Bucks New University MBA graduation on Wednesday

Forty Sri Lankan students who followed the Buckinghamshire New University MBA at Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) have graduated this year and the graduation ceremony will be held on 5 September at the Buckinghamshire New University (UK).

Commenting on the outcome, SLIM President Tilan Wijeyesekera said he was extremely happy with the progress that SLIM-Bucks MBA programme has made in Sri Lanka.

“Today it stands tall as one of the best private MBAs on offer by a UK-based university. That also goes very strong into the capabilities of SLIM to market this programme in Sri Lanka. It will definitely be a boon to add lot of value to a lot of marketers because we have people from many different fields of business doing this MBA programme. As part of our mandate to add value to the nation’s marketers and fraternity, I think it goes a long way. More graduates we create, it will help to take our marketers to more general management positions and boardroom positions in the future.”

The key highlights of the SLIM-Bucks MBA are independent modules, flexible timetables, convenient schedules, discussion forums, blackboard (IT platform) facilities and local and foreign lecturers.

Wijeyesekera also said that there were a number of things that made this programme unique. “One is the study method. We have unique situation where we have the local lecturers who manage to give the local flavour along with the foreign curriculum that are in place. The difference is that our students can interact with the foreign lectures as well. We have a unique tool called the ‘Blackboard’ where the students interact with the foreign lecturers.”

“There is lot of support coming from the international panel. Once in every three to four months, we have Bucks representatives coming to Sri Lanka, directly liaising with students and holding special sessions. Therefore it makes it a more engaging MBA than most other MBAs. A few months ago, we had the chief of the management faculty visiting us here and briefing our students on the dissertation. We have very special sessions apart from the normal study curriculum,” SLIM CEO Sanath Senanayake added.

Buckinghamshire New University is a British, State-funded university with roots established in 1893, as the Science and Art School in High Wycombe, located between London and Oxford. The university now has a studentship of about 10,000.

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) founded in 1970 (then called Ceylon Institute of Marketing) with a view to harness the available skills in Marketing for the growth and development of the profession, was subsequently incorporated by Act 41 of 1980 of the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

SLIM has created a professional educational career path in marketing commencing from the entry level, preliminary certificate in marketing going right up to MBA covering a gamut of disciplines in marketing such as, brand, sales, insurance, pharmaceutical and many other declines to be added on.

In addition to providing professional marketing education, as the national body for marketing, SLIM encourages best practices in marketing through national level events such as Brand Excellence which recognises the most successful brands, Effie awards, the most effective advertising, NASCO, the sales excellence and People’s Awards which recognises the “people’s choice”. These events not only enhance the image of the marketing profession but also create pathways for more marketers to reach the boardroom level.