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APIIT SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 1<br />
APRIL 2017<br />
350 NEW GRADUATES<br />
WALK ACROSS THE STAGE<br />
AND INTO THE WORLD<br />
Graduation day is the<br />
most anticipated day in<br />
the life of an undergraduate.<br />
The culmination<br />
of years of hard work and<br />
sacrifice is celebrated not only by<br />
the graduates but also by their<br />
family, friends and teachers. Appreciating<br />
the significance of this day,<br />
APIIT has consistently ensured that<br />
the annual graduation ceremony<br />
surpasses all other events in its<br />
academic calendar by making it the<br />
most glamourous and joyful day in<br />
the lives of its students.<br />
The Convocation of the Graduating<br />
Class of 2016 was held at the BMICH<br />
on the 16th of December, where 352<br />
students walked across the stage<br />
and received their awards. The event<br />
was graced by Mrs. Christine Slade,<br />
Director Partnerships of Staffordshire<br />
University, UK. The academic<br />
and non-academic staff of APIIT<br />
were present in full force along with<br />
a cross section of APIIT alumni now<br />
numbering more than 2000 graduates.<br />
APIIT takes pride in its graduates,<br />
most of whom are already gainfully<br />
employed by the time they graduate.<br />
Their value is not limited to<br />
paper qualifications; they have<br />
been moulded by a modern<br />
curriculum not only geared to the<br />
needs of the industry but also<br />
focused on personality development<br />
and professionalism. Unsurprisingly,<br />
they hit the deck running<br />
when they enter the industry and<br />
have the strength of character to<br />
successfully face the challenges of<br />
the 21st century. No doubt, the<br />
graduating class of 2016 will<br />
contribute further to the positive<br />
industry feedback that APIIT has<br />
been receiving consistently over<br />
the years.<br />
352 students have qualified this<br />
year from the Schools of Computing,<br />
Business and Law. 45 of these<br />
students graduated with a First<br />
Class Honours. Also, among the<br />
graduates were 6 exemplary<br />
students who had excelled in their<br />
respective streams of study. They<br />
were awarded gold medals in the<br />
midst of rapturous applause<br />
bringing the graduation ceremony<br />
to a crescendo.<br />
While acknowledging the years of<br />
hard work put in by the students, the<br />
fact that each of these students had<br />
been supported by their parents,<br />
friends and families was deeply<br />
acknowledged. Thus, this event was<br />
also a celebration of the immeasurable<br />
love and care shown towards<br />
our students by these amazing<br />
individuals who no doubt made the<br />
process of successfully completing<br />
their studies that much smoother.<br />
The graduating class of 2016 joins<br />
the illustrious APIIT Alumni, many of<br />
whom hold top positions in the<br />
industry both here and abroad.<br />
Many an alumnus has returned to<br />
APIIT as a guest lecturer and<br />
industry expert to engage with the<br />
current students and impart knowledge<br />
gained from their experience<br />
in the industry. We hope that the<br />
members of this graduating class<br />
will also return to APIIT in a similar<br />
way and enrich the lives of future<br />
students.<br />
The staff of APIIT Sri Lanka, along<br />
with those of Staffordshire University<br />
and APIIT Malaysia, congratulate<br />
each and every member of the<br />
graduating class of 2016 on their<br />
magnificent achievement and<br />
wish them the very best as they<br />
step out into the world as<br />
resourceful and enterprising<br />
professionals.<br />
A . P . I . I . T SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
01
APIIT SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
APIIT Embeds CISCO Training in<br />
the BSc (Hons) CNS Award<br />
CISCO is the world’s<br />
largest network<br />
e q u i p m e n t<br />
manufacturing<br />
company. The<br />
American IT giant produces the<br />
most innovative networking<br />
hardware and network<br />
simulators and offers some of<br />
the most sought-after<br />
professional certifications in the<br />
industry. Network engineers the<br />
world over aim to obtain the<br />
prestigious CCNA (CISCO<br />
Certified Network Associate) and<br />
CCNP (CISCO Certified Network<br />
