Acta, Beato, Belmonte

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

In today’s competitive world, education is the fundamental way to transform in-

dividuals into productive citizens. Education must be adaptive or flexible in order to
keep pace with the fast-changing needs of society as education helps to elevate the fi-
nancial status of an individual making him stable and responsive to economic chal-
lenges (Schomburg, 2011). Tertiary education particularly, is tasked to train the na-
tion’s manpower in the skills required for national development, and to instill and
foster the appropriate and relevant knowledge, skills, and attitudes to enable each in-
dividual to become a useful, productive and gainfully employed member of the
society.

Likewise, Marketing Management program prepares its students to be respon-

sive to the total environment by providing technical skills and competencies in the
areas of marketing. Theory is blended with practicum activities to give the students a
broad and enriched base for career in marketing.(CMO No. 39 s. 2006)

The objectives of the program provided by the Commission of the Higher Edu-
cation (CHED), the policy making body of Philippine higher education are to: (1)
help the students to seek employment and entry level jobs or positions of responsibil-
ity as marketing manager, marketing executive or marketing director; (2) guide the
students in organizing or managing entrepreneurial activities if they decide to be self-
employed; (3) equip students with knowledge of the principles and concepts of mar-
keting; and (4) prepare students to pursue a teaching career or graduate studies in
business.

Thus, this tracer study may determine if the BSBA MM graduates’ employabil-
ity and career success are effective, adequate, and relevant in responding to the rapid
changes brought about by the ASEAN integration and to know the extent of competi-
tiveness of the graduates, globally and internationally.

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RATIONALE

This study primarily aimed to determine the employment data of the graduates of
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Marketing Management (BSBA
MM) of Bicol University College of Business, Economics, and Management (BUCBEM)
from 2011-2015 in terms of employment status; job position; tenure of employment; and
company’s location. This research attempted to trace, assess, analyze and evaluate BSBA
MM graduates of BUCBEM. This study also aimed to determine if BSBA MM graduates
become successful in their chosen field and to know if the academic-acquired skills and
competencies gained in college are found useful in determining their employability and
career success. An important concern is to present the reasons on the underemployment
and unemployment of BSBA MM graduates and problems encountered by the respon-
dents in looking for a job. And also this study presents recommendation to improve the
BSBA MM Program in terms of curriculum; facilities; and faculty.

This research is deemed significant to the following:

Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

The result can serve as information to design new policies for further improvement
on Marketing Management program.

Administration and Curriculum Planner

The feedback from employees may serve as basis and evaluation on the effects of
K+12 regarding curricular offerings of BSBA Marketing Management so that the Depart-
ment would be able to strategize and modify curricular context to prepare the students
with necessary knowledge relevant to the marketing field and industry needs.

Marketing Management Department

They may be aware of the whereabouts of its graduates in the labor market, so that
the Department would be able to reassess its goals and objectives with the end in view of
further improving its curricular program.

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Faculty

This may serve as feedback information that can utilize to improve their teaching
strategies and techniques in facilitating the students’ quest for practical education train-
ing.

Guidance Counsellor

This may serve as information for improving their guidance services especially in re-
lation to career orientation and job placements. It is also a useful reference in resolving
problems encountered and helping students to understand what will be their position to
difficulties to face in the future.

BSBA Major in Marketing Management Students

From the success of the alumni, which may be reflected in the study may serve as an
inspiration and failure, if any, may serve as a guide.

BS Management Students

This may serve as their basis and guide if they want to pursue Marketing Manage-
ment field. If they decided to specialize on Marketing Management, this may give them
information in order for them to be aware if Marketing Management is in demand.

High School Students

This may give them insights on career path or what career paths they should choose,
which can help them make more wise decisions as they go to college.

Future Researchers

This may serve as their guide and a reference material that they may undergo not
only on this subject, but on others as well. This may also provide baseline data for further
investigation and researchers. This may also serve as springboard for more challenging
researchers.

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Parents

This may serve as guide on what priority course is in demand and suited for their
children’s interests and talents. They may also benefit from the result of the study and re-
alize their role in keeping their children at wise career decisions.

Graduates of BSBA Major in Marketing Management

This may serve as self-evaluation especially in the pursuit of their own career paths
as to whether they will become job seekers or job creators.

Other schools offering BSBA Major in Marketing Management

This may help them develop programs and services on career planning and job place-
ment.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study focused on the employability of BSBA MM graduates of BUCBEM for

the year 2011-2015. Specifically, this study aimed to determine the following:

1. What is the employment data of the respondents in terms of:

a.Employment Status
b.Job Position
b.1. Job position identified in CMO 39 s. 2006

c.Tenure of Employment
d.Company’s Location
2. Which among the graduates competencies gained in College are found useful in de-
termining employability and career success?

a. Communication Skills
b. Human Relations
c. Problem Solving Skills

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d. Computer Skills
e. Analytical Thinking
3. What are the reasons on the underemployment / unemployment of some of the re-
spondents?

4. What are the suggestions to improve the Bachelor of Science in Business Adminis-
tration major in Marketing Management in terms of:

4.1 curriculum

4.2 facilities

4.3 faculty

HYPOTHESES

1. The school-acquired skills and competencies of the graduates are relevant to their
chosen occupations.
2. Most of the graduates are employed within their fields of specialization.
BACKGROUND

Many researchers conducted the same studies on tracing the employment status of
graduates with different discipline, program, and scope. The focus of this investigation
was centered on tracing the BSBA MM graduates’ employment status of BUCBEM for
the year 2011-2015 and whether their acquired skills and competencies during their col-
lege were significant and relevant to their occupations upon employment.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This part presents the related literature and studies after thorough and in-depth search
done by the researchers. It also includes the synthesis of the art, theoretical and concep-
tual framework with their paradigms to fully understand the research and lastly, the defi-
nitions of terms for better comprehension of the study.

