Symposia & Conferences

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Converting a ‘Heathen’ King: Kotte under Missionary Pressure
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) de Silva, D.G.B.
Conversion of rulers to Christianity in the new territories where Portuguese temporal power was extended, remained a primary combined strategy of the State and the Church. The missionaries mistook the spirit of tolerance which prevailed among the ruler and the populace, as an open invitation to carry out the spread of their gospel. It was not at making ‘rice Christians’ out of beggars, concubines and other lowly strata of the society in which they made some progress, that they aspired, but of converting the rulers and courtiers in the hope that massive conversion would follow. The political circumstances in Sri Lanka were seen as conducive to bringing about the conversion of the ruler of Kotte, who was under immense pressure from his brother Mayadunne on one hand, and who was keen to receive Portuguese support for his grandson to succeed to the throne, on the other hand. To achieve this objective, immense pressure was brought Bhuvanekabahu personally by the chief Franciscans missionary who came with the king’s ambassadors. Other methods were tried later, which included the king’s beliefs and heaping insults on his religion. Finally, the king was exposed as not only unreliable, but proving ‘obstinate’. An opposition was built up against him through communications of the friars, including Francis Xavier, addressed to the king, the Viceroy and others. They even found fault with Portuguese authorities for extending patronage to Bhvanekabahu. Supported by Viceroy Alfonco de Souza, missionaries exerted to get the Portuguese sovereign to revoke the Royal Decree supporting Dharmapala to succeed him on the ground that he has caused the death of his son Jogu Bandara who was ready to be baptized. The death in Goa of the two princes whom the plotters wanted to crown in Dharmapala’s place and as the ruler of Jaffna and Kandy respectively brought the affair to an end. Bhuvanekabahu was personally insulted by the new Viceroy Noronnah who harassed him to part with money and was killed after the Viceroy left the shores by a Portuguese mulatto under very suspicious circumstances. Dharmapala was crowned immediately. From them onwards, the Portuguese made Dharmapala a tool in their hands to extend their political hegemony as well as proselytizing activities.
Unpublished Documents on the Sri Lankan Intellectual History of the 19th Century
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Mahindawansa, V.W.
The monks at Vidyalankara and Vidyodaya developed a nexus of links between local scholars and those of the world. They provided a major contribution to the development of Buddhist thought, not only in Sri Lanka, but in fact, to the beginning of an intellectual interest in Buddhism in the Western world. Outsiders with whom they linked sound like a Whose Who of Western World Buddhism. Thus, linked local Buddhist monk scholars amounted to around forty. The key nodal point was Waskaduwe Subhuti Thera whose Asian links included Japan, Burma, and Thailand, especially Thai royalty. He was proficient not only in Buddhist philosophy, but also in Western philosophy and several languages. He also took an interest in modern science and technology, being in fact, the first person in Sri Lanka to have an electric bell and a phonograph. Some of the primary documents associated with Subhuti Thera have been published by Guruge (Living Fountains of Buddhism, 1984). There is a considerable body of correspondence available in his temple and in temples that were associated with him that throw light on the intellectual life at the time. The paper describes these hitherto unpublished documents and summarises the contents which is relevant, not only to Sri Lankan intellectual history, but also to that of wider world.
Exploitation of the Sinhala Royal Youth in the Portuguese Extension of Power
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Edirisinghe, P.
"The cannon fire employed by the Portuguese was a new startling and often decisive element in warfare in the island (of Ceylon), but the warfare also called into play an unceasing battle of wits and cloak and dagger diplomacy no less than the use of armed soldiers in the field". Into this type of conflict, a technique of catching "young" was used for figures connected to Sinhala royalty with specifically the thrones of Kotte, Jaffna and Kandy. They were required to be converts to the new Christian faith. The paper will examine the following specific personages from Sinhala royalty thus exploited don juan Dharmapala, Karaliyadde Bandara alias Jayaweera, the sons of the lesser queens of Bhuvenekhabahu VII, Prince of Batticaloa, Yamasinghe Bandara alias Don Phillipe, Nikapitiya Bandara, Dom Jaoa (son of Yamasinghe Bandara), Don Juan of Austria alias Konappu Bandara alias Vimala Dharma Surya 1, Dona Catherina alias Princess Kusumasana Devi. The paper concludes by listing the general characteristics of such techniques of psychological warfare and their "successes" and failure in the Sri Lankan context.
