S. M. Ferdous Azam

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Associate Professor at Management and Science University

Community of Inquiry—a theoretical framework that consists of three interrelated elements: teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence—has widely been used in online and blended learning as an instructional design model to create and sustain conditions that facilitate meaningful learning in a learning community. Teaching presence is...

Container terminals are crucial to global trade, handling over 95% of goods transported via sea, with Sri Lanka's Colombo Port offering a strategic role as a key maritime hub. Despite significant infrastructure advancements, the effectiveness of these investments is contingent upon the satisfaction and performance of human resources. This study inv...

Objective: The study investigates the relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction of public-sector lawyers. This study aligns with The UNITED NATION’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 8 (DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH) by focusing on the critical factors of work-life balance and job satisfaction, which directly influence mental he...

Ethics and ethical behavior are issues which are increasingly being focused on the business community today. People are becoming more concerned about what is actually happening in business organizations in the name of competition, growth, and profitability. Organizations are crossing the red zone of ethics and ethical behaviors. A growing number of...

Based on the financial data of Anhui Province from 2012 to 2022, and drawing on the analysis of the digital inclusive finance index of Peking University on the development of digital inclusive finance in Anhui Province and 16 cities from 2012 to 2022, it is shown that the development level of digital inclusive finance in Anhui Province and 16 citie...

The World Bank, in 2016 defined women’s empowerment as a principle for sustainable development and for the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Economic empowerment has been identified as a main section of women’s empowerment in literature. Economic empowerment directly influences the improvement of women’s decision-making power an...

The research intends to identify how Knowledge Management (KM) explains the relationship between Organizational Factors (OF), Technological Capabilities (TC) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in travel agencies operating in Sri Lanka. This quantitative study employed simple random sampling, distributing 320 questionnaires to travel agencie...

Objective: This study has been aligned with the 12th SDG “responsible consumption & production” which aimed to investigate how managerial pressures mediate the association among the external pressures, such as institutional & stakeholder motives, and the implementation of corporate sustainability initiatives by tourist hotels in Sri Lanka. Theoreti...

Purpose: The aim of this literature review is to examine the relationship between training and development programs and employee loyalty and job satisfaction. By evaluating how these programs improve abilities and promote development, the research aims to emphasize how crucial they are for developing potential and assisting Design/Methodology/ A na...

The hospitality industry, particularly in emerging tourism destinations, faces increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices that align with global environmental and social standards. This study investigate the existing level of corporate sustainability adoption by tourist hotels in Sri Lanka. Through a case study approach, the research invest...

Sri Lanka, strategically located in South Asia, has the potential to become a significant hub for international maritime trade. However, the current port infrastructure, particularly in Colombo, faces capacity constraints that limit its ability to accommodate larger vessels and manage increasing container traffic. This study evaluates the impact of...

Purpose Though public sector organisations have continuously borrowed human resource management practices from the private sector, there seems to be sparse evidence on the effectiveness of financial rewards for public sector employees, especially in developing countries where pay remains low. Therefore, the objective of this research is to test the...

In the present world, issues related to working environment, workload and job satisfaction are intense in most occupations and more severe among professionals. Notably, workforce in higher education institutions all over the world are undergoing these issues. In this study, the researcher tried to identify the impact of working environment and work...

This research navigates the intricate landscape of Sri Lanka's tourism sector against the backdrop of its rich cultural heritage and captivating landscapes. As global travel trends increasingly pivot towards sustainability, this study investigates the core of Sri Lanka's tourism dynamics, exploring consumer preferences and the diverse factors that...

Purpose The importance of sustainable public procurement is growing in many countries and industries, including higher education institutions (HEIs) in China. However, in China, the practice of sustainable public procurement is currently limited due to various reasons. This study aims to identify the main challenges faced by Chinese HEIs when it co...

Purpose Current study theoretically and technically analyzed the empirical literature on Graduate Employability Skills (GES) and aimed to investigate ten research questions: 1) the specific features of the retrieved empirical studies on GES, 2) the trends of empirical scientific production of GES, 3) the most relevant and high-impact sources in the...

This study explores the relationship between User Created Contents (UCC) and Online Reputation in Sri Lankan Destination Management Companies (DMCs). It assesses the direct impact of UCC and investigates the moderating role of Online Reputation Management (ORM). Data from 170 representatives of Sri Lanka's tourism industry DMCs, collected through s...

