Rating bonanza and need for disposable income boost

The holiday shortened month of April has been merry thus far for the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) with the index gaining 3.1 percent (and by 185 points) during the first three weeks of the month.

Are you a responsible investor?

There can be discrepancy in the instructions given in relation to the company, quantity and the price. For an example, an investor might state that he gave instructions for 100 shares to be purchased even though his advisor has purchased 1000 shares. In most cases, instructions are conveyed to advisors through the telephone.

360-degree feedback: Boosting up management skills

In the last article we noticed just how good the 360-degree assessments are, if implemented correctly. But there is a major reservation! In order for the 360-degree feedback system to be successful, there must be employee acceptance of the system.

A teenage entrepreneur we can all learn lessons from

Bethany Mota is no Sheryl Sandberg; she is 18 and yet to get a degree in business studies. But Mota, who is better known to millions of teenage girls on YouTube as “Motavator”, has already created a million dollar fashion and media empire just by sitting in her bedroom of her California home and posing videos on......

Sri Lanka needs more balanced and holistic alcohol policy

Alcohol sales would have no doubt peaked during the last week or so, along with Avurudu festivities across the country – rural and urban alike. The use of alcohol is embedded in the daily lives of many ordinary citizens in our island nation. Despite certain efforts by the government in regulating the....

Innovative technologies and sustainable solutions to develop oil palm industry

Palm oil mills are in an enviable position to harness enormous amounts of renewable energy with high efficiency, the potential which remains largely unrealised, palm oil expert Krishna Moorthy says.

Sri Lanka tourism: What got us here, won’t get us there

In 2009, Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals were a mere 447 thousand. By 2010 the arrivals increased almost 50 percent to 654 thousand. That number is estimated to have almost doubled by 2013 to almost 1.3 million. The current plans are for this number to double again by 2016 to 2.5 million.

360-degree feedback – Developing self-awareness among employees

In the 1990s, organisations started to change from highly structured pyramid-like hierarchies towards flatter and leaner shapes. The autocratic management styles that suited a pyramid structure won’t work in the modern organisation with its wide spans of control, high levels of self-management and a workforce that relies on....

Are you a responsible investor?

During the past few weeks we have addressed the need of educating yourself on the stock market prior to investing. An equally important factor is to manage your relationship with the stockbroker firm/investment advisor and refrain from unwanted disputes that could have an adverse impact on one’s portfolio.

Conflicts among Sri Lanka’s health workers hurting patients

All health sector workers – doctors, nurses, midwives and other paramedics – share the responsibility for delivering good health services in government hospitals. Duties and roles of these professionals are intertwined. Health workers who are discharging duties in health facilities are the products of years of

Balancing short-term vs. long-term interest of workers

There were recent press reports that a number of trade unions have submitted proposals to the National Pay Commission requesting establishment of; 1. a national wages commission for the private sector, 2. a national minimum wage, 3. an unemployment benefit insurance scheme, 4. a pension scheme for the.....

What can female entrepreneurs rejoice about?

It seems much. According to the Gender Global Entrepreneurship Development Index, the conditions that foster high potential female entrepreneurship are three-fold - encouraging an entrepreneurial environment, entrepreneurial eco-system and entrepreneurial aspirations.

Unresolved sustainability issues in global tea sector

Although the subject of sustainability in tea plantations had been discussed on many occasions before, yet in view of its importance to the tea sector and also as many issues still remain unresolved, this article re-examines this subject.

Responsibility grid - Integrating re-engineering with total quality

One of the most sacred tenets of management is the need for clear accountability. As such, organisations spend enormous amounts of time and energy defining jobs, roles, and goals — and then figure out who to reward or penalize when things go well or poorly.

Are you interested in investing in an IPO?

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed an increase in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) since the beginning of the year as a result of the incentives given by the budget for the year 2014 and the prudent measures taken by market stakeholders.

Are you trapped in a toxic career environment?

In today’s world, filled with stress, ambition and ruthless pursuit of career goals, environments and people can turn toxic without much notice. The toxicity generated can have a deadly effect on others, especially those caught by surprise. When environments do turn toxic, it is usually due to a few or a group of......

UNHRC: Measuring consequences and implications

Last year Verité Insights examined the trading relationship between Sri Lanka and the countries that had voted for and against the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka both in 2012 and 2013. The findings were important.

Performance of global rubber in 2013 and outlook

A recent report released (March) by the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) indicates that the stock balance of the global natural rubber industry at the end of 2013, specifically that of the Asia Pacific region, is in a position of production exceeding that of consumption by 3,020,000 tonnes, which may be a worrying factor to....

World oil and gas planning cycle (2014) and its fallout on Sri Lanka

International and national oil and gas companies always assess the macro business environment and make careful assumptions or assessments of their positions in such uncertainty.

Why first impressions (still) count

Some people are able to make an entrance – whether socially or professionally, pleasant enough for others to notice them. First impressions count – even though some would like to believe otherwise. Making a sound first impression will always be important to whatever that we have chosen to do.

Environmental Management Systems should be strengthened in plantations

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a set of processes and practices that enables an organisation to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency.

Value addition to graphite in Sri Lanka - Graphene and green technology

As a follow up to my article on value addition to minerals published in Mirror Business on March 11, 2014, I would like to highlight the attempts by the researchers in Sri Lanka and also various government entities in value addition to graphite in the light of ‘graphene’, the miracle substance produced with the.....

Hydro power and Sri Lanka’s energy challenge

Water and energy are linked with an eternal bond. Many countries blessed with rivers and waterfalls have harnessed their inherent kinetic energy through hydro-electricity in fulfilling their energy needs. Sri Lanka is one such country.   But the rising demand for electricity and the limited generation potential of

If China sneezes, Africa can now catch a cold

Growing links with China have supported economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. But the burgeoning commercial and financial ties between the developing subcontinent and the world’s second-biggest economy carry risks as well. These links also expose sub-Saharan African countries to.....

Empowerment releases power within people for amazing results

Do you work for a company that has a traditional bureaucratic management style? If so, chances are quite high that your workplace is probably not as effectively run as one whose philosophy is ‘empowerment’.

Customer satisfaction or delight

How crucial it is to ‘delight a customer’. Raising customer satisfaction is such an obvious point. Management tends to forget the importance of delighting a customer. Customer satisfaction is talked about in creative copy writing. What is neglected is the need to

Is entrepreneurship the final goal of a career end?

Not everyone chooses a career – some, if they are honest enough, will confess that they got into a career by chance. And once the course of time runs and the biological clock runs, most would choose to stay within the comfort zones of known routines, predictable outcomes and familiar territory, instead of.....

Tea and rubber equally affected by global warming, climate change

Be it swapping coffee for cocoa in Central America or bracing for drought in Sri Lanka with a return to ancient water storage systems, scientists and growers should jointly chart a path to adapt to climate shifts despite uncertainties over future growing conditions.

Risks and rights for Sri Lankan consumers in the digital age

Every day we are moving closer to having almost as many mobile subscribers as there are people on earth. Close to 40 percent of the world’s population are now ‘online’ and some 750 million households globally are connected to the internet.

Evolution or Revolution? Managing brand transition

It’s not uncommon to find major homegrown brands in Sri Lanka either undernourished or underexploited but after a period of neglect, they need to be reexamined and refreshed from the ground up.