Browsing by Author "Bandara, YM"

Now showing 1 - 15 of 15

item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Analysis of factors affecting efficient and effective reverse logistics in the soft drink industry of Sri Lanka
(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2017-07) Sureka, JKG; Bandara, YM; Wikramarachchi, D; Gunaruwan, TL
item: Conference-Full-text
Analysis of impediments hindering fmcg companies from rail freight distribution in Sri Lanka
(IEEE, 2018-05) Kumarasinghe, SC; Bandara, YM; Chathuranga, D
As rail road multimodal transportation integrates economic, social and environmental advantages, rail freight transportation is considered as a vital and effective distribution solution for both bulk and non-bulk cargo in several countries of the world. But all most all of the freight in Sri Lanka is distributed using road transportation modes. Even the minor proportion of freight on rail mostly consist bulk cargo types. As the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) which is a type of non-bulk cargo, is distributed fast to dispersed locations throughout the country, using rail as a main leg of distribution can be a potential opportunity. Unfortunately none of the FMCG companies in Sri Lanka today are using rail freight distribution and the main focus of the research is identifying the impediments that hinder the these companies to shift from road to rail. The research revealed five major impediments; lack of collaboration among government and private sector, cost consciousness, doubts on risk and control, unreliability of Sri Lanka Railway (SLR) services and facilities and lack of information available about rail freight distribution. Both SLR and FMCG companies must address these issues and stakeholder consultation is essential for the developments to rail industry to support FMCG distribution.
item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Assessing the psychological responses of drivers to flashing amber lights
(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2018-06) Galappaththi, K; Herath, O; Bandara, YM; Gunaruwan, TL
item: Conference-Abstract
Barriers in modal integration: the case of rail and bus transportation in Sri Lanka
(Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa., 2019-09) Bandara, YM; Rathnayake, T; Pasindu, HR
For the existence of competitive markets, transportation is an essential economic activity needed to fulfill the activities of daily needs by providing a mode for the mobility of people and freight. A selection of specific planning method of transportation, convincing the passenger to use public transportation over private transport modes is a vital element in the current transport policies. Efficient operation of transport services depends on how effectively transport planning is undertaken considering technical, economic, market, social and environmental requirements under which services are provided. Nowadays every country in the world is trying to establish its own national transport system, not in isolation but as a part of the international system of transportation. When a transport mode is incorporated into a model, it can be used to build a better transportation system by using split development, model share and model integration. However, the passenger flow would not take place as predicted by transport models due to the influence of personal transport modes. As a result, developed infrastructure and transport services are often underutilized or one attractive mode of transport services are highly demanded to lead to overcrowding. This leads to the development of modal share issue with public transport share tends to decline while private motorized transport share is on the rise. As a remedy, model integration is considered as one seamless entity which has made by the involving of the travel modes for the benefit of the fare paying customer. There are many integrated transportation systems can be seen in well-developed cities all around the world established to reduce car dependency (Buehler, Pucher, Gerike & Götschi, 2017). Transport modal integration (Intermodality) provide the advantages by keeping space through the traffic congestion and controlling and resultant time saving and vehicle operational costs savings to users, minimizing carbon footprint and other negative externalities and eventually reducing the country dependence on fuel. However, intermodality is not always successful due to certain barriers. This paper aims at identifying the barriers that affect to efficient model integration process between bus and railway service around selected bus and rail corridor. The methodology followed in this research is a questionnaire-based data analysis using Principle Component Analysis (PCA). The relevant data were collected through a field study conducted in a selected public transport corridor that is served by rail and bus transport. The data collection was carried out using an online survey form but carried out as face to face. At all location 100 randomly selected passengers were surveyed. Data from each location were collected to cover all the time frames as possible and covering different users of the transportation service. Main factors acting as barriers to modal integration were derived as operational factors, comfortability, infrastructure design, competition, information flow and ethical behavior from the PCA analysis. Fourteen barriers identified, which includes security and safety concern of train, lack of information of bus and railway operating times, the capacity of current bus and train service and operating conditions of bus and railway stations, have been perceived as the main issues to be solved that make passengers participate in model integration between bus and railway services. Further, poor sanitary facilities, having uncomfortable fare collection methods and health and fitness issues of passengers have also been barriers. Further, considering the travel complexity of passengers in the sample, 28 travel patterns have been identified which includes traveling modes of the bus, foot, train, three-wheelers, taxi cabs and personal vehicles such as cars, bikes, and vans. Most of those 28 patterns have similar areas of destinations even they have different origins indicating hub and spoke transport behavioral pattern. Variable origins, less planned travel facilities, not having proper integration method, have been main reasons for the travel complexity.
