Aruna Gamage - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Aruna Gamage

Research paper thumbnail of of Manufacturing SMEs in Japan

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is considered to be the backbone of Japanese economy. It... more Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is considered to be the backbone of Japanese economy. Its importance is often highlighted by the large share of the economy it occupies, whether in terms of number of companies, total number of employees, value of shipments or GDP. However, since last two decades many SMEs have gone out of businesses while firm entry rate is showing downward trend. According to some business advocates, one of the reasons for high rate of business failures in SMEs is due to its less attention to the human side of their businesses. Therefore, the broad objective of this study is to examine the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in SMEs in Japan. Specifically, this study attempts to examine the relationship between HRM practices and labor productivity in manufacturing SMEs in Japan. Further, it aims to examine the mediating link of HR outcomes in between HRM practices and labour productivity. A structured questionnaire was developed and sent to 43...

Research paper thumbnail of Does Ethical Orientation of HRM Impact on Employee Ethical Attitude and Behavior? Evidence from Sri Lankan Commercial Banks

International Business Research, Dec 27, 2017

Employee ethical behavior (EB) has been recognized as the behavior that organizations pursue to d... more Employee ethical behavior (EB) has been recognized as the behavior that organizations pursue to drive performance and success. Despite many positive consequences of EB, corrupt business practices and unethical behavior are common in organizations. How Ethical Orientation of Human Resource Management (EOHRM) or ethical criteria embedded HRM functions directed as a 'bundle' could address this problem has not been empirically tested in research. This study examined how EOHRM could influence employee EB in organizations through an identified mediator employee Ethical Attitude (EA). A three-construct integrated model was developed based on literature gaps and tested empirically. The type of investigation was correlational, cross-sectional in the time horizon and unit of analysis was individual. A stratified random sample of 550 senior and middle-level managers was selected from 11 domestic Licensed Commercial Banks (LCBs) in Sri Lanka. A pre-tested structured questionnaire (with 5-point Likert Scale) was used to collect primary data. Using SPSS Version 23.0, correlation and regression analysis were performed on 360 usable responses (65%). EOHRM was positively and significantly related to employee EA (0.432, p<.001) and EB (0.494, p<.001). Employee EA partially mediated (0.269, p<.001) the relationship between EOHRM and EB. Results were consistent with the theoretically derived four hypotheses, establishing that EOHRM, or ethical criteria embedded HRM functions directed as a bundle will increase employee EA and EB at work. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings and directions for further research are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of leadership styles on employee perromance: a review of literature

Journal of Business Studies, Dec 31, 2018

The business researchers are interested in identifying what leadership styles result in positive ... more The business researchers are interested in identifying what leadership styles result in positive outcomes in organizations. From the work of the researchers, many theories and approaches have been developed time to time. This paper provides a literature review of transformational and transactional leadership styles and its impact on employee performance. The review outlines the major leadership theories and provides a framework for understanding the body of knowledge. Transformational and transactional leadership theories are discussed in detail in order to provide a specific leadership theoretical framework for this study. Empirical findings related to the study variables are discussed based on the literature. The review of literature shows that the leaders are perceived effective when they use transformational and transactional leadership styles together. Further several studies identified that, compared to transactional leadership, transformational leadership has more impact on employee performance. However, there is a gap in the current literature examining the effects of transformational and transactional leadership styles on employee performance in the Sri Lankan context. The review results would bring a platform for the future researchers to concentrate on the applicability of the theory in various sectors in Sri Lanka.

Research paper thumbnail of The role of human resource management in developing tourism industry in Sri Lanka: a proposed conceptual framework

Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management, 2017

Tourism is a fast growing industry in Sri Lanka. Since gaining independence from the British in 1... more Tourism is a fast growing industry in Sri Lanka. Since gaining independence from the British in 1948, Sri Lanka has continued to attract foreign investors and tourists to the island. However it is the post war period that the sector has featured prominently a rapid growth. The arrival of tourists increased rapidly and passed the elusive one million mark in 2012 and increased further in 2014 and 2015. Consequently, the tourist earnings also increased and now the sector occupies the position as the third largest foreign exchange earner to the country after overseas remittances and textiles and apparel exports. It is expected to increase the number of arrivals up to 2.6 million by 2020. However, as a growing sector in the economy this sector faces several challenges and Human Resource Crises have been the top among others. The shortage of well-trained tourism personnel coupled with high rate of turnover continued to be a major issue for the industry with the situation worsening with many new hotels coming up in the country and absorbing the existing experienced personnel. Management in finding suitable solutions to assist the industry to deal with HR issues successfully. In fact, as the first phase, this study attempts to develop a research model for action. Specifically, this study is designed to examine the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in developing tourism sector in Sri Lanka and to propose a theoretical model that can be used to embark on a study to measure the real impact of HRM on the performance of tourism sector in Sri Lanka. The proposed model suggests a significant correlation that exists between HRM practices and firm performance in tourism sector. Further, the model will help better understand the missing link through which HRM practices will make the impact on firm performance in tourism sector in Sri Lanka.

