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Surf Excel ‘Let them learn as kids’ carnival
A truly exciting, entertaining and memorable learning experience on a
host of life-skills was in store for the young families who thronged the
playground at Swarnapali Girls’ School in Anuradhapura recently.
Surf Excel, the stain-removing detergent from Unilever transformed
the venue into an experiential learning carnival where not only children
but families enjoyed the spirit-lifting freedom of doing creative stuff
with messy, gooey and grimy material.
The participants enjoy themselves. |
The fun-packed agenda for the day had an array of activities that
went hand-in-hand with the Avurudhu festivities while helping children
to get a hands-on experience, for instance, in cooking, polishing the
floor, changing a tyre or painting a wall.
The event, aptly named Surf XL Life was a part the brand’s new
communication campaign “Let them learn as kids” and was geared to change
people’s attitudes towards dirt. Child development experts agree that
experiential learning is essential to cultivate the ability to appraise
risks and become well-rounded individuals and getting dirty is an
integral part of this.
The new communication campaign therefore promotes experiences without
the worry of dirt.
Surf XL Life was filled with lots of robust, but grubby activities
that ensured learning what life’s all about in an enjoyable way, thanks
to the detergent that is always poised to take stains off clothes easily
and allow kids to develop without being fussy about getting clothes
messy. Surf Excel is committed to changing the way mothers think about
dirt-generating activities and make them realize that without stains
there is no opportunity to learn as children.
“We were encouraged by the large numbers, as many as about 40,000
men, women and children, that attended the event,” said the Brand
Manager for Surf Excel, Shalini Seneviratne.
“The carnival atmosphere enhanced the fun and the learning experience
for the children while Mum and Dad were equally entertained and were
able to appreciate the importance of letting children learn without
being stifled, so that they will not regret when they reach adulthood.
This is the concept that truly captures the core values that Surf Excel
stands for.”
There were 32 games spread out across the length and breadth of the
school playground separated into indoor and outdoor game areas, plus
garage game corner.
APBSL elects new Council for 2009-2010
The Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka (APBSL)
appointed the new Council for 2009-2010, at its 20th Annual General
Meeting held recently.
Ajantha Madurapperuma was elected as the new President and Dimantha
N. Seneviratne as the Senior Vice President.
Seated (from left): Manohari Gunawardhena, W.A. Nalani,
Buwanekabahu Perera, Dimantha N. Seneviratne, Ajantha
Madurapperuma, Parama Dharmawardene, H.M. Hennayake Bandara,
Shashi Kandambi Jassim, and Viruli de Silva. Standing (from
left): Asanka Ranhotty, Piyal Hennayake, A.M. Thilak Abeysinghe,
W.D. Felix Wimalaratne, K.P.N.S. Karunagoda, Felician Perera,
Deepal Abeysekera and Nilam Usoof Jumat. |
The other office bearers who are all qualified professionals include
Parama Dharmawardene as Secretary General, Ms W. A. Nalani, Senior
Deputy General Manager, Bank of Ceylon and H. M. Hennayaka Bandara,
Additional General Manager, National Savings Bank as Vice Presidents, Ms
Viruli De Silva, Relationship Manager, Seylan Bank as Assistant
Secretary and Ms Shashi Kandambi Jassim, Senior Manager Corporate
Finance, Sampath Bank as Treasurer.
Ajantha Madurapperuma succeeds Buwanekabahu Perera as Immediate Past
President of APBSL. Madurrapperuma, a Chartered Financial Analyst, who
has Fellowships in Banking and Accountancy, and a MBA, is the Senior
Deputy General Manager, Corporate and Foreign Currency Banking at Seylan
Bank PLC and Director/CEO of Seylan Bank Asset Management Ltd.
He was the former President of CFA Sri Lanka and the Association of
Primary Dealers and has served as Former Senior Vice President, Vice
President, Chair of Publications Committee, and Council member of the
Association of Professional Bankers Sri Lanka.
Taking over as Senior Vice President, Dimantha N. Seneviratne, is the
Chief Risk Officer of HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives and becomes the first
representative from a foreign bank to be elected to this position.
Seneviratne, who holds a BSc degree, MBA and a Fellowship in Banking
has served in the Executive Council since 2001 and is currently the
longest serving member of the present Council.
Prior to being appointed as Senior Vice President, he was the
Assistant Secretary in 2007-2008 and Secretary General in 2008-2009.
Dimantha Seneviratne has also served in many sub-committees appointed by
the Sri Lanka Bank Association to work closely with the Central Bank,
including the Basel II implementation committee. He also chaired various
committees under APBSL and counts over 19 years of banking mainly in
Corporate Banking and Risk Management.
