Entrepreneurial ideas for employment generation

Bangladesh is one of the most potential least developed countries (LDC) with its total GDP (gross domestic product) hovering around US$ 140 billions. GDP growth rate per year was about 5.5 - 6.5 per cent during the last decade. Contribution...

Remembering an icon of ethical business practices

Samson H Chowdhury will always be remembered for his hard work, dedication and research for excellence in entrepreneurship. A self-made man, he should be the role model for those entrepreneurs who aspire to attain innovation, leadership and perseverance not only...

Business in the Digital Age: Need for quality trainers

High-quality global business requires investment - investment in skill redevelopment and capacity bolstering, among others. In today's unprecedented talent crunch, the services industry in particular is grappling with the problem of developing leadership, talent, risk awareness and, of course, the...

Industrialisation through use of policy space

Over the last few months, there has been increasing public discourse about two strategic documents. One is global with national implications - the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the post-2015 framework that will replace the much-celebrated Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)....

A visit to Maheshkhali

If the historical background of the Adinath Temple at Maheshkhali has any validity, the 362.2-sq km island derives its name from God Mahadev whose other name is Mahesh. Maheshkhali, according to the myth, comes from Mahesh. In the booklet available...

Planned \\\'Stand Alone Fund\\\' stands still

A novel government initiative to launch a fund styled 'Stand Alone Fund' to boost country image abroad couldn't take off for delays in making necessary money available, officials said. Allocation for overseas campaign funds to mobilize support for the government...

Shallow, short-tempered and violent

Once again viewing television programme has been a cause of a tragic death. This time it is more than death -a plain murder, to go by reports carried in the media. Once again, the watching involved one on the Indian...

\\\'Nexus\\\' of fixing indicative price alleged

The latest amendment to the Book Building (BB) method has yielded little results due mainly to alleged 'nexus' of institutional investors in fixation of indicative price of the companies moved to go public, insiders and experts said. They said the...

BD ready to export rice to India

Bangladesh is all set to export rice to India as it is now waiting to get response from the latter over price proposals, officials said. The country sent price proposals to India last month.   "We had sent a letter to...

Yingluck\\\'s impeachment to test Thai junta\\\'s fragile calm

Thailand's legislature will start impeachment hearings this week against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who faces a lengthy political ban that could test a delicate calm established after a military coup last year. The case hands the ruling junta its...

Use of fake e-Tins by cos, individuals detected

A number of taxpayers are using fake e-TINs or TINs of others in their bid to hoodwink the taxmen apparently to escape hassles and expenses associated with paying taxes, sources have said. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has identified...

Output of most audit firms lacks quality

Audit and assurance quality of majority firms engaged in auditing the financials is not up to the mark, sources said, as questions cropped up over the certification standards of many companies' financial statements. Experts in this job say that the...

On Wang Yi\\\'s visit to Bangladesh

The recent (December 27-29, 2014) visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Bangladesh was an important one not just in terms of Bangladesh's relations with the world's number 2 economic power but also in terms of its impact...

Pay Commission report: Rights and plight of retirees

A retiree dreams to pass his leisure time listening to music of his choice sitting in his living room or to the rustling sounds of a of summer wind sitting in a garden. Taking a tea or a coffee is...

Sri Lanka\\\'s political outlook shaky, whoever wins knife-edge election

In a measure of how far  presidential election on January 08 (Thursday) in Sri Lanka has become a knife-edge contest, diplomats here have been checking the rules in case of a dead heat: according to a 1981 act, the rival...

Daimler\\\'s self-driving concept car turns into mobile living room

Germany's Daimler AG wants to reset consumers' expectations about self-driving cars with its futuristic Mercedes-Benz F 015 concept, unveiled January 05 evening at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "Anyone who focuses solely on the technology has not...

Russia oil output hits post-Soviet high, small firms help

Russia's 2014 oil output hit a post-Soviet record high average of 10.58 million barrels per day (bpd), rising by 0.7 per cent helped by small non-state producers, Energy Ministry data showed on January 2. Oil and gas condensate production in...

NBR to set up forensic lab to detect corporate tax evasion

Tax authorities will install 'data forensic laboratory' next month to detect tax evasion through paperless accounts system of the corporate taxpayers. The lab is set to start its operation from February at the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) with advance devices...

Looking at inflow and outflow of remittance

Two important issues concerning inflow and outflow of remittance were brought to the fore last Sunday. A Bengali business daily, quoting an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report, said remittances worth in between $4.3 billion and $5.7 billion are being sent...

Fast track body set to okay metro rail basic design

The basic design of the capital's metro rail project is expected to get approval of the fast track monitoring committee meeting today (Wednesday), paving the way for its speedy implementation. Officials said the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transport Development (DMRTD) project...

Foreign missions under govt watch to expedite MRP delivery to expatriates

The foreign missions have come under government's close watch aiming to expedite and complete the Machine Readable Passports (MRP) to Bangladeshi expatriates before the global deadline expires, officials said. Under the move, a taskforce of the ministry of foreign affairs...

RMG: Strengths to look for

The RMG sector of Bangladesh has set itself an export target of $50 billions by 2021. The target appears slightly ambitious and quite a few people are sceptical about its attainability. In the backdrop of pronounced scepticism of some quarters,...

Taming inflation after pay hike

The Pay and Service Commission has recommended an increase in salary of public servants by 100 per cent on an average. Its full implementation would raise the government spending on salary and allowance by 63.7 per cent. According to the...

Uncertainties plague the economy

Hartal at the beginning of the year does not augur well for the economy. The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has indicated the prospect of high inflation. Investment is already in jeopardy because of high interest rates. Banks have a lot of...

How to respond to falling oil price in global market

The price of fuel oil is in a free fall in the international market after four years of stability. Brent crude oil came below $60 a barrel in December, 2014, from $115 in June 2014. This large fall is not...

India, Pakistan border fighting intensifies before Obama visit

Pakistan accused India of killing four civilians on the border of the two nuclear powers and India said one of its border guards was killed, heightening tensions before a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama. India said its forces had...

China fumes after Taiwan\\\'s flag raising in Washington

China has protested to the United States after Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington hoisted a Taiwanese flag on New Year's Day, and urged the United States to respect the "One China" policy, the foreign ministry said on January 5....

Smaller NATO mission has big job to train Afghan army in time

US Army Major Eric Lightfoot, serving at a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan, knows NATO has its work cut out to prepare local forces to go it alone against Taliban insurgents once its training mission ends in two years' time....

US sanctions fail two-thirds of the time, allies are often to blame

Responding to the cyber attack against Sony, the US government recently issued new sanctions against North Korea. There are few reasons to be optimistic that this newest round of sanctions will change Pyongyang's behavior. Like Cuba and Iran, the country...

Failure to stop Petrobras scandal could haunt Rousseff

When federal investigators first identified signs of corruption at Petrobras in 2009, Dilma Rousseff insisted Brazil's state-run oil company had nothing to hide. "Petrobras has one of the most accurate accounting standards in the world," said Rousseff, who was then...