BAM to venture into E-Commerce

As the stepping stone BAM Group will be introducing Bee Servers (www.bee.lk) from the October 6, which contains a search engine as well as a web site carrying past election results and also the much awaited live results on the election day itself.

BEE search Engine, which is confined to web sites related to Sri Lanka, is similar to AltaVista and Google. A Yahoo like web directory also will be introduced very shortly.

BAM Group will continue in its efforts to bring the latest technology to the doorstep of the Sri Lankan public, in order to uplift quality of their life by providing a meaningful access to the information superhighway.

CSE essay competition

This year a total of 823 entries were received from 20 districts, a 12% increase from last year. The competition was conducted in all three languages. The number of entries in Sinhala were 595, whilst 220 and 8 entries were received in Tamil and English respectively.

The highest number of entries were from Ratnapura with a total of 114, the second highest from Matara with 102 entries and third from Ampara with 104 entries.

The award ceremony of the competition will be held on the October 18 at the Sri Lanka Foundation institute, under the patronage of the Director General of he Colombo Stock Exchange.

Batexpo 2000 in November 

Emirates voted best long haul business airline

In its citation, the Readers' Travel Awards 2000 noted, "Emirates deserves pole position for its punctuality/efficiency, pre-and post-flight facilities, catering and the best in-flight entertainment." 

The international airline of the United Arab Emirates was joined on the podium by Virgin Atlantic and Singapore Airlines, who came second and third, respectively. 

Emirates was also placed ninth in the "Best of the Best" Top 100, based on the overall percentage of readers' satisfaction with facilities of service companies such as hotels, car rental, cruise liners, airlines, etc. Emirates was the only airline in the top 30. 

Readers' replies were collated and analysed by an independent market research company. Emirates has won over 190 awards in its short, 15-year existence and earlier this year was named Airline of the Year by the Official Airline Guide (OAG) and by Air Cargo News, says an airline news release.

Cathay enhances "the wing"

The Long Bar in the Business Class Lounge also now offers a range of popular hot snacks in the evening such as buffalo wings, barbecued spare ribs and fried calamari. The Short Bar now serves Haegen Dazs Ice cream and a wider range of international coffee blends. 

The Haven in the First Class Lounge features a wide selection of red meats in the new carving service. First Class passengers in the fine-dining restaurant can enjoy carving specialities including loin of veal, sirloin beef, leg of lamb and rack of lamb. The new carving station is part of The Haven's international buffet dinner which is served every evening. 

Enhanced computer facilities at The Wing include the introduction of new state-of-the-art personal computers from IBM in the Reading Room in Business Class Lounge. These latest IBM desktop computers offer Internet access and a range of popular office applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, says an airline news release. 

Two more offices in Colombo

One office is in the brand new Landmark Building on Galle Road in Kollupitiya, while the other is on Level-2 of the World Trade Centre in Fort. 

Both offices provide the convenience of extended hours of service, and are open from 8.15 a.m to 7.00 p.m. The World Trade Centre office is open on weekdays, while the Landmark Building office stays open every day of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays. The Landmark Building office is open from 8.15 to 5.00 p.m. on public and mercantile holidays. 

The offices include separate lounges for Business Class/Skywards passengers, says a news release.

Freighter Service from SriLankan

The service comprises two flights each to Trivandrum, Bangalore and Gan Islands. SriLankan Cargo is using a newly acquired Antonov AN-12F aircraft to the three destinations. This aircraft can carry an average of 18,000 kilogrammes of cargo. It is a utilized version with four pallets. 

SriLankan Airlines already has regular flights on its Airbus A330 and A320 flights to New Delhi, Bombay, Madras, trichy, Trivandrum and male which carry cargo in addition to passengers, says a news release.

Sri Lankan in Berlin

Flights will operate every Monday and Thursday to the German capital. The Dubai/Berlin sectors will be codeshared with strategic partner Emirates. 

SriLankan Airlines already flies four times a week to Frankfurt in Germany.

The Frankfurt/Colombo route contributes much tourist traffic to Sri Lanka. Similarly the Berlin/Colombo route will facilitate the travel of the many tourists who originate from Berlin and previously had to travel Frankfurt to take the flight to Colombo. 

The Dubai/ Berlin route will serve business and leisure travellers between these two cities. 

SriLankan will offer its customers convenient connections between Berlin, North and South India, Male, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, via Colombo, says news release.