This study systematically investigates the influence of Firm Created and User Created Contents on the Online Reputation of Destination Management Companies, with a focused examination within the Sri Lanka tourism industry. The research delves into the direct, linear connections between Firm Created Contents and the Online Reputation of Destination...

This paper provides an overview of entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka's Community Based Tourism (CBT). This investigates the impact of entrepreneurial competencies on dynamic capabilities towards homestay entrepreneur performance in community based tourism. Recent researches conducted in the Sri Lankan context revealed that the vast majority of homestay...

Entrepreneurship is a process of creating a new business to produce and market new, innovative or existing product. Small business is a bridge for entrepreneurs to perform. Even though entrepreneurial competencies and entrepreneurial orientation have been considered separately on small business performance, little research attention has been given...

This study investigates the correlation between the quality of teaching and the attractiveness of vocational colleges. The research aims to discern how the effectiveness of teaching methods, faculty expertise, and educational resources influence students' perceptions and choices regarding vocational education. Through a comprehensive analysis of va...

Abstract Purpose Virtual professional learning communities provide digital platforms for teachers across the globe to join learning networks and engage in continuous and unrestricted learning. This study aimed to explore the impact of contextual factors on establishing virtual professional learning communities in Maldivian schools. Design/methodol...

This study investigates the variables affecting the Maldives electricity industry's ability to retain talent. Talent has notyetbeen given a uniformdefinition. According to the organisation and the services they offer to customers, talents are defined.Employees who have the knowledge, skills, and performance to strategically contribute to the organi...

Introduction: Medical students are highly motivated compared to other students in higher education. Various factors internal and external to the students can affect their academic motivation. It has direct bearing on their performance as well as their professional development. The present study aims to validate the adapted questionnaire on academic...

Purpose: This literature review seeks to advance knowledge of the area of theories on motivation for corporate sustainability efforts as it has been researched by earlier experts. Corporate sustainability has gained more attention in academics and business since the 1990s. Still, there is a lack of literature in the area of motivational theories fo...

Purpose: This literature review seeks to advance knowledge of the area of theories on motivation for corporate sustainability efforts as it has been researched by earlier experts. Corporate sustainability has gained more attention in academics and business since the 1990s. Still, there is a lack of literature in the area of motivational theories fo...

Depression among undergraduate students is a considerable mental health issue. Understanding the factors associated with depression is important to prevent it effectively and to design intervention strategies to mitigate the repercussions of depression. This systematic literature review mainly aims to identify and review the existing academic body...

In the digital era, the acceptance and adoption of e-government initiatives play a crucial role in modernizing public services and enhancing governance efficiency. This study investigates the influential factors shaping e-government acceptance within the Libyan Ministry of Justice, offering insights into the complexities of technology adoption in a...

In response to the evolving dynamics within contemporary workplaces, talent management paradigms are compelled to adapt to accommodate the multifaceted needs of diverse generational cohorts. Mere presence and industriousness in the workforce are no longer deemed adequate benchmarks for organizational success. Instead, contemporary firms are task...

In an era defined by digital transformation, the acceptance and implementation of e-government initiatives are important in modernizing public services and streamlining governance processes. This research explores the factors influencing the acceptance of e-government within the Libyan Ministry of Justice, providing valuable insights into the dynam...

It has become a challenge for employers to retain their employees for a longer period. This perspective emphasizes the significance of the study of motivation, job satisfaction and its relationship to employee turnover intention. While employee turnover and turnover intention are extensively studied in organizational research, there is a scarcity o...

The gap between intention and behavior is considered as a psychological state of the individual to perform any planned action. Scholars define this gap by implementation intention, and they argue the impact of implementation intention to transform intention into an action. It can be argued that this transformation is much more relevant and importan...

Purpose: In recent decades, there has been a substantial increase in interest and awareness regarding eco-friendly and sustainable activities. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate and understand the factors influencing the implementation of green and sustainable practices by hotel managers in the Western Province of Sri Lanka focus on the rol...

Since 2018, are still disparities in the research results on items, prices, locations, promotions, people, processes, and physical evidence associated with customer loyalty based on the marketing mix and customer or patient loyalty. This study’s compares the theory and practice concerning the effect of marketing mix to outpatients’ loyalty. Hajj Ho...

Depression among undergraduate students is a considerable mental health issue. Understanding the factors associated with depression is important to effectively prevent and to design intervention strategies to mitigate the repercussions of depression. This systematic literature review mainly aims to identify and review the existing academic body of...