item: Article-Full-text
Cooperation with a vessel transfer policy for coopetition among container terminals in a single port
(Elsevier, 2020) Kavirathna, CA; Kawasaki, T; Hanaoka, S; Bandara, YM
This paper discusses the effects of the cooperation among terminal operators in a single port as a part of their coopetition strategy in order to increase overall port competitiveness by minimizing vessel traffic congestion and berthing delays at terminals. A mixed-integer programming model is formulated incorporating game-theoretical decision-making, and then tested with the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The results show that depending on the terminals’ objectives, namely “minimizing total penalty cost” and “maximizing total profit,” cooperation among terminals in the operation stage reduces berthing delays and increases terminal utilization than in the status quo, where terminals do not cooperate in the operation stages. This paper discusses policy recommendations to increase the effectiveness of vessel transfers, while also considering the port authority’s policies toward enforcing penalty charges for berthing delays and collecting terminal fees from concession terminals.
item: Article-Full-text
Determining the invoicing dates for raw material order and finish product dispatch using neural networks under exchange rate volatility
(Taylor and Francis, 2021) Weerasinghaa, JP; Bandara, YM; Edirisingheb, PM
The gains from international supply chains are highly affected by the exchange rate fluctuations in the foreign exchange market. Traditional forecasting methods have not been very useful, and as a result, business firms tend to use hedging or forward contracts to mitigate the exchange rate risk. This research focuses on using machine learning models to forecast the exchange rate for future decision-making in business. This paper uses both time-series data and the categorical data with the LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) Neural Network Model to tackle both linear and non-linear data on monetary fundamentals and derives the best dates for invoicing in the international transaction using data of a manufacturing firm. Results show that using the predictions of the LSTM model to decide the invoicing dates for international transactions delivers foreign exchange gain with a better success rate than selecting random dates for both import and export.
item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Developing a fare index for para transit: the case of urban three-wheeler taxi service in Sri Lanka
(Sri Lanka Society for Transport and Logistics, 2016-06) Kevitiyagala, PK; Bandara, YM; Gunaruwan, TL
item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Developing a National Eco-System for sustainable vegatable supply chain in Sri Lanka
(2021-09-06) Gunarathne, RT; Bandara, YM
Fruits and vegetables supply chain in Sri Lanka has always been a contemporary topic due to its significant value to the economy of the country. The existing fruits and vegetables supply chain is already suffering from dilemmas such as high price fluctuations, excess supply and wastage, involvement of large number of intermediaries and lack of infrastructure. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has put a tremendous pressure on already trembling supply chains. Sudden lock downs have led to disruption of existing distribution channels resulting farmers throwing away millions of tons of fresh fruits and vegetables while consumers in urban areas paying extremely high prices for fresh produce. The current situations clearly demonstrate the need for a more responsive and integrated vegetables supply chain for Sri Lanka. This paper attempts to create a conceptual model for the vegetable supply chain ecosystem for Sri Lanka.
