University of Sri Jayewardenepura: Journals & Proceedings
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Examining the Impact of Sri Lanka’s Economic Crisis (2022 to 2024) on Condominium Developers: Effects and Responses
Get PDFSri Lanka has recently faced one of the most severe economic crises, which is significantly impacting various firms and industries, including the real estate sector. Among the most affected is the condominium development sector, which is significantly interrelated with the countries’ economy. Despite this significant relation, there has been limited research on how economic crises influence the real estate sector in developing South Asian countries including Sri Lanka. Especially, there is a lack of context-specific studies on how such crises impact housing markets and what are the responses towards crises. This study aims to address this gap by focusing on two main objectives: (1) to examine the effects of the economic crisis on condominium developers in Sri Lanka, and (2) to explore the strategies these developers adopt in response to the crisis. The findings are expected to contribute valuable insights into the resilience and adaptability of the real estate sector during periods of economic instability. Five (5) condominium developers with varying capacities and portfolios were selected to understand how diverse the impacts and responses could be. In-depth interviews with key informants and document surveys were used as the methods of data collection. Following a qualitative approach, content analysis was used to analyze the data collected. As the findings revealed, the impacts of the economic crisis can be mainly identified as demand-side shocks and supply-side shocks. Regarding developers’ responses, the high-income group-focused developers focus on “strategic responses” such as tapping into new market segments and project diversification. Meanwhile, middle-income-focused developers use investment responses to withstand the crisis. The long-term impacts of organizational-level responses on urban development and the housing market particularly in terms of affordable housing supply are yet to be explored in future
Stability through Resilient Leadership: A Qualitative Case Study on Employee Retention in Sri Lankan Apparel Sector
Get PDFEmployee retention is a critical issue for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially in developing economies facing economic and social disruptions. This study explores how resilient leadership contributes to employee retention in a medium-scale apparel SME in Sri Lanka. Using a qualitative single-case study design, data were collected through six semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and field observations. Thematic analysis revealed four aggregated leadership practices that supported long-term employee retention: emotional care during crisis, inclusive workplace culture, internal career development, and moral, community-oriented leadership. These findings demonstrate how resilient leadership is characterised by adaptability, trust-building, and ethical consistency which helps sustain employee commitment and workplace stability. The study also shows how elements of transformational and transactional leadership were embedded within a broader resilience leadership approach. This research contributes to leadership and HRM literature by offering empirical insights into how SMEs in resource-constrained settings can retain workers through informal, values-based leadership. Practical implications are provided for SME leaders aiming to build committed, inclusive, and stable workforces during and beyond times of crisis.
Key Words: Apparel Industry, Employee Retention, Qualitative Case Study, Resilient Leadership, SME, Sri Lank
Intervention of Vatta and Sīla in Interpersonal Relationships: A Review of Vattakkandhaka within the Theravada Vinaya Piṭaka
Get PDFAlthough interpersonal relationships are frequently perceived as a modern phenomenon, their roots extend to ancient eras, evolving progressively alongside the development of human interactions. Over the last seven decades, literature on interpersonal relationships within the context of modern contemporary management has developed significantly and added up as a result, with multitudes of ideas, concepts, and theories relating to interpersonal relationships. The Vinaya Piṭaka constitutes one of the tree divisions of the Tripiṭaka detailing the monastic regulations and management by the Buddha approximately 2, 500 years ago, which significantly shaped the social relationships within Buddhist monasteries. Although current Buddhist literature has studied interpersonal relations via the Sutta Piṭaka, it lacks notable studies relating to the Vinaya Piṭaka. This study aims to address the existing gap in understanding interpersonal relationships within the contexts of modern management and modern Buddhist literature by examining the Vatta concept as defined in the Vattakkandhaka, employing a semi-structured review within an inductive thematic approach. The Vatta concept incorporates the guidelines provided by the Buddha to regulate the daily monastic life of monks in order to facilitate the development of Sīla practices. The findings of this study are that concepts of proximity and distance, behavioral traits—wholesome and unwholesome—and the nature of people's setting and achieving of objectives in their relations within the objectives of the society are essential to understanding the overall dynamics of interpersonal relationships in society.
