This paper describes and benchmarks innovation activities for a sample of countries in the South Asia region, as well as the impact of these activities on firm-level productivity.
... See More + The evidence gathered suggests that countries in the South Asia region can be divided into two groups, in terms of the magnitude and composition of the innovation activities: leaders (Bangladesh and India) and laggards (Nepal and Pakistan). Leaders present higher rates of innovation activities than laggards and focus more on process innovation than product innovation. Differences across firms within all countries tend to present similar patterns when considering leaders and laggards, with the acquisition of knowledge capital (for example, research and development investments in equipment, and training) highly concentrated in a few firms, and mature, exporter, and foreign-owned firms as the most innovative of the region. The evidence also suggests a positive impact of innovation on productivity, primarily via incremental innovation, especially in India.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS8876 JUN 10, 2019
The paper deals with the economics of sustainability associated with the transformation of energy markets. It emphasizes the interrelations between technical changes and energy markets and how in turn the resulting transformations alter the sustainability of economic systems that are dependent on these markets.
... See More + It also explores how innovation (or the lack thereof) is intimately linked to the ability of energy rich economies to adapt and transform. The agenda is especially relevant for oil rich countries that have announced or already put in place policies to help transform their economies and move away from dependence on oil. The agenda is also relevant for the global community, as it relates to the economic consequences of the needed transformation of energy markets to support the goal of limiting global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS8858 MAY 20, 2019
EU cohesion policy is designed to reduce disparities between Member states and regions across the European Union. However, some European regions have struggled to catch-up to wider EU growth.
... See More + Hence, the EU has implemented the Lagging Regions Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to identify the problems of the lagging regions and design and implement actions unlocking their growth potential. Poland and Romania were the first two countries, where the initiative was piloted. The Polish part of the Lagging Regions Initiative was named "Catching-up Regions Poland" and was implemented in Swietokrzyskie and Podkarpackie. The World Bank provided technical assistance (TA) and helped to coordinate activities in these regions. The Catching-up Regions Poland continues in another three regions, Lodzkie, Podlaskie, and Walbrzych sub-region in Lower Silesia. This report is one of the outcomes of this initiative carefully analysing the situation in these regions and identifying the potential for growth. One of the biggest opportunities to stimulate growth is to enhance the technology transfer from universities and research institutes and support local companies in the adoption of innovations. Thus, technology transfer is central to this report. In lagging regions, technology transfer can be one of the key drivers of regional competitiveness and regional growth1 and can play an important role in economic development in general. However, technology transfer is often rather weak in lagging regions compared to regional leaders. After a detailed examination of the situation in Lodzkie, Podlaskie, and Walbrzych regions, the report proposes practical recommendations that will lead to improved technology transfer capabilities, innovation adoption, and economic growth of the analysed regions. Technology transfer in the context of this report is understood in its broader definition as a transfer of intellectual property (both formal and informal) from universities and research institutes in to practice, university-based entrepreneurship, contractual research, and other types of cooperation between academia and private companies.
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Selyn Exporters (Pvt) Ltd engages the traditional Sri Lankan community of hand loom weavers in producing fashion items and accessories, home products, toys and fabrics and was founded in 1991.
... See More + Sri Lanka's only fair-trade guaranteed hand loom company started working with fifteen women in the village of Wanduragala and has since grown into a network of around one thousand workers (90 percent women) across the island. To date, Selyn exports its fair-trade products to forty countries around the world and at the same time retails in premium locations across the country. To be able to meet the export demand for its products, Selyn has established independent workshops in hand loom villages in the rural outskirts of the Northwestern, Eastern and Southern Provinces of Sri Lanka in an attempt to move away from a centralized model to one where artisans can reach within the comfort of their own homes. Selyn is Sri Lanka's only fair-trade guaranteed company and supplies to fair-trade and commercial customers all over the world. Selyn also provides its workers free legal advice, financial management programs, access to finance and voluntary savings schemes, the latter being delivered in partnership with SANASA Development Bank (SDB), an IFC client company and SheWorks Sri Lanka member. Selyn's management is particularly focused on increasing the satisfaction and productivity of its employees while giving back to the community. The company has positioned itself as an employer of choice for working parents and acts as a role model for other mid-sized companies.
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Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Colombo, former Millennium IT now rebranded as LSEG Technology, was acquired by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) in October 2009.
... See More + Known as one of the largest technology companies in Sri Lanka, the organization employs over five hundred professionals of whom over twenty percent are women. The company's twenty two acre campus in Malabe was established in 2008 with state-of-the-art facilities, including a gym, swimming pool, creche, a cricket ground, and a cafe. The vision for this campus facility was to recruit and retain the best talent and create an inclusive culture that is different to that of a traditional office setup. LSEG Technology is a member of the IFC-led SheWorks Sri Lanka partnership. LSEG Technology operates in a highly dynamic and disruptive work environment and believes a diverse and inclusive workforce will boost financial performance, innovation and staff motivation. The company is determined to practice an inclusive work culture which enables and values the contribution of all employees regardless of gender, age, race, disability or sexual orientation and to foster an environment where everyone feels they belong.
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For Standard Chartered Bank (SC), a member of IFC's SheWorks partnership in Sri Lanka, providing childcare support and measures to improve employee work-life balance is part of SC's broader corporate objectives of increasing gender parity in the workplace.
... See More + Childcare support is weaved into their strategy through the Diversity and Inclusion agenda and commitment to retain, develop and promote talent, irrespective of gender or parental status. Having childcare support is also a way of letting women know that one can continue their banking career whilst celebrating the life-event of being a mother. SC meets two thirds of the creche's operational costs whilst the parents pay a monthly nominal fee. More recently Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka enhanced its existing policy on maternity leave to offer twenty calendar weeks of maternity leave, exceeding the legal requirement of eighty four working days whilst fathers enjoy paternity leave of up to two calendar weeks. Parents who chose to adopt are also eligible to avail themselves of two calendar weeks adoption leave. SC provides nursing intervals in line with the labor law requirements. In addition, SC offers flexible working to support employees to meet the demands of their personal lives, without impacting their careers.
