Volume 11 - Issue 1 - 2022

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/29353

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The World Bank Grants for Improving Higher Education Quality in Sri Lanka: AHEAD Grant Implementation Issues & Lessons Learnt: A Case of University of Kelaniya
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya., 2022) Munasinghe, M. A. T. K.; Surangi, H. A. K. N. S.
This paper examines ongoing implementation issues of World Bank Grants for the Higher Education sector: Accelerating Higher Education and Development (AHEAD) at the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies of the University of Kelaniya. The qualitative research method, particularly a case study, was adopted to collect and analyze data through the lens of stakeholder theory. In-depth interviews were conducted with several key personnel involved in the project. The data was triangulated with additional project documents and observations. Specific critical issues were observed affecting the original implementation plans of the projects. Covid-19 has become the major unforeseen factor affecting volatilities in project targets, inclusive of changes in the expected level of ‘quality,’ particularly in student-related activities. Despite issues in procurements and constructions, several positive lessons were learnt. Findings should lead to a generation of benchmark data in addressing project implementation issues.
Impact of Quality of Work-life on Employee Productivity in Divisional Secretariats of The North-Western Province of Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya., 2022) Ekanayake, E. M. P. P.; Wanigasekara, W. A. D. K. J.
Public sector organizations in Sri Lanka are running through public funds, and it is vital to use those funds in an impactive manner. To measure whether public organizations are running effectively, productivity is an important concept to study. Previous scholars have analyzed and identified an ideaof work-life quality related to employee productivity. The majority of early researchers found a relationship between quality of work-life and employee productivity, but they do not focus on measuringthe impact of quality of work-life on employee productivity. This study fills the said gap by investigating the effects of quality of work-life on employee productivity. Employee productivity was measured using ACHIEVE model, and quality of work-life was measured using the Walton model. In the Walton model, there are eight quality indicators of work-life working conditions, social integration, adequate and fair compensation, occupied space by work in life, use of capacities at work, social relevance, opportunities at work, and constitutionalism. The population of this study was all employees working in divisional secretariat offices in Northwestern province; thesample size was 375 and useda random sampling technique. This research was a basic type of explanatory research, and primary data was used. Data were collected from employees covering all sections of divisional secretariats in the northwestern province. The result of this study indicated that there is a positive relationship between quality of work-life and employee productivity. At the same time, quality of work-life has a significant impact on employee productivity. Of eight indicators of quality of work-life, only four have influenced employee productivity. They are social integration, constitutionalism, social relevance, and occupied space by work. Concern about providing formal and informal integration among employees, freedom of expression, fair treatment,, and focus on social responsibility in divisional secretariat offices are vital aspects of employee productivity.
Factors Affecting Employee Turnover Intention and the Moderating Role of Gender: Evidence from the Laborer Category Employees Working in Katunayake Free Trade Zone of Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya., 2022) Piyasiri, S.; Weerasinghe, T. D.
Although the factors affecting employee turnover intention have been adequately studied in the extant literature in various contexts, minimum attention has been given to studying the actual effect of such factors on the role of gender, especially in the Free Trade Zones in Sri Lanka. Hence, the current study attempts to examine the effect of identified factors from literature, on employee turnover intention with the moderating role of gender on each antecedent. Predominantly adopting the deductive approach, quantitative strategy and cross-sectional time horizon, the study was conducted among a sample of 194 employees of the labourer category working in Katunayake Free Trade Zone via a survey questionnaire developed based on standard measurement scales. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample while the sample size was determined based on the Morgan table. Data analysis was done employing multiple regression analysis and the moderator analysis with Hayes process v3.5 macro in SPSS 26.0. Findings revealed that job satisfaction and organizational commitment have a negative relationship whereas job performance and job burnout adhere to a strong positive relationship with the employee turnover intention regardless of gender. Further, it is found that gender has no moderating effect on the hypothesized association. Accordingly, it is recommended for human resource professionals to focus more on each controllable factor affecting employee turnover intention which is more likely to convert into actual employee turnover adding costs to organizations in training and development, poor job performance, poor productivity, and emergency recruitments.
