Business Commons^™

The Culture & Practice Convergence: Looking For Ways Towards Sustainability, Miguel Paolo Paredes

Center for Business Research and Development

Thirty years ago, the Earth Summit gathering in Rio de Janeiro held host to world leaders, setting a blueprint for a more secure future by balancing economic growth and ecological necessity. Created for member states to cooperate in response to worldwide development issues, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) sought to address these challenges and achieved a global consensus on the priorities for a new development agenda (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Earth Summit, n.d.) As sustainability issues encompassed the whole of the planet, the summit provided a platform for member states to collaborate …

Philippine Stock Market: What Value Does The Selected Market Information Hold For Filipino Investors?, Edna Delantar

Center for Business Research and Development

There is a high level of information efficiency in the stock market. An efficient market adjusts security prices quickly and accurately to new information, without having to digest it for very long. Often, the pace of adjustment is remarkably rapid. This study focuses on the importance of market information as assessed by 250 retail investors in the Philippine Stock Market. The participants have active accounts and engaged in active trading with selected stock brokers and are at least 18 years old and above (or the age of eligibility to open an account with a broker). The gender of the respondents …

The Financials Of Water: The Case Of Maynilad And Manila Water, Junette A. Perez, Janrick Razon

Center for Business Research and Development

What is water? It is defined in the English Oxford Living Dictionaries as a colorless, transparent, odorless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms. The paper uses financial ratio analysis to examine the financial performance of the two dominant water and wastewater companies in Metro Manila. It attempts to appreciate how water and wastewater companies perform financially as they confront the complexities of operating an essential utility, water, and wastewater.

The Maritime Transportation Sector: Addressing Key Challenges Towards Sustainable Development, Rayan Dui

Center for Business Research and Development

The present business landscape expects sustainability from the most diverse organizations. However, sustainability issues in maritime transportation have taken a lower priority among its stakeholders. The different maritime stakeholders have started to become aware of their sustainability responsibility as interest in sustainable shipping has grown among retailers and their shipping vessels, leading to cost-efficiency in their operations and compliance with regulations and conventions set forth by the IMO (Lister, 2015). It must be noted that the maritime transportation sector is central to the worldwide economy as it is responsible for transporting products of all kinds and accounts for approximately ninety …

Vignettes: Social Media Practices Of Selected Social Enterprises In The Philippines, Raymund B. Habaradas, Ian Benedict R. Mia

Center for Business Research and Development

Social media enable firms to engage their consumers at a lower cost and at a higher level of efficiency than traditional communication tools. Using the typology for social media marketing of Coursaris et al (2013), we illustrate how two Philippine social enterprises, namely Human Nature and HOPE, utilize social media, specifically their Facebook brand pages, to promote their social and economic objectives.

Our exploratory study shows that social enterprises adopt different approaches in crafting the messages they release on social media. Their choice of highlighting either their products or their advocacies are influenced by the nature of their products and …

Gender Equality And Women Empowerment For Sustainable Development: The Challenge Of Unpaid Work, Jessica Jaye Ranieses

Center for Business Research and Development

This article focuses on women – a sector that has been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to unpaid care work. Unpaid work refers to “all unpaid services provided within a household for its members, including care of persons and housework” (Elson, 2000, as cited by Xue & McMunn, 2021) and a phenomenon that women had already been bearing significantly even prior to the pandemic. With the COVID-19 pandemic where work has shifted remotely, women have now performed multiple roles more than ever. According to the United Nations (2020), among 38 nations, the amount of time spent by women …

Consumer Protection Of Persons With Disabilities Amidst The Covid-19, James Keith C. Heffron

Center for Business Research and Development

The Persons with Disabilities (PWD) sector was one of the most overlooked and affected sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. As consumers, PWDs have suffered difficult challenges in the access of essential goods and services, including healthcare, and these challenges have been unduly aggravated because of the crisis. The article exposes and examines the negative impact of the crisis on the consumer rights and behavior of PWDs with a special focus on the novel barriers brought about by the pandemic on their right to access. The current pre-pandemic legislation is not adequate to protect PWDs from these novel barriers as there …

