Reviewing International Encounters (RIE - 2018)
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Item LibQUAL Analysis of Library Services in University Libraries in Sri Lanka(Reviewing International Encounters 2018,The Research Center for Social Sciences (RCSS), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Wanigasooriya, PriyanwadaCurrently, in an ‘open/service-oriented information society' technology has increased access to content by bringing up information resources to one's fingertips and the provision of such services are increasingly becoming the signifier of excellence of quality. Therefore, over the years, the role of conventional university libraries has led to sophisticated service centers superseding the traditional storehouse concept. Thus compared to the global situation, university libraries in Sri Lanka have attempted to provide overall best services for their targeted users. But, in the Sri Lankan context some questions such as what are the users’ right information desires, are these desires being fulfilled, what are the evaluation criteria for library quality, what are the reasons for the lack of frequent library usage and why do people gradually drop out from libraries, what steps have to be taken to provide better services and how to retain registered users while attracting new ones remain unanswered. For an understanding of these matters and how the existing shortcomings can be fixed, sound studies are vital. This study aimed to evaluate the user perception and overall quality of services at university libraries in Sri Lanka. It provided suggestions to overcome identified difficulties encountered during the reception of library services. As the first LibQUAL survey conducted in Sri Lanka, this survey helped to assess current service performance (perceived services), users’ minimum and maximum (desired services) expectations and service quality gaps (adequacy and superiority) of their main user groups. The study concluded that there were only seven (31%) propositions in the entire survey that the users' minimum expectations were met. They included giving users’ individual attention, employees’ knowledge to answer users’ questions and their caring fashion, remote accessibility of electronic resources, quiet comfortable and inviting location which inspires studying and learning. Comparing “library as place” and “effect of service”, “information control" dimension received lowest perceived performance level at the survey. In contrast, a number of user expectations on resources (printed/electronic), library website and information searching tools were fewer satisfaction areas. Users mostly complained on issues related to locating materials and the fact that, they were less aware about the resources and services that the libraries offered. Furthermore, the majority of users negatively responded on internet related matters, unavailability of sufficient books for their own field of study in Sinhala language, noisy environment since people can be loud, telephone conversations and user behaviors. From users’ views libraries could not meet minimum users’ expectations except in some cases. Finally, the examination of users’ minimum expectations showed that the proposition of “making information easily accessible for independent use” was most important and the proposition of “giving users individual attention” was relatively less important. This study mainly identified 15 service areas which were in need of improvement. Continuous formal and attractive online and offline user education programs, sufficient staff training to upgrade their professional knowledge and inculcate positive attitudes among them, the increment of the minimum staff requirements especially for IT related purposes, the renovation and proper maintenance of library buildings and repair of the equipment which were vital to providing effective services for users. In addition to that, frequent user survey is also essential for the better understanding of users ever-changing desires.Item Chinese Soft Power Strategies Towards Sri Lanka and Its Implications on International Politics(Reviewing International Encounters 2018,The Research Center for Social Sciences (RCSS), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Gunasena, J.T.S.Chinese involvement in South Asia has been perceived as a threat by certain regional and extra regional powers such as India and the U.S.A. whereas China proclaimed it as a peaceful invitation for mutual co-existence with the rest of the world which was embraced by many smaller powers such as Sri Lanka. This attachment between China and Sri Lanka specially during latter’s post-conflict period since 2009 had created certain clashes of interests among above mentioned regional and extra regional powers whereas Sri Lanka provided the platform for these controversies which resulted even some negative implications on the conduct of Sri Lankan policies. The main focus of this study is to identify the impact of China’s soft power usage and the implication of it on the Sri Lankan external and internal relations. One objective is to identify strategies used by China in terms of trade and investments to influence Sri Lanka by means of soft power and another objective is to determine the implications of it on international politics. Content analysis has been used in order to analyse secondary data collected through data triangulation method available in different data sources such as government publications, books, interviews, historical records, speeches, and web. The content analysis