Guys I would appreciate your comments even though I have already submitted my SOP along with other scholarship papers. This SOP is for Edmunds Muskie graduate scholarship program. Thank you in advance
27. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Please write a detailed essay describing your future career plans, why you want and need to study in the US at the graduate level, and how you hope to contribute to your country’s democratic and economic development. Essays should be typewritten and cannot exceed 1000 words.
No wonder that Supply Chain Management (SCM) has already become a key component of business strategy and main factor in cost optimization. And when it comes to the car manufacturing the role of SCM will be doubled as the material flow throughout the chain is significant. In today’s auto industry SCM requires businesses to have modern and integrated approach to planning, implementing and controlling the flow of information, materials and services. If you are purchasing the parts or raw materials not with the best market value because sourcing was not done well or you are paying too much money for the transportation of the parts just because your forwarder/supplier did not utilize truck/container space then you as a business unit cannot succeed in this competitive business world or cannot even survive.
Uzbekistan has recently joined to auto industry and currently is not able to compete with other Asian and European manufacturers. One of the reasons for this is inadequate approach to SCM such as limited sourcing of the parts/raw materials, bad supplier readiness for the new product launches, improper ordering and inventory handling, and poor logistics. These factors are pulling the industry from the development, forcing it to work with short term supply issues and are not letting to focus on long term strategic planning.
In 2008 I joined to Global Purchasing and Supply Chain Department of “General Motors Uzbekistan” (“GMUZ” – single and leading car manufacturing plant in the country) as a procurement and follow up specialist. I was a part of a cross-functional team that helped me to understand the auto industry and to realize the importance of SCM. Our main responsibilities were ordering the knockdown parts to “GM Daewoo” (“GMDAT” – main supplier) and parts follow up. At the time I started working we struggled with late shipments and poor order fulfillment by the supplier which made the GMUZ to spend thousands of dollars to deliver the parts by air. The broad and well-grounded knowledge in business, management and English language skills enabled me to analyze the situation deeper and communicate with supplier closer. After the analysis I found that there was lack of communication between the parties. Thus I came up with the idea of organizing weekly conference calls and there we discussed all the critical and open issues more in detail. By this way we decreased the air shipment costs up to 50 percent.
Over the past two years of my work experience in “GM Uzbekistan” my passion for this industry in particular for SCM has deepened substantially. I have been involved in the global launch process of the “Spark” model which was the biggest launch in the company’s history. I took the role of supply chain leader in the cross-functional launch team. From this global GM based launch I learned how the GM common processes generate benefit, how to contribute to world-class start-ups of a new product, how to minimize duration of acceleration before the start of regular production, how to maximize the profit. Today I consider myself as a part of the plant and consider the plant supply chain management as a part of my career goal.
Through the Muskie Fellowship program by applying to Masters of Business Administration in Supply Chain Management I would like to gain valuable US education in this field and learn best practices of the leading car manufacturers like General Motors. The US universities (for example: University of Michigan, University of Akron) have highly personalized and rewarding educational experience and they are dedicated to helping the students maximize their capability to become a leader in supply chain practice and management and the companies to be more profitable. As a graduate student first of all, I will focus on purchasing activities including international trade and sourcing, and learn the ways of achieving the highest quality goods and services at the lowest possible cost. Then I want to apply these practices back in “GM Uzbekistan” where the plant is working with limited sources and have few choices in supplier selection.
Additionally, I would like to study the global material optimization in particular the techniques of ordering and inventory management. I have a special interest in implementing the Just In Time (JIT) inventory strategy in our company. JIT requires no floor space and provides the delivery of the material directly to the assembly line at the right time and in the exact amount. Although this strategy requires disciplined approach, it helped giant automakers like Toyota, GM, and BMW to succeed. I believe JIT is something that our company needs in order to increase productivity. I am also planning to take courses in Logistics management which ensures every point of use at the company assembly is being fed with the material, at the lowest possible delivery cost by using optimal route and mode of transportation along with improved packing.
I possess a broad-based business and management education and I am getting experienced through attending the supply chain trainings and workshops conducted by GM experts. But in order to attain what I am aiming for, I believe that I require a sharply defined and focused course in Supply Chain Management on a graduate level. Analyzing strategic SC problems in Uzbek auto industry particularly in “GM Uzbekistan” and implementing corresponding solutions is what I really want. I hope through the Muskie program I will be the first specialist majored in SCM in this company and I will be helping the people to produce world class vehicles at the lowest cost through building efficient supply chain.
No wonder that Supply Chain Management (SCM) has already become a key component of business strategy and main factor in cost optimization.
I like Susan's suggestion to include "It's" at the beginning of the sentence. I think this sentence should be immediately followed by a sentence that gives a good reason why it is no wonder.
Actually, I believe that problem could be solved just by getting rid of "and"
And When it comes to the...------If you get rid of "and" the sentence becomes evidence to support what you just wrote in the first sentence.
This is good writing. You should feel confident. But whenever you want to check the quality of your writing, ask yourself what the main idea of the essay is and see if you can express that idea in a single sentence. Put that sentence somewhere in the essay.
:-)
I would fix the non-idiomatic English here, as the writing often feels awkward. Here is an sample of the type of revision I would recommend:
"It is no small wonder that Supply Chain Management (SCM) has already become a key component of business strategy and a primary factor in cost optimization. Moreover, in the car manufacturing industry, the role of SCM will be doubled due to the material flow throughout the chain."
Best,
Martin F.
Harvard Square Essays Editing Consultant
