The Enterprise 50 (E50) Awards, first established in 1995, recognises top local privately-held companies which have contributed to the economic development of Singapore and beyond. Organised by The Business Times and KPMG, the award is supported by various government agencies, and sponsored by OCBC Bank.
At the beginning of 2009, NUS Business School partnered with the E50 organisers to embark on an educational project, which involves teams of BBA honours students working closely with each of the 2008 E50 winning companies to understand and study their business models, value propositions, business operations as well as their entrepreneurial passion, and leadership ideology. The students would then write a report in the form of an article profiling each company.
Beyond these profile reports, the student teams also write confidential in-depth consulting reports for the E50 winning companies. These reports, complete with the students’ recommendations for the companies, are also formally presented by the student teams to the CEOs and their senior management teams.
The students are given the privilege and opportunity to work closely and learn from the leadership of these winning companies, engage in real problem-based learning, hone their business acumen, and enhance their communication skills.
Each year, the motivating stories behind the winners are captured by the students in a book series entitled “Enterprise 50 – The best SMEs in Singapore”. These books have raised a total of $503,860 in donations. These funds have benefited many needy undergraduates in the NUS Business School.
In 2013, the E50-NUS Business School Undergraduate Bursary was officially set up. To date, the E50-NUS Business School Bursary fund has $367,560 in donations.
In addition, selected articles written by the students are published in the Business Times every year. These published materials help to further profile the E50 winners and highlight Singapore’s SME sector.