University of Sri Jayewardenepura: Journals & Proceedings
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Title Registration and Its Impact on Property Valuation: Insights from Sri Lankan Valuation Professionals
No full textThis study builds on the ongoing transition from deed-based to title registration systems in Sri Lanka, focusing on the Bim Saviya programme introduced in 1998. We investigate the impact of registered land titles on valuation and mortgage lending practices from the perspective of real estate professionals. A qualitative approach was employed, conducting semi-structured interviews with ten valuation surveyors across various organizational settings. The results show that while title registration enhances legal certainty and streamlines ownership verification, challenges persist in its practical application for property valuation. Registered titles contribute to increased marketability and improved access to mortgage lending, but inadequate property information in title certificates and limited digital access to cadastral data hinder the valuation process. These findings suggest a need for improvements in the comprehensiveness of title certificates, timely ownership updates, and accessibility of digital cadastral information to fully realize the benefits of title registration in Sri Lanka's real estate market.
 
Nationalism in the Age of New Media: A Review on Emerging Forms and Digital Dynamics of “New” Nationalism
No full textThis review tries to examine the resurgence of nationalism in the era of 21st century, where digital technology acts as a major catalyst for societal upheavals and ideological trajectories. With a particular focus on how new media platforms reshape and intensify the nationalist discourse, it also describes in detail the types and their structural formations with political breeding grounds. Drawing on classic theories of nationalism and recent scholarship of digital politics, it synthesizes five main forms of new nationalism: digital ethno-nationalism, populist nationalism, algorithmic nationalism, cultural/consumer nationalism, and memetic nationalism. Furthermore, the review highlights the structural dynamics which are the mechanisms of digital platforms—through algorithms, participatory cultures, and viral circulation—transform nationalism in to a decentralized and manipulable phenomenon. By integrating cases from diverse geopolitical contexts, the paper argues that “new” nationalism is not an ideologically novel entity but technologically adaptive, relying on the logics of digital media to sustain exclusionary as a solidified political identity. Overall, this article contributes to the current debate in new media and nationalism: first, it provides a conceptual framework for understanding nationalism in networked society influenced by digital technology and then, identifies critical research gaps for further studies on digital governance, algorithmic bias, and the affective techno-political dynamics prevalent in post-new media age
Postcolonial Literature and Society පශ්චාත් යටත්විජිත සාහිත්යය සහ සමාජය
No full textPostcolonial literature, a significant literary movement, examines the aftermath of colonialism and its enduring impact on former colonies. The term 'Postcolonialism' broadly refers to how race, ethnicity, culture and human identity are represented in the contemporary era, particularly following the independence of many colonized nations. Postcolonial literature emerged in response to the extensive period of European colonialism, which began in the late 15th century. these colonial enterprises were driven by economic exploitation, political domination and cultural superiority. Colonizers imposed their languages, cultures and systems of governance on the colonized often erasing or marginalizing indigenous traditions and identities
Women’s Ethics in Contemporary Society as Illustrated by Sigiri Paintings: A Study from Archaeological and Modern Perspectives
No full textAmong the paintings belonging to the Anuradhapura era, the Sigiriya frescoes stand out as the most prominent and widely recognized artworks that have survived to this day. These paintings are one of the significant factors that contributed to Sigiriya being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main collection of frescoes at Sigiriya is located on the western face of the massive rock. The inscriptions on the Mirror Wall (Ketapath Pawura) reveal that by the 7th century CE, there were approximately 500 paintings in Sigiriya. However, only 23 images remain today, all of which depict female figures. These paintings are categorized into solitary and paired figures. The solitary figures represent noblewomen, while the paired figures depict noblewomen accompanied by attendants. None of these frescoes portray unnatural or exaggerated postures. Instead, they adhere to the idealized features of feminine beauty, such as dreamy eyes, delicate eyebrows, full lips, and long, expressive eyes. A majority of the women in these frescoes are depicted with bare upper bodies, while only the attendant figures appear to be fully clothed. Although some noblewomen are assumed to be wearing a delicate shawl, their upper bodies are still largely visible. Historical evidence, including ancient literary sources, suggests that Sri Lankan noblewomen in earlier centuries, up until the 9th century, commonly left their upper bodies uncovered. Renowned scholar Martin Wickramasinghe has pointed out that this tradition is documented not only in ancient frescoes but also in literary works. Given that the social norms of the time reflected this practice, it is reasonable to interpret the women depicted in the Sigiriya frescoes as representatives of such a cultural setting. Additionally, some of the frescoes depict both queens