evaluates document texts and test theoretical underpinnings of the particular issue to understand data more comprehensively. Soft power strategy used by China has been significant role in the form of investments, development grant, cultural donations, bilateral trade agreements and consolidation of diplomatic and political relations that has been remarkable feature in post- conflict period of Sri Lanka. During the previous government in Sri Lanka pro Chinese policies were strengthened due to the high interest of Rajapaksha government for bilateral loans, which came with no political strings and repayment period is negotiable and China tries to spread its power through bilateral loans to developing countries. This unexpected strategic presence of the China in Sri Lanka was much disturbing for the implementation of India-Sri Lanka relations and the U.S –Sri Lanka which were under anxiety. Chinese presence has been always seen as a vital threat by the international community since it’s so called peaceful development has identified as a smart strategy with hidden security goals. Both India and the U.S.A created difficulty for Sri Lanka in the form of human rights allegations during the conflict and even call for Security Council resolutions for an international investigation in to it. On the other hand, China's strategy of non-interference has implied that it has no ambition to interfere in to domestic political issues in Sri Lanka. China is highly concerned of the fact that if it can’t be the hegemon in South Asia, it won’t allow anybody else to do so. It is clear that China effectively used trade and investments compared to India and the U.S.A. But Sri Lanka has to be more cautious in maintaining balanced relationship with all the countries since China is not that much reliable partner in the light of rapidly changing international politicsItem Buddhist Revival in the 19th Century in Sri Lanka(Reviewing International Encounters 2018,The Research Center for Social Sciences (RCSS), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Hewawasan, H.H.N.S.The British colonial administrators started to consider about Buddhism in Sri Lanka only after the conquest in 1815. In order to win the consent from the Buddhist monks and the Kandyan elite, the colonial administrators added one sentence regarding Buddhism in the 1815 treaty. Since the beginning of 1850's, the Christian priests attempted to adjust the religious policy of the colonial administration according to their wishes and beliefs. They were executing missions against Buddhism in Sri Lanka. At first, Buddhist monks were liberal about this. Yet, gradually they started to comment for the accusations made by the Christian priests. As a result, a revival in the Buddhism in Sri Lanka arose. There were several religious debates and out of them, "Pandurawadaya" became world famous. As a matter of fact, renowned Englishmen such as Colonel Sir Henry Steel Olcott came to Sri Lanka and became a Buddhist. Thereafter, several Buddhists schools were established in Sri Lanka to promote Buddhist education. Many Buddhists were given Sinhala names as substitutes for their Christian names. As a consequence, there was a Buddhist Revival in the 19th century in Sri Lanka. Thus, in this research, the objective is to analyses these challenges and threats. As for the methodology of the research, primary and secondary sources were used for reference. To conclude, it can be stated that, as a consequence of these challenges and threats faced by the Buddhism in Sri Lanka, the Buddhist layman as well as the Buddhist monks were united as one and built many Buddhist societies in Sri LankItem Foreign Trade Relations in Sri Lanka in The Ancient Period: With Special Reference to The Period from 6th Century B.C to 16th Century A.D.(Reviewing International Encounters 2018,The Research Center for Social Sciences (RCSS), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Sudharmawathie, J.M.Foreign trade is one of the prominent feature of Sri Lankan economy from the ancient times. According to some views ancient Ceylon was inhabited by foreign traders who arrived the country from neighboring countries. According to the chronicles, Ceylon had been populated from the 6th Century B. C. The maritime trade of the Indian Ocean can be traced back to the dawn of civilization when as early as the third millennium B. C., the Hardpan merchants of India traded with Mesopotamia through the ports of the Persian Gulf. Up to the time of 8th century A. D. foreign trade activities in the Indian Ocean were carried out by various nations such as Persians, Ethiopians and Chinese and many others. After the 8th century B. C. most trade activities were conducted by Muslim trades in various Islamic Countries. Sri Lanka had been the central point for all these traders. It is apparent that Sri Lanka has engaged in trade with many countries from the ancient times. It includes Greece, Rome, Persia. India, South-East Asian countries and with China, the farthest country towards the east. Accordingly, Sri Lanka had been treated as the main land mark for foreign trade in the Indian Ocean. From ancient times Sri Lanka had been treated as the main meeting point of the traders bringing their goods from the East and the traders coming from the west though Persian bay and Red Sea. The main objective of this research is to investigate the factors contributed become Sri Lanka a popular trading center in international trade activities during the prescribed period under consideration. Primary and secondary sources including