Sri Lankan students excel at SLIM-Bucks MBA program

Thursday, 28 August 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Buckinghamshire New University, UK (Bucks) MBA conducted by Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) has become increasingly popular in the country, with admissions showing a substantial increase year on year. The state-of-the-art classrooms and more personalised instructions are not the only reasons why students select the Bucks MBA program at SLIM. The faculty members too are very experienced in their subjects and are able to provide students with ‘real-life’ scenarios linking theory with practice.

Pubudika Ruwangi Witharana and Suran De Silva, two Sri Lankan students who passed with a distinction for Dissertation, coached by on shore lecturer Ravi Bamunusinghe and off shore lecturers Dr. Christine Parsons and Dr. Bill Ncholas, mentioned that it is an indication of the quality of the study program and the support extended by the faculty. This is the second time in history two students received Distinctions, in SLIM’s working partnership with Buckinghamshire New University UK which is extending to its seventh year. When talking about the support they got from lecturers Suran De Silva said, “The lecturers were flexible and supportive. The interaction was great and friendly. The lecturers were readily accessible when we had the need and were always well prepared. The lecturers are professionals with years of experience in large corporate institutes where MBA concepts are constantly practiced in routine official work. The real life experience of industry blended with Buckinghamshire University guidelines was transferred to us in a simplified manner which made us think and act like CEOs rather than students in an MBA class.” Congratulating the students, SLIM President Kalana Rathnayaka said, he is extremely happy with the progress that SLIM-Bucks MBA program has made in Sri Lanka. “Today it stands tall as one of the best private MBAs on offer by a UK-based university. It will definitely be a boon to lot of marketers because we have people from many different fields of business following the MBA program and hence extended our reach to Kandy as well bringing the opportunity for our students. “As we strive towards academic excellence being the national body for marketing in the country, we will continue with our efforts to enhance our teaching with innovative programmes while developing the research output and industry relationship,” stated SLIM Vice President Ruwan Liyanagamage. SLIM Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director Sanath Senanayake said that there are a number of things that makes this program unique. “One is the study method. We have a unique situation where we have the local lecturers who give the local flavour along with the foreign curriculums that are in place. The difference is that our students still manage to interact with the foreign lecturers through a special tool called the ‘Blackboard’ through which the students interact.” According to SLIM, there is lot of support coming from the international faculty. Once in every three to four months, there are Bucks representatives visiting Sri Lanka, directly liaising with students and holding special educational sessions. This makes it a more engaging MBA. The applicants for the MBA Program should have a professional qualification and be at least 23 years of age. Executives with a minimum of 10-12 years managerial experience in a private or public organisation are eligible to apply. “When I decided to do an MBA, I had to look for a place that would let me achieve the desired objective within a reasonable time period. From the information available on the papers and from my friends I settled for SLIM as I found that their affiliated university has a long history as a reputed institute in the UK. The well reputed panel of lecturers and the payment mode at SLIM were more suitable for me. Also the classes arranged on Saturday evenings which did not clash with my office hours and were convenient to me,” said Pubudika Witharana reminiscing her decision to follow the SLIM Bucks MBA. SLIM Bucks MBA Alumni is the Alumni Association in Sri Lanka for the MBA Graduates passed out from Buckinghamshire New University of the United Kingdom. It has an active database of members who work to enhance and maintain links among members, help them stay connected with colleagues and make new connections, initiate knowledge sharing forums and other academic related functions for the benefit of members and establish Alumni members as figureheads and role models for current and future MBA students.