Category: Industry
Cloud No. 9
The Galle Face Hotel is coming out of the closet with Bryan Adams and is hinting at signs of waking up to changing times.The Galle Face Hotel still manages to ooze its famous old world charm but is now clearly looking at shedding its sleepy image starting early this year backed by the musical magic […]
Take Off
An annual 6.5 percent growth forecast for the Asian aviation industry has prompted the EU to set up a regional training facility in Sri Lanka.The EU and the European Association of Aerospace Industries (AECMA) are putting in a combined Euro 10 million to develop the skills of national aviation regulators and operators in South Asia […]
Tour de Farce
Even before the dust settles on 2003, the tourism industry is gearing up to break last years arrivals record this year.Sri Lanka Tourist Board officials say they expect the numbers to continue their upward trend.rn rnHowever, the industry says a change in the course of the peace process and continuing political instability could derail plans.rn […]
Wired Jackpot
Starting March, the National Lotteries Board will retail Sri Lankas first online lottery ldblquote Rapido dblquote through over 150 agents in the Western Province.Retailing at Rs 30 a piece with the chance of winning upto Rs 600,000 every fifteen minutes, NLB Chairman Mohan Wijesinghe says the new game will tap into the large segment of […]
Funding Skills
Legislation to set up a Human Resource Endowment Fund is in the works, offering needy students stipends on a voucher scheme, for vocational training. rnThe US$ 40 mn Fund was mooted in the 2003 budget, with a proposal at the time to impose a levy on companies paying 30 percent of corporate tax.rn rnModalities are […]
Calling Colombo
HSBC Group is pumping US$ 30 mn to set up its seventh group service centre in Sri Lanka, which will generate employment and put the country on the map as a serious contender in the global call centre business.Situated near the Chandra Silva stadium in Kotte, the call centre and back office unit would be […]
Shop Talk
The cream of Sri Lankas business community on Thursday, failed to come up with a pressure plan to get the warring political parties to see eye-to-eye.Businessmen expressed various opinions and ways and means of pressuring the President and the Government towards a continuation of the peace process.rn rnThe Joint Business Forum (JBiz) weighted the pros […]
Lack of Trust
The securities watchdog on Thursday said it was talking to the Unit Trust industry to generate new ideas on how to grow the sector. Initial recommendations include awareness programmers like seminars and road shows in areas with potential investors as a means to popularize the industry.rn rnAnother recommendation calls on the industry to introduce innovative […]
Meeting Of Minds
The Commercial Bank of Ceylon and the Ceylon Bank Employees Union (CBEU) recently entered into a Collective Agreement pertaining to salaries and other perquisites offered to two categories of staff.According to the new agreement effective retrospectively from April 1, 2003, Junior Executive Assistants would receive a 15 per cent salary increase for the first year […]
Washing Up
Sri Lankas two giant industrial zones, Moratuwa–Ratmalana and Ja-Elaemdash Ekela, are in urgent need of a clean up endash in Ratmalana the ground water quality is so poor it cant even be used in garment washing plants without first being treated and certainly cant be used for cooking or drinking.Finitex – a garment washing and […]
Welikada Exchange
The Welikada prison and its 7,000 inmates will relocate elsewhere to make room for Sri Lanka Telecoms expansion plans into the business of call centre outsourcing. SLTs Telecom City project that will provide in house technology to outsource call centre operations and various other ICT related services would acquire nearly 60 acres of land currently […]
Dont Blame Me
Free incoming calls for cellular phones have been shelved indefinitely due to the ongoing political spat, a top government minister said Monday.Telecommunications Minister Imthiaz Bakeer Markar says all mobile phone operators were ready to roll out the new tariff structure by January 1, but the current political problems have delayed the process.rn rnWhen President Chandrika […]