CIM strengthens tutor standards to increase quality of marketing education

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29/03/2022

CIM strengthens its tutor standards to increase higher quality of marketing education

• Quality audits to maintain high standards across all CIM accredited study centres
• Ensuring consistent quality of all CIM lecturers
• Evolving professional qualifications catering to changing market demands and world trends

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the world’s leading body of professional marketers and marketing education, recently held a tutor conference in Sri Lanka to enhance the quality and consistency across all its study centres and lecturers. CIM’s Learner Partnership Manager, Maureen Wincott who led the conference focused on knowledge sharing, problem discussion, and shared CIM’s newest syllabus and study method updates.

“Maintaining a consistent standard across its study centres world over is a priority for CIM. The tutor conference offered an excellent opportunity for our lecturers across the four accredited study centres to not only meet and exchange ideas but to make sure they are compliant with the high standards expected by CIM,” said Onalie Dissanayake, CIM Country Head for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

CIM highlighted the stringent quality controls it uses to maintain the high quality of its professional qualifications and global standards across all its accredited study centres. The quality control measures taken include the use of advance technology such as state-of-the-art software to detect copying and plagiarism of study material, both online and offline together with hi-tech proctoring systems to monitor online exams.

Additionally, CIM is recognized by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) in the UK which regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments. Ofqual’s regulations require its member study centres to conduct quality audits. Complying with these regulations, CIM conducts quality audits which carry the additional benefit of ensuring consistent standards across all CIM accredited study centres worldwide.

The quality audit involves checking all aspects of a study centre including the personnel and its processes. Further, the quality audit requires auditing the administrative processes of the study centre as well as inspecting the facilities provided to its students. The findings of the quality audit decide whether a particular study center will keep its accredited status or have it removed.

Currently, the four accredited study centres; Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) Business School, Synergy School of Marketing, Dafedil Academy of Business and Marketing and CCBM (Cambridge College of Business and Management), providing tuition for CIM courses in Sri Lanka are tasked with recruiting qualified candidates to serve as lecturers for relevant subjects.

“In keeping with CIM guidelines, academic as well as professional experience and capability are checked pending approval of candidates as lecturers. The rigorous measures taken ensure the most effective delivery of CIM study materials by the most capable individuals. Additionally, all lecturers must be members of CIM,” explained Onalie Dissanayake.

 “Meeting lecturers from other accredited study centres, discussing common problems we faced as lecturers and finding solutions was insightful. We look forward to a stronger interactive community bond among CIM lecturers. We were also able to clear any doubts regarding new developments at CIM, which I think helps to plug in gaps between CIM and us lecturers,” shared one of the participants of the conference.

In line with the trend observed in the world marketing community towards socially conscious green decision making, CIM introduced its newly launched professional course, Diploma in Sustainable Marketing, at the tutor conference. CIM is the first to offer a professional qualification with a special focus on sustainable marketing.

CIM is the foremost provider of marketing education in Sri Lanka and has always accommodated various study methods affording the best flexibility to its students. In addition to physical classes, CIM has encouraged various study methods including the use of online platforms and facilities over the last 10 years.

The CIM community in Sri Lanka is the largest region outside of the UK and one of CIM’s most important regions. It serves over 2,000 studying members and 1,000 professional members, aiding them to elevate themselves in their professional careers while creating value and fostering excellence in Sri Lanka's business landscape by harnessing marketing knowledge and building world-class competencies. CIM recently launched a new revised suite of qualifications designed to empower Sri Lankan marketers, equipping them with the skills to operate at the highest level. The Institute has incorporated digital marketing to their course module since 2010 and offers a specialised digital marketing diploma to allow practicing and budding marketers to brush up digital skills.

CIM is the world's largest and most prestigious professional body for marketing. With over 20,000 members in more than 100 countries, CIM strives for business leaders and opinion formers to recognise the positive contribution professional marketing can bring to their organisations, the economy and wider society. 

