Browsing by Author "Amarakoon, A.M.C."
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Item Analyzing the Promotion of Local Healthy Fast Food through Hela Bojun Project(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2019-02) Senarathna, M.K.; Mahindarathne, M.G.P.P.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Dharmasena, A.W.T.The fast food industry in Sri Lanka has been expanding rapidly since it is convenient for busy life style and reduces the effort of preparing meals. Although fast food is very popular among community, people are aware of adverse impacts of fast food consumption such as overweight, obesity and non-communicable diseases. Having understood the changing lives styles, eating trends and associated problems the Department of Agriculture launched the “Hela Bojun” project. The main purpose of the Hela Bojun project is to promote local healthy fast food with a high nutritional values. In this context, this research was designed to examine the factors that affect on the consumption of local healthy fast foods through Hela Bojun outlets. The specific objective of the research was to study how value negotiation of product and overall satisfaction relate to the marketing mix elements influence customers to select Hela Bojun outlets. To accomplish the objectives, a semi-structured questionnaire was prepared and direct interviews were conducted with 150 customers who visited five selected Hela Bojun outlets. For data analysis, Chi-square test of independence was applied. The results revealed that occupation, supervision of the Department of Agriculture, peer influence and purchasing local healthy fast food for special occasions were significantly associated with frequency of visiting Hela Bojun fast food outlets. Furthermore, the multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the age, number of family members, distance to Hela Bojun outlet and value negotiation have a significant relationship with the frequency of visiting Hela Bojun fast food outlets. Moreover, it was revealed that the value negotiation influences significantly and positively on the selection decision of Hela Bojun outlets.Item Awareness of and Adoption to the Recommended Management Practices of Big Onion Growers (Case Study in Dambulla D.S. Division)(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2016) Nanayakkkara, D.N.; Kaliyadasa, P.E.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Padmini, S.M.P.C.; Chandrasiri, J.K.M.D.Big onion is considered as an important cash crop in Sri Lanka. Within few decades big onion production has increased significantly along with the increasing demand for consumption. Though the production has increased, productivity is not satisfactory as average of 17 MT/ha where the potential productivity lies at 30-37 MT/ha. Therefore, it is imperative to study the knowledge level of the farmers and their adoption behavior regarding the recommended cultivation practices. Sixty five big onion growers who have not less than 5 years of big onion farming experience were interviewed in Dambulla D.S. division. Sample was selected randomly and data were collected using structured questionnaire. Total of 17 DOA recommended practices were considered initially but only 7 management practices were shown correlation with the level of awareness and adoption status. Therefore those practices viz use of recommended varieties, nursery sterilization procedure, seed treatment, spacing, seedling treatment, pre emergence herbicide application, correct harvesting stage and providence of optimum storage conditions were considered for further analysis. Results reveal that awareness on pre emergence herbicides and optimum harvesting stage has reported comparatively higher and they are 98.5% and 89% respectively. When considering the adoption, 76.9% of the respondents reported that they did not keep spacing while transplanting. Though the respondents have high awareness on optimum harvesting stage, only 27.7% well adopted to practice it. Factors affecting adoption are analyzed by using a multiple linear regression model and 5 factors were found significant. Respondent's age and off farm employment negatively affect the adoption level whilst education level, big onion farming experience and community leadership have no impact on adoption. According to the results it can be suggested that, though the farmers have sufficient knowledge on pre emergence herbicide application, correct harvesting stage and optimum storage conditions, majority has not at all adopted to those practices. Ultimately, it causes serious market based issues. Keywords: Adoption level, Awareness, Big onion, Management practicesItem Consumer Comprehension and Usage of Nutritional Labeling in Food Purchasing(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2013) Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Mahindarathne, M.G.P.P.; Dematawa, P.Consumer behavior in food market has been changed rapidly over time and as reported by Withanage and Jayasinghe (2010), Sri Lankan consumers have become more conscious of the nutrition, health, and quality of the food they eat; hence healthiness has become an important criterion for food purchases. Consumers are curious to search more information for the constituents of foods they consumed. Among many information sought by the consumers, nutritional information has become important as present day consumers keen to know about the wholesomeness of the food they consume. Identifying that, many of the manufacturers and marketers