Ceylinco: the first choice for property matters

Over 600 homes have been constructed under its expert supervision. 

The company is constantly adding value for its customers by conceiving of exciting and beneficial products.

The Ceylinco Housing & Real Estate Company is part of the reputed Ceylinco Consolidated, one of the most diversified business conglomerates in Sri Lanka, with subsidiaries and affiliates throughout the world, says a news release. The recently inaugurated Ceylinco Property Centre in Colombo, has been going from strength to strength.

The Ceylinco Property Centre is meant to be a one-stop shop for all aspects relating to property. Its expertise spans any and every property-related matter.The Ceylinco Property Centre simplifies the tasks of buying, selling, renting and leasing land or buildings.

Its wide product portfolio also includes construction, renovation and interior decoration services, in addition to support services such as financial project management and consultant services. Further information can be accessed at the website: www.ceylinco properties.com

Ranviyana is another innovative product from the Ceylinco Housing & Real Estate Company, and was conceived as a one-of-its-kind TOTAL housing scheme. Ranviyana focuses on offering financial assistance for the construction of houses, apart from offering expertise in simply all matters of house construction.

"L.B Linked Service"

The company which engages in Leasing, Real Estate development, Pawn Broking, Investments and Trade Finance Services, now gives the convenience to their customers to transac or obtain services from any of the company's outlets, through the 'LB Linked Service". 

LB Finance has it's Colombo Office at Prof. Stanley Wijesundara Mawatha, Colombo 7 and three branches in Kandy, Badulla and Negombo.

The company is planning to open two more branches during the course of this year. 

Customers of LB Finance who are scattered throughout the country can now make deposits obtain loans, and guarantees against deposits, obtain lease facilities, make the monthly rental payments on lease and hire purchase facilities, check the balances on their lease contracts, purchase lands and obtain Real Estate loans and also have access to the Company's latest products and services at any of its branches.

The L. B. Saturday service introduced in March this year has become very popular specially in its Colombo Office, says a news release.

CCC to be the voice of corporate Lanka

Private Sector representation is a function assigned to the Chamber by its 1895 Ordinance & Rules and has endured as a defining feature of the Chamber persona, reserving for this 161-year-old institution a 'front seat' in the Private/Public Sector dialogue. 

If a clear channel of communication between the corporate sector and government is the life-blood of an economy, then the Chamber is the artery that identifies issues, formulates a consensus and echoes these sentiments to government. The Chamber, which today represents the views of the Private Sector on a plethora of issues ranging from budgets, to legislative reform, has established itself as the unequivocal voice of the business community. 

However, the Chamber is aware that the efficacy of its representations will ultimately depend on the percentage of such representations that are acted on by government. The Chamber therefore seeks to hone its skills and mobilize resources to ensure that a majority of its submissions are accepted. The plan of action includes strategic lobbying at all levels of government and high profile Public Relations and awareness exercises to uplift the Chamber's image in the eyes of the community. 

"The ability to make a government sit up and take note will hinge on our own ability to analyze, forecast and translate member-views into cogent, and well-argued representations", said the Secretary General of the Chamber. "We have, in-house, the resources including a dedicated Economic Intelligence Unit, a Legal Advisory division, Taxation, and Economic, Fiscal & Planning Sub Committees among others, to ensure the very highest standards of representation and communication." 

With 520 organizations both manufacturing and service oriented, ranging from big to small and with varying degrees of complexity, enrolled in its roster of members, the Chamber's membership can be viewed as a microcosm of the Private Sector as a whole. "We are of the belief that the public at large, once briefed on the rationale and likely beneficial impact of Chamber representations, would be entirely supportive and thus comprise a powerful lobby group in the eyes of government", the Secretary General added. 

Through its efforts the Chamber hopes to elevate Private/Public sector dialogue into an agent for national economic prosperity. In a nation where the formal and informal Private Sectors collectively contribute to nearly 80% of Gross Domestic Product, our economic future may depend on the fruits of this dialogue, says a chamber news release.

'Don't interfere in wages'

He went on to state "The EFC views very seriously the recent intervention by the Government using Emergency Regulations to increase wages, ostensibly due to the impact of the devaluation on the cost of living. It is therefore interesting that the Colombo Consumers' Price Index for June was 2593.1 and after the devaluation, the index marginally increased to 2599.3 in July and in August has come down to 2588.9. 

