1. COMPANY PROFILE
Ateneo de Manila University set up its first Graduate School at the Padre Faura
Campus in 1948 offering the Master of Arts programs in Education and English. In
1964, the Graduate School of Economics and Business Administration began offering
its full-time day program for the Master in Business Administration.
The Graduate School of Business Administration was reorganized into what is
now known as the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. In December 1998, the
Ateneo Professional Schools was finally moved to its present campus at the Rockwell
Center, Makati City. AGSB was granted full autonomy status by the Commission on
Higher Education in 2003.
Mulat Diwa is a program that attempts to install a culture that connects business
to a higher purpose, thereby giving life into our value proposition: “The purpose of
business is not only for profits but also for nation building.”
The process of creating this culture begins with opening the hearts and minds of
the AGSB community to the socio-economic situation that is the context of doing
business in the Philippines. With this awareness is the challenge to respond to our
external and internal situations, and become instruments for nation building, using the
Ignatian ideals of Magis (Excellence), Cura Personalis (Personal Care and Attention)
and Simul In Actione Contemplativus (Contemplative even in Action).
Mulat Diwa is operationalized in the framework that focuses on the need for
business to balance shareholder interest with societal value, in working towards
sustainable growth. This is represented in the following building blocks: awareness of
socio-economic conditions, legal compliance, performing business economic
responsibility, community investment and global competitiveness.
2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
2a. Research Problem
The lack of Mulat-Diwa awareness among it’s students will prove AGSB’s efforts
of reflecting a distinctly Jesuit core curriculum futile.
2b. Specific Investigative Research Questions
The study attempts to find out how this proposed AGSB Praxis Program can be
implemented in the MBA Standard Program specifically that it will be:
o A required course for all graduating students of the AGSB MBA Standard
Program
o Second part of the course will be the actual immersion where the
students will actively engage in the day-to-day activities of the business.
2c. Limitations of Scope
The study will be using one of the four social-awareness programs of The
Ateneo de Manila University, as a model to create a program to include in the AGSB
curriculum that will help achieve the objectives of Mulat-Diwa Program. Since the
researchers would not be able to cover the other three programs, it would be difficult to
know if the program chosen by the researchers is the most effective model to use.
The subject of the study will only include all students of the AGSB MBA
Program, it will not cover other graduate programs of the AGSB such as the Middle
Managers Program, Regis Program, MBA in Health and Master in Entrepreneurship.
This research will also not cover the challenges the AGSB faces, being a
professional school, in integrating a liberal arts core curriculum to its part-time
graduate students.
2d. Limitations of information in terms of construct validity and reliability
Reliability is demonstrating that the operations of a study such as the data
collection procedures can be repeated, with the same results
A measure is reliable to the degree that it supplies consistent results.
Validity is the extent to which a test measures what we actually wish to
measure.
A construct validity is a design test in establishing correct operational
measures for the concepts being studied. It is the degree to which a research
instrument is able to provide evidence based on theory.
Limitations of Reliability:
i.
Criteria for selecting respondents

The respondents will only include all students of the AGSB MBA
Standard Program who are graduates of Ateneo de Manila University


