Fertilizer shortage crippling plantation industry: PA

The Planter’s Association of Ceylon (PA) has warned of an acute shortage of fertilizer which will have a detrimental effect on the plantation industry. The PA whose mandate is to promote, foster and protect the plantation industry of Sri Lanka has sounded the alarm and appealed to all stakeholders to......

Altair awards construction contract to Shapoorji Pallonji

The US$ 3 billion construction company, Shapoorji Pallonji has been appointed the main contractor for Sri Lanka’s Altair residential twin tower in Colombo.

Hayleys Q3 profits plunge

Hayleys PLC posted a profit of Rs. 338.6 million during the quarter ended 31st December 2013, down sharply from the previous Rs. 662.4 million.

Forest attraction: Can Sri Lanka use ecotourism for sustainable forest management?

Tucked away amidst a tea plantation and bordering the Deniyaya side of the Sinharaja rainforest is a unique ecotourism venture that could hold valuable lessons on the future of forest-based ecotourism in Sri Lanka.

Placing guests at the heart of safety

When one purchases a high-priced item, it is natural and reasonable to expect a high-quality of performance. For most people, cars and holidays count as the two highest priced items of regular expenditure. People save money to take their annual holiday and also put aside money to be able to purchase a newer car.

GDP growth and income disparities

There is a controversy with regard to the alleged upward revision of the growth rate of quarterly GDP by 0.5 per cent from 5.5 per cent to 6.0 per cent. This has created some doubt in the public mind as to the accuracy and reliability of estimates of National Accounts.

Boeing sees Asia-Pacific fleet nearly tripling over 20 yrs

Boeing maintained its 20-year forecast for airplane demand at US $ 4.8 trillion and predicted that nearly half of the world’s air traffic growth would be driven by travel to, from or within the AsiaPacific over the next two decades.

Exports up 13.2% in December

The export earnings rose 13.2 percent year-on-year (YoY) to US $ 986.1 million while the import expenditure expanded 2.1 percent YoY to US $ 1.56 billion in December2013.

Forecast for country's energy future- no common solutions

A recent article by Gail Tvreberg from a think tank on “Our Future World”, reproduced in “Oil Voice” Magazine of 4 February 2014 highlights that solutions to our energy dilemma will not work if we do not understand that the problem is quite different from what it really is and developing into a long term problem which in.........

January tourist arrivals up 32%

Sri Lanka received 146,575 tourists during the month of January (2014), up 32.6 percent from the corresponding month of the previous year, data released by the country’s tourism authority revealed.

Service quality: Balancing customer perceptions and expectations

Providing satisfaction to customers is an intuitively sensible route to running a profitable business. But we have not been very good at measuring whether or not businesses are doing a right job in delivering satisfaction to their customers. Part of the problem is a lack of clarity about the meaning of some of the concepts involved.

Tips on building your portfolio when investing

Because you plan to spend the money you set aside for short-term goals relatively quickly, you’ll want to focus on safety and liquidity rather than growth in your short-term portfolio. Treasury bills (T-bill) backed by the government’s promise to repay are generally considered safe investments.

Fourth Assembly of International Renewable Energy Agency and way forward

The Fourth Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) took place from January 18-19, 2014 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), attended by more than 1200 participants including heads of state and ministers from over 150 countries, as well as representatives from 120 international organisations. 

How volunteering can help your career

Volunteering is in – whether in reaching out to communities, helping street children or simply doing something for someone who cannot afford you or pay you back, it is not only fashionable but also extremely relevant in the world we live in today.

Some problems faced by condo owners These matters should be addressed in the new Condo Act

There are many problems have arisen with regard to condominium corporations and the management. As a result there are many unhappy buyers and they do not know where to go to get these problems satisfactorily resolved.  Therefore it is necessary all condo buyers should know the role of

Commercial Bank to pump up investment banking business

Commercial Bank of Ceylon has signalled its intentions to sharpen its focus on the sphere of investment banking, with the relaunch and renaming of its Corporate Finance Unit as ‘Commercial Bank Investment Banking’ to reflect the broader dimensions of the unit.

Rubber prices take a dip in new year

Sri Lanka’s rubber prices have seen a considerable decline since the beginning of the new year, an analysis of the Colombo rubber auction prices by Mirror Business showed.

Placing guests at the heart of safety

When I book a hotel I look for one that provides comfort and a secure environment. In a hotel environment, safety and security are two sides of the same coin. Let’s examine this on an imaginary – but not totally unreal series of incidents that all occur to the Nemo (‘Nobody’ in Latin) family, when they are picked up from......

Emerging markets need to do more to remain engines of global growth

We had a big debate on emerging markets’ growth prospects at our Annual Meetings in October 2013. We lowered our 2013 growth forecast for emerging markets and developing economies by a whopping 0.5 percentage points compared to our earlier forecast. Some argued that we were too pessimistic.

Post-war winners: Urban rich or rural poor?

For some time now it has been quite clear to economists that assessments of economic performance cannot be solely focused on overall income growth, but must also take into account income distribution. This is because a growing body of research has established that where the income inequalities are...........

Controversial issues surface at ‘Debacle of Finance Companies’ seminar

A very timely seminar on the ‘Debacle of Finance Companies’ was held recently at The Kingsbury. Human Rights Commission Chairman Justice P.R.P. Perera chaired, whilst presentations were made by banker, lawyer cum accountant, Ranjith Fernando, President’s Counsel K. Kanag-Isvaran and.....

Has the bear finally left the stock market ?

Is the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) finally putting aside its losing streaks? With the first month of 2014 just over, signs are surely encouraging with the All Share Price Index (ASPI) having gained around 250 points representing a YTD gain of 4.2 percent, which is good considering that we are......

Bloomberg forecast on SL slightly positive

Bloomberg’s regular economic forecast on Sri Lanka showed a sense of relative optimism for 2014 on many indicators, though they remained below the Central Bank’s overly ambitious estimates for the ensuing years.

City hotel occupancy down in 2013

The average city hotel occupancy rate during the year 2013 stood at 65 percent, down from 70 percent in 2012, despite an increase in tourist arrivals, Colombo City Hotels Association Chairman M. Shanthikumar said.

How will Ben Bernanke be judged by historians?

Ben Bernanke’s eight-year term as chairperson of the United States Federal Reserve Board came to an end last week, with successor Janet Yellen taking over from February 1.

Lankan business environment main attraction for FDIs: CCC President

Sri Lanka’s business climate stands as the island’s strongest attraction for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), a factor which must be greatly improved on through targeted reforms, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Chairperson and Lion Brewery CEO, Suresh Shah said.

Financial sector consolidation progress satisfying: CB

Satisfactory progress has been made on the consolidation of banking and non-banking sectors of the country, Central Bank in a recent statement said.

StanChart forecasts another rate cut end 1Q

Standard Chartered Bank (StanChart) says the Central Bank is likely to further cut key policy rates if no significant improvement was recorded in private sector credit growth amid falling headline inflation.

Bringing in 8-Ps: Marketing mix redefined and remapped

One of the most crucial decisions for a marketing function of any company is the mix of elements that will be used to achieve sales within a target market. This concept of “Marketing Mix” is a fundamental part of marketing theory. Given that marketing has a wide selection of techniques available to........

Tips on building your portfolio when investing

Like every investor, you want to choose investments that will provide the growth and income you need to meet your financial goals. To do that, it’s important to understand yourself as an investor. That’s because a portfolio that’s right for someone else may not be best for you.