have been placing nutrition fact panel on packed foods. Though this nutritional labeling appears on the package, the utility of this information, in other word how consumers use this information has not been assessed. Hence this study examines the significant factors that affect on consumer comprehension and usage intention of nutrition labeling on food packages. Methodology A conceptual model was framed incorporating different labeling factors, product factors and background variables that affect on consumer comprehension and usage intention of nutrition labeling by expanding the theoretical framework used by Feunekesa et al. (2008) in their research of “Front-of-pack nutrition labelling: Testing effectiveness of different nutrition labelling formats front-of-pack in four European countries”. According to the above model, Consumer Usage Intention of Nutrition Labeling is a function of consumer friendliness towards nutritional labeling (e.g. comprehension, credibility and liking), perceived healthiness of the product and background variables (e.g. demographic factors, behavior and attitudes towards health, nutrition awareness, occasion of purchase and purchase motive). A structured questionnaire was developed based on the conceptual framework developed and pre-tested. Administering the questionnaire, primary data were collected from 150 super market consumers in Kandy and Colombo districts. Socio-demographic characteristics of the sample and usage intention of nutrition label in the different socio-demographic segments were analyzed applying descriptive statistics. Impact of the different factors affecting on the usage intentionof nutrition label was analyzed using multiple linear regression. Dependent variable in the model, consumer usage intention of nutrition labeling (Mean value of five point likert scale scores) was measured as the “Generalized Intention” method proposed by Francis et al. (2008). Independent variables (Table 1) were measured using most relevant assessment scales.Item Consumer Willingness to Pay for Underutilized Vegetables in the Badulla District(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Karunarathna, L.B.D.S.; Mahindarathne, M.G.P.P.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.Sri Lanka is one of the countries that consist of a wide range of plant species and they can be categorized as wild and domesticated plant species. Underutilized crops can be described as the domesticated plant species which have been eventually declined their importance for the society. The vegetable crops which are neither grown commercially in large scale nor traded widely termed as “underutilized” vegetable crops. Nowadays, consumers exhibit increased concern on the underutilized crops due to their medicinal properties, other health benefits, and nutritional values. However, prices of these underutilized vegetables at farmers’ markets and village fairs are low and unstable so that the sellers cannot maintain competitive prices and profit margin for underutilized vegetables. Therefore, this research was carried out to identify the consumer and marketing mix factors that may be influential on consumers’ willingness to pay for underutilized vegetables. To accomplish the objectives, a self-administered questionnaire was prepared and a survey was conducted with 200 customers who visited the village fair for purchasing vegetables in Badulla, Bandarawela, and Hali Ela divisional secretariat area in Badulla district. For data analysis, the ordered logit model was applied. The results of regression analysis revealed that consumer age, income, suffering from noncommunicable diseases by family members, number of children present in the family, attitude towards health benefits of foods, knowledge on health foods, and marketing mix factors were significantly associated with the consumer willingness to pay for underutilized vegetables. Furthermore, the marginal effects were calculated to reveal the probable impact of each significant independent variable on consumers’ levels of willingness to pay for underutilized vegetables. Keywords: Underutilized vegetables, Willingness to pay, Consumer factors, Marketing mix factors, Ordered logit modelItem Determinants of Manufacturer's Price of Silver Tips(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2018) Ekanayaka, E.M.C.P.K.; Dharmadasa, R.A.P.I.S.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Dissanayaka, C.Silver tips is a name given to a rare white tea produced in Sri Lanka for export market. Moreover, the price of this product fluctuates frequently. Therefore, this study is an attempt to find the determinants of manufacturer's price of silver tips, in the year 2016. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire and interviewing the 50 silver tips exporting companies and 60 randomly selected silver tips manufacturing factories within Sri Lanka. Multiple linear regression model was used to determine the factors affecting the manufacturer's price of silver tips and descriptive statistics were used to identify the current situation of manufacturers in terms of silver tips production and exporters in terms of silver tips exportation. Regression analysis resulted that the number of years of factory experience in silver tips manufacturing in the year 2016, the amount of silver tips tea buds purchased for silver tips manufacturing (silver tips crop) in the same year had positive significant effect on the price set by the manufacturer. Moreover, the suitability of the weather condition