Faculty of Management Studies celebrates its Silver Jubilee in September 2021
The Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) of the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka commemorates its 25 years of excellence in management education in September 2021.
The FMS has set new milestones in the history of management faculties in higher education in Sri Lanka and pioneered academic supremacy within the realm of public education.
This esteemed institution has taken countless essential steps in its quest for achieving greatness, and it continues to do so with unwavering vigour. The faculty is highly conscious of the excellence of the academic programmes. Accordingly, all the degree programmes offered by the faculty were evaluated by the QAC/UGC and awarded ‘A’ grades.
The faculty is dedicated to pursuing an excellent teaching and research culture in a picturesque and peaceful environment to mould global citizens while enriching the nation. Therefore, the FMS has gained wide popularity among the stakeholders during comparatively a shorter period.
The faculty designed its activity calendar for its Silver Jubilee, with various national and international initiatives each month. The FMS launched its maiden journal on tourism and hospitality (South Asian Journal of Tourism and Hospitality) on 26th January 2021 with tourism experts in the region. Then, the faculty launched its business magazine, ‘Udyama’ – Management Digest, on 3rd February 2021, commemorating its 25th anniversary.
The official journal of the FMS (Asian Journal of Management Studies) was launched on 24th February 2021 with the representation of a large international audience. Moreover, the faculty has collaborated with the University of Delhi (UoD) in conducting UoD’s 1st International e-conference on “Advances in Business and Management” (IECBM) which was held from 4th to 6th March 2021 through the virtual platform.
As the main activity of its academic calendar of the 25th year, the FMS launched a four-month research course on “Writing Impactful Research” in collaboration with the Emerald Publishing and Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The programme is conducted in the participation of 750+ academics worldwide for four months (from April to August 2021) every week. Further, the faculty collaborated with the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, to conduct their 8th International Conference on Marketing & Retailing (8th INCOMaR) on 24th-25th August 2021and planning to continue the collobration in research and academic eaxchange programmes.
Further, the FMS collaborated with the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing in establishing the first-ever Emerald journal in Sri Lanka (South Asian Journal of Marketing). Moreover, the FMS has revised its curriculum to suit the industry requirements during the first half of 2021, taking a paradigm shift celebrating its Silver Jubilee. 
There are comprehensive programmes designed in celebration of its 25th anniversary, such as 6th Interdisciplinary Conference of Management Researchers (ICMR) 2021, 3rd Management Undergraduates’ Research Session (MURS), the Faculty Development Programme, the CEO Forum 2021, the launch of the Asian Journal of Finance, covering the second half of its academic calendar of 2021.
Moreover, the FMS is planning to conduct the first-ever ‘Research Mentoring Programme’ (in collaboration with Emerald Publishing, University of Delhi, Universiti of Teknologi MARA, Malaysia, Amity University, and Gulf Medical University, UAE) in South Asia in parallel to the ICMR 2021.
Moreover, the faculty has recently published some edited books collaborating with Cambridge Scholars, Springer Link, and Routledge Publishing to disseminate new knowledge in the management discipline. The rest of the article is dedicated to the faculty’s departments, highlighting its excellence throughout the 25 years.
Department of Accountancy & Finance (DAF)
As one of the founding departments of the Faculty of Business Studies in 1996, the DAF initially offered the degree programme in Bachelor of Science in Financial Management.
The department’s legacy was created by several noble leaders, providing the guidance to reach the pinnacle of success. Currently, the department offers two-degree programmes for the undergraduates interested in pursuing their studies in the BSc Honours in Financial Management and BSc Honours in Banking and Insurance. The department embarked with the vision to produce graduates who are agile to the dynamic business environment with excellent commitment in fostering innovations to accomplish a given task. The mission of the department is to become a leader in finance education by expanding knowledge across boundaries with excellent commitments in teaching, research and community engagement.
The DAF focuses its curriculum on addressing industrial needs and emerging challenges. It is on par with the world’s top-class business schools in contemporary modalities, encouraging the students to adopt curiosity and agility. The department has a qualified pool of academic staff with academic and practical exposure in Finance & Accounting and, Banking & Insurance disciplines.
The DAF engages in many activities in collaborations with leading professional and educational institutions such as Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, CFA Sri Lanka Society, CMA Sri Lanka, and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka. The department is subsidized with a strong research culture, and it provides an ideal scientific communication platform for academics to reach global standards. The DAF facilitates students in numerous ways to nature and enhances their research skills.
