ARS - 2005

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/162

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 37
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Reliability of Language Tests (Speech and Written) - First Year Students in Commerce and Management Faculty
    (University of Kelaniya, 2005) Jayasinghe, R.R.
    A test, like any other type of instrument used to measure should give the same results every time it measures, if it is used under the same conditions. This is considered the Reliability of a test. But human beings do not behave in exactly the same way on every occasion, even when the circumstances seem identical. The performances of students on any test can vary for a variety of reasons. The purpose of this research is to observe the reliability of two main tests. First I took a sample of test scores of the Placement Test (a written test) for “English for Business Communication” course (Test-1-A). This test was held in an examination hall in a fairly formal environment. After about one month, I took the same group of students and held the same test inside my classroom (Test-1-B). As the next step I held an oral test (presentation) again in a fairly formal environment (Test –2- A) for this particular group. Next, I held the same oral test inside my classroom for the same group of students. (Test-2-B) This paper attempts to focus on the reliability of these two tests by calculating the Reliability Coefficient - K-R 21. An analysis on how these reliability coefficients vary due to the sources of Error Variance, as a result of environment (e.g. location, space, ventilation) and also as a result of variance attributable to examinees (e.g. emotion, memory) will be discussed. At the conclusion of this investigation, we would be able to find out how these sources of Error Variance affect the reliability of the two tests. Moreover, we can minimize such Error Variance in test-administration to some extent.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Employability of Human Resource Management (HRM) Graduates in Sri Lanka
    (University of Kelaniya, 2005) Senaratne, C.
    This study examined the impact of three factors namely skills, personality, and influences on the employability of HRM graduates passed out from the Sri Lankan state universities. Data was collected from the HRM graduates passed out from the University of Kelaniya and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, which are the premier universities in producing HRM graduates in Sri Lanka. And the data collection was based on a structured questionnaire supplemented by interviews and the study was conducted among 116 graduates. The selected sample was categorized into two groups: employed and unemployed HRM graduates. A conceptual model was formulated for the study. Employability (Dependent variable0 was measured on nominal scale and skills, Personality, and Influences (Independent Variables) were measured on ordinal scales. The ordinal data was converted into nominal data for finding out the relationship between dependent and independent variables. On-parametric statistics such as Chisquare test and Mann-Whitney test were used to analyze the data in order to identify the difference in skills, personality, and influence levels of both employed and unemployed graduates. Findings suggest that there is no significant difference in terms of Skills and Personality among the employed and unemployed graduates of HRM in Sri Lanka.The influence level found to be significantly different among the unemployed and unemployed graduates. Employed graduates used high level of influence and unemployed graduates used moderate level of influence. The results of the study indicate that HRM graduates have obtained employments largely on the base of influences made through various sources like family, school, university, political activities, and memberships of associations.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Labour Market Distortions in Sri Lanka: Have they reduced under liberalised economic policies?
    (University of Kelaniya, 2005) Patabendige, A.J.
    Studies such as Gupta (1989), Agarwala I 1983), and Little (1982), highlight that capital-Iabour ratios (technologies) are in fact sensitive to the relative cost of labour and capital. In this background, if the factor markets are distorted in favour of selecting capital intensive technologies, labour demand or the growth of employment is impeded. Agarwala’s (1983) study on ‘Price Distortion and Growth’ of 31 developing countries confirmed that as in the case of most of the developing countries Sri Lanka’s labour market was also highly distorted during the controlled era of the 1960s and the1970. Thus, those who highly emphasise labour market distortions promote exceedingly the case for economic reforms and labour market deregulation for developing countries to enhance their labour market ‘flexibility’ to bring about a positive effect on economic growth and speeding up of employment creation. Hence, in a background of implementing economic reforms with some changes in labour practices for