Commerce and Management

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    Impact of the Management of Work Environmental Hazards on the Perceived Quality of Occupational Health and Safety among Operational Employees in Construction Industry
    (Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Devadas, U. M.; Wijesooriya, M. A. L. S.
    The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries in a country due to the nature of the products and the processes involved. In Sri Lanka, the construction industry plays a major role in the national economy. However, the prevention of such work environmental hazards still needs more attention in the construction field. The field currently reports a high level of accidents on construction sites that are either major or minor. Further, environmental hazards in the construction field in Sri Lanka have not been sufficiently studied empirically. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the work environmental hazards and their impact on the perceived quality of occupational health and safety among construction employees in the construction industry in Sri Lanka. The researchers used the quantitative survey method for this study on a sample of 154 construction employees, randomly selected. Correlation and regression analysis were utilized as the data analysis methods. The findings revealed that the management of environmental hazards have a significant positive impact on operational employees’ perception of the quality of health and safety. The authors highlighted possible behavioral issues of employees such as retention issues if managers are not seriously committed towards improving the quality of their health and safety management practices. Towards this end, among other directions, the researchers highlighted implications to policy, practice, and research with suggestions for empowering HRM in the industry, following best practices, and pursuing innovative and varied research qualitatively and quantitative to study the phenomena in a more context based manner.
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    Factors Influencing on Career Choice of Management and Commerce Undergraduates in National Universities in Sri Lanka
    (Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Saranapala, I. S.; Devadas, U. M.
    Selecting one’s career wisely and rightly is a core factor for performance, individual satisfaction and societal wellbeing. Identifying what determines career choice among undergraduates can have many a benefit. This study, therefore, aims at exploring the influence of various factors on career choice decision among management and commerce undergraduates in national universities in Sri Lanka. The existing literature in this regard, within the study context, is skeletal, and that this study, having explained about the socio-demographical composition of management and commerce undergraduates, achieved three research objectives; to assess the level of career choice among Sri Lankan national university management and commerce undergraduates; to identify the priorities of factors affecting career choices; and thirdly, to assess the influence of such career choice factors on level of career choices among Management and Commerce undergraduates in the national universities in Sri Lanka. This study designed as a postpositivist study, taking all national universities that have commerce and management streams as the population while using systematic random sampling. Data were collected using self reported questionnaire from 371 final year management and commerce, undergraduates in six Sri Lankan national universities. Correlation and regression analysis were used in analyzing data. Survey results revealed that personal factors and Job-related factors are the most influential factors on determining graduates’ career choice. Researchers concluded that, personal factors highly influence on career choices that implicate graduates be choosier in deciding their careers rather accepting available and demanded careers in the country. Further, it was concluded that majority of the graduates, concerned have moderately level career awareness. That implicates that graduates may not find their rightly matching career at their earliest, instead, they may realize it, after starting work. The identified implications guided the authors to recommend strong career development activities by the universities through their curricula and out of curricula activities to create career awareness of the most demanding and prioritized careers while motivating the graduates to accept such available careers.
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    THE IMPACT OF FLEXIBLE WORKING ARRANGEMENTS ON WORK-LIFE INTEGRATION WITH THE MEDIATING EFFECTS OF WORK STRESS AMONG STAFF-LEVEL EMPLOYEES IN ABC BUSINESS COMPANY
    (Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2025) Piyumi, S. A. N.; Devadas, U. M.
    The IT sector plays a crucial role in all industries and affects the country's economic growth. Within the competitive, technologically driven, and dynamic economic environment of today, Sri Lanka's Information Technology sector (IT Sector) has emerged as one of the fastest-growing industrial sectors. However, according to literature, the IT sector employees suffer high work-life imbalance, workload and work stress and have a high employee turnover rate. Therefore, this study aims to identify the impact of flexible working arrangements on work-life integration with the mediating effects of work stress among staff-level employees at ABC Business Company. The data were collected from eighty-six respondents using Google Forms. The research analysis methods used were Descriptive analysis, Simple linear regression, and Sobel test. The results show that the relationship between Flexible working Arrangements and Work-life integration is partially mediated by Work stress. The other findings are the level of Work-Life Integration in the research is medium. The independent variable indicates a moderate level of perception of flexible working arrangements among the respondents. The mediating variable indicates a moderate level of work stress among the respondents. Furthermore, flexible working arrangements have a significant impact on work-life integration, there is a significant impact of Flexible working arrangements on work stress, and work Stress has a significant impact on work-life integration. Therefore, managers of ABC Business can make decisions related to their employees and implement relevant solutions to enhance their perception of flexible working arrangements and to implement favorable work-life integration initiatives. Moreover, managers can arrange indoor and outdoor training sessions and programs that improve employee well-being, mental health & work-family enrichment and introduce distinct types of flexible working arrangements such as compressed work weeks/hours, and part-time work to enhance coping skills at work. Moreover, it is recommended that managers provide adequate opportunities for individuals who struggle to manage both work and family.