Key Words: Interpersonal Relationships, Proximity and Distance, Sīla, Vatta, Unwholesome Behavioral Trait, Wholesome Behavioral Trai
Long-Acting Antimicrobial Formulations: A Promising Frontier in Combating Neglected Tropical Diseases
Get PDFNeglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a group of infectious diseases that affect over 1.5 billion people worldwide, predominantly in tropical and subtropical regions. These infections are caused by vector-borne pathogens, soil-transmitted helminths, and non-tuberculous mycobacteria. NTDs are largely concentrated in resource limited countries with inadequate sanitation, water, and healthcare. The global burden of NTDs, estimated at 56.6 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), is comparable to that of HIV/AIDS. Despite efforts from the World Health Organization (WHO) to control NTDs, challenges persist in treatment and control strategies, particularly due to the absence of effective vaccines and the complexity of existing frequently administered therapies. Longacting antimicrobial formulations (LAFs) have emerged as a promising solution for improving therapeutic outcomes by providing sustained duration of drug action, enhancing patient compliance, and treatment outcomes. These formulations are being developed for several NTDs, including Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and Onchocerciasis. Innovations in drug delivery technologies, such as injectable depot formulations, liposomal approaches, biodegradable and non-biodegradable devices, have proven effective in other disease areas and are being applied to NTDs. Despite significant progress made, several scientific, economic, implementation and regulatory challenges exist. This review explores the potential future role of LAFs for NTD treatment and how collaborative global efforts could potentially improve access to these innovative therapies
Using Soya Flour as an Eco-Friendly Filler to Partially Replace Carbon Black in Tire Tread Compounds
Get PDFAdapting to sustainable materials is now prevalent in many industries, including the tire industry. Several biomaterials have been utilized at various stages of tire development for their sustainability. This endeavor highlights the utilization of soy flour (SF) for partial replacement of petroleum-based carbon black (CB) in tire tread compounds. SF had an average moisture percentage of 6.74%. SF successfully replaces 10 phr of CB without major loss in physical properties. It exhibits a tensile strength of 19.59 MPa, an elongation at break of 588.43%, a 300% modulus of 5.14 MPa, a Shore A hardness of 51, a specific gravity of 1.093, and a resilience of 54%. Additionally, SF shows an abrasion value of 277.74 mm³, a tear strength of 34.36 N/mm, and an adhesion strength of 7.60 N/mm. Further, SF displayed properties comparable to the control with a silane coupling agent, and calcium sulfate dihydrate (CSD). However, SF with CSD led to a higher abrasion loss (approximately 60% improvement over the control), which indicated a less favorable interaction between SF and NR. Despite this difference, all formulations demonstrated acceptable performance in aging and blooming tests. Therefore, it can be clearly concluded that SF together with a silane coupling agent could easily replace 10 phr of CB, serving as sustainable filler in the tire manufacturing industry.Keywords: Eco-friendly, Filler, Tire tread, Soya flour, Carbon blac
Effects of Common Sri Lankan Dinner Foods on Fasting Blood Glucose and Triglyceride Levels: A Pilot Study
Get PDFAmong the blood glucose assessing parameters, fasting blood sugar (FBS) plays a key role in screening, diagnosis, management and monitoring of diabetes mellitus. Diet is a crucial factor which alters the FBS and especially the dinner foods might interfere with the FBS the next day. Our objective was to assess the effect on FBS and TAG of healthy individuals with the consumption of common Sri Lankan dinner foods (rice and curry, fried rice, kottu and soup with bread). A randomized crossover experimental study was conducted with 13 healthy individuals (age :22-26 years, BMI :18 – 23kg/m2 , FBS <110mg/dl, TAG < 150mg/dl), selected by simple random sampling. Participants were provided with four dinner foods (portion size= 300g) 1) rice and curry (838kcal), 2) fried rice (932 kcal), 3) kottu (937kcal) and 4) soup with bread (422kcal) on four different days keeping a 3-4 day gap between test days. Participants were requested to fast for 8-10 hours and FBS and TAG levels were assessed the next day morning using glucose oxidase assay kit, and TAG colorimetric assay kit respectively. Data were analysed using repeated measures ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test and the presence of significant differences were determined at 95% confidence interval. Obtained results show that rice and curry meal showed significantly lower (p<0.05) mean FBS (65 mg/dL) compared to all other foods. Compared to kottu and fried rice, a significantly lower FBS value was obtained for soup meal (p<0.005) while there was no significant difference (p=0.666) between kottu and fried rice. TAG levels did not show any statistical significance among meals. The present pilot study concluded that the rice and curry meal for dinner has the lowest effect on FBS. Even within the normoglycemic range, fried rice and kottu taken for dinner significantly elevate the FBS levels compared to a soup meal or a rice and curry meal. None of the tested meals for dinner significantly changed the TAG.Keywords: Dinner food, Fasting blood sugar, Triacylglycero
