News
Five-way tie for first place in Transparency in Corporate Reporting (TRAC) Assessment 2023 by TISL
John Keells Holdings PLC and Teejay Lanka PLC who ranked first in previous Transparency in Corporate Reporting assessments are joined this year by Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC, Dialog Axiata PLC, and Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC who have all achieved the full score for transparency in corporate reporting, while 27 companies are considered ‘Significantly Transparent’ in corporate reporting as per the latest TRAC assessment by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL).
TISL has been conducting the Transparency in Corporate Reporting (TRAC) Assessment since 2020 and has continued to do so annually. For the first time this year, there is a five-way tie for first place in corporate reporting among the top 125 public limited companies in Sri Lanka (based on market capitalisation on the Colombo Stock Exchange as of July 5th, 2023).
The TRAC 2023 Report, unveiled on Thursday (15), reveals that companies evaluated this year have achieved an average score of 5.85 out of 10. This marks a slight overall improvement compared to the previous year’s assessment, reflecting advancements in corporate transparency and reporting practices.
The TRAC Report 2023 assessed companies on their corporate disclosure practices in several important areas crucial to fighting and preventing corruption: reporting on anti-corruption programmes, organisational transparency, domestic financial reporting, reporting on gender and non-discrimination policies, country-by-country reporting, and reporting on procurement related to government contracts/tenders. Companies were then scored on a scale of 0-10, (10 being the highest and 0 being the lowest) based on publicly available information and were categorized into six groups as “Fully Transparent, Significantly Transparent, Moderately Transparent, Partially Transparent, Slightly Transparent, and Least Transparent” according to the level of transparency in their corporate disclosures. Companies were also given with the opportunity to provide feedback on their initial scores.
While congratulating the high scorers of the assessment, it is important to note that the TRAC report assesses transparency in corporate disclosures, and does not assess the actual implementation of companies’ anti-corruption policies or programmes. Therefore, a low score does not necessarily mean that a company does not have strong anti-corruption programmes, nor does it indicate any wrongdoing on the part of the company. Conversely, a high score may not always reflect operational and implementational success of anti-corruption programmes, but merely reflects strong disclosure mechanisms pertaining to anti-corruption, organisational transparency, domestic financial reporting, and policies on gender and non-discrimination.
TISL’s expectation is that periodic TRAC assessments will encourage companies to improve standards of integrity and transparency in business. The most important objective of this assessment is to encourage companies to incorporate and strengthen anti-corruption practices and to make this information publicly available.
As much as public sector corruption is a serious problem, so too is private sector corruption, wherein private sector actors can often be silent colluders or enablers of much larger public sector corruption. The newly enacted Anti-Corruption Act of 2023, for the first time in Sri Lanka recognizes bribery in the private sector as a punishable offence. This is further strengthened by the revised Listing Rules of the Colombo Stock Exchange, under which listed companies are required to adopt and maintain whistle-blower policies and anti-bribery and corruption policies and to make disclosures on said policies.
“Assessing corporate transparency through TRAC assessments will not address all grand corruption cases in Sri Lanka, as TISL also conducts research, engages in litigation and conducts other programmes and initiatives such as trainings on Anti-Bribery and Corruption for the private sector, to raise further awareness to address the issue of corruption. Nevertheless, corporate transparency is one step that companies can take to reduce the risk of corruption within their organisations” said Nadishani Perera, Executive Director, TISL. She continued to state that “Companies must commit to abide by the new regulatory standards, whilst also self-regulating to maintain higher standards than the minimum requirements. As such, periodic reviewing of corporate disclosures serves as a strong motivator for companies to regularly review their policies and improve their disclosures.”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
