Research Publications

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Open Access
Optimizing the Financial Risk Management Strategies in Water Supply Projects in Sri Lanka
(SLIIT, Faculty of Engineering, 2025-01) Senanayake, U. S; Wijesinghe, T.; Perera, B. K. C.; Jayasinghe, Y. M.
Infrastructure construction projects are considered highly susceptible to risks and uncertainties due to their complicated designs, sizes, functions and structural complexities. Among the different types of risks, the financial risks and the ability to manage them will have great implications for the cost performance of the relevant infrastructure projects. Therefore, high attention is paid to the financial risk management aspect of public infrastructure projects. In that concern, water supply infrastructure projects share several characteristics in common with other infrastructure construction projects while holding several other characteristics unique to themselves. Although many studies have been conducted on financial risk management in building and infrastructure projects, observed scanty of studies that address the financial risk management aspects of water supply projects in the Sri Lankan context. Therefore, this study is meant to fill significant void in terms of developing a financial risk management framework to address financial risk factors in Sri Lankan water supply projects. In carrying out this study, a mixed methodology was followed under an exploratory sequential design. Accordingly, the risk factors and risk management strategies identified in the reference literature were screened and shortlisted for their applicability in designing water supply projects in Sri Lanka and were validated through findings achieved at interviews with experts capable of highlighting new risk financial factors and strategies unique to the water supply projects in Sri Lanka. Subsequently, the risk factors and strategies identified in this process are mapped to develop a financial risk management framework for implementation of water supply projects in Sri Lanka in the future.
Open Access
Managing Resistance to Change in Organizations: A Critical Review of Strategies and Best Practices
(ICSDB 2024 and SLIIT Business School, 2024-12-10) Dias, T.; Jayawickrama, P.
With the advancement of new technologies, change has become a necessary survival strategy in several industries. To survive in this unpredictable business environment, it is necessary to have a deep understanding about change management. In spite of commonness of changes happening in organizations, a considerable number of change initiatives have failed. As the perspective about change is different from an individual to an individual, most of the time organizations come across resistance from the employees. This research article explores the causes, effective strategies, and methods to overcome the resistance to change within the organizations. Aiming to provide an insightful understanding of organizational change, change management theories, processes through the literature review. This research is an outcome of several journals that have been published. Around fifty journal articles have been gathered from various platforms such as ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, Harvard review. The result of the discussion discovers the fear of employees for the change and ways to navigate resistance effectively and implement successful change initiatives by providing practical recommendations for managing resistance, with aid of leaders, manager and change agents.
Open Access
Impact to the Quantity Surveyors Due to the Current Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka
(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2023-03-25) Manawasinghe, S.I; Gunarathna, N; Perera, S
This research focuses on the impact to the Quantity Surveyors due to the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka. The Easter bomb attack, covid 19 pandemic, and political instability can be seen as the proximate causes of the current economic crisis, while there were many structural issues of the local economy which had paved way for the same. As a developing country, the crisis had a stronger impact on the construction industry than other industries of the economy. The main reasons for the collapse of the construction industry are the suspension of construction projects by the government, the increase in the price of construction materials, the lack of investors to invest in new projects, and bottlenecks in terms of wrong policy directives. The professionals in the construction industry were severely impacted by the downfall. Among the professionals in the construction industry, this study focusses on QSs- (Quantity Surveyors). Thirty (30) semi-structured interviews were carried out in terms of data gathering. The survey findings demonstrated the type of organization and working experience of QSs. The collected data were analyzed using techniques of thematic analysis. Moreover, the findings identified factors which were the challenges due to current economic crisis and proposed strategies to help overcome those challenges
Open Access
Strategies Used by the Sri Lankan Construction Industry to Overcome the Challenges Posed by the Covid-19
(SLIIT, Faculty of Engineering, 2023-03-02) Fernando, P; Gunarathna, N
The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the world's political, social, economic, religious, and financial structures into disarray. COVID-19 has a broad range of effects on numerous industries, including construction. Sri Lanka as a developing country is also affected by the pandemic and many sectors of the Sri Lankan economy such as construction, education, tourism, imports and exports, agriculture, and health etc are experiencing negative consequences of the pandemic, Construction industry as one of the key sectors of the economy was also severely affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic in various ways. Construction companies and government institutes are taking action to face these challenges. This study describes how COVID-19 impacts the local construction industry throughout the construction process. Furthermore, the impact was evaluated with regard to several aspects namely, financial, human resources, supply chain and logistics, legal, and completion and handover of the project. The strategies which are used by the construction industry participants to face the challenges of the pandemic are also discussed. A mixed research approach was used in the study and questionnaires which comprised of both qualitative and quantitative questions were used as a data collection tool. This research revealed new knowledge about the construction industry in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study's most important finding was that the spread of the virus influenced the entire construction process. The pandemic had a major impact on the construction stage as well as the human resources aspect of the industry.
