Lessons from 21st century women entrepreneurs

They seem to have an uncanny ability to empathise with customers, employees and colleagues. They can communicate splendidly...

Rain-guarding technology can boost NR production

It had been known from the time NR had been introduced as a plantation tree crop that rain interferes directly with the harvesting of latex from rubber trees and therefore tapping on rainy days had not been practiced.

High interest for second round bidding

Mirror Business recently met with Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat Chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya to discuss the latest developments in the country’s petroleum exploration front. Following are excerpts of the interview

From crisis to resilience Collaborate or perish!

Think back to a meeting when you had a handful of people gathered around a whiteboard and one person is drawing and talking, explaining what she means. In mid-flight, a colleague grabs another pen and adds to the drawing, suggesting another perspective. A new train of thought emerges.

Worrying fall in government revenue

There has been a sharp fall in government revenue in 2012. Revenue collection is likely to have declined to as low as 11% of GDP. This is significantly less than the 14% - 15% that has been recorded in previous years and compares very unfavourably with 17% - 18% of.....

Global oil market forecasts and imports to Sri Lanka

In my article to the Business Section of the Daily Mirror of 29 January 2013, I summarized five scenarios of energy surprises in 2013 mainly spotlighting on oil and gas.

From crisis to resilience : They have no idea how valuable (I think) I am!

How would you respond to this question -- What value-add you bring to role and responsibility that directly contributes to the financial stability, success and growth of your organisation? Do your customers, co-workers and supervisors know who you are? And if they do, would a discussion about you

Dividend facts you may not know

‘Money for nothing’ is not only the title of a song by Dire Straits from the ‘80s, it is also the feeling many investors get when they receive a dividend. All you have to do is buy shares in the right company and you’ll receive some of its earnings. How exciting is that?

A new take on lingerie

In a world that takes so much for granted, there are areas of special needs and interests that once in a while...

Is Sri Lanka “merely” a forward looking nation?

Sri Lanka is going through one of the most exciting phases of its post-independence era, where it’s strong future potential is visible, within reach, and achievable in the opinion of many......

Workplace flexibility: Ensuring success in reaching goals

One of the greatest challenges to business success is, learning how to remain flexible enough to adapt to needed change, while staying focussed on our goals. Even though we have declared S.M.A.R.T. goals and designed a very specific strategic plan to achieve them, it is equally important to remain open and flexible along the way.

Risk tolerance only tells half the story

Discussions about risk generally revolve around two questions and they are often used interchangeably. The first question is, “How much risk can you handle psychologically?” The second one is, “How much risk should you take on?”

Sri Lanka’s progress and fluctuating market fortunes

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), reports that there were 1.035 billion tourist arrivals in 2012 - a rise of 39 million travelers and a growth of 4.0% on 2011, where 996 million people criss-crossed the globe. Asia enjoyed the sharpest rise in tourist arrivals – up 7% on 2011, with 233 million international tourists in total; of which Sri Lanka received 1 million tourists.

PJ Group to create US $ 100 m mega project in Passekudah

A short 15 minutes away from the Luxury Passekudah Resort with over a dozen new hotels opening, an exciting new...

Transgenic rubber tolerant to drought, environment stress

Natural rubber is pervasive in modern life with more than 40,000 products and 400 medical devices containing the material. In many strategic and medical applications, no synthetic materials can achieve its unique combination of high performance and cost-effectiveness.

Insights into five possible energy surprises for 2013

Many experts have given predictions or probabilities on complex scenarios related to future price and supply of energy, economic stability, and political developments in this age of globalization.

Independent director’s true independence is measured by boardroom actions-Dinesh

The problem is most boards meet only once a month or once in three months and are composed of individuals who also hold demanding full-time jobs as CEOs or executive directors in other listed companies.

Can tea cartel be more than a storm in a teacup?

REUTERS: Brewing a tea cartel is proving more difficult than a cuppa for six major producers of the world’s most widely consumed beverage, who last week decided to join forces without explaining exactly what they planned to do.

From crisis to resilience Focus on results: Not time, not task

Many business organisations place too much emphasis on the time spent at work. Employees who burn the midnight oil might be viewed as ‘dedicated’ to their work, while others who quietly get their work done during business hours might be passed over for a promotion.

Finding solid buy-and-hold stocks

Successful long-term trading - investing with the intention of holding a security for one year or more - means paying attention to the big picture, even when a grim short-term outlook sends investors running for the exits.

Michelle Obama on second term – Inspiring women across the world

No one quite captured the essence of President Obama’s inauguration heralding in his second term of office, as his wife, Michelle...

Invest like a pro

For those investors who have been lucky enough to have survived one or more major market downturns, some lessons have been learned. For example, there always seem to be some firms that not only survive those downturns, but profit handsomely from them.

From crisis to resilience Making better business decisions

Business executives make decisions every day. Some decisions are straightforward and simple: For example - Is this report ready to send to my boss now?  Should I allow this customer two weeks’ credit for his purchase? Simple decisions usually need a simple decision-making process.

Lessons in hands-on CSR activism – Turning guns into jewellery

Just how do you deal with a social menace that threatens the very foundations of a society? That’s the question that has...

Not at SEC to safeguard anybody’s interest: Godahewa

He says his approach does not confine only to regulate. “Education is a big part of my job,” he stresses, quite unlikely to the two regulators before him, who threw in the towel in a span of just one year, ducking to pressures from all over.

Creating work environment for employee success

The skilled people who staff an organization bring the greatest competitive advantage for a firm. Finding the right fit talent is just the first step. To succeed in today’s ever-changing marketplace, optimizing the potential of the people in the business should be a top priority for any company.

Removing barriers to successful investing

Many investors base their decisions on emotions, rumors or chasing the next hot opportunity and they often end up losing money as a result. But despite their setbacks, they continue with the same behaviour and keep getting the same results.

Moving from crisis to resilience : Effective communication is key for business revival

You don’t need to be told that the world of work is tougher than ever – you live it every day. To meet the increasing demands, to do more and to deliver more, top business managers follow seven golden principles. We discussed them in brief last week. 

A requiem for Rizana …

She was just 17, when a fateful accident happened in which the baby left in her care died. When the news of her ‘crime’ broke through...

Global natural rubber business outlook promising

The latest report of the International Rubber Study Group ( IRSG ) says that the world total rubber consumption contracted in the in the 3rd quarter of 2012, decreasing to 25.7 million tonnes on a moving annual total (MAT) basis in September 2012, from 25.9 million tonnes on a MAT basis in June 2012.