Editorial: The Poetics and Politics of Climate Change in Sri Lanka
Get PDFClimate change is a complex phenomenon with multiple causes and far-reaching consequences. Reflecting the interplay between nature and culture, its drivers and impacts can be observed at local, regional, and global levels. Over time, it has become a discursive reality constituted through various narratives, rituals, and sense‐making processes that infuse moral and spiritual logics into environmental phenomena (Barnes et al., 2013; Crate, 2011). Responsibility for climate change is attributed in different ways, often shaped by interactions between humans, between humans and the environment, and between humans and supernatural beings. For instance, it can be linked to supernatural test or punishment, or anthropogenic factors such as local land‐use practices, state policy failures, or distant industrial emitters, which reveals power asymmetries and environmental injustices at multiple scales. People perceive causes and consequences of climate change not only in physical termssuch as crop losses and health risks, but also as sociocultural disruptions, altered livelihoods, loss of traditional knowledge, threats to heritage sites (Crate, 2011; Pearson, Jackson, & McNamara, 2023). People's actions and reactions to climate change often depend on the explanations they receive. Focusing on threat perception, vulnerability, adaptive capacity, and resilience in Galle—a southern coastal region of Sri Lanka—van den Berg and Mallick (2024) found that perceived threats can motivate adaptive responses, thereby enhancing livelihood resilience. From this perspective, local sense-making plays a vital role in engaging with local measures of resilience. [Downloard and Continue Reading>>]
DOI: http://doi.org/10.31357/fhss/vjhss.v10i02.0
Beyond Grief: An Anthropological Exploration of Resilience, Identity, and Social Dynamics among Widows
Get PDFThe ritualistic behaviors associated with death encompass actions that signify the significant impact of the loss on both the bereaved individual and the community. When an individual loses a spouse through death, the absence of the deceased has been resulted in the loss of both social interactions and emotional support. This often intensifies the necessity for the development of alternative social relationships. Therefore, the research problem at hand delves to unravel the multifaceted elements of widowhood, focusing on how widows in various socioeconomic circumstances develop and deploy resilient strategies to cope with grief. The general objective of this research is to illuminate the mechanisms through which widows reconstruct their identities amid the complex interplay of societal expectations and personal aspirations. This study is based on purposively selected twenty widow households of Ratmalana DS division, Colombo district, Sri Lanka. The qualitative methods and techniques have been applied to collect data including interviews, case studies, focus group discussions and observation methods. The findings of the research reveal insights into their resilience mechanisms, influenced by cultural and societal factors. Widows face societal stigma and gender-based stereotypes, leading to limited participation in social events. The economic impact on widows is shaped by historical practices like Sinhalese land tenure and discriminatory inheritance laws. Financial challenges arise from shifting family structures and gender disparities in employment. The study highlights varied income sources, with self-employment common post-spousal loss. Financial aid to widows is limited, and government initiatives fluctuate in utility. Support networks play a crucial role in widows' financial stability, offering multifaceted assistance. The research findings suggest that widows encounter distinct difficulties within their gender roles. As the sole caregiver, they strive to maintain their family's socio-cultural and economic stability as household leaders, simultaneously managing household affairs and finances. Widows, identified as individuals who grapple with both financial and emotional support in modern society, face significant challenges in meeting these responsibilities
A Vegan Innovative Approach with Commercial Potential, a Coconut-Based Dessert Formulated in Sri Lanka
