Marketing of tea - A strategy

“The global tea industry reached maturity over a decade ago and is now in a critical period where fundamental changes are taking place in the competitive environment. The slowing of growth is creating more global competition for market share. 

Central Bank releases Provincial GDP figures for 2014

The Provincial Gross Domestic Product (PGDP) for 2014 has been computed by the Statistics Department of Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), based on the desegregation of the rebased (2010 constant prices) series of National Accounts estimates by the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS). 

Sri Lankan sun shines on high yield bond market 

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka returned to the international bond markets on Tuesday for the second time this year.

The unfinished business of IMF quota reform

The Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Lima, Peru have now concluded.

The budget is not mainly about money; it’s about governance

Budgeting is a governance process that drives national plans, priorities and policy. While much of that is reflected in the content of the budget, important governance aspects are also reflected in the budgeting process.

The 2020 plan will reshape tourism industry: Minister

Mirror Business sat down with the new Tourism and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga to discuss the new tourism master plan which will take the industry forward till 2020. Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

Chamber expectations from budget 2016

As the new government is in the midst of firming up contents of the much-awaited budget 2016, the local business sphere, investors and interest groups wait with bated breath to find out if 

Ceylon Chamber comes up with ‘10 Principles’ to guide the transformation of Lankan economy

 Good governance, policy stability and regulatory quality 

Accelerating economic growth by rejuvenating state-owned assets

?The history of State-Owned-Enterprises (SOEs) goes back to British colonial rule. 

Sri Lanka’s competitiveness is stagnating: Efficiency is the issue

The Global Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum defines competitiveness as “the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country”.

Feeding Asia safely

By 2050 there will be about one billion extra mouths to feed in Asia, as its population soars. We might be able to produce enough food. But how much will be safe to eat?

Nothing but the state enterprises!

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) have come under harsh criticism in the recent past for their poor performance, productivity and profitability, and it is the public that paid the price.

Whither our state-managed tea plantations

This article does not intend to comment on the parlous condition of our state-managed tea plantations. Suffice it to say that these valuable assets have become a tremendous strain on our economy, mostly due to political interference and gross mismanagement.

Professional accountancy services vital for SMEs to grow: ACCA President

Mirror Business sat down for a brief interview on small and medium enterprise (SME) accounting with ACCA President Datuk Alexandra Chin, who is the fourth woman to become the leader of the London-based apex global body for professional accountants.

Social media and the Sri Lankan stock market

“ The dark side of social media is that within seconds anything can be blown out of proportion and taken out of context. It is very difficult not to get swept up in it all” -Nicola Formichetti

Look beyond the export headlines: MTI

MTI Consulting, based on its experience and thought leadership work in international trade strategizing, has highlighted important export policy and governance issues that Sri Lanka should address.

How the Reserve Bank of India escaped the central banking crisis

Hyperinflation during the 1970s and 1980s relegated fiscal policy as the macroeconomic policy of last resort, ushering in the golden age of monetary policy. 

Airtel’s new CEO rings operations in full steam

New CEO of Airtel’s Sri Lankan operations has kicked off his stint by reaffirming the company’s commitment in continuing to be a challenger in the highly competitive telecom industry.

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan talks about the global financial system and rules of the game

Following is the 65th Anniversary Oration of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka delivered by Reserve Bank of India Governor Dr. Raghuram Rajan at Cinnamon Lakeside on October 05.

An industrial policy framework is long overdue: IASL

?Following is the speech delivered by Industrial Association of Sri Lanka (IASL) Chairman Nilam Jayasinghe at the association’s 24th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at Cinnamon Lakeside recently.  

Life insurance should be “bought” and not “sold”: Insurance Ombudsman

Sri Lankan society is yet to learn about the benefits of life insurance, says Insurance Ombudsman, Dr Wickrema Weerasooria. “It should be ‘bought’ and not ‘sold’, as it happens now”, he insists.

DFCC charts new course for growth with merger

The local financial landscape last week saw one of the nation’s well established development banks merging with its subsidiary with the aim of having its roots deeply embedded in the ever-changing and fast evolving world of banking.

Are you an informed investor?

Knowledge empowers people. Similarly adequate knowledge about the stock market will strengthen your portfolio and enable you to maximize your returns. 

Is China’s economic luck running out?

At the end of April 2015, FXI — China’s prestigious Xinhua China 25 index, a key indicator of China’s stock market value — climbed dramatically, reaching over US $ 52 per share. 

Government should consider private universities as international commercial ventures

Currently high-level discussions, arguments, news, etc., are transpiring about the negative and positive aspects of the private medical college...

Sri Lanka losing ground in Investment and Trade Freedoms

The 2015 Index of Global Economic Freedom by the Heritage Foundation ranks Sri Lanka at 101 of 178 countries assessed with a score of 58.6. Sri Lanka’s

The flagship project Megapolis: Concept and scope in Sri Lankan context

The new government, elected to govern the country for the next five years, has vowed to implement its flagship Megapolis project, which was included in its election manifesto.

Sri Lanka could see oversupply in luxury property market: Oxford Business Group

?Supply is set to overtake demand at the high end of Sri Lanka’s residential property market, with a series of large-scale projects under way in and around Colombo.

South Asia “at front lines” of mounting climate costs

South Asian economies stand to lose around 1.3 percent of their collective annual GDP by 2050 even if global temperature increases are kept to 2 degrees Celsius, experts and public officials warn.

Why 100% renewable generation won’t bring energy security

Clean energy advocates believe that 100 per cent generation from renewable energy sources is the only way to meet the power demand and address global warming.