and attendants wearing a choli (a tight-fitting upper garment) that covers their breasts, while others are shown wearing a fabric wrapped just above the waist. Sri Lankan society, known for its strong ethical and moral values, can be better understood by analysing the behavioural patterns and social customs of its people. Historical records provide ample evidence of a highly ethical society that existed throughout Sri Lanka’s long and continuous history. Thus, this study seeks to answer the research question: Do the Sigiriya frescoes depict the ethical and moral values of women in the contemporary society of the Anuradhapura era? The primary objective of this research is to explore the subject matter illustrated in the Sigiriya frescoes and analyse the social roles of women during that period. Furthermore, it aims to examine whether these frescoes serve as a medium for communicating the ethical values and behavioural norms of women in that era. To gather the necessary data, a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies was employed, utilizing literary sources, field studies, and online resources. Many scholars agree that art reflects the cultural, moral, and ideological framework of the society in which it is created. Additionally, according to H.C.P. Bell, the frescoes may depict women on their way to worship at the Pidurangala Temple. However, this interpretation is debated, as the women in the frescoes are adorned with elaborate clothing and jewellery, whereas traditional Sri Lankan women would dress modestly and simply when visiting religious sites. Moreover, many inscriptions on the Mirror Wall suggest that the women in these frescoes were queens mourning their separation from King Kashyapa, with some verses even indicating their intention to leap from the rock due to grief. This perspective highlights the devotion and unwavering loyalty of women to their husbands in that era. Consequently, this study provides a deeper understanding of how the Sigiriya frescoes reflect the ethical values and character development of women in the contemporary society of the Anuradhapura period
Technological Adoption and Organizational Performance of SMEs in Sri Lanka
No full textModernity is rapidly accelerating, causing changes in every single element of the world, starting from individuals, organizations, and then influencing a country as a whole. Today, technological changes have become more frequent than ever. In Sri-Lanka Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are one of the major contributors of employment generation and source of living for the Sri Lankan citizens thus increasing the country’s GDP growth. Even if so, the slowness associated with technology adoption among the SMEs, might be one of the prime grounds hindering the optimum organizational performance of SMEs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the level of technological adoption within the SMEs in Sri-Lanka while investigating the impact of technology adoption on the overall organizational performance of SMEs. The author has followed a qualitative research approach to investigate deeply on the subject matter. The study was conducted by interviewing 06 SME owners and managers in Western, North-western and Sabaragamuwa provinces, Sri-Lanka. The purposive sampling technique was followed in selecting the respondents, where the author’s inclusive criteria were to select the SMEs that have already adopted technology for at least two years. In order to generate solutions for the study a thematic analysis was followed where 05 major themes were generated as: theme 01-Decision for adoption, theme 02- technology adoption process, theme 03- Level of technology adoption, theme 04- Impact on organizational performance and theme 05- Improving technology adoption. The findings obtained through the analysis point out that the level of technology adoption in SMEs depend on the functions performed by and relevant to that particular organization and they involve in step-by-step implementation of technology. Moreover, the findings highlight SMEs in Sri-Lanka often adopts the basic levels of technological applications in their organizations. Further the results of the study conclude that technology adoption has an overall positive impact on the organizational performance of SMEs in Sri-Lanka. The findings of the study will guide SMEs in the technology adoption process as well as help the government in implementing different strategies to uplift technology adoption among the SMEs
Off–Campus Students’ Housing Impacts in the Neighbourhood of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil
Get PDFThe study examined the economic and environmental impact of off-campus Student housing in six selected neighbourhoods of ADUSTECH, Wudil. Systematic sampling was adopted in collecting the data from 318 respondents out of 1,487population of Off-Campus students’ accommodation in the neighbourhoods with the aid of a questionnaire. The data was analyzed using both descriptive statistics and chi-square. The findings revealed that off-campus students experienced high and increasing house rent in the neighbourhoods as most respondents agree that there is a high and rising rate of accessing off-campus accommodation in the study area. The findings also revealed that most of the respondents agree that the environment suffered serious littering and noise pollution from the students. It is recommended that regular environmental sanitation of the surroundings by the students and the community members will reduce environmental problems facing the neighbourhoods. Also, local authorities are advised to cultivate a feedback mechanism within the areas where students live to enable leadership to feel the pulse of students and make positive corrections where needed. The university management also needs to collaborate with the neighbourhood associations to provide security and monitoring of student’s activities