Bringing About Fullness Of Life With Care And Compassion: Learnings From The Social Enterprise Of The Good Shepherd Sisters, Julius B. Lunar

Center for Business Research and Development

One of the principles of the Church’s social teachings is integral human development. In his encyclical, Populorum Progressio, Pope Paul VI stated that “authentic human development is the development of the whole human being and of all human beings.” The importance of individuals as human beings is also rooted in the conviction of St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, foundress of the Good Shepherd Sisters, who kept reminding her daughters that “a person is of more value than the whole world.”

The Integral Human Development Approach guides the business model of the Mountain Maid Training Center (MMTC) in Baguio, which is a …

Can You Really Understand Financial Statements?, Alloysius Joshua Paril

Center for Business Research and Development

Financial statements are an interesting species, if I may say. In those several pages, an entire picture of an entity is painted, at least in the financial aspect. As almost everyone knows, financial statements give us an idea of a company’s performance during a particular period and condition as of a specific date. These documents are able to summarize everything that happened to a company during a 12-month period—probably more efficient than any document could.

Needless to say, these documents enable its users to decide on what to do with respect to that company. Investors take a look at financial …

Clues From Networked Readiness Index: Business Imperatives And Challenges, Florenz C. Tugas

Center for Business Research and Development

In May 2016, President Benigno Aquino III signed into law Republic Act (RA) No. 10844 creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). According to the new law, the newly-created department is mandated to formulate and implement policies that will promote the development and use of ICT, establish a free internet service that can be accessed in government offices and public areas, and protect the rights and welfare of consumers and business users to privacy, security and confidentiality in matters relating to ICT, among others (Alvarez, 2016).

Growing Your Business And Creating A Market For Your Product, Ned Roberto

Center for Business Research and Development

This 14th Consumer Coping Behavior Survey is a nationwide survey of consumers regarding their recurring purchases of 144 product and service categories. In 2008, it became nationwide covering the four study areas of NCR, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Proposing A Sustainable Tourism Framework For The Philippines, Michael Angelo A. Cortez, John Paolo R. Rivera

Center for Business Research and Development

The travel and tourism (T&T) industry has become a major contributor to growth and development in most economies across the globe (World Travel & Tourism Council [WTTC], 2014). The industry has significantly increased its gross value added (GVA) to the well-being of stakeholders through its direct economic impacts; and indirect and induced impacts to its forward and backward linkages. As such, according to Roe (2001), the T&T evolved into the world’s largest industries, generating approximately 11 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), providing 200 million job opportunities, and transporting nearly 700 million international travellers annually.

Social Business Model Canvas: Reconciling Commercial And Social Value Propositions Of Social Enterprises, Patrick Adriel H. Aure

Center for Business Research and Development

The growing interest in embedding social value in enterprising organizations, accompanied by the need for lean product and value development (Ries, 2011), demands visual frameworks that are both readily applicable to practice while at the same time grounded in cutting-edge management thinking. This is especially the case in the social enterprise sector, which welcomes tools and frameworks that can enable better understanding of commercial and social value dynamics.

Accounting Information Systems For Msme Survivability, Alger Tang

Center for Business Research and Development

According to the International Finance Corporation (2012), small and medium enterprises (SMEs) represent a substantial percentage of businesses globally (about 90%). Moreover, they are directly responsible for more than half of employment worldwide. As such, governments and economists consider the SME sector to be a key factor in national growth (Pollard & Hayne, 1998). In the Philippines, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) already account for almost all (99.6%) of the businesses in the country (Department of Trade and Industry, 2011). Furthermore, it provides employment to 63% of the Philippine labor force.

