Tray Return System in Singapore

The tray return initiative includes tray return racks at designated points within hawker centers that are set to remind the customer to return their tray, bowl, or utensil after use. The centers are equipped with posters and table stickers and sometimes some centers have volunteers who encourage customers to adhere and success of the initiative. The National Environment Agency in Singapore formulated this initiative with the aim of addressing the issue of increasing labor costs by reducing the number of cleaning workers and to build a more gracious Country. The initiative is supposed to change customer behavior and the overall role of cleaners in hawker centers. The Singapore government has urged critics that the initiative will not deprive cleaners of their job but insists that it will increase efficiency in hawking centers. The Minister of State for Environment and Water Resources insists that it is the customer's responsibility in being considerate and returning trays to their point. 

The Key publics that the Public relations Manager in the NEA wish to target for this campaign are the customers and hawking centers. The customers have the responsibility of ensuring a safe environment in Singapore. Before the formulation of the return tray initiative, bowls and utensils left at food courts would attract birds and many other insects and animals that would scavenge on leftover foods in those bowls. This was found to be unhealthy for other customers who wanted to dine ant eat in those tables. The initiative would also target the owners of food courts and hawking centers. They have the responsibility of installing food tray return centers and to remind customers to comply with the law through posters and other signage. Commuters are can also be targeted since they make up to 30 percent of people who buy foods in hawking centers and other food courts in airports and other places around the airport (Aula, 2010).

The National Environment Agency should know their audience. Knowing their audience matters. This is because it determines the content of policies to establish in order to ensure that the tray return initiative is a success. It is important for the National Environment Agency in knowing their audience to content market success. The National Environment Agency should utilize the online communities in reaching their target audience. The Agency should include social media and other online platforms in ensuring that their initiative is well spread across these platforms. The Agency can also use online platforms in creating awareness and displaying the importance of returning trays on tray return centers. The environmental implications of not returning the tray at tray centers should also be highlighted in online platforms. The National Environment Agency should also try to empower employees and other stakeholders in this initiative in reaching their audience. The owners of hawking centers should be empowered to also empower their employees in implementing the return tray initiative. Through the spirit of empowering, the Singapore government manages two hawker centers. The centers are located in Marsiling Mall and Block 163. At this government managed centers, the government charges $ 0.5 deposit. Customers have to pay a deposit when they buy their food, this deposit will be refunded once the customer returns their trays. The government is empowering other food centers into creating a system that will ensure that customers have returned their plates and bowls. In other food courts, a robot is used in returning bowls and trays after competing for your dish. Therefore, the government through the National Environment Agency has improved on the ways of reaching their target audience in ensuring the success of the return tray initiative. The State Minister of Environment wants the initiative to be sustained and encourage the community to support the initiative (Chee-Wee Tan, Shan-Ling Pan, & Lim).

Any effective marketing program involves publicity, and what other better way of creating publicity than through media coverage. The initiative can be a success if people have constantly heard of it in media coverage. Media coverage boosts awareness of the initiative it also reinforces credibility. The proposed media relations plan for the National Environment Agency will aim at initiative publicity program. The publicity program would involve setting a strategic goal for the initiative. The goal of the proposed plan is to increase the publicity of the initiative. Popularizing the initiative will allow people to familiarize easily with the initiative. The initial publicity would include the use of social media campaigns in promoting the initiative, calling out for press releases to talk about the initiative. The Minister for a state of Environment will be central in the initial publicity stage. The minister shall also conduct interviews across media platforms like televisions and radios. The initial publicity will also include the participation of community building events. The Minister of Environment will be required to participate in opening up centers that have established and embraced the initiative. The initial publicity stage will create awareness and increase the publicity of the initiative. In the proposed media relation plan, the ongoing media relation shall build relationships with media outlets. The attendances of NEA officials in interviews and another interactive platform will create a better rapport with media personalities that will eventually push for the success of the initiative. The public relations manager should also seek endorsements and positive reviews about the return tray initiative from the target audience. The media relation should also consider the target audience. Factors to be put into consideration for the media relation plan should include the age, the place, and region where most of the food courts are established (Mahmud, 2018).