for the growth of silver tips in the same year had significant negative impact on manufacturer's silver tips price. However, the descriptive analysis showed that most of the manufacturers produce very low amount of silver tips monthly, focusing more on manufacturing black tea and green tea. And also, silver tips tea is highly purchased by the Middle East countries. Finally, this study suggests to provide the knowledge, financial support and any other relevant contribution from supporting services for manufacturers to increase the production volume of silver tips in Sri Lanka. Therefore, it could be expected to increase the manufacturer's price of silver tips and increase the export volume of silver tips that exported to the foreign countries.Item Determinants of the Level of Value Added Product Exportation in Tea Industry of Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2016) De Silva, D.A.O.C.; Kaliyadasa, P.E.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Balamurali, B.Tea industry plays a vital role in Sri Lankan economy. Sri Lanka is still holding its' reputation in the global tea market though it is associated with number of problems like declining productivity, increasing cost of production, declining world share of production and continuous increase of price in Colombo auction etc. Those problems of the industry should be addressed in order to increase the country's revenue from tea exportation as bulk tea and Value Added Tea (VAT). In this context, VAT will become an important determinant of the future of Ceylon Tea industry as the global market trends changes towards value addition. Therefore objective of the study was to identify the determinants that affect the level of value added product exportation at different levels. The research was carried out in Colombo district with 32 tea exporters. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Secondary data for the study was gathered from statistical bulletins, annual reports, research papers, survey reports and other related documents. Tobit regression analysis was conducted to find the determinants. The result of the study revealed that there are six factors which significantly affect the level of value added product exportation in tea industry. Those were scale of exportation (small scale), bilateral agreement, brand ownership, number of new market approaches, and investment on research and development activities and attitude on value addition. Moreover, results reveal that small volume exporters tend more towards the value addition and with beneficial bilateral agreement, exporters are more involved in exporting value added tea products. Further, investment on research and development and having own brand has positive impacts on the exporter to push them towards value addition. Attitude on value addition and number of new market approaches have an effect on the level of value added tea exportation. It shows a positive relationship which encourages the value addition level of the company. Keywords: Export volume, Investment, Value Added Tea (VAT)Item Determinants of Value Added Production in Cinnamon Industry(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2016) Jayathilaka, W.S.P.; Alwis, L.M.H.R.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Batuwantudawa, T.D.; Palakatiya, G.Value addition is currently an important topic in agriculture sector, especially to increase the economic value of agricultural products and to reduce wastage. Value addition has the ability to create employment, absorb excess labour from agriculture, enable rural residents to capture more margins from agriculture, hence raising rural income levels. Spice is one of the key agricultural sub sector of Sri Lanka. True cinnamon (Cinnamomuni zeylanicum) is unique and most economically valuable indigenous crop known as Ceylon cinnamon among all other spices in Sri Lanka. Regardless of the unique benefits associated with true cinnamon, there is limited value added cinnamon products range hence cinnamon processors receive less return from cinnamon industry. Using survey data from 83 cinnamon processors from Galle and Colombo Districts, this study analyzed factors affecting on value added production in cinnamon industry, an economic activity with a potential to improve household livelihoods but whose development has remained rudimentary. Binary logistic regression technique and SWOT analysis were used to identify the potentials and problems in the industry. The results revealed that cinnamon processors involvement in value added production is positively influenced by a number of significant factors including technology, attitude, cost of production, credit access and labour availability. Lack of support services and access to credit, inadequate technology, labour scarcity and high cost of production are the major problems of the value addition in the cinnamon industry. The major potentials of the industry are the established name and reputation of the Ceylon cinnamon around the world, health benefits of true cinnamon and the higher quality of true cinnamon than its major competitor Cassia cinnamon. Study recommended that cinnamon manufacturers should be informed about the benefits and importance of adding value to their agricultural commodities as a tool for poverty reduction, employment creation and economic development. Keywords: Binary logistic regression, Cinnamon industry, True cinnamon, Value additionItem Determining the Willingness to Adopt Sustainable Rice Supply Chain Approach in Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Kankanamge, P.K.D.K.; Mahindarathne, M.G.P.P.