A Humanitarian Logistics Framework For The Philippines: The Case Of Typhoon Haiyan, Kirshna Loquinte, Isabella Militante, Fatima Rakim, Brian Gozun

Center for Business Research and Development

Logistics being used for humanitarian operations is known as humanitarian logistics. It is defined by Thomas (2003) as the process of planning, implementing and controlling the efficient, cost-effective flow and storage of goods and materials, as well as related information, from the point of origin to the point of consumption for the purpose of alleviating the suffering of vulnerable people. Logistics in the humanitarian aspect is vital; it plays a critical role during disaster relief operations. It bridges the gaps between the different stages of the operations. It is also crucial because the success and the time duration of the …

Defining A Filipino Heritage Brand In The Digital Age, Paz Esperanza T. Poblador

Center for Business Research and Development

How does an undefined yet strong heritage human brand compete in this rapidly-evolving, social-media crazed, digital-marketing driven business environment? The fiercely competitive arena of the fashion industry, where artisanal apparel tends to be so quickly commoditized by imitators and aggressive competition from top-of-mind global mass-produced brands, is where Filipina designer Patis Tesoro has been thriving and surviving as a passionate serial entrepreneur for over four decades now. Regarded as The Grand Dame of Philippine Fashion, she has done her fair share in uplifting homegrown arts and crafts by meticulously creating unique pieces of textile, clothing, home decor, and fine art, …

Cloud Computing: Does Every Cloud Have A Silver Lining?, Aeson Luiz Dela Cruz

Center for Business Research and Development

Up in the clouds, we go. Ever wondered where pictures uploaded on your Facebook profile are stored? How about files that you keep on your DropBox, that you conveniently access wherever you are and whenever you need them? Perhaps, it is more intriguing to ask where videos you have uploaded in YouTube are being kept. Are you not curious enough to ask why your Google mail can provide additional storage capacity when needed? All the answers to these questions lead us to a single direction—to the clouds.

Creative And Collaborative Strategies For Social Enterprises In The Philippines, Raymund B. Habaradas, Patrick Adriel H. Aure

Center for Business Research and Development

Social entrepreneurs are a bold lot. As Bill Drayton, author of Leading Social Entrepreneurs Changing the World, puts it: “Social entrepreneurs are not content to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.” This quotation captures how these driven individuals have created social value through innovative ideas that often challenge conventions. Their vehicle for this is the social enterprise.

The Joy Of Business With Soul: Fast & Furious Reaction To Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium, Mr. Martin Gaerlan

Center for Business Research and Development

Last October 30, 2013, Forbes revealed its 2013 World’s Most Powerful People with a very confident opening statement: “There are nearly 7.2 billion people in the planet. These are the 72 that mattered.”1 Just eight months on the job, the then 76 years old Pope Francis, former janitor and son of an accountant, found himself ranked 4th World’s Most Powerful – more powerful than 68 other individuals including 27 CEO’s and 28 billionaires.

Boon Or Bane: Business And The Anti-Cybercrime Law, Atty. James Keith C. Heffron

Center for Business Research and Development

“The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.” – Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google.

Role Of Business Leaders In The Integrality Of The Working Indivual, Ms. Cristine Atienza, Prof. Maria Andreas Santiago

Center for Business Research and Development

In a world where the benefit to the common good has been overshadowed by the need to spur demand to increase profitability, one begins to wonder if business has turned a blind eye and if the workforce has grown so detached that who they are at work is different from who they are outside the workplace. Fragmentation (Alford and Naughton 2001) and compartmentalization (McIntyre as cited in Martin 2011, Rozuel 2011) at varying degrees and across different arenas have become possible traps for every worker.

Stop, Look, And Listen! The Legality Of Standard Form Contracts, Atty. Edward Chico

Center for Business Research and Development

The proliferation of standard form contracts in today’s market calls for a law that would regulate and in some cases prohibit outright unfair contract terms, which deleteriously affect the buying public.