The Moderating Effect of Employee Well-Being between Employee Engagement and Firm Performance: Evidence from the Apparel Industry in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya., 2022) Mathushan, P.; Kengatharan, N.
Owing to globalization and dynamic business environment, organizations quest for sustaining their business performance by crafting various compelling strategies. Recently, employee engagement and well-being have gained dramatic popularity among managers and practitioners as a salient strategy to augment firm performance. Notably, the research studies on the nexus among employee engagement, employee well-being and firm performance are still nascent, and past findings are obscure. Moreover, the studies that have been conducted in developed countries cannot be generalisable to the developing countries since the variables are subject to country culture specific nature. To fill the void left by the earlier studies, the present study is designed to investigate the moderating role of employee well-being on the relationship between employee engagement and firm performance based on the sampled from Sri Lankan apparel industry. Using the convenience sampling technique, data were marshalled through a self-reported questionnaire from 177 employees working in the apparel industry in Sri Lanka. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS. The study shows a significant positive relationship between employee engagement and firm performance. The study further reveals a moderating effect of employee well-being on the relationship between employee engagement and firm performance”. The study contributed to the fronters of extant HRM literature and provided many useful practical implications that have been discussed at the end of the paper. Importantly, the present study adds to the evolving debate on the critical role of employee engagement in enhancing firm performance through employee well-being.
Exploring the Course and Causes: A Case Study on Navigating the Transition from Manual to Biometric-Fingerprint Attendance at a Sri Lankan State-owned Enterprises
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya., 2022) Fernando, P. B. D.
Employee resistance to change at State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) is a visible phenomenon in both local and global contexts. Though it’s an expanding and significant area, it’s also heavily understudied, depicting both literature and empirical gaps in the said scope. Under a qualitative approach, a case study strategy has been used to explore change and employee resistance in the Healthway General Hospital (HGH). In the light of the context, this study emphasizes the reasons behind employee resistance to changes, opportunities, and recommendations for improving change implementation in the SOE set. This paper recommends establishing a comprehensive employee union, actively involving employee unions’ inputs in strategy formulation, and for the Sri Lankan government to intervene in establishing a separate human resources department in HGH hospital. These key findings will contribute to expanding literature while strengthening the understanding of the researchers and practitioners in the scope of change management in SOEs.
Determinants of Career Indecision among Management Undergraduates in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya., 2022) Galhena, B.L.; Kumanayake, P. N.
The main purpose of this study is to identify the significant factors affecting career indecision in light of state university management undergraduates in Sri Lanka. In the light of literature, five independent variables namely self-efficacy, parental influences, the economic condition of the country, poverty level and career counselling facilities were identified. The sample was derived from 153 final year management students from two metropolitan and two rural state universities. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the necessary data. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. As per the key findings of the study, self-efficacy is the most significant factor impacting career indecision. Further, findings reveal that parental influences and career counselling services significantly explain the career indecision among the respondents. An understanding of the determinants of career indecision of management undergraduates is important for career counselling firms as they can pursue strategic intervention to reduce the level of career indecisions among management undergraduates. Further, the policymakers would be benefitted from these findings as they can understand the gravity of the problem along with the root causes behind the issue.
Predicting Global Mindset through Entrepreneurial Orientation: The Case of Information and Communication Technology Born-global in the Context of Developing Economies
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya., 2022) Jayasuriya, C. H.; Perera, G. A. T. R.
The founders' cognitive element: the global mindset to become global at the inception is mostly absent from the literature on born-global. Furthermore, the scope of research into the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on a born-global global mindset in underdeveloped countries is minimal. Thus, this study aims to explore the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on the global mindset. Using the structural equation modelling (SEM) analytic technique, the research hypotheses based on the literature on entrepreneurial orientation and a global mindset are examined with a sample of 295 Sri Lankan ICT-born-global firms. The results indicate that innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness have a favourable impact on the global mindset in Sri Lankan ICT-born-global. The most important managerial takeaway from this research is that entrepreneurs should work on enhancing their entrepreneurial processes to increase their receptivity to global opportunities.