ii.
Specific type of sampling design

iii.
It will not cover other graduate programs of the AGSB such as the
Middle Managers Program, Regis Program, MBA in Health and
Master in Entrepreneurships
It will also not cover potential ideas from students who are currently
enrolled in the AGSB MBA Standard Program but are not graduates
of the Ateneo de Manila University.
Since purposive or judgmental sampling will be used, unbiased
anwers of a random sample coming from a population composed of
the entire student body of the AGSB MBA Standard Program will not
be obtained.
FGD
Who:
Participants: 6 students of AGSB MBA Standard Program who are graduates of
Ateneo de Manila University, 3 males and 3 females aged from 22-30
Moderator: Katrina Angelica Marañon
What: Focus Group Discussion
Where: Closed discussion room
When: Saturday, March 16, 2013
4:30 – 5:30 pm
How: One FGD session was conducted. Six participants (3 males and 3
females) who are current AGSB MBA Standard Program students and who
have graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University were asked to sign a
consent form to be subjects of the FGD. They received a free meal and a nonmonetary token to be part of the study. Participation was completely voluntary
and participants were told that they may withdraw from the study at any time
without penalty.
The FGD began with a welcome from the moderator and a short personal
introduction of each participant. The moderator explained the subject and the
purpose of the study to the participants. The participants were asked a total of
six main questions and some follow up questions and free discussion took
place. The discussion lasted about one hour and took place in a simple closed
discussion room around a large table. Audio recording was used as a means of
documentation. One other observer recorded significant reactions and facial
expressions that occurred during the FGD.
2. Limitations of Construct Validity
i. The questions that will be asked regarding Mulat-Diwa will only revolve around
two objectives, namely:
a. To know if the students will agree to the implementation of the “AGSB
Praxis Immersion Program” as a required course for all graduating
students of the AGSB MBA Standard Program.
b. To know if the students of the AGSB MBA Standard Program will
agree to an actual immersion where they will actively engage in real-life
day-to-day activities of SMEs.
This means that other subject matters other the implementation of the
Immersion Program as a required course will not be included.
Participants might find some of the longer questions loaded and difficult to
understand, this may cause confusion and affect their responses.
Other factors such as opinion differences and temporary variations in mood that
may already be present among the participants prior to the study may limit the
respondents ability to answer properly.
The location and setting of the FGD may provide distraction to the participants
as they may find themselves in an unfamiliar environment, some participants may even
be thinking of the distance of the location from their destinations as soon as the FGD is
completed.
Paraphrasing, rewording or use of complex words beyond participant
comprehension by the moderator may affect the participants’ interpretations of the
different questions, therefore distorting the responses.
ii. Content analysis used in this study, in particular, conceptual or frequency
analysis, would not include the relationship between responses and would not be able
to provide a higher level of interpretation of the data gathered. Since it is only
concerned about word counts, it disregards the context of the responses given as well
as the overall idea of the response.
Content analysis is a purely descriptive method. It describes what is, but may
not reveal the underlying motives for the observed pattern, “why”.
3. RESEARCH DESIGN
3a. Theoretical or Conceptual Framework
The Mulat-Diwa social awareness program is introduced to the students
during the Freshman Orientation Program. Mulat-Diwa is also being integrated in
AGSB’s course and is constantly developed though various school-wide activities that
are geared towards raising social and ethical awareness and creating a mindset of
nationalism among the students.
