Singleton Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc
PO Box 298
Singleton NSW 2330
T: 0400 460 412 F: 02 65715999
ABN: 80 102 612 177 E:info@singletonchamber.org.au
Categories and Questions for Singleton Chamber of Commerce & Industry Awards
By partnering with NSW Chamber this year, we have adopted their process and all entries must be
completed online. This document is to assist you in preparing your information for the online form,
which is the method of entry. You will need an email address and password to start the process. All
entries must complete the business & contact details AND the Core questions at the start and then
choose one or more categories that you wish to enter. Please note that the NSW system has a
number of other categories that ARE NOT ELIGIBLE for the Singleton Awards – the following are the
only categories you can enter
NSW Categories being used for Singleton Awards:
 Excellence in Export
 Employer of Choice
 Small Business<20FTE employees
 Excellence in Innovation
You may also choose from these Singleton Award categories:
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Excellence in Manufacturing/Engineering
Excellence in Customer Service
Excellence in Tourism/Hospitality
Owner/operator business excellence (less than 5 Fulltime equivalent employees)
CORE QUESTIONS
1. Please describe what your business does?
2. What do you believe has contributed to your business success?
3. Describe your business values including what they mean to your business and how you
demonstrate them in your operations?
4. Tell us about your milestone achievements over the past 12 months. This could include
contracts won, innovations, products and services you have developed, business and
community awards you have won.
5. What key lessons have you learned from successfully overcoming difficulties in your
business?
6. Tell us the overall objectives of your business.
7. Tell us what winning these business awards would mean to your business and how your
business will act as a role model in the future?
Excellence in Export Category sponsored by Rix’s Creek
1. Summarise your export success/es in the past 12 months
(weighting 17%)
2. Outline the key points of your international marketing strategy over the past 12 months and
what role it played in your company’s success. (weighting 10%)
3. What strategies (communication/advertising/promotional/partnerships etc.) have you
implemented to promote and sustain awareness of your brand/s in overseas markets in the
past 12 months (weighting 40%)
4. Briefly explain how your company differentiates its product/service from the competition
and how are you maintaining/improving this advantage. (weighting 33%)
Connecting Business, Creating Community.
Singleton Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc
PO Box 298
Singleton NSW 2330
T: 0400 460 412 F: 02 65715999
ABN: 80 102 612 177 E:info@singletonchamber.org.au
Employer of Choice Category sponsored by Singleton Diggers Club
1. Please explain your HR, WHS and workplace strategies including how you
implemented them in your workplace. (weighting 34%)
2. Why did your business embark on this project/s and/or initiatives? (Weighting 10%)
3. What results have been achieved and how have they positively contributed to your
workplace, workplace safety and employee satisfaction? (weighting 56%)
Small Business<20FTE employees sponsored by Pegasus
1. Please describe your business growth in the previous 12 months
(weighting 10%)
2. What are your strategies and plans to achieve your business growth over the next 12
months? (weighting 17%)
3. How will you implement these strategies? (weighting 33%)
4. What results did you achieve this year and how are they demonstrated? (Weighting 40%)
5. Why do you believe you should win in this category? (not weighted)
Excellence in Innovation sponsored by AGL
1. Please explain how your business reacts to changes in the market
including how your business acquires an understanding of emerging customer and market
needs. (weighting 10%)
2. Please provide evidence of how your business is innovative with specific examples over the
previous 12 months. (weighting 20%)
3. Demonstrate how a culture of new ideas is a commercial imperative to innovate in your
business. (weighting 5%)
4. Provide evidence of innovative activity in your business in the last 12 months and explain
how this helped you (weighting 30%)
5. Demonstrate the extent to which your business innovation has or is likely to have a positive
impact beyond your business. (weighting 35%)
Excellence in Manufacturing/Engineering Award sponsored by Coal & Allied
 Description: Recognises a Manufacturing or Engineering business that
has achieved business success, while continuing to improve their
products/services and managing their staff development
1. Briefly explain how your company differentiates its products/services from the competition
and how are you maintaining/improving the advantage? (200words max) 12.5% weighting)
Connecting Business, Creating Community.