Professional) certifications to<br />
further their employability and<br />
enhance their recognition in the<br />
field.<br />
APIIT maintains a dedicated<br />
CISCO lab which is fitted with the<br />
latest CISCO hardware and<br />
simulators. From the very first<br />
year itself, students begin using<br />
this lab. This aims to deliver an<br />
intense practical experience to<br />
enhance the theoretical<br />
knowledge that they receive.<br />
Those who read for their BEng<br />
(Hons) Computer Networks and<br />
Security degree automatically<br />
follow the coursework that is<br />
required to sit the CCNA and<br />
CCNP examinations. At the end<br />
of each year of the three year<br />
course, students are ready to<br />
face a variety of CISCO routing<br />
and switching as well as CISCO<br />
security certification exams.<br />
Therefore, by the time a student<br />
has graduated, he could well be<br />
a CISCO certified network<br />
professional as well.<br />
The importance of secure<br />
computer networks in virtually<br />
every industry cannot be over<br />
emphasised. The need for<br />
competent professionals to<br />
create and maintain<br />
complicated and secure IT<br />
VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 1<br />
APRIL 2017<br />
networks is evidenced by the<br />
demand for those having not<br />
only a university degree, but<br />
also the appropriate<br />
professional qualifications.<br />
Mrs. Nazeefa Fawzer<br />
Senior Lecturer<br />
APIIT Business School<br />
Dr. Kushanthi Harasgama<br />
Head -APIIT Law School<br />
Dr. Kushanthi Harasgama took<br />
over the headship of the APIIT<br />
Law School in November, 2016.<br />
Applying Islamic Banking and Finance<br />
Fundamentals in the Corporate World<br />
Shari’ah compliant finance (or Islamic Banking) is a<br />
branch of finance which is gaining popularity in the<br />
corporate world today. In her paper titled “The<br />
Constituents of Shari’ah Governance”, Ms. Nazeefa<br />
Fawzer, Senior Lecturer of the APIIT Business<br />
School, analyses the components of this system.<br />
Both Islamic Finance Institutions (IFI) as well as their<br />
more conventional counterparts exist to make<br />
profit and increase shareholder wealth. However,<br />
what sets IFIs apart is the compliance with Shari`ah<br />
Dr. Harasgama Takes Over<br />
as Head of Law School<br />
She is a Senior Lecturer in Law<br />
and the module leader for Dissertation<br />
and Research Project<br />
modules at the Law School. She<br />
teaches Contract Law, Criminal<br />
Law, Law of Sale and Export as<br />
well as International Trade Law.<br />
Prior to joining APIIT, Kushanthi<br />
lectured at the Law School of<br />
Monash University.<br />
Kushanthi obtained her B.A.<br />
(Hons) in English Literature from<br />
the University of Kelaniya. She<br />
went on to obtain her LLM from<br />
Deakin University and her PhD in<br />
Criminal Law from Monash<br />
University, Australia. She is an<br />
Attorney-at-law of the Supreme<br />
Court of Sri Lanka.<br />
Her research interests are in the<br />
areas of legal theory, criminal<br />
law, anti-terrorism law and<br />
human rights.<br />
Speaking on the goals<br />
envisioned for the near future,<br />
rules and regulations in all aspects of its operations.<br />
A systematic review of all available literature on the<br />
subject was carried out. This is the first study which<br />
looks into the mechanisms of the Shari`ah governance<br />
process. Whilst most jurisdictions have their<br />
own components to constitute Islamic Banking<br />
process, this paper proposes unified constituents that<br />
will lead to an effective Shari`ah governance framework.<br />
she says that an internship<br />
programme for the students will<br />
be put in place from March 2017<br />
while more emphasis will be<br />
placed on mooting. Two teams<br />
will be coached to take part in<br />
mooting events; one for the<br />
mooting competition on Constitutional<br />
Law and Property Law<br />
that will be hosted by the Sri<br />
Lanka Law College and the other<br />
for a mooting event in Malaysia<br />
on Commercial Arbitration.<br />
02 A . P . I . I . T SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 1<br />
APRIL 2017<br />
RESEARCH AND TRAINING<br />
APIIT SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
The Concept of Iot Envisions a World Where Everything is Connected<br />
Dr. Harinda Fernando<br />
Head- APIIT School of Computing<br />
