FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF ACCOUNTANCY, BUSINESS, AND FINANCE Thought Leadership Presentation Final Requirement “librooks.ph” Leaders: Timitei Buenaventura Cheska Nicole De Jesus Miguel Victor Mendoza Group FL Nikki Eimeren Amlog John Edcel Andaya Marcus Dale Castro Trisha Beatrice Cera Althea Marie Rosario Kent Ivan Rosete Camille Mendez Tangi Section: 6 – MGT1101 Date of Submission: 11/10/2021 Overview /Name of the Business A. The name of the business that was chosen was librooks.ph which is a partnership type of ownership. A partnership is a type of ownership made when two or more groups of people are combined to do a particular stand-alone business, wherein all the owners share all the profits and losses on their ventures (Schooley, 2020). This business was created for the sole purpose of raising funds for the beneficiaries, which are primarily underprivileged students in Metro Manila. Donors and organizations with the same goals help them donate their pre-loved books, which will be sold online. All the profits earned will soon be presented to their beneficiaries. There are three leaders chosen in the interview: Timitei Buenaventura 1st year BS Psychology student, Cheska Nicole De Jesus 1st-year BSCS (Computer Science), and Miguel Victor Mendoza 1st Bachelor of Science in Economics student. Librooks.ph was owned by the three of them for one year and two months and counting. The form of business is a retail type and currently sells their products in “shopee.ph” which is a top-rated online shopping site in the Philippines. The business has no formal mission and vision but stated that “we believe that as long as someone is in need, we can help, and as long as someone is willing to help us or extend themselves, we will be able to give them.” Mission and vision statements grant a business an outline to see the performance standards and benchmarks based upon the goals they want to reach (Ahmed, 2019). The plan was to help underprivileged students, but because of the support gained from the community, the owners want to extend their goal to help the public. Company Address and Contact Details A. Here are the Business Address and the Contact Details of the Company, Business Address: 6832 El Grande homes Gen. T. De Leon, Valenzuela City Instagram: @librooks.ph Shopee: Librooks.ph Date of Virtual or Online Interview A. The date that was chosen by our group to interview our chosen leader is by November 3. 2021 at 2:00 pm. Resume of Person Interviewed A. Timitei Buenaventura - 1st year BS Psychology in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela (PLV). In charge of their social media accounts, publication materials and business logos. B. Cheska Nicole De Jesus - 1st-year BSCS (Computer Science) in TIP Manila. In charge of the orders on their store webpage. C. Miguel Victor Mendoza - 1st year Bachelor of Science in Economics in Polytechnic University, he is the head of Librooks.ph. In charge of finding sponsors for donors and clients. Also, the one who looks at their shop on Shopee to see if there are any orders or inquiries about the business. Questionnaire Template A. How long have you been in this kind of business? Is this your first time/second time/third time to venture into entrepreneurship? B. Starting a business requires significant commitments in terms of money, time, and sacrifices. Despite all these investments, many entrepreneurs have failed in various business endeavors. Based on your observations as a businessperson, do you agree or disagree to the statement that “not everyone is destined to be a successful entrepreneur?” C. Do you agree that you can call yourself a successful business owner? D. If you can give one thing you enjoy most in your business, what is it? E. Do you think being optimistic is an important characteristic of a businessperson? F. As a business owner do you regularly plan for your business? G. As a leader, what do you think are the aspects that play a crucial role in being successful in the field of business? H. What techniques do you use to maintain your business and motivate your team? I. Based on your experience, does being a leader have its own downsides? J. Being in the business environment is very difficult. What advice/s can you give to aspiring leaders to give them a competitive advantage over others? Transcript of the Interview A. Here is the full transcript of the interview session that we have conducted: Nikki: Good Afternoon, everyone, and especially to our interviewees for this day. Nikki: I am Nikki Eimeren Amlog, Bea: and I am Trisha Beatrice Cera. We will be your hosts for today’s interview. And to formally start, we would like to discuss some important matters about our today’s interview so that we can move forward to the question-and-answer portion that we prepared. Nikki: As students, we are being prepared to have the skills and insights in becoming principled and competent business graduates. This is why we are conducting this interview to gather your success stories in becoming a leader that will eventually create an impact on us in understanding the three-core element of leadership – the situation, follower, and the leader. Bea: Our interview for today will be divided into two sections. We will be having some background check and later on, we will be proceeding to the questionnaires prepared by our group which will be delivered from each of our members. Shall we start? Bea: Just a reminder, for the background check, anyone can answer the question freely. Nikki: Next slide, please? Okay, let’s start. First, we would like to ask our interviewees for today to share some information regarding yourselves. Nikki: Can you please introduce us yourselves? You can start by saying something about yourself. Shall we start with Ms. Buenaventura followed by Ms. De Jesus and last but not least Mr. Mendoza? Nikki: Ms. Buenaventura? Ms. Buenaventura: Yes, Hello Good Afternoon, I’m Timitei Buenaventura I’m 1st year BS Psychology student in Pamantasan ng Lungsod Ng Valenzuela (PLV) and I’m the one who is in