Sri Lanka’s problem of flagging export growth has generated much discussion. The answer that many are converging on is a single word: DIVERSIFICATION. But ‘diversification’ is a double-edged concept in exports. You can either diver

A recent article by Gail Tvreberg from a think tank on ‘Our Future World’ and reproduced in ‘Oil Voice’ magazine of February 4, 2014, highlights that solutions to our energy dilemma will not work if we do not understand that t

“Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation” is a humorous fumble rule used by English teachers and professors when lecturing about proper writing techniques. The press release by the MD of a hotel built during the colonial era informs of i

Last two weeks, we saw how goal setting is a powerful way of motivating people and of motivating managers. Today, the value of goal setting is so well recognized that entire management systems, like Management by Objectives (MBOs), have goal setting

Investing in real estate has been the traditional method of securing future financial stability by increasing one’s net worth. With the advent of share trading, investments in property have been in direct competition to attract investment rupee

Almost everyone on the planet has been asking a question no one is yet able to answer – what happened to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that was on a routine flight from Kuala Lampur to Beijing.

A reserve fund can only be used for replacement and non-routine repairs of common elements and assets of the condo: for instance, replacement of roof, windows, boiler, carpets and security system. Other examples are non-routine repairs to the chiller

Following is an interview of Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC) Chief Executive Felicio Ferraz appeared in the FY13 annual report of the company that was released to the Colombo Stock Exchange yesterday.

Unlike annual crops such as vegetables or field crops, the perennial nature of tree crops requires that their nutrient needs be maintained in a holistic and long-term manner.  Practices such as fertilizer application, water management and prunin

Professor Dave Ulrich, the most influential international thinker in HR and author of over 25 books, talks about his proposed visit to Colombo on April 30 and the key topics he plans to address in Colombo.

There is presently a great interest on value addition to mineral resources that could be commercially exploited in Sri Lanka. However this interest was vigorously promoted by the Geological Survey Department (present GSMB) from the early 1960s and wh

In the previous section, we discussed the two restrictions imposed on the amount you can borrow. First, the initial margin, which is the initial amount you can borrow.

We saw last week that goal setting is an opportunity to focus the efforts of employees on the things that matter. A goal provides them with a direction and also allows them to prioritise their work. 

The United Nations celebrates the 2014 International Women’s Day under the theme of ‘Equality for women is progress for all’. Ensuring gender equality matters in many ways to the development process of a country. Gender equality mat

The other day, my mobile phone rang – it was a wrong number. But as I and thousands of other Sri Lankan women discover to their dismay every day, the caller rang back – many times in fact, whispering what no woman wants to hear.

Korea is no stranger to economic hardship, recovery and progress. The Korean War during 1950-53 took 1.5 million lives and destroyed close to 40 percent of the country’s industrial facilities. Yet, it overcame this turbulent history to become a

Previous Verité Insights have documented the “long-procrastination” in the achievements of targets set out in the budget. The mismatch between expectation and reality has been particularly a problem in the area of government revenu

Our Condominium Act was based on the condo operations of Singapore. Singapore obtained more information with regard to setting up condominiums from Australia. Since the introduction of condominiums in Singapore, they also have various problems that h

Several approaches, techniques and systems were developed in the 80s and 90s to tackle the problem of tapper shortage and rising costs of production, which were not adopted on a large scale due to low productivity of prevailing clones in the 80s/90s,

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” This line from Alice in Wonderland has been true in many organisations and companies. They often don’t have or maybe don’t articulate very well real b

Imagine you’re sitting at the black jack table and the dealer throws you an ace. You’d love to increase your bet but you’re a little short on cash. Luckily, your friend offers to spot you Rs.50 and says you can pay him back later. T

Would a look back at what decisions we made be relevant to the decisions we make in the future? In retrospect is a term used wisely. Most of us feel wiser and mature, when we look back at the past. The decisions we have made, the people we have chose

“Investment is most intelligent when it is most business like.” -Benjamin Graham, The Intelligent Investor. It is fitting to have a Ben Graham quote open this essay because I owe so much of what I know about investing to him. I will talk

John Keells Holdings (JKH) was adjudged the country’s most transparent and accountable business entity when it bagged the Overall Winning Award at the annual ACCA Sri Lanka Sustainability Reporting Awards, with Diesel & Motor Engineering PL

The latest Sri Lanka-Iraq Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation (JEC) Commenced February 25 in Baghdad, a statement from the Industry and Commerce Ministry said. “Iraq is certainly an important market for us not only for tea but even for oth

In December 1952, during a historic visit to China to conclude the rubber-rice barter trade agreement, Sri Lanka’s then commerce minister Richard Gotabhaya Senanayake was presented with a gift by Zhou Enlai, then premier of the People’s R

Oxfam states that the accumulated wealth of the top 85 of the richest in the world equals the total worth of $ 3.5 billion of the poorest! It goes beyond 4 billion of the poorest, when one adds the total wealth of the next 250 richest in the world to

Soil organic matter is any material produced originally by living organisms (plant or animal) that is returned to the soil and goes through the decomposition process. At any given time, it consists of a range of materials from the intact original tis

There are many problem-solving techniques available to managers and most of them are powerful tools for reaching a solution. However, one stands out as the power tool to use for deciding ‘which’ problems to solve; ‘Pareto Analysis&r

It is a formal legal document, which provides details about an investment offered to the public. It is important to read the prospectus because it provides information regarding the terms of the securities being offered as well as disclosure regardin