Volume 07 - Issue 01

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/13936

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Comparison and review of Environmental Management Systems among the government institutions in Sri Lanka
    (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Gunawardhana, L.M.A.P.; Jayawickrama, K.G.G.K.
    The organizations in the world have been suffering from various types of environmental problems in the recent past due to their activities, products and services. Environmental Management System (EMS) is a comprehensive tool to assess and ensure the mitigation of environmental issues. EMS is a part of the overall management system that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing, and maintaining the environmental policies. EMS follows Stewart and Deming‟s quality management approach. EMS ensures positive environmental impacts, improves product quality, competitiveness and production process, reduce expenses, liabilities, insurance premiums, and waste management cost and enhance market responsiveness. The objective of this research is to compare the performance of EMS among the government institutions in Sri Lanka. Ten Divisional Secretariat offices in Kurunegala district in the North Western Province in Sri Lanka have been selected for the purpose. Interviews of key informants were the main source of primary data under six EMS criteria, namely, commitment and environmental policy, planning, implementation, measurements and evaluation, audit and review. SPSS and MS Excel were used for data analysis. There was a considerable variation among the institutions. The researcher found that the success level of the implementation of EMS is positively correlated with leadership qualities. Generally, the implementation of EMS in government institutions is weak and performance rank order illustrated that the major weaknesses were lack of awareness of the EMS among the employees, poor auditing, lack of EMS training, and lack of condign attitudes. EMS should be launched to improve the EMS training in order to minimize negative environmental impacts and to provide effective service to the public.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The impact of migration on the marital relations and personal development: with reference five villages in Walallawita Regional Secretary Division, Matugama
    (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Wijewardhana, B.V.N.; Kumari, L.M.S.N.
    The family is the smallest unit in the society and it faces a large number of problems. In the current social set up, one of the major problems that a family encounters is finance. In finding solutions to financial problems, many poor householders resort to foreign employment. According to sociological findings, foreign migration creates many adverse sociological and psychological consequences. In this study, the researcher tried to find out the impact of migration on the marital relations. Miriswatta, Pahala Hewessa, Lihiniyawa, Kumbadoowa and Pelawatta in Walallawita were selected as the study location as there were many migrant workers in the area.Fifty samples were selected. The reports of Divisional Secretary Office and Grama Niladhari officers helped in selecting this sample. Forty husbands who have migrant wives and ten wives who have migrant husbands were included. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Out of the total sample, 64% migrant workers work in Middle East countries while the remaining 36% in other countries like Korea, Singapore and Maldives. Saudi Arabia was selected by most of female migrant workers. It is more than 75%. 92% migrant workers are working as housemaids. Most of them are female. Remigration can be identified in this selected sample. 72% migrant workers have migrated more than once. A large number of problems can be identified in these families. The major target of these migrant workers is to build a new house. But 90% migrant workers could not reach it. Many husbands were addicted to alcohol and cigarettes. Alcohol was used by 80% husbands daily. 60% of men and women who migrated did not approve this. They were in the view that the migration is not the best way to earn money. 76% percents of parents (who have migrant father or mother) have faced a lot of problems with their children. Many fathers have faced diffulties in feeding, protecting and solving problems of their children. According to the ideas of the sample, children who have migrant parents in the Middle East may have less personality than other children. 64% agreement can be identified from the sample about the negative personal development of children because of their parental migration. There could be more than 75% agreement by the sample about the high possibility of family problems because of migration. Both set of analyzed data reveal that the migration for foreign employment has directly affected not only the marital relations, but also their children’s personal development.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Towards fundamentalism: globalization, moral order and the case of Iran
    (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Lecamwasam, N.O.; Gunasekera, O.D.A.
