IRSPAS 2018
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/19084
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Item Assessment of enterprise information systems adoption in small & medium enterprises in Sri Lanka: A systematic review of literature(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Kaluarachchi, T. R.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Nanayakkara, L. D. J. F.In Sri Lanka, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) play a vital role in the economy in terms of national output and employment. In today’s highly competitive economy, small and medium-sized enterprises lack the resources and technologies to compete with large enterprises with a relatively high death rate. In order to survive in the competitive market and exploit opportunities, many small and medium-sized enterprises adopt information technology (IT) related applications. However, in the current context of IT application usage, such as Enterprise Information Systems (EIS), the SME sector in Sri Lanka is far behind compared to other countries. Therefore, the need to adopt to EIS/other Information Systems related technologies is becoming a must or an urgent need in the context of establishing a competitive SME sector. As a result, some IT organizations have integrated with the SME sector in different business solutions according to their information requirements while meeting up with their capabilities. However, these integrations would ultimately face failures rather than success. The objective of this study is to recognize the real need for EIS based applications in the SME sector while accessing the adoption level and identify the driving forces and barriers which influence the focus of SMEs adoption of EIS based technologies. This study is based on a comprehensive, systematic review of literature published in relation to assessing adoption of IT related applications’ in the SME sector. Consequently, to conceptualize the factors under technological, organizational and environmental contexts, reviewed articles are roughly classified into these 3 categories according to different keywords. Under such classification framework, top management support, IT experience, relative advantage, complexity, industry, market scope, regulatory policies, external IT support, and competitive pressure etc. are emphasized as the main factors. Further originated that, innovativeness, IT-driven attitude and entrepreneurial competencies also drive adoption of EIS related technologies. Through the effective analysis of the above evidence of factors, the paper explains the specific causes of the low adoption rate of EIS, which will be extremely important for the SME management and policymakers. Hence, the future work needs to be carried out to answer the problems on what level of adoption of EIS is required by SMEs and why EIS adoption is difficult for the SME sector in Sri Lanka.Item Simulation-based network optimization for petroleum distribution in Sri Lanka: A systematic review of literature(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Sachini, W. W. N.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Wickramarachchi, R.Petroleum is one of the industries that has a massive impact on living conditions of the population. Petroleum industry contributes for transportation, power generation, agro chemicals, residential, commercial and industrial needs etc. Petroleum distribution network plays an increasingly important function in delivering value to the end user. Petroleum industry’s complexity has grown as a result of tight competition, strict environmental regulations, high operational costs and low margin of profits. The petroleum product demand fluctuation and the present scenario of high petroleum crude oil price fluctuation demonstrate that industries and markets all over the world are impacted by the volatility and uncertainty of the petroleum industry. These reasons drive petroleum industry toward strategic planning and optimization with respect to the uncertainties and constraints in factors such as the source, raw materials availability, expected market demand, production costs and distribution costs. The objective of this research is to study the current petroleum distribution network in Sri Lanka, identify the inefficiencies and critical factors causing inefficiencies and to propose a simulation-based optimization model to overcome these inefficiencies. A conceptual framework has been developed based on the findings observed from critical review of literature and further data was collected from Sri Lankan petroleum industry domain experts using in-depth interviews. The qualitative analysis of data has been done to evaluate the research findings. With the computational constraints of solving petroleum distribution network problems, a few optimization and approximation approaches have been introduced in the recent past. It has been identified that Sri Lankan petroleum distribution network has not been taken in to account for the optimization. Hence, this paper expects to introduce an innovative mathematical model for the optimization. The proposed model will be validated with complex and real data extracted from Sri Lankan petroleum industry. Subsequently, simulation is used to create scenarios on the designed model. Thus, this study depicts a simulation-based distribution network optimization model, with the purpose of minimizing the cost, based on inefficiencies and contributing critical factors, which are specific for Sri Lankan petroleum industry. As a result, the developed optimization model would enable the Sri Lankan petroleum industry to achieve higher performance leading to competitive advantage.Item A systematic review of literature on the readiness of post-harvesting technologies of paddy cultivation towards agriculture 4.0 in developing countries(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Sandamali, G. A. S.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Wickramarachchi, R.Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy of developing countries and paddy rice is the leading cereal crop grown in most of those countries. The introduction of new technologies to the post harvesting phase help to minimize the serious losses occurring during post-harvest operations. The evolution of agriculture 4.0 can be compared with similar evolutions in the industrial world, with industry 4.0. Agriculture 4.0 stands for the integrated internal and external networking of farming operations. It is vital to assess the readiness to adapt to this technological transformation which will provide a comprehensive roadmap to implement advanced technologies. Readiness is the measure used to assess the maturity of evolving technologies. It is the systematic, metrics-based process that assess the maturity of, and the risk associated with, critical technologies. The objective of this study is to investigate the readiness of post harvesting technologies of paddy cultivation related to agriculture 4.0. The relevant knowledge was extracted from the published research papers which have been accepted as valid. The articles were collected through a web search based on the key words. Then the topic and the abstract of each article were analysed in order to decide the relevance of the article for the study. Next, the full text of selected papers were reviewed by qualitative analysis to be considered in the final analysis. The technologies used in paddy cultivation were extracted from the selected research papers and analyzed qualitatively. Based on the comprehensive literature review, following fundamental questions: What are the post harvesting technologies of agriculture 4.0 which could be used in paddy cultivation and what changes are needed to be done in order to adapt to the new technologies were answered. The results of the study provide a model to assess the readiness of post harvesting technologies of paddy cultivation towards agriculture 4.0, which is aligned with complementary factors along four dimensions; Technoware, Humanware, Infoware, and Orgaware. Technoware includes precision agriculture which use drones to monitor the cultivation, autonomous tractors for harvesting, sensors such as capacitive sensor, mass flow sensor, photoelectric sensor and impact sensor for various purposes in storage phase. Humanware includes level of competence, perception on technology. Inforware compromises level of utility of facts and information sharing. Orgaware refers to the need of organizational support to make Technoware and Humanware more effective.Item Evaluating the level of best practices related with lean and green concepts of logistics service providers(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Edirisuriya, A. W.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Wickramarachchi, R.The world is experiencing environmental problems due to the environmental pollution and degradation happening in a major scale due to the waste generated both by public and industries. Among the industrial waste generators, logistics industry plays a major role due to the wastes released in different forms in their operations. Sustainability is emerging as a main consideration throughout the industrial world to reduce and control the industrial waste. Lean management is becoming a popular management tool on minimizing wastes. Although lean and green concepts have been studied in different industrial contexts, a theoretical gap has been identified in the field of logistics. A comprehensive literature review was conducted along with the expert reviews based on interviews to address the identified research gap. The objective of the study is to examine the best practices related with lean and green concepts which are applicable to the logistics industry. A key word based search in Google scholar and Scopus was conducted for selecting the published research papers which have been proven as valid to extract the knowledge for this study. In this stage, the studies conducted on lean and sustainable practices were selected while excluding the other studies. Then the topics and abstracts of selected articles were analyzed to select the studies that have studied about the practical implementation of green and lean concepts. Finally, a full text review was conducted to identify best practices in the logistics industry while excluding the research papers in other industries. Transportation and the warehousing are the main logistics functions focused in this study. The result of the study is a best practice reference model developed by authors for logistics service providers to identify their stage in implementing lean and green best practices. Best practices were identified through a comprehensive literature review and industry based observations. The identified best practices have been categorized for five different levels which gives a clear understanding for an organization regarding the current stage while providing a clear road map for organizations to develop to the next stage. The model is validated through the reviews of experts in the logistics industry. The proposed model will be beneficial for the logistics service providers. It can be concluded that the result of the study will lead the logistics service providers to reduce their industrial wastes and provide a sustainable service if the model is used properly.Item Assessing the applicability of industry 4.0 to optimize new product development process in Sri Lankan apparel industry: a conceptual model(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Wijewardena, S. G. E. H.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Nanayakkara, L. D. J. F.The world is experiencing environmental problems due to the environmental pollution and degradation happening in a major scale due to the waste generated both by public and industries. Among the industrial waste generators, logistics industry plays a major role due to the wastes released in different forms in their operations. Sustainability is emerging as a main consideration throughout the industrial world to reduce and control the industrial waste. Lean management is becoming a popular management tool on minimizing wastes. Although lean and green concepts have been studied in different industrial contexts, a theoretical gap has been identified in the field of logistics. A comprehensive literature review was conducted along with the expert reviews based on interviews to address the identified research gap. The objective of the study is to examine the best practices related with lean and green concepts which are applicable to the logistics industry. A key word based search in Google scholar and Scopus was conducted for selecting the published research papers which have been proven as valid to extract the knowledge for this study. In this stage, the studies conducted on lean and sustainable practices were selected while excluding the other studies. Then the topics and abstracts of selected articles were analyzed to select the studies that have studied about the practical implementation of green and lean concepts. Finally, a full text review was conducted to identify best practices in the logistics industry while excluding the research papers in other industries. Transportation and the warehousing are the main logistics functions focused in this study. The result of the study is a best practice reference model developed by authors for logistics service providers to identify their stage in implementing lean and green best practices. Best practices were identified through a comprehensive literature review and industry based observations. The identified best practices have been categorized for five different levels which gives a clear understanding for an organization regarding the current stage while providing a clear road map for organizations to develop to the next stage. The model is validated through the reviews of experts in the logistics industry. The proposed model will be beneficial for the logistics service providers. It can be concluded that the result of the study will lead the logistics service providers to reduce their industrial wastes and provide a sustainable service if the model is used properly.Item Investigating industry 4.0 applications in Sri Lankan healthcare industry to optimize operational performance(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Ilangakoon, M. T. S.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Wickramarachchi, R.Healthcare is one of the industries that depends on the highest quality services for the wellbeing of the society. Today, the demand for healthcare has been increased with increasing aging population, rapid urbanization, changing diets, inactive lifestyles and rising obesity levels. Healthcare providers search for different innovative methods to optimise their operations and increase the patient satisfaction. Most of the western countries are now adopting new technologies to improve the efficiency of their healthcare processes with the introduction of Industry 4.0 concept. Industry 4.0 which is also known as fourth industrial revolution, uses technologies such as big data, Internet of Things, simulation, augmented reality, cloud computing, autonomous systems, cyber-physical systems, additive manufacturing and systems integration. When Industry 4.0 is applied in the healthcare sector, it is known as Health 4.0. The objective of this study is to investigate the current applications of technology in healthcare processes, applicability of Industry 4.0 technologies in Sri Lankan healthcare domain and how these technologies optimise the operational performance of healthcare operations and processes. Based on a systematic review of literature, a conceptual framework had been developed. Further data was collected from healthcare domain experts using in-depth interviews to identify the level of industry 4.0 technology applications in Sri Lankan healthcare domain for the enhancement of operational performance. A qualitative analysis of data using thematic analysis had been done to evaluate the research findings by identifying the technological applications in healthcare and categorize them under Industry 4.0 components. It was found that major issues such as absence of continuous medical records of patients, early diagnosis of diseases and intellectual waste happening in hospitals can be managed and reduced using Industry 4.0 technologies such as big data analytics, cloud computing and Internet of Things. These technologies can be used to develop systems to share patient information over cloud systems, information systems for resource planning and connecting medical practitioners, disease prediction systems and new sensor based equipment to optimise the healthcare processes, which will make it easier for the patients to get treated and for the hospital staff to manage their routine work efficiently and effectively.