China has gradually developed a multi-stage reform mechanism for student financial assistance in education. This study discusses the importance of satisfaction among students in analysing funding policies and programmes. The report will identify the challenges and shortcomings of university funding by reviewing and studying underlying issues. This...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the intention-based model in the context of Intrapreneurship. Inrapreneurship is an emerging research area under the umbrella of Entrepreneurship. Even though entrepreneurial intentions and behaviors are widely discussed in entrepreneurship literature, it lacks in Intrapreneurship. Under the area of intrapren...

The level of financial literacy of farmers is an important condition for determining whether their credit needs can be effectively met. The objectives of this study are to explore the rural credit model in China, to understand the credit needs of farmers, to improve the existing credit constraints in rural areas, to increase the availability of cre...

The election is a social process that establishes representative democracy. To accurately represent public opinion, the election process must be held on a level playing field. The role of the news media in creating a level playing field is critical. It is essential that the news media behave unbiasedly, objectively, and neutrally during the electio...

Learner autonomous motivation is regarded as an important determinant of meaningful learning. Yet, facilitating autonomous motivation is a major concern for instructors of online and blended learning. Based on self-determination theory, this study aimed to investigate the relationships between higher education students’ perceived teaching presence,...

Introduction: Though there are abundant studies on entrepreneurial intention among students pursuing higher education, there is a lacuna in understanding the entrepreneurial intention of medical students. In the present scenario of increasing unemployment among young medical graduates, this quantitative study was conducted with an aim to examine th...

Introduction: Though there are abundant studies on entrepreneurial intention among students pursuing higher education , there is a lacuna in understanding the entrepreneurial intention of medical students. In the present scenario of increasing unemployment among young medical graduates, this quantitative study was conducted with an aim to examine t...

This systematic review paper aims to enhance knowledge of corporate sustainability initiatives in the hospitality industry as it has been researched by earlier researchers. Corporate sustainability has gained more attention in academics and the corporate world since the 1990s. There is still a shortage of literature in corporate sustainability. Thi...

This study systematically investigates the influence of Firm Created and User Created Contents on the Online Reputation of Destination Management Companies, with a focused examination within the Sri Lanka tourism industry. The research delves into the direct, linear connections between Firm Created Contents and the Online Reputation of Destination...

Purpose – The dominant role of villagers in rural revitalization has been emphasized in recent years. This review addresses the following three research questions: First, how did the research topics of villagers in rural vitalization evolve? Second, what are the similarities and differences between the research development stages? Third, where are...

Previous research has shown that people select public sector jobs for meaningful work. In this regard, the meaning of work comes from the way work is conceived, as represented by the model given by Hackman and Oldham (1975), which can have important implications for work-related behaviour. Therefore, this research analyses how job characteristics w...

The purpose of this research is to analyze the structural relationship between the various aspects of job characteristics and job performance of employees of Maldives Civil Service, to strengthen and enhance the aspects of job design of Maldives Civil Service employees. The main objective is to help and modernize the jobs of the Maldives Civil Serv...

Hospitals plays an important role in providing health care facilities and are indispensable in supporting the public health services. The purpose of this study is to examine chief nurse leadership style, internal communication, incentive giving and work stress as well as the performance of nurses in the inpatient room of Hajj Hospital. This researc...

Purpose Emerging research on public administration theory has highlighted the need for public sector managers to become better leaders by inspiring and motivating them to align themselves with their organisation's mission and vision. Therefore, transformational leadership has become increasingly appealing in public administration. This study invest...

Introduction: In medical education one of the main goal is to facilitate the development of professional identity of medical students. It is influenced by sociocultural factors whose influence has been examined by the empirical scholarship on professional identity research in a robust way. The current research studied the influence of gender, ethni...

Sri Lanka is a democratic country with universal franchise and a representative government. The election system was introduced to this nation during British colonial rule. Apart from education and elitism, the main factors considered in nominating natives by the English rulers to the legislative council were race, religion, family, and caste. Due t...

Purpose This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the innovation environment of a developing nation through the Triple Helix model, revealing the existing inter-relationships between the three Helixes of Academia–Industry–Government. It sets out to find out the relationship and impact of the three Helixes on the most crucial stage of th...

