Faculty Delegation from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore

A faculty delegation from the School of Business and Accountancy, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore visited the Center for Excellence in Service (CES) September 27-28, 2011. The purpose of the visit was to learn more about the CES, in an effort to launch a similar center at their institution in Singapore. On September 27, distinguished professors of the CES, including Rebecca Hamilton, Yogesh Joshi, Wendy Moe, and Hui Liao, presented their research to the visiting team. Professor Hamilton’s research, which was supported by a CES summer research grant, focused on the ROI hotels can expect from the amenities they offer to guests. The results show that the maximum ROI is generated by basic amenities, such as television. Professor Joshi’s research modeled the effects of customer expectations of service, relative to perceptions of quality, on word-of-mouth activity. Professor Moe showed preliminary results of research on how social media strategy generates online consumer “buzz”, and Professor Liao gave an overview of her research program focusing on the well-being of customer-facing service employees. The visit also included a demonstration of the Netcentricity Lab, led by Kathleen Haines. Carol Cron, Coordinator of the Marketing Department, led a tour of Van Munching Hall, including visits to classes taught by professors P.K. Kannan and William Rand. On September 28, Janet Wagner, director of the CES, and Hui Liao, research director, accompanied the delegation to the headquarters of Marriott International, Inc., in Bethesda, MD, and The National Academies Press, in Washington, DC.

At Marriott, Susan Vanderver, Director of Lodging Quality Assurance, and a member of the Marketing Department’s corporate advisory board, arranged a program featuring managers who presented overviews of Marriott’s well-respected internal marketing, operations, corporate social responsibility, and archival initiatives. Ms. Vanderver explained Marriott’s quality assurance program, and Sarah Santaella of the Ritz-Carlton, which is part of Marriott’s brand portfolio, discussed Ritz-Carlton’s award-winning service philosophy. At the National Academies Press, Barbara Kline Pope, Executive Director of Communications, traced the history of NAP’s very innovative business model. Since 1994, NAP’s revenue-generation model has evolved from exclusive reliance on the sales of print books, through traditional distribution channels, to one dominated by online sales. As part of its mission, NAP gives some of its content free to scholars and practitioners in emerging markets. Alphonse MacDonald, Director of Marketing and Technology, presented NAP’s social media strategy, and Virginia Bryant, Marketing and Sales Manager, explained the organization’s sales strategy. The visit was a great success and re-affirmed CES @ Maryland-Smith’s strong commitment to fostering long lasting relationships with global universities that share the same enthusiasm for the role of service in improving the quality of the customer experience.