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    FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYEE TURNOVER INTENTIONS OF EXECUTIVE LEVEL EMPLOYEES AT ABC APPAREL PVT. LIMITED
    (Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2025) Hewage, C. M.; Devadas, U. M.
    Employee turnover has become a greater challenge for companies in a highly competitive business environment. This study has been carried out to understand the factors that affect employee turnover intention of executive level employees of ABC Company with 160 respondents. In this study, work stress, burnout, compensation and benefits, and growth opportunities were considered as the underlying reasons for turnover intentions. This research is carried out according to a quantitative approach with a structured survey, used to collect data from executive level employees of ABC Company. Descriptive statistics, regression, and correlation analysis were used in conducting the data analysis for the current study. The findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between work stress, burnout, compensation & benefits, growth opportunities (independent variables), and employee turnover intention (dependent variable). According to data analysis, employees experience a high level of burnout and moderate level of work stress, while the employees are moderately satisfied with compensation, benefits, and growth opportunities. Further, it was identified that there is a significant impact of work stress, burnout, compensation & benefits, and growth opportunities on employee turnover intention. This study shows the importance of addressing issues related to work stress and burnout through targeted interventions, such as implementing stress management programs, offering career counseling services, and fostering a supportive work environment. It is important to enhance employee growth opportunities and consistently update salaries, wages, and benefits in par with the industry’s benchmark and employees’ needs as well. The research has different limitations as it focuses solely on ABC Company executive level employees. Also, the cross-sectional design does not capture longitudinal changes in turnover intentions or organizational dynamics over time. Hence, further research can be conducted to overcome these limitations and investigate more factors that contribute to employee turnover intention.
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    EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND LEGAL RECOURSE AWARENESS IN THE CORPORATE SECTOR IN COLOMBO
    (Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2025) Fernando, K. S. V.; Devadas, U. M.
    This study examines the awareness of employee rights and legal recourse mechanisms in the corporate sector of Colombo, addressing the issue of limited knowledge among employees and challenges in accessing justice. The research aimed to assess awareness levels, identify influencing factors, and explore barriers to legal remedies, contributing to improved labor practices. A qualitative research approach was employed, guided by the critical research paradigm, which explores power dynamics and structural inequalities. Purposive sampling was used to select nine participants from diverse sectors, including banking, logistics, technology, and apparel, to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the issue. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis, with a structured coding process to identify key themes and patterns. The research followed the case study protocol outlined by Dul and Hak (2008) to ensure rigorous analysis and consistency across interviews. The findings reveal substantial gaps in awareness of statutory protections and legal mechanisms, varying significantly across sectors and organizational contexts. Employees in highly regulated industries demonstrated higher awareness due to union influence and compliance requirements, while those in less structured environments faced challenges such as inadequate training and poor internal communication. The study concludes that improving labor law dissemination and strengthening grievance mechanisms are crucial for fostering equitable workplaces. Key recommendations include implementing mandatory rights-awareness training, simplifying access to legal recourse, and enhancing institutional frameworks to improve accessibility. This research contributes to policy by advocating effective labor regulations, assists organizations in promoting compliant and inclusive cultures, and enriches academic discourse on employee rights in developing economies.
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    IMPACT OF FACTORS AFFECTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY BEHAVIOR AMONG EMPLOYEES OF ABC GOVERNMENT MINISTRY
    (Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2025) Kahanda, K. D. K. N.; Devadas, U. M.
    Employees’ Environmentally friendly behavior is a fundamental factor that determines sustainability within the organization. Identifying key factors that influence Environmentally friendly behavior is beneficial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of factors affecting the environmental friendly behavior among employees of ABC government ministry. Accordingly, this study achieved five objectives to assess the impact of factors influencing on environmentally friendly behavior among employees. Specifically, those five objectives are to examine the impact of Employee attitudes (EA), Subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), environmental awareness (EAA) and organizational culture (OC) on employee environmental friendly behavior (EFB) separately. The study was carried out in a government Ministry. This study followed the post positivism research philosophy to undertake it as a quantitative field study. The simple random sampling method was used, selecting a sample size of 292 employees from the ministry’s all employees. The researcher distributed an online survey questionnaire to respondents to collect data. Correlation analysis and regression analysis were conducted to test effectively the selected factors that could affect environmentally friendly behavior. The results demonstrated that factors influencing employees’ environmentally friendly behavior including Employee attitudes, Subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, environmental awareness and organizational culture have significant and positive relationships between factors and environmentally friendly behavior. It was discovered that the main element influencing employees’ environmental friendly behavior was perceived behavioral control compared to other factors and substantially, attitudes, subjective norms, environmental awareness and organizational culture have influential relationships on actions that are geared towards preserving nature. As a result, it is recommended that empower employees by providing necessary resources and support, enabling them to take control of their environmental actions and promote Environmental Friendly Behavior in the government ministry.
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    APPLICATION OF THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY
    (Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2025) Zuhri, F. R. S.; Devadas, U. M.