‘igure 1: Theoretical Model of the impact of HR Dimensions on Business Performance According to the proposed model, first three dimensions of HR practices - ability enhancing, motivation enhancing and opportunity enhancing - will make an impact on human capital, motivation, and opportunity to perform of employees at varying degrees. Human capital and opportunity to perform also will have links with employee motivation thereby making an impact on motivation. All these three mediating variable will have direct impact on both employee intention to leave and HR outcomes and indirect impact on operational and financial outcomes. Employee intention to leave is the employee propensity to leave the organization in the near future. The decision to leave the organization will incur cost to the firm. However, through effective implementation of so called three dimensional HR practices will reduce the propensity to leave the organization through increased motivation, human capital and opportunity to perform. Therefore, a direct relationship between HR outcomes - increased ability, motivation, and opportunity to perform - and intention to leave is expected. Moreover, increased ability, motivation and opportunity to perform will make a direct impact on operational and financial outcomes of the firm.

Research paper thumbnail of The Mediating Effect of Organizational Commitment on the Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Organizational Culture

International Journal of Business Administration, 2014

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of organizational commitment as a mediatin... more The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of organizational commitment as a mediating variable on the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational culture to answer the following questions: Is there any relationship between job satisfaction and organizational culture in oil and gas industry in Libya? Is there any relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment in oil and gas industry in Libya? Is there any relationship between organizational culture and organizational commitment in oil and gas industry in Libya? Dose organizational commitment as a mediator variable have any effect on the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational culture in oil and gas industry in Libya? Therefore, a questionnaire was used to collect the data from a sample of 280 employees from oil and gas industry in Libya based on stratified sample sampling. SPSS program was used to reach findings of the study. The empirical results of the current study indicated that the relationship between three variables of the study such as job satisfaction, organizational culture and organizational commitment was positive significant relationship while organizational commitment as a mediating variable effects the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational culture in oil and gas industry in Libya.

Research paper thumbnail of Determinants of Training and Development Practices in SMEs: A Case of Japanese Manufacturing Firms

Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management, 2013

SMEs in Japan. The results of the analysis indicate that the attitude of owner/manager and organi... more SMEs in Japan. The results of the analysis indicate that the attitude of owner/manager and organizational support towards training & development are the key determinants of training intensity in SMEs in Japan.

Research paper thumbnail of Employee turnover in manufacturing SMEs in Japan: an analysis of the link with HRM practices

Sabaragamuwa University Journal, 2014

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is playing a significant role in Japanese economy. Howev... more Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is playing a significant role in Japanese economy. However, over the last two decades, SMEs have no longer been a thriving source of growth. The firm entry rate has downward trend while exit rate has trended upward in recent years and considerably exceeded the entry rate. One of the reasons for the high rate of business failures in SMEs, is due to its less attention to the human side of their businesses when compared with their counter parts of large enterprises. High voluntary turnover is considered to be the one of critical problem for SME owner/managers among many other human resource issues. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and voluntary turnover in SMEs in Japan. Specifically, this study attempts to examine the relationship between HRM practices and voluntary turnover shedding some lights on the mediating effect of the link in between HRM practices and turnover rate. A structured questionnaire was developed and sent to 436 SMEs in Aichi Prefecture and 144 firms responded to the questionnaire resulting in 32 percent response rate. Based on the data analysis it was found that there is negative but weak relationship, partially mediated by HR outcomes, between HRM practices and voluntary turnover rate in manufacturing SMEs in Japan.

Research paper thumbnail of Job Satisfaction and Job Performance of the Sailors in Rapid Action Boat Squadron of Sri Lanka Navy

Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management, 2013

This paper aims at empirically investigating job satisfaction on job performance of the sailors i... more This paper aims at empirically investigating job satisfaction on job performance of the sailors in Rapid Action Boat Squadron in Sri Lanka Navy. Data were collected from 219 sailors using Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and the structured questionnaire developed by Udayakumar (2003) was used for measuring job performance. Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Curve Fit Analysis were employed for the analysis of data. The study substantiated that there is a fairly positive relationship between job satisfaction and job performance of the sailors. The results suggest that the satisfaction aspect on its own does necessarily lead to improved individual performance and assumedly organizational effectiveness. Therefore, it needs to implement satisfaction-performance model effectively through specific practices. The paper empirically investigated satisfaction-performance model in Rapid Action Boat Squadron of Sri Lanka Navy context and offers practical implications for top level administration of the Squadron seeking effective implementation of the satisfaction-performance model.

Research paper thumbnail of Recruitment and Selection Practices in Manufacturing SMEs in Japan: An analysis of the link with business performance

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of Japanese economy constituting the lion’s... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of Japanese economy constituting the lion’s share of enterprises in all sectors. More than 99 percent of all businesses in Japan are SMEs. They also employ a majority of the working population and account for a large proportion of economic output. While most of these companies are not well known as Japan’s corporate giants, they have been playing a crucial part in economic and social development in Japan. Therefore, the health of this vital sector is very important to up keep the health of the overall economy. However, since the last two decades, this sector does not seem to be dynamic and performing well in achieving their expected goals. Many businesses seem to have gone out of business due to various reasons. The firm entry rate has a downward trend while exit rate has trended upward in recent years and considerably exceeded the entry rate. As some SME advocates argued, one of the reasons for the high rate of business failures...

