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Recent Submissions
The Impact of Role Stress on Work-Life Balance Evidence From Sales Employees in The Tile and Sanitary Ware Industry in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya., 2024-11-11) Harshani, M. D. R.; Senevirathne D. M. W. H. K.
In the modern workplace, work is an essential component of one's professional identity;
however, striking a balance between work and non–work activities can be difficult. Since
more workers realize the importance of what is now called "work-life balance,"
maintaining a healthy balance between one's professional and personal lives has come to
the attention. However, work is an integral part of one's professional identity in the modern
workplace. Work and family are two crucial aspects of an individual’s life. Changes in the
workplace and employee demographics have driven the attention of many researchers
toward the line separating the work and family lives of employees. Maintaining a healthy
balance between one's personal and professional lives has gained public attention as more
workers recognize the significance of what is now called work-life balance. A few studies
have been conducted to illustrate various aspects of role stress on work-life balance (WLB)
concerning sales personnel in Sri Lanka's tile and sanitaryware industry. Therefore, the
present study aims to investigate the relationship, concentrating on the influence of role
stress on work-life balance. The study is quantitative in nature. Responses were obtained
from 211 participants via a self-administered survey questionnaire. The multiple regression
analysis was carried out utilizing SPSS 23.0 to verify the proposed relationships between
the variables. Results showed that role stress (role overload, role ambiguity, and role
conflict) significantly impacts the work-life balance of sales employees in the tiles and
sanitary ware industry in Sri Lanka.
Design and Development of a Reusable Chatbot for Fashion Recommendations: Sinhala Language as a Case Study
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya., 2024-11-11) Sugathadasa P.D.C.M; Yatigammana M.R.K.N; Wijayarathna G.
People communicate about their lifestyles, ideas, and social standing through fashion. Due
to the ever-evolving desires and personal preferences and the availability of a wide range of
options, selecting the ideal fashion design becomes difficult for customers. As a result,
recommendation systems and chatbots have come to the market. In Sri Lanka, these chatbots
are only available in English; thus, they are restricted in their ability to serve most Sinhalaspeaking community in Sri Lanka. To solve the said problem, this study builds a Sinhala
fashion recommendation chatbot. This research focuses on the development of a chatbot
developed using Python Flask. It uses OpenAI's GPT-3.5 Turbo to understand and generate
human-like responses and Bing Translator to communicate in Sinhala language. The fashion
problem solution was developed using the Soft Design Science Research Methodology
(SDSRM). The chatbot was designed and developed using component-based software
engineering (CBSE), which allows one to easily develop a complex application like a
chatbot and export it to other domains. This makes it easy to deploy the chatbot for different
purposes in business, education, or any other field with minimal modification. A hosted
chatbot prototype was evaluated using a Google Form to obtain feedback. Users reported
satisfaction with the personalized style suggestions, indicating the system's potential
effectiveness. The unique achievement of this study was building a reusable chatbot module
by combining several components; therefore, with minimum modifications, the chatbot can
be customized to other domains as well.
Parental expectations and perceptions of augmentative and alternative communication: A Sri Lankan perspective
(Sage Publications In Association With The National Autistic Society, 2024-11) Hettiarachchi, S.; Nizar, S.; Kitnasamy, G.; Gopi, D.
Environmental Accounting Disclosure and Financial Performance: Evidence from Listed Manufacturing and Service Sector Companies in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya., 2024-11-01) Naveendya, J.B.S.; Madhushani, P.W.G.
The most challenging environmental issues that the world is facing today are climate change and global warming, which stem from business operations. Hence, it is the responsibility of the business sector to protect the environment and society. Thus, the observation intends to examine the impact of environmental accounting disclosure on the financial performance of manufacturing and services sector companies listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange, Sri Lanka. The methodology was a quantitative survey approach involving a sample of 28 manufacturing and 17 service sector companies over consecutive financial years from 2012 to 2022. The content analysis technique was used to measure the level of environmental accounting disclosures. The Environmental Accounting Disclosure Index (EADI) was prepared based on eight environmental accounting disclosure items. The regression analysis revealed a significant positive impact of environmental accounting disclosures and the firm’s financial performance of manufacturing companies but not service companies. The results of this study will make it easier for regulators and those who prepare annual reports for highly environmentally sensitive industries to set the foundation for environmental accounting disclosure practices that lead to improved financial performance.
Understanding GCC Banks: Credit risk, Interest Charges, and Operating efficiency
(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies University of Kelaniya., 2024-11-01) Duppati, G.; Maamari, B.E.
This study empirically examines two research questions: First, whether the Credit Risk increases the operating efficiency of banks? And second, whether Interest Charges Influences the relationship between Credit Risk and Operating Efficiency? This study uses the secondary data and it is drawn from EIKON DataStream for the period 2005 to 2022. The sample size of the study includes 50 banks of the GCC region, covering eight states, which includes: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Sharjah, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and UAE. For addressing the research questions raised in this study, we employ different regression techniques that include the fixed effects (FE) model and System dynamic panel-data estimation test to ensure robustness of the results. Our results show that high interest rates benefit the 25th and 75th percentiles, but the firm's ability to adapt, innovate, and restructure in response to the changing financial environment will determine how much they benefit lower efficiency quantiles. Banks that overcome these challenges may become more competitive, efficient, and streamlined. While higher interest rates increase financing costs and financial constraints for lower- efficiency banks, they can also spur good transformation.