The Nature, Problems and Challenges of Handicraft Industry in Sri Lanka
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Masakorala, P.P.
There are varies develop met strategies, which have been tested to develop Sri Lanka. But still the country is in the category of poor countries. In the attempt of attaining development there are several problems. Therefore and alternative ways are needed to overcome those problems. One alternative is the development of small -scale industries. In this study the possibility of handicraft industry as a small -scale industry as a solution to the present development problems is the focus. The scope is this study is to identify the problems and challenges of handicraft industry so that it can be integrated into the development process in such a way that it can be a partial solution to the present development problem. In this study five handicraft are selected. Marks making and woodcarving are wood based industries while handloom, lace and batik are textile- based industries of which the nature, problems and the challenges are studied. Under the nature of handicraft industries the raw material and the tools and equipments use, the nature of the labour, how they are finance and marketer, the social economic nature of the craftsmen is studied. Beside the handicraft related institutions and their role are also discussed. Under the problem of these industries the problems of access to raw materials, problems of labour attraction, problems of technology and finance and the marketing problems, the problems of institutions are identified. What craftsmen suggest to overcome those problems? However there are unique problems to each handicraft industry and there are common problems as well. Among the challenges of handicraft industry the scarcity and depletion of natural stocks of raw materials, the timely availability of raw materials and the finance, the discontinuity of craft skills, poor social recognitions of handicraft, poor income, migration to other jobs, reluctance to use new technology, inability to afford to by new technology, competition of imported substitute, high cost of production, the bureaucracy and the lack of extension programs of the institutions and the challenges of middle men are most important. When the current nature and the problems of handicraft industry are concern, in some aspect it can be a solution to the present development problem but not a perfect solution. These industries are less attractive to youth and they are closed to the cities. Therefore handicraft industry may not be a solution for the unemployment in the rural areas. The handicraft industry can be developed if the tourist industry grows. The government intervention is needed to promote the local market for handicraft. There are some potential, which can be utilize to improve handicraft industry.
The Impact of the Proportional Representation System on Presidential Powers in Sri Lanka
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Ragunadan, K.
The executive presidential system and the proportional representation (PR) are the cardinal aspects of the Second Republican Constitution (1978) of Sri Lanka. In the 1977 parliamentary general election, the UNP came to power with a huge five sixth majority and brought about drastic changes in the previous constitution (1972), under the leadership of J.R. Jayewardene. He emphasized that the Executive presidential system and the proportional representation (PR) are very essential to maintain political stability and to further the economic development of the country. These reasons were particularly put forward for the introduction of the executive presidential system and the PR. However, political parties and individuals had strongly criticized the UNP government when they effected these changes. The main criticism against the changes was that the presidential system would create a situation where all powers would be vested with one individual at the expense of parliamentary sovereignty. Also they were of the view that these changes have given more weigh to JR’s personal interests as well as to his arbitrary decisions. This dissatisfaction continued even after two decades of the working of the existing constitution. As far as the PR system is concerned, the UNP was of the view that the PR system would rectify the demerits of the previous election method of the First – Past –the Post – System (FPP) that was followed up to 1978 in Sri Lanka. However, this system also has inherent deficiencies. They are the creation of a weaker parliament, unstable government, violation and interruption in the use of presidential powers etc are the major drawbacks in the electoral system that need rectification to maintain a healthy democracy. As a result of the drawbacks of the PR and the executive presidential power, there was no consistency in political development in Sri Lanka. Particularly the function of parliament has been affected by its weaker position. Political instability and confrontational politics have been the two major issues in the recent past and also in the present situation. As a result, political parties, scholars as well as the majority of the public have opted for changes in these particular aspects of the existing constitution. The main argument in this context is whether the successive Sri Lanka presidents are enjoying their actual powers, even though they have enormous powers according to the constitution. To date experience shows that the parliamentary strength also influences the presidential powers in practice. In the light of these facts the purpose of the study is to examine: how far the electoral system is making an impact on the presidential powers and whether the PR electoral system consistently or inconsistently helps in the implementation of the presidential powers. The remedy to these will be pursued in the method of investigation, which will give more weight to empirical analysis. However, descriptive aspects are also necessary to strengthen the arguments of this study.
