School of Business

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Open Access
Analysis on Current and Future Training Needs in Health Sector of Sri Lanka
(SRAC - Romanian Society for Quality, 2022-08) Rajapakshe, W; Weerarathna, R. S; Pathirana, G.Y; Malage, M. H
Sri Lanka holds a unique position in South Asia as one of the developing nations to provide universal health. Government spending on welfare mainly involves compromising or constraining a country's development budget. It requires sound management strategies to utilize limited resources, including the human resource of the health sector. Training and development of health professionals can be identified as a critical component in strengthening the quality of health services. Fewer studies exist on Training Needs Analysis (TNA) on health professionals in Sri Lanka, and this study assessed the Training Needs of Sri Lanka's healthcare professionals. This is a cross-sectional study collecting data from 240 health sector professionals in Sri Lanka. The Hennessey Hicks Training Need questionnaire was used to obtain data. Data from the source was analysed through the oneway ANOVA to compare the training needs of various professional groups, and the Word Cloud Online tool was applied to analyse the open-ended questions. The study identifies published research evaluation, communicates with patients, identifies viable research, introduces new ideas, prioritizing works, assessing patients' needs, using technology, undertaking health promotion activities, collecting research information, and undertaking administrative duties as current training needs. While computer literacy training, training on new medical equipment, awareness programs on workplace stress-reducing, training on quality assurance certifications like ISO, programs on effectively communicating with patients, management training, and language training were identified as future training needs of professionals in the health sector. The study concluded that, continuous training programs as the preferred approach to access the performance gap. It also demonstrates that this awareness of information regarding the training needs is beneficial for the health sector policymakers, managers, employees, and the community. Having a better understanding of their job roles, performance needs, and involvement in the decision-making process is likely to motivate healthcare sector employees to improve service quality. These benefits will be reflected in positive outcomes on service quality, improving the overall healthcare system in the country.
Open Access
Analysis on Future Training Needs in Health Sector of Sri Lanka
(SRAC - Romanian Society for Quality, 2022-08) Weerarathna, R; Rajapakshe, W; Pathirana, G. Y; Malage, M. H
Sri Lanka holds a unique position in South Asia as one of the developing nations to provide universal health. Government spending on welfare mainly involves compromising or constraining a country's development budget. It requires sound management strategies to utilize limited resources, including the human resource of the health sector. Training and development of health professionals can be identified as a critical component in strengthening the quality of health services. Fewer studies exist on Training Needs Analysis (TNA) on health professionals in Sri Lanka, and this study assessed the Training Needs of Sri Lanka's healthcare professionals. This is a cross-sectional study collecting data from 240 health sector professionals in Sri Lanka. The Hennessey Hicks Training Need questionnaire was used to obtain data. Data from the source was analysed through the one-way ANOVA to compare the training needs of various professional groups, and the Word Cloud Online tool was applied to analyse the open-ended questions. The study identifies published research evaluation, communicates with patients, identifies viable research, introduces new ideas, prioritizing works, assessing patients' needs, using technology, undertaking health promotion activities, collecting research information, and undertaking administrative duties as current training needs. While computer literacy training, training on new medical equipment, awareness programs on workplace stress-reducing, training on quality assurance certifications like ISO, programs on effectively communicating with patients, management training, and language training were identified as future training needs of professionals in the health sector. The study concluded that, continuous training programs as the preferred approach to access the performance gap. It also demonstrates that this awareness of information regarding the training needs is beneficial for the health sector policymakers, managers, employees, and the community. Having a better understanding of their job roles, performance needs, and involvement in the decision-making process is likely to motivate healthcare sector employees to improve service quality. These benefits will be reflected in positive outcomes on service quality, improving the overall healthcare system in the country.
Open Access
Exploring the growth direction: the impact of exchange rate and purchasing managers index on economic growth in Sri Lanka
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2022-06-26) Jayathilaka, R; Rathnayake, R; Jayathilake, B; Dharmasena, T; Bodinayake, D; Kathriarachchi, D
Numerous studies have been conducted, globally and locally, on the impact of the exchange rate on economic growth. In the local context, only a handful of research have investigated this area of study to determine the extent to which the Purchasing Managers’ Index infuence economic growth with the exchange rate, with limited research have been performed in Sri Lanka. This study explores the impact of exchange rate and Purchasing Managers’ Index on economic growth. Consequently, adopting an applied research methodology, the present study was based on secondary data published quarterly by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka reports and the Department of Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2021. The Vector autoregression model and Granger Causality Wald test were performed in this study. The empirical fndings highlighted that economic growth and Purchasing Managers’ Index have a signifcant negative impact on the economic growth, while the exchange rate had a signifcant positive impact on the economic growth. Furthermore, the exchange rate and the Purchasing Managers’ Index did not help to predict the exchange rate. The implications of the study demonstrate the relevance of the exchange rate and manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index as indicators of changes in overall economic growth activities at the macro level. The fndings will assist the Sri Lankan Government, policymakers, and foreign investors for efective decision making.
