Asanka Gunasekara - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Asanka Gunasekara
In this podcast Dr. Asanka Gunasekara (Lecturer, Management in the Faculty of Business and Law) d... more In this podcast Dr. Asanka Gunasekara (Lecturer, Management in the Faculty of Business and Law) discusses the challenges of teaching large, diverse student cohorts and a variety of teaching strategies in the online context so that all students have an opportunity to actively engage
The International Journal of Management Education
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, with notable tension transp... more Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, with notable tension transpiring in the field of education. Given that Generative AI is rapidly emerging as a transformative innovation, this article endeavors to offer a seminal rejoinder that aims to (i) reconcile the great debate on Generative AI in order to (ii) lay the foundation for Generative AI to co-exist as a transformative resource in the future of education. Using critical analysis as a method and paradox theory as a theoretical lens (i.e., the “how”), this article (i) defines Generative AI and transformative education (i.e., the “ideas”), (ii) establishes the paradoxes of Generative AI (i.e., the “what”), and (iii) provides implications for the future of education from the perspective of management educators (i.e., the “so what”). Noteworthily, the paradoxes of Generative AI are four-fold: (Paradox #1) Generative AI is a ‘friend’ yet a ‘foe’, (Paradox #2) Generative AI is ‘capable’ yet ‘dependent’, (Paradox #3) Generative AI is ‘accessible’ yet ‘restrictive’, and (Paradox #4) Generative AI gets even ‘popular’ when ‘banned’ (i.e., the “what”). Through a position that seeks to embrace rather than reject Generative AI, the lessons and implications that emerge from the discussion herein represent a seminal contribution from management educators on this trending topic and should be useful for approaching Generative AI as a game-changer for education reformation in management and the field of education at large, and by extension, mitigating a situation where Generative AI develops into a Ragnar¨ok that dooms the future of education of which management education is a part of (i.e., the “so what”).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
The International Journal of Management Education, 2023
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, with notable tension transp... more Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, with notable tension transpiring
in the field of education. Given that Generative AI is rapidly emerging as a transformative
innovation, this article endeavors to offer a seminal rejoinder that aims to (i) reconcile the great
debate on Generative AI in order to (ii) lay the foundation for Generative AI to co-exist as a
transformative resource in the future of education. Using critical analysis as a method and
paradox theory as a theoretical lens (i.e., the “how”), this article (i) defines Generative AI and
transformative education (i.e., the “ideas”), (ii) establishes the paradoxes of Generative AI (i.e.,
the “what”), and (iii) provides implications for the future of education from the perspective of
management educators (i.e., the “so what”). Noteworthily, the paradoxes of Generative AI are
four-fold: (Paradox #1) Generative AI is a ‘friend’ yet a ‘foe’, (Paradox #2) Generative AI is
‘capable’ yet ‘dependent’, (Paradox #3) Generative AI is ‘accessible’ yet ‘restrictive’, and
(Paradox #4) Generative AI gets even ‘popular’ when ‘banned’ (i.e., the “what”). Through a
position that seeks to embrace rather than reject Generative AI, the lessons and implications that
emerge from the discussion herein represent a seminal contribution from management educators
on this trending topic and should be useful for approaching Generative AI as a game-changer for
education reformation in management and the field of education at large, and by extension,
mitigating a situation where Generative AI develops into a Ragnar¨ok that dooms the future of
education of which management education is a part of (i.e., the “so what”).