item: Article-Full-text
Effect of social capital on the life satisfaction of paratransit drivers in Sri Lanka
(Elsevier, 2019) Kawasaki, T; Hanaoka, S; Saito, Y; Bandara, YM; Nakamichi, K
The three-wheeler, a Sri Lankan form of paratransit, is a popular and important mode of transport in Sri Lankan cities due to largely insufficient public transport systems. However, knowledge of the three-wheeler industry including the role of drivers' groups and the effect of these groups' social capital related factors on the driver's life satisfaction is scarcely available. Thus, the objectives of this study are to clarify the actual condition of the industry and to identify the social capital related factors that affect drivers' life satisfaction in three cities in Sri Lanka. To this end, extensive interviews were conducted and revealed that national and local governments do not control the numbers or management of three-wheeler drivers and vehicles, but they do receive rent for using public road space for parking. In order to determine the effect of social capital factors, including working conditions and societal trust levels, on three-wheeler drivers' life satisfaction, we developed an ordered logit model based on questionnaire surveys in three target cities. In addition, the differences among the cities examined regarding provincial policies for three-wheelers, the percentage of drivers who have other jobs, and relationships between drivers' societies were revealed. As a result of the analysis, we identified differences between drivers based in the three cities regarding the social capital and work-related variables that have the greatest impact on their life satisfaction. In particular, we found that drivers based in the city of Kandy emphasized general social capital variables over work conditions and salary, but the opposite was obtained for the cities of Colombo and Moratuwa.
item: Thesis-Full-text
Factors affecting daily production wastage of tea bagging manufacturing
Perera, MAD; Amarasena, SM; Bandara, YM
This research identifies and analyses of factors affecting production wastage of teabagging manufacturing. Minimizing production wastage is a very important operation consideration of any production oriented organization. The aim of this study is to identify the variables and their relationship in relation to Packing Materials (PM) wastage of tea bags. In other words, the purpose of this study is to answer the questions what are the factors affecting tea bag production wastage, which factor is significantly contributing to generating wastages and what is the nature of the relationship of these factors. The industrial norms for tea bags PM wastage in a production run is 2% or below that however in this study, wastage of above PM‟s constitute nearly 2% and above 2% hence there is a gap between expected level and the outcome. Therefore, the issue has been identified and analyzed empirically. Nevertheless, much literature and related research knowledge on wastage of tea bag manufacturing were not found thus related knowledge is limited. In addition, there were many limitations such as the inability to access of some information, sudden changes of management decisions on production lines, even though there were variable but not significant to achieve the objective of this research trying to achieve. A descriptive approach using primary data gathered from questionnaire-based interview survey design was adopted. A statistical modelling approach using secondary data from teabagging production records from January 2017 to December 2017 was also used. According to the analysis of primary data, gathered from the structured questionnaire the employees of the organization have been able to capture many problematic areas of the packing function that was not paid enough attention by the management which causes tea bag wastage. The most statistically significant and correlated problems discovered from the primary data are as follows: Flavored Black tea/ Green tea tends to generate less wastage while Black tea/ Green tea with herbs tend to generate more wastage, Envelope tea bags generate lower wastage and other variable does not have an impact on wastage.However, according to the analysis of secondary data, the total of wastage is less impacted by wastage of Flavored Black tea/ Green tea bags than of Black tea/ Green tea with herbs while total production significantly influences the total wastage. It is concluded that on average 2% of the total production of tea bags are wasted under the existing production process. However, this study can be further extended to find out the impact on the cost of production regarding PM wastage, production vs. wastage by machines, impact on inventory management of PM by wastage, and impact on tea export supply chain by wastage.
item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Factors influencing the selection of an activity to be outsourced in the Sri Lankan hotel industry
(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2017-07) Dissanayaka, HVAAN; Bandara, YM; Gunaruwan, TL
item: Article-Full-text
Influential factors in the design of port infrastructure tariffs
(Taylor & Francis, 2016) Bandara, YM; Nguyen, H
The main aim of this article is to examine the factors influential to the practical process of port infrastructure tariff design. The analysis is based on the survey data of 67 seaports representing the Australasian, East Asian, European, North American and South American regions. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was first carried out to identify the factors influential to the selection of the infrastructure tariff design model. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the relationship between the variables. The findings showed that demand, knowledge about pricing theories, the dynamics of port and shipping sectors (including competition and ship size), pricing objectives and port cost consideration are influential factors in infrastructure tariff design. Most ports use a mix of pricing approaches including price discrimination, cost-based pricing and market-based pricing. Ports are aware of the basic pricing approaches but have limited knowledge of their application. Based on the results of analysis, policy implications for port management in designing port infrastructure tariffs, limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.