Parama Dharmawardene, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers,
London and an MBA is the Secretary General of APB, is also the President
of Trade Finance Association of Bankers.
He is also an Executive Council Member of the Organization of
Professional Associations of Sri Lanka, a member of the Banking
Committee, International Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka and is the Chief
Examiner for the subject ‘International Trade Finance’ at the Institute
of Bankers Sri Lanka.
‘Union Pay Easy’ from Union Assurance
General Manager Marketing and Distribution, Rukman Weeraratne. |
Union Assurance PLC has introduced Union Pay Easy, the fastest and
most convenient mode of paying life insurance premiums.
“Union Assurance is a composite insurance company which deals in both
life and general insurances. With regard to life insurances customers
have to make their premium payments either monthly, quarterly, twice
yearly or annually.
Before we introduced Union Pay Easy customers had to make their
premium payments either at any one of our Union Assurance branches or
through their life insurance adviser.
With the introduction of Union Pay Easy customers now have the
convenience of paying their life premiums through any of the appointed
outlets which include banks, financial institutions and other
institutions in order to pay their life premiums”, said General Manager,
Marketing and Distribution, Rukman Weeraratne.
This easy payment service offers 1,045 outlets, which include the
Bank of Ceylon, People’s Bank, Sampath Bank, Commercial Bank, DFCC
Vardhana Bank, Nations Trust Bank and Keells Super.
The main advantage offered to the customers through Union Pay Easy is
that it greatly cuts down on time, by allowing customers to make
payments at a selected outlet closest to them. This also allows
customers to incorporate making life insurance payments into their day
to day activities, and thus providing the maximum convenience to
customers.
“What we have focused on is to provide this benefit to our valued
customers’ islandwide through our wide chain of outlets.
The institutions which provide their outlets for the Pay Easy system
work very closely with us, and in addition to this Union Pay Easy has
also become a win-win situation to all parties concerned. However the
main beneficiary of this tie will be the consumer,” Weeraratne said.
Union Assurance has always pioneered many innovative solutions with
regard to insurance.
Asoka Wathika turns a new chapter in tourism
VIPULA WANIGASEKERA
Today, much work is being done but more work is envisaged to derive
the true potential of the Asoka Wathika sites. Tourism Minister Milinda
Moragoda, is among the personalities taking a personal interest to
promote Ramayanaya sites in India and much credit goes to S. Kalaiselvam
of Tourism Development Authority for the gamut of activities undertaken
from research to promotion.
In the light of this, it should be the Sri Lankans, more than the
Indians, who could eagerly await the screening of Mani Ratnam’s Raavan
in India. The developments after the discovery and documenting of 50 odd
sites of Asoka Vatika in Sri Lanka would explain why.
Leading actors
Among the current leading actors in India, is Abhishek Bachchan - son
of Indian Cinema legend Amithab who plays the role of Raavan, the King
of Sri Lanka while rest of the cast include dashing Aishwarya, the
famous South Indian Actor Vikram, Nikhil Trivedi, Govinda and Ravi
Kishan. This leading cast and the story will make the movie a hit in
India from which the Sri Lankan Tourism sector will no doubt benefit.
The hurdles that Mani Ratnam is facing will eventually contribute to
the success of the movie with people becoming more and more curious to
watch the film.
There were plans for shooting in Kandy and surrounding forest areas
in Sri Lanka. Mani Ratnam would have wanted to project the locations
where Ravana truly marked his legend.
However shooting has still not taken place in Sri Lanka and let’s
hope Mani Ratnam will have a chance to do so for his own interest, that
will definitely attract the devotees of Ramayanaya at a time he is said
to have run into difficulties in shooting in areas declared by the
Indian Government as eco-tourism centres. (Incidentally, only Raavan
will probably have a scene with Aishwaraya without a single make for
which she is reported to have been refusing).
Fascinating
The association of undersigned with the Ramayana work is so far
fascinating and heartening. Choosing AruSri Theatre to choreograph
episodes of Ramayanaya and getting them to perform to Indian audiences
in Sri Lanka and India gave the authorities an insight into the level of
devotion among the devotees.
The enthralling reactions of the visitors to the actors at various
emotional moments in the drama reflected how much they would pay
attention to the sites where Sita was held captive.
The last group that visited Sri Lanka consisted of businessmen,
traders, government officials but it is difficult to identify their
social standing until one gets to know them personally. In this kind of
a journey, everyone is equal and they seek no luxury for their stay
during the pilgrimage. This is an advantage for Sri Lankan tour
operators when setting up of itineraries.