By the year 2020, all devices<br />
and appliances will<br />
communicate with each<br />
other. This requires that<br />
they all speak the same language.<br />
Simply put, the “Internet of Things”<br />
(IoT) involves going above and<br />
beyond the magnitude of<br />
networking and data sharing that is<br />
seen in the world today. The<br />
concept of the IoT envisions a world<br />
where everyday objects such as a<br />
Sri Lanka has been a signatory to<br />
several Human Rights conventions.<br />
However, certain provisions in the Sri<br />
Lankan Penal Code contravenes the<br />
basic Human Rights ensured by these<br />
conventions.<br />
heartrate monitor, the biochips on<br />
farm animals, your refrigerator or<br />
washing machine at home and<br />
your car are all linked via the<br />
Internet. This would mean that data<br />
can be exchanged between these<br />
devices, and they could in turn<br />
make intelligent decisions. This<br />
would relieve humans of spending<br />
valuable time and brainpower on<br />
mundane tasks; instead allowing<br />
them to focus more on activities<br />
that make better use of the<br />
capabilities of the mind.<br />
For example, with the IoT, the need<br />
for human interaction in global<br />
supply chain systems could be<br />
reduced. This in turn would<br />
improve access to data, reduce<br />
bottlenecks and ultimately save<br />
Specifically, Section 365 and Section<br />
365 A, have penalized what is termed<br />
as carnal intercourse “against the<br />
order of nature” and acts of “gross<br />
indecency”. Research suggests that<br />
these clauses are widely utilized to<br />
“intimidate, harass and coerce” those<br />
of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,<br />
Transgender, Intersex and Questioning<br />
(LGBTIQ) community.<br />
Section 363 A (a), which suggests<br />
that marital rape is not an offense in<br />
Sri Lanka, where the partners are not<br />
judicially separated also puts the<br />
lesbian and questioning women in a<br />
helpless situation. This is despite the<br />
Government’s suggestion that the<br />
Prevention of Domestic Violence Act<br />
successfully responds to the issue of<br />
Marital Rape.<br />
Lecturer at the APIIT Law School, Ms.<br />
Sashini Vidanapathirana Abeysinghe<br />
conducted a study to ascertain the<br />
time and other resources.<br />
The exchange of data between<br />
devices is complicated. Each of<br />
these devices that are<br />
interconnected need to function<br />
on a common stage; they must<br />
“speak the same language”.<br />
Currently, the base upon which all<br />
devices would exchange data does<br />
not exist. In his Doctoral research<br />
paper titled “A Web Based<br />
Peer-to-Peer RFID Architecture”, Dr.<br />
Harinda Fernando, Senior Lecturer<br />
and the Head of the School of<br />
Computing at APIIT, presents a web<br />
based Peer-to-Peer (P2P)<br />
architecture for Radio-Frequency<br />
Identification (RFID) technology<br />
along with a comparative analysis<br />
of other existing frameworks in<br />
implications of these provisions of<br />
the Penal Code, which could be<br />
utilized to harass or cause discomfort<br />
to the women belonging to the<br />
LGBTIQ community.<br />
She notes that these clauses are in<br />
contravention of Article 12 of the Sri<br />
Lankan Constitution. Article 12 of the<br />
Constitutions states that all persons<br />
are equal before the law, and are<br />
entitled to the equal protection of<br />
the law. The previously mentioned<br />
provisions of the Penal Code are also<br />
in contravention to certain international<br />
conventions that Sri Lanka is a<br />
order to illustrate the benefits of<br />
deploying an architecture that is<br />
specific to the RFID technology. A<br />
substantial number of advantages<br />
are seen over the conventional<br />
architectural frameworks, which<br />
are common to many systems.<br />
This paper was presented at the<br />
2nd International Conference on<br />
Soft Computing and Data Mining<br />
which was held in Bandung,<br />
Indonesia in August 2016.<br />
To access the complete abstract<br />
and publication of this paper,<br />
please visit<br />
https://www.researchgate.net/publi<br />
cation/312078449_A_Web_Based_<br />
Peer-to-Peer_RFID_Architecture<br />
Webguardia Poised to Detect Web Application Vulnerabilities<br />
Ms. Neera Jeyamohan<br />
Senior Lecturer<br />
APIIT School of Computing<br />
