The very first Virtual Research Conference, organized by the Department of Business Management, Faculty of Business Studies & Finance, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Wayamba Conference in Management (WAYACiM – 2020) was conducted successfully on 25th of September 2020, under the theme ‘Encouraging Competitiveness and Sustainability through Innovative Research’. The Department of Business Management envisioned being the ‘Best and the most preferred academic department in the field of business management’, and committed to pursue excellence in conducting management researches and community services in the region while making every effort to contribute to the University vision. WAYACiM 2020 was expected to envisage ground for seeding a comprehensive, research, and innovation-led sustainable growth agenda in the field of business by providing an opportunity for the undergraduates to refine their research skills, specifically in the field of management to expand the frontiers of their future potential.
Confronting the challenges, the Department of Business Management moved forward with novel perceptions beyond traditional methods of conducting research conferences. As a result, WAYACiM 2020 earned its credit as the first-ever conference to go online and be remembered in the history of the Wayamba University.
The conference was chaired jointly by Dr. (Mrs.) KAMS Kodisinghe & Mrs. WDNSM Tennakoon, two senior academics in the Department under the purview of Dr. TK Karandaketiya, Head, Department of Business Management. The conference was graced by the presence of the Chief Guest, Senior Professor Udith K. Jayasinghe-Mudalige, the Vice chancellor of the Wayamba University. The Keynote address was delivered by the renowned Senior Professor Hemanthi Ranasinghe from the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, centering on a timely topic ‘Green mindset for enhanced productivity’. The conference consisted of a plenary discussion presided by Dr. (Mrs.) U.L.T.P. Gunasekara from the University of Kelaniya.
Thirty-two research papers were published by WAYACiM – 2020 under four tracks namely, Marketing Management, Entrepreneurship & Small Businesses Management, Operations Management & Information Technology, and Human Resource Management & Organizational Behaviour. The conference will open annually from 2020 onwards for the university undergraduates, academics, and other researchers in the industry to share their management related research findings in a recognized platform.