Sustainability
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, Nov 4, 2022
Higher education institutions have recently transitioned from face-to-face to online teaching and... more Higher education institutions have recently transitioned from face-to-face to online teaching and learning environments. However, academic staff lack sufficient training in applying emotional intelligence (EI) skills and strategies in online learning environments. Although literature addressing academics' EI is sparse, some studies have suggested that lecturers' EI greatly influences teaching and learning. This study used the concept of EI to understand students' perceptions of how lecturers' EI impacted their learning and engagement in an online learning environment. We conducted four online focus group interviews of 14 students pursuing a bachelor's degree at two campuses of an Australian university, one in Melbourne and the other in Malaysia. Four main themes were identified using thematic analysis. Students discussed their perceptions and experiences on (a) vulnerabilities, coping and empathy; (b) relationships with lecturers, trust and safety; (c) communication, tone and voice; and (d) managing emotions of lecturers. Our findings suggest that lecturers' EI impacted students' learning and engagement in online learning spaces. However, the impact differs between Australia and Malaysia due to cultural differences. Drawing on the findings, we present online education good practices grounded in the theory of EI. Lecturers delivering online courses should consider employing these practices for effective teaching. Implications for practice or policy: • Higher educational institutions need to support lecturers in developing the necessary EI skills to engage students in online learning. • Lecturers need to make meaningful attempts to develop positive relationships with students in online forums to support students' engagement. • Lecturers working in online learning environments need to support students to develop friendships and connections with their peers. • Lecturers need to include regular discussion breaks during online lectures to allow students to share their opinions and experiences.
Sustainability
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Leadership
Despite the challenges facing small economies, leadership research has given scant attention to l... more Despite the challenges facing small economies, leadership research has given scant attention to leaders’ behaviour in those countries during crises. Using seemingly paradoxical domains of paternalistic leadership theory: authoritarian, benevolent and moral leader behaviour, together with concepts like populism from the political science domain, we analyse how Sri Lanka’s ‘strongman’ President provided a façade of paternalistic leadership during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through analysis of written and verbal content (public speeches, independent reports and government media output), we show how the power exercised through authoritarian, as opposed to authoritative behaviour, together with espoused morality and benevolence, appears to have been effective in the short term in containing the pandemic. However, sustained success in dealing with the crisis is hampered by the contradictions between this paternalistic façade and the dark realities of authoritarian and popul...
Dr Asanka Gunasekara will be talking about the impact of working from home that many companies/em... more Dr Asanka Gunasekara will be talking about the impact of working from home that many companies/employees have to adjust to in a short timeframe due to COVID-19, the type of skills that companies would be hiring for such as organisation behaviours, psychological wellbeing of staff working from home, and the impact it has on businesses. Asanka was seen on news articles recently on the Daily Mail Australia and The Conversation, talking about Work Life integration
Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 2014
Achieving higher life satisfaction is one of the main reasons for migration. Using cross-sectiona... more Achieving higher life satisfaction is one of the main reasons for migration. Using cross-sectional survey data, this study explored the life satisfaction of 306 Indian and Sri Lankan skilled migrants employed in Australia. The results indicated that the life satisfaction of the participants was slightly above the Australian normative standard. Achievements in life, standard of living, feeling part of the community, and personal relationships were important domains in participants' lives. There was no relationship between life satisfaction and gender, ethnicity, age or level of education in this skilled migrant sample, but English language skills and years since migration were related to life satisfaction. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that Sri Lankan and Indian skilled migrants are satisfied with their lives in Australia and consider Australia a safe country in which to live.
This paper explores whether Sri Lankan and Indian skilled migrants are satisfied with their jobs ... more This paper explores whether Sri Lankan and Indian skilled migrants are satisfied with their jobs in Australia at „overall‟ and „facet‟ levels. The study also examines predictors of their job satisfaction. 306 Sri Lankan and Indian skilled migrants live in Australia participated in a cross-sectional survey. Results indicated that participants were moderately satisfied with their jobs and were more satisfied with „supervision‟, „communication‟, „co-workers‟, and „nature of work‟ compared to „promotions‟, „operating conditions‟, „fringe benefits‟, „pay‟ and „rewards‟. Contrary to past research findings, „age‟, „gender‟, „ethnicity‟, „level of education‟, „years since migration‟ and „English language skills‟ did not influence skilled migrants‟ job satisfaction, however „perceived level of inclusiveness‟ was significantly related to job satisfaction. Organisations need to emphasise more on „promotions‟, „fringe benefits‟, „pay‟ and „rewards‟ facets to increase the overall job satisfactio...