Human Resource Function in the Strategy Process: A Case for Convergence
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Wickramasinghe, V.
The future of human resource management (HRM) as a discipline and a profession is closely linked to the role played by the HR function in the organisational strategy process. Though the debate on HRM and HR function continues, some important issues have not been given the adequate attention they deserve. First, the credibility of management idea is partly determined by its diffusion across the world; such credibility will be enhanced if the idea is viewed to be applicable in various contexts. This issue led to raise the first research question: (a) to what extent does HR function plays a significant role in the organizational strategy process in Sri Lankan companies? The second issue pertains to how (if at all) modern approaches associated to HRM manage to find their way to Sri Lanka. Here, the debate on convergence versus divergence in management practices and the role of Multinational Companies (MNCs) and other drivers of globalisation are explored. Thus, (b) to what extent MNCs and other drivers of globalization can be attributed to play a part in the convergence of HRM practices? The research is also guided by four hypotheses. The answers to the two questions were sought from a sample of 78 HR managers in three categories of Sri Lankan manufacturing companies. The findings of the investigation led to argue that the transfer of HRM practices and philosophies cannot be solely attributed to MNCs and other drivers of globalization such as efficient communication systems, information technology, ISO standards, and international and professional institutions. The strength of the current local management practices and cohesion of institutions in Sri Lanka, which is arguably due to the colonial legacy and the beginning of unequal interactions with the West, have also played a major role.
An Analysis of the Prevailing Statistics Education in Sri Lanka and Feasible Solutions to Uplift it
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Wickramasinghe, R.I.P.; Indralingm, M.
Teaching statistics has not been an easy task in comparison with other disciplines. This is the common complain made by most of the teachers at all levels who teach statistics in Sri Lanka. Though the situation is such, it seems that no concrete steps have been taken to change the acute situation. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to analyze the prevailing difficulties in statistics education in Sri Lanka and to find feasible solutions to improve the situation to a higher level. As the entire statistics education is a broad one, and the preliminary statistics education has a direct impact on other levels of statistics education, in this paper the attention is given to discuss the preliminary statistics education in Sri Lanka. The initial attempt is to discuss and analyze the ongoing statistics education system in Sri Lanka. Those colonial methods of teaching that does not improve the level of the statistics education are also identified. The next step is to identify some strategies that are affordable as well as feasible. The aim of these new strategies is to create active teaching and active learning participation which cannot be seen in the colonial statistics education system. Non-technological strategies and new technological strategies are discussed and suitable arrangements are made to alter those technological strategies to suit Sri Lankan education system. Among the new technological strategies, an attention is given to introduce web media, multimedia and other techniques such as computer animations in this teaching process. In addition to those solutions, it is also suggested to eliminate the language barrier which is a one of the main obstacle to improve the level of statistics education in Sri Lanka.
People’s Consultation on Post-tsunami RRR in Sri Lanka
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Dissanayake, L.; Kaluthantiri, M.
A greater part of post-tsunami relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation (RRR) work in Sri Lanka has been carried out by government structures ad international and local organizations alike with little emphasis participation. The initial lapses in this regard can be written-off against the sheer magnitude on the disaster; all actors sacrificed participatory processes in order to meet urgent recovery needs on the ground. Information-sharing between local communities and recovery agents is vital for ensuring the success and sustainability of the tsunami recovery process in Sri Lanka. On one hand, it prevents systematic discrepancies between relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts and their corresponding needs on the ground. On the other hand, it builds ownership and trust in tsunami recovery and restores faith in the democratic process. This paper will attempt to share the experiences gained by attempting to strengthen capacities for tsunami recovery by: Carrying consultations at village-level in the tsunami-affected areas to ascertain the needs of the affected; disseminating information on tsunami-related issues and decisions to the affected communities and disseminating the findings of these consultations with policy-makers.