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Founded in 2004, Fairway Holdings (Pvt) Ltd is a market leader in luxury residential and commercial high-rise developments. They extended their business acumen to diverse ventures in Leisure, Aviation, Trading, Pharmaceuticals, Financial Services , Bio Technology and Renewable Energy.
... See More + Their leisure portfolio includes the Fairway Colombo, a 180-room hotel in Colombo Fort, and the recently launched Fairway Sunset in Galle, a hotel with 65 luxury rooms and19 luxurious serviced apartments. With more than 7 office locations and an average of 9 construction sites, the company employs over 750 employees of whom 24 percent are women. Fairway Holdings follows a business model which focuses on wealth creation for all its stakeholders and sharing wealth with its employees and the community. Fairway Holdings is a member of the IFC-led SheWorks Sri Lanka Partnership.
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F. J. and G. de Saram , established in 1841 in Colombo, is the oldest and one of the largest law firms in Sri Lanka. It is a full-service law firm providing legal services in all areas of corporate and commercial law to its clientele which includes leading business houses in Sri Lanka and the majority of the transnational corporations engaged in business in Sri Lanka, including Fortune 500 companies and multilateral agencies.
... See More + The firm is also consistently ranked by many of the global and regional legal directories as a top tier firm in Sri Lan ka in the practice areas of capital markets, project finance, banking and mergers and acquisitions. The legal profession globally is m ale-dominated . According to a 2013 study of 86 countries (representing 80 percent of the world's population), women began to join the legal profession in significant numbers worldwide n the 2000s. The situation is significantly different in Sri Lanka, where women are said to make up 65 percent among law professionals of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.
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One of the objectives for Brandix is to reduce their hiring and onboarding costs and encourage higher maternity return rates, especially for employees who are responsible for large portfolios and client relations.
... See More + As an employee is expected to be fully productive after 6 months, childcare support contributes to improved attrition rates. Brandix strives to promote an inclusive work culture that gives people the confidence to realize their full potential, professionally and personally. As part of their diversity and inclusion strategy, Brandix participates in GAP Inc.'s flagship imitative, the P.A.C.E program, since 2007 to provide female garment workers with life skills, technical training and support.
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Unilever Sri Lanka (USC) is one of the biggest Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies in Sri Lanka, with 29 market leading brands in categories such as Home Care, Personal Care and Foods.
... See More + Established in 1938 with brands such as Sunlight, Lux and Pears, today Unilever Sri Lanka manufactures 95 percent of its products locally. Building a gender-balanced organization with an inclusive work culture is a strategic priority for Unilever as it believes that a more diverse and inclusive workforce can boost financial performance, reputation, innovation, and staff motivation. Globally over 70 percent of the people who buy Unilever products are women. For Unilever (including in Sri Lanka), mirroring the consumer base in the workforce supports the company in anticipating consumers' needs. Unilever Sri Lanka is committed to help employees find their own purpose in life and embraces the diversity in every individual which in turn drives superior engagement and performance of employees. The performance driven culture is reflected in a 100 percent maternity return rate. Women who return from 6 months of maternity leave are provided with equal opportunities for job expansions, promotions, or job rotations. To reach its global ambitious target of a 50 percent gender balanced senior management workforce by 2020, Unilever has put in place a pro-active gender diversity program that includes accountability, clear targets and global scorecards for all regions; mentoring programs; women's networks; recruitment strategies with special focus on management trainees and mid career recruits. Globally, Unilever offers a range of policies to support employees' work-life needs, including 6 months maternity leave, 21-days paternity leave, flexible working, and agile working programs among others. Unilever has introduced a Maternity and Paternity Support (MAPS) online system to facilitate caring transitions for employees and their managers.
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WS02, an IT company with offices in Australia, Brazil, Sri Lanka, the UK and US, is a pioneer in middleware applications, a software that connects other software components to create a seamless workflow for business operations.
... See More + From its inception 13 years ago with initial funding from Intel Capital, the investment arm of chip manufacturer Intel, WS02 has evolved into a key Silicon Valley player. Their applications for eBay are most famous for the power to process over one billion transactions per day. WS02 employs over 600 engineers, consultants and professionals worldwide. WS02's Sri Lanka workforce is more than 500 people strong, 35 percent of whom are women. In 2013, WS02 Sri Lanka built modern office premises, featuring recreational areas, an in-house gym, snooze room and a space to think out of the box.
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FYR Macedonia has kept taxes low and offered tax incentives to attract foreign direct investment (FDI), but that has had a sizable fiscal cost.
... See More + Government revenue as a share of Gross domestic product (GDP), particularly from direct taxation, is much lower than in other European countries, and still eroding. Rationalizing exemptions and introducing progressivity in personal income taxation could increase revenue and improve equity. Reviewing exemptions in corporate taxation and value added tax, while strengthening tax collection efficiency in general would be recommended as well.
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FYR Macedonia has kept taxes low and offered tax incentives to attract foreign direct investment (FDI), but that has had a sizable fiscal cost.
... See More + Government revenue as a share of Gross domestic product (GDP), particularly from direct taxation, is much lower than in other European countries, and still eroding. Rationalizing exemptions and introducing progressivity in personal income taxation could increase revenue and improve equity. Reviewing exemptions in corporate taxation and value added tax, while strengthening tax collection efficiency in general would be recommended as well.
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