Dual Degree Students Collaborate with OOCL to Find eLogistics Solution

16 top students from the highly acclaimed elite Dual Degree Program in Technology Management (T&M) have been selected to solve a real-life business problem sponsored by Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) Ltd. An Opening Ceremony was held on February 8, 2006 at the CL3 Admiralty Learning Center to kick off the Project entitled "RFID Technology in Logistics Business: an eLogistics Solution".

As announced at the opening address by Prof Kar Yan Tam, Co-Director of Dual Degree Program in T & M, students will be engaged in an intensive study to apply RFID technology in logistics services at WGQ (the first Free Trade-zone in China next to the Shanghai port area), to offer practical eLogistics solutions for foreign companies. The students, divided into teams of 4, will be making a site visit to Shanghai in early March to observe foreign companies operating at WGQ and interact with local government officials. The project is expected to last for a total of 4 months. Students will give full presentations of their findings and solutions by the middle of May, to be evaluated by a panel of judges comprising of academic from HKUST and industrial leaders from OOCL.

Mr. Steve Siu, Chief Technology Officer of OOCL, conveyed the full support of his company in this project and presented a cheque to the students to sponsor their air ticket expenses for the site visit. Mr. Siu believes the project is a great learning opportunity for both the teams and his company. In a motivating speech, he pointed out that in a rapidly changing environment like China where regulations and laws are still in the developmental process, students will be able to understand the rationale behind or even contribute to the development of certain regulations through engaging in this project.

This Corporate Project is a key Enrichment Program of the T & M program in which top students with dual background in business and technology collaborate to find innovative ways to create value for and solve real-life business problems with the sponsorship of a corporate partner. Prof Chi Ming Chan, Co-Director of Dual Degree Program in T&M concluded the ceremony by announcing that more enrichment programs of similar nature will be developed for T&M students in order to form bridges and foundations for integrating business with technology.