Irrigation in conflict Cross Boundary Water Management in a Context of Violent Conflict in East Sri Lanka
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Gaasbeek, T.
The research project described in this paper is conducted in the Allai Extension Scheme in Trincomalee district. In this scheme, covering some 7,000 hectares in its present form, farmers from Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim background have been living together since the 1950s. During the conflict that has ravaged much of North-East Sri Lanka, the villages in the scheme have seen extensive death and destruction. However, despite all this, the relevant government agencies and the farmers have managed to keep the irrigation system functioning to a reasonable extent. The central objective of this study is to gain insight into how the actors involved managed to keep large-scale irrigation schemes in Sri Lanka functioning to a reasonable extent during the conflict, and into what the consequences of the possible return of peace will be for the relationships between the different stakeholders. A more theoretical perspective underlying the study is on conflict and co-operation between non-combatants in situations of violent (intra-state, ‘ethnic’) conflict. In much of the research done on violent conflicts, non-combatants receive relatively little attention. If they do, they are often treated as either a pretty non-distinct support base, or as victims (refugees, traumatised people, raped women). I have found virtually no literature on how non-combatants identified with opposing groups of combatants deal with each other. The research is mainly qualitative in nature, primarily consisting of informal interviews, with some quantitative analysis where required to support the thesis.
Estate Tamil: A New Variety of Tamil
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Wijeratne, W.M.
Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) was under the British empire for about 150 years. The British brought about many changes. Linguistically, they are responsible for two major issues: firstly, they introduced English to Sri Lanka, secondly, they paved the path for the introduction of "Indian Tamil", a variety of Tamil spoken in Tamil Nadu. In Sri Lanka, "Indian Tamil" has been spoken mainly by the labourers, brought to Sri Lanka by the British planters (or by their agents), and their descendents. This, variety of Tamil was also called "Coolie Tamil" (Tamil spoken by the Coolies/labourers) as the users were labourers paid on a daily basis (who were Indian migrants). It was also named as 'toottat tamiL' (Estate Tamil, hereafter ET) and ‘malait tamil' (tea plantation Tamil). In Sri Lanka, over several decades, ET evolved independently. Therefore, it differs from Sri Lankan Tamil (SLT), spoken in northern and eastern parts of the country, as well as Tamil spoken in (South) India. The differences occur at every level of the language: phonology, morphology and syntax. SLT differs from Tamil spoken in Tamil Nadu (Indian Tamil) as it has retained several archaic features. Hence, obviously, IT contrasts with SLT. Yet, until recently ET and Tamil spoken in India were considered to be the same. As a result, the differences between ET and Indian Tamil were not noticed. Therefore, some considered these two varieties as the same. This paper is an attempt to exhibit some distinctive features in ET and show that ET and Indian Tamil are not identical. It discusses two main aspects of ET. First, it elaborates the sociolinguistic facts that caused the independent evolution of ET. Second, it discusses the distinctiveness of ET.
Study of the Changing Patterns of Religious Communication as Media Insights with Special Reference to Buddhist Concepts
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Mahendra, S.; Rajapaksha, C.
The intention of this study is to present some initial factors pertaining to the religious communication as reflected in media insights. In this direction, some concepts relating to Buddhism will be taken as the guiding model. These in turn will be examined in relation to the strengths, weaknesses and limitations in mass media channel such as the print the sound and the visual. Furthermore, the manner in which the religious communication was transferred from the traditional models to more modernistic mass media channels was also examined. This will be taken into consideration from the three mass media channels, the print, the sound and the visual. To what extent the impact of the religious message is disseminated and to what extent the socio -religious pattern of understanding to help elevate the masses in the field of ethics, morals and social upliftment into the recipient is the hypothesis of this study. The two ends of the study will consist of the communicator and the receiver as to the extent of the user orientation is moulded into a model will also be the extended study anticipating will be dealt as a research. In this study, a special emphasis is laid to gauge the intensity and the validity of religious studies with special reference to Buddhist teachings enabling us to promote a new model for mass media user. In this context, the present state of the mass media status will be examined empirically with a series of interviews with the user orientation techniques in communication studies. Followed by this, our observations and conclusions will be presented.
