Browsing by Author "Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K."
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Item Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) Market Orientation and BOP Focused Product Innovations in FMCG Industry in Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Erandika, K.K.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.; Niroshini, S.The global Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) market is estimated to be with around 5 billion consumers who spend approximately 2 USD per day. Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry plays a vital role in the Sri Lankan economy as it has been seen as the engine of growth to the economy as a result of its ability to create a job, generate revenue, reduces poverty and drives economic growth. Market orientation is a set of actions within the organization that create value for the customer which results in profitability and finally facilitates achieving sustainable competitive advantage which consists of three behavioral elements customer orientation, competitor orientation, and inter-functional coordination. Product innovation could create a firm’s performance and profit growth. Leveraging on these diverse fields, this study investigated the relationship between BOP market orientation and BOP focused product innovation. Data were collected across fifty major high performing FMCG companies in Sri Lanka, according to industry capability report using a theoretical sampling technique. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis. Simple regression analysis was used only as a supportive analysis to prove the relationship further. Results indicated that BOP market orientation significantly and positively affected to BOP focused product innovation. The study demonstrated that FMCG companies have adopted activities with BOP market orientation as a business strategy which has improved its BOP focused product innovations. In conclusion, the research findings can be applied to other industries not only on product innovations but also for other innovation types. Keywords: Bottom of the pyramid (BOP), Market orientation, Product innovation, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)Item Can Organizational Culture Make Impact on the Growth of Customer Base in Hospitality Industry? An Evaluation with special Reference to Trincomalee District(Uva Wellassa University of Srilanka, 2011) Najeeb, J.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.Note: See the PDF Version Organizational culture refers to a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguish organization from other organizations (Stephen and Timothy, 2009). According to Stephen and Timothy (2009), there are seven primary characteristics of the organizational culture. They include innovation and risk taking, attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness and stability. In the last few decades, Sri Lanka has attained a significant growth in the service sector and its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment has risen in a considerable manner during the period from 1980 to 2007. As far as the tourism industry in Sri Lanka is concerned it is getting more significant developments in recent years (Central bank Report, 2009). Consequently, hotel industry has taken a new entrance and considered as a mode of foreign income. However, the customers find difficulties when the organization changes the organization frequently and that might cause to lower the customer loyalty. Customer loyalty and growth of the customer base are the most important challenges faced by most of chief executive officers across the world (Ball, 2004). Accordingly, this research aimed to identify the nature of the organizational culture and the growth of the customer base of the hotel industry and to identify the relationship between the characteristics of organizational culture and growth of the customer base in hotel industry with special reference to Trincomalee District.Item Does Entrepreneurial Resource Bricolage Lead Nurturing Social Innovation?(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Ratnayake, R.M.C.S.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.; Yapa, U.A.SSocial entrepreneurs are primarily focused on the development of innovative solutions to society’s most challenging problems. The behavioral theory of “entrepreneurial resource bricolage” attempts to understand the art of combining extant resources to overcome novel challenges and constraints. This study aimed at investigating how entrepreneurial resource bricolage is used as a method of social innovation in a resource-constrained context. The study further investigated whether entrepreneurial resource bricolage influences nurturing social innovations while observing the moderating effect of entrepreneurial alertness. Taking a qualitative research approach, the study surveyed 264 social entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. Descriptive statistics, Pearson coefficient correlation, and regression analysis were used to analyze data. The findings manifest that entrepreneurial resource bricolage significantly influences on nurturing social innovations whereas entrepreneurial alertness positively influenced the relationship between entrepreneurial resource bricolage and social innovations. Thus, by doing so, this research provides empirical evidence on how entrepreneurial resource bricolage triggers social innovations. The study provides social entrepreneurs with precious implications to enhance the values and innovations and contributes significantly to the emerging discussion on social innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of the developing country. Keywords: Behavioral theory, Social entrepreneurs, Social innovations, Entrepreneurial alertness, Entrepreneurial resource bricolageItem An Empirical Study on the effect of Product Innovations on Organizational Performances In the Banking Sector of Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Dissanayake, M.M.R.K.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.Innovation plays a pivotal role in guiding any industry towards dynamism The study empirically identifies the effect of banks' product innovations on the banking sector performance. Further, the study identifies two main types of product innovations in banks as Liability Product Innovations (LPIs) and Asset Product Innovations (APIs). The study explores the organizational performance with respect to Deposit Base (DB) and Loans and Advances Base (LAB). The sample was derived based on the Brands Annual 2009 and ten most valuable banking brands were taken for the study. Product innovations carried out by banks are identified through a structured questionnaire while DB and LAB are obtained from the annual reports of the banks within the period from year 2005 to year 2008. Both descriptive and inferential methods were used in analyzing the data in optimizing the objectives of the study. The results show that LPIs and APIs have a strong positive effect on the DB and LAB respectively. Overall findings indicate that innovation is significantly and positively affect superior performance of the banking sector. Thus, the study concluded that it is worthwhile to increase the rate of innovations as a mode of reaching superior business performances in the banking sector. Keywords: Innovations, Organizational Performances, Banking SectorItem Exploring Open Innovation Practices in Social Enterprises(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Nesarasa, A.