The first block in the AGSB’s value proposition is the Awareness of SocioEconomic Situations: Poverty Situation and Social Development as part of business
development.1
However, this group sees the lack of actual socio-ethical programs in the AGSB
curriculum. Other than the integration on ethical values in the various subjects, there is
no program that facilitates in the students’ actual embodiment of Mulat-Diwa. To
achieve the Mulat-Diwa goal of making the students become man and woman for
1
“Mission/Vision.” (n.d.) In Ateneo de Manila University. Retrieved December 9, 2012 from
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.gsb.ateneo.edu/agsb-advantage/missionvision.
others, the AGSB must have a venue for the students to be involved in the
marginalized structures and institutions of society.
Using the social programs of the Ateneo de Manila University Loyola
Schools as models can aid in enhancing or reforming AGSB’s Mulat-Diwa Program.
The Praxis Immersion Program is taken by students in their graduating year. It
is integrated in Theology of Catholic Social Vision (Theology 141), a course required to
all seniors. The Praxis Program is meant as a synthesis of the 4-year social awareness
program of the Ateneo that allows the students to engage with the marginalized
sectors and experience being professionals-for-others.
This program could be best suited to AGSB’s Mulat-Diwa program because it
will give the students a first-hand experience on life in the margins of Philippine
society. This way, it will make the students see the need to help for the betterment of
the community. For this program to be more suited to AGSB, this group suggests that
this program be adopted with the following modifications:
1. The program will be called “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program”, a required
course for all students of the AGSB MBA Standard Program.
2. Students will be working in pairs for the entire course which will consist of three
main parts.
3. The first part of the course will be the project proposal. It will require students to
look for SMEs which will be the subject of their project. The students will study
the SME and come up with the following papers:
o Profile Report
o Marketing Plan
o Advertising Strategy
o Financial Solutions
o Total Quality Management Seminar
o Process Flow Improvement
4. The second part of the course will be the actual immersion where the students
will actively engage in the day-to-day activities of the business. This will give the
students a first-hand view of the different issues that the SMEs face and be able
to come up with solutions that will address them.
5. The final part of the course will be a report detailing their experience,
quantitative data showing the profit or loss of the business during that period,
the output of their proposed action plans, and further recommendation to
improve the business.
3b. Research Design - FGD
Definition: The Focus Group Discussion is essentially a qualitative research
methodology. It offers qualitative researchers the opportunity to interview several
respondents systematically and simultaneously (Babbie, 2011)
The information that we can get from the free-flowing conversations of the
participants will help us get a more accurate opinions and reactions from the
participants. An FGD would provide the researcher with the most data with high validity
based on social interaction.
3c. Construct Validity
A construct validity is a design test in establishing correct operational
measures for the concepts being studied. It is the degree to which a research
instrument is able to provide evidence based on theory.
A construct validity is a design test in establishing correct operational
measures for the concepts being studied.2 It is the degree to which a research
instrument is able to provide evidence based on theory.3
2
Yin, Robert K. (1994). Case Study Research: Designs and Method (Applied Social
Research Methods), 4th Ed. (p.132) Thousand Oaks California: Sage Publications.
3 Cooper. Business Research Methods. p. 731.
A Focus Group Discussion was identified as the research type that would be
used throughout the study as it would provide the researcher with the most data with
high validity based on social interaction among the participants.
B.2 How to achieve construct validity
The program will be introduced to the FGD participants as such:

The program will be called “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program”, a
required course for all students of the AGSB MBA Standard Program.

Students will be working in pairs for the entire course which will consist of
three main parts:

The course will require students to look for SMEs which will be the
subject of their project. The students will study the SME and come up
with the following papers:
o Profile Report
o Marketing Plan
o Advertising Strategy
o Financial Solutions
o Total Quality Management Seminar
o Process Flow Improvement

The second part of the course will be the actual immersion where the
students will actively engage in the day-to-day activities of the business. This
will give the students a first-hand view of the different issues that the SMEs
face and be able to come up with solutions that will address them.

The final part of the course will be a report detailing their experience,
quantitative data showing the profit or loss of the business during that
period,
the
output
of
their
proposed
recommendation to improve the business.
1. Questions
action
plans,
and
further
The two main objectives of the study are:
I. To know if the students will agree to the implementation of the “AGSB Praxis
Immersion Program” as a required course for all graduating students of the
AGSB MBA Standard Program.
Questions to ask the participants:
1. Mulat Diwa is a program that attempts to instill a culture that connects
business to a higher purpose. A product of this is what is now known as
AGSB’s battlecry: “Our nation is our business.” How do you think the “AGSB
Praxis Immersion Program”, as a required course, will be able to help
achieve this objective?
Reason/s for asking: This question is aimed at discovering whether or not
the participants are keen to accept the idea of an “AGSB Praxis Immersion
Program” as a required course. Do the students think that the “AGSB Praxis
Immersion Program” will be beneficial to AGSB’s Mulat Diwa Program? How
much do the participants know about Mulat Diwa and are they familiar with
the concept of an immersion program? (Respondents may share previous
experiences and cite examples of previous programs that they took.)
2. If the “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program” will be implemented as a required
course in the curriculum, under what subject should it be a part of?
Reason/s for asking: The researchers would like to know if the students are
open to the suggestion of creating the “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program” as
an independent course to itself, or if not, what subjects could they suggest
that would be best suited in adopting the program.
3. How many units should be required of the course?
Reason/s for asking: This question aims to know how much weight in the
curriculum, in the students’ opinions, should be given to the program.
Consequently, how much value will the students put on the program.
a. Should the students be given the chance to choose an SME (to be
subject for approval of the professor) or assigned by the professor?
What should be the criteria for SME selection or assignment?
Reason/s for asking: The researchers would like to know if the students are
willing to take an active part in selecting the SME that they will be working with,
and if they think there should be a particular set criteria for the selection.
II. To know if the students of the AGSB MBA Standard Program will agree to an
actual immersion where they will actively engage in real-life day-to-day activities of
SMEs.
Questions to ask the participants:
1. How do you think the “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program”, through actual
immersion, will be able to develop and nurture business leaders and managers
who realize their role in building a sustainable, and profitable nation?
Reason/s for asking: This question aims to discover whether or not the students are
open to the idea of the “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program” involving actual
immersion. Do the students think that an actual immersion would be an effective
way of learning the values of Mulat Diwa?
2. How long should the actual immersion take place?
Reason/s for asking: The researchers would like to know how much time the
students are willing to invest in the immersion part of the program. What are
respondents ideas of an actual immersion?
3d. Reliability
Reliability– Demonstrating that the operations of a study such as the data
collection procedures can be repeated, with the same results.
Criteria for selecting your respondents