In recognition of the performance of DAF, the World Bank granted LKR 18.0 million under the AHEAD project.
The DAF organises different events with the engagement of students, academics, and the industrial partners.
Investors’ Day is the main annual event conducted by the department that comprises a series of activities to induce investment from the neighbouring community. It is a two-day programme with an educational exhibition, inter-university quiz competition, industrial workshops, and a seminar series for GCE (A/L) commerce stream students.
The ending remarks with a cultural night staged by the students demonstrating their aesthetic talents. In addition, the department publishes edited volumes to provide opportunities for undergraduates to publish their research work.
DAF is keen on enhancing soft skills in parallel to the hard skills of the students. For instance, the residential English camp conducted by the department is a clear witness for undergraduates’ improvement of their communication skills with solid confidence.
Further, the Yoga and personality development programmes conducted parallel to the curriculum aim to improve the undergraduates’ socio-emotional skills. As a part of the curriculum, field visits, guest lectures, workshops, webinars, and group projects are conducted to enrich the students’ knowledge, experience, and skills.
Department of Business
Management (DBM)
The Department of Business Management (DBM) is a founding department in the FMS, which serves as the resource base for general management courses. DBM offers four year BSc. Honours in Business Management degree in English medium. The programme allows undergraduates to opt for either a general business management stream or entrepreneurship stream from the third year, depending on the performance and interest. Moreover, it is a pioneering custom-designed hybrid mode (physical and virtual) degree programme offered by the management faculties in Sri Lanka.
Further, the degree programme embeds extensive practical exposure by providing a two-semester internship programme (Year II Semester I and Year IV Semester II) for the General Business Management stream students. It offers an internship (Year II Semester I) cum business startup opportunity (Year IV Semester I) for the Entrepreneurship stream students.
Moreover, the degree programme offers trending subjects to fulfill the industry requirements. The department organises special events such as “The Hike I Took”, Entrepreneurship Day, Webinar series with local and foreign resource persons, Exhibitions, Student mini-projects, Training and development activities, and Off-campus field visits to groom the undergraduate competencies.
Further, the DBM has strengthened the cross-sector partnerships by signing MoUs with professional institutes to develop an integrative approach to knowledge generation and collaborating with industry partners to bridge the gaps at the university-industry interface.
At present, the DBM engages in knowledge creation and dissemination in management through research and publications. A more significant concern has been given to develop the knowledge creation capability of the graduate by offering a comprehensive theoretical and practical research methodology course with the emphasis on good quantitative and qualitative analysis courses and the compulsory thesis writing component.
In 2021, the DBM’s qualified multitalented, passionate staff has reached the international and local research journals by marking a golden historical milestone.
Department of Marketing
Management (DMM)
The Department of Marketing Management (DMM) did not exist when the FMS (previously known as the Faculty of Business Studies) was founded in 1996. However, the Department of Business studies offered marketing as a specialization in the BSc. in Business Management programme from the inception.
Meanwhile, on par with necessary changes in the curricula and the examination criteria, under the approval of the University Grants Commission in 2003, the three-year BSc. in Business Management degree was converted into a four-year degree programme. Considering the growing demand from the industry for young, versatile, and vibrant marketers and the emergence of marketing as an academic discipline, the DMM was founded as the youngest department of the faculty in 2008.
With the vision of “to be the epitome of marketing excellence in Sri Lanka”, DMM offers BSc (Honours) in Marketing Management that provides the students with a comprehensive foundation in marketing and analytical skills that enable them to think critically and make strategic decisions.
Through the use of a wide array of approaches ranging from in-class lectures to field visits and workshops, during the degree programme, the students learn varied aspects of marketing principles essential to the work of marketing professionals. The students learn the vital marketing and management principles during the first year and gradually progress to more intensive studies of specialized areas like consumer behaviour, services marketing, brand management, marketing research, and digital marketing in their second, third, and fourth years.
In addition, research-led teaching ensures a state-of-the-art student experience throughout the degree programme.
The DMM also plays a vital role in comprehending marketing practices managerial, societal, and ethical challenges in the age of digital disruption and sustainable development. The department has fostered a creative and supportive research culture that allows both academics and students to respond to the needs of marketing practitioners across industries and state institutions by applying cutting-edge quantitative and qualitative research methods.
