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British MBA delivered by SLIM

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing - SLIM announced the recent launch of the Buckinghamshire New University, UK MBA Programme in Sri Lanka. Lectures commenced on June 14.

Buckinghamshire New University is a State funded leading University in the UK and listed in the International Handbook of Universities and thereby recognised by the University Grants Commission, Sri Lanka. The University has over 10,000 students in the UK and many more in their extended locations globally.

The MBA programme has three stages comprising two semesters of classroom work supported with e-learning, and a final stage to complete a dissertation. Duration of the two semesters is only one year. The first semester has four subjects, the second three subjects and all of them have a global focus.

Stages - Semester One: International Financial Management, International Marketing Management, Human Resources Management and International Logistics and Operations.

Semester Two: Management Sciences and Systems, Management of Organisations and Markets and Strategy. Dissertation Duration Semester One: Approximately six months, Semester Two: Approximately six months and Dissertation: To be completed within six months.

Those who possess academic or professional qualifications with over two years work experience and above 23 years of age can enrol, whilst those with no formal qualifications but possess around eight years of managerial experience can also enrol.

Fees are built up of two components one to be paid direct to the University and other to SLIM.

Value added medical services Cuba’s top forex earner

The Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) in collaboration with the Cuban embassy recently hosted. Director and Professor at the Centre for Studies on the Cuban Economy at the University of Havana Dr. Juan Cordovi for a public lecture titled “From sugar to knowledge: Transformation and challenges in the Cuban economy”.

The lecture focused on the recent transformations seen in the Cuban economy and the challenges faced by the country. Dr. Cordovi stated that with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, the Cuban economy faced a deep crisis and the need to diversify the Cuban economy was keenly felt at this time period.

He stated that till 1994, sugar was the main export commodity contributing upto 80 per cent of total exports. However, since 1989, Nikel, tourism and especially since 2004, Value Added Services (medical services) have overtaken sugar as Cuba’s top foreign exchange earners.

The remarkable success Cuba has achieved in the field of value added medical services is due to the high educational attainment levels of the Cuban people; which are the results of 40 years of Cuban government strategy focused on improving the educational attainments of its population.

The health services sector currently accounts for 39 per cent of Cuba’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and generates U.S. $ 6 billion in revenues.