Browsing by Author "Herath, H. M. A."

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Dimensions of Entrepreneurial Orientation and SME Performance: Moderating Effect of Absorptive Capacity of the Firm
(Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2020) Herath, H. M. A.
This paper investigates a model of SME performance based on the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and absorptive capacity of the firm. The model tested the direct effects of innovativeness, risk-taking and proactiveness on firm performance and the moderating role of absorptive capacity on the relationship between the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. Structural equation modelling with multi group analysis was used to test the model in the context of small and medium scale hotel and restaurant industry in Sri Lanka. Results indicate that highly entrepreneurial-oriented SMEs with high level of absorptive capacity achieve higher level of performance.
Impact of Intrinsic Factors and Subjective Norms that Influence Purchase Intention in Sri Lankan Online Retail Apparel Industry
(Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) De Silva, A. C.; Herath, H. M. A.
Throughout the past decade, the development of the internet as a marketing tool has become a worldwide trend. In the apparel industry, the online platform has become a fertile ground for direct marketing resulting in the disintermediation of number of intermediaries in the traditional marketing channel. Compared to other developed countries, the habit of purchasing through digital market by Sri Lankan customers is obviously at a lower level. Moreover, even at the global level, there are few studies over purchasing of apparel online while scholars have emphasized the necessity of more studies in different contexts. In the Sri Lankan context, there is a lacuna of the empirical evidence in the area. The focus of this study is to identify and investigate the major factors that influence online purchasing intention among Sri Lankan online buyers. Therein, based on a comprehensive literature review, four factors were identified under the categories of subjective norms and intrinsic factors. A field survey was conducted to investigate the effect of perceived value, perceived risk, and perceived quality and peer pressure on online purchasing intention. The primary data was collected by means of a structured questionnaire and interviews from a sample of 384 customers selected on the simple random basis. The model was tested by using the simple regression analysis and the results revealed that perceived value, perceived quality and peer pressure show a positive effect on the online retail apparel purchasing intention among customers. The study also found that there are many research avenues for invigorating the scientific body of knowledge in this area.
Selecting suitable locations to establish a ground solar farm in Trincomalee District in Sri Lanka using GIS
(Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2023) Senadeera, T. S. M.; Bandara, W. M. J. Y.; Herath, H. M. A.; Ariyawansha, J. M. M. S.; Weerasinghe, V.P.A.
Renewable energy is energy derived from natural sources that are regenerated at a higher rate than consumed. One of the examples of the most effective renewable energy sources is solar energy, which is derived from the sun. Solar energy can be extracted directly or indirectly for human use. With the rapid growth in energy demand, solar energy has led to an increased interest in power generation. In Sri Lanka, solar energy investments have developed rapidly in recent years. The ground solar farm is one of the solar energy harvesting types for electricity generation, especially at the industrial level. Our main focus is to provide an additional power supply to the National Grid of Sri Lanka, and this study focuses on utilising Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to identify suitable areas for establishing a ground solar farm in the Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka. Trincomalee District has a tropical wet and dry climate with high sunlight. According to that Trincomalee District was selected as the study area by considering solar irradiation and by focusing on the cumulative solar power plant capacity in Sri Lanka. According to the literature review, various factors can be useful for selecting locations for a ground solar farm. Land surface temperature, slope, land use, and proximity to roads were selected as criteria for this case study. The separate criterion maps were generated and they were reclassified according to the requirements, and those were used with Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to find the weights for overlay analysis in GIS. The resulting final factor map shows a land area of 24.47 km2 for Trincomalee District as highly suitable for establishing a ground solar farm. This case study aims to reduce the overconsumption of natural resources that are used to produce energy and to ensure the protection of the environment through using renewable energy.