Why do some Investors prefer Fundamentally Weak Stocks?
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Weerakoon, Y.K.; Perera, C.
This study investigates ‘why do some investors prefer fundamentally weak stocks? The study about this matter is imperative and exciting because there are plenty of models to justify the investment in fundamentally strong stocks and at the same time those models debar the choice of fundamentally weak stocks. But among the stocks quoted in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) fundamentally weak stocks outperformed the market both in terms of liquidity as well as price boost. In order to discover the reasons, data have been gathered from a sample of active investors representing all categories of investors and analysed those using descriptive statistical tools. The pertinent secondary data compassionate to the hints and trends arising from the primary data gathered from the investors have used concurrently. A sample of stocks representing majority of the sectors in the CSE, whose trading volumes and number of transactions executed are among the highest in the market, were selected to study. The study finds that bulk of the investors consider fundamental variables of Net Asset Value, Price/Earnings Ratio and Dividend Yield. They also muscularly use the pattern of price movement for setting buying strategies. Majority of the investors are keen about their required rate of return, but pays very poor attention for the stock’s beta factor. Factors contain high degree of speculation such as trading on new information, react for improved quarterly results and high dividend expectation elevates the madness of investors to go after stocks. There is a strong correlation between the price of fundamentally weak stocks and number of trades. Investors desire fundamentally weak stocks because they are fundamentally weak. That is, the value of the stock is coming from other factors such as higher number of trades, availability of new information, improved quarterly results, high dividend expectations and the degree of foreign buying. That is why the stock price movement cannot be justified using fundamental approach. Moreover the low level of market values and the abnormal capital gains too responsible for the fondness of these stocks in excess of the fundamentally strong stocks.
The Decision Making Role of Women in the Public Sector of Sri Lanka
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Jayatilake, L.
In recent decades a widening of access of women to the employment has been recorded. However, the participation of women in decision-making at various levels in the public sector organizations is very low and the women in the highest management levels have increased only by twenty per cent. Therefore, this exploratory study locates women managers within the context of gender relations and managerial ideology in Sri Lanka. Further, an attempt has been made to identify how they have become dialectical in the arena of management. The questions to be answered in this research are: 1) How managerial positions in Sri Lanka’s public sector are distributed across male and female? 2) Are Sri Lankan public sector women managers distinctive in their managerial style? 3) How these managers have become dialectical with organizations in the process of acceding to top positions? and 4) How these managers have become dialectical with the family context in preserving such positions? This study, analyzes the experiences of twenty five Sri Lankan women who were holding senior-level management positions in five public sector organizations in the occupational categories of Education, Accountancy, Engineering, Medical Service, and Sri Lanka Administrative Service. In carrying out this study mainly the interpretive qualitative methodology and the feminist research approach have been adopted. The findings of this study reveal that Sri Lankan women have a non-traditional management style and they successfully manage the work-family interface. Accordingly, the majority of the married women managers lead successful marriage life. However, these women managers have pointed out two reasons as main dialectical with their organizations. They are stereotypical and traditional attitudes, employer’s ignorance and lack of enforcement of the regulations. According to this study, women still encounter obstacles to their advancement and the organizational constraints have thoroughly affected to the sex segregation in the managerial positions in their organizations. The sex segregation index value has been gradually increased in the last decade. This reveals that the job opportunities are not being equally distributed among males and females. Therefore, the policies and programmes have to be focused to promote equitable gender relations and division of labour within the household and the organization.
Sandesa Kavya Descriptions of Sites Destroyed by the Portuguese
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) de Silva, D.G.B.; Karunamuni, M.
