DHL, the world's leading express and logistics company, and the Chinese Management Association (CMA) have announced the winners of the 4th DHL Thesis Awards in Supply Chain Management, which seeks to encourage the study of the science of supply chain management (SCM). A total of fourteen graduate students received the awards at a ceremony held today, with eight of them receiving award recognitions and six receiving honourable mentions.

DHL Taiwan and CMA have been holding the Awards since 2003 with the aim to encourage the study of fields related to supply chain management and improve the quality of the research. In addition, the awards recognize outstanding academic research as well as real life case studies. It is the only award in Taiwan that recognizes and encourages research efforts in SCM. This award is now being recognized as the benchmark of success in the field of research in supply chain management.

Connie Tang, General Manager DHL Express Taiwan, said: “DHL is sponsoring the only award in Taiwan which encourages the study and research of supply chain management related fields. The outstanding winners of the awards should inspire others to join their ranks.”

Ms. Tang added that the series of awards requires a high standard review process. Each candidate needs to overcome three review processes: a review of the thesis, an oral presentation, and a question-and-answer session with the Judging Panel. In order to stand out among his/her peers, the candidate must present a logical and comprehensive line of reasoning.

Liu Shui-sheng, President of the CMA, noted that the judging process looks closely at the innovative elements of the various theses. In turn, these theses have the potential to inspire real life applications of SCM, bringing academic theories to life and creating a cross-bridge between academia and industry.

Each year, the DHL Thesis Awards in Supply Chain Management have been setting new records for the number of applications received, with a double digit annual growth rate. The number of total applicants in 4 years now stands at 1,089. Han Fu-hwa, Chairman of the SCM Committee at the CMA, thinks that this award has become an important benchmark in this academic field.

The 4th instalment of the Awards has received applications from 192 PhD and graduate students, an increase of 23% compared to last year’s 156 applications. The applications came from 52 schools, 18% more than last year’s 44. Furthermore, the reputation of the awards is now known even outside Taiwan, with one application coming from a student at Beijing University in China.

The awards are divided into three groups: PhD and Masters – industry application and case studies, and Masters – theories and models. The subjects of the theses extend from IT to the pharmaceutical industries. In addition, they also expand the coverage of research beyond Taiwan, with case studies such as “An Evaluation of Logistics Services Requirements of Taiwanese Manufacturing Companies in China” and “The Study of Warehouse Consolidation in Logisitics System – A Case Study on a Firm in Mainland China”, both focusing on applications facilitating supply chain management.
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About The DHL Thesis Awards in Supply Chain Management
In order to encourage the study and research of supply chain management in Taiwan’s universities, and to promote the innovative spirits in the field of logistics, DHL Taiwan and the Chinese Management Association have been co-organizing the “The DHL Thesis Awards in Supply Chain Management” since 2003. Through the Awards, the organizers are encouraging the development of more PhD and graduate students who have excelled in the field of supply chain management studies, and are also supporting the interaction between academia and the industry.
The Awards web site is http://dhl.management.org.tw/