Singleton Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc
PO Box 298
Singleton NSW 2330
T: 0400 460 412 F: 02 65715999
ABN: 80 102 612 177 E:info@singletonchamber.org.au
2. Innovation is key to product or service improvement. Describe any innovative products,
services or practices your business has introduced over the last 12 months. Include the
reasons & the resulting effect on your business. (300 words max) 25% weighting
3. How is Workplace Health & Safety managed at your business? What steps have you taken to
reduce accidents and incidents, giving examples of any initiatives you have taken? ( 300
words max 25% weighting)
4. How do you manage training in your business? Describe any apprenticeship/traineeship
programs you have in place. (300 words max) 25% weighting
5. How has your company managed to address environmental concerns within your business?
Give an example of an initiative/s you have led/implemented within the workplace to
encourage environmental awareness and reduce your carbon footprint.(200 words max
12.5%)
Excellence in Customer Service Award sponsored by Auscoal Super
 Description: Recognises a business that is able to demonstrate specific
strategies and outcomes of a targeted approach to customer service and
how that culture is carried through the entire business.
1. Why is customer service important to your business? (200 words max)20%
2. How do you measure your customer service? Demonstrate how your program produces
results.(300 words max ) 25%
3. What staff training or monitoring have you carried out in the past 12 months to ensure your
customer service meets your expectations and continues to improve? (400 words max )30%
4. Is there anything you believe you do differently that puts your customer service ahead of the
rest? (300 words max) 25%
Excellence in Tourism/Hospitality sponsored by Singleton Council
 Description: Recognises a business in the Tourism or Hospitality industries
that has achieved significant success and how they have become a leader
in their field.
1. Briefly explain how you create your point of difference. Describe what sets you apart from the
competition, enabling you to attract visitation to your business. (200 words max 20%)
Connecting Business, Creating Community.
Singleton Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc
PO Box 298
Singleton NSW 2330
T: 0400 460 412 F: 02 65715999
ABN: 80 102 612 177 E:info@singletonchamber.org.au
2. Customer service is such an important part of Tourism and Hospitality businesses. Please detail
how this is managed in your organisation and how you ensure that standards are adhered to.
(300 words max 25%)
3. Tell us about your vision for your business, detailing what you have done over the last 12
months to achieve your goals. Describe what you would like to achieve over the next 12 months.
(350 words max 25%)
4. Explain how you manage advertising and marketing in your business. Include use of internet and
Social Media if applicable and how you engage with Tourism bodies, Regionally, State or
Nationally/Internationally (400 words max 30 %)
Owner/operator business excellence (less than 5 Fulltime equivalent employees) sponsored by
Farrow Wyatt
 Description: Recognises the difficulties of being the expert on
everything! This award is given to a business showing success and
an ability to manage all the aspects of business including staff and systems to ensure the
sustainability of the enterprise.
1. Please describe your business growth in the last 12 months (200 words max 15%)
2. What strategies do you have in place to ensure the viability of your business? How will your plans
and goals be implemented? (300 words max 30%)
3. How do you manage business development and marketing of your business. (200 words max
15%)
4. What systems do you have in place to ensure your staff convey the right values and service level
you expect. Explain your customer service process and describe any difficulties that have been
overcome and what this has meant to your business (300 words max 25%)
5. How do you interact with other local businesses and how do you provide input into your local
community? (200words max 15%)
Employee of Year/Pride of Workmanship Award – in this award we are partnered by the Singleton
Rotary Club who will select the winner. The award is sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank.
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this award is for an employee who has shown loyalty, works hard (Do it once - Do it well) and
has made a difference to his/her workplace. To enter this award, please use the separate link
on the Chamber website for this purpose or fill in the following form and return to the
Chamber
Connecting Business, Creating Community.
Singleton Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc
PO Box 298
Singleton NSW 2330
T: 0400 460 412 F: 02 65715999
ABN: 80 102 612 177 E:info@singletonchamber.org.au
Employee of the Year/Pride of Workmanship Nomination 2014
Company Name:
Street Address:
Postal Address:
Contact Number:
Name of nominator:
Employee Name:
Employee Position:
Duration of Employment:
General Duties:
Reasons for Nomination:
(e.g. exceeding expectations, feedback from clients and/or staff, ability/flexibility to work in a team or
individually, cooperation, enthusiasm, hard worker)
Please indicate when employee will be available for interview (please give a number of options)
Signed:
Date:
Connecting Business, Creating Community.