Research paper thumbnail of Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Japan : An Analysis of the Link with Human Resource Development

Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Japan : An Analysis of the Link with Human Resource Development

... like Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar. Second, Indonesia still counters with poverty an... more ... like Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar. Second, Indonesia still counters with poverty and within SMEs, most SEs (and in particular MIEs) are undertaken by poor households as their primary or secondary income source. So, at least in this Indonesian case, it can be ...

Research paper thumbnail of The Role of HRM in Developing SMEs in Sri Lanka : A research agenda for action

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in the socio economic development and pov... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in the socio economic development and poverty reduction process of Sri Lankan economy in terms of employment generation, contribution to the GDP, equitable distribution of income, embarking on innovations, balancing regional development, lowering transaction cost and stimulating other economic activities. Therefore, the development of this sector is very important as it represents the backbone of the economy. Since independence successive governments who came to power have endeavored to develop this vital sector in many directions. However, it is evident that this vital sector is still not harnessing its full potentials when compared with other developed and some other developing countries in the region. The problem is more compounded with the fact that many SMEs have collapsed over the past two to three years and some are facing nearly bankruptcy. Various policies, strategies and actions are suggested by various SME advocates to develop this sector. However, it seems that many of them have totally forgotten or neglected the human side of the businesses management in SMEs. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to examine the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in developing SMEs in Sri Lanka and to propose a theoretical model that can be used to embark on a study to measure the real impact of HRM on firm performance of SMEs in Sri Lanka. The proposed model suggests a significant correlation that will exist between HRM practices and business performance in SMEs in Sri Lanka. Further, the model will help better understand the missing link through which HRM practices will make an impact on business performance of SMEs.

Research paper thumbnail of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Among Employees in Smes in Japan: An Analysis of the Link with HRM Practices

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Japan have been playing a major role in area of Japanese e... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Japan have been playing a major role in area of Japanese economy. Many SMEs are key suppliers to large businesses and represent the backbone of the world third largest economy. However their role in the economy has been hindered by their weak performance during last two decades. The firm entry rate has shown downward trend while exit rate has trended upward in recent years and considerably exceeded the entry rate. One of the reasons for high rate of business failure in SMEs, as some SME advocates argue that, is due to its less attention to the human side of their business. Therefore, the broad objective of this paper is to examine Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in SMEs in Japan. Specifically, this study aims to examine the relationship between HRM practices and operational performance in terms of employees’ Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) of SMEs in Japan. Moreover, this study attempts to examine the relationship between HR...

Research paper thumbnail of Small and Medium Enterprise Development in Sri Lanka: A Review

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in any economy through generation of e... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in any economy through generation of employments,contributing to the growth of GDP,embarking on innovations and stimulating of other economic activities.This sector is said to be the backbone of all developed and developing nations. So, the development of this sector is paramount important for any country irrespective of their level of development.This is even more important to developing countries where poverty and unemployment are the persisting problems in those economies. Having understood this fact, successive governments in Sri Lanka have taken various steps, from time to time, to promote this vital sector since independence. But,when analyzing the present contribution of this sector in the national economy,it is clear that the sector has not achieved desired level of contribution when compared with other developed and developing countries in the region.So,there seems to be a vast opportunity for Sri Lanka to harness t...

Research paper thumbnail of The role of HRM in improving labour productivity: an analysis of manufacturing SMES in Japan

Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management, 2016

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is considered to be the backbone of Japanese economy. It... more Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is considered to be the backbone of Japanese economy. Its importance is often highlighted by the large share of the economy it occupies, whether in terms of number of companies, total number of employees, value of shipments or GDP. However, since last two decades many SMEs have gone out of businesses while firm entry rate is showing downward trend. According to some business advocates, one of the reasons for high rate of business failures in SMEs is due to its less attention to the human side of their businesses. Therefore, the broad objective of this study is to examine the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in SMEs in Japan. Specifically, this study attempts to examine the relationship between HRM practices and labor productivity in manufacturing SMEs in Japan. Further, it aims to examine the mediating link of HR outcomes in between HRM practices and labour productivity. A structured questionnaire was developed and sent to 436 SMEs in Aichi Prefecture and 144 firms responded to the questionnaire resulting in 32 percent response rate. Based on the data analysis it was found that there is a strong positive relationship between HRM practices and labour productivity mediated by HR outcomes in manufacturing SMEs in Japan.

Research paper thumbnail of Towards Extending the Ethical Dimension of Human Resource Management

International Business Research, 2016

Enduring interest in the "social" aspect of the ethical dimension of Human Resource Management (H... more Enduring interest in the "social" aspect of the ethical dimension of Human Resource Management (HRM) on employees and society is a positive trend towards humanity. To maintain justice, fairness and well-being towards its stakeholders, it is necessary for an organization to perform HRM functions ethically. Authors identified two possible meanings to the ethical dimension of HRM. In addition to the above, a second possible connotation was recognized, and labeled as "Ethical Orientation of HRM or EOHRM". This is "to direct HRM functions to create, enhance and maintain ethicality within employees, to make an ethical workforce in the organization". EOHRM is conceptualized based on three dimensions: acquire, develop and retain. Elements of EOHRM are the functions of these three HRM fields. Ethical characteristics would be embedded into elements and question items of the instrument, in order to measure EOHRM. It seems that this concept has been unexplored by scholars in the existent HRM literature. This article attempts to bridge this knowledge gap to a significant extent. EOHRM is offered as a novel concept to HRM architecture, and it gives favorable directions towards future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of HRD practices on business performance: An empirical analysis of manufacturing SMEs in Japan