Open Access
IMPLEMENTING SAFE WORKING CYCLE (SWC) CONCEPT AMIDST THE COVID-19 CRISIS IN SRI LANKA
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2022-06-26) Rasanjana, H.P; Allis, C
The phenomenon of COVID-19 has introduced critical challenges in the architecture, engineering, and the entire construction industry. A safe Working Cycle is a Japanese concept. It incorporates to enhances the effective implementation of safety management systems, thereby helping to prevent health and safety issues. This research mainly aims at identifying the strategies for overcoming barriers to implementing the Safe Working Cycle (SWC) concept during the COVID-19 pandemics in Sri Lanka. The research study focused more on reducing health-related illnesses caused by COVID-19 than on the other physical safety issues at the construction site. In such a critical health issue, the protection of human resources, an essential part of the construction industry, should be prioritized. The aim of the Study was reached through the sequential mixed method. The semi-structured expert interviews were initially conducted, and after that questionnaire survey was achieved among health and safety officers in construction projects in Sri Lanka. In the semi-structured interviews, data were analyzed using Nvivo thematic analysis software and questionnaire survey; M.S. Excel analyzed the collected data. Following the findings, several potential barriers were arisen to implementing the SWC concept in the Sri Lankan construction industry: including limited Budget allocation, poor safety attitude, limited land space, strict project schedules, and unawareness of workers. Further, this Study also indicated several potential practical strategies to overcome these barriers identified for SWC implementation. Such as; Implementing the COVID-19 bio bubble concept, Organizing regular toolbox meetings, demonstrating sign boards specific to this new concept, arranging separate systematic time slots, buildup a good communication network. The safe Working Cycle (SWC) is not currently practised in Sri Lankan construction culture. However, health and safety professionals are familiar with almost every aspect of the Safe Working Cycle (SWC); therefore, it is possible to put this into practice in the Sri Lankan construction industry. © 2022, Ceylon Institute of Builders
Open Access
EFFECT OF COVID-19 ON THE SMALL-SCALE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES: THE CASE OF COLOMBO DISTRICT, SRI LANKA
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2022-06-26) Gunarathna, N; Namarathna, C. P
COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the lives of many individuals and has had a severe impact on the global economy. During this crisis, small and medium-scale businesses suffer the most and are the least prepared among all companies as per the previous studies done in other parts of the world. The majority of the small-scale construction firms in Sri Lanka act as subcontractors and generate job opportunities for a considerable number of people and are able to create a multiplier effect on the whole economy. However, it was observed that they are more vulnerable to the adverse impact of the pandemic. Thus, the principal goal of this research is to explore possible survival strategies to overcome critical financial issues of small-scale construction companies during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. A mixedmethod approach was adopted to gather the data for the study. A comprehensive literature review was carried out to identify the impact of COVID-19 on both global and local construction industries. The data for this study was gathered using semi-structured interviews and a comprehensive questionnaire survey with small scale construction company owners and construction industry professionals. The findings highlighted the key financial issues faced by the small-scale construction companies due to the pandemic including delays in client payments, supply chain management issues, frequent price escalation of construction materials, and inability to repay loans. The respondents suggested creating partnerships with financially strong companies, reduction of unwanted expenses, modifying supply chain channels and agreements, and ensuring business continuity plans as the strategies to be used to overcome the financial burden that occurred due to the pandemic.