information from chronicles, inscriptions and archeological remains were adapted along with foreign documentation and reports. Geographical location of Sri Lanka has substantiated the possibility of maintaining trade relations with foreign countries. As the sea routes towards the east and west were located through Sri Lankan sea, this island had become a popular sea halt on foreign voyages. Sri Lanka had become so popular among international traders because of the fact that there were several harbors located around the island that can be anchored any vessels. The importance of harbors situated in Sri Lanka had subjected to remarkable charges from time. However, the significance of every harbor has remained unchanged at all times. The main harbor during the Anuradhapura period was Mahathiththa. It existed up to the 14th century. When Mahatiththa become out of use, the other harbors in the southern and western part of the island become prominent. According to the sources reveals another important factor is that Sri Lanka is situated very close to India. Another fact the foreign traders attracted towards this small island is that the enrichment of the country with many valuable natural resources such as pearls, gems, elephants, ivory, and spices namely cinnamon, pepper, clove including many other varieties which were high demand in international trade.Item Factors Affecting Remittances and Its Usage in The Rural Communities: Special Reference to Rural-to-Urban Labour Migration in Sri Lanka(Reviewing International Encounters 2018,The Research Center for Social Sciences (RCSS), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Ranathunga, S.P.B.Remittances play a significant role in poverty reduction in rural sectors in developing nations. Labour movement from rural villages to cities can be viewed as a universal phenomenon of economic modernization. Despite abundant research on this topic, there is no clear consensus among researchers on the pattern of rural to urban labour migration, remittance inflows to rural sector and its usage. Although international labour migration has gained more attention than rural-to-urban labour migration in the recent debate on migration and development, migration practices and remittances have been considered as significant livelihood development strategies for many poor groups in developing countries across the world. Although rural-to-urban migration has contributed immensely to household poverty reduction and income diversification strategies in rural communities in Sri Lanka, there is dearth of attempt in the literature to identify and quantify these impacts. The research question address in this study here is what are the factors affecting remittance and its usage in the rural communities? Data for this analysis were obtained from a questionnaire based survey conducted by the author between January and April 2011 in Sri Lanka. The survey comprised 400 rural-to-urban migrant workers from 20 urban factories located in Gampaha District in Sri Lanka. The remittance data in this survey consists of both positive and zero values as usual, as migrants who remit and who do not remit were included in the sample. Due to the nature of this type of data (censored regression), a Tobit regression model was applied to identify the determinants of remittance in Sri Lanka. Tobit estimations have the limitation of making the signs of both the determinants of remittances and the magnitude of the remittances the same. Therefore, a probit model was also employed to examine the decision to remit. Consequently, probit estimations provided the factors influencing the decision to remit while Tobit estimates provided the simultaneous decisions of whether to remit or not and how much to remit The results indicate that the decision to remit depends on the purpose of using the remittance rather than the amount of wages or experience. Unmarried migrants are more likely to remit for daily expenses in their households of origin to support elderly people and/or parents who cannot work and do not have a proper income in the places of origin. Households with larger areas of farmlands are less likely to receive regular remittances for consumption purposes whereas they receive more remittances for farming purposes as an investment. Households with students are more likely to receive regular remittances for daily expenses. Migrants tend to remit for the purpose of education if there are students in the household of origin. This confirms that rural-to-urban migration and remittances are not only for consumptive purposes but also for investment purposes. Moreover, rural-to-urban migration contributes significantly to asset accumulation in the communities of originItem Livelihood Diversification and Well-Being of Indigenous People in Sri Lanka: With Special Reference to Vadda Community(Reviewing International Encounters 2018,The Research Center for Social Sciences (RCSS), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Wanninayake, S.M.Sri Lankan indigenous peoples called Vaddas who own distinct socioeconomic and cultural traits, is one of the primitive communities of the world. This community with distinctive cultural values, prehistoric traditions and own survival strategies, at present, encounter to extinction due to the various influences. Even though Vaddas could be found around the island about three centuries ago, at present they can be seen only in specific scattered places associate with semi-evergreen dry monsoon forest habitat and newly established colonies. The primary livelihood