item: Thesis-Full-text
Key characteristics of the consumer electronics industry in Sri Lanka
Kirihena, PD; Bandara, YM
The consumer electronics industry is a dynamic industry. Innovations and technology development are the main factors support this dynamic nature. As this industry is dynamic the major elements change with the time it is very difficult to identify them. It has been identified in some other countries but those countries are socially, economically and culturally different from us. There are many differences in our market behavior compared to foreign market. Therefore, branding techniques which are applied in the local market is different to international market. But it is not identified in Sri Lankan context. This paper addresses what are the key characteristics of the Sri Lankan consumer electronics industry because all local market players are not very certain about the key characteristics of their market and it is not a favorable situation for the industry. If market players are certain about the key market characteristics, it is good for distributors and end customers as well. The methodology of this research is a questioner survey and the questions will be Likert Scale-type questions and will apply factor analysis as a statistical test. The questioner has been designed in a way to cover four main aspects of the industry: operation, economic/finance, technical and sustainability. Operations characteristics cover the procurement, order processing, lead time, warehousing, distribution, brand promotion, and sales human resources. Economic/finance characteristics include employment opportunities, profit margins, return on investment, transport cost, payment methods, and import levies credit terms. Quality of products, product durability, and product features, warranty conditions, common spare parts, repair facilities, technically sound staff, and availability of necessary repair equipment are identified as technical characteristics. Sustainability characteristics covers green marketing practices, green warehouses, e–waste management system, 3 R practices, employee training and development, and usage of renewable energy. These questions have designed after reviewing literature and other articles related to this industry. This questioner consists of thirty questions which cover the above mentioned areas. The questioner was forwarded to eighty individuals in the local consumer electronics industry and only fifty seven responses were received, making it have a good response rate .The respondents consist of company Managing Directors , Technical Directors, Board Directors , Heads of after-sales services , Marketing Heads, and Supply Chain Heads and Managers. Most of the respondents are possessing more than ten years of experience. The objective of this research is to identify the key characteristics of the local consumer electronic industry which will help all the interested parties such as v current players, future investors, government authorities and foreign electronic goods manufactures. When we consider an industry, there are various characteristics. Consumer electronics are a specific type of goods which are durable and highly related to the income level of the people, economic level of the country, preferences and consumer segmentation etc. Since income levels and country preferences are different, every country market behaves differently. Characteristics of the market within the local industry are different. This research is mainly focused on understanding about key characteristics specific to the consumer electronic industry with reference to the Sri Lankan consumer electronic industry. The demands for the consumer electronic goods are not a steady one it’s a combination of seasonal and the new product launch. Generally there are two seasonal demands one in April and other one in December and in between sales increase when a new product introduce in to the local market. The target population includes local consumer electronic industry experts, managers and the executive staff. The population of the industry is unknown. Since Sri Lanka is no longer manufacturing consumer electronic goods they purely depend on imported products. There are sole agents/distributors appointed by global manufactures and other parallel importers in the local consumer electronics market. The nature of the current local consumer electronic market structure is highly competitive. Sole Agents and authorized distributors are allowed to import directly form manufactures but any other trader can import from other sources. Unauthorized traders also importing genuine products from authorized distributors in manufacture’s country. As an example Sony product can import to Sri Lanka form Sony dealer in Singapore but Sony local authorized distributors can only import from Sony Corporation (Singapore) Private Limited .But Parallel importers there is a cut-throat price war among local distributors between different brands and among the same brand as well. One of the main reasons for this price war is there is more than one local distributor for one brand. This situation leads to an unfair competition resulting from local distributors’ profit margins have drastically eroded. In the recent past most of the renowned brand consumer