charge of our social media, publication materials, and our business logos. Nikki: Thank you. How about Ms. De Jesus? Ms. De Jesus: Hi I’m Cheska Nicole De Jesus. I am a 1st-year BSCS (Computer Science) from TIP Manila and I am in charge of our logistics and shipping in the case of orders, and I am also in charge of the orders on our store webpage. Nikki: Thank you so much. How about Mr. Mendoza? Mr. Mendoza: Good Afternoon, I am Miguel Victor Mendoza a 1st Bachelor of Science in Economics student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. I’m currently the head of librooks.ph. I am in charge of finding sponsors for donors and clients. I am also the one who looks at our shop on Shopee to see if there are any orders or inquiries about the business. Nikki: Nice meeting you all, next slide, please. Nikki: Now let’s talk about business. May we know what your business name is? And what is the form of ownership in your business? Is it a Sole Proprietorship, partnership, or corporation? Anyone can answer. Mr. Mendoza: So, the business name is librooks.ph and it is a partnership type of ownership business owned by the three of us. Nikki: Thank you, next slide, please. Nikki: Another question: what is your business all about? Mr. Mendoza: Our businesses are all about books and most are pre-loved books. We sell them and raise funds for our beneficiaries. Mostly underprivileged students in metro manila. We find donors and also partner organizations to help with our initiative. Nikki: Thank you so much. Now let’s hear another question from Bea. Bea: last question before we proceed with the formal questionnaires, we would like to know what are the vision, mission, and goal of your business? Ms. De Jesus: In our mission and vision it’s even though it is not formally established we believe that if someone is in need, we will help, and if someone is willing to help us or extend themselves then we will be able to help more. Originally our only goal is to help those under privilege students that are struggling right now because of the pandemic situation we are currently on, but because of the support that we get from the community we are extending our goal to helping the public that is in need especially this pandemic. Bea: Thank you for your answers. Now, let’s proceed with the formal questionnaires that we prepared. In this section, anyone from the interviewees can answer the question freely, as well. Nikki: We will first have Marcus Dale Castro. Nikki: Marcus... Marcus: Hello Good Afternoon, so the first question is how long have you been in this kind of business? Is this your first time, the second time, third time, to venture into entrepreneurship? Nikki: To our interviewees, anyone can answer the question. Mr. Mendoza: So our business opened last year only in September so we've been running this business for a year and almost 2 months. And for me, it is my first time running a business and venturing into entrepreneurship. Marcus: Okay next question, Thank you for your answer. Marcus: The 2nd question is starting a business requires significant commitments in terms of money, time, and sacrifices. Despite all these investments, many entrepreneurs have failed in various business endeavors. Based on your observations as a businessperson, do you agree or disagree with the statement that “not everyone is destined to be a successful entrepreneur”? Mr. Mendoza: I believe it is not destined but you can work on it because I believe that a successful entrepreneur does not become successful one day. It takes time, a lot of effort, and even failures to achieve being a successful entrepreneur. Marcus: Okay thank you. Bea: Next questions will be coming from John Edcel Andaya. Edcel: This is John Edcel Andaya and this is question number 3. Edcel: Do you agree that you can call yourself a successful business owner? Or disagree? Ms. De Jesus: We can say that we are not perfect but I guess we are successful business owners. Because for the past year that we have been in librooks.ph we have encountered a lot of difficulties especially finances and the books that we are selling but thankfully we manage to handle those obstacles and I think that is already considered a success for us. We already reached 1 year and I know that there will be a lot more years to encounter and to be successful. Edcel: Thank you for your answer. Next question, please. Edcel: Question number 4, if you can give one thing you enjoy most in your business, what is it? Ms. Buenaventura: One thing that not just me but every one of us enjoys most in our business is to witness our milestone from before that we just mentioned in the story, and there are only a few people who donate to us, not like now that we are involved in research like this and other organizations in which we are also involved, perhaps this is the most pleasurable moment for us because we not only can help others but also our business has a goal. Nikki: Now, let’s have Camille Mendez Tangi Camille: Hi my name is Camille M. Tangi and this is question number 5. Camille: Do you think being optimistic is an important characteristic of a businessperson? Yes? Sometimes? Or No? Ms. De Jesus: It’s right to be optimistic, it is an important characteristic of a businessperson. Because if we’re optimistic that we can surpass the struggle and obstacles that we encounter in the business it can become a great help to us. When you're optimistic, you're going to have a difficult time dealing with situations that require critical decision making, so sometimes you have to adjust hard, but being optimistic is good for the company because you know that there is always a solution to every problem that we encounter. Mr. Mendoza: Can I just also add that our one-year in business has shown that there are not only high moments but also low moments, such as when no one purchases or donates for weeks. Being optimistic helps us in running a business because it motivates us to keep going no matter what happens in the business. Camille: Okay thank you. Next slide, please. Camille: As a