ICBR-2022 (5th)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://192.248.9.226/handle/123/20070

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 22

item:
Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Business Research -2022 [Pre Text]
(2022) Samarasinghe, GD
item: Conference-Full-text
Way to success – perspectives of women leaders in engineering
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Saumyadi, HAD; Jayawardane, VPT
Engineers are key personnel in the industrial sector worldwide. Engineers' contribution to economic development is remarkable in any country by performing their duties in numerous industries and businesses. Unlike other professions, engineering is dominated by male professionals worldwide. Despite the prevailing masculine culture in industries, numerous women engineers have become professionally successful leaders in the workplace. Although there are such women leaders in the Sri Lankan industrial sector, a few studies have been done to investigate their exceptional performance to enhance the knowledge base of professional success. This study aimed to determine the success techniques advocated by women engineers in Sri Lanka. Nearly 250 leading women engineers in Sri Lanka's state and private sectors were given the online qualitative survey. Forty-six replies were received and examined using content analysis with NVivo. Identified success techniques and the percentage of respondents who have mentioned those success techniques were as follows: involving in continuing professional development – 63%, developing soft skills – 57%, working hard – 37%, developing personality – 26%, and following ethics – 26%. This study's findings can be considered guidelines for young women engineering professionals in Sri Lanka to nurture their professional journey to success.
item: Conference-Full-text
The Relationship between spiritual intelligence and job satisfaction of it professionals with special reference to it companies in Sri Lanka
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Wickramasinghe, KGTT; Perera, LYN; Priyamantha, KK; Samaraweera, SAVT; Weerarathna, RS; Pathirana, UPGY
This paper focuses on identifying the relationship between spiritual intelligence and job satisfaction of IT professionals in Sri Lanka. The growing realization factor of job satisfaction as an ever-growing concern in contemporary organizations and the limited number of studies on the effect of spiritual intelligence on job satisfaction in both local and international IT contexts reveals the prominence of this research. Accordingly, a cross-sectional study was carried out among 383 IT professionals in Sri Lanka, considering spiritual intelligence as the independent variable and job satisfaction as the dependent variable. Primary data was collected via a self-administered structured standard questionnaire developed as a Google form and was analysed using SPSS. The results showed that job satisfaction and spiritual intelligence have a linear relationship demonstrating a positive correlation in the regression model. The findings have important policy implications for IT company employers who want to improve the spiritual intelligence of their workers and create a satisfied workforce. These findings are especially significant for IT company employees who should pay close attention to the substance of spiritual intelligence and strategies to develop it so they may have a fulfilling career that promotes their mental health and happiness.
item: Conference-Full-text
The Impacts of the work-from-home model on interns’ satisfaction in the information technology industry during the covid-19
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Wickramasinghe, P; Jayawardane, VPT
This research investigates the work from home impacts on interns in the IT industry. It will be necessary for both academic parties and organizations in the IT industries to identify the areas that need to be focused on and to adjust their policies according to the virtual internships. Therefore, this research aims to study the impact on the interns in the IT industry with the work-from-home (WFH) model and to what extent they are satisfied with their internship while WFH. This analysis is based on quantitative methodology, and it includes a series of questions that request to know their opinion using a five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to agree strongly. This questionnaire measured independent variables, faculty mentor's preparedness, internet efficiency, industry mentor's preparedness, intern readiness, home working environment, and inters' satisfaction with the internship program.
item: Conference-Full-text
The Impact of YouTube advertising clutter on the viewers’ attitude towards YouTube channels owned by mainstream television channels
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Senarathna, T
The impact of exposure to advertising clutter while watching television programs on offline media and the subsequent attitude generation of viewers towards offline media have been discussed extensively in marketing. However, surprisingly, the impact of advertising clutter on online media and the viewers' attitude towards online media have been examined only to a limited extent in marketing. Most importantly, the impact of advertising clutter on YouTube, which now has the fiercest competition for the online media that broadcasts television programs, does not seem to have sparked any discussion in recent times. Accordingly, the discussion on viewers' attitude towards YouTube TV channels with advertising clutter has also been marginalized. This study investigated the impact of YouTube advertising clutter on viewers' attitude towards YouTube channels owned by mainstream television channels. A cross-sectional survey was employed, utilizing 305 YouTube viewers. The analysis, which used regression analysis, indicated that the perceived advertising clutter has no significant direct effect on viewers' attitude towards the YouTube TV channel. However, it was found that the perceived YouTube advertising clutter significantly impacts viewer irritation which, in turn, leads to a negative attitude towards the YouTube TV channel, even though this negative effect is minor. Results related to the impact of additional mobile data cost incurred by YouTube advertising clutter were counterintuitive, and this could be due to measurement error. The moderator impact of the skippable or non-skippable nature of YouTube advertisements on the relationship between perceived YouTube advertising clutter and irritation was insignificant.
