L. B. Rajapaksha

University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thilina Dk

Lecturer, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABSTRACT

The competition in the fashion retail industry of Sri Lanka is reaching new heights due to the various demands of the fashion consumers in Sri Lanka. As per the significant growth in the fashion retailing sector in Sri Lanka the marketers need to define the strategies to address their customer intentions. Especially with the rapid growth of social networking sites especially Facebook in Sri Lanka, fashion retailers have to align their social media strategies with the online behavior of the consumers. This is study; mainly focused to understand the influence of Facebook fashion retailers’ brand page and purchase intention among Sri Lankan Facebook users. Objectives of this research were to understand the influence of engaging on a Facebook brand page on purchase intention for fashion retail in Sri Lanka, therefore the researcher has investigated main construct of Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) of Facebook brand page and their relationship with both Attitude towards Brand (ATB) and Purchase Intention respectively. Finally, to see whether there is a mediating effect of Attitude towards Brand on the relationship between PU and Purchase Intention and PEOU and Purchase intention respectively. The review is based on the theoretical rationale and supportive empirical findings. A descriptive statistical review is presented to reasoning why the fashion industry is considered as a context to be examined whilst empirical evidences are presented to support the arguments. The paper concludes with research propositions to examine how Facebook Brand Page make an influence on Consumer Purchase Intention.

Keywords: Facebook Brand Page, Fashion Retailing, Purchase Intention, Technology Acceptance Model

Download Article: 

S. Nihal Fernando

Doctoral Student, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABSTRACT

Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is a State Owned Enterprise (SOE) operating in power industry of Sri Lanka being a monopolistic. Long Term Generation Expansion Plan (LTGEP) that prepared by CEB and approved by Public Utility Commission and the Cabinet of Ministers. As per LTGEP capital investments for Generation Infrastructure from 2018 to 2037 had been projected around USD 14,568 million. As per Electricity Act 2009, CEB was vested with responsibility to implement LTGEP to satisfy power requirement of the country. The Government policy decision of sourcing of funds by CEB its own has been implemented from year 2015 and CEB is operating for last several years with negative cash flow mainly due to subsidized tariff structure. The funding agencies have imposed stringent financial covenants into loan agreements. CEB has been challenged to adhere with those financial covenants due to existing mal financial position of CEB.  Electricity Act 2009 states any person to generate capacity above and over of 25 MW, shall Government hold 51% of ownership. Sri Lanka by law any investment in power generation above and over 25 MW shall be a Public Private Partnership (PPP). Non implementation of above projects on time will lead to power shortage in the country and accelerates cost of unit of electricity immensely to pay by the public. In this circumstance PPP model has proven that mostly applicable for development of public infrastructure in developed and developing countries. CEB being a monopolistic player in the power industry, is required to pursue PPP for development of power generation infrastructure to assist growth momentum of the country. The challenges pertaining to   institution could be addressed within the organization such as effective leadership for trust building and coordination, modification of bureaucratic structure of organization with changing environment to attract private investment. The main challenges have been identified such as   state credibility and inconsistent policies. The challenge of social support could be harnessed by CEB with Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) which has become integral arm in collaboration for policy formulation in power sector of Sri Lanka. With the reviewed literature could conclude that state credibility, inconsistent policies and lack of public support had hindered the private investor confidence in power sector in SL. 

Keywords: Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), Power Generation Infrastructure, Public Private Partnership (PPP)

Download Article:  

P. V. M. V. D. Udovita

Assistant Lecturer, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka 

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABSTRACT

This paper has been developed as a conceptual paper by rationalizing the existing literature sources to build arguments on two main concepts namely Celebrity Endorsement and consumer brand behavior on Sri Lankan modern trade industry. This study is specially focused on Sri Lankan modern trade sector which has remarked a significant position in the local economy. It shows a higher degree of contribution in the practical scenario of celebrity endorsements in the Sri Lankan modern trade industry, but empirical knowledge is lack to investigate how celebrity endorsements works in modern trade industry branding perspectives. The study based on empirical studies basing the Tears model by Shimp (2003) indicated that trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, respect of the celebrity are key factors that impact on celebrity endorsement. Finally, it concludes the paper with some research directions and priorities for the future studies. 

Keywords: Celebrity Endorsement, Consumer Buying Behavior, Modern Trade, Sri Lanka

Download Article: 

N.W.O.K.D.S.P. Nanayakkara

Assistant Lecturer, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka 

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABSTRACT

Conserving resources for future generations through sustainable consumption presents both a unique challenge and an opportunity for individuals in contemporary society. Sustainable consumption which is becoming a growing trend in the society advocates encourage individuals in affluent, developed countries to shift toward consumption that is more socially and ecologically sustainable. These advocates suggest educating consumers on environmental, social, and economic preservation as a means to influence consumption behaviors. As a subsection of general consumption, sustainable consumption also includes acquisition, use, and disposal behaviors. Investigation into disposal is necessary because it provides additional insight into the behaviors of consumers. The study of disposal is of particular importance in the context of apparel because the very nature of the product differs from typical durable and non-durable goods. In apparel consumption, the term disposal refers to whether a garment is simply thrown away, resold, reused, or recycled. Alongside, this study attempts to identify the different types of consumer apparel disposal behaviors and the underlying factors that affect clothing disposal behaviors. Paper followed an extensive literature review to build a discussion on theoretical and empirical contents related to consumer apparel disposal behaviors. Paper attempts to appreciate the application of different types of disposal behaviors with particular reasons. The literature review was executed addressing to key sub contents related to apparel disposal behaviors. It reviewed journal articles as the main source of information to organize the contents with empirical justifications. Finally, paper discusses the concepts of environmental knowledge, motivation, subjective norms in apparel disposal and how these factors affect different types of disposal behavior. 

Keywords: Apparel Disposal Attitudes, Apparel Disposal Behavior, Apparel Disposal Motivations, Environmental Apparel Knowledge

Download Article: