Contributions to “Restart Sri Lanka” – Student and Employee perspectives
View(s):What is “Restart Sri Lanka”?
Restart Sri Lanka (Restart SL) is a project inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and the national marketing entity of Sri Lanka, The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM).
This project is to be in effect across the island and is developed for the sole purpose of reviving the Sri Lankan economy whilst adjusting to the “new normal” put fourth due to the repercussions of Covid-19.
Restart Sri Lanka mainly focuses on assisting Corporates, Small and Medium-sized businesses (SME’s) to merge with the post Covid-19 changes brought forward. This initiative will play a role in providing guidance and assistance as to how a business should change to meet the new market demands. The project covers areas of school development, local branding, women empowerment and emphasis on the public sector to name a few initiatives under the project.
Restart SL has been designed to cover a vast amount of stakeholders, the initiative has many avenues to focus on to find the most optimum solution for one’s venture.
Helping “Restart Sri Lanka” from a student’s stance
There is a likely chance that students have encountered forms of disruptions to their education due to the pandemic. When a student is still undergoing a learning process, it is likely that they understand a more theoretical perspective on corporate scenarios. This perspective can be utilized to birth applicable mitigation strategies.
Having a student’s viewpoint on a setting can add a creative flare to an idea. Similarly, universities can build their assessments around current business cases. Developing such assessments will give students a platform to explore and understand a more realistic application of what they have been taught. The level of applicability will be left debatable, however, this practice can help gather a pool of ideas which can be conversed about. The collection of ideas can be presented in professional forums and tweaked in the process of ideation.
Based on the current healing local economy, it is imperative for a student to understand the reasoning behind the decisions taken in the corporate sector. Educating students will help them face the corporate world better as it develops their understanding on risk management and about how companies physically go through economic downturns.
Helping “Restart Sri Lanka” from a employee’s stance
Almost every business is undergoing some form of impact due to this pandemic. This can result in numerous ramifications to a business. Companies will minimize costs, dismiss employees, and emphasize different functions to ensure survival in the best way possible.
In times of deep recession, it is important for an employee to go beyond their job descriptions and contribute a little extra to ensure heavier consequences are refrained. With the aid of initiatives like “Restart Sri Lanka”, employees will be better able to understand the turns certain industries may take. Employees can take this up as an opportunity to grasp certain skills such as risk management, business analytics and business development.
The above initiatives can be how a person counters and be in compliance with the government established project. As a student or an employee, affiliating with the knowledge and exposure expressed through this initiative will be deemed valuable towards personal and professional growth.
As famously quoted by Heraclitus “The only constant in life is change”, this is well inclined with the current state of affairs the local economy is undergoing.
Tashiya Weeraratne
ilmiweeraratne@gmail.com