Commerce and Management
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Item Examining the factors influencing English as a Second Language learning: A teacher's perspective in the case of Walasmulla Educational Zone, Hambantota District, Sri Lanka(KALAM International Research Journal Faculty of Arts and Culture South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, 2024) Dineshika, H.K.P.This study investigates the factors influencing English as a Second Language (ESL) learning from teachers' perspective in the Walasmulla Educational Zone, Hambantota District, Sri Lanka. Recognizing the challenges students face in learning English, it seeks to answer these key research questions: a) What psychological factors influence ESL learning in Walassmulla Educational Zone? b) What social factors affect ESL learning in the same context? and c) What are the teachers’ recommendations for addressing these challenges in the selected context? The study used qualitative data from fifteen randomly selected English language teachers. Data was collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, while thematic analysis was employed for qualitative data analysis. The results revealed that psychological factors, such as students' shyness, fear of speaking, negative teacher evaluations, and lack of confidence and motivation, significantly hindered ESL learning. Additionally, social factors like classroom behaviour, exposure to the language, family background, and the perception of English as merely a subject further affected their progress. The study highlights practical recommendations to address these psychological and social barriers, offering insights into overcoming the challenges of learning English in the Sri Lankan context. This research underscores the importance of addressing psychological and social factors in enhancing ESL education.Item Impact of Corporate Governance on Intellectual Capital Efficiency - Evidence from Sri Lankan Banking Sector(Journal of Accountancy and Finance, 2024) Weerasinghe, I.K.H.N.; Thilakasiri, K. K.The study explores the intricate link between Corporate Governance (CG) factors and Intellectual Capital (IC) efficiency within the Sri Lankan banking sector. It delves into the impact of variables such as Board Size (BSIZE), Board Activity (BACT), Board Independence Composition (BIND), Audit Committee Size (AUDS), and Frequency of Audit Committee Meeting (AUDM) on Intellectual Capital, treating the latter as the dependent variable. For the five years between 2018 and 2022, the research technique comprises a thorough investigation of banking sector company in Sri Lanka, excluding three banks. The goal of the study is to obtain understanding of the connection between CG variables and IC efficiency through secondary data analysis using data from stock market transactions and audited financial statements. The main analytical tools are descriptive statistics and regression modeling, which enable a detailed comprehension of the relationship between CG dynamics and IC efficiency. Through a detailed examination of these variables across time and across different financial institutions, the study seeks to illuminate the ways in which CG practices impact the creation and application of IC in the banking industry. In the conclusion, the results of this study are important not only for scholars but also for professionals and decision-makers in the banking sector in Sri Lanka. The study provides significant insights that can guide strategic decision-making, governance reforms, and resource allocation within banking institutions, ultimately leading to improved organizational efficiency and long-term sustainability. This is achieved by revealing the complex relationships between Corporate Governance and Intellectual Capital.Item Fostering work engagement: The effects of reverse mentoring and knowledge sharing(Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 2024) Harshani, M. D. R.; Jayawardana, A. K. L.; Atapattu, A. W. M. M.Work engagement is crucial for organisational success, yet many organisations struggle with low engagement rates. Previous research hints at a potential link between reverse mentoring and work engagement, prompting a deeper investigation into this relationship. Drawing from the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework and Social Exchange Theory (SET), this study examines the impact of reverse mentoring on work engagement, with knowledge sharing as a mediating factor and self-efficacy and perceived organisational support as moderators. Through a survey of 340 middle managers across 10 multinational corporations in Sri Lanka, the study reveals significant effects between reverse mentoring and work engagement, with knowledge sharing playing a crucial mediating role. Additionally, the study demonstrates the moderating influences of self-efficacy and perceived organisational support on work engagement and knowledge sharing, thus contributing novel insights to the existing literature in the shade of JD-R and SET perspectives.Item Improving community vitality: spiritually informed entrepreneurial actions(Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 2024) Dissanayake, S.; Pavlovich, K.; Kovács, G.Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to depict how entrepreneurs improve community vitality in the economic, social and environmental dimensions. The paper joins the conversation of business spirituality as the study participants were Sri Lankan Buddhist entrepreneurs from the emerging venture context (i.e. from enterprises which are less than 1–10 years old). The aim of the paper is to introduce spiritually informed entrepreneurial actions, thus contributing to a better understanding of entrepreneurial impact on communities. Design/methodology/approach The paper involves a qualitative, interpretivist research design. Data was collected by conducting 28 semi-structured interviews with 18 Sri Lankan Buddhist entrepreneurs. Research participants were selected from diverse business sectors. The research applied inductive thematic analysis for structuring and interpreting data. Findings For Sri Lankan Buddhist entrepreneurs, improving community vitality is an essential altruistic goal of their business agenda. During the operations of their ventures, this altruistic goal is translated into altruistic actions that improve the economic, social and environmental vitalities of communities. Research findings highlight that in the case of Sri Lankan Buddhist entrepreneurs, altruistic actions are informed by compassion, which is a fundamental value in the Buddhist religion. Drawing on the findings, an integrated model of community vitality, which describes the role of compassion and the mechanisms of entrepreneurial actions in a Buddhist setting was developed inductively. Originality/value Studying entrepreneurial actions to focus on the motivations behind improving community vitality is a new research topic. The paper provides valuable knowledge on business spirituality regarding the compassionate motivations of Buddhist entrepreneurs. The integrated model of community vitality, which describes the mechanisms of entrepreneurial actions to improve community vitality in a Buddhist setting could be an essential compass not only to entrepreneurs but also research scholars in the field of business spirituality.Item Customer Shopping Value on Brand Loyalty: Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction: A Study on E-Commerce Industry in Western Province, Sri Lanka(2024) Madushika, R. A. L.; Dissanayake, D. M. R.; Udovita, ViduniThis study explores the impact of customer shopping value on brand loyalty within Sri Lanka's burgeoning e-commerce sector, emphasizing the roles of utilitarian and hedonic values. Utilizing a positivist philosophy and deductive approach, authors have collected and analyzed data from 384 respondents in the Western Province. The findings confirm that both utilitarian and hedonic values significantly influence brand loyalty, with customer satisfaction mediating this relationship. The study highlights the need for e-commerce managers to prioritize both functional and experiential aspects of shopping to foster loyalty. Future research should expand this investigation across various industries, demographic groups, and technological contexts, considering additional mediating and moderating factors such as trust, security, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility. These insights will help develop targeted strategies to enhance customer satisfaction and brand loyalty in diverse settings.Item Revitalising Export Orientated SMEs of Sri Lanka with Trade Credit Insurance(2024) Jayaweera, Asha; Bhaumik, Amiya; Liyanage, ChaturaFinancial losses due to unsettled receivables from commercial debtors, which expose them to enhanced credit risk, pose a serious challenge to the profitability and expansion of export-orientated small and medium enterprises (SMEs) the world over. Trade credit insurance is a specialised insurance product that aims to mitigate credit risk by protecting the account receivables of businesses involved in international trade. However, the adoption of trade credit insurance amongst export-orientated SMES remains strikingly low. The purpose of this paper was to examine the effectiveness of the use of trade credit insurance in raising the profitability levels of export-orientated SMEs, the reasons for its low adoption rate, and strategies to encourage enhanced utilisation of it among SMEs. The quantitative methodology was employed by way of a survey in conducting this study, which included a sample of 345 managers or owners of export-orientated SMEs in Sri Lanka. Descriptive analysis revealed that 20.9% of the respondents were unaware of the existence and benefits of trade credit insurance, and only 63.2% were utilising trade credit insurance. Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that SMEs that employed trade credit insurance in mitigating trade credit risk showed significantly higher growth in profitability in comparison to those who did not. Therefore, to revitalise the export-orientated SMEs and enhance their contribution towards the economic prosperity of the country, it is recommended to increase awareness of trade credit insurance among them and strengthen their risk management culture while improving the service quality of service providers.Item Impact of Environmental Knowledge on Green Purchase Intention: Examining the Mediating Effect of Young Business Executives’ Attitudes Towards Green Products in Developing Country Contex(2023) Cooray, W. H. H.; Patabendige, S. S. J.; Mirando, U. J.Green purchasing behavior, characterized by acquiring and consuming environmentally friendly products, has gained significant attention in recent years. However, scholars posit that transitioning to "going green" necessitates a fundamental shift