Mr. Nisal Vithanage<br />
Information Security<br />
Executive, Hutch<br />
The role that the Internet plays in the daily lives of<br />
most people today is mind boggling. As more and<br />
more users become dependent on the web for<br />
information, communication, transactions and data<br />
storage, the need for enhanced security for the web<br />
applications that provide these services must<br />
increase. As Information Technology evolves in its<br />
uses and complexities, so do the threats and<br />
malicious activities of cyber criminals.<br />
Web applications frequently redirect and forward<br />
users to other pages and websites, and use<br />
untrusted data to determine the destination pages.<br />
Without proper validation, attackers can redirect<br />
victims to phishing or malware sites, or use forwards<br />
to access unauthorized pages. Good security<br />
requires having a secure configuration defined and<br />
deployed for the application.<br />
With this in mind, Mr. Nisal Vithanage, BEng (Hons)<br />
1st class graduate of the class of 2015 and Ms. Neera<br />
Jeyamohan, senior Lecturer, developed a system<br />
which aims to detect five of the top ten vulnerabilities<br />
that web applications are exposed to. They have<br />
proposed two approaches by which to ensure that<br />
these 5 vulnerabilities are effectively detected.<br />
Serious Shortcomings Identified in the Penal Code<br />
With Respect to the Protection of Women<br />
These are, namely, Security Misconfiguration<br />
Detection and Unvalidated Redirects & Forwards<br />
Detection.<br />
WebGuardia is an integrated penetration testing<br />
system that has been created and subjected to<br />
exhaustive testing. In their research titled WebGuardia<br />
- an integrated penetration testing system to<br />
detect web application vulnerabilities, the authors<br />
emphasize that WebGuardia has proven to be<br />
effective in the detection of specific web application<br />
vulnerabilities; especially in comparison to other<br />
popular open source web vulnerability scanners.<br />
This paper was presented at the IEEE WiSPNET<br />
conference held in India on 21st March 2016. It<br />
has now been published in IEEE Xplore and is<br />
available for download at<br />
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7566124/<br />
Mrs. Shashini Abeysinghe<br />
Lecturer - APIIT Law School<br />
party to and hence, such provisions<br />
should be repealed.<br />
Ms. Abeysinghe’s paper titled<br />
Ensuring a Women Friendly Penal<br />
Code was presented at the International<br />
Conference on Human Rights,<br />
organized by the Centre for the Study<br />
of Human Rights, University of<br />
Colombo. The conference was held in<br />
August 2016 at the BMICH.<br />
A . P . I . I . T SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
03
APIIT SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 1<br />
APRIL 2017<br />
INDUSTRY COLLABORATION<br />
APIIT uses a variety of methods<br />
of teaching and learning to<br />
ensure that classes are kept<br />
lively and interesting<br />
throughout the duration of a<br />
module. In addition to<br />
classroom lectures, students<br />
are required to carry out<br />
presentations, assignments<br />
and discussions. Mooting,<br />
internal and external<br />
competitions, conferences and<br />
on-site visits help strengthen<br />
the student’s overall<br />
knowledge in each subject.<br />
Industry collaboration is also<br />
carried out by way of guest<br />
lectures which are delivered by<br />
experts, each having excelled<br />
in their respective fields. With<br />
the intention of keeping<br />
classroom time fresh and<br />
interesting, these eminent<br />
personalities bring in much<br />
more than a different face and<br />
sound. The various experiences<br />
that they have faced, the<br />
lessons that they have learnt,<br />
and the ways in which they<br />
have overcome the challenges<br />
that life threw at them add<br />
depth and meaning to the<br />
theoretical subject matter.<br />
Students are able to bring out<br />
their own thoughts during<br />
these talks, and thus, interact<br />
with these practitioners. In<br />
addition to helping students<br />
view situations from different<br />
angles, APIIT hopes that such<br />
initiatives would provide<br />
potential resources which<br />
could be applied in later life.<br />
The Industry collaboration<br />
events that took place during<br />