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Related Non-Research Works

A tracer study is an approach use to track and to keep record of their students once
they have graduated from the institution (Jaca, 2016). Through a tracer study, an educa-
tional institution will be able to evaluate one’s progress and quality of education given to
their graduates by knowing the graduates employment status. This information is related
to the present study because it clearly states the main intention of the present researchers
to find out the employment status of BSBA MM graduates for the year 2011-2015.

According to the “Handbook for Tracer Studies” by Harald Schomburg ( 2013),

graduate tracer study constitutes one form of empirical study which can provide valuable
information for evaluating the results of the education and training of a specific institu-
tion of higher education. This information may be used for further development of the in-
stitution in the expansion of quality assurance. It propose an advanced approach for tracer
studies which should enable the institution of higher education to get information to indi-
cate possible deficits in a given educational program and to serve as a basis for future
planning activities. Therefore, information on the professional success (career, status, in-
come) of the graduates is needed as well as information on the relevance of knowledge
and skills (relationship between knowledge and skills and work requirements, area of em-
ployment, professional position).

Thomas Powers on his book entitled “Educating for Careers” stated the notion that
marketable skills provided today’s crop of workers employment opportunities (Powers,
Educating for Careers). The statement of Powers is relevant to the present study because
he pointed out that education is very important in having the marketability and general
skills needed in finding an appropriate job. In this study, it helps to develop such skills
among the Marketing Management graduates to find and to get an appropriate job.

The book Career Information, Career Counseling and Career Development by Isaac-
son and Brown provided the researcher discussions on how job hunters will execute their
job search and what skills should they possess. According to their book, in executing the
job search, the first step is essentially on personal inventory to establish his credentials.

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The second step is to identify the individual job market. The third and last step is to de-
velop a strategy for selling oneself to the prospective employer.

In President Aquino’s state of the nation address last 2015, he stressed that the pri-
mary measure of economic improvement for the common Filipino is the creation of jobs.
He added that a good relationship between labor and management throughout the country
must be developed. According to him, despite the fact that there are new entrants, re-
turnees, and previously unemployed Filipinos, the Philippine unemployment rate still
dropped to 6.8% last 2014 a proof that Philippines has a continuous rise in global com-
petitiveness ranking for the past years and in fact, Philippines is now being called “Asia’s
Rising Tiger”, “Asia’s Rising Star”, and “Asia’s Bright Spot”.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country's unemployment

rate declined to 6.4 percent in April 2015 from 7 percent of the same month in 2014. Re-
sults of the April 2015 round of the Labor Force Survey released by the PSA indicated
that the number of unemployed Filipinos declined by 243,000 since April 2014.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balicasan mentioned that looking at the char-
acteristics of the underemployed, improvements were observed across all classes of
workers, except for the self-employed without any paid employee, those who worked
with pay in their own family-operated farms, and workers in government or government
corporations.

Related Studies

LOCAL. Ornido and Pielago (2014) focused on the employed women graduates to
give a more lucid picture on their present working condition after one to three years as
well as guide the journalism students in there and help the College of Arts and Letters to
assess the curriculum of the course AB Journalism. The descriptive-analysis type of study
aimed to analyze the employment conditions of the AB-Journalism graduates of batches
2010-2012. This study aimed to determine if what is the profile of the employed AB-
Journalism graduates from batches 2010-2012 in terms of number of family members, or-
der among siblings, employment status and monthly salary; what is the employment situ-
ation of the respondents in terms of fringe benefits, psychic cost, extent of control over

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the workplace, risk of job, injury/death, job status, job location, physiological needs
which constituted working hours and comfort; and if what is the level of satisfaction of
the graduates with respect to salary and fringe benefits, possibility of growth, job secu-
rity, supervision-technical, interpersonal relationship, company policy and administration
and workplace. Likewise, the present study is related to this study since it also aimed to
present the objectives of the program, however they differ on the scope since this study
focuses on AB Journalism while the present study focuses on BSBA Marketing Manage-
ment program. Moreover, the present study seeks to know which among the academic ex-
periences of the respondents contributed much to their career success.

“A Tracer Study on the Employment Status of AB Journalism Graduates of Bicol

University College of Arts and Letters” by Regida B. Ebuenga, Rachelle M. Lucañas,
Mariel Rose Z. Marcaida, Ghlynda R. Ozaeta, and Jay-zle M. Villegas (2014) docu-
mented the status of AB Journalism Graduates from Batches 2010-2012. It shows impor-
tant information about their employment status, nature of employment, and the type of
their current jobs. The study also reveals the relevance of the graduates chosen jobs/ ca-
reers to the AB Journalism course. Furthermore, recommendations and suggestions to the
college as well as to the curriculum of the AB Journalism Program from the respondents
were also gathered. The scope of this research ranged from the academic years 2010-
2012 of the AB Journalism graduates. This study is similar to the present study since it
dealt with the employment status and its relation to the course taken. But the previous
study focus on the graduates of AB Journalism while the present study focused on the
graduates of BSBA Major in Marketing Management.