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.; Gamage, P.G.M.S.K.n today‟s competitive era, merely innovating within firm itself is not enough to achieve the competitive edge. Rather firms need to collaborate with external sources beyond their organizations in order develop new products as well as solutions. Open innovation practices play a major role in nurturing different types of innovations within firms. Large scale firms highly adopt open innovation practices. In the context of social enterprises, their use of open innovation practices is still under researched. Main focus of this research is to identify the most important external sources used by social enterprises, most common ways of collaborating with external sources and to identify the different types of innovations which result from adopting open innovation practices. Sampling frame consisting of 10 social enterprises was drawn using maximum variation sampling technique. Primary data were collected using semi structured interviews. Based on the information given, the researcher has developed the research. The researcher has used thematic analysis method to analyze the data using NVivo 12 software. The findings reveal that social enterprises in Uva province commonly use employee involvement, inter organizational networking, outsourcing R&D, direct outreach, international exposure, participation in other firms and customer involvement in order to nurture innovations. Therefore, this research emphasizes that social enterprises can nurture innovations and several other advantages by using open innovation practices. Keywords: Innovations; Open innovations; Open innovation practices; Social entrepreneurship; Social enterprisesItem Identification of the impact of Market Orientation on private Label Brand Intentions(With Special Reference to the Super Market Industry in Colombo District)(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2013) Herath, H.M.R.S.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.Market orientation is the organization-wide generation of market intelligence, dissemination of the intelligence across departments and organization-wide responsiveness to it. Market orientation affects to the different practices of the organization. At the same time, private label branding concept also play a vital role in super market industry. This study empirically evaluated three market orientation practices (customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter functional coordination) and its impact on the Private Label Brand intention of the super market industry in Colombo district. The sample consisted of thirty super market managers working for thirty super market branches in Colombo district. The data were gathered by administering questionnaires. The analysis represents that there is a positive relationship between three market orientation functions and the three different private label brand intentions (Generic brand intention, Copycat brand intention and Premium brand intention).Item Impact of Participative Decision Making on Product Innovations (With Special reference to Hotel Industry in Southern Province Sri Lanka )(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Madhumali, K.G.M.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.Participative decision making (PDM) has received a significant attention as a mode of reaching higher business performances in the modern business context. Innovations play a significant role in converting businesses towards growth orientation and they can be defined in different contexts like product, process, marketing innovations etc. The study aims at assessing the relationship between PDM and product innovations in the Hotel Industry in southern province Sri Lanka as the province is the heart of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. PDM has been scanned through three dimensions namely structure of the PDM, form of the PDM and decision issues in PDM. Innovations have been identified through two dimensions namely products new to the market and products new to the company. The study was based on primary data gathered from 14 hotels in Southern Province in Sri Lanka categorized by Tourism Board as star hotels. Stratified sampling technique has been occupied within the study and 42 managers were selected from different levels of Management in the hotels. The questionnaire method along with the in-depth interview was used to obtain the primary data and information for the study. Main dimensions of PDM were identified through Likert Scale. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of analyzing data have been occupied within the study in analyzing the data. Results suggest that there is a positive relationship between PDM and product innovations in hotel sector. The result of the study presents a strong step toward providing practical as well as theoretical implication on the PDM and Product Innovations. Key words: Participative Decision Making, Product innovations, Hotel industryItem Impact of Participative Decision Making on Product Innovations(With Special Reference to Hotel Industry in Southern Province)(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Madhumali, K.G.M.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.Study on the PDM and product innovations leads to show that the managerial level and their participation to the product Innovations. Innovations are greatly imperative to an organization. The recognized customer needs can lead to an innovative product. Objectives are lead from the study the relationship between PDM and Product Innovations, Assess the contribution on PDM and Product Innovations and those are leading for development in Hotel Industry. The study is conducted on the hotels in southern province which are categorized under the stars.42 managers are selected from each level of Managements. The questionnaire method along with the in-depth interview is used to obtain the information of the study.The structure of the PDM, Form of the PDM and Decision issues in PDM are the three dimensions which are identified to measure PDM and the relationship with product innovations in each dimensions. Results suggest that there is a relationship between PDM and Product Innovations in Hotel sector. The relationship on PDM and product innovations is lead for new products and it goes to development of Industry. The result of the study presents a strong step toward providing practical as well as theoretical implication on the PDM and Product Innovations.Item Impact of Stakeholder Pressures on Adopting Green Innovations(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Henadeer, P.S.