Social Capital as a Tool of Recovering the Competitiveness in Tea Plantation Sector in Sri Lanka

This study examines how social capital contributes to improving the competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s tea plantation sector. Adopting a mixed method approach, qualitative data were collected through interviews and observations, while quantitative data were obtained from 200 employees across 100 profit centers. The findings reveal that managerial employees perceive social capital as a strategic resource, whereas non-managerial employees view it as a naturally embedded social phenomenon. Empirical results confirm that social capital has a significant positive impact on firm competitiveness, with knowledge sharing acting as a partial mediator. The study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence from an agricultural sector context and offers policy recommendations to enhance industry competitiveness. Future research should consider larger samples and advanced analytical techniques.