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.Rice is the major staple diet of people in Sri Lanka and is the single most important crop occupying in Sri Lanka. Although it represented a major supply chain in the country there are many issues regarding the durability of the rice supply chain. Achieving sustainability supply chain practices is the best way to address those issues. For that, it is important to consider the willingness of each member in the supply chain. The main purpose of this study is to determine the willingness to adopt the sustainable rice supply chain approach in Sri Lanka. To accomplish the objective, a structured questionnaire was constructed and direct interviews were conducted with 100 farmers and 37 rice mills in Pollonaruwa and Hambanthota districts. For data analysis ordered logistic regression model was used and the marginal effects were calculated. The regression results revealed that the potential, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and technology acceptance have a significant relationship with the sustainability approach for the farmers’ practices. The regression-based on rice mills revealed that attitudes and perceived behavioural control are the most influencing factors that affect the willingness to adopt a sustainability approach. Keywords: Sustainability, Willingness, Rice Supply ChainItem Developing Marketing Information System for Fruit Marketing(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2016) Aphinaya, M.; Rathnayake, R.M.C.W.M.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Sivakumar, S.Concerning the fruit production in Sri Lanka, Jaffna District plays a major role by cultivating fruit types like Banana, Mango, Jack fruit, Papaya and Grapes. These fruits are demanded by buyers, especially for the export market. The marketing information linkage between fruit growers and buyers is not available in fruit marketing. Therefore, the requirement of developing Marketing Information System was initially identified in order to reduce the limitations in providing information regarding fruit growers. This study was mainly aimed to develop Marketing Information System for fruit marketing in Jaffna. A questionnaire based survey was carried out to collect the data from 113 stratified sample of fruit growers. Descriptive analysis was performed to select the fruit growers who are able to market fruits with quality and adequate quantity. With the information gathered about fruit growers, database was developed by using 'My SQL' software. Database carries information regarding name of grower, cultivated fruits and varieties, selling quantity, quality of fruit, price of fruit and contact details of grower. Subsequently, the application with user interface was created. Eventually, Marketing Information System was designed to easy access by users. Major findings of the study revealed that the selected fruit growers have adopted to quality practices and are with higher production quantities. The Marketing Information System was successfully developed with the information about fruit growers. With the use of this Marketing Information System, the buyers who are scattered in farther locations in the country can easily access the information regarding the fruits that they require. It will facilitate accurate purchasing decisions by the buyers even without physically checking the produce. Moreover, with that, the producer-fanners will find a better market for their produce by identifying more potential customers, while receiving fair prices according to the quality characteristics of their fruits. Keywords: Adoption to quality practices, Database Management System, Marketing Information System, User InterfaceItem The Effectiveness of Farmer Field School Approach for Dissemination of Technologies to Seed Potato Farmers in Badulla District(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Dilshan, U.S.G.; Amarathunga, M.K.S.L.D.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Somachandra, K.P.Although farmers in Badulla district can gain higher income by cultivating potato compared to other crops they have to face more challenges as the potato requires intensive and costly inputs for its cultivation in comparison with other field crops. Thus, the main objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Farmer Field School (FFS) Approach as an agricultural innovation and dissemination platform for improving farmers‟ knowledge and adoption of appropriate cultural practices and thereby improving land productivity and profitability of the seed potato cultivation. The stratified purposive sampling technique was performed to select 40 seed potato farmers who participated for the FFS program (considered as FFS group) conducted in four AI ranges (Perahettiya, Halpe, Etampitiya, and Mirahawatta) in Badulla district and another 40 farmers who were not attended for the same program [considered as NFFS Group)] and living in same locations. A cross- sectional field survey administrating pretested structured questionnaire and focus group discussions were undertaken to collect primary data on socio-economic status, knowledge, adoption level, yield and cost of production, and farmers' attitude towards the FFS approach. A scoring system and 5 point Likert scales were developed to measure the above criteria and index. Descriptive analysis, hypothesis testing, and Ordered Logistic Regression model were applied to measure