item: Conference-Full-text
The Impact of work-life balance on leadership of accounting professionals in western province - Sri Lanka
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Ulluwishewa, N
This research study aims to review the impact of work-life balance on leadership regarding accounting professionals in Western Province, Sri Lanka. The objectives of the research are as follows: identifying the impact of work-related causes, family-related causes, and work-life balance on the leadership of accounting professionals in Western Province and proposing the appropriate recommendations for accounting professionals to develop work-life balance and leadership. The study utilizes primary data collection and the convenience sampling strategy, using 60 samples. The results identified a positive impact of the independent variable, work-life balance (work-related causes and family-related causes), on the dependent variable, leadership. This study's implications are as follows. Leaders must find creative ways to succeed equally for women and men in the workplace. Coping, goal-setting, and role-integration training improve the younger generation's understanding of wellness in work-life balance. Since worker stress causes work-life balance issues, stress reduction must be encouraged. Organizational motivation is needed as it improves leadership. Businesses should prioritize employee education and growth, and leaders should spend more time developing agreements around common values and goals. We can utilize a reward system that promotes integrity through positive reinforcement and compliance. A successful internal communication technique, such as an "open door policy," may create an environment where workers feel secure voicing their concerns and feel valued for their work.
item: Conference-Full-text
The Effectiveness of macroeconomic policies on changing the individual preference
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-11-01) Athukorala, SD
The study aims to identify the effectiveness of macroeconomic policies and socio-economic stability in changing individual preferences in Sri Lanka. Monthly, secondary data was collected to analyse the background from reliable institutions such as the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the Department of Motor Traffic, and the Sri Lanka Customs and Tourism Development Authority, referring to the period from 2011 to 2017. Econometric techniques, including the Unit Root test, Vector Error Correction Model, and WALD, were utilized in the data analysis methodology. The results showed that the individual preference has a long-run association with monetary policy factors, fiscal policy factors, and the socio-economic stability of a country. The real interest rate, the tax rate on motor vehicles, and government expenditure were negatively related to individual preference. The long-run association of the model corrected the previous period's disequilibrium to 46%. Prominent factors that influenced "individual preference" in both the short run and long run were the real interest rate and the socio-economic stability of a country. Monetary policy factors and the socio-economic stability of a country were affected more by individual preference than fiscal policy factors. However, socio-economic stability was highly correlated with the individual-preference. Hence, it is essential to maintain the socio-economic stability of the country and monetary policy stability to enhance the individual preference in Sri Lanka.
item: Conference-Full-text
Analysis of tech-diversification strategies adopted by technopreneurs: a case study on internationally oriented coconut toddy tech-based small and medium enterprises
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Fernando, WMSN; Dasanayaka, SWSB; Mudalige, D
The coconut industry is an important source of foreign exchange and employment generation for Sri Lanka. This internationally recognized ‘Coconut tree’ or ‘Kapruka’ provides substantial contribution to the wellbeing of domestic people as well as the country’s economy through its foreign earning generation. Pathiraja (2017) stated that in the global arena, export demand function widens its spectrum for more coconut related other products as a function. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the performance of the TSMEs with the usage of different tech-diversification strategies adopted by the internationally oriented coconut toddy TSMEs. Secondary objectives of this research are identification of the impact and relationship of tech-diversification strategies on the TSMEs performance and determination of the optimum level of crop tech-diversification which maximizes performance of TSMEs. The ratio measures and aggregate measures from financial and physical measures are concerned for the methodology. For the sampling frame, a 58 sample of internationally oriented coconut toddy TSME technopreneurs in Madampe, Dummalasooriya, Kuliyapitiya and Narammala areas in Puttalam and Kurunegala districts in Sri Lanka considered for data collection with the usage of Simple Random Sampling technique. Findings of this research study revealed, overall tech-diversification strategy of the internationalized coconut toddy TSMEs is at a moderate tech-diversification level when considering aggregate financial measures. The level of tech-diversification should maintain at a moderate to high level where continuous and reasonable financial performance should be identified and adequately measured against the tech-diversification levels continuously.
