Southwestern University (SWU) PHINMA’s Business School (B-School) is changing the way business is taught in the region with a revamped curriculum focused on real-world training backed by decades of business experience.
The new SWU PHINMA B-School is backed by PHINMA Corporation. Founded in 1956, the conglomerate has been making lives better for Filipinos through competitive and well-managed business enterprises. Since its early days pioneering in manufacturing, particularly in cement, PHINMA continues to make a difference through its current interests in housing, construction materials, hospitality, and education.
Part of the PHINMA Group board and management team are seasoned business professionals such as Ramon R. Del Rosario Jr., Oscar J. Hilado, and Magdaleno B. Albarracin, Jr. among others.
Real-World Experience
The new SWU PHINMA B-School is headed by Dean Danny Saracin, a Chemical Engineering graduate from Central Philippine University with a Masters in Business Administration from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). Before focusing on a career in education, he spent 27 years in the corporate world as either General Manager or Senior Executive of various top 1000 Philippine corporations.
According to Dean Saracin, the SWU PHINMA B-School’s curriculum is modular and classroom lectures cover only half of the term. He explains, “Studies have proven that lectures are not that effective anymore. Students would rather be hands-on than spend hours on boring lectures in the classroom. The other half is devoted to group projects from real businesses ‘adopted’ by the students as their own.”
Active Learning
The SWU PHINMA B-School makes use of the Case Method of Active Learning (AL) pioneered by the Harvard Business School. Business students are given modules and case studies which they can discuss and dissect with their groupmates, under the supervision of the faculty. Further on, the students are assigned projects, and undergo internships at partner companies.
To fully develop competence SWU PHINMA B-School students are immersed in real-world business settings. Students are expected to work as real employees, unlike other on-the-job trainees where they accumulate hours doing simple office tasks such as encoding and filing documents. They are also asked to sign confidentiality and non-compete, non-circumvention agreements with the industry hosts.
The PHINMA Mission
PHINMA Corporation’s mission of making lives better takes front and center through its education initiative. Besides SWU PHINMA, PHINMA Education owns and operates five other schools across the country. It aims to uplift Filipinos and foster a new generation of successful professionals. Board passing results and employment rates after graduation have all been promising.
For the SWU PHINMA B-School, PHINMA Corporation’s strong business background has contributed to its well-rounded business students. Moving forward, it will continue to leverage this link with various industries. “When our students graduate from the SWU PHINMA B-School, we know they are fully equipped to serve the present and future needs of the industry,” Dean Saracin concludes.