CIM CEO Forum Jan 2022

Unknown

09/03/2022

CEO Breakfast Forum 2022: Converting Data for Higher Returns in the new Mar-Tech era

• Intelligent use of data to improve better targeting and segmenting
• Catering to evolving customer preferences and giving the best experience possible
• Data, sustainability and using tools to optimize the information from data to make processes efficient and customer centric

Last week, Technology giant, Microsoft and the world’s leading professional marketing body, The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) in Sri Lanka joined forces at the CEO Breakfast Forum to discuss the trends and technologies of the future marketing era. At the forum, both organisations found that ‘Mar-Tech’ (marketing technology) will define the success of companies in the future through better user experiences and higher returns on investments.

Experienced marketers and CEO’s shared their knowledge and expertise on the optimization of data to deliver enhanced, information driven, proactive marketing efforts that would shape the new age of marketing in a technology driven environment.

The forum focused on ‘Managing Customer Data in the Martech Era’, where keynote speakers including, Microsoft Azure Data Lead, Thulasee Shan and Chief Marketing and Business Operations Lead, Thilanka Abeywardena shared how data can be used to predict customer behaviour and attend to their needs ahead of customer search for products and services. They say that better targeted and low risk campaigns that can bring higher returns are possible by using existing customer behaviour and preference data.

“There is no need to be a great programmer to make the best use of data available. Providing differentiated services to your customers is simplified by the use of smart technology and apps to filter data, which can be used to make intelligent decisions,” said Thulasee Shan, stressing the importance of managing data. He says that 75% of online business are forecasted to outlast the pandemic over physical business.

Marketing is changing. No longer is it brand driven. It is now customer driven and therefore customers must sit at the heart of every brand journey. The future customer expects you to have exactly what they want, which can be achieved by managing customer data in the most efficient manner possible.

Despite having data in their possession, companies struggle to manage, sort it and identify what to do with it. Data support software that are already available can ease the complexity of segmenting, sorting, identifying data in a manner that makes campaigns easier and measurable.

“In global demand centers, machine driven algorithms pick up hot leads. Machine learning will indicate which leads to look at, which allows marketers to better focus their time on value added work,” said Thilanka Abeywardena, Marketing and Business Operations Lead for Microsoft Sri Lanka explaining the importance of using tech tools to manage data.

Addressing Sri Lanka’s technology challenges and way forward, ICTA Chief Oshada Senanayake said, “Driving Sri Lanka towards digital fluency and to a digital economy requires proper mechanisms are in place and there is adequacy of law to protect data. It is important that we give consumers the confidence to embrace a digital journey by ensuring cooperation among different sectors and agencies, as more and more public companies go digital.”

The speakers expressed the importance of increasing awareness amongst businesses of the value of data, which is essential for an efficient digital transformation. They agreed customer data needs to be handled in a sensitive manner while being utilized effectively, and must learn from the pitfalls of others to drive innovation capable of optimizing data.

The panel discussion which followed was moderated by founding Editor of the Daily Financial Times, Nisthar Cassim. The panel consisted of industry figures including Microsoft Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives Harsha Randeny, Thulasee Shan, Thilanka Abeywardena and Chairman of Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka Oshada Senanayake. CIM UK Chairperson Dr. June Dennis was also present at the forum.

The CIM community in Sri Lanka is the largest region outside of the UK and one of CIM’s most important regions. CIM recently launched a new revised suite of qualifications designed to empower Sri Lankan marketers, equipping them with the skills to operate at the highest level. The Institute has incorporated digital marketing to their course module since 2010 and offers a specialised digital marketing diploma to allow practicing and budding marketers to brush up digital skills. To take advantage of CIM’s growing portfolio of online services, which include: webinars, podcasts and training materials and online courses like the ‘Digital Marketing Channels’ course click here.

CIM Graduation 2022

CIM Sri Lanka

22/02/2022

CIM Graduation was conducted in the Main Hall of BMICH on 27 January 2022. Our Chairperson June Dennis presided over the event, while Dr. Kelum Gamage, Director Postgraduate Institute of Management, served as the Chief Guest. We graduated nearly 800 students from Level 06 and Level 07. Following the formal graduation, we hosted a membership investiture in which over 100 members were invested.