Factors Influencing the Refusal of Post-Disaster Relocation: Insights from Resettled Individuals in Moratuwa, Koralawella, Sri Lanka
Get PDFRelocation of people is the ultimate strategy adopted by governments to improve the well-being of victims those who faced with disasters or living in disaster-prone areas. However, there have been complaints that resettlers reject the new place and return to original location. Sri Lanka experiences many numbers of relocation programmes yet no comprehensive updated study conducted on why people reject relocation. This research examines the factors contributing to refusal of post-disaster relocation efforts in the coastal area of Moratuwa Koralawella. Perspectives collected from 50 re-settlers were analyzed using correlation. Results indicates the decision to reject relocation is mostly influenced by social and economic factors. The outcome of this study is useful for stakeholders and policymakers when dealing relocation projects in the future to mitigate the negative consequences
Impact of professional competency of valuers on accuracy of Fair Value for financial reporting
Get PDFThis study examined the impact of the competency of valuers (CV) on the accuracy of Fair Value (FV) assessment for Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE) for financial reporting. The objective of the study is to address gaps in the body of previous research by exploring the relationship between CV (independent variable) and accuracy of FV (dependent variable), with an emphasis on experience and qualification. It used a mixed method approach, combining a literature review and a survey of 50 chartered valuers and accountants followed by a quantitative analysis by SPSS, employing Pearson correlation test and Regression analysis. The correlation test found a moderate positive correlation (r=0.422) between CV and the accuracy of FV and revealed the relationship is significant with p-value of 0.002. The regression analysis also revealed that CV explained 17.8% (R square 0.178) variance in accuracy of FV while a one unit increase in CV is associated with a 44.2 increase in accuracy of FV. The significance of qualification and experience for increasing FV accuracy was reaffirmed by the qualitative analysis and it concludes that CV is a significant factor so greater competency in valuers leads to higher accuracy of FV assessment. Accordingly, it recommends enforcing qualifications and experience requirements in FV assessment, strengthening Continues Professional Development, more investment in valuer education and training, putting quality assurance mechanism in place, and ensuring valuers to act ethically in FV assessment for financial reporting
VIDUDAYA Journal of Language, Literary, Cultural and Communication Studies
Get PDFVIDUDAYAJournal of Language, Literary, Cultural and Communication Studie
Integrating Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for the Assessment and Monitoring of Vegetation in the Panama Sand Dune, Sri Lanka
No full textDrones are widely used in photogrammetric surveys worldwide for environmental monitoring research since they provide high-resolution and real-time images. Therefore, drone mapping can effectively study dune vegetation consisting of various flora types such as shrubs, creepers, climbers, herbs, and trees. Hence, this study mainly focuses on identifying the vegetation cover of the Panama sand dunes area, between the Panakala lagoon on the Eastern coast, by using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 drone was utilized to capture images at 50 m altitude, and the image overlapping threshold was set to 90% when creating the GPS path using the PIX4D Capture Pro software. The drone imagery underwent the creation of orthomosaic maps using Drone Deploy software. Two orthomosaic maps were generated according to the limitation of image uploading capacity. The maximum likelihood supervised classification was performed by ArcGIS 10.8 software to distinguish the area of the vegetation patches and sand separately. Vegetation coverage was estimated as 63.6% of the total study area (110,231 m2) on map 01, and vegetation coverage was estimated as 15.75% of the total study area (171,539 m2) on map 02. Using 300 reference points separately, the accuracy assessment showed an overall accuracy of 91% with the Kappa coefficient of 82% and an overall accuracy of 96% with the Kappa coefficient of 79% in maps 01 and 02, respectively. 50×50 m grids (11 of the grids created from ArcGIS 10.8 with 100 m of intervals) were used to obtain the vegetation diversity of the selected area. According to the result, Casuarina equisetifolia was the most abundant tree (43%), and next was a creeper called Spinifex littoreus (10%) at the selected location. The overall accuracy and the Kappa coefficient indicate a strong agreement between the classified map and reference data, suggesting that the classification method is reliable for such environmental studies. Vegetation coverage variation in dunes results from the interplay of soil nutrients, moisture availability, wind exposure, sand dynamics, and human disturbances, shaping distinct plant communities adapted to specific environmental conditions. Casuarina equisetifolia and Spinifex littoreus dominate the coastal dune ecosystem due to their adaptations to saline conditions and roles in stabilizing sandy substrates, facilitating the establishment of diverse plant communities. This research could inform coastal conservation management and guide future studies on dune vegetation dynamics in Sri Lanka and beyond.
Keywords: Coastal dune ecosystem, Dune vegetation, Panama, Photogrammetric survey