Open Access
Factors influencing the timely completion of construction projects in Sri Lanka
(Public Library of Science, 2022-12-15) Abeysinghe, N; Jayathilaka, R
Timely completion is a crucial factor for the success of a construction project, especially in the Sri Lankan context. This study aims to identify the most influential factors that affect the timely completion of construction projects in Sri Lanka. Thirty-nine factors were identified through a comprehensive literature review and experts’ opinions. A questionnaire incorporating the 39 project delay factors was distributed among 163 Civil Engineers, and responses were obtained. Random sampling method was adopted to select the sample. The Relative Importance Index (RII) analysed and ranked the project delay factors. The top ranked significant project delay factors were identified as shortage of skilled subcontractors/suppliers, shortage of labourers (Skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled), financial difficulties of contractors, delay in delivering materials to the site, and Covid-19 pandemic situation. According to the main three respondent types, i.e., clients/owners, contractors and consultants, the contractor related factors was the key group among others that delay a construction project. The scientific value of the study includes assisting the Sri Lankan construction industry to identify the factors affecting the timely completion of construction projects, and developing mitigation methods and strategies. Also, the stakeholders could duly schedule the construction work by identifying areas that need more attention. The contribution of this study would assist stakeholders to adopt a proactive approach by identifying mistakes on their part and minimising potential issues that lead to construction project delays in Sri Lanka. Figures
Open Access
The Impact of Sustainability Practices on the Going Concern of the Travel and Tourism Industry: Evidence from Developed and Developing Countries
(MDPI, 2022-12-19) Nagendrakumar, N; Alwis, K. N. N; Eshani, U. A. K; Kaushalya, S. B. U
Sustainability refers to the evaluation and communication of quantitative and qualitative information of the sustainability performance of a business in a balanced way regarding the environment and the society in which it operates. Companies are responsible for stakeholders’ justification and disclosure expenses consisting of dedicated sustainability practices, thereby strengthening the company’s financial performance. However, due to the deficiency of consistent information and a lack of transparency in corporate reporting, tourism industries fail to realize the association between sustainability practices and financial performance. Moreover, there is a lack of literature that deals with the impact of macro-level sustainability factors on firms’ financial performances. Furthermore, linking the going concern concept and sustainable practices with financial performance through the Z-score model is not frequently done in the corporate world. Hence, this paper investigated the impact of macro-level sustainability practices on the going concern ability in developed and developing countries’ tourism industries for the 2016–2020 period, including a sample size of 138 listed companies, through panel data analysis. This study fills the empirical gap by adopting the Altman Z-score to analyze the financial performance related to sustainability practices in terms of environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The empirical results reveal that macro-level sustainability practices significantly impact the going concern from developed and developing countries’ perspectives.
Open Access
Towards work-life balance or away? The impact of work from home factors on worklife balance among software engineers during Covid-19 pandemic
(Public Library of Science, 2022-12-14) Weerarathna, R; Rathnayake, N; Yasara, I; Jayasekara, P; Ruwanpura, D; Nambugoda, S
The paradigm shifts of conventional office spaces for virtual workspaces which practiced Work from Home (WFH) due to Covid-19, created a serious change in the lifestyles of employees, due to the overlap of ‘work’ and ‘life’ domains in one’s life. Since software engineers have a possibility of permanently adapting into WFH, the objective of this study is to unveil factors which would have a significant impact on the work-life balance of software engineers in Sri Lanka, while WFH. Only a very limited researches have shed light on this context, thereby this study would contribute to fill the empirical gap. The study undertook a quantitative approach by collecting primary data through a questionnaire from 384 participants, based on simple random sampling, and analyzing collected data based on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), using Smart PLS 3.3.9 software. Study results revealed that ‘supervisor’s trust and support’ and the ‘individual workspace,’ have a significant impact on work-life balance, while ‘working conditions,’ ‘possibility to access the organization’s networks’ and ‘number of children’ have no such significant impact. Thereby the study infers that, sound support and trust extended by supervisors and a designated distraction-free workspace; as measures to demarcate the boundary of work and life. Distinctive findings of this study would primarily be fruitful for software engineers to dive into a balanced state of work and life not only during Covid-19 but in future too. Study findings will also contribute to software industry personnel and policymakers in Sri Lanka as well as other developing countries, to establish effective strategies in favor of software engineers who WFH. Further, considering IT industry’s significant contribution towards Sri Lanka’s economic growth amidst Covid-19, results of this study would be high-yielding to indirectly succor IT-services-supported economic growth amidst the pandemic-driven hardships in Sri Lanka.
Embargo
Under-pricing of South and East Asian IPOs: An investigation of the relevance of governance quality in closely controlled companies
(Elsevier, 2022-11-12) Alles, L; Murray, L
In this paper, we investigate the impact of national governance quality on the under-pricing of initial public offerings (IPOs) in developing South and East Asian equity markets. A significant feature of many listed companies in these markets is the dominant control position of insider shareholders or family groups. We therefore explore the issue of concentrated control when assessing the extent of under-pricing. Concentrated control implies a significant deviation between proportionate ownership and control of company assets. We demonstrate that governance quality is related to IPO under-pricing, contrary to previous research findings on developing markets. This finding is restricted to companies not associated with concentrated control. We use two proxies to identify concentrated control. We initially use the percentage of management control rights. We use company value as an alternative proxy. Our results indicate that the ‘reduced monitoring’ explanation does apply in developing markets, when we allow for the impact of concentrated control.