The Colombo Consumer's Price Index, therefore, does not justify any type of increases in wages based on cost of living increases. Be that as it may, it is of fundamental importance to employers in Sri Lanka that the Government accepts that on policy, it will not intervene in wage issues. It is imperative that any Government in power accepts this as a fundamental principle, especially in view of the global competition, which Sri Lanka now has to face.

In fact, we believed that Governments from 1979 onwards had discarded the outmoded view that there should be some central regulation of wages and that employers should be left to fix their wages in accordance with market forces so long as certain minimum rates fixed by tripartite bodies were followed."

He also said that the EFC has special concerns about the type of intervention which the Government made recently as it is destroying relations with Unions, built up on the basis of collective bargaining. 

With reference to the recent strike in the Plantation Sector he said that it was a direct example of how government interference at macro level on wage issues have an ultimate adverse impact on collective bargaining, industrial relations and the economy at large. 

Mr. Austin also proposed to the Government to consider the request of employers to set up a National Wages Commission as has been recommended by the Presidential Task Force on employment. At this Annual General Meeting Mr. Ratna Sivaratnam of Aitken Spence & Company Ltd., was elected Chairman of the EFC for the ensuing year to replace Mr. Austin whose tenure of office ended in September this year. Mr. Vivendra Lintotawela of John Keells Holdings Ltd., was elected Vice Chairman, says news release.

N.C.C.S.L. forges ahead

The process started in April this year with a brainstorming session of the Executive committee of the N.C.C.S.L, with consultant Mr. L.F. Yapa in attendance to guide the discussions, to arrive at the vision, mission, goals, and objectives. The Executive Committee completed the formulation of the plan by evolving the strategies and action programs at several subsequent meetings. An adjustment of the functions and staff of the chamber has also been made to fall in line with the strategic plan. 

According to the final strategic plan approved by the governing council of the chamber, its vision is to be the leading source of services and assistance to business for promotion of domestic and foreign trade, especially to small and medium scale enterprises, countrywide. This has partly been achieved by the entry of the Sri Lanka Foundation for S.M.E. formed, under the aegis of the Industrial Development Board as a member of the N.C.C.S.L. The foundation has nearly 3000 members spread out in 22 District Associations. 

The mission of the chamber is therefore the provision of services and assistance necessary for its members to function competitively in domestic and foreign markets. The objectives too emphasize on continuously enhancing competitiveness, while developing the human resources of member firms and meeting their economic and social obligations. The main strategy to be employed to realize its vision is to be a catalyst in enhancing the efficiency of member enterprises. The other is to strengthen the dialogue with the government to evolve a business environment, that is conducive to improvement of the internal efficiency of firms to become internationally competitive. 

The chamber has decided, that implementation and monitoring are as important as planning. 

Accordingly each member of the executive committee has accepted the responsibility of continuously following up on at least one of the strategies and the accompanying action plans. In addition the Secretary General holds regular performance review meeting with his colleagues in the secretariat. The chamber plans to reach the halfway mark in realizing its vision, goals and objectives in 5 years, that is in the year 2005, says a chamber release.

Risks are important says Ajita 

Advising a set of young professionals on career success she said,",I was studying for my degree in Geneva when I got the opportunity to learn the art of Television Producing, back in Sri Lanka Rupavahini has just started and was looking for trained people. That was my first break". During her career with Rupavahini she was involved in all aspects of Television. " I have no way of exactly defining my job profile, I was a Producer , Editor, Presenter , Newsreader and an interviewer. I call my role Communicator. 

Ajita places a paramount importance in taking career risks, calculated of course! " I took a major risk when I left the safe job at Rupavahini to become a freelance producer. I read the trend early, I knew that many firms would need video company profiles. I was able to find work and the risk paid off. However the future is on the net, and I am about to change my career again to become a internet company profile designer". She also emphasised the need for continuous professional development in order to become first among equals. "You should continuously develop your skills in various disciplines, research for developments and adapt them to your work", she added.

McDrive gets into High Gear!

The concept of a drive thru, has been successfully implemented by McD-onald's on a global scale. And it's newest restaurant to be opened in Rajagiriya, will feature an area for diners and a separate party room as well as a drive-in section. Known as the "McDrive", the McDonald's drive thru, will prove to be a boon for motorists and others who need a tasty meal, ready to go, in minutes or in this case 90 seconds! 