The Portuguese encounter group consisting of over 40 multi-disciplinary researchers in a nearly two-year period study has been documenting the sites destroyed by the Portuguese in their cultural ("spiritual") and "temporal" conquest of Sri Lanka. The group has visited around 50 sites in different parts of the country from Jaffna in the North, to Devundara in the South, from Kotte in the West to Batticaloa in the East. Nearly thousand photographs of destroyed sites have been taken. A key element of the documentation included examination of Sinhalese, Tamil and Portuguese sources on the sites destroyed. Portuguese documents were a primary source for the acts of destruction of almost the entire key Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim centres of worship along the Western coast. In attempting to reconstruct how these centres, especially the Buddhist ones looked like in the pre-Portuguese period, the group took recourse to Sinhala literature specially, the Sandesa Kavyas which were written between the 14th to 16th centuries. The Sandesa Kavyas thus used included the Gira, Hansa, Kokila, Mayura, Parevi, Salalihini, Sevul and Tisara. In using this material, the poetic metaphor and ornamental descriptions were discounted while concrete descriptions such as "fivestorey building", "vihara to the North" etc were taken into account. 194 verses were found in the Sandesa literature describing the sites, specially the better-known ones. Sites described in the literature include Agbo Vehera (Weligama), Attanagalla Raja Maha Vihara, Barandi Kovila, Dalada Medura (Kotte), Delgamu Vehera, Devinuwara, Dorawaka Vehera, Galpatha, Galapatha, Ganananda Pirivena, Gangatilaka Vihara (Kalutara), Kadurugoda (Jaffna peninsula), Kali Kovila, Kelaniya, Keragala, Kotte city, Mapitigama Vihare, Nawagamuwa Devale, Paiyagala Vehera, Ratgam Vehera, Saman Devale Ratnapura, Totagamuwa,Veherakanda , Vidagama. The site descriptions before the destruction were correlated with Portuguese acts of destruction, for example in the vivid description on the sacking of Devinuwara. The descriptions in the two language realms, namely Sinhala and Portuguese were then correlated with the actual site situation today and the ruins existing. The paper summarizes this corpus of descriptive verse.
Expectations and Reality of Tourism Development: A Case Study on Unawatuna, from the South Coast Tourist Region of Sri Lanka.
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Guruge, K.G.
During the nineteen sixties international tourism began to play an important role in the economy of the newly independent countries of Asia, Africa, and South Africa, and these countries embraced international tourism as a medium to overcome their economic ills, such as the acute shortage of foreign exchange, chronic unemployment and slow economic growth. In short, development of tourism was considered as the Passport to Development. Since 1967 Sri Lanka too has launched several measures to develop her tourist industry with the aim of achieving several objectives, such as creation of employment opportunities, generation of foreign exchange, development of peripheral areas. Tourism sector was expected to develop in an organized manner. But due to the urgency of meeting the expectations relied on tourism development, and also due to the profitability of this new area of economy, there was a big rush for investing in tourism development. Since the initiation of tourism development in Sri Lanka (in 1967), it was seen that peripheral regions were considered as potential areas for tourism development. With the introduction of tourism these regions have experienced positive as well as negative impacts, especially alone the south coast tourist region. The present paper is centered on analyzing the pros and cons of tourism development, in Unawatuna, located in the south coast tourist region of Sri Lanka. The rich environmental quality in the area has attracted most of the tourists who travelled beyond Galle, and within a time span of little more than two decades, Unawatuna has transformed into a very popular beach tourist destination.
Impediments in the Socio, Educational, Economic and Political Developments of Muslims
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Senadhiraja, A.
The main argument of this paper is to analyze the diverse aspects of impediments in the social, educational, economic and political problems of Sri Lanka during and after the independence. This had contributed to the development of a modern era period them. In Sri Lanka the “Muslim, population” is considered as a considerable and measurable social entity. It had its own development from colonial and post –colonial times. They are denominated as ‘Muslim Minority’ and a measurable social entity. In Sri Lanka, Muslims have earned a reputation as traders and businessmen. But infect, the majority of Muslim population in the island are engaged agricultural but not in commercial pursuits. There are certain impediments for their developments. One among them is the corporate – joint family system that tends to inhibit efficient management. Around the post – colonial period, there were number of problems faced by the Muslims. Muslims as a ‘Minority’ had to face various problems like other minority communities. And also, there were number of (mainly two) literary traditions had emerged regarding the origin and development of the Muslim community. Regarding the political problems, the Muslim community did not have any representatives in the legislative council. But Dr. T.B. Jayah was the pioneer in the political field, and the predecessors had to confront number of difficulties. The economy of the Muslim community was entirely depended on the trade and commerce. But the Muslim community in the Eastern Province is predominantly farmers and their economy depends mainly on the paddy cultivation. There is a considerable numbers of fishermen also among them they too confront many problems. In the Educational sphere, they did not show much promise when compare to other communities. A Very small percentage of them was able to get a good education. But in due course, they understood the value of education (English medium) and improved the standard of it. The late Mr. A.M.A. Azeez was very instrumental in up-liftmen the standard of education. This improved the situation and paved the way for many of students to enter higher educational institutions.