item: Conference-Full-text
Sustainability of small and medium enterprises in Sri Lanka: impact of economic crisis
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Dahanayake, WE
The economic crisis had diverse impacts throughout the world. Countries that relied heavily on foreign markets for commerce and finance were affected by the global contagion more than the countries that relied less on them. However, there is minimal variation in the world economy with small enterprises, which are limited in product range and the ability to downsize. Small and medium-sized businesses are significant in the sourcing process of both exporting and non-exporting major sectors due to strong backward connections or widespread engagement in the supply chain. In contrast, even if generally considered less credible and more credit dependent than large companies, the credit shortage of small businesses intensified the financial crisis. Due to the small size, small businesses and enterprises were more susceptible to the financial crisis. A random sampling technique was used in the quantitative study to collect data from a sample of 180 small and medium enterprise businessmen. The study revealed a significant impact on the sustainability of Small and Medium Enterprises (dependent variable) by inflation and perceived political relations (the two independent variables).
item: Conference-Full-text
Sri Lankan consumer perceptions on e-waste recycling
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Perera, RBC; Kavirathna, BV; Fernando, UNS; Amanullah, AMSS; Dassanayake, SM
Sri Lanka has the potential to support the national circular economy, though Sri Lanka suffers from the problem of rapid generation of E-Waste. E-Waste generation is inevitable in the constantly developing technology industry and has usually been treated as a burden per the perception. Reusing and recycling E-Waste can positively impact the circular economy because E-Waste is recyclable and is beneficial in recovering valuable metal components that are rapidly depleting. The public's perception of reusing electronic waste and its challenges and limitations as a new business model have all been thoroughly examined. The study's findings can be used to establish a sustainable business model to effectively assess managing E-Waste by demonstrating how consumers' perceptions can effectively be examined.
item: Conference-Full-text
Opportunities and challenges with experienced employees in the journey towards a sustainable lean culture
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Illankoon, PK; Dimbulagedara, UK
Global economic crises and the lack of proper resources provided opportunities for organizations to think of new concepts and models to enhance their capabilities. The Lean Culture (LC) has been a widely used concept for those requirements as it eliminates waste without additional resource requirements. Introducing the Lean Culture concept is simple, but sustaining the Lean Culture is challenging for any organization. The purpose of this study is to investigate the opportunities and challenges with employee experience for establishing a Sustainable Lean Culture (SLC) in a manufacturing organization. This study was based on a mixed-method research approach, focusing on a structured questionnaire, an interview, and focus groups. Data was collected through the selection of 110 employees, six interviews, and two focus groups within the organization. Relationships were analyzed with correlation analysis and regression analysis using SPSS software. The results showed that nine factors (respect for people, knowledge sharing, motivation, business environment, continuous improvements, value, perfection, empowerment, and engagement) positively correlate with employee experience to the perception of SLC. In addition, five factors (attracting and retaining talent, resistance to change, mentorship, skill utilization, and teamwork) were identified as challenges for the organization toward SLC. Future research is required in more organizations in the same industry to generalize the results, which may be extended to determine different factors influencing SLC with the employee experience. The results provided a useful indication and a better understanding of employee experience and factors towards SLC. This study sheds light on understanding the Lean culture of the organization and its influence on the employee’s experience and bridges the gap of research in understanding the impact of an employee experience on SLC in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
item: Conference-Full-text
Micro-level determinants and profitability of the licensed long-term insurance companies in Sri Lanka
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Abeywickrama, HVDI; Ariyasena, DLMNK
With the drastic changes occurring in the corporate sector, the relevance of insurance companies is progressively increasing. Insurance companies are essential and contribute significantly to the country's development. Therefore, this study aims to pinpoint the micro-level factors that influence the financial success of Sri Lankan insurance companies. Return on Assets and five independent factors, including reinsurance dependence, commission ratio, reinsurance premium ratio, leverage ratio, and firm size, were used to assess financial performance. Out of the twenty-eight insurance companies accessible for this study from 2013 to 2021, eight long-term licensed insurance companies were chosen randomly as the sample. Necessary secondary information was acquired from the annual reports of each company and the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka (IBSL). Multiple regression analysis and descriptive statistics are the statistical methods used in this investigation. According to the study, only reinsurance dependence exhibits a statistically significant positive influence on Return on Assets. In contrast, statistically, it is adversely affected by commission ratio, reinsurance premium ratio, debt, and company size.