Doing business with Indian buyers is not easy. They are hard
negotiators. They have all the information at their finger tips. Doing
the sales calls is even difficult.
The heat, Mumbai traffic, language barriers , could make one get
tired much faster than the true distance the energy can take you. Such a
strategy is necessary for us to know exactly is happening in the
marketplace before the strategies are developed and plans are activated.
The buyers accept the fact that Sri Lanka’s tourists attractions are
unmatchable. Sri Lanka is truly a ‘small miracle’ , but just that the
consumers were bombarded for decades with misinformation and
disinformation.
When the conflict comes to an end in a foreseeable future, we could
well see the influx of tourists from India to experience ‘ being, seeing
and doing’. But onething that specifically aroused the attention of
these leading Indian buyers were Ramayana sites for which the packages
were requested immediately over the counter.
The Ramayana needs no elaboration which they say is ‘Way of Life’ for
Hindus in India. Ramayana has fascinated many generations and people in
Sri Lanka who believe King Ravana’s legacy with many sites connected to
Ramayana, ownership of which is claimed by the people living in the
vicinity.
Valid descriptions
The locations have valid descriptions. They fall in line with the
Ramayana episodes from the place of Seeta ‘s captivity to the
battlefields where the armies from both sides clashed, and the last
stage when Lord Rama shot Ravana to death. The ten-headed king is
depicted by Abhishek in Mani Ratnam ‘ Raavan’ as the emblem of the
movie.
As Kalaiselvam says, there is no need to re-establish the
authenticity of the locations. People in the areas relate the epic.
Seetha Devi’s ‘Agni Pariksha’ is still considered valid in villages.
(The writer is
attached to the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau - a subsidiary of the
Ministry of Tourism.)
Marketing and selling in tough economic conditions:
Prasanna Perera Marketing & Management Consultant,
Chartered Marketer, CIM U.K.
The cry heard in most organizations is “cut the advertising budget.”
Teleseenmarketing |
Is this the right thing to do? Should organizations indiscriminately
cut their advertising budgets in tough times? These are some of the
questions that I will endeavour to answer.
* Don’t stop advertising your products and services. The reason is
simple. In difficult times, you need to keep your brand in focus, inside
your customers head. As rivals retrench or cut their advertising
budgets, you’ll gain a greater ‘share of voice’ by advertising. Further,
you will be able to negotiate better rates with media owners. Use the
clutter free environment to your advantage.
* Use your advertising budget wisely. For example, instead of 30
second TV and Radio commercials, go for 15-20 second commercials.
This will enable you to maintain the desired frequency, without
additional costs. You could even experiment with 5-10 second commercials
for a quick message.
* Try and create word-of-mouth (WOM) advertising online, through
social networking sites and blogs. More and more products and services
are moving in this direction, as target audiences become online
addicted. Further, online advertising is more cost-effective.
* Know your target customers and their behaviour patterns. How are
they responding to the downturn? What are they spending and most
importantly, what do they want?
* Whilst advertising to reach loyal customers, in a downturn, you may
want to target your disloyal customers as well. These disloyal customers
patronize your products / services, but also patronize competitive
products / services. (Spending more money).
* By keeping your brand in focus through regular advertising, you cut
through the gloom and send out a powerful message to the market that you
are thinking long-term.
* In a downturn it is imperative that you measure the effectiveness
of advertising campaigns. When budgets are tight, your advertising has
to do the job. Certain advertising campaigns will be difficult to
measure, but nevertheless every attempt must be made to do so.
Online advertising promote your website aggressively and keep it
updated with relevant information. |
* The focus of advertising campaigns should be to reassure your
customers and show how you can meet their needs. Cut out the flashy and
gimmicky ads and project reliability.
* Consider non-conventional mediums of advertising, such as transit,
online and even subliminal advertising.
* In tough times a ‘powerful brand’ can be the advertising medium. By
simply making the brand available and visible, valuable advertising
mileage can be obtained.
* Employees too could be used to advertise and promote products and
services. The good news is that this is virtually free advertising.
(Provided employees are motivated and happy).
* Promote your website aggressively and keep it updated with relevant
information. Accessibility and easy navigation are vital prerequisites
for web advertising success.
The answer in a recessionary period is not to cut advertising
budgets, but to rationalize expenditure. Look at cost-effective mediums,
root out flashy themes and measure the effectiveness of your advertising
rupees.
Do not forget that winners move in different directions to losers.