The DMM intends to create an avenue for the vibrant youth willing to become practising marketers. Therefore, several annual events are organized to provide a platform for undergraduates to showcase their skills and develop industry collaborations.
“SABRA Marketing Day” is the leading annual event of the DMM, targeting the undergraduates of SUSL and the other universities, GCE (A/L) students, and neighbouring communities. The DMM undergraduates also organize different CSR activities by fulfilling their social responsibilities. Several industry collaborations are continuously organized to enrich and reshape undergraduates to become versatile and savvy marketers as required by the job market.
Department of Tourism
Management (DTM)
The Department of Tourism Management (DTM) is dedicated to higher education and research in tourism, hospitality and environmental sustainability and that pioneered in tourism education in the sphere of higher education of Sri Lanka. Currently, the DTM offers three degree programmes – BSc (Honours) in Tourism Management; BSc (Honours) in EcoBusiness Management; and BSc (Honours) in Hospitality Management – with compulsory internships and a research component. These academic programmes are closely linked to national development.
Moreover, the degrees are offered by well-qualified and experienced scholars and practitioners who are dedicated to developing students’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, and mindsets to suit the current and future needs of the nation.
BSc (Honours) in Hospitality Management focuses on the diverse segments of the hospitality industry. BSc (Honours) in Tourism Management degree concentrates primarily on other areas in tourism, including, but not limited to, travel agencies, tour operations (destination management), tourism planning and development, tourism administration at national and regional levels, and tourism education. BSc (Honours) in Eco-Business Management degree focuses on environment-related issues and concerns, drawing the attention of corporate giants, governments, and the mass equally.
DTM takes pride in offering this degree as an academic department that pioneered introducing a degree programme that futuristically blended two education disciplines – environmental management and business management – through the Eco-Business label nearly two decades before today.
All the degree programmes of DTM are built on a sound foundation of management and entrepreneurship. They extend to grasp the theory and practices of specialised disciplines considering the national and global education reforming process. As the pioneer department in tourism, hospitality, and sustainability education, DTM’s vision is to be the Centre of Excellence in tourism, hospitality, and corporate sustainability education in Sri Lanka.
This creative journey of the department embarks on the purpose of academia -to enhance and sustain its contribution to enriching nation-building by producing global citizens with a paragon of virtues through the relevant academic disciplines while fostering interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research and scientific communication. Accordingly, every degree programme is designed to equip undergraduates with theoretical and practical knowledge to perform competently and competitively in the real world.
Adopting the evolving skillsets and mindsets enables the graduates to overcome the present and emerging global challenges and issues with the passion of being creative and innovative in searching for solutions for the problems.
The vision and mission-centered journey of the department embrace continuous improvement of the curriculum through addressing emerging developmental needs and changes. As a state-of-the-art education center in tourism, hospitality, and corporate sustainability, DTM eagerly welcomes dynamic, enthusiastic, and energetic students under our shelter. In addition, DTM also looks forward to working with corporations and other stakeholders building the nation through higher education and research.
In addition to the graduate entry pathway, the faculty has recently introduced an open path for a BBA External degree in collaboration with the Centre for Open and Distance Learning (CODL)while enhancing existing programmes and building new programmes, and increasing the focus and integration of global and international competencies and experiences.
The Board of Postgraduate Studies of Manageme under the faculty has now offered exclusive postgraduate degree programmes, MBA (MBA General, Finance, Marketing, and Tourism), M.Sc. in Ayurvedic Hospital Management, and a Ph.D. programme in collaboration with the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Further, the faculty extends its contribution for national, provincial, local, and community development through governmental and non-governmental agencies through various mechansims.
As a leading management faculty, the FMS, intends to contribute to global development through cutting-edge education, research and development, and community development while achieving sustainable development goals. The FMS, therefore, is emerging as one of the most significant hubs of higher education and research in the region with the present performance level.
Compiled by:
Prof. MSM Aslam
Professor in Tourism Management
Chairman- Research and
Publication Unit
Faculty of Management Studies
Sabaragamuwa University
of Sri Lanka
Prof. Jayantha N. Dewasiri
Professor
Department of Accountancy
and Finance
Faculty of Management Studies
Sabaragamuwa University
of Sri Lanka