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the function of the Indonesian Social Health Insurance (BPJS) system for the provision of medical services, and to examine the differences and similarities between the public and private hospitals in Jakarta, Indonesia. Theoretical framework: Service quality in BPJS is a public service that can...

p>This research determines the sustainable development of the higher education curriculum management system in China. As a literature-based review paper, this study explores some insights into the Chinese higher education curriculum management system. China, a growing country, struggles to improve its education system. After a thirty-year war that...

This paper examines how China’s curriculum management system for higher education has been able to expand in a sustainable manner. This study examines a number of different facets of the Chinese curriculum management system for higher education as a means of doing a literature review. China, a country that is developing at a fast rate, is working h...

This study examines the sustainable growth of China’s curriculum management system for higher education. As a literature review, this research examines various aspects of the Chinese curriculum management system for higher education. China, a rapidly developing nation, strives to enhance its educational system. After a thirty-year conflict that inf...

As there are very few conceptual papers to discuss the current relevance of Public Service Motivation (PSM) to public sector employees, the objective of the paper is to explore the significance of PSM in explaining public sector employees in recent history. The paper would highlight the development of the construct of Public Service Motivation (PSM...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the significance of using International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in impacting the quality of accounting information. Theoretical framework: Recent literature has revealed positive results in IPSAS and accounting information quality (Bakhtah & Ammar, 2019). However, because IPSAS is a...

Purpose: The objective of this study was to identify the importance of applying the standards of governance and International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in influencing the quality of accounting information. Theoretical framework: Recent literature has reported good results in both corporate governance and IPSAS (Bakhtah & Ammar, 201...

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Purpose: Increasing unemployment among youth is a cause for concern that has led to an increase in entrepreneurial studies among university students. Unfortunately, medical students' entrepreneurialism has been widely ignored. To fill this gap, the current study investigated the influence of entrepreneurial per...

Background: Psychological distress is a global health issue which impact the medical students learning and professional development. Varied factors impact the psychological distress of the medical students. The study evaluates the role of year of study on the psychological distress of medical students. Material and Methods: The study was conducted...

This study aimed to examine the willingness of Sri Lankan users to adopt mobile payment systems using Quick Response (QR) codes, given the widespread use of mobile devices in Sri Lanka. The research surveyed 457 participants and used the UTAUT2 model to determine the most significant factors influencing users' intention to use QR code payments, the...

Libyan commercial bank's total performance is highly dependent on its employees' ability to operate in a rapidly changing business environment and competitive environment. Human resource management practices and leadership styles were examined to see how they affected employee performance, with work satisfaction serving as a mediating factor. An ex...

With the uncertainty in the environment, most sectors have experienced the significance of knowledge creation and sharing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism is one of the most affected sectors during the pandemic, searching for knowledge creation and sharing to cater to tourism business dynamics. Nonaka’s SECI model has been used for creating an...

The purpose of this study is to analyse user's acceptance of Quick Response (QR) code mobile driven payment systems, in considering the Sri Lankan populations wide spread use of mobile phones and other mobile devices. The current research has been derived by using the UTAUT2 (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) model. This study dev...

The fast growth and greater commercialisation of the social market have compelled nonprofit organisations to adopt a competitive operational approach and pursue innovative methods to survive. However, these strategies are still controversial. This study's primary purpose is to map the flow of knowledge in the field of study and offer future researc...

Burnout is a work-related severe problem that needs careful attention. Mainly, burnout of the beginning professionals is a more pressing issue since it affects the entire future of such professionals. This paper attempts to understand the burnout status of a group of pre-service English Language teachers who are on an internship for one year with a...

The purpose of this study was to engage in a preliminary investigation of the burnout level of the practitioners involved in teaching of English as a second language (ESL) in Sri Lanka. The study was carried out with a sample of 80 ESL practitioners representing all nine provinces of the country. English version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory...

Abstract Background: Entrepreneurship has been less emphasized in the medical curriculum. Therefore, medical graduates lack the personal skills to commence a healthcare start-up. To contribute to healthcare innovations aimed at personalised patient-care, it is crucial for medical students to imbibe skills of the business sector. Entrepreneurship am...

The aim of this study is to examine how outbound Maldivian travellers who have received a medical service in any hospital in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, or Malaysia perceive the quality of the service levels. A survey questionnaire was used to gather cross-sectional data from 400 outbound medical travellers from the Maldives. Respondents who receiv...

Abstract Purpose -To analyze how service quality affects customer satisfaction levels among outbound Maldivian medical travellers who have received medical care in a hospital in South Asia. Design/methodology/approach - Cross-sectional data were collected from 400 outbound medical travellers of Maldivian ethnicity using a survey questionnaire. St...

