the _______________________ Approach.

The focus is on:

• Fulfilling Task Requirements (TR1 & TR2)
• Scoring A&E marks; GI marks

Candidate’s INADEQUATE PI text Aimin Suggestions for Improvement

g for
A&E?
GI?
Topic Choice
Footwear retail businesses in heartland malls
have been struggling in recent times. In the
battle against large brand name stores in
downtown malls for the hearts and pockets of
consumers, they have been on the losing end.

Causes
Their collection of imported brands do not sell
well because customers who want these would
rather visit more prestigious flagship stores in
town, while local brands promoted suffer from an
image problem, perceived by consumers to be of
lower quality and status. Retailers also appear
clueless to draw customers except through tired
marketing gimmicks such as perennial sales.

Serious consequence
If heartland footwear retailers do not address this
problem, it will result in a further decline of their
businesses into oblivion.

Desired outcome
Hence, they need to transcend the limitations of
selling imported & local brands in their stores,
and establish a service culture & branding that
would make their successes sustainable.

Case Study

Cirque du Soleil represents a unique genre of

live performance which regularly wows
audiences the world over. The original founding
members were part of a performance troupe
who, under Guy Laliberte, successfully
reinvented their show by combining elements of
the circus (such as well-regarded acrobatic
stunts) with musical theatre (music, drama and
dance with thematic unity) to boost their
relevance & appeal.

Cirque du Soleil has ‘eliminated’ and ‘reduced’

the less appealing or costly aspects of the circus,
and ‘raised’ and ‘created’ original elements from
musical theatre and fresh meaning in its CSR to
help youths-at-risk through its circus arts training
programme. (‘4-action framework’ of Blue Ocean
Strategy)

1
Proposal
Creation & launch of new yahlor! footwear line
• Eliminate / reduce – foreign brands,
gimmicky sales, confusing range of
shoes
• Raise / create – unique features of shoe,
staff involvement in creating fun,
memorable buying experience, CSR

Feasibility
Value Innovation in Product Design

Features of shoe
• Aesthetic & functional use of zippers
• Multi-purpose for varied occasions
• Relatable to everyone – aunties, teenagers,
professionals
• Striking, simple, non-traditional label – hence
trendy yet relatable

Value Innovation in Service Culture

PCK: “Don’t play, play!”

(Motto / philosophy of) Yahlor Ambassador

(ie.salesperson): “Come, PLAY!”

P – passion (loving yourself, work & customer)

L – legacy (seeing your long-term purpose)
A – action (providing excellent service)
Y – yo! (creating fun & freedom for yourself and
customer)

Value Innovation in Branding

• Promoters – sales personnel dressed in PCK

outfits and yah-lor! footwear (adapted from
theatricality of Cirque)
• yah-lor! launch to coincide with national
event (adapted from thematic identity of
Cirque)
• Customers as partners in benevolence
(adapted from CSR of Cirque)

Manageability
• Arrange for collaboration among various
heartland footwear retailers - joint efforts at
promotion.
• EDB to promote their efforts within S’pore
• IE Singapore to help them market their
waves overseas
• Project Happy Feet to help bring / buy shoes
poor Cambodian children (CSR)

Accessibilty to Information
Primary sources
• Interview with heartland footwear retailer
• Survey (mini-market research with
potential customers to ascertain appeal /
feasibility of this new line
• Suggestion for possible trial / test
2
 Secondary sources …………

2. Lecture Outline for sample PI: CIP (Groundbreakers)

Student’s version

Candidate’s INADEQUATE PI text Aiming Suggestions for Improvements

for
A&E?
GI?
1 Topic Choice & Reason:

Students have very limited models of CIP which

limits their range of Service learning projects,
seldom going beyond fund-raising for local
charities. Seldom do they venture out of their
comfort zone

2 Learning points could be derived from Bill Gates,

a great philanthropist, who has overseen many
innovative humanitarian projects through the
Gates Foundation. As Gates’ projects are
mainly large-scale, his approach needs to be
simplified to be applicable for SL projects.

3 Manageability:

I propose that MOE create a CARE web portal

that incorporates a similar framework to Gates’
approach, to guide students in their SL projects,
as well as to connect all schools’ SL projects.

Feasibility:

The CARE web portal allow for collaboration

within as well as between SL projects. As more
SL projects are created, students will be
exposed to other models of SL projects thus
enabling the portal be self-sustaining.

The CARE framework which I’ve adapted from

Gates’ approach:

 C ommitments: Identify nature &

needs.

Bill Gates’ success in his humanitarian

projects can be attributed to his belief that
“All lives have equal value”. Having a clear
view of what he wants the situation to be
enabled his to reset his target His approach
to Giving (see Fig 1) also operates based on
this belief.