Borromeo found out that the graduates of BSIE from school year 2003-2007 are em-
ployable age, mostly are females, single, slightly low in terms of eligibility but had at-
tended varied trainings and seminars. The BSIE program of Catanduanes State Colleges
Panganiban Campus had a high employability rating in other field of employment. Most
of the graduates are employed in private sector and had a contractual appointment. (Bor-
romeo, 2011) This study is related to the present study since it also focuses on the status
and employability of the graduates.

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Olfinido (2011) study entitled “Employment Status of Department of Science and

Technology Scholars in the Bachelor of Science in Electronics Technology Program” pri-
marily aimed to assess the employment status of Department of Science and Technology
Scholars in the Bachelor of Science of Electronics Technology Program of Bicol Univer-
sity College of Industrial Technology for the school year 2005-2009. The factors consid-
ered in this study were the socio-demographic profile of BSET DOST- scholar graduates
in terms of age, gender and civil status, employment status whether they are employed,
self-employed, unemployed or continued full time education, their job satisfaction and
career progress, usefulness of college education and training; factors influencing unem-
ployment; and suggestions and recommendations in terms of curriculum and instructional
material. This study sought answers to the following problems; the employment status of
BSET DOST-scholar graduates through the questionnaires given. Result of this study
would be considered as the basis for possible improvement in terms of the curriculum and
instructional materials. BSET DOST-scholar graduates have a very high employment rate
and they are generally employable to business establishment and electronics industries as
well as schools, government service and overseas employment. This shows that BSET is
appropriate and responsive course offering of the Bicol University College of Industrial
Technology. The employed BSET DOST-scholar graduates generally found very satis-
fied in their jobs and found very satisfied of their career progress. This study is similar to
the present study since they both delve in the employment status of the graduates. How-
ever, they differ in nature and scope. This previous study focused on the graduates of De-
partment of Science and Technology Scholars in the Bachelor of Science in Electronics
Technology Program, while the present study focused on the BSBA MM graduates in Bi-
col University.

Alcovendas and Espares (2013) conducted a study entitled “Tracer Study of AB Eng-
lish Honor Graduates from 1987-2009”. In their study, they found out that AB English
honor graduates are gainfully employed, have sufficient annual income, and have a ten-
dency of staying long in the company, as they enjoy fringe benefits and various awards
and recognition. They have moderate satisfaction in their present job, indicating a lack of
a sense of fulfillment in their capabilities, and a feeling of insufficiency in the returns
they get for their hard work. Honors and awards received in college are highly valuable in

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landing a good job after graduation. AB English honor graduates need to improve their
time management skills especially in managing their work schedule, their self confidence
in carrying out their tasks, and their personal skills, especially in dealing with differences
among co-workers. Student exposure to real, actual, and practical situations such as on-
the-job trainings, seminars, workshops, and conferences, and improvement of academic
programs for grammar and communication skills are strategies that may better prepare
students for future employment.

A “Tracer Study on the Graduates of the BSBA Program: An Input to Curricular De-
velopment” by Anne J. Orejana and Pamela F. Resurreccion (2011) was able to obtain
observations addressing the established objectives. There are more female respondents
with 63% from both programs than males. Single respondents from both programs ac-
counted for 19% compared to married respondents. The average family size is 4. No
graduate from both programs have pursued graduate studies after finishing their college
degree. However 7% of the total 75 respondents have taken short-term courses not related
to their respective courses. Majority of the respondents at 67% are holding supervisory
positions; and 4% are holding managerial position. Nine percent of the 75 respondents
are 11,189.00. On the average, the respondents are employed for 14.345 months. Further,
the study sought feedback from the respondents regarding both programs. It was found
out that the curriculum is one of the major strengths of both programs. This is followed
by the faculty as its 2nd ranking strength. The curriculum came out as one of the major
weaknesses for both programs. This followed by the facilities as the 2 nd ranking weak-
ness. The curriculum gathered the most number of recommendations with 84% of the to-
tal number of recommendations; recommendations for facilities comprised 12% of the re-
sponses and recommendations for faculty constituted 3% of the responses. Likewise, the
present study is also a tracer study on the graduates of BSBA program.

The study of Ramirez, Cruz, and Alcantara (2014) aimed to determine if the field of
specialization in the different colleges of RTU graduates and their academic-acquired
skills and competencies are related to their present occupations. A modified Graduate
Tracer Study (GTS) instrument was utilized to gather the quantitative data. Out of 500
questionnaires administered, there were 250 graduates returned answered questionnaires

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representing the three Colleges: Education, Arts and Sciences, Business and Entrepre-
neurial Technology. A face to face interview was also conducted in order to support the
gathered data. The SPSS was used to generate results from the acquired quantitative data
using the frequency counts, percentage and the Chi-square goodness of fit test. The find-
ings revealed that the graduates claimed that their knowledge, academic-acquired skills
and competencies contributed greatly in their job performance. The Chi-square goodness
of fit proved that there is a significant relationship between the graduates’ fields of spe-
cialization and their occupations after graduation. Likewise, the academic-acquired skills
and competencies of the graduates are relevant to their chosen occupations. The results
further proved that RTU produces marketable and appropriately trained graduates with
the majority landing in course-related jobs within a short period after graduation. The
study also indicates that the RTU graduates possess the skills and competencies necessary
to succeed in this competitive world. However, expansion of tie-ups with private business
entities is made to at least maintain the high employability level of the graduates. More-
over, the present study also seeks to know if academic-acquired skills and competencies
of the respondents contributed much to their career success.