means of ancient Vaddas were hunting and gathering, harvesting non-timber forest products and sometimes shifting cultivation and fishing etc. However, at present these practises have diverted to agriculture and related activities mostly practised by non-Vaddas in rural villages due to the modern development activities, resettlements, and wildlife and cultural conservation policies and interacting with advanced communities. Meanwhile, the Vaddas who have been resettled in newly established colonies have to adopt agricultural and related practices involuntarily. These changes of livelihood practices have significantly affected their lifestyle as well as their well-being. The aim of the present study is to examine the livelihood diversification and the state of well-being of newly resettled Vaddas in Sri Lanka. The question that attempted to address is ‘how livelihood diversification has affected on the well-being of resettled Vadda community?’ This study was mainly based on mixed method approach. Given the qualitative as well as quantitative nature of the study, both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods were employed. In-depth interviews, group discussions, key informant interviews, focused group discussions and observation methods were supplemented by the questionnaire based survey. The study area was the Henanigala which is newly established colony under the Mahaweli Development Project in 1980s Based on the empirical evidences the study concludes that the livelihood practices of resettled vaddas have significantly changed and the relative position of Vaddas in terms of well-being is fairly decent. At least they have come out from the forest. However, in absolute term still they are in the misery. They have just moved from worst to bad. Lack of cultivable lands for the second generation, discrimination, marginalization, lack of accessibility to basic needs including health and education are the areas that should be addressed urgently. Establishing an appropriate institutional and legal framework for Vadda community is essential to address these issues effectivelyItem Occupational Inequalities and Job Satisfaction of Employees: A Comparison between Rural and Urban Sector in Sri Lanka(Reviewing International Encounters 2018,The Research Center for Social Sciences (RCSS), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Menike, H.R.A.Labour has a dual role in the economic process. It is both an input to production and a source of income. The contribution of labour force on the productivity and development of a country depends on several factors, such as Job satisfaction, level of education, attitudes, health services, infrastructure facilities, communication, employee’s aspirations, income and savings etc. Occupation inequality greatly affects the socio-economic status of an individuals while the job satisfaction can make impact on the performance of employees in an organization. Hence, the main objective of this study is to identify the inequalities of employment and factors which influence the job satisfaction of employees in rural and urban sectors in Sri Lanka. This study is mainly based on primary data. Two districts: Colombo and Rathnapura were selected to represent the urban and the rural sector based on the development disparities. Pre tested questionnaire was managed to collect data from the sample units and descriptive statistical techniques were employed for data analysis. The study clearly shows that there are significant disparities of employment within rural and urban sectors. Nearly half of the rural population works as laborers, while majority of urban sector employees engage in professional jobs. Most of the people in the rural sector about 43 percent are engaged in temporary jobs with low salaries while about 12 percent in the urban sector. Moreover, few crucial factors have affected on the job satisfaction, which need serious attention of the planners and policymakers. The study reveals that job satisfaction of employees mostly depends on the job security, attractive salaries, recognition by the society and friendly environmentItem Beyond What We Seeing: An Inter Site Spatial Pattern of Megalithic Burial Complexes in Yan Oya Middle Basin (YOMB), Sri Lanka(Reviewing International Encounters 2018,The Research Center for Social Sciences (RCSS), University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Gunathilaka, K.A.D.N.S.Though the classical archeological approach based on interpretation of archeological data such as structures, artifacts, and features has a long history, it is regarded as a singular approach for research. Amidst this context, this study tries to extend the methodological approach based on the Post-processual archeology which tries to understand the collective behavior of all above facts which gives an overall picture of the scenario. A burial considered as a land mark of an individual or of a society, exposes the historical information in its material sense while it could also be explained in its visual meaning. The burial complexes spread all over the Yan Oya basin becomes significant subjects to study the social contexts they were belongs to in the above sense. The objective of present study is to relate spatial distribution patterns of burials with their materials and architectural features, instead studying mire structures. Accordingly, the study strives to explain the depositional behavior of a burial through the principles of spatial archeology which enable to expose the socio-environmental contexts of the based communities