COVID-19, Business, and Economy in Malaysia
International Journal of Intercultural Relations
Academy of Management Proceedings
International Journal of Intercultural Relations
In this podcast Dr. Asanka Gunasekara (Lecturer, Management in the Faculty of Business and Law) d... more In this podcast Dr. Asanka Gunasekara (Lecturer, Management in the Faculty of Business and Law) discusses the challenges of teaching large, diverse student cohorts and a variety of teaching strategies in the online context so that all students have an opportunity to actively engage
The International Journal of Management Education
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, with notable tension transp... more Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, with notable tension transpiring in the field of education. Given that Generative AI is rapidly emerging as a transformative innovation, this article endeavors to offer a seminal rejoinder that aims to (i) reconcile the great debate on Generative AI in order to (ii) lay the foundation for Generative AI to co-exist as a transformative resource in the future of education. Using critical analysis as a method and paradox theory as a theoretical lens (i.e., the “how”), this article (i) defines Generative AI and transformative education (i.e., the “ideas”), (ii) establishes the paradoxes of Generative AI (i.e., the “what”), and (iii) provides implications for the future of education from the perspective of management educators (i.e., the “so what”). Noteworthily, the paradoxes of Generative AI are four-fold: (Paradox #1) Generative AI is a ‘friend’ yet a ‘foe’, (Paradox #2) Generative AI is ‘capable’ yet ‘dependent’, (Paradox #3) Generative AI is ‘accessible’ yet ‘restrictive’, and (Paradox #4) Generative AI gets even ‘popular’ when ‘banned’ (i.e., the “what”). Through a position that seeks to embrace rather than reject Generative AI, the lessons and implications that emerge from the discussion herein represent a seminal contribution from management educators on this trending topic and should be useful for approaching Generative AI as a game-changer for education reformation in management and the field of education at large, and by extension, mitigating a situation where Generative AI develops into a Ragnar¨ok that dooms the future of education of which management education is a part of (i.e., the “so what”).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
The International Journal of Management Education, 2023
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, with notable tension transp... more Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, with notable tension transpiring
in the field of education. Given that Generative AI is rapidly emerging as a transformative
innovation, this article endeavors to offer a seminal rejoinder that aims to (i) reconcile the great
debate on Generative AI in order to (ii) lay the foundation for Generative AI to co-exist as a
transformative resource in the future of education. Using critical analysis as a method and
paradox theory as a theoretical lens (i.e., the “how”), this article (i) defines Generative AI and
transformative education (i.e., the “ideas”), (ii) establishes the paradoxes of Generative AI (i.e.,
the “what”), and (iii) provides implications for the future of education from the perspective of
management educators (i.e., the “so what”). Noteworthily, the paradoxes of Generative AI are
four-fold: (Paradox #1) Generative AI is a ‘friend’ yet a ‘foe’, (Paradox #2) Generative AI is
‘capable’ yet ‘dependent’, (Paradox #3) Generative AI is ‘accessible’ yet ‘restrictive’, and
(Paradox #4) Generative AI gets even ‘popular’ when ‘banned’ (i.e., the “what”). Through a
position that seeks to embrace rather than reject Generative AI, the lessons and implications that
emerge from the discussion herein represent a seminal contribution from management educators
on this trending topic and should be useful for approaching Generative AI as a game-changer for
education reformation in management and the field of education at large, and by extension,
mitigating a situation where Generative AI develops into a Ragnar¨ok that dooms the future of
education of which management education is a part of (i.e., the “so what”).
Sustainability
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, Nov 4, 2022
Higher education institutions have recently transitioned from face-to-face to online teaching and... more Higher education institutions have recently transitioned from face-to-face to online teaching and learning environments. However, academic staff lack sufficient training in applying emotional intelligence (EI) skills and strategies in online learning environments. Although literature addressing academics' EI is sparse, some studies have suggested that lecturers' EI greatly influences teaching and learning. This study used the concept of EI to understand students' perceptions of how lecturers' EI impacted their learning and engagement in an online learning environment. We conducted four online focus group interviews of 14 students pursuing a bachelor's degree at two campuses of an Australian university, one in Melbourne and the other in Malaysia. Four main themes were identified using thematic analysis. Students discussed their perceptions and experiences on (a) vulnerabilities, coping and empathy; (b) relationships with lecturers, trust and safety; (c) communication, tone and voice; and (d) managing emotions of lecturers. Our findings suggest that lecturers' EI impacted students' learning and engagement in online learning spaces. However, the impact differs between Australia and Malaysia due to cultural differences. Drawing on the findings, we present online education good practices grounded in the theory of EI. Lecturers delivering online courses should consider employing these practices for effective teaching. Implications for practice or policy: • Higher educational institutions need to support lecturers in developing the necessary EI skills to engage students in online learning. • Lecturers need to make meaningful attempts to develop positive relationships with students in online forums to support students' engagement. • Lecturers working in online learning environments need to support students to develop friendships and connections with their peers. • Lecturers need to include regular discussion breaks during online lectures to allow students to share their opinions and experiences.
Sustainability
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Leadership
Despite the challenges facing small economies, leadership research has given scant attention to l... more Despite the challenges facing small economies, leadership research has given scant attention to leaders’ behaviour in those countries during crises. Using seemingly paradoxical domains of paternalistic leadership theory: authoritarian, benevolent and moral leader behaviour, together with concepts like populism from the political science domain, we analyse how Sri Lanka’s ‘strongman’ President provided a façade of paternalistic leadership during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through analysis of written and verbal content (public speeches, independent reports and government media output), we show how the power exercised through authoritarian, as opposed to authoritative behaviour, together with espoused morality and benevolence, appears to have been effective in the short term in containing the pandemic. However, sustained success in dealing with the crisis is hampered by the contradictions between this paternalistic façade and the dark realities of authoritarian and popul...
Dr Asanka Gunasekara will be talking about the impact of working from home that many companies/em... more Dr Asanka Gunasekara will be talking about the impact of working from home that many companies/employees have to adjust to in a short timeframe due to COVID-19, the type of skills that companies would be hiring for such as organisation behaviours, psychological wellbeing of staff working from home, and the impact it has on businesses. Asanka was seen on news articles recently on the Daily Mail Australia and The Conversation, talking about Work Life integration
Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 2014
Achieving higher life satisfaction is one of the main reasons for migration. Using cross-sectiona... more Achieving higher life satisfaction is one of the main reasons for migration. Using cross-sectional survey data, this study explored the life satisfaction of 306 Indian and Sri Lankan skilled migrants employed in Australia. The results indicated that the life satisfaction of the participants was slightly above the Australian normative standard. Achievements in life, standard of living, feeling part of the community, and personal relationships were important domains in participants' lives. There was no relationship between life satisfaction and gender, ethnicity, age or level of education in this skilled migrant sample, but English language skills and years since migration were related to life satisfaction. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that Sri Lankan and Indian skilled migrants are satisfied with their lives in Australia and consider Australia a safe country in which to live.
This paper explores whether Sri Lankan and Indian skilled migrants are satisfied with their jobs ... more This paper explores whether Sri Lankan and Indian skilled migrants are satisfied with their jobs in Australia at „overall‟ and „facet‟ levels. The study also examines predictors of their job satisfaction. 306 Sri Lankan and Indian skilled migrants live in Australia participated in a cross-sectional survey. Results indicated that participants were moderately satisfied with their jobs and were more satisfied with „supervision‟, „communication‟, „co-workers‟, and „nature of work‟ compared to „promotions‟, „operating conditions‟, „fringe benefits‟, „pay‟ and „rewards‟. Contrary to past research findings, „age‟, „gender‟, „ethnicity‟, „level of education‟, „years since migration‟ and „English language skills‟ did not influence skilled migrants‟ job satisfaction, however „perceived level of inclusiveness‟ was significantly related to job satisfaction. Organisations need to emphasise more on „promotions‟, „fringe benefits‟, „pay‟ and „rewards‟ facets to increase the overall job satisfactio...
COVID-19, Business, and Economy in Malaysia
International Journal of Intercultural Relations
Academy of Management Proceedings
International Journal of Intercultural Relations