business owner do you regularly plan for your business? Yes Or No? And why? Ms. Buenaventura: Yes, because since we’re affiliated with Shopee we have a monthly sale and to add spice to our business we always prepare if there are holidays, on occasions like recently we have a Halloween post wherein we featured books that is very popular for this Halloween. Last year we also had this scenario for Christmas and New Year, to keep our audience and our customers updated. Bea: Let’s hear from Kent Ivan Rosete Kent: I am Kent Ivan Rosete and this is question number 7. Kent: As a leader, what do you think are the aspects that play a crucial role in being successful in the field of business? Mr. Mendoza: For me maybe being decisive because we all know that running a business is all about taking a risk so if you are not a decisive person or you are not sure about what you’re doing. It doesn't matter that you are sure of what you are doing but being decisive helps you to rundown your business in the way you want it to be. It plays a crucial role in being successful because I think decisiveness is what makes entrepreneurs know the path they would like to take on with their business. Kent: Thank you for your answer and the next question is number 8. Kent: What techniques do you use to maintain your business and motivate your team? Mr. Mendoza: Me as a leader, since we’re not a big company, we treat ourselves or sometimes we reward ourselves so that we are motivated and since we are in a CRM type of business. Courserelated management, seeing that we have a lot of beneficiaries, you know from that point as long as we know and feel that we help a lot of people especially those underprivileged students, and seeing them happy it gives us the drive to do more and be motivated to continue our business. Kent: Thank you for your answer. Nikki: Althea Marie Rosario will deliver the last set of questions. Althea: This is Althea Rosario, and the next question is... Althea: Based on your experience, does being a leader have its downsides? Yes, or No? And why? Ms. De Jesus: For me yes, being a leader has sometimes had a downside because of course, he is a leader and Also, the person that is running the business, it is hard even though the three of us are still running the business all our time is not all in the company because we are also students and son and daughter in our house. It’s hard to do at the same time all at once and yes, being a leader is a great responsibility. It gives you great pride that will lead you to make decisions, especially with the big decisions about helping other people that are connected in the business. But the downside is you need to be accountable if there is a decision that you are making and even if it's a negative impact on you must learn from it and you need to be responsible. Althea: Thank you. Next question, please. Althea: And for the final question. Being in the business environment is very difficult. What advice/s can you give to aspiring leaders to give them a competitive advantage over others? Ms. Buenaventura: I think the best advice that I’m going to say aspiring leaders or entrepreneurs is to start early because if we will think always that it is hard to start a business we will never reach our full potential we can't make progress if we have that kind of mindset it was always a hindrance because we will be stuck in that thinking that we can't do anything if we don’t start anything, I think that everyone should know that starting early is good and even though that you can't do or create big it was always better to start doing things that you know you can do. You can use the experience you will get in starting a business as a foundation so that you can become a successful leader or business person. Bea: Thank you so much for a wonderful answer and sharing, Ms. De Jesus, Mr. Mendoza, and Ms. Buenaventura. That was a great experience for us to have you here despite your busy schedule. Nikki: Thank you as well to our interviewees for imparting valuable insights and experiences to us, students. It was indeed a realization for us to become better individuals. We are all honored to be inspired by you. Nikki: Again, I am Nikki Eimeren Amlog Bea: I am Trisha Beatrice Cera Nikki: And on behalf of our group thank you so much, Ms. Buenaventura, Ms. De Jesus, and Mr. Mendoza for joining us today. We hope that you stay safe always and God Bless! Bea: And that will be the end of our interview but before we end the call, may we request everyone to open your cameras for documentation. Photo Documentation A. Start B. During C. End Individual Reflection Paper/Personal Plan A. Nikki Eimeren Amlog - Leadership, for me, is a great opportunity that comes with great responsibility. Leadership, as I have observed, evidently plays a crucial role in becoming successful. In becoming a leader there are a lot of attributes to possess, that is what I learned upon participating in our group collaboration. At first, I thought I am a leader already. I thought having experience with leadership is enough to become an effective and efficient leader that will drive the whole team to success. But as I go beyond my knowledge, I discovered that there are still a lot of aspects that make up a leader and drive the team to success. Optimism, decisiveness, and courage are what caught my attention upon my participation. B. John Edcel Andaya - This interview at first feels nerve-racking but soon becomes a comfortable experience for all of us. Many lessons have been learned not only by me but also by all my group members. I will use this knowledge to become a successful leader one day and lead my people to achieve a world where there will be less suffering. Small steps are also a part of a bigger future. C. Marcus Dale Castro - One thing that I will always remember throughout the whole activity is that the answer and insights are given to us by the business owners we interview, the memorable answers that I will always remember are “never afraid to fail, overcome failure by not giving up, always think positive