Thathsarani Hewavitharana

Ms. Thathsarani Hewavitharana


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

8Years (2019-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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20 November 2021 in Informatics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
THThathsarani Hewavitharana
Thathsarani Hewavitharana
Samudaya NanayakkaraSamudaya Nanayakkara
Samudaya Nanayakkara
APAsoka Perera
Asoka Perera
PPPrasad Perera
Prasad Perera
Inefficient and ineffective practices in the construction industry have hindered productivity even though it is considered as one of the largest sectors in any county. One best solution to overcome these inherent problems in the construction industry is to move forward with digital technologies. For that, organizational structure, technical aspects, and, most importantly, human factors need to be considered. The aim of this research is to find out human behaviors that affect the digital transformation of the construction industry based on the well-accepted model Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). An in-depth literature review was carried out using fifty-five journal papers to develop a conceptual model for the acceptance of digital transformation, and it was validated and further reviewed using ten expert interviews. The model consists of seven constraints: Personal Benefits, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Risk, Facility Conditions, Attitudes, and Subjective Norms. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was carried out to rank these seven factors according to individual priorities in the construction industry. Further, the model was extended and modified using factors derived from literature review and expert feedback. It is proved that “Perceived Personal Benefits” is the major consideration of an individual who is willing to move towards digital transformation. This research fulfills the lack of knowledge in the digitalization of the construction industry as per a human perspective, and it provides a prerequisite to finding the solutions for the issues which emerged within the industry towards digitalization. Further, the framework developed in the research can be used to systematically adopt the human factor for the digital transformation of the construction industry. In addition, this enables the analysis of changing demands for humans in digitally transformed environments, such as Industry 4.0 environments, and contributes towards a successful digital transformation that avoids the pitfalls of innovation performed without attention to human factors. The paper concludes by highlighting future research directions on the human factor in digital transformation as well as managerial implications for successful application in practice.

20 February 2019 in MATEC Web of Conferences
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
THThathsarani Hewavitharana
Thathsarani Hewavitharana
APA.A.D.A.J. Perera
A.A.D.A.J. Perera
Although Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) offers many benefits to the construction industry, construction companies still hesitate to adopt ERP systems. This may be due to long-term practiced ad-hoc behaviors in the construction industry, which do not match with the standard procedures embedded in ERP systems. Therefore, through this research, it is expected to evaluate the gap between construction procedures and ERP procedures technically. Hence, to obtain indicative data for the study, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to selected 210 individuals among contractors, subcontractors, and clients in the Sri-Lankan construction industry who have used ERP. In total, 174 completed questionnaires were returned and then statistically analyzed using Chi-Square test with the Mini tab tool. It is concluded that there is a significant gap between the construction procedures and ERP procedures in identified fields related to the construction industry. The highest significant gap exists in the field of Inventory management with Chi-Square 158.766 > 9.48. And HRM (142.366), Asset Management (130.264), Finance Management (126.267), Site Operation (103.793), Project management (53.88), Purchases (34.324), Petty cash (28.337), Estimating and Tendering (22.148), Sub-Contractor management (0.492) respectively. Ultimately with the identified gaps, a framework was established to meet the organizational processes and ERP processes.

7 August 2019
Verified
Book Chapter
Closed access
PDF file
THThathsarani Hewavitharana
Thathsarani Hewavitharana
APA. A. D. A. J. Perera
A. A. D. A. J. Perera