the period is as follows;<br />
Marketing<br />
Planning<br />
Development of Human Potential<br />
to Enhance Performance<br />
Agency<br />
Advertising<br />
Reaching top positions in<br />
your organization<br />
Mr. G.S.C Sylvester<br />
Marketing Consultant<br />
Fomer Head of Marketing Pan Audio Ltd<br />
Ms. Jayamini Samaratunge<br />
Founder/ CEO<br />
Mind Design International (Pvt) Ltd.<br />
Mr. Chrishantha Jayasinghe<br />
Managing Director<br />
Sarva Intergrated<br />
Mr. Asela Waidyalankara<br />
Chief Executive Officer<br />
Chelcey Telecom<br />
Start up Business Model<br />
Reaching your Potential<br />
Don’t Fear Change<br />
Start your Business today<br />
Mr. Jiffry Sulfer<br />
CEO<br />
PickMe<br />
Mr. Tharindu Ameresekere<br />
Chief Executive Officer<br />
Tharindu Ameresekere Consulting<br />
Mr. Shabeen Muzammil<br />
Chief Editor<br />
JWT<br />
Mr. Mohamed Fawaz<br />
Chief Executive Officer<br />
EQGSEA<br />
Careers in Law<br />
Careers in IT<br />
Careers in Business<br />
What is in it for you<br />
at KPMG<br />
Mr. Rajesh Ponnan<br />
Managing Attorney<br />
Ironwood Legal Solutions (Ltd)<br />
Mr. Anuranga Goonathilake<br />
Operations Analyst<br />
Synergen Health (Pvt) Ltd.<br />
Mr. Piyal Hewapathirana<br />
Head-Banc Assurance Distribution<br />
AIA Insurance<br />
Mr. Hasitha Karunaratne<br />
Manager IT Services<br />
KPMG<br />
04 A . P . I . I . T SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 1<br />
APRIL 2017<br />
APIIT SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
Public<br />
Speaking<br />
Time<br />
Management<br />
Online marketing for today’s<br />
competitive environment<br />
Quality<br />
Employment<br />
Mr. Ushan Goonawardane<br />
Manager, Learning and Development<br />
Union Assurance PLC<br />
Ms. Sharon Kern<br />
Manager Human Resource<br />
Embla Software Innovation (Pvt) Ltd.<br />
Ms. Chandima Welagedara<br />
Senior Manager - Online Marketing,<br />
e-Marketing Eye<br />
Mr. Sanjaya Peiris<br />
Human Resources , Recruitment &<br />
Retention - Bellvantage (Pvt) Ltd<br />
Principles and Practices<br />
of Islamic Insurance<br />
Introduction to Software<br />
Testing<br />
Law is<br />
Everywhere<br />
Get to know<br />
your skills<br />
Dr. Marhanum Che Mohd Salleh<br />
Lecturer<br />
APU - Malaysia<br />
Mr. Tharanga Kodippiliarachchi<br />
Senior QA Engineer<br />
Virtusa Polaris<br />
Ms. Nadeesha Mendis<br />
Legal Officier<br />
Overseas Reality (Ceylon) PLC<br />
Ms. Charidra Wijemanne<br />
Associate Technical Lead<br />
99x Technology<br />
From Degree to<br />
Profession<br />
How to write an effective Final year<br />
project report for CNS students<br />
How to do an effective literature<br />
review for CNS projects<br />
Angular JS<br />
Technology<br />
Mr. Shavindra Senevirathne<br />
Assistant Legal Associate<br />
F.J & G de Saram<br />
Ms. Suhashini Somasundaram<br />
Information Security Executive<br />
Amana Bank<br />
Mr. Nisal Vithanage<br />
Information Security Executive<br />
Hutch Telecommunication<br />
Everyone has<br />
Ideas<br />
How to create a creative<br />
marketing mix<br />
Creative<br />
Marketing Plan<br />
Ms. Nadishani Wijewardane<br />
Executive<br />
Dialog Ideamart<br />
Ms. Dimithri Cooray<br />
Brand Manager<br />
Unilever Sri Lanka<br />
An Exhibition by Students<br />
Workshop carried out by Progamme Manager<br />
Ms. Rosita and Developers Chinthaka Dissanayake,<br />
Sankalpa Abeygunawardhana, Amal Athukoralage,<br />
Uthpala Wanigarathne, Indunil Udaya of Exile Soft<br />
A . P . I . I . T SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
05
APIIT SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 1<br />
STUDENT EVENT HIGHLIGHTS 2016<br />
APIIT FOOTBALL TEAM EMERGES<br />
CHAMPIONS IN FUTSAL 2016<br />
CHRISTMAS PARTY AND BAKE SALE<br />
This year’s Christmas party<br />
featured something special. For<br />
the first time, students were<br />
encouraged to take up floor<br />
space and make a sale. Three<br />
students came forward with<br />
baked treats which were sold at<br />
the event. 10% of the proceeds<br />
of their sales went to the SAC<br />
fund.<br />
APRIL 2017<br />
The first ever Inter-University<br />
Football tournament of Sri Lanka<br />
saw the APIIT team putting up a<br />
strong game that ensured an<br />
exciting victory for Avishka and<br />
his team. The tournament was<br />
carried out in a knock-out format<br />
and was the country’s maiden<br />
football tournament which<br />