variables and explain the relationship among the tested parameters using SPSS statistical package. The result show that there was a significant difference between FFS and NFFS seed potato growers on knowledge (t =11.64, p < 0.000) and adoption of agricultural practices (t =7.94, p < 0.000), productivity of land (t = 4.039, p < 0.00), and cost of production (t = -5.729, p < 0.000), and these findings reveal that FFS group are far advanced in reference parameters compared with NFFS group. Findings of the Ordered Logistic Regression model reveal that the model as a whole is fitted significantly (P < 0.05). R square of the model expresses that 26.75% proportion of the variance in adoption level significantly improved the recommended cultural practices as explained by seven independent variables (education, experience. and indexes of social participation, group dynamic, satisfaction, and sustainability). The findings of this study proved that FFS approach is as an agricultural innovation and dissemination platform for improving farmers‟ knowledge and changing their attitude on adoption of appropriate cultivation practices, and thereby improving land productivity and profitability, and living standard of self-seed potato farmers in Badulla district. Keywords: Badulla District; Effectiveness; Farmer Field School; Seed potatoItem Examining the Market Orientation of Vegetable Farmers in Uva Province, Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Ekanayake, E.M.C.C.B.; Mahindarathne, M.G.P.P.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.Sri Lanka has a long history of cultivating vegetables. There are two types of vegetables cultivating in Sri Lanka namely upcountry vegetables and low country vegetables which are varied according to agro-ecological adaptability. In the country, most of the small scale and medium scale farmers are involved in vegetable cultivation. The market orientation is the understanding of customers’ wants and needs and meeting them profitably. To become market-oriented, the vegetable farmers have to meet the customers and to be educated about their requirements. But practically there is less possibility for vegetable farmers to meet the buyers due to the number of intermediaries in the vegetable supply chain and farmers are rarely practicing direct marketing. In this context, there is a suspicion that whether the vegetable farmers have a proper understanding of customer requirements. Accordingly, this research was designed to identify the factors affecting the market orientation where the market orientation of vegetable farmers was measured using the MKTOR scale. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used in the study and 123 farmers from the upcountry and 141 farmers from the low country were randomly interviewed in their fields. Multiple linear regression was employed in data analysis. According to regression results, machinery availability, financial availability, attitudes towards market orientation, subjective norms about market orientation and the perceived behavioural control for market orientation significantly affected on the market orientation of upcountry vegetable farmers and land size of cultivation, attitude towards market orientation, subjective norms about market orientation and the perceived behavioural controls for market orientation significantly identified as factors affecting the market orientation of low country vegetable farmers in the Uva province. Keywords: Market orientation, Vegetable farmers, Attitudes, Subjective norms, Perceived behavioural controls, MKTOR scaleItem Exporters’ Willingness to Adopt Tea Hub Concept in Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2019-02) Niroshini, G.D.U.; Dharmadasa, R.A.P.I.S.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.As one of the leading tea growing and exporting countries, Sri Lanka needs to adopt new strategic decisions to strengthen the sector along with the competitive global tea market. As a consequence, the concept of tea hub has been introduced by the industry experts and some parties as a strategy, in which liberalization of tea imports for blending, value addition and re-exports could be steered. Nevertheless, this concept of tea hub has been a controversial topic in the industry with the argument on to make the whole country as a tea hub or establishment of a tea hub in a separate free zone within the country. The exporters are the major proponent of this tea hub concept as well as major party whom to be privileged from it. With this background, the study has focused on the factors affecting on exporters’ willingness to adopt tea hub concept in Sri Lanka and identify the most preferred hub model among exporters. The primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 41 tea exporting firms in Sri Lanka. The eight factors were used to measure exporters’ willingness on tea hub concept. The current status of importation of tea, bulk tea export volume and satisfaction on tariffs and non-tariffs affected on exporters’ willingness to adopt tea hub concept. According to the results of Probit regression, the current status of importation of tea was significant at 5% significance level and, bulk tea export volume and satisfaction on tariffs & non-tariffs were significant at the 10% significance level. The current status of importation of tea has a positive relationship with the exporters’ willingness to adopt tea hub concept, while the bulk tea export volume and satisfaction on tariffs & non-tariffs were negatively affecting on exporters’ willingness to adopt tea hub concept by exporters. This study concluded that the majority of the exporters (66%) are willing to adopt tea hub concept and prefer to have an exclusive free zone (55%) as a tea hub in Sri Lanka.Item Identification of Present Status and Constraints of the Flower Vendors in Two Selected Religious Areas(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2016) Perera, N.U.M.; Kaliyadasa, P.E.