The respondents should be currently enrolled in the AGSB MBA
Standard Program.

The respondents should be a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University.
Non-probability Sampling- is a sampling technique where the samples are
gathered in a process that does not give all the individuals in the population
equal chances of being selected.
Purposive or Judgmental Sampling- A technique wherein the sample is one
that is selected based on the knowledge of a population and the purpose of the
study.
3e. Relevant Ethical Issues
Voluntary participation is the principal requires that people not be coerced into
participating research. Any student of the AGSB who are graduates of ADMU could be
a subject of this research and some may not want to participate.
When selecting and involving participants, the researchers will ensure that full
information about the purpose and uses of participants’ contributions will be given. The
participants will also be asked to sign a consent form that states that their participation
is completely voluntary.
Confidentiality is commonly understood as akin to the principles of privacy and
respect for autonomy and is taken to mean that information given to another person
will not be repeated without their permission.
Given that there will be more than one participant in the group, at the onset, the
moderator will establish that each of the participant’s inputs will be shared with the
others in the group as well as with the moderator. All of the participants will be
encouraged to keep everything that happens in the FGD strictly confidential
Anonymity refers to concealing the identities of participants in all documents
resulting from the research.
In the research presented, no names and other data that may lead to thee
participants’ identification will be mentioned. Only general terms such as “respondent”,
“student”, “participant”, “male”, “female” will be used in referring to them.
4. FINDINGS
4a. Profile of respondents
a. No. of Respondents: 6 students = 3 males and 3 females
b. Age of Respondents: 22-30 years old
c. Undergraduate Degrees: Graduates of Ateneo de Manila University
d. Postgraduate Degrees: Currently studying at AGSB
4b. Results
Category
Positive words
Definition
- words that are
explicitly stated and
express conviction
and affirmation that
the “AGSB Praxis
Immersion
Program” is a good
idea
Example
“That’s true”,
“motivate”,
”best”, “help”
Coding Rules
All aspects of the
definition point to
"Positive response"
and confidence in
the proposed
program
- confident in
opinion or assertion
that the program
would be beneficial
to AGSB students
Neutral words
- words that
“might”, “unsure”,
express uncertainty, “maybe”
not aligned with or
supporting any side
or position, not
Negative words
- words that
express a negative,
pessimistic feeling
about the proposed
immersion program
“don’t”,
“hesitant”,
“hassle”
If not all aspects of
definition point to
"Positive" or
"Negative"
All aspects of the
definition point to
"Negative
response" and no
confidence in the
proposed program
Conceptual/Frequency Analysis:
The table below displays the data comparison between frequency of positive,
neutral and negative words in the responses that were given per question.
POSITIVE
16
10
5
10
17
15
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
NEUTRAL
1
0
0
0
0
1
NEGATIVE
8
4
3
5
6
6
Below is the same data displayed as a chart.
18
16
14
12
10
Positive
Negative
8
Neutral
6
4
2
0
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
TRANSCRIPT:
4.
Q1: Mulat Diwa is a program that attempts to instill a culture that connects business to
a higher purpose. A product of this is what is now known as AGSB’s battlecry: “Our
nation is our business.” How do you think the “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program”, as a
required course, will be able to help achieve this objective?
A1: “Well, if it’s a required course, it will be graded. This will motivate students to do their best
and as a result, help the community.”
A2: “Like what she said. If this program is not required, for instance, if it were just offered as an
elective, it will defeat the purpose of the whole program. Since only those who will take the
class will see the significance of ’Our nation is our business.’”
A3: “When I was in Ateneo (college), the first reaction of some students to the idea of an
immersion would be adverse since they think that it’s just a waste of time and effort. But since
it was required, everyone had to take it. And when it was time to share the experiences we
had, everyone had a positive experience and said that they already missed their immersion
communities.”
A4: “That’s true. As an alumnus of Ateneo, my immersion class is the subject I actually miss
the most. Even if the students are hesitant at first, they will see the benefits of the program
after. That’s why it should be required for all. It seems like a practical way of making Mulat
Diwa more tangible for the students.”
A5: “Even if I had a positive experience back in college, I don’t think an Immersion Program in
AGSB would be feasible because most students are part-time students only.”
A6: “Some students might not like the idea of being graded on acts of social welfare but who
knows some might also like it once it’s established.”
Q2: If the “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program” will be implemented as a required course
in the curriculum, under what subject should it be a part of?
A1: “I don’t think it should be placed under any current subject. It can be an entirely separate
course of its own.”
A2: “There isn’t really a Social Science or Humanities subject in the AGSB curriculum so it
should be separate..’”
A3: “I agree, it should be separate from the rest.”
A4: “If it were implemented and approved, it should not be added to any other subject because
all of the subjects in the AGSB curriculum are already too jam-packed.”
A5: “Yes, like a culmination subject or a thesis or something.”
5.
A6: “I can’t think of any subject that it can be combined with.”
Q3: How many units should be required of the course?
A1: “Pwedeng 3 units it sounds fair enough naman.”
A2: “3 units. It has to be as heavy as a core subject.”
A3: “Well, it sounds like it will require a lot of effort, so it should be at least 3 units.”
A4: “3 units. 1 unit for lecture and presentation, 2 units for the actual immersion”
A5: “3 units, 3 units din sa Ateneo before.”
A6: “3 units, just like STRAMA and the other hard subjects because it will be very time
consuming and it will require a lot of hard work.”
6.
Q4: Should the students be given the chance to choose an SME (to be subject for
approval of the professor) or assigned by the professor? What should be the criteria for