No full textIn recent years, the trend of veganism and inclination towards plant-based milk derivatives has been rapidly increasing worldwide. As far as the Asian tropical region is concerned, coconut is one of the major economic crops that is increasingly being grown and utilized for many food products. The general objective of the study was to develop a vegan fermented dessert formula using coconut milk extract as a sustainable alternative to dairy-based yoghurt-like products, particularly targeting vegans and other non-dairy consumers. The product preparation was done according to the major steps in yoghurt processing, yet at different conditions: milk pasteurization at 90℃, adding sweeteners (sugar, stevia mix) and stabilizer (plant gum composite), incorporation of non-dairy-favored culture, incubation at 43℃ for 4 hours and refrigerated storage (4℃). The product was developed undergoing two sensory evaluation stages; selection of the best plant gum composite from guar gum: CMC and Xanthan: CMC (1:1) composites, and selection of the product's optimum sweetness out of 10%, 15%, and 20% levels of sugar: stevia mix at 5:1 ratio. According to the results, the product prepared using Xanthan: CMC gum composite with 15% sweetening capacity was selected as the final product formulation and was taken for quantitative analyses as two products; the sodium benzoate preservative added sample and the control. Regarding physicochemical analyses, pH, syneresis, and water holding capacity varied between 5.47-4.95, 5.46-13.68 %, and 94.49-85.81 %. The overall texture profile analysis showed that the product had better textural characteristics, similar to yoghurt-like products. The proximate analyses of the product were 40.02±0.25 % moisture, 0.51±0.02 ash %, 2.20±0.01 % protein, 19.17±0.05 % fat and 0.12±0.01 % fibre. The fatty acid (FA) profile determined through the GC-FID analysis reported that most of the fat was composed of saturated FAs, particularly lauric acid (44.01 %). Moreover, a significant antioxidant potential was reported in the product concerning TPC (0.97±0.01 mg GAE/g) and ABTS (2.69±0.03 µmol Trolox/g) assays. The probiotic viability was optimal for the growth of lactic acid bacteria throughout the studied shelf-life period (>106 CFU/g). In conclusion, the developed product was acceptable even in the absence of preservatives, making it a better non-dairy probiotic alternative. Consequently, the use of coconut milk as a non-dairy probiotic matrix in this product development can be recommended as a promising tool to address the current economic challenges most developing countries face worldwide.
Keywords: Coconut milk, Vegan, Non-dairy, Probiotic, Stevi
Assessment of Visual Impacts Associated with the Construction Work of the Colombo Port City Development Project
No full textGalle Face Green is considered to be Colombo’s most-prized open-aired public space where more than 1,600 visitors spend time during weekends. The ongoing Colombo Port City Project adjacent to Galle Face Green is considered to be the largest development project ever evolved in Sri Lanka with a construction period lasting for more than 25 years. This study was carried out to assess the visual impact on the beach view for the Galle Face Green visitors due to the ongoing construction work of the Colombo Port City Project. A perception survey was conducted at Galle Face Green with random selection of a sample of 200 individuals. Respondents were asked about how often they visit the area, the reasons for their visits, and their perception of the severity of the visual impact caused by the ongoing construction, which was measured on a scale. Additionally, socioeconomic information was collected to identify factors that might influence differences in perceptions. Results indicate that a moderate negative visual impact to the beach view is experienced by the majority due to the construction work of Port City site. Ordinal Logistic Regression was employed to investigate the influential factors of the visitors’ perception of the negative visual impact on the beach view, using the SPSS software package. Results from the statistical analysis revealed that the level of education and being a frequent visitor positively influence the perception of the negative visual impact while the distance to the site has a negative influence. Accordingly, when the distance to the site from the residential area of the visitor decreases, the visitor perceives the negative visual impact to a higher extent. Also, when the visitor has a higher level of education and if a particular individual is a frequent visitor, the visitor perceives the negative visual impact to a higher extent. This study emphasizes that project developers are responsible for remedying the negative visual impact by incorporating green scaping, to create a visually pleasing environment and protect the recreation value of Galle Face Green to the future generations.
Keywords: Visual impact assessment, Colombo Port City Development Project,
Ordinal logistic regression, Green scaping