    As the current corporate world is gradually gravitating towards utilizing technology to expand its potential, past literature has identified the use of different technologies for the HRM functions in global, regional and Sri Lankan context in other industries yet the gap of identifying the successful use of technology for the HRM practices of the IT industry within the Sri Lankan context is an area uncovered. Hence, the prime focus of the study underlines in identifying the gap of, what are the modern technologies applied in HRM practices and how effectively is the IT industry in Sri Lanka embracing and utilizing it, and what are the challenges and opportunities in this process. The research undertook a qualitative, interpretive phenomenological strategy, conducting ten in-depth interviews with HR professionals from leading IT companies across various seniority levels and HR functions to gather and analyze data. The study identified the latest technologies integrated in Human Resource Management practices in the IT industry of Sri Lanka and the factors affecting their feasibility. It also analyzed the impact of these technologies on HR functions, the major challenges faced, and the macro-environmental factors favorably influencing their adoption. The findings highlighted that IT organizations of Sri Lanka are focused on using the latest technologies to enhance human capital management, evidencing that technological integration in HRM is both feasible and beneficial despite the current challenges faced. The study recommends a strategic assessment to identify optimal technological applications for integration, emphasizing data security and privacy. It highlights the need for transparent and accountable processes and maintaining a human touch in HR management. The findings reveal that technological integration in HRM is feasible and beneficial despite challenges, recommending strategic planning and continuous adaptation. This dissertation is significant both academically and practically, highlighting the expansion of technology in HR processes within the IT sector and providing recommendations for updated policy implementation in human capital management.
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    The Impact of Quality of Occupational Health and Safety Practices on Job Performance among Operational Level Employees in Maritime Industry
    (Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya., 2024-11-11) Devanga, R. A. Y.; Devadas, U. M.
    The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of the quality of occupational health and safety practices on job performance among operational level employees in the maritime industry. Extensive studies have been conducted on quality of occupational health and safety practices and job performance in the construction and hospital industries. However, there is limited research focus on the maritime industry. This research was conducted using a survey research methodology. Questionnaire was developed under standard measurement scales. The 135 selected sample was drawn from population using a simple random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis method. According to the output, the alternative hypothesis was tested and the result shows that the quality of occupational health and safety practices has a positive effect on job performance. Also, the level of quality of occupational health and safety practices and the level of job performance were moderate in the maritime industry. To overcome the limitations, future researchers can work on different type of employees including managers with the same theme, can examine other factors affecting job performance and increase the generalizability.
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    Factors Influencing the Migration Intention of Sri Lankan Apparel Industry Executives
    (Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya., 2024-11-11) De Silva, H. W.; Devadas, U. M.
    The apparel industries in Sri Lanka are the largest exporters of high-quality apparel products to global brands. With global recognition, migration opportunities have increased, and recently, there has been an increase in the migration tendency of Sri Lankan professionals involved in the apparel industry. However, there is a lack of research on factors influencing migration intentions in the Sri Lankan context. Therefore, this study investigates the factors influencing Sri Lankan apparel industry executives' migration intentions, analyzes their level of intention, and determines the impact of these influencing factors on Sri Lankan apparel industry executives. A study using positivist philosophy and deductive methods was conducted on 248 executive employees in the Sri Lankan apparel sector. The study utilized an individual- level survey-based questionnaire method, analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability, normality analysis, and multiple regression to test hypotheses. The study found a significant positive relationship between push and pull factors of migration intention and the migration intentions of Sri Lankan apparel industry executives. The findings suggest that policies should be developed to retain the skilled workforce in the industry, reducing migration tendencies. These policies should include micro and macro policies related to improving working conditions and involvement in political and economic issues.
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    The Impact of the Quality of Grievance Handling on Job Satisfaction among Middle-Level Employees in ABC (Pvt) Ltd
    (Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya., 2024-11-11) Dilakshi, G. P. P.; Devadas, U. M.
    The Sri Lankan apparel industry is deeply committed to ensure the satisfaction level of its employees. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study is to see whether there is an impact of the quality of grievance handling on job satisfaction among middle-level employees at ABC (Pvt) Ltd. According to the literature, the research on the impact of quality of grievance handling on job satisfaction among middle-level employees in the apparel sector in Sri Lanka is skeletal. This study was conducted to determine the level of quality of grievance handling, the level of job satisfaction, and the impact of quality of grievance handling on job satisfaction among middle-level employees at ABC (Pvt) Ltd. Questionnaires were distributed among 59 selected respondents to collect data. The sample was drawn from its population using a simple, probabilistic random sampling technique. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze descriptive statistics, regression and correlation analysis. Accordingly, the analysis identified a significant positive relationship between the quality of grievance handling and job satisfaction among middle-level employees at ABC (Pvt) Ltd. The findings showed that dimensions of quality of grievance handling, such as timeliness, structure of grievance handling, justice and collaborative participation of managers and trade unions, also have a positive and significant impact on the job satisfaction of middle-level employees. Researcher is recommended by improving of commitment of all stakeholders and by implementing simple, transparent, timely manner grievance handling structure can easily enhance the quality of grievance handling in any organization.