item: Conference-Full-text
Inadequate accounting system of a medium scale distribution firm in Sri Lanka: a case study
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Fernando, LCP; Ferdinando, KPMWUA; Shehara, WLY
This study explores the reasons behind the inadequate accounting system of a medium-scale distribution firm in Sri Lanka, where a problematic manual accounting system has been run for many years, and provides recommendations to overcome this issue. Due to the firm's existing accounting system, many problems have arisen: issues in inventory management, delays in preparing financial statements, and errors in the accounting process. This study adopts a qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews for gathering data. Our findings suggest the main reasons for having an inadequate accounting system in this firm: inherent issues in the manual accounting system, the impact of information technology, lack of knowledge of accounting staff on new technology, obstacles that resist organizational change, the inappropriateness of record keeping, the reluctance of senior management to hire qualified staff, poor job assignment for accounting staff, and the attempt of top management to reduce the number of staff members. This study highlights the importance of a proper accounting system for entities that have not been enforced by the regulatory bodies to record financial information, and this study aids in identifying reasons behind the inadequacy of their accounting systems.
item: Conference-Full-text
Identification of factors affecting the success of expressway construction projects in Sri Lanka
(2022-12-01) Abeysekara, GPTK; Dasanayaka, SWSB
Multibillion-dollar investments have been made in the expressway network construction in Sri Lanka in the recent past with the goals of developing social and living standards, enhancing the capacity of the construction industry, and ascertaining the economic development of the country. The main objectives of this research are to conduct a scientific study of the expressway construction projects to identify the success factors and the influence of the technology transfer process, as well as to develop evaluation criteria for assessing the success of the projects. The research follows a descriptive approach, and perceptional data from managerial-level employees of the completed projects were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by the SPSS package using linear correlation and regression analysis techniques. Based on the findings, ten critical success factors relevant to expressway projects are identified, and evaluation criteria consisting of seven indicators are developed. The study reveals the moderating effect of the technology transfer process on the technological success factors that contribute to project success. The major limitation of this study is the insufficiency of completed projects located in similar geographic conditions. Further research in other South Asian countries is recommended to generalize the findings of this study.
item: Conference-Full-text
How social media interferes with the worklife balance of middle class employees in Sri Lanka
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Gunathilake, SRML
This research study focuses on how social media interferes with the work-life balance of middle-class employees in Sri Lanka. Today, in the neoteric society, people are busy with ample comprehensive work, leading to complexity in their daily lives. People are driving towards more abrupt things with the volition of succeeding at any expense. With technological advancements, people are on the trend of getting used to upcoming technologies. For instance, social media connects people despite their geographical location. Social media interferes with various aspects of life at different levels for diverse categories of people. Hence, this study intends to explore how social media interferes with the work-life balance of middle-class employees. This research had a qualitative approach, and data were collected utilizing a face-to-face series of semi-structured interviews with eight middle-class participants from different sectors (fields), including teaching, engineering, medicine, management, and banking. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and the results identified four major themes. The research findings emphasize that social media positively impacts the work-life balance of middle-class employees, except for the professions of doctors and engineers. People waste their time unconsciously due to high addiction to social networking sites. Consequently, it affects personal and work-life imbalances, causing delays in their regular activities and leading to work overtime at workplaces with high stress, also affecting organizational performance and employee motivation. Hence, this study provides insights into where the management should pay their utmost attention and concentration to utilize the workforce efficiently and effectively for organizational success.
item: Conference-Full-text
How comparative mindset influence the consumer buying behaviour in buying skin whitening face care products: Sri Lankan context
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Perera, RALW; Perera, GNR
Consumer purchasing decisions always involve two modes of cognition: a decision-only mindset (e.g., considering whether to buy) and a comparative mindset (e.g., comparing and deciding among available options) (Lee & Ariely, 2006; Xu & Wyer, 2007). This paper discusses how the comparative mindset influences consumer buying behaviour in buying skin whitening face care products in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, these are in high demand, and consumer buying behaviour has not been monitored from the consumers’ comparative mindset. This study analysed a comparative mindset by taking ten current users and non-users of skin whitening face care products in Sri Lanka. Respondents were selected through the convenience sampling method and were interviewed using an in-depth interview method. Thereby, results revealed a strong and positive influence of the comparative mindset on the purchase and non-purchase of skin whitening face care products among users and non-users, respectively.