To encourage desired behaviors in the target audience the media relation plan for the National Environment Agency will have to raise awareness and build alliances. The alliances created should involve radio stations, Television stations, and print media. It is also crucial for the NEA to build alliances with stakeholders that will help shoulder the burden and spread the word about the initiative. Examples of stakeholders to be included are the local municipality, local property owners and owners of food establishments. In evaluating the media coverage and effectiveness of the proposed media strategy, the Public Relations manager will need to evaluate the publicity campaign, which involved social media, press releases and community building events. The Manager will also need to evaluate the ongoing media relations campaign and adjusting messages and strategies needed to push for the success of the initiative. Evaluation will include calculating the social media reach. This is will enable Public Relations to understand the depth of their content in wanting the public or the targeted audience returning their trays after use. It will also enable the public relation manager to determine how far the message can circulate on social media. In calculating the social media outreach the Public Relations Manager will determine the audience growth and on ways to increase the target audience. The other step in evaluating media coverage is by identifying the number of food establishment centers that have adopted ways in which customers can return trays and utensils without leaving them in tables. The Public Relations manager will need to visit malls and hawker centers to find out if customers are adapting to the behavior of returning trays. Evaluation of media coverage will help the NEA in establishing better ways to promote their strategies (Mingen, 2018).

The Minister of State for Environment and Resources in Singapore agree that every individual should be considerate in implementing the tray return program. This is crucial for Singapore in maintaining a leaner and more pleasant dining environment across Singapore. Returning trays benefits everyone including table cleaners and customers. The importance of tray return initiative will see cleaners and patrons concentrate on doing other roles like cleaning tables and collecting food that has been dropped. This initiative is aimed at reducing birds and insects who prey after leftover foods thereby decreasing infections. 

The National Environment Agency is thereby encouraging patrons to participate in this initiative of returning trays in various ways. Publicity materials like posters and banners have been placed strategically in food courts to create awareness of tray return initiative. Cleaners and workers in food courts are also encouraged to wear T-shirts displaying messages encouraging people to return their trays. With the help of stakeholders and other cooperation’s, patrons may be rewarded for the services they provide. New food centers established should have higher ceilings to help in creating ventilation and improve the working conditions for hawkers in those centers. Hawkers working conditions have been improved by implementing various schemes like Hawkers productivity grants (Pan, Tan, & Lim, 2006).

The National Environment Agency is working closely with other stakeholders to explore and identify other suggestions on how to refine the automated tray return systems. The automated return systems have already been put in place In NEA managed centers like the Marsiling Mall hawker center. 

References

Aula, P. (2010). Social media, reputation risk and ambient publicity management.  Strategy & Leadership ,  38 (6), 43-49. doi:10.1108/10878571011088069

Chee-Wee Tan, Shan-Ling Pan, & Lim, E. (n.d.). Towards the Restoration of Public Trust in Electronic Governments: A Case Study of the E-Filing System in Singapore.  Proceedings of the 38th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences . doi:10.1109/hicss.2005.638

Mahmud, A. (2018, March 7). Returning trays at hawker centres does not deprive cleaners of jobs: Amy Khor. Retrieved from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/returning-trays-at-hawker-centres-cleaners-jobs-10018140

Mingen, S. (2018, March 6). More customers returning trays at two hawker centres, thanks to personal reminders and visual cues. Retrieved from https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/more-customers-returning-trays-two-hawker-centres-thanks-personal-reminders-and-visual

Pan, S., Tan, C., & Lim, E. T. (2006). Customer relationship management (CRM) in e-government: a relational perspective.  Decision Support Systems ,  42 (1), 237-250. doi:10.1016/j.dss.2004.12.001