Digital Repository, University of Moratuwa
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Ensuring the safety of Sri Lankan hospitals: adaptation of the WHO “Safe Hospital” initiative to Sri Lanka
No full textAs a critical infrastructure, hospitals have to play a pivotal role in the health and well-being of a community. Specially during a disaster, hospitals are supposed to treat victims while continuing their day-to-day functions
Urban food security of the Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR) in Covid times
No full textColombo Municipality Region (CMR) consists of a highly complex food system that relies on the supply from distant outstations which literally collapsed during the pandemic situation. A requirement exists for empirical research to derive guidelines and recommendations to increase the sustainability and security in the food supply in CMR during a disaster situation
Impacts of the first COVID-19 lockdown on mobility and consumption of households in Sri Lanka : results of a survey
No full textSri Lanka was introduced to an unnamed virus on 27th January 2020 when a Chinese tourist was diagnosed with it [1]. Within 8 weeks, the virus named COVID-19 had begun infecting the local population, and the government was taking measures to prevent its spread in Sri Lanka
Impact of utility works in road projects in Sri Lanka and proposed mitigation measurers
No full textRoad projects are experiencing huge delays in Sri Lanka due to utility relocation, delays in releasing payments, design changes during construction phase, price escalation and land acquisition to accommodate utility relocation. In some instances, contract of utility projects was awarded when road works were nearing completion. There is no sound legislation that exists defining the powers, rights and obligations of Roads and Utility authorities. As a result, Roads Authorities in Sri Lanka are obliged to pay all costs associated with the above impacts, along with extension of time due to such delays from the allocated funds for road works. This has been causing burden to the project scope and impacting the economy of Sri Lanka. As such, it is important to identify suitable remedial measures to mitigate such impacts during the design and construction stages. Qualitative research method was adopted through the inductive process by selecting purposive samples of experts for semi structured in-depth interviews. In addition, more data was collected through documents review. This study revealed that the knowledge gap in the sector to identify and recommended remedial measures for impacts caused by utility works in road projects in Sri Lanka
The Influence of street’s elements on walkability: a case of Colombo 07
No full textThe walking behaviour of pedestrians continuously depends on street design and its quality. In Asian countries, streets have evolved from traditional streets without interpreting the actual need and impact of street elements for walking behaviour. However, they act only as transportation links while limited to the name by itself. This research aimed to identify the street elements that influence walkability and to investigate the most influential factor for walkability in terms of “Link and Place” to promote walkability in the Sri Lankan context. This study was conducted using a mixed-method approach. The on-site observations were carried out through a photograph survey and rough sketches to observe the street elements. Later, findings were validated through the questionnaire survey regarding the seven principles of a walkable street. Then, data were analysed by using descriptive analysis and correlation analysis aided by SPSS software. The findings of the observation and questionnaire revealed that there are nine most common street elements of streets which influence walkability in the Sri Lankan context. Finally, the study agreed that both “Link and Place” functions are equally important for the walkability of pedestrians
A Framework to enhance the practice of maintenance budgeting in commercial buildings in Sri Lanka
No full textInadequate budget control is one of the major challenges that adversely affect the maintenance of a building. The cost of plant asset maintenance of the commercial building is a larger proportion of the overall cost of operation. It is important to allocate financial resources appropriately so that, before serious damage occurs, maintenance measures can be taken. Accordingly, a well-defined maintenance budget (MB) makes it possible to recognise opportunities for creating continuous business performance improvements within the financial constraints of a company. Although required building maintenance can be carried out successfully with an adequate budget, the budget is not well defined in current industrial practice and Sri Lanka is most likely dealing with the same problem. Thus, this study aimed to develop a framework to enhance the practice of a well-defined MB for commercial buildings in Sri Lanka. The qualitative approach was adopted to address this study. A comprehensive literature review was done and five case studies were performed using ten semi-structured interviews to collect the primary data. The interviewees were selected based on their knowledge in the field of maintenance cost planning. Data were analysed through content analysis using both manual and NVivo 12 software. The research finding revealed that prime barriers of prepare an accurate MB are poor planning of maintenance work and resources, faulty maintenance, changes in country market condition, and poor financial support. The key strategies to overcome the barriers are to select the right budget method, arise awareness of top management about building maintenance and avoid faulty maintenance