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.; Perera, K.J.T.Green innovation has emerged as a salient approach to amplify business sustainability. Yet, stimulating green innovations is still confronting developing countries. The contradiction between economic efficiency and stakeholder pressures on green innovation hinders sustainable development in a country. Hence, this study addressed this unexplored area in green innovations which investigates whether the stakeholder pressures have impacted the decision of adopting green innovations. Previous literature has mainly focused on a single factor rather than the overall consideration of both internal and external stakeholder pressures together. Also, previous findings were mainly based on the manufacturing industry. This research was conducted to assess internal and external stakeholder pressures on adopting green innovations together in both the manufacturing and service industries. A quantitative study was conducted by a questionnaire survey involving 205 managers selected by a stratified sampling method in companies certified with International Organizations for Standardization 14001. Descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and Pearson coefficient correlation were used to deduce the impact and to prove the hypothesis by analyzing data. Findings manifested that external and internal stakeholder pressures significantly impacted on adopting green innovations. Despite the stimulation provided by the internal stakeholder pressure, external stakeholder pressure has been identified as the most influential factor that impacted on adopting green innovations. The study provided managers with implications to enhance the competitive advantage by forging value to the stakeholders. The study also contributes to the literature of green innovations and stakeholder theory. However, further research is suggested based on disparate samples and considering diverse stakeholder pressures in the future to validate the findings further. Keywords: External stakeholder pressure, Green innovation, Internal stakeholder pressureItem Mapping Challenges of Social Enterprises in Uva Province, Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Ranathunga, R.M.C.M.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.Today the social enterprises field in Sri Lanka faces numerous issues and challenges. It is rarely can find research about Social Enterprises in Sri Lanka. According to one amongst them, which had done by British Council, the geographical spread over the country of social enterprises in Sri Lanka, they are more clustered in the Western and Central provinces while they are less common in other provinces due to unable to access facilities and support service. Accordingly there is a gap to identify what the challenges are for the social enterprises which are in the provinces with the least number of social enterprises and why female social entrepreneurs are showing a dissimilar number of proportions within the urban area and non-urban area. In this study the researcher aimed the research population as the social enterprises in Uva Province which the less number of social enterprises are located, to map challenges of social enterprises and giving recommendations for further development of the social enterprises in Sri Lanka. Qualitative research was done under a purposeful sampling method by selecting the sample in accordance with the researcher‟s knowledge and satisfaction of achieving the objective of the research during the data collection process and the sample size was ten sample units of social enterprises in Uva Province. Through exploratory research, the data was collected by direct interview method and semi-structured open-ended questions were developed base on the research objectives of the study. In this study Thematic Analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings were main six challenges as “Institutional and operational challenges, Policy making and government-related challenges, the Governance structure related challenges, Locational and situational challenges, Diversity based challenges and Social, educational, and public awareness related challenges”, and more specific challenges for Uva province are “Locational and situational challenges”, “Social educational and public awareness related challenges” and “Diversity based challenges”. As the recommendations, an exact policy regulation framework for the social enterprises in Sri Lanka is needed and the respectable parties should take actions to give solutions for the development of the social enterprises in Sri Lanka. Keywords: Social enterprises; Social entrepreneurship; Mapping challenges; Thematic analysis; Diversity based challengesItem Open Innovations in Apparel SMEs: Special Reference to Western Province(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Nawarathna, W.D.G.A.N.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.; Niroshini, S.Open innovation leads firms to use external knowledge in the firm innovation process. In this dynamic environment, use of external knowledge to accelerate innovation practices is vital for organizations. Small and medium firms are facing challenges in adopting innovation practices due to the size and have limited resources for introducing the innovation effectively in the market. Even with those challenges, firms are engaging with open innovation in developing the firm innovation process. The main objective of this study was to assess the degree of applying open innovation practices within small and medium apparel firms and the sub-objective was to identify the challenges of open innovation within the small and medium apparel sectors. This research study accomplished those objectives by gathering primary data through an in-depth interview from 12 small and medium apparel firms in the Western province in Sri Lanka by using a convenience sampling method. An equal number of respondents from each district were selected and interview guidelines were used to ensure the interviews were heading in the right direction. Further, data analysis was done using the thematic data analysis method. The study found that small and medium enterprises are applying open innovation practices through customers’ involvement, suppliers’ involvement, competitors’ involvement, and strategic alliance. Additionally, this research found the internal and external challenges of open innovation. The research fundings support creating a platform which connects with external parties and provides awareness of the open innovation practices. Further their research may identify the management involvement of practicing open innovation to develop firm innovation practices. Keywords: Open innovation, Small and medium firm, Apparel sector, External ideasItem Self Managed Work teams and Job satisfaction(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Sanjeewa, T.M.A.