When others indiscriminately cut back advertising, winners will do the
opposite and reap the benefits in a relatively uncluttered advertising
medium.
ILO marks 90th anniversary with global dialogue
Decent work and fair globalization:
Amid the worst financial and jobs crisis since the Great Depression,
the International Labour Organization (ILO) will mark its 90th
anniversary from April 21-28.
During this period, there will be a global convergence on the common
theme of social dialogue on decent work for a fair globalization in
commemorative events in more than 100 countries.
This launches a global dialogue aimed at fostering hope and action
for an embattled world of work.
Events
Local events will take many forms, from dialogues involving labour,
employers and Governments to heads of state, parliamentarians, academics
and civil society.
These will include ratification of international labour standards,
the launch of Decent Work Country Program, and technical workshops
exploring solutions to the financial crisis, to job fairs and the award
of Government decent work prizes.
A new volume entitled “The ILO and the Quest for Social Justice,
1919-2009” will also be launched on this occasion.
The events are being held against what ILO Director-General, Juan
Somavia, in a statement issued for the anniversary, describes as “a
backdrop of rising unemployment and underemployment, business closures,
deteriorating conditions of work and the undermining of respect for
rights at work, along with growing inequality, poverty and insecurity.”
“We mark this anniversary at a time of profound economic and social
upheaval,” Somavia said, adding that “the universal message, the mandate
and the method of the ILO will be expressed locally.”
For the ILO, crisis has always announced change. The Organization was
founded in the aftermath of World War I on the principle that “universal
and lasting peace can be established only if it is based on social
justice”, as expressed in its Constitution.
In the nine decades since then, the ILO has responded to many crises
through the world of work with timeless values, consistent policy
messages and practical action aimed at the pursuit of social justice.
Representation
The instruments developed within the tripartite ILO - with the direct
representation of governments, employers and workers - have been the
basis for much of the world’s labour legislation and have guided key
developments in the world of work.
They cover conditions of work, occupational safety and health, social
security, employment promotion, human resource development and the
fundamental goals of freedom of association and collective bargaining,
abolition of forced and child labour and non discrimination, The ILO’s
instruments have also focused on specific groups including indigenous
peoples, migrant workers and disabled workers.
The ILO engages with constituents in its 182 member States in diverse
activities covering normative activities, research, policy advisory
services, information sharing and technical cooperation.
The contemporary expression of the ILO’s historic mission is embodied
in the concept of Decent Work, defined as opportunities for all women
and men to obtain productive work in conditions of freedom, equity,
security and human dignity.
Social protection
The ILO’s Decent Work Agenda has been strongly endorsed at global,
regional and national levels. It is centred on employment and
enterprise, rights at work, social protection and social dialogue.
This is the basis for a balanced approach to action that responds
both to people’s enduring need for decent work and to the imperative of
productive growth and sustainable development.
“Through war and peace, depression and economic growth, governments,
workers and employers have continued to come together in dialogue around
our table of shared values: that work must be a source of dignity; that
labour is not a commodity; and that poverty anywhere is a threat to
prosperity everywhere”, the ILO Director-General underlined.
“These values and action were recognized by the Nobel Peace Prize in
1969. Those values continue to guide and define our work today.”
In 2004, the World Commission on the Social Dimension of
Globalization set up by the ILO anticipated many dimensions of the
current crisis, given the trajectory of the prevailing model of
globalization which produced global imbalances characterized by the
Commission as being “morally unacceptable and politically
unsustainable.”
Noting that the celebration was an opportunity to reaffirm the ILO’s
fundamental values and take action to confront the uncertainties working
families and enterprises are facing today, Somavia said.
“Together, let us make the policy choices that sustain the goal of
decent work; and together, let us advance the cause of decent work for
social justice and a fair globalization. That’s our mission, our mandate
and our responsibility.”
Productive recovery
The ILO has advocated a decent work approach to the crisis based on a
productive recovery.
It has proposed a number of measures that bring together employment
creation, including green jobs, sustainable enterprises; increased
social protection; and upholding standards and fundamental principles
and rights at work in integrated approaches while harnessing the
creative power of dialogue to find inclusive responses.
As a concrete and practical initiative, Somavia proposes that the
annual International Labour Conference to be held in Geneva in June
agree to a Global Jobs Pact that would boost economic recovery and the
construction of a new pattern of fairer and more inclusive
globalization, focusing on the Decent Work Agenda.
On this occasion, the ILO reiterates its call for global action for
decent work and invites all advocates of a people-centred, balanced and
sustainable course for the future to mobilize for decent work. |