Personal Statement
Program Applied: Supply Chain Management/Logistics from XX University
In the twenty-first century in which global economic integration is developing with gathering momentum, the modern Supply Chain Management / Logistics is bound to become one of the most thriving industries in the world. In modern economy, an effective and efficient system of logistics plays a vital role in determining the optimum allocation of production factors and governs the rationalized utilization of social resources. As an advanced form of organization and management technology, modern logistics serves as an important means whereby an enterprise can reduce its costs and enhance its efficiency and profitability. Based on this consideration, here I solemnly apply for a Master’s program in Supply Chain Management / Logistics from your esteemed university with a view to contributing to the overall level of logistics management of China, which only rests on a very elementary level at present. In so doing, I also expect to occupy a vantage point from which to enhance my own career development and personal actualization.

The reason that I can make, with much confidence, such an important choice as to my future course of action is multifold. But first and foremost, it is because I have already accumulated more than three years of valuable practical work experience in the field of logistics. In 1999, upon graduating from XX Institute of Technology, I found employment with China XX(Globe) Chemical Engineering Corporation, one of the 225 international project contracting companies and one of the 200 largest designing institutes in the world. After undertaking business for half a year at its Procurement Department, I was dispatched to work in XX on account of my outstanding professional performance, where I was made responsible for overall contracting projects. This made me the youngest engineer in my corporation to have been based in overseas headquarters. In XX, we were involved in constructing various types of oil storage tanks for XX X Corporation (NPC), the large state-owned company in the local area, and my position was that of on-the-spot procurement director in charge of customs clearance, declaration of dutiable goods, project procurement and management. For a period of nearly three years, I performed four major projects (XX Emergency Rehabilitation of Petroleum Storage Facilities, Six New tanks in XX Tank Farm Project, and XX Airport Fuel Tank Farm & Hydrant System Project), dealing with more than 300 customs clearances of cargo shipments from sea or air. Overseas procurement also fell within the category of my work. I placed more than 100 orders with suppliers all over the world. In addition, I also took the initiative to communicate and coordinate with project plan engineer and project cost engineer to help them formulate effective PSR and PCR plans.

My three-year overseas experience is that of painstaking efforts and important gains, during which I was promoted from coordinator to chief officer. When I first arrived in XX, I was not sufficiently familiar with business operations. What’s more, I had to work under the harsh natural environment of the local weather (over 35℃ for most of the year). With due efforts, I adapted to my new role and in the due course I handled my responsibilities with considerable facility. I feel rather fortunate that this experience of overseas (international) logistics management have benefited me so much, enabling me to perform my responsibilities independently and fruitfully. I have not only become acquainted with project logistics and developed expertise in customs clearance for import, customs declaration for export, overseas shipment and other international business procedures. I also perfected my ability in organization, leadership, teamwork, and above all interpersonal communication. Furthermore, my cooperation with logistics companies operating under the American and European management systems helped me gain an in-depth knowledge of the modes of operations of international logistics systems. Most importantly, my three-year involvement in logistics made me growingly interested in this challenging yet meaningful profession. In addition to those, as the official language of XX is English, I significantly improved my English proficiency. My equally outstanding performance in XX resulted in my transfer in January 2003 back to my Corporation’s domestic headquarters to assume overall responsibility for the export commodity inspection, customs declaration and shipment of all overseas projects. I have been concomitantly serving as assistant procurement manager of our Corporation’s TPP Project in XX Harbor and XX City XX Project. My distinguished work performance has led to my being nominated among the Ten Most Outstanding Employee of the Corporation and I was awarded the Outstanding Young Employee of the Corporation.

Of course, I must attribute most of those achievements to my alma mater, XX Institute of Technology, for the solid academic foundation and for my development of comprehensive qualities on its campus. Entering its Economic Trade and Management School where I majored in International Finance, I consistently ranked among the top 3 students in my class in terms of academic performance throughout my undergraduate career, receiving scholarships for quite a few times and winning such honors as Outstanding Student Leader, Student of Excellence, and Outstanding Graduate of the School. My thesis, entitled the Circulation of State-owned Shares under the Co-ownership of the Capital Stock, is a test of my overall knowledge, in which I focused on the several facets of the then hot issue of reforming the state-owned enterprises. I examined the preconditions of the reform and the institutional transition in the later phase of reform，and proposed the reform of the state-owned shares as the point of entry for enterprise reform. In terms of coursework, I did a particularly excellent job in the central courses of my School’s well-developed curriculum, courses such as International Trade, International Trade Operations, International Finance, Stocks and Shares, etc. The knowledge I derived from those courses has benefited me immensely for their close relevance to the job that I subsequently took up in logistics.

My distinguished academic performance enabled me to be chosen as the monitor of class, acting as an official in School’s student union in charge of organization and publicity. I also worked as head of the Institute’s broadcasting station, launching a series of extracurricular activities on the campus, hosting a number of shows and performances. Out of my love for media, I worked part-time during 1997 and 1999 at the XX Provincial Broadcasting Station, reporting on major sports events like French World Cup in 1998 and Asian Games in XX in the same year, establishing a certain reputation in XX Province. Those involvements prepared me to be a leader and organizer.

Now, having made some initial achievements in academic and professional career, I deem myself well in the position to seek high levels of personal development. Your prestigious university is among the first universities to have offered an advanced program in logistics，noted for its original curriculum, rigorous training and a strong faculty. In particular, your multidisciplinary Action Project, a training program which allows students to practice their problem-solving ability through realistic situations, has won unanimous praise and fascinates me tremendously. I believe that your program will expose me to the mature and advanced concepts of logistics and management in the world and help me lay a firm foundation for my higher career objective. In my proposed program, I will focus on the following relevant courses—supply chain management, logistics information technology, logistics distribution, logistics commodity maintenance, international logistics operation, and customs declaration of international logistics. I expect to undertake a comparative study of Chinese and international logistics and try to discover ways in which Chinese logistics may learn from and, hence, benefit from international practices.

Logistics is a burgeoning industry in China. As a young man filled with wild dreams and high ambitions, I am ready to learn the successful experiences of western countries and bring them to bear on the development of China’s logistics. It would be great that my personal development should parallel the development of logistics of my country. I am convinced that I am a worthy candidate for your well-respected program and would be sincerely grateful that my application will be seriously considered.

                                                     Signature: _________________________