more than two decades from 1 977 i n Sri Lanka, it requires to determine how far the cost of labour market distortions has decreased during the economic reform period. However, a debate over the cost of labour market distortions even after the economic reforms has emerged. Some are of the opinion that although the economy moved towards a free market following the 1977 economic policy changes the Sri Lankan labour market has not been reformed to be matched with the requirements of the open economy and remained distorted, imposing a higher labour cost to investors while others believe that Sri Lankan labour is more cheaper than most of the countries in the region. Meanwhile, starting from 2002, four key Acts on labour regulations such as the Factory Ordinance of 1942 (FO), the Termination of Employment of Workmen Act of 1971 (TEWA), The Industrial Dispute Act (IDA) of 1950 were amended with a view to increasing the labour market flexibility. In this setting, this paper aims at assessing how far Sri Lanka’s labour market distortions have reduced under the reform period mainly by comparing the Sri Lankan labour market regulations and behaviour with those of the neighbouring and some of the fast developing East Asian countries depending on the data availability for the period after 1977. This comparison is made on 1) minimum wage levels, 2) employment security legislations, 3) holidays and leave, 4) maternity benefits, and 5) industrial relations.Evidence gathered shows that contrary to the conventional wisdom the minimum wage regulations in Sri Lanka do not have a large positive impact on increasing employers’ costs of labour. But quite the opposite impact on the costs of labour could be seen arising from the regulations related to the employment security, contributions to social security programmes, and the private sector and the public sector holiday and leave. These regulations have a consider ably high positive effect on increasing employers’ non-wage labour costs in Sri Lanka. Also, 13 new major labour regulations relating to various aspects of working life have been enacted after 1977 and the cost of social security has increased during the reform period. Moreover, it has been found that more than anything else the highly deteriorated industrial relations system has damaged labour market flexibility in Sri Lanka and thereby imposed a huge cost to employers without showing any improvement of labour relations from the controlled era to be consistent with open economic policy regime. Consequently, the paper concludes that more than the other countries in the region the costs of labour market distortions in Sri Lanka have significantly increased during the reform period after 19771 resulting in a considerable retardation in the labour market demand .
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    An Empirical Study of the Relationship between Organizational Stress and Emotional Intelligence on Organizational Commitment: With Reference to Bank Branch Managers in the Western Province of Sri Lanka
    (University of Kelaniya, 2005) Jayaweera, A.T.
    Bank managers are a profession, which is of immense importance to the nation’s economic growth and prosperity. The contribution of banking organizations towards the progress of a country is vital. As a matter of fact, the contribution of banking organizations heavily depends on commitment made by bank managers towards 1achieving organizational goals. This empirical study attempts to establish a relationship of organizational stress and emotional Intelligence on Organizational Commitment of bank managers in the Western province of Sri Lanka. A conceptual model was formulated for the relationship of organizational stress, Emotional Intelligence (Independent variables) with Organizational Commitment (Dependent variable). The study was conducted among the sample of 150 managers randomly selected from fifteen public sector bank branch premises and fifteen private sector bank branch premises operating in the Western province of Sri Lanka. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and were analyzed using the software SPSS version 10.0. The results of the correlation analysis indicated that Organizational Stress was negatively and significantly correlated with Organizational Commitment. Emotional Intelligence was positively and significantly correlated with Organizational Commitment. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that Organizational Stress and Emotional Intelligence are the strong predictors of the Organizational Commitment. On the whole, two independent variables were accounted for 55.9% of the variance in the organizational commitment of bank managers. Organizational Stress and Emotional Intelligence were found to be the critical factors to be focused for improving the organizational commitment of bank branch managers in the Western province of Sri Lanka.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Identification and characterization of dieback syndrome in Camelliasinensis (TRI 2025)
    (University of Kelaniya, 2005) Ranasinghe, C.P.; Balasuriya, A.; Jayaratne, D.L.