名城論叢, Nov 1, 2007

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the relationship between Human Resource Developmen... more There is a growing body of evidence supporting the relationship between Human Resource Development (HRD) practices and perceived benefits in organizations. However, most of these studies have been limited only to large enterprises and carried out in western societies. Although some studies have tried to rectify this situation, serious inadequacies in theses studies have questioned the validity of their findings. To rectify this situation, an attempt was made to examine the impact of HRD practices on business performance having taken a sample of manufacturing SMEs in Japan. A mail survey was developed and distributed to owner(s)/manager(s) in manufacturing SMEs in Aichi Prefecture in Japan. An electronic data file maintained by the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce was used to draw the sample. Three hundred twenty-six (326) questionnaires were distributed to a randomly selected sample of manufacturing SMEs in Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture. One hundred five (105), equivalents to thirty two percent (32%), positively responded to the survey. The owner(s)/manager(s) was (were) asked the level of adaptation of eight (8) HRD related practices, employed during the past three years. In relation to these practices they were asked to reveal their perception about the operational and financial performance during the same period. The results of the analysis indicate that there exists a strong relationship between HRD practices and operational performance. Specifically, workforce training and development have led to the increased skills, attitudes and motivation of employees in manufacturing SMEs in Japan. On the other hand, these increased HRD outcomes have been translated into the increased financial performance. Besides this indirect relationship, it was found a positive direct relationship between HRD interventions and financial performance in Japanese manufacturing SMEs.

Research paper thumbnail of Examining Sri Lankan professional women’s perceptions of their opportunities to undertake international careers

International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 2015

Extant research has examined women’s under-representation (relative to men) in international care... more Extant research has examined women’s under-representation (relative to men) in international careers in respect to prejudice towards women in host countries, organizational resistance to selecting women, women’s own disinterest in taking international work and host country societal expectations of women. Although research has suggested the benefits for global organizations of having management diversity, the literature has given limited consideration to barriers and opportunities for international careers for women from developing countries. This study addresses this gap in examining the perceptions of 243 professional women in Sri Lanka about factors they perceive affect opportunities for international careers. The findings suggest the women perceive that positive female role models and family/husband support may facilitate opportunities, whereas prejudice in host countries, organizational gender discrimination and home country societal values emphasizing a primary responsibility o...

Research paper thumbnail of HRM Outcomes and Firm performance: an analysis of manufacturing SMEs in Japan

HRM Outcomes and Firm performance: an analysis of manufacturing SMEs in Japan

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of J Recruitment and Selection Practices in Manufacturing SMEs in Japan: An analysis of the link with business performance

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of Japanese economy constituting the lion's... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of Japanese economy constituting the lion's share of enterprises in all sectors. More than 99 percent of all businesses in Japan are SMEs. They also employ a majority of the working population and account for a large proportion of economic output. While most of these companies are not well known as Japan's corporate giants, they have been playing a crucial part in economic and social development in Japan. Therefore, the health of this vital sector is very important to up keep the health of the overall economy. However, since the last two decades, this sector does not seem to be dynamic and performing well in achieving their expected goals. Many businesses seem to have gone out of business due to various reasons. The firm entry rate has a downward trend while exit rate has trended upward in recent years and considerably exceeded the entry rate. As some SME advocates argued, one of the reasons for the high rate of business failures among SMEs is due to its lack of attention on the human resources aspect in their business firms. Therefore, the broad objective of this study is to examine Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in SMEs in Japan. Specifically, this study attempts to examine the relationship between recruiting and selection practices and business performances of SMEs shedding some light on the mediating link between these two. A structured questionnaire was developed and sent to 436 manufacturing SMEs in Aichi prefecture and 144 firms responded to the questionnaire resulting in 32 percent response rate. Based on the data analysis, a strong positive relationship between recruitment and business practices and business performance of manufacturing SMEs in Japan was found. Further, the study confirmed statistically significant mediating relationship of HR outcomes in between recruitment and selection and business performance in SMEs in Japan.

Research paper thumbnail of The Role of HRM in Developing SMEs in Sri Lanka : A research agenda for action

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in the socio economic development and pov... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in the socio economic development and poverty reduction process of Sri Lankan economy in terms of employment generation, contribution to the GDP, equitable distribution of income, embarking on innovations, balancing regional development, lowering transaction cost and stimulating other economic activities. Therefore, the development of this sector is very important as it represents the backbone of the economy. Since independence successive governments who came to power have endeavored to develop this vital sector in many directions. However, it is evident that this vital sector is still not harnessing its full potentials when compared with other developed and some other developing countries in the region. The problem is more compounded with the fact that many SMEs have collapsed over the past two to three years and some are facing nearly bankruptcy. Various policies, strategies and actions are suggested by various SME advocates to develop this sector. However, it seems that many of them have totally forgotten or neglected the human side of the businesses management in SMEs. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to examine the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in developing SMEs in Sri Lanka and to propose a theoretical model that can be used to embark on a study to measure the real impact of HRM on firm performance of SMEs in Sri Lanka. The proposed model suggests a significant correlation that will exist between HRM practices and business performance in SMEs in Sri Lanka. Further, the model will help better understand the missing link through which HRM practices will make an impact on business performance of SMEs.