enabled sportsmen hailing from<br />
universities across the nation to<br />
compete.<br />
The tournament was sponsored<br />
by X-Sports Arena, Mattakkuliya.<br />
Of the 2 DJs who dished out an<br />
array of great dance tunes, one<br />
was a talented APIIT student<br />
who was given the opportunity<br />
to show off what he can do with<br />
the discs.<br />
BLOOD DONATION<br />
CAMPAIGNE<br />
The wheels were in motion and plans took shape for a blood<br />
donation campaign which was carried out in March 2017. This<br />
worthy event was carried out with the support of National Blood<br />
Centre.<br />
MOVIE NIGHT<br />
The SAC organized a movie night for the students on the 17th of<br />
January. Amityville was the film of choice, screened at the APIIT<br />
Auditorium. It was enjoyed by one and all. 54 students from<br />
both the APIIT City Campus as well as the APIIT Law School were<br />
at the event. A Kottu station and a drinks station were set up to<br />
provide refreshments.<br />
06<br />
A . P . I . I . T SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 1<br />
APRIL 2017<br />
APIIT Student Activity Club organises a range of activities<br />
throughout the year to enrich the student experience.<br />
NEW SAC COMMITTEE<br />
TAKES OVER THE REIGNS<br />
APIIT SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
3 RD ANNUAL<br />
The 16th Committee of the Student Activity<br />
Club was elected in November 2016. This<br />
election saw the highest voter turnout in the<br />
history of the SAC. The new committee, headed<br />
by Munshak Munawwer as President and<br />
Hashini Gurusinghe as Vice President<br />
comprises students from all 3 schools, along<br />
with several committee members from the<br />
junior batches. Kanishka Kavirathna, the new<br />
General Secretary of the Club says that APIIT<br />
can look forward to an energetic year with<br />
many educational, entertainment, social and<br />
sports activities on the cards. In keeping with<br />
the spirit of the holiday season, the new<br />
committee quickly put together its first event,<br />
which was a well-deserved celebration of the<br />
end of another fruitful year at APIIT. The APIIT<br />
Jingle Bash was a Christmas party featuring<br />
carols and a Secret Santa event, culminating in<br />
DJ music and lots of dancing.<br />
APIIT wishes the new Committee all the very<br />
best in carrying out their duties, whilst<br />
ensuring that the vision of the SAC is promoted<br />
through the execution of a dazzling array of<br />
events during their tenure.<br />
CONFERENCE 2017<br />
SUCCESS THROUGH SYNERGY<br />
3RD ANNUAL<br />
BAT CONFERENCE<br />
TO BE HELD<br />
UNDER THE<br />
THEME OF<br />
“SUCCESS<br />
THROUGH<br />
SYNERGY”<br />
APIIT will host the 3rd Annual Business,<br />
Law and Technology Conference on 20th<br />
July 2017. Original, unpublished<br />
research articles are currently being<br />
solicited for the conference under a wide<br />
range of specializations in the fields of<br />
Business, Law and Technology.<br />
8TH INSTALLATION OF<br />
APIIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB<br />
The 8th installation of the APIIT Toastmasters<br />
Club was held in October 2016, to induct and<br />
welcome the new committee and members<br />
while celebrating the achievements of the<br />
outgoing committee. Mr. Rayhan Wannippa,<br />
who was instrumental in creating the<br />
Toastmasters Club at APIIT in 2008 delivered<br />
the keynote speech at the ceremony. The<br />
new President of the Club, Mazin Hussain,<br />
sharing his vision for the coming year, said<br />
“At its core, this is a place that fuels the<br />
passion to change the world. And this means<br />
empowering our members with the skills to<br />
be great communicators and leaders who<br />
will be able to bring about the change that<br />
they wish to see.”<br />
The evening was brought to a close following<br />
the awards ceremony, which honoured those<br />
with outstanding achievements as well as<br />
those who have helped the Toastmasters<br />
club thrive in the past. The club also held 3<br />
theme meetings under the topics of<br />
Christmas, Halloween and the Olympics.<br />
Similar to previous BAT Conferences, this<br />
year’s conference too is expected to<br />
include submissions from international<br />
researchers. Shortlisted papers will be<br />
peer reviewed by academics from<br />
overseas universities, including those in<br />