Open Access
Implementing Safe Working Cycle (SWC) concept amidst the COVID-19 crisis in Sri Lanka
(researchgate.net, 2022-06) Rasanjana, H. P; Allis, C
The phenomenon of COVID-19 has introduced critical challenges in the architecture, engineering, and the entire construction industry. A safe Working Cycle is a Japanese concept. It incorporates to enhances the effective implementation of safety management systems, thereby helping to prevent health and safety issues. This research mainly aims at identifying the strategies for overcoming barriers to implementing the Safe Working Cycle (SWC) concept during the COVID-19 pandemics in Sri Lanka. The research study focused more on reducing health-related illnesses caused by COVID-19 than on the other physical safety issues at the construction site. In such a critical health issue, the protection of human resources, an essential part of the construction industry, should be prioritized. The aim of the Study was reached through the sequential mixed method. The semi-structured expert interviews were initially conducted, and after that questionnaire survey was achieved among health and safety officers in construction projects in Sri Lanka. In the semi-structured interviews, data were analyzed using Nvivo thematic analysis software and questionnaire survey; M.S. Excel analyzed the collected data. Following the findings, several potential barriers were arisen to implementing the SWC concept in the Sri Lankan construction industry: including limited Budget allocation, poor safety attitude, limited land space, strict project schedules, and unawareness of workers. Further, this Study also indicated several potential practical strategies to overcome these barriers identified for SWC implementation. Such as; Implementing the COVID-19 bio bubble concept, Organizing regular toolbox meetings, demonstrating sign boards specific to this new concept, arranging separate systematic time slots, buildup a good communication network. The safe Working Cycle (SWC) is not currently practised in Sri Lankan construction culture. However, health and safety professionals are familiar with almost every aspect of the Safe Working Cycle (SWC); therefore, it is possible to put this into practice in the Sri Lankan construction industry
Open Access
IMPLEMENTING SAFE WORKING CYCLE (SWC) CONCEPT AMIDST THE COVID-19 CRISIS IN SRI LANKA
(researchgate.net, 2022-06-24) Rasanjana, H. P; Allis, C
The phenomenon of COVID-19 has introduced critical challenges in the architecture, engineering, and the entire construction industry. A safe Working Cycle is a Japanese concept. It incorporates to enhances the effective implementation of safety management systems, thereby helping to prevent health and safety issues. This research mainly aims at identifying the strategies for overcoming barriers to implementing the Safe Working Cycle (SWC) concept during the COVID-19 pandemics in Sri Lanka. The research study focused more on reducing health-related illnesses caused by COVID-19 than on the other physical safety issues at the construction site. In such a critical health issue, the protection of human resources, an essential part of the construction industry, should be prioritized. The aim of the Study was reached through the sequential mixed method. The semi-structured expert interviews were initially conducted, and after that questionnaire survey was achieved among health and safety officers in construction projects in Sri Lanka. In the semi-structured interviews, data were analyzed using Nvivo thematic analysis software and questionnaire survey; M.S. Excel analyzed the collected data. Following the findings, several potential barriers were arisen to implementing the SWC concept in the Sri Lankan construction industry: including limited Budget allocation, poor safety attitude, limited land space, strict project schedules, and unawareness of workers. Further, this Study also indicated several potential practical strategies to overcome these barriers identified for SWC implementation. Such as; Implementing the COVID-19 bio bubble concept, Organizing regular toolbox meetings, demonstrating sign boards specific to this new concept, arranging separate systematic time slots, buildup a good communication network. The safe Working Cycle (SWC) is not currently practised in Sri Lankan construction culture. However, health and safety professionals are familiar with almost every aspect of the Safe Working Cycle (SWC); therefore, it is possible to put this into practice in the Sri Lankan construction industry

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