Research paper thumbnail of of Manufacturing SMEs in Japan

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is considered to be the backbone of Japanese economy. It... more Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is considered to be the backbone of Japanese economy. Its importance is often highlighted by the large share of the economy it occupies, whether in terms of number of companies, total number of employees, value of shipments or GDP. However, since last two decades many SMEs have gone out of businesses while firm entry rate is showing downward trend. According to some business advocates, one of the reasons for high rate of business failures in SMEs is due to its less attention to the human side of their businesses. Therefore, the broad objective of this study is to examine the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in SMEs in Japan. Specifically, this study attempts to examine the relationship between HRM practices and labor productivity in manufacturing SMEs in Japan. Further, it aims to examine the mediating link of HR outcomes in between HRM practices and labour productivity. A structured questionnaire was developed and sent to 43...

Research paper thumbnail of Does Ethical Orientation of HRM Impact on Employee Ethical Attitude and Behavior? Evidence from Sri Lankan Commercial Banks

International Business Research, Dec 27, 2017

Employee ethical behavior (EB) has been recognized as the behavior that organizations pursue to d... more Employee ethical behavior (EB) has been recognized as the behavior that organizations pursue to drive performance and success. Despite many positive consequences of EB, corrupt business practices and unethical behavior are common in organizations. How Ethical Orientation of Human Resource Management (EOHRM) or ethical criteria embedded HRM functions directed as a 'bundle' could address this problem has not been empirically tested in research. This study examined how EOHRM could influence employee EB in organizations through an identified mediator employee Ethical Attitude (EA). A three-construct integrated model was developed based on literature gaps and tested empirically. The type of investigation was correlational, cross-sectional in the time horizon and unit of analysis was individual. A stratified random sample of 550 senior and middle-level managers was selected from 11 domestic Licensed Commercial Banks (LCBs) in Sri Lanka. A pre-tested structured questionnaire (with 5-point Likert Scale) was used to collect primary data. Using SPSS Version 23.0, correlation and regression analysis were performed on 360 usable responses (65%). EOHRM was positively and significantly related to employee EA (0.432, p<.001) and EB (0.494, p<.001). Employee EA partially mediated (0.269, p<.001) the relationship between EOHRM and EB. Results were consistent with the theoretically derived four hypotheses, establishing that EOHRM, or ethical criteria embedded HRM functions directed as a bundle will increase employee EA and EB at work. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings and directions for further research are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of leadership styles on employee perromance: a review of literature

Journal of Business Studies, Dec 31, 2018

The business researchers are interested in identifying what leadership styles result in positive ... more The business researchers are interested in identifying what leadership styles result in positive outcomes in organizations. From the work of the researchers, many theories and approaches have been developed time to time. This paper provides a literature review of transformational and transactional leadership styles and its impact on employee performance. The review outlines the major leadership theories and provides a framework for understanding the body of knowledge. Transformational and transactional leadership theories are discussed in detail in order to provide a specific leadership theoretical framework for this study. Empirical findings related to the study variables are discussed based on the literature. The review of literature shows that the leaders are perceived effective when they use transformational and transactional leadership styles together. Further several studies identified that, compared to transactional leadership, transformational leadership has more impact on employee performance. However, there is a gap in the current literature examining the effects of transformational and transactional leadership styles on employee performance in the Sri Lankan context. The review results would bring a platform for the future researchers to concentrate on the applicability of the theory in various sectors in Sri Lanka.

Research paper thumbnail of The role of human resource management in developing tourism industry in Sri Lanka: a proposed conceptual framework

Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management, 2017

Tourism is a fast growing industry in Sri Lanka. Since gaining independence from the British in 1... more Tourism is a fast growing industry in Sri Lanka. Since gaining independence from the British in 1948, Sri Lanka has continued to attract foreign investors and tourists to the island. However it is the post war period that the sector has featured prominently a rapid growth. The arrival of tourists increased rapidly and passed the elusive one million mark in 2012 and increased further in 2014 and 2015. Consequently, the tourist earnings also increased and now the sector occupies the position as the third largest foreign exchange earner to the country after overseas remittances and textiles and apparel exports. It is expected to increase the number of arrivals up to 2.6 million by 2020. However, as a growing sector in the economy this sector faces several challenges and Human Resource Crises have been the top among others. The shortage of well-trained tourism personnel coupled with high rate of turnover continued to be a major issue for the industry with the situation worsening with many new hotels coming up in the country and absorbing the existing experienced personnel. Management in finding suitable solutions to assist the industry to deal with HR issues successfully. In fact, as the first phase, this study attempts to develop a research model for action. Specifically, this study is designed to examine the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in developing tourism sector in Sri Lanka and to propose a theoretical model that can be used to embark on a study to measure the real impact of HRM on the performance of tourism sector in Sri Lanka. The proposed model suggests a significant correlation that exists between HRM practices and firm performance in tourism sector. Further, the model will help better understand the missing link through which HRM practices will make the impact on firm performance in tourism sector in Sri Lanka.

‘igure 1: Theoretical Model of the impact of HR Dimensions on Business Performance According to the proposed model, first three dimensions of HR practices - ability enhancing, motivation enhancing and opportunity enhancing - will make an impact on human capital, motivation, and opportunity to perform of employees at varying degrees. Human capital and opportunity to perform also will have links with employee motivation thereby making an impact on motivation. All these three mediating variable will have direct impact on both employee intention to leave and HR outcomes and indirect impact on operational and financial outcomes. Employee intention to leave is the employee propensity to leave the organization in the near future. The decision to leave the organization will incur cost to the firm. However, through effective implementation of so called three dimensional HR practices will reduce the propensity to leave the organization through increased motivation, human capital and opportunity to perform. Therefore, a direct relationship between HR outcomes - increased ability, motivation, and opportunity to perform - and intention to leave is expected. Moreover, increased ability, motivation and opportunity to perform will make a direct impact on operational and financial outcomes of the firm.

Research paper thumbnail of The Mediating Effect of Organizational Commitment on the Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Organizational Culture

International Journal of Business Administration, 2014

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of organizational commitment as a mediatin... more The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of organizational commitment as a mediating variable on the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational culture to answer the following questions: Is there any relationship between job satisfaction and organizational culture in oil and gas industry in Libya? Is there any relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment in oil and gas industry in Libya? Is there any relationship between organizational culture and organizational commitment in oil and gas industry in Libya? Dose organizational commitment as a mediator variable have any effect on the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational culture in oil and gas industry in Libya? Therefore, a questionnaire was used to collect the data from a sample of 280 employees from oil and gas industry in Libya based on stratified sample sampling. SPSS program was used to reach findings of the study. The empirical results of the current study indicated that the relationship between three variables of the study such as job satisfaction, organizational culture and organizational commitment was positive significant relationship while organizational commitment as a mediating variable effects the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational culture in oil and gas industry in Libya.

Research paper thumbnail of Determinants of Training and Development Practices in SMEs: A Case of Japanese Manufacturing Firms

Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management, 2013

SMEs in Japan. The results of the analysis indicate that the attitude of owner/manager and organi... more SMEs in Japan. The results of the analysis indicate that the attitude of owner/manager and organizational support towards training & development are the key determinants of training intensity in SMEs in Japan.

Research paper thumbnail of Employee turnover in manufacturing SMEs in Japan: an analysis of the link with HRM practices

Sabaragamuwa University Journal, 2014

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is playing a significant role in Japanese economy. Howev... more Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is playing a significant role in Japanese economy. However, over the last two decades, SMEs have no longer been a thriving source of growth. The firm entry rate has downward trend while exit rate has trended upward in recent years and considerably exceeded the entry rate. One of the reasons for the high rate of business failures in SMEs, is due to its less attention to the human side of their businesses when compared with their counter parts of large enterprises. High voluntary turnover is considered to be the one of critical problem for SME owner/managers among many other human resource issues. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and voluntary turnover in SMEs in Japan. Specifically, this study attempts to examine the relationship between HRM practices and voluntary turnover shedding some lights on the mediating effect of the link in between HRM practices and turnover rate. A structured questionnaire was developed and sent to 436 SMEs in Aichi Prefecture and 144 firms responded to the questionnaire resulting in 32 percent response rate. Based on the data analysis it was found that there is negative but weak relationship, partially mediated by HR outcomes, between HRM practices and voluntary turnover rate in manufacturing SMEs in Japan.

Research paper thumbnail of Job Satisfaction and Job Performance of the Sailors in Rapid Action Boat Squadron of Sri Lanka Navy

Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management, 2013

This paper aims at empirically investigating job satisfaction on job performance of the sailors i... more This paper aims at empirically investigating job satisfaction on job performance of the sailors in Rapid Action Boat Squadron in Sri Lanka Navy. Data were collected from 219 sailors using Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and the structured questionnaire developed by Udayakumar (2003) was used for measuring job performance. Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Curve Fit Analysis were employed for the analysis of data. The study substantiated that there is a fairly positive relationship between job satisfaction and job performance of the sailors. The results suggest that the satisfaction aspect on its own does necessarily lead to improved individual performance and assumedly organizational effectiveness. Therefore, it needs to implement satisfaction-performance model effectively through specific practices. The paper empirically investigated satisfaction-performance model in Rapid Action Boat Squadron of Sri Lanka Navy context and offers practical implications for top level administration of the Squadron seeking effective implementation of the satisfaction-performance model.

Research paper thumbnail of Recruitment and Selection Practices in Manufacturing SMEs in Japan: An analysis of the link with business performance

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of Japanese economy constituting the lion’s... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of Japanese economy constituting the lion’s share of enterprises in all sectors. More than 99 percent of all businesses in Japan are SMEs. They also employ a majority of the working population and account for a large proportion of economic output. While most of these companies are not well known as Japan’s corporate giants, they have been playing a crucial part in economic and social development in Japan. Therefore, the health of this vital sector is very important to up keep the health of the overall economy. However, since the last two decades, this sector does not seem to be dynamic and performing well in achieving their expected goals. Many businesses seem to have gone out of business due to various reasons. The firm entry rate has a downward trend while exit rate has trended upward in recent years and considerably exceeded the entry rate. As some SME advocates argued, one of the reasons for the high rate of business failures...

Research paper thumbnail of Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Japan : An Analysis of the Link with Human Resource Development

Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Japan : An Analysis of the Link with Human Resource Development

... like Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar. Second, Indonesia still counters with poverty an... more ... like Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar. Second, Indonesia still counters with poverty and within SMEs, most SEs (and in particular MIEs) are undertaken by poor households as their primary or secondary income source. So, at least in this Indonesian case, it can be ...