electronics manufactures set up their representative’s office in Sri Lanka in order to look after their brand interest and being involved with brand promoting activities with the collaboration of local distributors. After more than three decade civil war Sri Lankan economy is booming as a result of that demand for consumer electronic activities such as research and development, product design, raw material sourcing and manufacturing products also increased? As the current vi customers are very rational and well informed they need to experience the least technology with latest models, therefore local distributors are trying their level best to increase the inventory tern round. Before new model release to the market local distributors apply plenty of sales promotion activities to clear the old model. Sometimes compelled to dispose with very little margin or at break even. As a business there should be acceptable level of return on investment otherwise better to switch to another business. Most challenging fact is principals are not worrying about distributor’s profitability as long as they increase the sales volume and they always push for volumes. Current local consumer electronics industry is only handling importation, distribution and aftersales service because Sri Lanka is no longer manufacture consumer electronic goods. This research is subdivided in to five chapters and those are: Introduction, Literature review, Methodology, Data Analysis and result, Analysis Result and Discussion, Conclusion and future research directions. In conclusion twenty characteristics have been identified as key characteristics in the local consumer electronic market and according to the commonalities these variables have grouped in to nine factors those are: Less contribution to environmental sustainability, Satisfactory Level of Finance assurance and flexibility, Manufactures’ interests are inadequate over the local market, less attention to sustainable supply chain practices , Lack of market adoptability, Lack of finance sustainability, Lack of market resilience, Lack of principal’s finance support, Difficult to determine optimum level of inventory. According to the final outcome these nine factors have been identified as common factors in the Sri Lankan consumer electronics market. Since local consumer electronic industry involves with downstream supply chain activities, therefore, this research will not cover a significant portion of the upstream supply chain activities.
item: Conference-Abstract
Measuring the economic costs of traffic congestion
(2017) Jayasooriya, CS; Bandara, YM
The main concern of this research is to examines traffic congestion costs related with the road passenger transportation. With the rapid urbanization, it is evident that commercial and socio economic activity tending to centralize only in few major cities in a country. This has led to increase in the number of the commuters daily traveling to the cities. Also the economy grows and real income of household & vehicle population also increasing. Those things are creating a major issue of congestion, especially within urban cities. Road traffic congestion interrupts and reduces productivity level and it is a symbol of economic depression. This research presents the complete methodological process from data collection to analysis of main two cost factors of road traffic congestion. Those cost factors are workforce productivity time loss & excess fuel energy consumption/ operating cost. The most important aspect of this study is that it provides a measure of the real monetary cost of congestion to local or regional economies.
item: Conference-Full-text
Post harvest losses and the role of intermediaries in the vegetable supply chain
(Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, 2020-07) Gunarathna, RT; Bandara, YM; Weeraddana, C; Edussooriya, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Agricultural sector in Sri Lanka produces more than 80 varieties of fruits and vegetables, and the development of the sector along with the improvement of quality and efficiency can provide significant benefits to the economy through domestic and export marketing. The majority of the farmers involved in the fruits and vegetable sector are small scale farmers and the supply chain is majorly controlled by the intermediaries. Malpractices committed by farmers as well as intermediaries throughout different stages of the vegetable supply have been the primary causes of post-harvest losses. This paper examines the role of intermediaries along the vegetable supply chain and identifies factors contributing to the postharvest losses. The results are based on an in-depth personal interview with 7 industry personnel. The results revealed improper packaging, malpractices during transportation, careless handling, and unsuitable harvesting practices as major causes of post-harvest losses. The research also points out how the lack of obligation and the connectivity among intermediaries toward a common goal of an efficient and effective vegetable supply chain in Sri Lanka leads to current issues in the vegetable supply chain. The paper discusses factors with reference to the available literature, derive policy implications and provide directives for future research.