DHL Thesis Awards in Supply Chain Management, the annual Awards jointly presented by DHL, the world's leading express and logistics brand, and the Chinese Management Association (CMA), for the purpose of promoting and encouraging R/D in supply chain management, is entering its 6th year. This year’s Awards Ceremony is held on Sept 27. A record-breaking number of 277 theses have been entered for the Awards this year, marking an increase of 13% compared to last year. Out of these entries, 10 theses are awarded the ‘Awards of Excellence’ and 6 awarded the “Honorable Mentions”.

Taiwan is the only market in the world where DHL hosts thesis awards. DHL Thesis Awards in Supply Chain Management is also the only one of its kind in Taiwan, with the aim to promote and encourage R/D in supply chain management. Since its birth in 2003, the Awards have been dedicated to the promotion of innovations in supply chain and logistics management. The Awards witnesses a growth in number of entrants each year, and is the must-attend event of the year for professors specialized in the field of supply chain and logistics management.

Stuart Whiting, General Manager of DHL Express Taiwan, points out that the strength in supply chain management is Taiwanese industries’ competitive advantage. By sponsoring this event, DHL hopes to encourage more indigenous R/D activities in the field of management, and to promote the exchanges between the academia and the practitioner world. DHL also aims to use the occasion to share and exchange its experiences in the field with the academic researchers.

Due to its uniqueness, competitions for the DHL Thesis Awards in Supply Chain Management are fierce. Each candidate needs to overcome three review processes judged by industry experts and academics: a review of the thesis, an oral presentation, and a question-and-answer session with the Judging Panel. Thus, winning theses of the awards have undergone the scrutiny and to emerge, proven for their highest standards and qualities, fit for use as research references.

Liu Shui-sheng, President of the CMA, said during his speech at the Ceremony, that the Awards hope to provide inspiration to the industry through the creative thinking found in the theses, and to facilitate the adoption of theory in practice, thus advancing the exchange between industry and academia.

Han Fu-hwa, Chairman of the SCM Committee at the CMA, pointed out that since 2003, total number of participants in the ‘DHL Thesis Awards in Supply Chain Management’ has reached 1,032. During the past 6 years, participants have come from more than 55 public and private academic institutions, across a wide range of disciplines, including Industrial Engineering and Management, Business Management, Transportation Management, Industrial Engineering and Information Management, Industrial Engineering and Technology Management, Marketing and Channeling Management, Corporate Management, and Information Management etc. The broad array of disciplines reflects the diverse nature of the research required for the Award’s theses.

In addition to receiving the trophy, winners of the ‘Award of Excellence’ will be given a cash prize. Doctoral degree winners will receive NT$40,000, while the advising professor will receive NT$20,000. Masters and EMBA winners will receive NT$20,000 each and their advising professors NT$10,000 each. In the case of more than one advising professor, the cash reward will be split equally. Winners of the ‘Honorable Mention’ award and their advising professors will receive award plaques. To see the summary of the winning theses, please visit http://dhl.management.org.tw.