The following blog post was written by Jordan Bloem, WSMC Class of 2014.
As the Spring Term draws to a close more and more conversation among first year MBAs has turned to summer plans. For five students, including myself, those summer plans include jet setting to Singapore for internships at the Singapore Sports Council (SSC).
In 2011 the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center inked a five-year partnership with the SSC, the government ministry that oversees all aspects of sports in Singapore. Since that time several MBA students affiliated with the Warsaw Center have had the opportunity to work on projects in Singapore, including one student intern during each of the past two summers. As the SSC’s Vision 2030 campaign to “Live Better through Sports” hits its stride, the need for talent expanded. This year, Stephanie Baugh, Jessie Goodell, Dan Hall, Ron Li, and I all accepted internship positions in Singapore that will focus on specific and impactful projects that are tailored to match our own background, skills and interests.
My role will be to develop a strategic marketing plan for the SportsCares Foundation, the new philanthropic arm of the SSC. Formed in November 2012, SportCares was established to use sport as a force for social good in Singapore, however it has yet to scale its operations to a national level. I will be charged with creating a national strategy to market the foundation to corporate partners for funding and to grassroots sports organizations to develop socially conscious sports programming.
The Oregon MBA curriculum, including Warsaw-specific courses, will have direct application to the work each intern will be doing over the summer. From the time I accepted the internship in April I began reviewing the concepts and tools learned in my first year MBA curriculum through the lens of how they can be applied during my internship. Industry analysis practices from Strategic Management class, philanthropic applications of sponsorship from Sports Sponsorship class, and tools to develop a powerful sports brand from Marketing Sports Properties class are all concepts that I am eager to put to practice while at the SSC.
I am also looking forward to heading to Singapore because I used to call the island-nation home, living in Singapore through my middle school and high school years from 1998 to 2004. During my time in there I grew to love the country, but as a youth athlete I was often struck by the limited exposure to sports among Singaporean kids. Beyond serving as a tour guide and local food expert for my classmates, I hope my time in Singapore this summer will help more Singaporeans develop a love of sports through the SportCares program.
