Oil palm industry – Not understood and utilised to potential

Consequence to COVID-19, Sri Lanka is now compelled to ban imports, restrict imports or increase import taxes to manage its valuable foreign exchange reserves. Though such short-term actions are timely and inevitable to face a crisis situation, they would invariably cause hardships to consumers, industrialists and eventually to the public.

An election in the time of pandemic in Sri Lanka

Despite the fact that electoral democracy in Sri Lanka faced many challenges in pre and post-independence eras, the country has managed to conduct periodical elections in national level.

Work from home: All too convenient but are we doing it right?

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brought about a new wave of remote work for employers, who otherwise would not have considered venturing outside what was considered the norm, until recently.

What’s next for supply chains scrambled by the pandemic?

The emergency created by COVID-19 has stimulated innovation, creativity and novel ways of structuring tasks, organisations and systems. In the midst of this worldwide crisis, it is hard to assess what temporary measures will become more permanent - or will morph into something else.

Central bankers open up the pandemic box

Central banks worldwide have become the white knights to the rescue in the COVID-19 economic crisis. Having pledged ‘whatever it takes’ to expand liquidity and their balance sheets to fight the economic impact, they have been applauded.

Economics of social media based business in Sri Lanka during crises

As of January 2018, there were six million active social media users in Sri Lanka, accounting for 30 percent of the population.

Redefining e-commerce in Sri Lanka: Prospects post COVID-19

The COVID-19 global pandemic is likely the defining event of the decade, if not more and its implications are expected to change the way we work, socialise and behave. Rapidly evolving consumer buying behaviour and the pivot to online shopping is one such outcome of the pandemic and its associated social distancing measures.

How bad is COVID-19’s impact on Asian developing economies?

In its April World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts a baseline case of negative 3 percent global ‘growth’ in 2020, rebounding to 5.8 percent in 2021.

COVID-19 – An unprecedented crisis and also a tantalising opportunity

Henry Kissinger, in one of his infrequent statements says, “When the COVID-19 pandemic is over, many countries’ institutions will be perceived as having failed.

Automated Machine Learning to reach higher penetration with the turn of new decade

Before any business can make a crucial step forward in the transformation of their digital efforts, a paramount importance is placed on understanding and deriving even more insight from data than ever before.

Restaurants, cafes, eateries, pubs and recreational clubs – Potential strategies and focus areas

At the time of writing this article, we have completed 5 weeks of curfew and lockdown in Sri Lanka due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The overall economy has been impacted due to this pandemic with small businesses being hit the most.

Smoking in time of corona: Why limiting smoking important in battle against COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has already claimed thousands of lives worldwide. As expected with any respiratory illness, there is clear evidence that smokers are much more vulnerable to COVID-19 than non-smokers.

A global crisis like no other needs a global response like no other

I have been saying for a while that this is a “crisis like no other”. It is:

Women entrepreneurs give back more to society

Educating girls is very important for a prosperous world. It has a snowballing effect as according to USAID, educated women are twice as likely to send their children to school. This increases the chances of girls being educated in future as well.

Foreign investment drying up thanks to COVID-19; But there may be a silver lining

Just over a year ago, InvestChile – the South American country’s Foreign Direct Investment Promotion Agency – welcomed 300 foreign investors of 21 nationalities in Santiago. In a two-day event, they attended plenaries, workshops and over 200 meetings including with the president, advancing over US$ 7 billion in potential projects.

Bangladesh’s garment industry unravelling

Seven years ago, one of the worst industrial disasters in history — the collapse of an eight-story commercial building in Rana Plaza, Dhaka — demonstrated to the world the heavy price of producing cheap clothing to fuel the ‘fast fashion’ industry for consumers in the global North.

A post-coronavirus recovery in Asia – Extending a “whatever it takes” lifeline to small businesses

Asia was hit hard by the first wave of the coronavirus, as the sudden stop in activity struck households and firms simultaneously—first in China, then elsewhere in Asia and now globally. Policymakers responded swiftly with aggressive spending to support the medical response and vulnerable households and firms. And central banks took swift actions to expand liquidity.

Cyber distancing – The new norm in secure distance learning

Over the past few months, educational institutions around the world – from elementary schools to colleges and universities – have been forced to embrace distance learning. It’s now estimated that 70 percent of students are currently doing some form of online education.

Emerging narratives for a post-lockdown society

The fear of contagion has struck deep and some things will perhaps never go back to the way they were. Here are some possible narratives and changing paradigms that could emerge in a post-COVID-19 world:

Employers and their ability to pay post COVID-19

I am penning this as a matter of urgency and I concede I could develop the arguments and points better. I consider this an urgent appeal to the president to read it and find a solution, which will save not only jobs but the economy.

Sri Lankans have re-evaluated priorities amidst COVID-19 outbreak: Will brands follow suit?

Kantar recently unveiled the COVID-19 Barometer for Sri Lanka through a virtual webinar. The study covers the sentiments of both urban and rural households across all socio-economic groups and age segments.

Managing business through COVID-19 pandemic to transform from a global to a local economy

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many countries having lockdowns, mainly to control the spread of the coronavirus. This pandemic, which started in Wuhan, China, has now spread worldwide, with Europe and America experiencing a major impact and huge loss of lives.

COVID-19 and road ahead for Sri Lanka’s three-wheeler industry

Sri Lanka has been under curfew since mid-March to contain the spread of COVID-19. As a result, economic activities throughout the country have stalled. A recent Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) blog identified that non-agricultural, informal workers were highly affected by this pandemic.

Response to COVID-19 should also be a response to climate crisis

Now is the time to ramp up actions on resilience so that society can beat the COVID-19 crisis while reducing the impact of climate threats.

Post COVID operations of wildlife parks in Sri Lanka – A new start?

The current ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought tourism and leisure travel to its knees. With extended curfews and strict restrictions of movement, almost all establishments have been shut.

Retraining for growth

The purpose of this article is to suggest how Sri Lanka can benefit from the obvious need for social support in the context of ‘COVID-19’.

Managing labour crisis post- COVID 19

The economic and labour crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic has increased global unemployment by almost 25 million, according to a new assessment by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

‘Ten new realities’ and opportunities in Sri Lanka as a result of COVID-19

Over the last few weeks, there have been many discussions, ideas and content on the impact of COVID-19 on businesses and the economy in particular.

Global growth impact of COVID-19 outbreak

No data yet, apart from the distressing data on the escalating infections and deaths caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. The economic shock is yet to be seen.

COVID-19 and foreign exchange woes: Can Sri Lanka find a way out?

The growing pressure on Sri Lanka’s scarce foreign exchange resources, due to the wide spread of COVID-19 across the globe, is now more real than ever before. To ease this pressure, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has taken many measures to attract as well as retain more foreign exchange in Sri Lanka.