Research paper thumbnail of The Role of HRM in Developing SMEs in Sri Lanka : A research agenda for action

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in the socio economic development and pov... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in the socio economic development and poverty reduction process of Sri Lankan economy in terms of employment generation, contribution to the GDP, equitable distribution of income, embarking on innovations, balancing regional development, lowering transaction cost and stimulating other economic activities. Therefore, the development of this sector is very important as it represents the backbone of the economy. Since independence successive governments who came to power have endeavored to develop this vital sector in many directions. However, it is evident that this vital sector is still not harnessing its full potentials when compared with other developed and some other developing countries in the region. The problem is more compounded with the fact that many SMEs have collapsed over the past two to three years and some are facing nearly bankruptcy. Various policies, strategies and actions are suggested by various SME advocates to develop this sector. However, it seems that many of them have totally forgotten or neglected the human side of the businesses management in SMEs. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to examine the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in developing SMEs in Sri Lanka and to propose a theoretical model that can be used to embark on a study to measure the real impact of HRM on firm performance of SMEs in Sri Lanka. The proposed model suggests a significant correlation that will exist between HRM practices and business performance in SMEs in Sri Lanka. Further, the model will help better understand the missing link through which HRM practices will make an impact on business performance of SMEs.

Research paper thumbnail of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Among Employees in Smes in Japan: An Analysis of the Link with HRM Practices

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Japan have been playing a major role in area of Japanese e... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Japan have been playing a major role in area of Japanese economy. Many SMEs are key suppliers to large businesses and represent the backbone of the world third largest economy. However their role in the economy has been hindered by their weak performance during last two decades. The firm entry rate has shown downward trend while exit rate has trended upward in recent years and considerably exceeded the entry rate. One of the reasons for high rate of business failure in SMEs, as some SME advocates argue that, is due to its less attention to the human side of their business. Therefore, the broad objective of this paper is to examine Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in SMEs in Japan. Specifically, this study aims to examine the relationship between HRM practices and operational performance in terms of employees’ Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) of SMEs in Japan. Moreover, this study attempts to examine the relationship between HR...

Research paper thumbnail of Small and Medium Enterprise Development in Sri Lanka: A Review

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in any economy through generation of e... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in any economy through generation of employments,contributing to the growth of GDP,embarking on innovations and stimulating of other economic activities.This sector is said to be the backbone of all developed and developing nations. So, the development of this sector is paramount important for any country irrespective of their level of development.This is even more important to developing countries where poverty and unemployment are the persisting problems in those economies. Having understood this fact, successive governments in Sri Lanka have taken various steps, from time to time, to promote this vital sector since independence. But,when analyzing the present contribution of this sector in the national economy,it is clear that the sector has not achieved desired level of contribution when compared with other developed and developing countries in the region.So,there seems to be a vast opportunity for Sri Lanka to harness t...

Research paper thumbnail of The role of HRM in improving labour productivity: an analysis of manufacturing SMES in Japan

Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management, 2016

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is considered to be the backbone of Japanese economy. It... more Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is considered to be the backbone of Japanese economy. Its importance is often highlighted by the large share of the economy it occupies, whether in terms of number of companies, total number of employees, value of shipments or GDP. However, since last two decades many SMEs have gone out of businesses while firm entry rate is showing downward trend. According to some business advocates, one of the reasons for high rate of business failures in SMEs is due to its less attention to the human side of their businesses. Therefore, the broad objective of this study is to examine the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in SMEs in Japan. Specifically, this study attempts to examine the relationship between HRM practices and labor productivity in manufacturing SMEs in Japan. Further, it aims to examine the mediating link of HR outcomes in between HRM practices and labour productivity. A structured questionnaire was developed and sent to 436 SMEs in Aichi Prefecture and 144 firms responded to the questionnaire resulting in 32 percent response rate. Based on the data analysis it was found that there is a strong positive relationship between HRM practices and labour productivity mediated by HR outcomes in manufacturing SMEs in Japan.

Research paper thumbnail of Towards Extending the Ethical Dimension of Human Resource Management

International Business Research, 2016

Enduring interest in the "social" aspect of the ethical dimension of Human Resource Management (H... more Enduring interest in the "social" aspect of the ethical dimension of Human Resource Management (HRM) on employees and society is a positive trend towards humanity. To maintain justice, fairness and well-being towards its stakeholders, it is necessary for an organization to perform HRM functions ethically. Authors identified two possible meanings to the ethical dimension of HRM. In addition to the above, a second possible connotation was recognized, and labeled as "Ethical Orientation of HRM or EOHRM". This is "to direct HRM functions to create, enhance and maintain ethicality within employees, to make an ethical workforce in the organization". EOHRM is conceptualized based on three dimensions: acquire, develop and retain. Elements of EOHRM are the functions of these three HRM fields. Ethical characteristics would be embedded into elements and question items of the instrument, in order to measure EOHRM. It seems that this concept has been unexplored by scholars in the existent HRM literature. This article attempts to bridge this knowledge gap to a significant extent. EOHRM is offered as a novel concept to HRM architecture, and it gives favorable directions towards future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of HRD practices on business performance: An empirical analysis of manufacturing SMEs in Japan