This process is made possible by a 2 booth, face to face system. The order is given and the payment is made in the first booth, while the given order is then collected from the second booth without the diner having to get out of his or her vehicle. 

In addition to the Drive-in, the new McDonald's Restaurant in Rajagiriya also features regular sit down dining for those who prefer a more leisurely eating experience. As a result, there's plenty of space inside the restaurant as well as seating outside on the restaurant's verandah and garden under lawn umbrellas. An exciting feature, that is sure to be a hit with kids is a specially designed space-ship, play area, says a news release.

CIMA lectures from wycherley

The panel of lecturer's that have teamed have more than 40 years of combined lecturing experience and produced world prize winners in the past. 

The courses conducted are Full-time and Part-time, giving the student the flexibility to choose the option that suits them.

All course details and information can be obtained from Wych-erley Business Academy situated at 5, Queens Road, Colombo 3, says a news release.

Glaxo receives ISO 9002 certification

Glaxo Welcome Ceylon Ltd, which started its operations in 1958 had felt the need to acquire an Internationally recognized quality system certification for the Glaxo Welcome site at Mount Lavinia.

Thereby the company embarked on a project to obtain ISO 9000 quality systems certification in the year 1998. 

The Sri Lanka standards Institution was selected as the Certification body. 

With this achievement Glaxo welcome Ceylon Ltd. becomes the first pharmaceutical Manufacturing company in Sri Lanka, to obtain ISO 9000 certification for its quality system. 

The Certificate was awarded to the CEO of Glaxo Welcome Ceylon Ltd. Mr. E.M. Andree by Mr. C. D. R. A. Jaywardena, director General, Sri Lanka standards Institution, at a simple ceremony held at Mount Lavinia Hotel on the 18th of September 2000, a news release said. 

Thilan goes to Brussels

The broad objective of this mission is to request flexibilities and/or enhanced quota for apparel exported from Sri Lanka to European countries. The necessity to undertake this mission has arisen from the rapid growth of apparel exports from Sri Lanka to the EU, particularly as a result of companies such as Mark & Spencer, NEXT, and British Home Stores (BHS) increasing their sourcing significantly from Sri Lanka.

The primary objective of the mission is to negotiate possible flexibilities with a view to increasing export orders to the EU. The delegation comprises Mr. Thilan Wijesinghe as the Chairman of the TQB, Mr. Roy Jayasinghe, Director General TQB, Mr.M.P.T. Cooray-Deputy Director General (Strategic Planning & Investment) of the BOI, Mr. Neil Umagiliya, Chairman FTZ Manufacturers' Association, Mrs. Sonali Wijeratne, Director/Dept.of Commerce and Mr. K.Godage - retired ambassador to the EU and Advisor to the Apparel Industry, says a BOI release.

European trade fair 2000 in the offing

The companies registered are from sectors such as the manufacturing and light engineering, construction equipment, agro industries, automotive spares, textile accessories/machinery, water transmission, packaging, electrical switch gear, printing machinery, education training services and hotel refurbishment. 

The Asia-Interprise Food Partnership 2000 event, which is being sponsored by the European Commission in Brussels, will feature companies from the processed food, agro products and packaging sectors. Both events are an initiative of the European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ECCSL) and will be held concurrently at the BMICH, the European Trade Fair from October 18-21, and the Asia-Interprise Food Partnership from October 18-19. These events, while promoting the European Union as the source for quality products, know-how and technology for Sri Lanka and the Asian markets, will also provide a platform for investment promotion between Sri Lanka and countries from the European Union. 

Special events to mark this occasion will be held between October 16-22. These include a British film festival and an Arts Week Exhibition at the Barefoot Gallery organised by the British Council and a gala fashion show sponsored by Odel Pvt Ltd., at the BMICH. 

Several seminars will also be held during this period. A management seminar conducted by the Trade Partners UK and the British High Commission will be held on October 19, while the EC delegation in collaboration with the European Business Information Centre (EBIC) will present a seminar on the Euro. A seminar on the investment climate in Sri Lanka will be held by the BOI on October 19. All seminars will be held at the BMICH, says a news release.

INFOTEL Lanka postponed 

In view of the unsettled state and violence experienced in previous pre and post election periods, it was unanimously agreed to postpone the events to January 2000, says a news release. 

Therefore, the events will be held as follows:- 

International IT Conference 2000 from 13th to 18th January 2001; 

INFOTEL Lanka 2000 Exhibition from 18th to 21st January 2001.

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