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Chandrasiri, J.K.M.D.; Padmini, S.M.P.C.Cultivation and use of flowers for religious and cultural festivals is popular in Sri Lanka. Small-scale flower vendors can be seen near temples selling fresh flowers. These huge demanded niche markets were hidden and less studied. Therefore, this study was conducted to review present status, major constraints and potentials for younger generations' involvement related to the flower-vending sector attached to "Kiri-vehera temple in Katharagama" and "Maim Saman Dewalaya in Ratnapura". The population was both registered and non-registered vendors. The sample consists registered 30 respondents from Kiri-vehera temple and 28 respondents from Maha Saman Dewalaya. Data were collected using structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple linear regression. Study reveals that majority of the vendors are females (84.5%) with average monthly income level of Rs. 24966. Most of the respondents (87.9%) are satisfied with their profession as a flower vendor. Involvement of younger generation in the sector is 46.3%. The level of constraints faced by vendors is considerably high in both places. However, vendors at Maha Saman Dewalaya face relatively high level of constraints. Lack of market demand and its' fluctuation, non-availability of proper selling location/area, multiple responsibilities, lack of support from government and other related authorities, laws and regulations, policies were the most affecting constraints for the vendors in both areas. Higher competition, less social acceptance of venture, lack of ability in obtaining financial and banking resources, non-availability of proper selling location, laws, regulations and policies and lack of support by responsible parties were the most affecting barriers for potential involvement of younger generations. According to the regression analysis, the level of constraints was significantly affected by the socio-economic factors such as household size, gender of the respondent, working hours per day, stall availability, availability of other income sources and vending area. Keywords: Constraints, Flower vendors, Present status, Religious areas, Younger generations' involvementItem Impacts of Green Brand Benefits on Retailer Brand Loyalty(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2019-02) Abeyrathne, B.A.G.C.U.; Mahindarathne, M.G.P.P.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.With the increase of consumers’ knowledge and awareness on the environment, sustainable or green marketing has been receiving much attention. Among different actors in the marketing platform, it is observable that modern trade retailers or supermarkets are now initiating sustainability or green practices which lead customers to see them as sustainability promoters. Thus, this study focused on identifying the consumers’ impression on the greenness of a selected modern trade retailer in Sri Lanka, namely, Keells, who is currently practicing certain green initiatives. The study concerned the green brand loyalty of the retailer in terms of functional (utilitarian) and emotional (selfexpressive) green brand benefits received by the customers and their impacts on green brand loyalty via green brand image. Further, the effects of environmental concern and consumer socio-economic factors on green brand loyalty were studied. The questionnaire survey technique was used to collect data from 200 customers who visited five selected retail outlets in the Colombo district. Measuring of the items was done based on Net Promoter Score (NPS) and multiple linear regression was used for data analysis. The findings showed that green brand loyalty is positively affected by green brand benefits via green brand image. Although both utilitarian benefits and self-expressive benefits have a positive impact, green brand loyalty and green brand image was highly enhanced by utilitarian benefits. Even though there was no substantial impact of environmental concern on green brand loyalty, with the increase of consumers’ environmental concern it enhances the green brand loyalty for the modern trade retailer. Further findings indicated that the socio-economic factors do not indicate a significant effect on green brand loyalty. However, the consumers have identified the brand as an eco-friendly one with brand’s functional and emotional oriented sustainability initiatives.Item Influence of Tea Packing Design towards Consumer Buying Behavior(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2018) Senevirathne, S.C.; Dharmadasa, R.A.P.I.S.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.The tea sector has potential to contribute considerably to economic development of Sri Lanka. The production and manufacturing of black tea is of higher importance in this regard. Moreover, in a competitive market arena, the way the product is presented to the customer is also noteworthy. For instance, black tea inner cartons are offered to consumer in many forms and it should be presented in attractive forms to catch the consumer favor to the product. The study was done for find the effect of selected packaging attributes (Color, Size, Material, Image) on the consumer buying behavior and find the relationship between social economic factors of the consumer and the tea inner carton buying behavior. 