名城論叢, Nov 1, 2007

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the relationship between Human Resource Developmen... more There is a growing body of evidence supporting the relationship between Human Resource Development (HRD) practices and perceived benefits in organizations. However, most of these studies have been limited only to large enterprises and carried out in western societies. Although some studies have tried to rectify this situation, serious inadequacies in theses studies have questioned the validity of their findings. To rectify this situation, an attempt was made to examine the impact of HRD practices on business performance having taken a sample of manufacturing SMEs in Japan. A mail survey was developed and distributed to owner(s)/manager(s) in manufacturing SMEs in Aichi Prefecture in Japan. An electronic data file maintained by the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce was used to draw the sample. Three hundred twenty-six (326) questionnaires were distributed to a randomly selected sample of manufacturing SMEs in Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture. One hundred five (105), equivalents to thirty two percent (32%), positively responded to the survey. The owner(s)/manager(s) was (were) asked the level of adaptation of eight (8) HRD related practices, employed during the past three years. In relation to these practices they were asked to reveal their perception about the operational and financial performance during the same period. The results of the analysis indicate that there exists a strong relationship between HRD practices and operational performance. Specifically, workforce training and development have led to the increased skills, attitudes and motivation of employees in manufacturing SMEs in Japan. On the other hand, these increased HRD outcomes have been translated into the increased financial performance. Besides this indirect relationship, it was found a positive direct relationship between HRD interventions and financial performance in Japanese manufacturing SMEs.

Research paper thumbnail of Examining Sri Lankan professional women’s perceptions of their opportunities to undertake international careers

International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 2015

Extant research has examined women’s under-representation (relative to men) in international care... more Extant research has examined women’s under-representation (relative to men) in international careers in respect to prejudice towards women in host countries, organizational resistance to selecting women, women’s own disinterest in taking international work and host country societal expectations of women. Although research has suggested the benefits for global organizations of having management diversity, the literature has given limited consideration to barriers and opportunities for international careers for women from developing countries. This study addresses this gap in examining the perceptions of 243 professional women in Sri Lanka about factors they perceive affect opportunities for international careers. The findings suggest the women perceive that positive female role models and family/husband support may facilitate opportunities, whereas prejudice in host countries, organizational gender discrimination and home country societal values emphasizing a primary responsibility o...

Research paper thumbnail of HRM Outcomes and Firm performance: an analysis of manufacturing SMEs in Japan

HRM Outcomes and Firm performance: an analysis of manufacturing SMEs in Japan

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of J Recruitment and Selection Practices in Manufacturing SMEs in Japan: An analysis of the link with business performance

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of Japanese economy constituting the lion's... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of Japanese economy constituting the lion's share of enterprises in all sectors. More than 99 percent of all businesses in Japan are SMEs. They also employ a majority of the working population and account for a large proportion of economic output. While most of these companies are not well known as Japan's corporate giants, they have been playing a crucial part in economic and social development in Japan. Therefore, the health of this vital sector is very important to up keep the health of the overall economy. However, since the last two decades, this sector does not seem to be dynamic and performing well in achieving their expected goals. Many businesses seem to have gone out of business due to various reasons. The firm entry rate has a downward trend while exit rate has trended upward in recent years and considerably exceeded the entry rate. As some SME advocates argued, one of the reasons for the high rate of business failures among SMEs is due to its lack of attention on the human resources aspect in their business firms. Therefore, the broad objective of this study is to examine Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in SMEs in Japan. Specifically, this study attempts to examine the relationship between recruiting and selection practices and business performances of SMEs shedding some light on the mediating link between these two. A structured questionnaire was developed and sent to 436 manufacturing SMEs in Aichi prefecture and 144 firms responded to the questionnaire resulting in 32 percent response rate. Based on the data analysis, a strong positive relationship between recruitment and business practices and business performance of manufacturing SMEs in Japan was found. Further, the study confirmed statistically significant mediating relationship of HR outcomes in between recruitment and selection and business performance in SMEs in Japan.

Research paper thumbnail of The Role of HRM in Developing SMEs in Sri Lanka : A research agenda for action

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in the socio economic development and pov... more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in the socio economic development and poverty reduction process of Sri Lankan economy in terms of employment generation, contribution to the GDP, equitable distribution of income, embarking on innovations, balancing regional development, lowering transaction cost and stimulating other economic activities. Therefore, the development of this sector is very important as it represents the backbone of the economy. Since independence successive governments who came to power have endeavored to develop this vital sector in many directions. However, it is evident that this vital sector is still not harnessing its full potentials when compared with other developed and some other developing countries in the region. The problem is more compounded with the fact that many SMEs have collapsed over the past two to three years and some are facing nearly bankruptcy. Various policies, strategies and actions are suggested by various SME advocates to develop this sector. However, it seems that many of them have totally forgotten or neglected the human side of the businesses management in SMEs. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to examine the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in developing SMEs in Sri Lanka and to propose a theoretical model that can be used to embark on a study to measure the real impact of HRM on firm performance of SMEs in Sri Lanka. The proposed model suggests a significant correlation that will exist between HRM practices and business performance in SMEs in Sri Lanka. Further, the model will help better understand the missing link through which HRM practices will make an impact on business performance of SMEs.