De La Salle University - Manila

Programs

• Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Network
• Family Business Studies Center (FBSC)
• Micro Impacts of Macroeconomic Adjustment Policies (MIMAP) - Philippines
• Strategic Action of Mass-based Alliances for Social and Agro-Industrial Progress (SAMASA)

Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Network

Network involves 12 countries in Asia and Africa
The DLSU-Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (DLSU-AKIEBS) recently commenced work as the lead research institute on the research entitled "Development of a Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Network in Asia and Africa", which has received a funding of US$846,577 from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)-Canada. This project is being handled by the Micro Impacts of Macroeconomic Adjustment Policies (MIMAP)-Philippines-Project Management Office, which has been at the forefront of promoting CBMS in the country. The project is headed by MIMAP-Philippines Project Director Dr. Celia Reyes.

Rationale for CBMS
Recent research and advocacy efforts towards the development of a community-based monitoring system (CBMS) stems from the growing demand for a regular source of up-to-date information that is disaggregated at the community level. The system is intended to address data requirements for development planning and monitoring at all geopolitical levels. This is deemed important especially with ongoing efforts in many countries to decentralize various government functions, including the provision of social services.

CBMS in the Philippines
CBMS is also intended to play a crucial role in poverty monitoring. In the case of the Philippines, the said system is being considered to complement efforts of the national government to institutionalize a local poverty monitoring system. The data to be collected through the system will be utilized to facilitate assessment of policies and programs. Moreover, the CBMS aims to assist local government units in needs-identification, policymaking and program implementation, and is expected to provide early warning signs of impending crises.

The CBMS has been implemented province-wide in Palawan since 1999 through collaborative work between MIMAP-Philippines and the Provincial Government of Palawan. An initial design of the CBMS was proposed by MIMAP-Philippines in 1992, and thereafter refined after a review of existing monitoring systems in the country. The CBMS sought to address information gaps for planning and program implementation, and at the same time complement the efforts at the national level to regularly monitor welfare conditions at the grassroots level.

At present, the Philippine government, through the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) has been convening an inter-agency committee in line with the implementation of a local poverty monitoring system. Among the main features of the monitoring system proposed by MIMAP-Philippines is the regular collection of a core set of indicators to be gathered and maintained at the barangay level, which would then serve as inputs for development planning and monitoring at all geopolitical levels.

The CBMS project runs from October 1, 2002 to September 30, 2004. The initial phase of the project would involve the documentation of ongoing CBMS work among MIMAP country teams in Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, India, Laos, Nepal, Philippines, Vietnam, Senegal, and Sri Lanka; exchange of country experiences through workshops and fora, provision of technical support in the utilization of the said system within these countries, and support for design and piloting of new systems and dissemination of CBMS knowledge and experience internationally.

Visit CBMS in Research groups at http://www.pep-net.org/

Family Business Studies Center (FBSC)

To achieve its goal of being a resource to the country, the DLSU-Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies, has established the DLSU-AKI-Family Business Studies Center (FBSC) to help family businesses become robust organizations that could serve as engines of economic growth and development. The Center aims to focus on small- and medium-scale family businesses, to educate them in the various aspects of business management, and then to inject the often taken-for-granted component of managing the family businesses.

Dr. Andrea "Ginny" Santiago, Chairperson of the Business Management Department of De La Salle University-Manila and Director of the FBSC, highlights the importance of doing family business research, saying that "there are issues distinct to family businesses precisely because family members run the business."

Services
The DLSU-AKI-FBSC intends to become a resource for small- and medium-scale family firms in the Philippines by engaging in four key activities: information dissemination, training, consulting services, and research.

Information dissemination
The DLSU-AKI-FBSC utilizes its quarterly publication entitled Generations to provide family businesses valuable information on the following: (a) family business issues, (b) successful family business stories, (c) tips on how to manage family businesses effectively, and (d) training schedules and activities of the Center.

Training
The Center provides seminars and workshops on a regular basis, tackling family business issues such as succession/generational transfer, resolving conflicts in family firms, and professionalizing family businesses. It also offers training on the usual business management concerns such as business planning, financing, marketing, and human resource development. The Center draws from the expertise of the professors of the College of Business and Economics of DLSU-Manila and of the Graduate School of Business of the DLSU Professional Schools, as well as from the University's wide network of alumni entrepreneurs and businessmen.

Consulting services
Interested parties may also contact the Center to consult about specific company-level concerns. The Center can conduct an initial needs analysis for the company, and design a program that will help the company address its immediate and long-term concerns.

Research
The Center is in the process of building a database of family businesses in the country. After which, it intends to conduct a series of studies on family businesses in specific industries, particularly in education and health services. These build on the research output of FBSC Director Dr. Ginny Santiago, who is an expert in family business succession, and who is currently doing research on the participation of "in-laws" in family businesses. She is the first and, so far, the only Filipino to have been published in Family Business Review , a prestigious international peer-reviewed journal that focuses on family business issues.