Nonprofit organizations are critical actors in the Sustainable Development Goals as they provide a wide range of social services to the community and contribute to creating a sustainable future. They must compete for funding or government contracts by showing high social performance. Among the top factors influencing social performance is capacity,...

The public education system of Sri Lanka suffers from poor education outcomes and wide disparities in academic achievement across schools, and studies have revealed that students’ outcomes are best when the teachers are qualified in both, the subjects they are assigned to teach and in pedagogy. Though the studies have revealed that student outcomes...

Public education system of Sri Lanka suffers from poor education outcomes and wide disparities in academic achievement across schools, and studies reveal that students’ outcomes are best when the teachers are qualified in both subjects, they are assigned to teach and in pedagogy. At present teacher stress has become a critical issue in the educatio...

Orientation: In developed countries, organizations struggle with staffing challenges and become highly competitive regardless of the increasing number of college graduates. Also, the process of staffing inherent in any organizational performance. There are allegations in the Maldivian Civil Servants that recruitment and selection process is being m...

This paper explores the influence of family business background on the entrepreneurial intention of university students and how it affects their career choice. Entrepreneurial education has limited success in promoting entrepreneurial activities among the educated youth prompting academicians to look at avenues to ameliorate it. Though family busin...

This study explored the drivers/stimulators behind the effective implementation of green strategy and how firms can strategically minimise barriers and hurdles. It investigated the barriers to green responsiveness encountered by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the perspective of owners/top managers in a developing economy. The presen...

Consumer attitude towards global luxury brands has been researched by many scholars around the world. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the factors affecting consumer attitude towards global luxury car brands. This study conceptualizes a new model to identify the factors affecting to the consumer attitude towards global luxury car brands. The...

Municipal councils of a country are public services organizations that have been operating in a market monopoly. The purpose of carrying out a pilot study is to check the appropriateness of the questionnaire and the feasibility of the analytical process before carrying out a comprehensive research study. This pilot study focuses on the service qual...

Purpose This study aims to offer empirical evidence on how integrated thinking affects the integrated reporting (IR) practice and how integrated thinking originates from board and management involvement, cross-functional integration and integral link between capitals and strategies. Design/methodology/approach This study is cross-sectional and use...

This paper reports on a study investigating the washback effect of the English Baccalaureate Exam, a high-stakes exit and admission exam for 4 th form of secondary school students in Tunisia. The study aims at gaining preliminary understanding of the relationships between teacher-related factors and their teaching practices. A mixed methods researc...

The key to success and sustainability in higher education institutions in maintaining a higher level of quality. Over the past two decades, the higher education system has been evolving in this dynamic context. Extreme obstacles are imposed not just on the graduates, but also on the educational institutions, due to the stakeholders' extremely high...

Enterprise risk management is a modern, strategic tool that mitigates the overall risks of organizations. The theoretical literature review revealed the standards and frameworks recommended by international risk management organizations, which provide guidelines for risk assessment and mitigation. The empirical literature review revealed that studi...

The present paper examines the washback effect of teachers' perceptions about the High-Stakes National English Baccalaureate Exam (AE) and their beliefs about what constitutes effective teaching methodology (BETM). A sequential quantitative-qualitative methodology was used. A questionnaire was administered to 450 English language of 4th form of sec...

Teachers' beliefs have triggered a lot of research interest, especially in high-stakes examination contexts. It is widely acknowledged that the relationship between teachers' beliefs and practices is complex. Hence, this article presents an empirical study to investigate teachers' perceptions, i.e. attitudes towards the English Baccalaureate Exam (...

Purpose The utilisation of market-based approaches (MBAs) than command-control approaches (CCAs) is still at the embryonic stage to stimulate the green behaviour of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies. The study aims to elucidate the association between environmental incentives (EIs), green responsiveness (GR) and envi...

Higher educational institutions are exposed to various types of risks what other entities face naming strategic, operational, financial, compliance, technological and reputational risk owing to terrifying competition, rapid technological advancements and unpredictable environmental tremors. Implementation of enterprise risk management is the best s...

Higher educational institutions are exposed to various types of risks what other entities face naming strategic, operational, financial, compliance, technological and reputational risk owing to terrifying competition, rapid technological advancements and unpredictable environmental tremors. Implementation of enterprise risk management is the best s...