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.There are four most common types of teams and they are problem solving teams, self managed work teams (SMWTs), cross-functional teams and virtual teams. Most of software development companies are following the self managed work team concept. Only a few field studies have been conducted to evaluate the worth of SMWTs. This study examines how the tasks of SMWTs affect on job satisfaction in software development companies in Colombo district. It also examines the most significant task of SMWTs which affect on job satisfaction. Data was collected both on primary and secondary data sources. Primary data was collected using questionnaires which were given to each 10 team members of 10 software development companies located in Colombo district and the total sample size is 100. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample. Results show that there is a moderate linear correlation on SMWTs, planning and scheduling, assigning task of members, taking actions on problem, and working with suppliers & customers with job satisfaction where as the correlation between making operating decisions and job satisfaction was weak.Item Self Managed Work Teams and Job Satisfaction (With Special Reference to Software Developing Companies in Colombo District)(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Sanjeewa, T.M.A.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.Team works have received a significant attention in modern business context as a mode of achieving superior business performances in the modern business context. Four most common types of teams are problem solving teams, self managed work teams (SMWTs), cross-functional teams and virtual teams. The study aims at observing the relationship between SMWTs and job satisfaction (JS) within software development companies in Colombo district. SMWTs were observed through five dimensions namely planning and scheduling, assigning task of members, taking actions on problem, and working with suppliers & customers and making operating decisions. Likert scale was used to assess the five dimensions and also the degree of job satisfaction of employees. The study based on the primary data gathered from 100 team members within 10 software developing companies in Colombo district. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample. Results show that there is a positive moderate linear correlation between SMWTs, planning and scheduling, assigning task of members, taking actions on problem, and working with suppliers & customers with JS where as the correlation between making operating decisions and JS was weak. The study concluded that there can be several influencing factors for JS. Further, it was suggested that effective and efficient use of SMWT can increase job satisfaction. Key words: Self managed work teams, Job satisfaction, Software developing companiesItem Social Entrepreneurship and Impact on Securing Triple Bottom Line in Social Enterprises(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Ulugethenna, D.G.U.N.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.; Fernando, A.G.N.K.Creation of innovative solutions to solve most pressurized social problems is the core of social entrepreneurship while performing the major role of changing agents by social enterprises and entrepreneurs. The study questioning the rise of social enterprises to balance economic, social, and environmental factors in the Sri Lankan economy. Thus, this study aims to determine whether the social entrepreneurship dimensions help social enterprises to secure the triple bottom line by drawing from the knowledge and empirical gaps. Online questionnaires were used as a research instrument to collect data from 137 selected social enterprises through a quantitative research approach. Cronbach’s alpha value has ensured the reliability of the questionnaire developed based on past literature. Data were analyzed using descriptive, correlation, and regression analysis. The findings prove that social entrepreneurship positively impacted on achieving triple bottom line goals and highly impacted environment performance rather than economic and social. Finally, this study recommends beginning discussions regards to the social entrepreneurship to fill the academic and industrial lacuna in Sri Lanka. Keywords: Social entrepreneurship, Social entrepreneur, Social enterprise, Social entrepreneurial dimensions, Triple bottom lineItem Tourist Satisfaction on Infrastructure Facilities in and Around the Yala National Park and Destination Loyalty(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2013) Nishamani, E.H.U.; Jayawardhana, A.A.K.K.Tourism industry has become constantly changing industry, as a tourism destination Sri Lanka is also has to promote tourism to attract more tourists to gain high foreign exchange .In this situation infrastructure is most significant to develop tourism industry in any destination . But in Sri Lankan context Sri Lankan government or responsible authorities not much consider to develop infrastructure facilities, & its sometime affect to discourage the arrivals of tourists. Past research revealed that customer satisfaction is an important theoretical as well as practical issue. For most marketers and consumer researchers, customer satisfaction is regarded as a marketing tool to attract the most variable segments of the market. Infrastructure is highly imperative for tourism development of a tourism resource rich region, which requires plausible planning and management for the development of such infrastructure & Infrastructure provision functions as the nervous system for effective tourism development and the success of tourism destinations in world markets. The study adopts a quantitative technique based on primary data of was the tourists who are visited for the Yala national park. In order to select the sample for the research this study used the number of tourists who are visited for Yala national park & tourists who stayed hotels situated near to the Yala national park, which are registered under the Sri- Lankan Tourism Authority. The research was conducted in order to identify the relationship of the tourist satisfaction on infrastructure facilities and destination loyalty. The primary data was collected through self designed structured questionnaires, selected sample of 70 of foreign tourists. The research was utilized the questionnaire which consist of three parts to collect data.