    The disease has been reported in the tea cultivar TRI 2025, grown in the upcountry since 1989 (Nethaniel, 1999). Preliminary observations from different locations where the disease has already been reported showed pathological affiliations instead of a physiological disorder or agronomical reasons. During the eight months under investigation in the Nuwara Eliya Estate, the affected area expandedby 129.75 m2. A distinctive increase in the rate of spread was observed during dry seasons. Asignificant relationship between the spread of the disease and climatic stress was found. The rate ofspread of the disease was higher with low relative humidity and rainfall. The expansion of the patch followed the direction of the wind with an indication of an airborne disease. Phylloplane microflora of TRI 2025 between healthy and diseased plants, the soils, which they are grown, collected from diseased and healthy areas found to have no significant difference. However, Pantoea agglomerans (Beijerinck) (Gavini et al., 1989), a Gram negative rod was solely and repeatedly isolated on nutrient agar, from the xylem sap of diseased plants. The sap of visually healthy plants, of the same cultivar upon prolonged incubation developed few colonies of the same bacterium. The bacterium was also isolated from dew collected from leaves of the diseased plants. The isolate was confirmed by the International Mycological Institute (IMI) in the United Kingdom (Offord, 2003). Four experimental sets of plants used to demonstrate Koch’s postulates, using mature tea bushes (Nuwara Eliya and St. Coomb’s), young plants and tomato seedlings. None of the sets met with conclusive results. Stem section analysis of the cultivar showed a significant xylem blocking in diseased plants, which increased in numbers with the severity of symptoms. P. agglomerans (Beijerinck) (Gavini et al., 1989), produce high-molecular-weight extra-cellular polysaccharides (Balows et al., 1992) and some strains are ice-nucleae active causing frost damage (Pajand,2005). Under the evidences the dieback in TRI 2025 can be classified as a stress driven relationship between a stressed plant and an opportunist.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    An Interpretation into the Ambiguous Jina-patisatariya in the Inscriptions of the middle Anuradhapura Period
    (Proceedings of Annual Research Symposium, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Manatunga, Anura
    An ambiguous word, Jinapatisatariya or its variants have occurred in a series of similar inscriptions found from Buddhist monasteries in the middle Anuradhapura period, i.e circa 2nd - 5th centuries A.C. All these inscriptions have been certainly referred to a grant or grants made to Buddhist monasteries for a particular purpose, but this purpose has not been properly identified in spite of some possible interpretations on it. D.M. de Z. Wickramasinghe has interpreted this word as having the meaning of ‘repairing of dilapidated buildings’ and understood the grants as made for that purpose. Gaiger believed that it was a ritual associated with the Buddha’s ‘Pati Dhatu’, the belt or a piece of cloth belonging to the cheevara of the Lord Buddha. Paranavitana interpreted Jinapatisatariya as the ‘spreading of deer skins’ in Buddhists monasteries, which he believed as a sacred ritual performed in these monasteries. In spite of the previous interpretations, the present study shows that the meaning of the Jinapatisatariya is the performance of the Vinayakamma known as ‘ Patisãraniyakamma’ by the Buddhist Sanga in Uposathagaras in the monasteries. ‘Jina’ in this case can be a derivation of Cinna ( Cinna-Jinna-Jina) which means ‘performed’, ‘practiced’, ‘accomplished’, ‘done’ and so on. Patisaraniyakamma referred to in the Vinaya literature can be easily identified with Patisaraniya or Patisaraniyakamma in the inscriptions. This Vinayakamma was a kind of action taken against a monk who attempted to cause a damage or a loss to a householder. The guilty monk had to make presents to the Sanga before he is interrogated for his offence by the body of Sanga. This shows why such grants were needed for this performance. It may well be ceremoniously performed in the monasteries in Anuradhapura and elsewhere in ancient Sri Lanka where these inscriptions are found.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Strengthening Small and Medium Sized Towns in Regional Development in Sri Lanka A Case Study of the Sabaragamuwa Province
    (Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Uduporuwa, R J M
    Urban-based development approach has become more popular in recent decades in manycountries as one of the most effective approaches that search solutions to the problem ofregional imbalances. In this regard, many countries have paid attention to promote a regional economy based on the economy of small and medium sized towns which have a potential for development in economically backward regions since they believe that urban growth as one of the key forces which bring innovations and socio-economic changes. In this context, the present study has made an attempt to realize the urban system and the nature of urban-rural relations of the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Two towns in the Sabaragamuwa Province namely Mawanella and Rambukkana were selected for this purpose. According to the results of the study presently Sabaragamuwa Province has the lowest level of urbanization among all other provinces (except northern and eastern provinces) of Sri Lanka and is experiencing a very slow growth of the urban population as a whole. It has only 12 urban centres out of 99 Service centres. All the urban centres of the province are medium and small towns according to the national urban system and are basically administrative and service oriented towns rather than manufacturing or industrial centres. It is also found that people prefer to interact more with the medium and large towns that offer a wide range of goods and ,services rather than the small towns in terms of rural-urban relationship of the Sabaragamuwa Province. Although there are intensified economic linkages between both towns and the hinterland in obtaining lower order goods and services and selling their agricultural products, a higher percentage of people interact with the other regional capitals which are located around the selected towns in terms of obtaining higher order goods and services than the urban centres in the Sabaragamuwa Province since they offer much greater opportunities. Other linkages such as physical, technical, social and population movement also are higher in the medium sized towns. At the same time, this study revealed that these towns transfer the agricultural resources of the province to the Colombo Metropolitan Area as raw materials without contributing to the regional growth. All these factors have contributed to keep the Sabaragamuwa Province at the lowest level of urbanization among other provinces of Sri Lanka.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    SOCIO - ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE TOURIST INDUSTRY: A case study of three selected tourist destinations in the Nagombo coastal belt
    (Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Fernando, W.V.N.