Notable findings of a tracer study by Celis and Felicen (2011) this research revealed
that majority of Tourism graduates or 76.74% landed a job related to their course, with a
three-month waiting period. However, the research recommended a strong program for
enhancement in communication skills for the students to be prepared as front liners in
tourism industry. Further, that the university has to put up job consultation office to inten-
sify its program on graduates’ employability.

A “Tracer Study of PNU Graduates” by Prof. Adelaida C. Gines (2014) documented

the employment characteristics, transition to employment and the level of satisfaction of
the PNU graduates of 2009-2011 in terms of the level of satisfaction of the University
services, learning environment and facilities. It also looked into the skills and competen-
cies of the different bachelors’ degree programs in teacher education provided during the
pre-service training if these existing programs were still effective, adequate and relevant
in responding to the rapid and complex changes as brought about by emerging develop-
ments such as the international standards in academic programs, the upcoming ASEAN

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2015 integration, and the Competency Framework of South East Asian (SEA) Teachers
in the 21st Century. The study concluded that a great number of the PNU graduates from
2009-2011 were employed full time and a great number of PNU alumni for 2009-2011
have maximized the use of their communication skills in their work at the time of the
study. And also the study revealed that the respondents are highly satisfied with the facil-
ities of PNU. While the respondents in general were highly satisfied with the facilities,
national and international standards have to be considered in improving the PNU facili-
ties especially with the coming ASEAN 2015 integration. This study is related to the
present study since it also focuses on the status and employability of the graduates.

FOREIGN. Vong (2014) conducted a study entitled, “Tracer Study 2014 Graduates
of Year 2012”. The primary objectives of the study were to find out the answers to the re-
search questions related to the questions re: how the University helped the graduates to
get jobs, how long they were trying to find a job after graduation from RUPP, what types
of jobs they have, how gender issues affected the employment and career development
opportunities/prospects of graduates, how much they earn from their careers, what kinds
of skills learned at the University are related to their current work, and if they were satis-
fied with their studies at the RUPP, and how the University qualification contributes to
their lifelong learning. To answer the queries above, a total of 565 samples were studied
and drawn from a pool of 932 graduates who were randomly selected among the whole
population. Those participants were interviewed through mobile phones and they were
contacted at least twice in order to get the complete information related to their current
employment. This study reports the findings of a tracer study conducted in 2014 by the
RUPP Quality Assurance Unit. Overall, results show that 86.4 per cent of graduates have
found gainful employment after they had left the university for 12 months and the re-
mainder are either in graduate school or still looking for acceptable work. On average,
RUPP graduates can earn approximately US$100 to US$ 2,000 per month; the ones liv-
ing in the city have more opportunities to earn more revenue than those living in the
provinces. According to the respondents, 45.3 per cent of them intend to pursue further
graduate education at the RUPP. In conclusion, the study finds that more MA labor-mar-
ket relevant programs should be established after a labor market survey has been com-

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pleted by the university. This study is related to the present study since it also focuses on
the status and employability of the graduates.

“NTA Tracer Study of Technical Vocational Education Graduates” by Ernwaca

(2013), aimed to determine the outcomes of TVET training provided to trainees in terms
of relevant skills necessary for their entry into the job market. The data, information,
findings, and recommendations of the study hopefully help to enhance the development
of the TVET system, especially in the area of quality assurance control and delivery. The
study indicated that most of the graduates interviewed were born mainly in Banjul, Kanif-
ing and Brikama LGA representing 13.3 percent in Banjul, 35.7 percent in Kanifing and
21.9 percent in Brikama. This state of affairs highlights the need to provide more TVET
training institutions in the rural areas. 64.6 percent of the respondents were unemployed
compared to 34.7 percent who were employed. The study revealed that 44.6 percent of
graduate respondents indicated that their job is the same as that for which they were
trained and 19.6 percent said that their job is highly related to their training. Majority
(76.1 percent) of respondents indicated that their TVET training was adequate for their
present job, whereas 15.9 percent of graduate respondents indicated that their training
was not adequate for their present job. The study disclosed that the majority (45.9 per-
cent) of respondents could not find job because suitable jobs were not available. Likewise
the present study is also a graduate tracer study.

The study entitled, “Tracer Study 2013 Vocational Education and Training in Lao
PDR” aims to collect contact data from sample TVET’s on graduates from 2007-2012 pe-
riods, organize a series of workshops (1-2 days) at TVET/IVET institutions or selected
venue in province inviting graduates from public TVET/IVET to complete the Tracer
Study Questionnaire, interview TVET institution directors and employers for obtain addi-
tional information and interpret the processed data in view of policy measures to improve
the quality of vocational education for labour market needs. Graduates from TVET insti-
tutions and IVET schools are finding work relatively fast (63.4% of interviewees in less
than 6 months), more than three quarters state having found employment in their trained
field of occupation. These figures differ between IVET schools and TVET institutions to
the advantage of IVET schools. Most graduates are searching their employment perspec-

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tives in civil service, accepting military service, contract or even unpaid work as ‘volun-
teer’ in order to reach that goal. This trend is even more common among graduates from
IVET schools. The study is not able to provide information to which extent graduates in
civil service are actively applying their knowledge and skills in the respective jobs. In
general the study shows that labour market orientation (especially in increasing business
sectors) of vocational training should be improved. Best results in employment in the
business sector were reached in cases where enterprises were already involved in training
by contract or in DCT schemes. This study is similar to the present study since they both
delve in the employment status of the graduates. However they differ in nature and scope.
This previous study focused on the graduates from TVET/IVET, while the present study
focuses on the graduates in Bicol University.