and start early so that you can have a head start ahead of what it looks like on the business world” I will always apply and practice the things that I learn throughout the interview such as being optimistic, decisive, and always prepared in everything. D. Trisha Beatrice Cera - The leaders that we’ve interviewed are also freshmen students just like us. From that, I can say that being a leader or entrepreneur doesn’t have an age requirement because regardless of their age, they still manage to build their business. They also share the goal of their business, and it amazes me that the goal of their business is not merely because they want to gain profit for themselves but also to help unfortunate or underprivileged students. I’ve also discovered that a leader must motivate his/her team so that they’ll be able to work efficiently and effectively. From the insights that the leaders shared, I got motivated to be a leader and open a business like them. Doing our final requirements in LDM or the Thought Leadership Presentation helped us to gain a lot of information, ideas, and it enables us to unite or work as a team, and I believe that the knowledge that we’ve gained from our experience will be useful for our future endeavors as a leader. E. Althea Marie Rosario - Interviewing the owners of Librooks.ph had me thinking about a lot of things that could be useful in the future, handling a business is hard but you must take full responsibility because you are the one who built that business, and you must love doing it for you to be consistent. It inspires me to have a business again in the future or I will just continue our family business to be more successful. I think that being a leader should be taken seriously because you influence your people and others, so to be a successful leader I must study all the aspects of being a good and successful leader before I lead others. F. Kent Ivan Rosete - Their business, in my opinion, is effective for students who want financial assistance. It's especially noteworthy since they're students themselves, yet they can help other students pay for their tuition. Also, part of the money did not come from them at first, but from others who were inspired by their business and aided many amounts of money. It's wonderful to see a little business that is concerned about students' tuition rather than just their own. Furthermore, this indicates that young students are far more conscious of the circumstances while aspiring to be a corporate leader than those who are likely to have money but simply spend it on themselves. G. Camille M. Tangi - In my conclusion, there are a lot more things behind being a successful leader like those business owners we interviewed, being brave and confident is the first things I have noticed from the leaders we interviewed they all seem confident about their business and they are brave too because one of them tell about the story of how their business had some low moments wherein they sometimes experience a week of having no sale and that is a tough part of having a business but since they are confident and optimistic about their business they all conquer those struggles and still striving and helping other people because of their business and they are good people too that is why I am so inspired by them. I will always remember the things they shared to us and apply the lessons I have learned to myself since I am a college student it will be helpful in my journey to become successful too. Acknowledgment A. We are sincerely thankful to our professor in Leadership Management Course, Sir Leonardo for providing us with this final requirement for us 1st year students of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, so that we are prepared to have the skills and insights in becoming principled and competent business graduates. We are also thankful to our interviewees, Mr. Mendoza, Ms. De Jesus, and Ms. Buenaventura for allowing us to interview them and use the information they provided to us for our report outline, their support and consent is much appreciated. Through this final requirement, we have learnt a lot of new things and ideas that we will use in our journey as a college student or when we graduate and finish college. It has helped us to realize things that we lack as an individual especially in being a leader and a follower. References A. Schooley, S. (2020, July 16). Business Partnerships: What You Need to Know businessnewsdaily.com. Business News Daily. Retrieved from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/15746-business-partnership-pros-and-cons.html B. Ahmed, A. (2019, March 14). Importance of Mission Vision in Organizational Strategy. Chron.com. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-missionvision-organizational-strategy-16000.html Appendix/Appendices A. Here are the Letter of Invitation that was sent to the interviewees: October 27, 2021 Name: Miguel Victor Mendoza Position: Founder Address: 6832 El Grande homes Gen. T. De Leon, Valenzuela City Dear Ma’am/Sir _Buenaventura, De Jesus, Mendoza__, Good day! We are 1st year BS Accountancy students at Far Eastern University, and we are currently conducting our Final Requirement for the course Leadership and Decision Making. We would like to ask you for your assistance regarding an interview. One of our general propositions is to make an interview about your business (Business Name). Our Interview will make a study of the following: 1. Your Background 2. Important information about your business We, therefore, request your kind permission for us to be able to obtain the necessary information about your business and what your business does. Rest assured that all such information shall only be used for academic purposes and will not hold you and your business liable for any unpleasant outcome. Given the above, we would like to ask for a confirmation of your most convenient time for a possible interview. Thank you for your time and consideration and hoping for a favorable response from you. Respectfully, _Castro, Marcus Dale G.________
