Views - 442 Tuesday, 11 September 2018 00:00

n Any country has access only to a finite amount of funding – mainly via taxes, exports and debt. nAny country (i.e. its people) would have many needs and wants – which it has to satisfy with this funding. It is here that a Government (represen

Views - 385 Monday, 10 September 2018 00:03

In the previous part (available at: http://www.ft.lk/columns/Revisiting-Central-Bank-s-independence/4-662019 ), it was presented that Central Banks are required to use their power to print money responsibly, so that people who hold those moneys have

Views - 392 Monday, 10 September 2018 00:02

It was amazing to see the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response to the much acclaimed “Fireside Chat” held recently. It not only showcased seven fiery entrepreneurs, but paved way for their frank expressions without fear or favour. They enjoyed th

Views - 169 Monday, 10 September 2018 00:00

“The video of the youngster, fully intoxicated and fallen by the wayside pains my mind and reminds me of the callousness and heartlessness of projects like this led by politicians for the politicians. How could one human do this to another?”

Views - 3212 Saturday, 8 September 2018 00:12

Ranasinghe Hettiarachchilage Ignatius Anthony de Silva, known to the world at large by his stage cum screen name Tony Ranasinghe, was one of Sri Lankan cinema’s handsomest and most lovable actors. He excelled in playing both lead and character role

Views - 126 Saturday, 8 September 2018 00:10

The Pakistan Army is a paradox. On the one hand, it is a professional outfit run along professional and ‘bureaucratic’ lines. But on the other, it is a highly politicised organisation in as much as it exercises decisive control over Pakistan’s

Views - 169 Saturday, 8 September 2018 00:10

One of the more notable lay activities during the main Poya days is the dansala. Generally conducted in urban settings, soup kitchens of sorts, these are open houses where those passing by are assured of some victuals, even a proper meal in some plac

Views - 417 Friday, 7 September 2018 00:00

Sri Lanka’s top business leaders on Wednesday speaking at the packed Fireside Chat at Hilton Colombo attended over 900 plus private sector people organised by the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) in partnership with the Chartered

Views - 435 Friday, 7 September 2018 00:00

So, the rally was a success. No, it wasn’t. Yes, it was, because it was bigger than ever and everyone knows that bigger is better. Also, beggars can’t be choosers, so we chose some scoundrels off the streets to represent us at the showdown (like

Views - 774 Thursday, 6 September 2018 00:05

This column gave rise from many a communication and observations after a discussion with my Head of Department at University of Moratuwa.

Views - 319 Thursday, 6 September 2018 00:00

Sri Lanka introduced the open economic policy in the year 1977 before many other countries in Asia to align her economy to world economic trends and to earn a higher economic growth whilst using innovations and new product developments along with dev

Views - 325 Wednesday, 5 September 2018 00:00

Social media was set alight a few months ago when Jetwing Hotels advertised a new activity for tourists: ‘Meena Amma’s Line Room Experience’. The experience offers its guests a supposedly authentic immersion into “the lives of Sri Lanka’s i

Views - 939 Wednesday, 5 September 2018 00:00

When Adam Smith wrote ‘The Wealth of Nations’ in 1776, the richest country in the world was four times richer than the poorest one. Today, Singapore is over 110 times richer than Burundi. What could possibly explain such an extreme divergence of

Views - 179 Wednesday, 5 September 2018 00:00

Tyrants, dictators, despots and autocrats don’t just fade away. When ousted from power they discover new virtues in democracy and leverage mobs and oligarchs to reacquire their positions of domination on a larger and more destructive scale. In the

Views - 456 Wednesday, 5 September 2018 00:00

Re-taking power for what? The poem is about Genghis Khan, the mighty Mongolian warrior who by the year 1227 created the world’s biggest empire before the British Empire. The Mahinda Rajapaksa forces, like the malevolent armies of Genghis Khan, are

Views - 248 Wednesday, 5 September 2018 00:00

Regulatory capture and the influence of powerful transnational corporations in lobbying the policy makers towards their own advantage is no secret. Putting profits before people and planet is their ordinary course of business. The first draft of the

Views - 104 Tuesday, 4 September 2018 00:00

The 19th Amendment or more specifically now highly-debated Article 31 (2) of the Constitution on the term-limit of the President should be considered in its overall application and not specific to the future or the past. That is the way it is amended

Views - 1200 Tuesday, 4 September 2018 00:00

In the recent past there have been many views about Sri Lanka’s performance. From the Railway strike to students of higher education and recently the fishermen community are some of the indications that there are deeper issues in the system that ne

Views - 63 Tuesday, 4 September 2018 00:00

It is now beyond doubt that purpose is critical for branding and how brands perceived as meaningful are benefitting from significantly higher share of wallet globally. The Millennials are also being referred to as “pro-social” or even the “purp

Views - 235 Tuesday, 4 September 2018 00:00

Even the most cursory look at the headlines over the past few weeks reveal certain trends. The falling rupee, rise in fuel prices and other financial factors have dampened consumer sentiment. The latest business confidence index is reported to be at

Views - 393 Monday, 3 September 2018 00:00

It is good to be back after 9 years, if I use a slightly amended phrase borrowed from Madonna, the pop singer. When she visited Argentina, 13 years after she had played the main role ‘Eva’ in Evita, to sing to an ecstatic live audience ‘Don’t

Views - 138 Monday, 3 September 2018 00:00

Not so long ago, Jan Carlson was speaking of the moment of truth to accentuate that moment of contact/experience of a customer with a product or service.

Views - 185 Monday, 3 September 2018 00:00

Sri Lanka is committed to establishing a National Single Window (NSW) for international trade as a policy priority, with the support of the private sector.

Views - 2597 Saturday, 1 September 2018 00:11

Several dashing and debonair actors have graced the Sinhala silver screen over the years. Arguably the most lovable among these cinematic heroes was the dynamic Tony Ranasinghe who acted in both lead as well as character roles.

Views - 61 Saturday, 1 September 2018 00:00

A number of inter-related issues are entangled in the arrest of some top left-wing intellectuals, and the raids conducted in the houses of several human rights activists across India on Tuesday. Among those arrested were the noted Telugu poet Varavar

Views - 212 Friday, 31 August 2018 00:10

We live in an era of ‘big data’. The volume of data in the world is doubling every five to six months and its growth is exponential.

Views - 167 Friday, 31 August 2018 00:10

Two thousand five hundred years ago, there lived a man called Hippodamus of Miletus who is considered to be “the father of European urban planning”. He was an ancient Greek architect, urban planner, phy

Views - 158 Friday, 31 August 2018 00:10

A word. An iota of info. The news, be it good, bad, or ugly. That grimy scrap of a rumour wrapped in a cruel whisper to lay at withered ears. Those hours spent in faint hope mixed with dread that the unforeseen worst might be true… Whatever it is t

Views - 130 Thursday, 30 August 2018 00:00

Asia is making an excessive impact on global economy, as seen over the recent years. Asia also experienced economic growth downturn with the global economic recession in 2008 and 2009. Various studies confirm that SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises) a

Views - 158 Thursday, 30 August 2018 00:00

The future for corporates will be nothing short of demanding. Disruption will rise from unexpected sources, technology will play a greater role, and operating norms that prevailed for some 50 years will be rendered obsolete. Is corporate Sri Lanka r