Assessment of innovative business opportunities and models to serve aging population in Sri Lanka
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Pathiratna, L.P.S.M.; Dasanayake, S.
In year 2040, Sri Lanka will have a 36 per cent of old age dependants in their total population. However, these changes in age structure have some important implications and repercussions; which can either be favourable or unfavourable on the Sri Lankan economy and society. However, in Sri Lanka there are very limited research findings related to aging studies except those from population statistics. Therefore, it was felt necessary an in-depth investigation to identify the specific goods and services the aging population demands in the Sri Lankan context. A major assumption of the research was that the existing mechanisms were not sufficient to serve the growing proportion of the aging population in Sri Lanka without the active involvement of both the government and the private sector, through innovative business models. The survey method, with sufficient brainstorming discussions were practiced to acquire sufficient data to analyse the real needs, wants and demands of the aging population of the Greater Colombo area of Sri Lanka. Population was the Greater Colombo aging population. Sample size of the study was 100 respondents, entrepreneurs and service providers. Data analysis was completed by using SPSS package. Analytical findings of this research clearly indicate that in Sri Lanka there aren’t sufficient mechanisms to serve aging populations using innovative business models. Further, the involvement of the business sector is also limited to serve the aging population. This is due to high business risk and minimum government support to develop suitable infrastructure to serve the aging population. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that government policies be formulated to promote the private sector to serve the aging population of Sri Lanka using innovative business models. Moreover, it is recommended that to implement joint efforts by the government and the private sector to serve the aging population in Sri Lanka and this would lead to create win-win situation for both the business sector and the aging population of Sri Lanka.
The Impact of Affective Factors in the L2 Class and a Technique to Overcome them
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Suwandaratna, D.
English language came into existence in Ceylon with the arrival of British in 1796. However, a need to teach it arose much later namely, when British felt the need of a "nucleus of native loyalists for their political stability and for the advancement of commercial interests". (Jayasuriya J.E.-1961: 1). Strategies adopted to meet these needs were ‘teaching English’ and ‘Christianisation’ of natives. English was needed to prepare natives for government employment and Christianisation was contemplated to civilise the natives whom British thought were ‘heathens’ (Sumathipala K.H.M. 1968: 01). Christian missionary societies wholeheartedly supported the latter. Although missionaries accepted native languages as the best media for ‘conversion’ they approved the former with the idea of reaching the “children of the higher social class "(ibid). This made commoners to associate English with Ceylonese elite. Levy of money for English education kept English out of the reach of the poor. Insistence of English as a pre requisite for government jobs, made English educated eligible for state jobs too. Introduction of the British public school curriculum which inculcated Christian and English ideals in English schools alienated the English educated from native languages and their cultures. Thus, during British rule English educated were an educated, wealthy, powerful esoteric group practising European life style. Following words of Fernando “ability to be at ease in English is a symbol of status, power, intelligence and breadth of vision“. (Fernando, Siromi 1986:46) prove the powerful position English occupies here even today. On account of this those who are skilled in English like to exhibit that proficiency; those non-proficient in it prefer to hide that fact. This paper discusses a technique based on vague pictures prepared to focus attention on meaning. Specially designed pictures which can be interpreted on the basis of the clues found in them are displayed on the board and students are asked to study these pictures carefully and interpret them, taking into consideration details like shadows ,position of various objects and postures of the people in them . As the pictures are vague, intelligent guesswork is necessary to understand them. In order to verify matters, students have to ask questions too. This encourages them to formulate meaningful language constructions as well. Purpose of the questions being eliciting information needed to interpret pictures, students’ aim here is meaning. Therefore, at this point they are prepared to use the language by means of whatever vocabulary and grammar they have at their disposal. This form of natural language, according to Rivers provides opportunities to students to test their ‘Hypotheses’ about L2.The other advantage is class begins to accept learner’s ‘Interim grammar’. (Rivers, W, M. 1983: 13) This ‘Interim grammar’ incidentally is what Nesmer defines as Approximative System. Nemser William in Richard (ed.) 1974; 63). This technique was tried out in E.L.T.U. classes, and the student participation was very encouraging.