    Globalization is a multi-faceted phenomenon that causes the steady erosion of political, cultural and economic boundaries of nations by facilitating an increasingly uniform world system. Culturally, globalization expects to substitute traditional and allegedly parochial cultural practices with so called progressive values which just happen to coincide with western ones. However, cultural globalization is not a simple matter of replacing one culture with another. The glaring incompatibilities between tradition and modernity have resulted in the stiff rejection of a global order by fiercely traditional societies for whom compromising their identity is not an option, thus making global culture a far-fetched dream. Iran stands as a classic example of such resistance. Despite its initial endorsement of modern American values during the Pahlavi regime, the country prioritized the preservation of conservative values after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. With the aim of discovering the connection between globalization and religious fundamentalism, the paper explores cultural and religious underpinnings of Iran’s transformation that collectively manifested themselves as an anti-globalization movement that regarded globalization as corrupt and extravagant, qualities with which the existing monarchy was identified. The turn to Islam was thus necessitated to preserve pristine Iranian values which were viewed as the essential anti-thesis of globalization. Using secondary sources including books and web articles, the paper takes a historical approach to Iran’s case and concentrates on the growing antipathy of traditional societies towards globalization which makes them cling to their familiar value systems ever more staunchly. In conclusion it argues that Iran’s value system cannot be considered backward simply because it is incompatible with that of the West. It does not arrest development in an absolute sense but simply offends the prospect of a global model of development which, after all, is only the ultimate measure of development in the eyes of the West.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Export competitiveness of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Sri Lanka: a case study based on the gem and jewellery sector
    (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Dollawatta, N.N.W.; Dasanayaka, S.W.S.B.
    The factors affecting the export competitiveness of Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) are very complex. From the firm’s point of view, the trading environment SMEs conducts their business play an important role. Thus, a trade-enabling environment, based on adequate trade policies, an efficient trade and customs administration and good infrastructure are critical for enterprises to compete effectively in the competitive global market. Today international competition became more innovative and knowledge based, understanding trade performance goes beyond the parameters of the traditional comparative advantage paradigm and stressed the role of technology and continuous innovation for international competitiveness. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to the assessment of export competitiveness by investigating the influence of firm and industry specific characteristics in the gem and jewellery products sub sector in Sri Lanka. Structured questionnaire survey followed by descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of data was performed to identify the key factors for the export competitiveness. This study revealed that the firms export orientation, human capital and technological capabilities have significant relations to the export competitiveness of the firms. Furthermore, the government policy, freight facilities and distribution, product variability, research and development, export market promotion attitudes at the industry and firm levels have significant impact for the export competitiveness.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Nutrition knowledge, food habits and healthy attitude of graduates on diet related chronic non-communicable disease: a cross sectional study in the Southern Eastern University of Sri Lanka
    (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Mufas, A.H.M.; Rifas, A.H.M.; Fareeza, A.H.L.; Perera, O.D.A.N.
    Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, are not transmitted from person to person, are of long duration and generally slow in progression. In Sri Lanka, diet-related chronic NCDs currently account for 18.3 percent of all deaths and 10.2 percent of public hospital expenditures. In 2025, chronic diseases are expected to account for 20.9 percent of all deaths. Implications of NCDs include reduced life expectancy, income and savings all of which have a great impact on the economic productivity of a country, bringing about the spiral of ill health and poverty. Graduates are an important section in the society and policy makers in future. Therefore, it is important to estimate the nutritional knowledge on the diet- related chronic NCDs among the graduates. A descriptive cross sectional study was undertaken to assess the nutrition knowledge on diet-related chronic NCDs among graduates of the south Eastern University of Sri Lanka. Purposive sampling method was used to select 200 graduates from different areas. Fifty (50) graduates from each batch from each faculty (Faculty of Applied Science, Faculty of Management studies and Commerce, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Islamic Studies and Arabic language) were recruited. Questionnaires containing 36 questions [Knowledge of Applied Nutrition (KN), Food Preparation (KP) and Perceived Confidence in Cooking Skills (PC)] were distributed. Knowledge was assessed using a score system, descriptive statistics and SPSS software package. The overall knowledge of graduates was poor; not a single graduate was identified with good knowledge. Gender, home area, religious group of the respondents were not associated with the knowledge level (p>0.05). 33% of Applied Science graduates had a satisfactory level of knowledge and it was significant when compared to the other faculties (p<0.05). 64.5% of graduates had obtained their knowledge from newspapers and magazines whilst, 3.5% of the graduates had obtained their knowledge from the nutritionist / dietitian.