About LABIE

About LABIE

Introduction

Objective

Specific Applications

Contact Information

Introduction
: Welcome to the Lanka Business Information Exchange (LABIE). This web site is set up as an information exchange and discussion forum. It is dedicated to promoting active cooperation between Sri Lankan business enterprises, big, small or embryonic, and well-wishers throughout the world. We hope that many Sri Lankan expatriates with business, technical and other professional expertise will want to scan this site from time to time. But you do not have to be an expert use this exchange, or even to be a Sri Lankan for that matter. All that counts is to be a well-wisher who wants to engage in developing Sri Lanka based businesses at home and abroad.

This site is sponsored by the Institute of Public Policy of George Mason University in Virginia USA, just outside Washington DC. Information available on this site is free of charge. There are no current or future commitments for using information posted here.; Back to About LABIE

Objective

The main objectives of this project are business expansion, export promotion and the rapid growth of productivity in Sri Lankan enterprises through faster technological change and human resource development. To further these objectives we would like to initiate discussions on specialized areas such as international marketing and market research, technology transfer, entrepreneurship development, reforming education, the role of venture capital and private initiatives from abroad, reforming the public sector, and so on. A concrete and immediate objective is to set up LABIE as a marketplace for making matches between Sri Lankan enterprises and expatriate personnel who want to work with them. These assignments may be on a short or long term basis, as employees or consultants, for pay or without compensation, in Sri Lanka or purely as advisers from abroad.

We are planing to list summary information on resource persons, companies, start-up ventures and other organizations promoting business activity under various categories. We will include as much information as we can get on existing products, markets and technologies employed, as well as new products, markets and technologies to be explored for future development. The resource persons listed here are people who volunteer to be available to anyone in Sri Lanka or outside who is interested in discussing specific issues relating to the above-stated objectives. As we will be listing contact information (including e-mail address and telephone numbers), it will be possible to contact the person or company of their choice on an individual basis.

It is important to emphasize that LABIE is just a forum for people to exchange ideas and make initial contact on business-related issues. From there on individuals and organizations must pursue further discussion and more specific relationships on an individual basis. We cannot, of course, take responsibility for relationships that turn sour. LABIE is in no way responsible for the accuracy of information provided by our primary sources. Since this exchange is designed to match the demand for business related information to possible sources of supply, we will merely list the information provided by our primary sources, summarizing where necessary. We emphatically cannot undertake responsibility for verifying accuracy of information supplied to us.

We hope that LABIE will stimulate Sri Lankan business activity and serve as a useful resource to people around the world who want to promote such activity. We expect that eventually this web site will be especially helpful to small and medium companies and embryonic ventures, as a vehicle of low-cost access to technical and marketing information worldwide. But initially, its pages will inevitably be dominated by large, well-established firms, for which business information is easily obtained from published company reports and existing web sites. We are very grateful indeed to the companies that have agreed to support this venture in the first round of listings, thereby lending us credibility and contributing considerably to the initial momentum.

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Specific Applications

Listed below are some specific ways in which information posted on LABIE can serve the immediate needs of business activity in Sri Lanka. This is only an initial estimate and the hope is that many other, innovative uses of LABIE will emerge in time.

A SLan business looking for new export markets may use LABIE to advertise their products and seek foreign partners or agents. Conversely companies or individuals based in the US may search in LABIE for SLan products and/or business partnerships.

A SLan company or entrepreneur looking for technical assistance in a specific area may advertise his needs on the web site. This posting could bring in calls from one or many expatriate experts (or even foreign well-wishers), who have some knowledge of the relevant technology or of supply sources for the technology.

A SLan expatriates, who is looking for an opportunity to return to Sri Lanka for a permanent job or a short term consultancy, may use the web site to locate potential openings. Many of the companies we talked to asked us to encourage SLans to post their resume on the web site. Of course, even non-SLans may be interested in seeking out such opportunities.

LABIE could serve as a forum to share business ideas. Any browser who has a relevant business publication (with copyright clearance) can publish the article -or better a brief summary - on LABIE at no cost, for the benefit of all users.

Foreign investors or transnational companies may eventually get round to scanning LABIE for business news, information about investment opportunities and possible business partners in Sri Lanka.

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Contact Information

Prof. G Chris Rodrigo

George Mason University

Institute of Public Policy (MSN 3B1)

4001 N Fairfax Drive

Suite 450

Arlington, VA 22203-1616

Tel. (703) 993-8223

Fax (703) 993-8215

E-mail srilanka@gmu.edu or crodrigo@osf1.gmu.edu

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