SME selection or assignment?
A1: “Way back in college we were assigned our immersion communities. But since this
immersion will actually mean you being involved with the business, you have to be familiar and
comfortable with it. So I guess it would be fair if the students choose and then the prof will
approve it and give the criteria.”
A2: “Me too, I think the students should have a say as to what SME they’d like to help out. But
the prof could just have some guidelines or criteria. Definitely it shouldn’t be a company yet
and it shouldn’t be big enough to be listed in the SEC. It should be something like a sari-sari
store, or a fish stall..
“Yeah what if a group selects an SME that’s richer than the other? There should be some sort
of guideline like annual income, how large is the business and things like that. But all possible
industries should be covered.”
That’s why the final approval will still come from the prof para all students would have an equal
footing with their SMEs. And to add to the criteria it should be a legal business, nothing in the
black market like pirated DVDs or imitation bags in Greenhills..”
A3: “Yup. Students should have a chance in selecting the SME that they will be working with. If
they’re comfortable with the SME then they’ll be more motivated to do well.”
A4: “The prof can come up with a list of pre-approved SMEs meaning they already fit a set
criteria. And from there, the students can choose what they want.”
A5: “I think it’s easier if the prof will just assign the SMEs to it will be fair to everyone. And it will
also save time. Because what if the SME that the student selected won’t be allowed or won’t
meet the standards set by the prof? That means he’ll have to do additional research and
background checks and that could eat up a lot of time.”
Q5: How do you think the “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program”, through actual
immersion, will be able to develop and nurture business leaders and managers who
realize their role in building a sustainable, and profitable nation?
A1: “Being immersed means actual engagement and hands-on experience with SMEs, the
students will be able to experience real-life day-to-day business activities and the problems the
small business owners face. When they start experiencing these things and they begin thinking
of solutions they will realize their value in society.”
A2: “That’s true, through the immersion, students will be able to experience actual problems
that require immediate solutions and applications of the theories learned in school. This way
the students can put what they learn to good use.”
A3: “It’s a different experience when you’re in their environment. Like back in college, though
our immersion we realized what are value is as students and as Filipinos because we saw
what the immediate needs of the communities were and so we knew what kind of help to give
them, if not, we helped them work out a solution.”
A4: “I think for you to be a good business leader, you have to experience all aspects of society.
Having white-collar jobs doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be involved with the lower class
workers in society. Actually, they’re the ones who really need the application of what we’re
studying. Because all the jobs we have right now are already multinationals, and are worth
millions of pesos and don’t need a lot of help.
A5: “I really think that most students who have not yet experienced an immersion might be
hesitant about the program. And it really sounds like a hassle especially for professionals.”
A6: “Some students may even go as far as asking why not apply what we learned in our
workplace instead of finding some other business? But I can only tell as soon as it’s
established...if it get’s approved…and as long as it doesn’t require us to take time off work.”
Q6: How long then should the actual immersion take place?
A1: “The first 3 meetings in class could be the lecture and the part where the students choose
the SMEs. The last meeting could be the presentation of what happened during the immersion
and the meetings in between could be devoted to immersion.”
A2: “Not less than two weeks so that you get an actual feel of the business.”
A3: “I agree with A. That’s also what we did in college. We had an introduction during the first
couple of meetings and then the last meeting we had to present to the professor a paper we
made all about the immersion and I’m not sure how long it was I think we stayed and lived in
the community for 1 week.”
A4: “But I don’t think it’s necessary for us to live wherever the business is. We don’t even have
to be there the whole day. I guess it would be safe to do checkups every other day to see if the
business is functioning properly.”
A5: “Diba that’s what they say. The more you get involved with the business the more time and
effort you devote to it, the more prosperous it will become.”
A6: “The longest time one whole trimester could afford to give it. Because planning and making
improvements would involve a lot of time. And if you want to help the SME, it definitely won’t
happen in just one week. You have to check it’s accounting books, if there are any. You have
to do audit, and you have to come up with proposals to make the business more profitable.“
Based on the data gathered, it appears there is a greater emphasis on the positive
words towards the idea of an “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program” as opposed to
negative or negative words.
5. CONCLUSION

The general reaction of the participants to the proposed “AGSB Praxis
Immersion Program” is positive. This implies that most of them realized the
feasibility of adopting an immersion program, which will allow further
enhancement of the Mulat Diwa Program in the AGSB curriculum. This also
means that the participants are open to the idea of being more socially aware,
to experience what’s happening in the real business world and to be able to find
an opportunity to show their concern not only in profit-making but in nation
building.
6. 3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Further research may be made on the following:



Finding out if there are social theories that can be adopted in the Mulat Diwa
Program to increase social awareness among AGSB students and help achieve
its objective.
Finding out if the proposed “AGSB Praxis Immersion Program” is also
applicable to other MBA programs of AGSB such as MBA for Middle Managers
and Regis Program.
Finding out if other social awareness programs implemented during the four
years of Atenean College life can also be used as a model to achieve Mulat
Diwa Program’s objectives.