300 consumers who purchase tea with inner cartons in the Colombo district were taken for the study. Appropriate supermarkets were selected using Judgmental sampling technique while consumers were taken using convenient sampling technique. Primary data were collected by administrated structured questionnaire among the respondents in the sample. Conjoint analysis was performed to rank the importance of the packaging attributes and to find the best combination of attribute levels. Accordingly, the consumers prefer image and color of the packaging to size and material of the packaging while the most preferred combination of packaging attribute was dark color, large size package with traditional image and artificial material. Most of the consumers prefer green, blue, yellow, black and red color inner cartons respectively. Research study recommends that manufactures should focus on the image of the package more than other attributes while giving more emphasis in producing inner cartons having dark color, large size package with traditional image and artificial material.Item The Role of Food Quality and Safety Certificates of Biscuits on Purchasing Behavior of Consumers in Colombo District(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2019) Sameera, H.D.R.; Dissanayaka, R.U.; Kahandage, K.P.M.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Wijesinghe, W.A.J.P.Food quality and safety certification is a third-party authentication which gives an assurance to its customer that the products, processes or systems meet its accredited food safety and quality standards. But customers would have diverse perspectives regarding the product quality whether these certifications displayed in the products to convince the customer. Therefore, this research was focused to identify the role of food quality and safety certificates on consumer purchasing behavior for a selected brand of biscuit. The study was carried out using 140 supermarket consumers in Colombo district, a known lead market in Sri Lanka. Primary data were collected using convenient sampling technique by administering a pre-tested questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model. As per the results, income level of the customer, age and product attributes had positive significant influence while perceived quality of the brand (0.082 level of significance) depicted negative significant influence on seeking product quality certifications at the point of purchase. In addition, customers assured the product quality via the product brand, price of the product, physical appearance and associated quality certifications with the product respectively when purchasing the biscuits. However, customers in any income level had not given the priority for the quality certifications during the purchase. Moreover, the most educated customers (79.5%) and majority of female (86.5%) seek for the quality certification when purchasing biscuits from supermarkets. Further, the awareness of food quality certification increased with the education among biscuit purchasing customers. In addition to the assurance given by the food quality and safety certifications, consumers had their own definitions to declare the quality of the product when making the purchasing decision.Item Willingness of Consumers to 3 in 1 Instant Milk Tea Sachet Packets(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2018) Ranaweera, D.H.I.S.; Dharmadasa, R.A.P.I.S.; Amarakoon, A.M.C.; Kulasiri, U.D.S.The 3 in 1 instant milk tea sachet packet is one of the latest products which entered into the value added tea product line. The newness of this product has led tea manufacturers and marketers to explore deeply the potential market and consumer reaction. Hence, this research was conducted to find out the factors affecting the consumer willingness to 3 in 1 instant milk tea sachet packets and to identify the level of sensory factors that affect the consumer preference on a selected 3 in 1 instant milk tea product. 260 respondents representing four occupation categories (Lecturers, Students, Security Officers and Minor Workers) were randomly selected from the Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka. The data related to the preference level of the sensory factors, demography and the consumption behavior of the respondents were gathered using a sensory sheet and a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using descriptive techniques and binary logistic regression. Results of the regression analysis show that the consumer willingness to buy this product depends on the over-all acceptability of the sensory factors of the tea and price acceptability. Above all, the consumers who are used to drink milk tea as their bed tea express more willingness. Consumers who purchase tea products from places like canteens and tea centers have no interest for this kind of products. The vanilla flavor decreases the consumer willingness to buy the product. The sensory test resulted that the selected 3 in 1 instant milk tea product has moderate sweetness, moderate milk flavor and moderate astringency. Further, it has pleasant aroma and appearance. As the conclusion of the sensory results, the selected 3 in 1 instant milk tea sample is in a consumer acceptable level.