item: Conference-Full-text
Factors that impact the selection of bio science stream in the G.C.E advanced level in the western province, Sri Lanka
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Weerarathna, RS; Rathnayake, NM; Subendran, G; Sivagnanasothy, E; Naguleswaran, L; Rathnayaka, R
The choice of stream in upper secondary education is a turning point for every student for a successful career in the future. The education system in Sri Lanka has five streams—Biological Science, Physical Science, Commerce, Arts, and Technology—and the Biological Science stream is important in national development. The students who select the Biological Science stream in upper secondary education are influenced by several factors, showing a declining trend in Western Province, Sri Lanka. Accordingly, this research aims to identify the factors affecting the selection of the Biological Science stream in G.C.E Advanced Level (G.C.E A/L) in the said region and to examine the impact of those factors. The study identified self-efficacy, career opportunities, and normative social influence as the factors impacting the selection of the Biological Science stream. Data for this study were collected using a mixed method: Primary data was collected using structured interviews and a questionnaire survey. Twenty students were interviewed using convenience sampling, and a questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 370 students using a simple random sampling technique. Data were analysed using thematic and multiple regression analysis. According to the regression model, the study recognized that career opportunities and self-efficacy are the most significant factors which impact the selection of the Biological Science stream. The findings suggest improving the quality of the Biological Science curriculum in the G.C.E A/L examination and encouraging students to continue their studies in the Biological Science field, thereby further contributing to national development. This research provides information to stakeholders such as students, parents, educators, and the government for making different policy decisions.
item: Conference-Full-text
Factors affecting success of women entrepreneurs in western province Sri Lanka
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Thilakarathne, GDVT; Fernando, WLR; Weerathunga, MLDJU; Sellapperumage, SD; Weerarathna, RS; Shamila, AKPP
Entrepreneurship has traditionally been male-dominated, but women's interest in business is growing in Sri Lanka, though their success remains marginal, raising questions about the factors that influence their business and entrepreneurial success. The study aims to provide insight into the success factors of women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. Several studies on the factors influencing entrepreneur success have been conducted, with fewer studies on the factors influencing the success of women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. Hence, experts are conducting studies to determine these factors. This study focuses on the significance of three specific variables in contributing to the success of women entrepreneurs: behavioural, cultural, and technological. A survey technique was utilized with data from 375 women entrepreneurs in Western Province to develop a thorough profile, using the convenience sampling method to determine the sample size. This study employed quantitative methods to generate empirical results and substantiations, addressing the research questions. The gathered data were subjected to correlation analysis and descriptive statistics using SPSS. According to the results, all independent variables have a positive correlation with the dependent variable. In contrast, technological elements have a weak positive association with the success of women entrepreneurs. Behavioral and cultural factors have a significant and positive relationship with the success of women entrepreneurs. The study's conclusions benefit academics and decision-makers in both public and private sectors who desire to pursue careers as female entrepreneurs to overcome challenges and progress.
item: Conference-Full-text
Employee well-being during covid-19 pandemic in telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Ranathunga, RAAK; Jayawardane, VPT
This study examines the variables that affect workers' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic at work in the telecommunications sector. The study utilized a deductive methodology based on the quantitative data examination, and 248 respondents in the telecommunications sector were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using statistical software (SPSS). Employee engagement was the study's mediating variable; organizational communication, work-life balance, and leadership support were the independent factors; employee well-being served as the study's dependent variable. The literature review supported the consideration of the aforementioned factors for research. The results of the data analysis revealed a positive association between each variable and the dependent variable. The research conclusions are supported by relevant suggestions, which offer businesses in the telecommunications sector guidance on how to build the long-term infrastructure required for working from home.
item: Conference-Full-text
Assessing the impact of primal leadership on entrepreneurial performance: survey on Sri Lankan entrepreneurs
(Business Research Unit (BRU), 2022-12-01) Perera, HADN
“Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.” - Peter Drucker The principal purpose of this research is to critically assess the impact of primal leadership on the performance of entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. The study proposed a conceptual framework that was mainly derived based on a critical review of literature on two key disciplines, namely Primal Leadership and Entrepreneurial Performance. The conceptual framework consists of one independent variable – ‘Primal Leadership’ with 4 sub variable elements, namely Self- awareness, Social awareness, Self-management, and Relationship management, and one dependent variable – ‘Entrepreneurial Performance’ with 3 sub-variable elements, i.e., Subjective measures, Objective measures, and Managerial competencies. Thus, quantitative research was undertaken based on positivism and a deductive approach. All entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka were considered as the population of the study and using the probability-simple random sampling technique, a sample size of 105 was obtained based on 3 categories, namely (1) Startups, (2) SMEs, and (3) Large firms. The Survey technique was followed, and the data was collected using an electronically administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out to generate measures of central tendency and measures of association. Simple regression and multiple regression analysis techniques were used to generalize the sample-based findings to the entire population. Multiple findings were generated through the data analysis. In conclusion, the study proved that primal leadership has a strong positive relationship with entrepreneurial performance in the Sri Lankan context. Moreover, it was found that relationship management has the highest impact on the entrepreneurial performance of Sri Lankan entrepreneurs compared to the other 3 determinants of the notion of primal leadership, namely self-awareness, social awareness, and self-management.