The study entitled “Employability of International Graduates Educated in Finnish

Higher Education Institutions”, by Yulia Shumilova, and Yuzhou Cai (2012) aims to dis-
cuss how the findings from the quantitative and qualitative parts of the study support or
are in conflict with each other and the findings of other studies. The following topics are
highlighted here: post-graduation mobility, the differences in the perception of skills re-
quired at work between graduates and employers, factors leading to employment, the dis-
ciplinary background and employment, the relevance of Finnish higher education to the
world of work,, job search methods and job satisfaction. The study shows that 70% of the
international graduates are currently employed. Among those who are not employed,
61% are undertaking further studies and 11% are doing an internship. That means that
88% of the 2009 and 2010 graduates are either employed or pursuing further studies. Ac-
cording to the survey, the employment rate is much higher among the graduates who ei-
ther settled in Finland (72%) or returned to their home country (70%), as compared to
those who moved elsewhere (55%). And also according to the survey, the graduates with
a higher level of the following skills and competencies have better chances to be em-
ployed: work experience in the field or discipline, team working skills, mastery of own
field, inter-cultural competences, leadership skills, computer skills, knowledge of other
fields or disciplines, ability to coordinate activities/projects, analytical/research skills, and
ability to rapidly acquire new knowledge. The previous study is similar to the present
study they both dealt in the employment status of graduates.

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The study entitled, “Job Mismatches and Labour Market Outcomes: Panel Evidence
on Australian University Graduates” by Kostas Mavromaras, Seamus McGuinness, Nigel
O’Leary, Peter Sloane, and Zhang Wei (2010) aimed to analyze the relationship of both
mismatches with pay, job satisfaction and job mobility. The study found out that over ed-
ucation and over skilling is distinct phenomena with different labour market outcomes
and that their combination results in the most severe negative labour market outcomes.

Yusof and Jamaluddin (2011) in their study entitled, “Graduate employability and
preparedness: A case study of University of Malaysia Perlis (UNIMAP), Malaysia”, ex-
amined the nature of Malaysia’s undergraduate proactive actions in employment pre-
paredness prior to entering the job market. The actions evaluated pertained to the employ-
ability potentials of 171 Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) final year engineering un-
dergraduate respondents as demanded by the market upon leaving the education system.
Results showed that several forms of proactive actions taken by the undergraduates fell
short of the clear and focused planning and strategy essential to fulfill the market needs
of their potential careers upon finishing study. Thus interventions at University level for
the students are crucial to enhance their employability. Likewise the present study also
dealt with the employability of the graduates.

The study conducted by Chorvy Vong (2015) entitled “Royal University Of Phnom
Penh Quality Assurance Unit Tracer Study 2014 Graduates Of Year 2012” targeted a
pool of 1,450 graduates of both scholarship and fee-paying programs. Five hundred and
seventy (570) graduates were drawn as the samples. However, five hundred and sixty-
five (565) graduates were successfully reached and responded to the survey instruments.
Out of the 565 graduates interviewed, there were 66 percent males and 34 percent fe-
males, 33.3 percent scholarship and 66.7 percent fee-paying. 93.5 percent of them were
24 to 28 years old and 82.7 percent were single. The majority of respondents (65.7%)
lived in Phnom Penh city and the rest (34.3%) lived in all provinces of Cambodia. The
study further revealed that the majority of graduates (96.1%) had spent 12 months look-
ing for an acceptable job. In total, eighty-six point four percent (86.4%) of the respon-
dents were employed and most of these (36.5%) worked in private sector, seventeen point
three percent (17.3%) worked in public education- i.e. as teachers, fifteen percent (15%)

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ran their own business or were self-employed, thirteen point five percent (13.5%) worked
for government institutions, nine point six percent (9.6%) were employed by Non-Gov-
ernment Organizations (NGOs), and seven point three percent (7.3%) worked in private
education - i.e. teachers.

Synthesis of the Art

The literature and studies that the present study mentioned were about the employ-
ment status of the graduates. This is the same with the present study since they also tack-
led the employment status of the graduates.

Borromeo and Olfinido found out that the graduates are employable age, mostly are
females, single, slightly low in terms of eligibility but had attended varied trainings and
seminars had a high employability rating in other field of employment. Most of the grad-
uates are employed in private sector and had a contractual appointment.

The study of Ebuenga, Lucanas, Maercaida, Ozaeta, and Villegas shows important
information about their employment status, nature of employment, and the type of their
current jobs. The study also reveals the relevance of the graduates chosen jobs/ careers to
the AB Journalism course. While Alcovendas and Espares (2013) conducted a study enti-
tled “Tracer Study of AB English Honor graduates from 1987-2009”. In their study, they
found out that AB English honor graduates are gainfully employed, have sufficient an-
nual income, and have a tendency of staying long in the company, as they enjoy fringe
benefits and various awards and recognition. They have moderate satisfaction in their
present job, indicating a lack of a sense of fulfillment in their capabilities, and a feeling of
insufficiency in the returns they get for their hard work.

Ramirez, Cruz, and Alcantara (2014) study revealed that the graduates claimed that
their knowledge, academic-acquired skills and competencies contributed greatly in their
job performance. While Alcovendas and Espares (2013) conducted a study entitled
“Tracer Study of AB English Honor Graduates from 1987-2009”. In their study, they
found out that AB English honor graduates are gainfully employed, have sufficient an-
nual income, and have a tendency of staying long in the company, as they enjoy fringe
benefits and various awards and recognition.

