Category: Special Reports

Perfume isnt all smell. Men and women who splash it on no less than baby cologne, are driving growth and pushing retail sales in the mass market for fragrances.Baby is big business, and dual use is common in a relatively low-end market driven by price, sheer convenience and the perception of perfume as a lquote […]

Developed economies spend the equivalent of two to three percent of their GDP on Research and Development (R&D).rnBut the figure is much lower for emerging markets including Sri Lanka.rnrnExperts say without prosperity there wont be enough for R&D expenditure and without R&D spending growth will always be below par.rn rnWithout prosperity there wont be enough […]

Devendra is putting final touches on a Sesatha, traditionally used as a symbol of power but in modern times a decorative item in homes.Although its usage has changed overtime the process of making one has remained the same over the centuries.rn rnDevendra uses traditional methods passed down through the generations to hand paint a Sesatha. […]

Sanjiva is excited about prospects for open source software in Sri Lanka.Clad in a denim shirt like any other software engineer he is taking some time off from his regular job at IBM to work with some students at the Colombo University.rn rnSanjivas involvement with these tech savvy students comes through the Lanka Software Foundation […]

In the run up to the polls Lanka Business Online published the opinion polls of Org Marg Smart. Dr. Harsha de Silva, a pioneer in opinion polling in Sri Lanka, who has been observing the polling by both OMS and the CPA and their interpretations has attempted a combined analysis of both the OMS and […]

Sri Lankas two main parties may find it hard to secure a comfortable lead, as weeks of campaigning comes to an end on Tue, an independent poll reveals.In its last survey to the run up of April 2 polls, independent research firm Org-Marg Smart says the opposition United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has a slight […]

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Last year Sri Lankas six top local banks collectively made Rs. 8.3 billion in profits, up from just Rs.2.9.rnbillion in 2001.rnrnrn Behind part of the profitsrnlay bond profits from a falling interest rate environment.rn The Central Bank was able torncut rates because for the first time in almost a decade the Treasurys fiscalrnpolicy was in […]

In 1912, one man with a life savings of 75 cents turned a tea kiosk into one of the largest biscuit manufacturers in the country. With a third generation at the helm, Maliban talks of going public as it charts a course of new growth.Exports are expected to lead that drive, with new markets mapped […]

As the drought, dubbed as the worst in the last fifty years, drained the hydro reservoirs making it hard for the electricity utility to meet peak consumer demand, the government stepped in saying it would pump in Rs. 3 billion to secure emergency power to shore up the national power grid.Water inflows to the hydro […]

Last year alone, severe drought and floods hit the Southern Sri Lanka alternatively leaving many families homeless and poor.rnBut for the villages in the Hambantota district these conditions are a part of their lives.rnThe district has to also deal with issues like economic migration, malnutrition, unemployment and diseases, a direct result of the arid weather.rn […]

Politicians of all hues and sizes have thrown their hat into the ring for next months snap poll. But smaller parties championing the Sinhala Buddhist, Tamil and Muslim votes are jostling to play the trump card in Sri Lankas next parliament. rnrn Inrnthe second in a series of political updates, Vajira Premawardhana ManagerrnResearch at Lanka […]