Sri Lanka’s garment exports reached $3,479 million in Jan-Sept 2024, a 4.0 per cent increase from the previous year. However, textile exports declined by 15.9 per cent, totalling $224.3 million. Imports of textiles and clothing rose significantly, with textiles up by 18.2 per cent. In 2023, garment exports dropped by 19 per cent to $4,440.6 million, and textile imports fell by 22.6 per cent.

Cotton yarn prices in south India remained steady, with limited trading in Mumbai due to post-festival worker shortages and better but cautious activity in Tiruppur. Buyers are focusing on immediate needs, anticipating peak cotton arrivals, which may lower prices. In Gujarat, cotton prices rose due to increased demand from ginners and mills despite limited seed cotton arrivals.

Australia's apparel and clothing imports rose 3.43 per cent YoY to $3.368 billion in July-September 2024, despite a slight drop in September. Imports of textile yarn and related articles also increased by 4.11 per cent, while fibre imports fell 6.06 per cent. Exports of textile fibres saw a 7.69 per cent decline, continuing a downward trend from the previous fiscal year.

US textile and apparel imports fell by 0.80 per cent to $80.449 billion from January to September 2024, compared to $81.094 billion in 2023. Apparel imports dropped by 2.57 per cent, while non-apparel imports rose by 4.55 per cent. China remained the top supplier, despite a 2.28 per cent decrease. Growth was seen in imports from Cambodia, Pakistan, India, and Vietnam.

In the first nine months of 2024, US textile and apparel exports fell by 2.76 per cent to $17.363 billion, down from $17.856 billion in 2023. While exports to Mexico rose by 2.86 per cent, shipments to major markets like Canada, China, and the Dominican Republic declined. Apparel, fabric, and yarn exports all saw decreases. In 2023, exports fell by 5.02 per cent, following growth in 2022.

US saw an 8.79 per cent increase in textile and apparel imports from January to September 2024, totalling 76,860.803 million SME compared to 70,652.999 million SME in 2023, according to OTEXA. Apparel imports rose by 2.57 per cent, while non-apparel imports increased by 11.05 per cent. Cotton product imports grew by 6.03 per cent and MMF products by 9.17 per cent.

Mark Johnson, cofounder of the consulting firm Innosight, says that too many managers develop strategy while focusing on problems in the present, and that’s especially true during a crisis. Instead, he argues, leaders should imagine the future and work backward, so they can build their organization for that new reality. He shares practical steps managers can take to look beyond the typical short-term planning horizon and help their teams grasp future opportunities. Johnson is the coauthor of the HBR article "Leaders, Do You Have a Clear Vision for the Post-Crisis Future?" and the book "Lead from the Future: How to Turn Visionary Thinking into Breakthrough Growth."

Ken Banta, founder of the Vanguard Network, and Orlan Boston, partner at Ernst & Young, argue that every aspiring leader needs to have a side gig -- not to pursue a crazy dream or earn some extra cash but to enhance their skills, knowledge, and network in a way that benefits their existing careers. The key is to find meaningful and strategic roles that help you bring new insights and experience to your day job, and you can even let your boss in on your plans. Banta and Boston are the authors of the HBR article "The Strategic Side Gig."

Darrell Rigby, partner at Bain & Company, says many firms have rapidly adopted agile principles to react to the coronavirus crisis. Namely, they’ve been ditching bureaucratic planning processes and instead fast-tracking ideas, holding focused meetings, and empowering decisions at lower levels of the organization. He argues that C-suite leaders should keep this newfound organizational nimbleness for good and explains how they can. With Sarah Elk and Steve Berez, Rigby wrote the HBR article “The Agile C-Suite” and the new book Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos.

Frances Frei, professor at Harvard Business School, says that trust, empathy - and even a bit of tough love - are all essential ingredients to strong leadership in today's world. Successful managers focus on the effect they have on others, not themselves. They also define a strategy and create a culture that drives employee behavior in their absence. Frei is the coauthor, along with Anne Morriss, of the book "Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You" as well as the HBR article “Begin with Trust.”

Ella Washington, an organizational psychologist at Georgetown University, argues that private sector American organizations have a big role to play in sustaining the fight for racial justice that has gained such momentum in recent weeks. She says that widespread protests should mark a shift in how companies and their leaders push for government policy change, think about diversity and inclusion in their own workplaces, and strive to combat bias and inequality in U.S. society. It not enough for CEOs to release statements and continue on with business as usual. To promote real change, they need to work on these issues each and every day. Washington is the coauthor of the HBR article "U.S. Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism."