12th Students' Research Symposium 2024
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/28113
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Item Sustainable Development Goal Reporting: Effect of Institutional and Corporate Governance Factors(Department of Finance, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2024) Herath, R.H.M.M.S.; Kethmi, G.A.P.Introduction: Businesses in today’s context are expected to disclose more on the sustainable development goal reporting within their organization. Although there is an increasing trend in the sustainability reporting disclosure in Sri Lanka, this corporate reporting varies in content and quality, and there is a challenge in incorporating SDG goals in the process of sustainability reporting. The main objective of this study is to examine the extent to external institutional factor influence on content and quality of corporate SDG disclosure and examine the extent of corporate governance factors influence on the content and quality of corporate SDG disclosure. Methodology: Three dependent variables, SDG Acknowledgement, SDG Prioritization and SDG Extent are used while GRI Compliance, Sustainability Assurance CEO Duality and CSR committee are the independent variables. Data of the top 50 listed companies of CSE as at 2023 August are collected for a period from 2021 to 2022. Regression analysis is employed using SPSS to achieve the objective. Findings: According to the results, GRI Compliance, Sustainability Assurance and CSR committee have a significant positive impact on SDG Acknowledgement while the impact of CEO Duality is insignificant. The same results are obtained from the regression model results developed for the SDG Extent. Further, only GRI Compliance and CSR committee have a positive significant on SDG Prioritization while other variables’ impact is insignificant. Conclusion: According to the study SDG reporting practices are developing trends by external institutional factors and corporate governance factors. The study concludes there is a need for more accurate SDG reporting frameworks that support companies to match their business functions and strategies with SDGs.Item Communication of Sustainable Development Goals in Social Media and Stakeholder Engagement in Asian Companies(Department of Finance, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2024) Samaraweera, H.K.B.C.H.; Kethmi, G.A.P.Introduction: Stakeholder engagement is one of the crucial factors in enhancing the business and communication between the company and the stakeholders is the most important step in building the relationship. This study investigates the connection between the communication of SDG using social media platforms and the stakeholder engagement rate. The necessity for further investigation into sustainable development goals communication via social media (tweets) and engagement of stakeholders, and characteristics of tweets has driven this study and the main aim to comprehend the relationship between those tweets’ characteristics (communication of Sustainable Development Goals through social media) and stakeholder engagement. Methodology: While the dependent variable is the stakeholder engagement rate, the independent variables are Fluency of the messages, Vividness level, Existence of a link, Content type (Communication of SDGs), The industry type of the firm, and Country of the firm. The study focused on Asian companies with the highest market capitalization, utilizing a sample of 84 firms from 11 countries and eight industries. The sample selection involved companies actively using Twitter and communicating at least one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their tweets. The data collection, spanning from January 1, 2023, to September 31, 2023, resulted in 1728 tweets from the selected firms. The Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) is adopted to analyze data. Findings: According to the analysis, identifies tweets about specific countries as the primary predictor of engagement. Notably, tweets about Bangladesh lead to greater stakeholder engagement compared to tweets about other countries. Considerably, the most influential SDGs were identified as Responsible consumption & Products. Incorporating relevant links enhances engagement by providing stakeholders with additional information. The impact of vividness levels, with high vividness posts demonstrating the highest engagement rates. The Information Technology sector has more tweets, indicating that this sector is focusing more on communicating SDGs than other sectors, followed by the FMCG and Financial Services sectors, respectively. China firms focus more on communication of SDGs, as they contribute around 31.1 % of sample countries. Conclusion: As a conclusion, this study contributes valuable insights into the complex landscape of stakeholder engagement for Asian companies in the context of SDGs. The identified factors and recommendations offer practical guidance for companies aiming to enhance their sustainability communication strategies on social media. As businesses navigate the intersection of digital communication and sustainable development, these findings provide a foundation for informed decision-making and strategic planningItem Impact of Microloans on Poverty Alleviation Through Samurdhi Program: With Special Reference to Samurdhi Beneficiaries in Madamepella Gn Division in Gampaha District(Department of Finance, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2024) Madhushani, K.A.D.; Kethmi, G.A.P.Introduction: The government of Sri Lanka established the "Samurdhi Programme" in 1995 as a national strategy to combat poverty in accordance with Act No. 30 of the Samurdhi Authority. Despite periodic changes in administration, the basic idea of the Samurdhi initiative has persisted, evolving under several names, and is still in use today. Microloans are widely recognized as a powerful tool for empowering individuals and promoting income-generating activities, ultimately contributing to poverty reduction. This study investigates the effectiveness of the Samurdhi Programme in alleviating poverty in Madamepella GN Division, Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. Methodology: Data is collected from a sample of 256 Samurdhi beneficiary families and the study employs correlation and multiple linear regression analyses to examine the relationships between microloan size, repayment period, and poverty alleviation and to examine the impact of microloan size, and repayment period on poverty alleviation using SPSS. Findings: Correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between each independent variable and poverty alleviation (r = 0.599 for loan size and r = 0.435 for repayment period), suggesting that larger loans contribute to greater income generation and poverty reduction. According to the regression model, both loan size and repayment period have a positive and statistically significant impact on poverty alleviation. The adjusted R-squared of the regression model is 0.566, indicating that microloan size and repayment period explain approximately 56% of the variance in poverty alleviation among Samurdhi beneficiaries. Conclusion: These findings suggest that microloans provided through the Samurdhi Program are effective tools for poverty reduction, particularly when combined with appropriate loan sizes and repayment periods. Policymakers and microfinance institutions should have been focusing on giving Samurdhi beneficiaries larger microloans with longer repayment periods. By lowering costs and increasing access to financial services, they should also support financial growth.Item Sustainable Development Goals Reporting and Company Performance of Listed Companies in Sri Lankan Service Sector(Department of Finance, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2024) Ekanayaka, E.M.S.K.; Kethmi, G.A.P.Introduction: The ability of sustainable development to address urgent economic, social, and environmental concerns while preserving the welfare of current and future generations has led to its evolution into a worldwide imperative. As a developing country, in the Sri Lankan context, the SDGs hold particular relevance due to the country's efforts to overcome poverty, improve healthcare and education, enhance gender equality, and promote sustainable resource management. This study investigated the relationship between Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) reporting and the financial performance of listed companies in the Sri Lankan service sector under two sectors financial and non-financial. Methodology: Return on Assets and Return on Equity are used as dependent variables to measure the Financial Performance whilst the Sustainable Development Goals Index is used as the independent variable to measure the level of Sustainability Reporting. Firm Size is used as a control variable. Data of 50 service sector companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange for the period from 2018 to 2022 using the annual reports of these companies. The data is analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression analysis employing the STATA software under two sub-sectors financial and non-financial. Findings: The findings indicate a complicated and nuanced link between SDG focus and company performance in Sri Lanka's service sector. While a positive relationship for financial companies' ROE was shown, it lacked statistical significance. A weak and statistically insignificant negative association is observed for financial companies ROA and Non-financial companies, on the other hand, revealed a statistically significant negative relationship between the weighted SDG index and both ROE and ROA. Further, the regression model revealed that the SDG index has a positive and a negative impact on ROE and ROA respectively for financial companies while the SDG index has a negative impact on both ROE and ROA for non-financial companies. Conclusion: Traditional financial metrics may not capture all of the long-term advantages of sustainable practices, but short-term costs, industry dynamics, and methodological issues can all have an influence on the connection. To comprehend the complex relationship and to develop solutions for sustainable business practices, further study, comprehensive information, long-term analysis, and industry-specific studies are required. Pursuing sustainability is about setting up a resilient, equal, and successful future for all stakeholders, not simply increasing profits. In conclusion, this study calls for more investigation into the underlying causes and possible long-term advantages of SDG activities in non-financial firms.Item Customer Readiness and Adoption Potential of Fintech in Sri Lanka: An Empirical Investigation using Online Platform Users(Department of Finance, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2024) Weerasinghe, K.; Kethmi, G.A.P.Introduction: The term FinTech refers to the usage of new technologies to improve financial services. Rapid growth in technology accelerates the fact that businesses adopt technology to provide better service to their customers. This shift towards fintech adoption is crucial as it not only improves financial accessibility and convenience but also promotes sustainable investments and environmentally friendly projects. The main objective of this study is to investigate the customer readiness and adoption potential of fintech in Sri Lanka. Ultimately, this study aims to contribute to the advancement of the Fintech landscape in Sri Lanka and facilitate the growth of a more inclusive and digitally empowered society. Methodology: Age, education level, financial literacy, e-readiness and mental preparedness are the independent variables in the study while FinTech usage is considered as the dependent variable. Data are gathered by distributing standardized questionnaires to a sample of 324 online platform users in Sri Lanka. Correlation and regression analysis are the two main techniques used to analyse data using STATA software. Findings: Correlation analysis showed that there is a strong relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. According to the regression analysis results, all the independent variables have positive relationships with Fintech Usage and the R-square value of the model is found to be 42.14%. Further, an index representing the readiness of the people towards adopting fintech is built which can be taken as the base year value for future analysis and the index values showed as 0.000000000292. Conclusion: According to the results, it can be concluded that each of these variables is impacting the fintech usage and finally, the current fintech readiness in Sri Lanka is low but has a promising future. The age gap shows promising data where the newest generation is using technology more often and the country has a high chance of adopting fintech. Through the findings of this study, we can conclude that Sri Lanka is still adopting technology and therefore moving into fintech will take some time than the other countries.Item Impact of Microloans on Poverty Alleviation Through the Samurdhi Program: With Special Reference to Samurdhi Beneficiaries in Katana Ds Division in Gampaha District(Department of Finance, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2024) Madushani, S.A.D.N.; Kethmi, G.A.P.Introduction: Poverty is a global issue affecting children, the elderly, and ethnic minorities and Poverty alleviation aims to improve economic and human capacities and living standards through credit access. Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) offer financial and non-financial services to impoverished individuals, contributing economically to families and society. This study aimed to assess the impact of microloans on poverty alleviation through the Samurdhi program of the Samurdhi beneficiaries in the Katana DS Division in Gampaha District. Methodology: The dependent variable is poverty alleviation, while the independent variables are loan size and repayment period. Data is gathered by distributing questionnaires to a sample of 371 Samurdhi beneficiaries in the Katana DS Division of the Gampaha District. Descriptive analysis, Correlation analysis, Multiple linear regression analysis, Normality test, Validity tests, and Reliability tests are employed to analyze the collected data using SPSS. Findings: As per the results, strong positive linear relationship between loan size and poverty alleviation, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of +0.706 and repayment period also showed a positive linear relationship with poverty alleviation, with a correlation coefficient of +0.462. Furthermore, there is a significant impact of microloans on poverty alleviation through the Samurdhi program. Loan size has a positive and significant impact on poverty alleviation. The repayment period has a positive and significant impact on poverty alleviation. The model's adjusted R2 of 0.621 indicates that all aspects of that loan size and repayment period, independent variables, account for 62% of the variance in poverty alleviation. Conclusion: Based on the findings, the researcher can conclude that that the Samurdhi program's microloans are a better way to alleviate poverty in the Katana DS Division in Gampaha District. Samurdhi officials should enhance access to microloans for families in the Katana area of Gampaha district. They should select beneficiaries based on need and conduct investigations after granting loans. Financial education on managing loans and starting small businesses can reduce defaults and improve credit tiers.Item Adoption Potential of Fintech Services: A Study Based on Employees of the Financial Institutions in Sri Lanka(Department of Finance, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2024) Rathnayake, R.M.A.R.; Kethmi, G.A.P.Introduction: FinTech can be identified as software, mobile applications, or any other technologies designed to enhance and automate conventional financial services for both consumers and enterprises. Sri Lanka which can be identified as a developing country, the adoption of FinTech would be a crucial factor to improve the economy of the country. This study was conducted to address the research problem of the adoption potential of fintech services in Sri Lanka. The main objective of the study is to examine the adoption potential of fintech services by using the perceptions of the employees of financial institutions in Sri Lanka. Methodology: Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, perceived reliability, added value, self-efficacy and nervousness are the independent variables used in this study and the dependent variable is the actual use of fintech. The data sample of the study is the employees of financial institutions, and the sample size was 384 employees. Data is collected by distributing questionnaires. A regression model is developed to achieve the objective using the SPSS software and further, reliability and validity of the data is investigated using the goodness of fit tests. Findings: According to the results, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and perceived reliability have an impact on the actual fintech usage in Sri Lanka, while added value, self-efficacy and nervousness do not have a significant impact on the actual fintech usage in Sri Lanka. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study envisions that its findings will not only benefit the financial industry in Sri Lanka but also serve as a valuable reference for other sectors. The study aims to be a milestone, providing insights into the adoption potential of fintech services in Sri Lanka that can apply to other developing countries, thereby paving the way for future research in this evolving field. Even factors deemed insignificant in the current context should be monitored, as they may become influential in the future. Collaboration between the public and private sectors is deemed essential to achieve widespread fintech adoption.