Materialism is becoming a major problem in the world. Materialistic consumers consume more and even unnecessary things. Overconsumption is one of the major threats to the future of human survival. Hence, the intention of this research is to determine the antecedents of materialism in Sri Lankan context. Through the Literature review, the antecedents of materialism were identified as; depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and stress. Positivist approach with deductive reasoning was used in this study. Individual adult person was taken as the unit of study of this research and this is a single crosssectional study. Sample of 450 adults was selected according to judgmental sampling technique representing nine provinces in Sri Lanka. Structured questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings show that self-esteem, depression, and stress significantly affect materialism. Further, Self-esteem and depression negatively affect the materialism while "stress" positively affect the materialism. These findings are useful to Marketing Managers to develop more effective marketing strategies in terms of segmentation, strategic brand communication and promotion. By accurately segmenting based on the facet of materialism that is dominant in a specific consumer behavior context will lead to the development of brand communication that better addresses consumer concerns.

Purpose: Word-of-Mouth is a strong communication tool which is perceived as a credible source by consumers.  With the internet penetration now WOM is occurring in e-platforms such as blogs, social network sites etc. This has given birth to electronic Word-of-Mouth or e-WOM. Though WOM may occur from various recommendation sources based on various factors the choice of the WOM recommendation source may vary. The research focuses on three objectives. They are to identify the relationship between the perceived task difficulty and the tie-strength of the recommendation source when making an online purchase decision, to identify the relationship between consumer knowledge and perceived task difficulty and to identify the relationship between internet experience and perceived task difficulty. Design/methodology/approach: Data was collected through a questionnaire. A sample of 140 respondents was used to collect information and convenience sampling method was used. Findings: Results revealed that consumers tend to reach out to both strong ties and weak ties irrespective of the perceived task difficulty. Further, as consumer subjective knowledge and internet experience increases perceived task difficulty reduces. Originality: Although studies have been conducted regarding WOM, no studies have been conducted to understand the role of recommendation sources when making an online purchase decision in the hospitality and tourism industry in the Sri Lankan context. Implications: Thus word -of -mouth communication should be considered as a part of the communication mix and organizations in the tourism and hospitality industry should focus on using opinion leaders to promote products. Keywords: WOM, eWOM, Perceived Task Difficulty, Internet Experience, Recommendation Sources

This study seeks to evaluate customers' purchase and disposal patterns for plastic and polythene and whether their environmental consciousness matches with actual behaviour. Data were collected from 117 households in metropolitan areas in Sri Lanka and analysed using descriptive statistics and paired sample t-test. Before data analysis, the scales' reliability and validity were evaluated. Findings showed a significant gap between actual behaviour concerning plastic consumption and environmental consciousness. Although most customers have positive opinions regarding environmental awareness, these beliefs have not necessarily converted into the corresponding behaviour to the same degree. As per results, 39% of the respondents burn their waste, including plastics, in open, while 4% have engaged in open dumping. The findings of this study can be taken into consideration to minimize the harmful effects of plastic and polythene disposal behaviour in Sri Lanka through an understanding of consumers’ actual behaviours. Especially relevant authorities shall initiate awareness campaigns and proper garbage disposal systems.

From 1981 to 2012, within 31 years, the Sri Lankan elderly population has doubled. It is estimated that one in four Sri Lankans will be elderly by the year 2041. One of the mistakes done by marketers is neglecting this group by thinking that they have low income and spend less money. Even though they have less income, they are not in poverty compared to the population under age 34. Silver aged population (age 50+) experience physical and mental changes during this period due to body postures, wrinkles, and changes in hair color and skin tones. Despite the bodily changes associated with aging, previous studies reported that the importance of appearance did not decrease with age, and appearance was more important for women than for men. It is the nature of humans that want to appear as young and beautiful as possible regardless of age. Hence the purpose of this research is to explore how appearance management is used to improve the self-esteem in old age. This research adopted the inductive approach since this research is trying to understand the hidden behaviors and psychological matters of women who are passing the silver age. The population of this study was considered as urban women, over fifty years of age in Sri Lanka and the individual level was used since the researcher asked questions from women individually to discover their behavior. Clothing is a visual representation of the self, women use articles of dress to construct and maintain their appearance, cognitively coherent with groups. Individuals manage appearance to represent their image. Fashion is closely linked to the emotional well-being of women. The women in this research used fashion as both social and symbolic capital to classify themselves concerning perceived social categories such as friends, peers, and their projected future self.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of Sri Lankan female consumers towards the objectification of women in advertising and what are their ideas about brands that practice objectification. Design/methodology/approach: The study follows an inductive approach and applies a qualitative research design. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. Findings: Findings have shown that Sri Lankan female consumers perceive the objectification of women in advertising as “a practice of portraying women in advertisements in a way that their social and personal value as women is undermined”. Even though there is a negative brand image, people still tend to purchase the product if it provides substantial value for their money. Originality: Previous findings on the use of female sexual objectification in advertising have been mixed and inconsistent. A social shift in society, with the presence of sexually objectifying advertisements, has created a need to understand consumer attitudes towards brands that make use of these advertisements in the current landscape in Sri Lanka. Implications: The study informs policymakers on how to implement appropriate policies and strategies to deal with panic buying situations. Retailers can use this expertise to effectively address the various demand conditions without disrupting their internal business practices.