Similarly, students are to:

• Identify a worthy cause, and craft SL
project based on personal beliefs,
passion (not limited to fund-raising for
local charities), and

• Articulate the objective.

3
 Identify beneficiary’s needs which
could be products, services, etc, not
limited to lack of funds. This is a learning
point from Gates’ projects for example in
his effort to curb malaria, he provided
insecticide-treated bed nets, insecticide
spray, research in malaria vaccines.
Example of services in Gates’ project is
the Ripple Effect – access to safe
drinking water in Africa.

 A udience Manageability: Identify and

target “champions” & “drivers” through
differentiated strategies. This is similar to
what Gates did to involve donors, partners
e.g. “ The Giving Pledge” that targets
billionaires to influence one another.

 R ecurring
 E fforts: to ensure sustainability

4 The web portal can be launched to students by

…. to create an impactful impression, similar to
Gates releasing a jar of mosquitoes to audience
during his address at a conference to industry
partners on malaria prevention. He began his
speech by: “Malaria is spread by mosquitoes.
Here are some. There’s no reason why only the
poor are …”

Launch in conjunction with National Youth

Council’s YSLA. I propose a re-launch annually
to rekindle the spirit of Community Involvement,
& to celebrate innovative/meaningful/impactful
SL projects, similar to Gates Annual Letter
provide updates of his projects. This allows for
sustainability.

5 Access to Information:

 Websites such as …..

 Interview SL Teacher-mentor/in-charge on
…. (and why)
 Interview/questionnaires on what for who,
and why….
 Mini-Trial – create a prototype of web portal
& test it with SL participants.
 FGD with who…on what…why….

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 3. Lecture Outline for sample PI: van Houten (Groundbreakers)
Student’s version

This sample PI uses the _______________________ Approach.

The focus is on:

• Fulfilling Task Requirements (TR1 & TR2)
• Scoring A&E marks; GI marks

Candidate’s INADEQUATE PI text Aiming Suggestions for Improvement

for
A&E?
GI?
1 No Valentine’s Day is complete without chocolates.
. Today chocolates are enjoyed throughout the world,
though more so in more westernized parts of the world.
Existing research shows that chocolates are even
beneficial to health in various ways.

2 Van Houten perfected a way to turn bitter cocoa

. powder into confectionary chocolate. H e capitalized
on this and hired designers to create suitable
packaging to promote the sale of chocolate throughout
Europe. Thus his contribution to humanity went
beyond inventing a food product.

3 Topic Choice:
. Feasibility:
Singaporeans are often urged by statutory boards,
government and business leaders, as well business
professors in the universities to be more
entrepreneurial and look for new areas to expand their
business into regional newly expanding countries like
China. Thus van Houten would be a good role model.
4 Feasibility:
. Learning Points from van Houten’s experience for small
Singapore chocolate businesses to apply to new
markets in China, e.g. Shanghai:
Van Houten found new markets
He packaged the product to suit various targets
He found new occasions to market the product
These can all be applied to Chinahave small packaging
for office workers to give as gifts
- chocolates in the shape of Chinese zodiac animals
for people to buy as birthday gifts

Manageability:
I propose that
EDB could encourage local businessmen to look into
this area with chocolates.

5 Access to Information
. Information can be obtained from websites such as…
6 This proposal focuses on carrying on the great
. entrepreneurial and inventive spirit of van Houten and
at the same time addresses the real life challenge of
how EDB or other organisations could encourage niche
businesses in Singapore to expand into neighboring
markets. While this proposal focuses on China, the
overall strategies could also be applied to other
markets and products.

5
The following considerations were used to analyse all the 3 PIs presented in the lecture today:
• SMUG fulfilled?
• HOPE fulfilled?
• ADORE fulfilled?
• Clear linking statements from one section to the next?
• Avoided useless descriptions? Is everything going to earn either A&E marks or GI marks?
NOTE:
The following are not included in Word Count:
• Footnotes, Appendices & tables are not included but these should not be used for key text information.
• Tables should only be used for statistical data and for reading list, so the words in such tables are not counted.
• Names, quotations, footnotes & titles are not included in word count.

To save on word count & enhance communication, you could use diagrams, pictures etc. E.g. in the PI lecture above, it
was suggested that the candidate should design sample packaging or chocolate & justify its design details for GI marks.

Layout & Organisation:

• PI should be mainly in paragraphs, with some bullet points if necessary. No mind maps.
• Use headings & sub-headings to make your PI reader-friendly.

4. T2W1: Lecture outline for PI & GPP Deadlines

• 1st PI draft by:____________________________

• Final PI submission by:_______________________

• Any optional further PI submission (will not be checked again by ST):___________

• GPP deadline:__________________

Focus of 2011 Tasks:

What should I do now?