M-payment adoption in smes; virtual entrepreneurs
No full textThe technological and communication revolution has driven the rapid development and popularity of M-payment services. The purpose of this study is to explore the M-payment adoption and consequences among SMEs context informal virtual entrepreneurs and provide insights for them to continue their venture operations to compete with the technologically advanced environment. This study addressed the enterprise perspective to explore the unknown facts from the M-payment phenomenon. The present study is quantitative, and the model was developed based on constructs of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 and empirical findings of previous literature. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model and empirical findings, a generally validated and reliable model was developed for the study. Primary data of the study were collected from 122 SME entrepreneurs who expanded their businesses to virtual platforms. Study findings emphasized that relative advantage and absorptive capacity, perceived transaction convenience, compatibility have a significant impact on M-payment adoption, and perceived risk has a significant negative impact on M-payment adoption among informal virtual entrepreneurs in the SME context in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, social influence does not significantly impact M-payment adoption. Study results are beneficial for developers, vendors, policymakers to identify the desires of most growth sectors of the economy, SMEs entrepreneurs, and the model developed from the current study can be used for future studies by eliminating existing limitations of the same study
Can spirituality drive sustainable consumption intention?
No full textThe climate change and environmental depletion has made sustainable consumption a rising area of investigation with the purpose of understanding the factors influencing such phenomenon. Nevertheless, with the external factors such as infrastructural, institutional and policy changes have been recognized as insufficient, there does not exist a concrete consensus on which factors may drive an individual towards sustainable consumption. Hence, the present paper aims to examine possible factors which may have an influence on sustainable consumption intention incorporating spirituality through the contribution of Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Social Cognitive Theory of Moral Agency. A cross sectional survey was conducted in the study with a sample of 250 urban-educated consumers in the Colombo District using a convenience sample. The data collection was conducted with a self-administered questionnaire while Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with AMOS was utilized for the analysis. The findings revealed a positive impact from both attitude towards sustainable consumption and perceived behavioral control on sustainable consumption intention. In contrast, subjective norms were recognized as statistically insignificant in its impact. Spirituality was revealed with a positive impact on attitudes towards sustainable consumption leading to sustainable consumption intention. Thus, this study contributes to the enhancement of the prediction power of Theory of Planned Behavior with spirituality as a behavioral belief. Hence, the findings reflect that inner changes in an individual have the possibility that may drive sustainable consumption intention. The paper, therefore, concludes with the strong revelation that spirituality plays a major role in an individual, affecting the attitudes towards sustainable consumption, ultimately resulting in sustainable consumption intention. Further, the paper suggests the policymakers and environmental authorities on the importance of incorporating spirituality enhancement programs in driving an individual towards sustainable consumption
A Preliminary study on the positive and negative aspects of working from home during the corona pandemic
No full textWork from home can be regarded as the panacea for existing many of the industries during Covid-19 pandemic. The focus of the research is to identify the positive and negative aspects of working from home during covid-19 pandemic. As a result, many employees started working from home (WFH). Several countries today have made WFH a policy priority. This current situation provides a clear perspective on working from home. This research explores the ongoing experience of employers and employees in Sri Lanka. The current study is categorized under descriptive type of a study. Google survey were distributed and virtual meetings were held to accumulate data for the study. Study population of the current study is all the employees have working from home experience at Badulla district. As this is a preliminary study, the google survey was distributed among 60 employees. This contemplates if WFH is projected to be an impermanent solution in unique conditions or if it may be made permanent by analysing the impact of negative and positive aspects of the WFH
Introducing a smart phone-based travel survey application
No full textTravel demand models, which are simplified representations of the real-world trip decision making processes, involve a series of steps that attempt to simulate complex human behaviour