Audience Acculturation as an Organizational Control Strategy: Transferability of Japanese Management Practices to Sri Lankan Workers: Case Study of Harness Lanka Ltd
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Rathnasiri, C.; Pallewatta, R.
This paper aims to examine the role of culture building process of an organization and its influence on the effectiveness in establishing desired organizational controls. It further highlights the function of organizational culture ’alien’ or ‘indigenous’ in effecting behavioural control in employees with a view to achieving common goals of the organization. The acculturation or ‘training on culture’ is significant as this phenomenon is studied in the context of Japanese management culture prevalent in the organization that supplies a high security component to a leading supplier, to Toyota Corporation Management controls refer to sum total of all formal and informal arrangements designed to monitor and direct current actions of organizational participants directed at achieving organizational objectives. Control mechanisms in organizations are instrumental in motivating, monitoring, measuring, the sanctions and actions of managers and employees (Macikntosh, 1994). They include formal apparent mechanisms and informal intangible mechanisms. Formal ones are management structure, operational controls, reward systems, budgeting, standard operating rules and procedures, strategic planning system, etc. Informal mechanisms are leadership and organization culture. The control techniques and procedures are outputs of leader’s control orientation and the specific organizational culture (Hopper and Mackintosh, 1993). This research in the form of a case study with grounded theory approach illustrates the culture building mechanisms and the control function of culture. The research site is a Board of Investment approved export-oriented Japanese investment managed by a Sri Lankan CEO whose culture blinding initiatives are phenomenal. It has been vividly illustrated as to how elements of trust, self – control and voluntary control of employees ensure superior performance. The product that is produced is unique as it requires extra effort of diligence and gilt-edged precision. While maintaining these requirements, the employees are able to achieve performance targets easily. The management structure is also unique - CEO and workers, no managers are found in the hierarchy. This facilitates the CEO’s direct involvement in building the culture that regulates behaviour of employees in the desired direction. It is also evident that transferability of Japanese management elements has been quite successful. In summary, the case provides a sound illustration about the importance of acculturation process and the instrumentality of organizational culture in effecting management controls.
A New Approach to Typological Classification of Pottery: A Case Study of Lower Kirindi oya Basin in Southern Sri Lanka
(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Dissanayake, R.D.
This is an analytical study of ancient pottery recovered from the Lower Kirindi oya Basin (LKB) in Hambantota district of the Southern Province. In the period between 1999 and 2002, an area of 300 km2 around the Tissamaharama town were surveyed as a part of a project designed to research urban origins of Southern Sri Lanka. 128 hitherto unknown archaeological sites comprising a dense surface scattering of ancient potsherds have been discovered as a result of the survey. Eight locations among them were selected for excavation Present study is based on an assamblage of archaeological pottery obtained through excavations. This paper seeks to present the new typological classification, which derived from the analysis. The methodology of the new classification can be discussed under two headings i.e., the practical aspect interpretative approach of the analysis. The data derived from an ethnographic survey conducted in the lower Kirindi Oya basin was used assuming the probable vessel function and their technology. Identification of the shape of a vessel was considered as the major requirement for interpretation. The physical appearance of vessel including surface treatment and the design elaborated might have been inspired by the potter’s psyche and with number of other factors. This leads us to understand the significance of having a polythetic approach in typological classification considering both aspects of utilitarian and collective social psychology and their governing factors, of pottery manufacture in the past.