Backed by my work experience, my academic focus became better-defined and I was more self-motivated in my studies. With a comprehensive coursework covering advanced mathematical planning, decision-making strategies, management statistics, and fuzzy mathematics, I achieved obvious improvement in theoretical knowledge and in the application of tools. I developed broader perspectives and was able to conduct my research from more advanced professional levels. My thesis, entitled A Study of Enterprises’ Strategic Alliances Based on an Analysis of Resource Complementarity, presented a wholly novel explanation of corporate alliances from the perspective of resource integration, a perspective which differed fundamentally from the conventional view held by most scholars which explained the necessity and justification of corporate alliance from the angle of transaction cost and value chain.

Instead of feeling contented with my high GPA for the Master’s program (3.6), I have come to realize how much there is still for me to learn in the field of management, especially in marketing. Most universities in China treat marketing purely as a theoretical course, with neither case analysis nor opportunities for students to practice the theories they have learned. In terms of curriculum, studies in marketing psychology and individual behavior have hardly been undertaken. Moreover, the lack of analytical tools has resulted in insufficient analysis of the market feedback. Realizing that such deficiencies can scarcely be overcome within a short period of time, I believe that a more successful career must be pursued through a Ph.D. program outside China, ideally in a first-rate university in the United States.

With my undergraduate and graduate background in engineering and management science, I would like to focus on one of the following areas in your Ph.D. program: a. marketing management; b. behavioral approaches to marketing or consumer behavior; and c. channels of distribution. I have also drawn up my tentative career objective. I will complete my doctoral program by undertaking extensive researches and carrying out some specific projects. After obtaining my degree, I will seek some teaching experiences in an American university while continuing with advanced researches on the latest research topics. In this way I can keep developing my academic aptitudes. After accumulating sufficient teaching and research experience, I will seek a teaching position in a prestigious university in China where I will share with my future students and colleagues my research findings and the knowledge I have acquired in the United States. I hope to develop myself ultimately into a leading specialist in marketing and management who can contribute to bringing Chinese scholarship in this field onto a more advanced level.

CMU’s Ph.D. program in computer science is heavily integrated with research activities and is designed to nurture people with raw talent and intellect in an environment which permits them thorough immersion in research and coursework. The program promises to produce well-educated researchers and future leaders in computer science. I am very excited over this wonderful vision because such a program offers me a basis to translate my dreams into realities. Without such a program, many of my dreams will remain mere fantasies.hxw.red

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