Browsing by Author "Thushara, S.C."

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Customer based brand equity for empowering Sri Lanka as a tourism destination: with special reference to tea tourism
(University of Kelaniya, 2016) Koththagoda, K.C.; Thushara, S.C.
Tea tourism is one of the alternative forms of tourism which is being operated in the tea growing regions in the world. Sri Lanka also can benefit from adopting and promoting tea tourism. The main purpose of this study is to propose a practical model to empower Sri Lanka as a tea tourism destination. In this study, Keller’s constructs of the pyramid of brand equity, including brand salience, brand performance, brand imagery, brand judgments, brand feelings, and brand resonance, are investigated and their relationships with brand equity, as well as their effects on customer loyalty and satisfaction in Tea tourism in Sri Lanka are determined. The statistical population of the present study is all foreign visitors from tea estates based recreational sites in Sri Lanka. The data were collected by administering questionnaire. The sample consisted with 385 randomly selected individuals. The research hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling and the final model was confirmed. The findings of the study revealed that only the relationships between brand salience and customer loyalty, brand imagery and brand performance towards brand equity were not significant, and all other relationships were significant. Also, fit indices obtained from the conceptual model indicates that model is valid in explaining the relationships among variables to empower Sri Lanka as a Tea Tourism destination. Therefore this proposed model emphasized how marketers should design and implement the effective marketing programs to empower Sri Lanka as a tea tourism destination. In this way, Sri Lanka can be positioned as one of the attractive and more competitive tea tourism destinations in the world which in turn could make a positive impact on foreign exchange, employment oportunities and other economic factors.
Day of the week effect of stock returns: Empirical evidence from Colombo stock exchange
(University of Kelaniya, 2012) Thushara, S.C.; Perera, P.
Effectiveness of the privatization process on the government coconut plantation companies in Sri Lanka
(University of Kelaniya, 2012) Gunasekera, N.D.S.R.; Thushara, S.C.; Ranasinghe, D.N.
The Impact of Service Quality on Passenger Retention in the Airline Industry: Case Study on Sri Lankan Airlines
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Warnakula, U.S.; Thushara, S.C.
Air travel facilitates economic growth, world trade, international investment and tourism and is therefore central to the globalization-taking place in many other industries. The service quality has become a one of the most important factors, which determine survival of airline industry. Therefore, it is mandatory to maintain the service quality in order to compete with other competitors in the Airline Industry. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of service quality on passenger retention in the airline industry. The SERVQUAL model was used as an instrument to measure service quality on passenger retention. The methodology adopted in this study was quantitative. Data was gathered through face-to-face interviews from 364 frequent flyers of Sri Lankan airlines using semi-structured questionnaires. The cronbach alpha was used to test the reliability of the data. Correlation and Multiple regression analysis were used to measure the effect of service quality on passenger retention. The findings of the study revealed the importance of the tangibility reliability, responsibility assurance and empathy in service quality towards the passenger retention. The practical implication of the finding is that Sri Lankan airlines should consider service quality as a critical element in passenger retention.
Measurement Model to Assess Sustainable Agriculture Potential of Sri Lankan Rice Farmers Derived Using Rural Livelihood Assessment Framework: Studied in Mahaweli-Block (H)
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2024) Ariyarathne, S.M.W.P.K.; Nanayakkara, K.G. Madurika; Thushara, S.C.
This paper describes a systematic method that identified constructs and indicators of a measurement model to assess rice farmers' Sustainable Agriculture Potential (SAP). The method used the Rural Livelihood Assessment Framework (RLAF) definition to define SAP's primary constructs. The capital assets defined in RLAF (human, social, financial, physical, and natural) were then explained using previous Sustainable Agriculture (SA) research findings. An initial 130 indicators were framed into five-point Likert scale questions to form a research questionnaire. The questionnaire was initially administered among 64 selected farmers in a dominant rice cultivation region (Mahaweli Block H) in Sri Lanka. The responses were analyzed using the measurement model analysis technique using the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Based on this analysis, 87 questions were identified as effective measures of the farmers' SAP. The refined questionnaire was surveyed among 386 rice farmers randomly selected in the same region. The responses were analyzed using the PLS-SEM techniques for each capital asset in the form of measurement models. The analysis proved those 87 questions (indicators) are productive and can explain farmers' SAP compositely. The researcher believes the model will be helpful for future researchers in assessing the strengths of SAP and the nexus between SAP and other variables, such as their ability to adopt more organic-centric farming and resilience to other varying factors impacting their farming. Furthermore, the method used to maximize the variance explained in developing indicators and ruling out the less productive indicators could be insightful for researchers in future studies.
The month of the year effect: empirical evidence from Colombo stock exchange
(2013) Thushara, S.C.; Perera, P.
Many researchers have tested whether the seasonal anomalies are present in the stock markets. Those studies have been carried out in the stock markets both in the developed and developing economies. Existence of seasonal anomalies let the investors to earn abnormal returns by trading on past information. Most common seasonal anomalies are day of the week effect, month of the year effect, holiday effect, Monday effect and Friday effect. Although information technology and regulatory mechanisms are much stronger than ever, there are strong evidences to support that seasonal anomalies exist in stock exchanges both in developing and developed countries. Furthermore, Colombo Stock Exchange has been named recently as one of the stock exchanges with higher returns in the world. Thus, it is of paramount importance identify how those returns are made of. Abnormal returns gained from anomalies cannot be justified from a risk-return standpoint. Yet it remains as an important element of stock returns. This study attempts to examine whether the month of the year effect and January effect are present in the Colombo Stock Exchange based on data from January 2000 to December 2011. For the purpose of analysis, non linear GARCH t model is employed along with other techniques due to its strong capability to detect such anomalies. Results provide evidence to support the claim that both the month of year effect and January effect exist in the Colombo Stock Exchange despite its use of modern information technology infrastructure and regulatory developments.
Relationship between opportunity recognition and sustainability of small business in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Rodrigo, B.K.U.P.; Thushara, S.C.