Family business research is not new, but has gained momentum in many countries in the last decade. In fact, many universities and institutions around the world have a group of faculty members devoted to family business research. Moreover, two organizations have been established to provide the structure and network to promote research in this field. These are the Family Firm Institute (FFI) founded in 1978 and the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA) founded in 2001. One of the main objectives of these two institutions is to enhance the quality of research output through international collaboration. Since the participation of ASEAN countries in these international organizations is limited, the DLSU-FBSC has started to explore a potential link up with these American and European organizations. Through this, the DLSU-FBSC moves closer to its vision to become the Center for family business research in Asia.

Micro Impacts of Macroeconomic Adjustment Policies (MIMAP)-Philippines

The DLSU-Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (DLSU-AKIEBS) recently received P42.3 million (US$846,577) from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)-Canada for a research project entitled "Development of a Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Network in Asia and Africa". This project is being handled by the Micro Impacts of Macroeconomic Adjustment Policies (MIMAP)-Philippines-Project Management Office, which has been at the forefront of promoting CBMS in the country. The project, which is headed by MIMAP-Philippines Project Director Dr. Celia Reyes, falls under the general administration of AKIEBS, which aims to contribute towards poverty alleviation through research excellence, policy relevance, and community service.

Recent research and advocacy efforts towards the development of a community-based monitoring system (CBMS) stems from the growing demand for a regular source of up-to-date information that is disaggregated at the community level. The system is intended to address data requirements for development planning and monitoring at all geopolitical levels. This is deemed important especially with ongoing efforts in many countries to decentralize various government functions, including the provision of social services.

CBMS is also intended to play a crucial role in poverty monitoring. In the case of the Philippines, the said system is being considered to complement efforts of the national government to institutionalize a local poverty monitoring system. The data to be collected through the system will be utilized to facilitate assessment of policies and programs. Moreover, the CBMS aims to assist local government units in needs-identification, policymaking and program implementation, and is expected to provide early warning signs of impending crises.

The CBMS has been implemented province-wide in Palawan since 1999 through collaborative work between MIMAP-Philippines and the Provincial Government of Palawan. An initial design of the CBMS was proposed by MIMAP-Philippines in 1992, and thereafter refined after a review of existing monitoring systems in the country. The CBMS sought to address information gaps for planning and program implementation, and at the same time complement the efforts at the national level to regularly monitor welfare conditions at the grassroots level.

This CBMS project, according to DLSU-AKIEBS Executive Director Dr. Ponciano Intal Jr., is consistent with La Salle's vision of being a national resource through the conduct of research that "becomes a basis for institutional and policy innovation."

At present, the Philippine government, through the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) has been convening an inter-agency committee in line with the implementation of a local poverty monitoring system. Among the main features of the monitoring system proposed by MIMAP-Philippines is the regular collection of a core set of indicators to be gathered and maintained at the barangay level, which would then serve as inputs for development planning and monitoring at all geopolitical levels.

The CBMS project runs from October 1, 2002 to September 30, 2004. The initial phase of the project would involve the documentation of ongoing CBMS work among MIMAP country teams in Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, India, Laos, Nepal, Philippines, Vietnam, Senegal, and Sri Lanka; exchange of country experiences through workshops and fora, provision of technical support in the utilization of the said system within these countries, and support for design and piloting of new systems and dissemination of CBMS knowledge and experience internationally.

Strategic Action of Mass-based Alliances for Social and Agro-Industrial Progress (SAMASA)

The DLSU-Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (DLSU-AKIEBS) has been extending support to the Coconut Development Zone Program in Mindanao by facilitating linkages with various government agencies and private groups that provide support services to the coconut industry.

DLSU-AKIEBS is a member of the Strategic Action of Mass-based Alliances for Social and Agro-Industrial Progress (SAMASA), a consortium that seeks to generate synergy from the collaboration of coconut farmers, government, academe, and business groups. Other members of the consortium are the Mindanao State University-Maguindanao, Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Public Works and Highways, SAMASA Coconut Growers Cooperative, Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers, and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).

Through the networking efforts of Dr. Ather Sajid, Director for Corporate and Development Affairs of DLSU-AKIEBS, groups and institutions that have pledged support for the Coconut Development Zone Program have expanded to include various government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Southern Philippines Development Authority. DLSU-AKIEBS was also actively involved in the conceptualization and development of the Program.

SAMASA has been involved in the establishment of Pilot Coco-Development Zones Maguindanao, Agusan del Norte and Palawan under the Coconut Development Zone Program of the PCA. The Coconut Development Zone Program seeks to develop coconut lands into integrated agro-forest areas through the intercropping of fruit trees and high-value commercial crops, as well as the establishment of nurseries and coconut seed gardens, integrated agro-forest processing centers and agricultural machinery and equipment pools, and the provision of entrepreneurial development and capacity-building activities and infrastructure support systems. The Program addresses the government's thrust on poverty alleviation, job generation, agricultural modernization, and the peace process.