    Tourism in Sri Lanka, as a major source of income and employment has developed gradually since the late 1960s and has become a priority sector of the economy today. In spite of its positive effects, tourism has also some adverse social and cultural impacts. The present paper deals with such adverse social and economical impacts on the communities living in Negombo area of the Western coast, where tourism related activities are more intense. Case studies have been conducted in Palangatura, Eththukala and Kudapaduwa GN divisions of Negombo DS division and, field survey techniques such as structured interviews administrating questionnaires and field observations were conducted covering different segments of the society in the area. At the field survey there were three types of questionnaires administrated on different respondent that is Householders, Hotels and Shopkeepers. In each case the sample size was 30. The study revealed that some social and cultural changes have taken place subsequent to the adoption of tourist related activities by the traditional fishing communities. Both direct and indirect employment opportunities have been generated in the tourist sector, leading to multiplier effects in associated areas. The economy and lifestyle of the people have also undergone many parallel changes like child abuse and other illicit activities. The dropout rates of school children have also increased due to the harmful environmental impacts of commercialization. The findings of the study provide a sound basis for formulating favorable policies for developing tourism sector in the area.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    INDIGENOUS AND EXOGENOUS FACTORS INFLUENCING IMPORT DEMAND
    (Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Bandara, R.A.S.P.
    Import demand of Sri Lanka will be determined by number of factors closely related to the international trade, international market, household income and price level of the imports etc. The problem of this study is to study how internal and external factors influence in determining the import demand of Sri Lanka. Import demand function that is based on the small country assumption was tested with the help of multiply regression analysis, with the objectives of identifying the influence of domestic income and price competitiveness and quantifying the factors affecting import demand, The model showed factors affecting the demand for imports and it also considers the influence of domestic income and price competitiveness. The price competitiveness variable showed the response of imports to changes in relative prices. The coefficient of relative price variable implied a negative relation ship showing that when the relative price of imported goods rises, there is a tendency to reallocate expenditure towards domestic goods. Test results show that there is a positive relationship between real income and import demand, as higher real income increases the capacity to import. Import price adjusted to the GDP deflator has negative relationship with Import Demand. Third variable of the model, net foreign assets had a positive impact on import demand. For the test, net foreign assets were divided by import price to identify the import capacity. The fourth variable, domestic credit shows negative relationship on import demand though it could have positive relationship according to the theory
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Problems pertaining to Stagnation of Water in paddy Fields in Kelaniya area in Sri Lanka
    (Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Amarasinghe, A.G.
    Stagnation of water in paddy fields has become a common phenomenon around the country. Prosperous and economically valid paddy fields of few decades ago are being turned into marshy or barren land. These areas now serve as dumping grounds in many localities in Sri Lanka. This phenomenon is apparent in the Kelaniya area. Garbage of houses and urban centers and wastewater from factories accumulate into these paddy fields. Discarded waste and biomass of the paddy field itself pollute the stagnant water. Polluted water produces bad smell and act as a poisonous acid. Absorbing this water into human body through wound or injuries has caused death to many people in these areas. Because of this, people are unable to use this land than filling. But, major potion of this kind of land is still abandoned. This situation prevails in many parts of the island both in coastal plain as well as other parts of the country. Filling sediments in waterways, blocking channels and sea level rise area recognized as reasons for stagnation of water in lowland paddy fields. The main objective of the present study is to find out the problems and reasons for stagnation water in paddy fields in the area. Data is to be collected employing field surveys and map interpretation techniques. Arc- view software of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Excel software would be used to analyse data and present the findings.