in consumer behavior patterns. This study aims to enhance the understanding of green purchasing behaviour among young business executives (aged 24-39) in Sri Lanka's Western Province. It investigated the combined influence of environmental knowledge (both subjective and objective) and attitudes towards green products on green purchase intention. Specifically, the study examined the direct relationship between subjective and objective environmental knowledge with green purchase intention and the potential mediating effect of attitudes toward green products on this relationship. Employing a survey-based methodology, questionnaires were distributed through a convenient sampling technique to the target population within the Western Province. Data analysis utilized correlation and regression techniques via SPSS 26 software. The findings reveal that objective environmental knowledge exerts a greater influence on green purchasing decisions than subjective environmental knowledge. It is also found that more than environmental knowledge directly translating into green purchasing intention, it is the attitudes of the decision-makers toward the environment that act as a conduit. These findings, therefore, yielded valuable insights for marketers and others interested in promoting green consumption, empowering them to make informed decisions and develop effective strategies.Item Examining the adoption of technology-enhanced learning in universities and its effects on student performance, satisfaction, and motivation(2024) Yan, Liang; Chen, Shujie; Abeysekera, Ruwan; O’Sullivan, Helen; Bray, Jeff; Keevill-Savage, IzzyThe integration of technology in Higher Education has witnessed substantial growth in recent years. While extensive research has explored the collective educational implications of Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) at universities, there remains an incomplete understanding of its effects on individual students when viewed through the lens of Person-Environment misfit theory and technostress. This paper aims to fill this gap by examining the impact of student and university misfit when adopting TEL and technostress on students' performance, satisfaction, and motivation. Utilizing a quantitative survey, we gathered data from a sample of 332 Higher Education students in the UK. The results reveal the significant influence of student and university misfit in adopting TEL on academic performance, satisfaction, and motivation. Moreover, the findings highlight the mediating role of technostress in these intricate relationships. Our research indicates that technostress stems not from the use of technology itself but from the misfit between students and the university learning environment. To address this, universities should enhance students' sense of belonging by offering additional pastoral and academic support. Moreover, providing training to boost students' digital confidence and skills is crucial. Creating a psychologically healthy technology-enhanced learning environment will ensure a more pleasant learning experience, alleviating student technostress.Item Exploring values, orientation, and motives towards corporate social responsibility: SME owners’ and managers’ viewpoint in Sri Lanka(Springer Nature, 2024) Shamil, Mohamed M.; Surangi, H. A. K. N. S.; Mallawarachchi, M. A. D. H.The paper aims to explore small and medium enterprise (SME) owners’ and managers’ personal values, orientations, and motives towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) using the stakeholder theory. This study used a qualitative approach aligned with the constructionism philosophy. Ten respondents were purposively approached and interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to analyze and interpret data. Findings showed that SME owners and managers’ values, orientation, and motives influence CSR engagement and explain their nexus. This study gives a unique perception of awareness among SME owners and managers in Sri Lanka about CSR implementation while contributing to the existing area. It is proposed to conduct an in-depth exploration of the complexity in which CSR initiatives are embedded in the SME sectors of developing countries. This study will become a benchmark for other CSR studies.Item Impact of supply chain agility on customer value and customer trust: Moderating effect of price sensitivity in healthcare industry(2024) Mirando, U. J.; Herath, H. M. R. P.This study investigates the impact of supply chain agility on customer value and customer trust while investigating the role of price sensitivity as a mediating variable in the healthcare industry. A quantitative methodological approach was used. This was crosssectional descriptive research based on a survey method, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The sample consisted of 384 respondents who had already used healthcare facilities. The sampling technique was convenience sampling and collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The study indicated that supply chain agility positively impacts customer value and customer trust, while there is no moderation role of price sensitivity in the healthcare industry. Previous scholars revealed that there is a strongly available association between supply chain agility and customer value. But no attempt was undertaken to investigate the impact of supply chain agility on customer trust while moderating the role of price sensitivity.