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A “Tracer Study on the Graduates of the BSBA Program: An Input to Curricular De-
velopment” by Anne J. Orejana and Pamela F. Resurreccion (2011) was able to obtain
observations addressing the established objectives. Majority of the respondents at 67%
are holding supervisory positions; and 4% are holding managerial position. Nine percent
of the 75 respondents is 11,189.00. On the average, the respondents are employed for
14.345 months. It was found out that the curriculum is one of the major strengths of both
programs. The curriculum came out as one of the major weaknesses for both programs.

Ernwaca, Gines and Vong studies concluded that a great number of the graduates
were gainfully employed fulltime and a great number of alumni have maximized the use
of their communication skills in their work at the time of the study. And also the study re-
vealed that the respondents are highly satisfied with the facilities. While The study enti-
tled “Employability of International Graduates Educated in Finnish Higher Education In-
stitutions”, by Yulia Shumilova, and Yuzhou Cai (2012) aims to discuss how the findings
from the quantitative and qualitative parts of the study support or are in conflict with each
other and the findings of other studies. The study found out that graduates with a higher
level of the following skills and competencies have better chances to be employed: work
experience in the field or discipline, team working skills, mastery of own field, inter-cul-
tural competences, leadership skills, computer skills, knowledge of other fields or disci-
plines, ability to coordinate activities/projects, analytical/research skills, and ability to
rapidly acquire new knowledge.

On the other hand, the study Yusof and Jamaluddin (2011) showed that several forms
of proactive actions taken by the undergraduates fell short of the clear and focused plan-
ning and strategy essential to fulfill the market needs of their potential careers upon fin-
ishing study. Thus interventions at University level for the students are crucial to enhance
their employability.

Gap Bridged by the Study

There is no tracer study yet regarding the graduates of BSBA MM of BUCBEM.

Thus, this study covered the entire graduates of BSBA MM from its initial offering in the
year 2007.

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Theoretical Background

The theoretical framework of this study was anchored in Sticht’s Functional Context
theory that serves as foundation of those concepts which are fundamentally associated in
this study. This approach stresses the importance of making learning relevant to the expe-
rience of learners and their work context. The learning of new information is facilitated
by making it possible for the learner to relate it to knowledge already possessed and
transform old knowledge into new knowledge. By using materials that the learner will
use after training, transfer of learning from the classroom to the "real world" will be en-
hanced. Basically, Sticht believed that the learnings of individuals are based on long-term
learning; processing skills including language, problem-solving, and learning strategies;
and environmental influences. Environmental influences include family and peer influ-
ences; job vacancy availability; job demand; and unexpected circumstances. Those ac-
quired learnings must be developed base on individuals’ personal experiences and be able
to apply them in the workplace.

Thus, this study aims to evaluate BSBA MM curriculum’s effectiveness through

tracing the 2011-2015 graduates of BUCBEM.

The theoretical paradigm is provided for further understanding.

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Figure 1.1: Theoretical Framework

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Conceptual Framework

The quality of graduates is a major indicator of relevance of higher education. From

this idea, knowing the employment of the graduates is also a form of assessing the quality
of the education received by the graduates. Thus, the concept of this study is to assess the
employment data of BSBA MM graduates in the year 2011-2015 in terms of employment
status; job position; and company’s nature and location. The study revolved in the gradu-
ates academic-acquired skills and competencies gained in college that are found useful in
determining employability and career success. The study also presents the reasons on the
underemployment and unemployment of BSBA MM graduates and problems encoun-
tered by the respondents in looking for a job. Further, the study presents recommenda-
tions to improve the BSBA MM Program in terms of curriculum; faculty; and facilities.

Employment Data

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Skills and
Competencies

(Communication
Skills, Human
Relation Skills,
Problem Solving
Skills, Computer
Skills, and
Analytical Thinking
Skills)
Reasons of
underemployment and
unemployment

Recommendations
(Curriculum, Facility,
Faculty)

Figure 1.2: Conceptual Framework

Definition of Terms

This portion of the paper presents the definition of terms for clearer understanding of
the terms used in this study.

Analytical skills- the ability to conduct environmental scanning, feasibility study and
other business research/plan; know and understand the country’s national development

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thrusts, concerns and socio-economic indicators; and explain the concepts, approaches,
and techniques of environmental conservation.

BSBA Marketing Management- one of the BSBA program offered in tertiary education
that incorporates the fundamentals of business with instruction in advertising and the ana-
lytical analysis of consumer buying trends to better understand how to produce successful
promotions.

Casual- an employment status in which a worker is employed for irregular periods.

Communication skills- the ability to convey ideas clearly both oral and written in Eng-
lish, apply the principles of the different forms of communication, use grammatically cor-
rect language and vocabulary, and listen with objectivity to gain understanding of the
ideas of others.

Competencies- in this study, it refers to the knowledge and skills of graduates in terms of;
communication skills, human relations, problem solving skills, computer skills, analytical
thinking, and others that contribute to employment status and career success of the gradu-
ates.

Computer skills- the ability to access, retrieve and disseminate information using IT.

Contractual- an employment status in which a worker is hired to execute a contract espe-

cially about the job duration.