the UK and USA.<br />
For the first time, the proceedings of the<br />
conference will be published online in<br />
real-time.<br />
The deadline for submission of papers<br />
will be 20th May 2017.<br />
Please visit the conference website<br />
http://www.conference.apiit.lk for<br />
further information and submission<br />
guidelines.<br />
A . P . I . I . T SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
07
APIIT SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER<br />
APIIT BAGS BRONZE AWARD<br />
IN “HACKATHON – CAPTURE<br />
THE FLAGS 2016”<br />
Team “Squadware” comprising final year students of APIIT won the<br />
Bronze prize in the “Hackathon – Capture the Flags” competition<br />
organized by the Faculty of Computing at Sri Lanka Institute of<br />
Information Technology (SLIIT), which was held in November 2016.<br />
This competition is aimed at developing the ethical hacking skills of<br />
undergraduates.<br />
VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 1<br />
APRIL 2017<br />
ALUMNI FEATURED<br />
THE UNTAPPED POTENTIAL<br />
OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING<br />
IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY<br />
Lochana De Alwis<br />
MAS Active - Linea Intimo<br />
Sri Lanka has promoted itself<br />
aggressively as an attractive<br />
tourist destination in the<br />
recent years. It has been<br />
ranked among the top 10<br />
destinations to visit in 2015,<br />
2016 and 2017 by popular<br />
travel guides such as Lonely<br />
Planet and Rough Guides.<br />
Tourist arrivals in the country<br />
have increased by 14% in<br />
2016 (compared to 2015),<br />
when over 2 million people<br />
visited the country. The sector<br />
is currently ranked 3rd among<br />
the country’s top income<br />
generators.<br />
Given the importance of the<br />
industry and the impact of<br />
social media, Lochana de<br />
Alwis chose to research on the<br />
effects that the latter already<br />
has upon the tourism sector in<br />
the country. In addition, this<br />
research studies the potential<br />
currently held by social media<br />
marketing in boosting the<br />
industry further.<br />
Under the supervision of Dr.<br />
Prasad Neelawala, Senior<br />
Lecturer, Lochana analysed<br />
the role played by social<br />
media marketing in creating a<br />
positive tourist experience.<br />
They have identified several<br />
key factors that have been<br />
received positively by tourists.<br />
The paper concludes that<br />
insufficient emphasis is<br />
placed on engaging social<br />
media marketing in<br />
promoting the country’s<br />
tourist attractions today. The<br />
authors suggest this medium<br />
should be considered to be<br />
the future of sustainable<br />
marketing for tourism in Sri<br />
Lanka.<br />
CHOOSE YOUR PATH;<br />
DON’T LET THE PATH<br />
CALL THE SHOTS<br />
Mr. Shabeen Muzammil<br />
Chief Editor, JWT<br />
Having spent his initial<br />
undergraduate years at APIIT,<br />
Shabeeb Muzammil was a<br />
Business Administration<br />
student who now works as a<br />
Senior Copywriter and<br />
Creative Team Leader for J.<br />
Walter Thompson - a leading<br />
advertising agency both<br />
locally and globally.<br />
Graduating with Honours in<br />
Business Management from<br />
the Asia Pacific University in<br />
Malaysia, he spoke to us on<br />
the impact that APIIT has had<br />
on him, and helped him to be<br />
where he is today.<br />
"I've been questioned many<br />
times about the mismatch in<br />
my field of study and the<br />
profession I am in today. In<br />
reality, there isn’t a mismatch<br />
at all. I started off as a writer<br />
because I was fuelled by my<br />
passion for writing; but it<br />
was the skills I gathered<br />
during my tenure at APIIT<br />
that built me up to be a team<br />
leader and taught me to have<br />
a more holistic outlook on<br />
things."<br />
Shabeeb was a member of<br />
the Student Activity Club<br />
and played an integral part<br />
in initiating a multitude of<br />
events that are, to this day,<br />
carried out annually. "With<br />
every advertising campaign I<br />
mete out, I realize that my<br />
abilities would not have<br />
been moulded the way they<br />
are if not for my experiences<br />
as an undergraduate. The<br />
people you meet, the<br />
situations you deal with -<br />
those are the lessons that<br />
linger within you."<br />
08 A . P . I . I . T SRI LANKA NEWSLETTER