Curriculum- it refers to the lessons and academic content taught in a school or in a spe-
cific course or program, curriculum typically refers to the knowledge and skills students
are expected to learn, which includes the learning standards or learning objectives they
are expected to meet; the units and lessons that teachers teach; the assignments and
projects given to students; the books, materials, videos, presentations, and readings used
in a course; and the tests, assessments, and other methods used to evaluate student learn-
ing.

Descriptive research- a purposive process of data gathering, analyzing, and classifying

and tabulating data about prevailing conditions. It is a quantitative research that provides

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an accurate portrayal or account or characteristics of a particular individual, situation or

condition. It seeks to describe the current status of an identified variable.

Employability- a set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes –

that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen oc-
cupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.

Employment Status- refers to the status of the graduate with respect to his or her employ-
ment, that is to say, the type of explicit or implicit contract of employment with other per-
sons or organizations that the person has in his/her job.

Facilities- something designed, built, installed, etc., to serve a specific function affording
a convenience or service.

Faculty- the entire teaching and administrative force of Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration major in Marketing Management of Bicol University College of Busi-
ness, Economics, and Management.

Frequency count- the number of times a particular category in a set of data was chosen by
the respondents which become the basis for the data analysis and interpretation.

Human relations skills- the ability to understand the concepts and principles of good in-
terpersonal relations and foster professional relationships with people in the workplace.

Job Position- refers to jobs stated in the CMO 39 s. 2006.

Mismatch- a failure to correspond or match one’s job to his finished degree, skills and
ability.

Personal Factor- is characteristics that are specific to a person and may not relate to other
people within the same group. These characteristics may include how a person makes de-
cisions, their unique habits and interests, and opinions. When considering personal fac-
tors, decisions are also influenced by age, gender, background, culture, and other per-
sonal issues.

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Problem-solving skills- skills which includes: identifying issues and problems,examining

alternative solutions and strategies to make an informed decisions on the problem; devel-
oping a clear plan to solve the problem, and evaluating action for making future deci-
sions.

Profile- a brief description of the respondents including their personal information such
as name, age, gender, etc.

Regular- an employment status granted to the respondents by their employees usually af-
ter a probationary period, indicating that the position or employment is permanent; re-
ceive benefits like subsidized health care, paid vacations, holidays, sick time, or contribu-
tions to a retirement plan.

Self-employed- earning income from own business rather than by working for a com-
pany.

Tenure of employment- it is used in this study as the kind and nature of company or oc-
cupation of the respondents.

Tracer Study- an approach used by an institution to track and to keep record of their stu-
dents once they have graduated from the institution.

Unemployment- defined as a situation where someone of working age is not able to get a
job but would like to be in full time employment.

Underemployment- Labor that falls under the underemployment classification includes

those workers that are highly skilled but working in low paying jobs, workers that are
highly skilled but work in low skill jobs and part-time workers that would prefer to be
full-time.

Research design- refers to the approach that describes the conditions by which partici-
pants to or objects of a research are observed for data. It includes experiments (pre-exper-
iment, quasi-experiment, true experiment), field studies, surveys, using existing data (his-
torical, evaluation, meta analysis).

Percentage- a number or distribution of respondents of a certain variable or component.

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Population- is a complete set of individuals, objects or measurements. In this study, the

population is the BSBA MM graduates of 2011-2015.

Rank- a statistical tool used in the study to arrange the skills and competencies gained by
the graduates from most to least relevant in their present occupation.

Sample- is a portion of a population. In this study, the graduates who responded during
the data collection was considered as the sample since no actual sample size computation
was done.

CHAPTER 2

METHODOLOGY

This chapter discussed the procedures that were used by the researchers in conduct-
ing the study. It presented the research design, population, research strategy, instrumenta-
tion, data collection procedure and data analysis tools.

RESEARCH DESIGN

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The overall objective of the research was not just to know the employment status of
the management graduates but also to determine whether those graduates landed on jobs
which are related to their chosen field/course or became managers as well. Likewise it
identifies the reasons of the so-called mismatch.

This study used descriptive research method involving the distribution of question-
naires to the BSBA MM graduates for the year 2011-2015 of BUCBEM to determine
their employment status.

Descriptive research is defined as a purposive process of data gathering, analyzing,

and classifying and tabulating data about prevailing conditions. It is a quantitative re-
search that provides an accurate portrayal or account or characteristics of a particular in-
dividual, situation or condition. It seeks to describe the current status of an identified
variable.

POPULATION IDENTITY

The population of this study was the BSBA Marketing Management graduates for
the year 2011-2015 of BUCBEM.

POPULATION SIZE

The population size of the respondents was two hundred twenty-four (224), among
the BSBA MM is one hundred sixty-six (166) females and fifty-eight (58) males as
shown on Table 2.1.

SAMPLE SIZE

In determining the sample size of the population, convenience sampling is applied

because the population of the study is very difficult to locate. Out of two hundred twenty-
four (224) BSBA MM graduates, only fifty-one (51) responded and considered as the
sample of this study. The sample size of the respondents includes eleven (11) out of

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thirty-eight (38) for batch 2011, eight (8) out of thirty-eight (38) for batch 2012, six (6)
out of fifty-two (52) for batch 2013, eight (8) out of fifty-three (53) for batch 2014, and
eighteen (18) out of forty-three (43) for batch 2015. Females dominated the respondents
group with thirty-four (34) respondents while males comprised only of seventeen (17) re-
spondents. This may be an indicative that females are more responsive to social net-
works.

Table 2.1 Ratio of respondents by year of graduation and gender

Graduation Population Respondent

Sex Percentage
Year count count
Male 11 3 27.27
2011 Female 27 8 29.63
Total 38 11 28.95
Male 9 3 33.33
2012 Female 29 5 17.24
Total 38 8 21.05
Male 12 1 8.33
2013 Female 40 5 12.50
Total 52 6 11.54
Male 12 1 8.33
2014 Female 41 7 17.07
Total 53 8 15.09
Male 14 9 64.29
2015 Female 29 9 31.03
Total 43 18 41.86
Male 58 17 29.31
TOTAL Female 166 34 20.48
Total 224 51 22.77

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RESEARCH STRATEGY

This research employed survey as the research strategy. This strategy involve data
collection procedures like administering questionnaires through mail or personal delivery.

INSTRUMENTATION

To answer the problem involving the employment status of BSBA MM graduates,

survey questionnaires were used. The questionnaire was consisted of three parts. The first
part was designed to gather information re: current employment data of the graduates and
their employment history. It was also designed to determine if BSBA MM curriculum is
relevant to their present jobs. It was used to know the period of time it took them to land
on a job and the problems they encountered during job searching. While the second part
sought to determine if the graduates pursued higher degree or further studies. The final
set of questions was about the recommendation for improvement of the BSBA MM Pro-
gram in terms of curriculum, facilities and faculty.

The questionnaire was presented in the checklist form for the respondent’s conve-
nience to choose the answer/s which corresponds to their choice. The researchers used
google forms to systematically and conveniently document the responses of the respon-
dents.

DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE

In order to gather data, the researchers prepared a letter seeking a list of respondents
from the College Registrar to get the records and files along with the addresses of MM
graduates for the year 2011-2015. Since the information from the College Registrar is un-
reliable because it contains the graduates’ information prior to their graduation, the re-
searchers traced the graduates through social media accounts (Facebook) and send them a
friend request. The researchers then created a Facebook page and added the identified re-
spondents. It was the most convenient and fastest way of sending notes, letters and mes-
sages. Most of the respondents use computers in their offices and companies which meant
that it was easier to communicate with them to solicit their participation in the study. The

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questionnaire was available at google forms and the links was sent to their respective e-
mail addresses and was messaged through their Facebook accounts. Requesting and re-
minding the respondents from time to time was considered by the respondents for better
result. But still a lot of respondents did not cooperate and participate.

Questionnaires were also personally distributed to the identified respondents who are
currently staying within Daraga, Albay and Legazpi City. The researchers sought assis-
tance from Barangay Officials which provided them the detailed location map of the spe-
cific barangay for more convenience and to easily locate the respondents along their
vicinity. When the respondents were not in their residences, the questionnaires were left
to the family and ask for respondent’s contact number to set the time of retrieval. But not
all questionnaires were retrieved.

DATA ANALYSIS TOOLS

The data collected were tabulated and coded for analysis. For proper interpreta-
tion and analysis of the data, frequency count, rank, and percentage were used in this
study. Frequency count and percentage were used to determine the graduates’ response
regarding their employment data in terms of employment status, job position, tenure of
employment and company’s location; reasons on underemployment/unemployment of
some of the respondents and the problems they encounter in securing for a job; and the
suggestions to improve the BSBA MM in terms of curriculum, facilities, and faculty. The
statistical tool used in analyzing data collected regarding the graduates’ skills and compe-
tencies gained in college which they find useful in their employability and career success
was frequency count and rank.

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WORK AND FINANCIAL PLAN

Table 2.2

WORK PLAN

ACTIVITIES DURATION

1.Introduction
2 months
a. Specifying the significance/rationale of
the study
b. Identifying the objectives and the state-
ment of the problem
c. Searching and reviewing related litera-
ture and studies
d. Associating theoretical and conceptual
framework
e. Identifying the synthesis of the art and
the gap bridged by the study
f. Defining important terms used in the
study

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2 . Methodology 3 months

a. Questionnaire development (online and

not)

a. Testing the survey questionnaire

b. Printing of the questionnaire
c. Contacting the target respondents
d. Procuring addresses
e. Dispatching the survey questionnaires
f. Updating and sending reminders
g. Retrieval of the questionnaires

3. Analysis and Interpretation 2 weeks and 2 days

a. Transferring collected data to excel for

analysis
b. Analyzing and interpreting the data(fre-
quencies, tables, graphs, and implica-
tions of the findings)

4.Conclusions and Recommendations

a. Drawing conclusions and recommenda- 4 days

tions

5.Defense

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a. Discussion and presentation of results 1 day

6.Paper Revision

a. Revising the manuscript based on the

recommendations of the panelists 1 week and 2 days

b. Checking and finalizing the paper

through the help of the thesis adviser

7.Hard Bound Submission 1 day

Detailed Action Plan

1. Secure a letter to Registrar’s Office for the list of BSBA-MM for the year 2011-
2015.
2. Gather information from college (CBEM) and general (CAL) library.
3. Prepare the questionnaire, survey guide and interview guide.
4. Conduct interview and survey or send the questionnaire through e-mail or Facebook
to the respondents.
5. Follow-up.
6. Analyze the gathered data.

7. Prepare the draft of the study.

8. Have the draft checked by the adviser.

9. Finalize the paper.

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Table 2.3

Financial Plan

EXPENDITURES COST

1. Internet Php 500.00

2. Encoding 150.00

3. Photocopying 50.00

4. Printing & Binding 2,000.00

5. Transportation 800.00

6. Snacks 700.00

Total Php 4,200.00

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