A Feasibility Study on Offering the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Marketing Management at Mindanao State University – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography

A Feasibility Study on Offering the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Marketing Management at Mindanao State University – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography

*Calvin J. Caliat, Lorie Mae A. Aborque-Castro & Rosalio G. Artes Jr.
Faculty, College of Arts and Sciences
Mindanao State University – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography
*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.701043

Received: 23 September 2023; Accepted: 27 September 2023; Published: 30 October 2023

ABSTRACT

This study aims to gather and analyze data to prepare the viability of the Bachelor of Science of Business Administration (BSBA) major in Marketing Management and determine the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) to ensure the feasibility of the proposed program. This survey uses a descriptive method with a random sampling of 217 graduating students from seven senior high schools, one two-year course of MSU-Tawi-Tawi in Bongao, and 51 respondents from public offices and private establishments. It is carried out through a survey questionnaire and an informal interview using statistical tools such as frequency count and percentage methodology.

The survey result shows that the respondents perceived that the course program was favorable to the province, would provide graduates with a greater chance at finding employment, and would enable them to compete with others at the national and international levels. It shows that most of the respondents who were students are willing to pursue, enroll in the proposed program, and attend college at MSU-TCTO.

The employer respondents are mostly managed by corporation in the hospitality, tourism, and catering sectors. It demonstrates how valuable and advantageous the proposed program is to their commercial businesses. Employers are willing to hire new graduates as well as trainers.

SWOT Analysis identifies the internal and external forces of the organization. Strategic strategies and options would be created through these forces to make a sound decision. In this study, the researchers identified several strengths of the organization, such as a strong partnership with other organizations, facilities, and university scholarships. Meanwhile, the weaknesses have few faculty members in the department and insufficient books and holdings. Opportunities include most-demand jobs in the country, international and local economic partnerships with the local government, and expansion of international flight in the locality. However, threats contain competitors.

This study provides valuable information supporting papers for the proposal of the curricular offering to the MSU System Academic Council.

Keywords: Feasibility Study, Business Administration, Course Offering

INTRODUCTION

Higher Education Institutions such as Mindanao State University – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography (MSU-TCTO) are directed to provide a competent workforce, quality technology, and knowledge to attain the collective goal in the country. The need of the present and the demand of the future relies on education. Hence, the institution must offer programs that are helpful to the community, meet current needs, and achieve predicted future demands (Verecio, 2016).

The Mindanao State University was created under the Republic Act No. 1387, as amended by RA No. 1893, RA No. 3791, and RA No. 3868. The university was founded in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, on September 1, 1961. The university has ten campuses, including MSU – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography. There are also various off-campus locations throughout the Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan (MinSuPala) Region (Faculty Manual).

The Mindanao State University – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography was enacted under RA 6060, “An Act to Establish the Sulu College of Technology and Oceanography (MSU-SCTO) as a Unit of the Mindanao State University” on August 4, 1969. However, when Tawi-Tawi was given the authority to govern in 1973, MSU-SCTO changed its campus name to MSU-Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography (TCTO).

The college mandates to “extend to the Muslim and other cultural minority groups the opportunities of college education and develop other programs that will promote Muslim welfare and hasten economic development of the southernmost region of the Philippines.” Furthermore, the campus has six (6) academic units, including the College of Fisheries, Institute of Environmental Science and Oceanography, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Islamic and Arabic Studies, and Institute of Information and Communications Technology (MSUTCTO RIDE AGENDA).

Presently, the College of Arts and Sciences offers six programs, including the Diploma of Office Management (DOM), a two-year course offered to students who need to be qualified for the university’s MSU-SASE/CET examination passing rate. The diploma program has produced more than 80 graduates from the course’s inception.

The university opts to expand the programs of the campus of which the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Marketing Management is aiming to pursue. The program aims to equip students who are competent to work in any position responsibly and create strategic business analyses that have social relevance and environmental sustainability.

The course program is anchored to the CHED Memorandum Order No. (CMO) 17 Series 2017, “Revised Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Science in Business Administration” with the tail-end of assuring to meet the global demand of competitiveness in human capital and pursuing quality workforce whom the university produces. The curriculum is adapted from the Mindanao State University–Main Campus, Marawi City.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of the study are focused on determining the viability of the proposed program of the Bachelor of Science of Business Administration (BSBA) major in Marketing Management and examining the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) to ensure the feasibility of the proposed program.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

As a college proponent, the College of Arts and Sciences must provide relevant information in deciding to offer BSBA Marketing Management. Then, the result of this study will provide valuable input as supporting papers for the proposal of the curricular offering to the Mindanao State University (MSU) System Academic Council.

The study’s output will support the upcoming first-year students’ decision to look at the industry analysis. It helps to determine the certainty of employability and the status of career opportunities, especially the potential graduates.

Through the outcome of the research study, the accreditation team can quickly evaluate the objectives of the program. Accrediting agencies such as AACUP and ISO can systematize concrete strategic recommendations by assessing the result of the study. The program planners of the campus can use it to organize systematic information for practical decision-making.

Scope of the Study

The study focused on the feasibility of offering BSBA Marketing Management in the College of Arts and Sciences, MSU – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography (TCTO). It was conducted from January to April 2022 at the Municipality of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi. The respondents were the involved stakeholders inside and outside of the campus. The external stakeholders include Senior High School (SHS) graduating students of different SHSs, and public and private establishments in the municipality.

Respondents

The respondents of the study were senior high school students and selected private enterprises and public establishments in the Municipality of Bongao. The sample size was 230 senior high school and two-year course students (Table 1) and 51 private establishments and public offices as the respondents of this study. The composition of the sample size was 10% of the total SH Students and the total number of business establishments and public offices in the Municipality of Bongao. The proponents set the standard to ten respondents if the population is less than 100.

Table 1: Senior High School and Two-Year Course Respondents

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study employed the descriptive research design utilizing a survey questionnaire. This method was used since the objective is to gather facts and show the current data on the strengths and weaknesses of the university for offering the BSBA Marketing Management. It also described the current condition regarding the process for the preparation of a preliminary offering. SWOT analysis and Documentary Analysis have both employed the study.

Two sets of survey questionnaires were utilized for 230 students and 51 employers. The questionnaire used Likert Scaling to understand the attitude of the respondents towards the questions and queries.

Furthermore, the study used a SWOT Analysis that helps to determine the internal condition by identifying the indicators of strengths and weaknesses of the university. It determined the external indicators by identifying the opportunities and threats that directly affect the university’s academic and administrative operations. Through scanning the indicators of each force, strategies will be identified to utilize the current strengths, address weaknesses, develop opportunities, and guard against threats.

Documentary analysis was considered important to use in the study to analyze the information from the university. Information included academic programs, faculty profiles, property office, HRM office, and record section.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The feasibility study has become an essential tool to search the technological needs of modern facilities welfare of the graduates and assess the viability of the program (The Investopedia Team, 2021). The Commission on Higher Education mandates that higher education institutions conduct a feasibility study on proposing a new program offering as part of the proposal process (RMS, 2014). The result of the study is beneficial to higher education institutions to create concrete decision-making for the new academic program.

A study by Balimbing (2014) on the feasibility study on offering a Bachelor of Arts in Information Technology (With a Business Track on Business Processing Outsourcing), the result showed that the course program is feasible due to the internal and external aspects’ favorable advantage. The study was analyzed through a survey questionnaire, informal interview, and SWOT analysis. In addition, no school offers a similar course program in the province of Camarines Sur. The college administration supports the program as part of the mandate of the school in line with its 2014-2018 Strategic Development Plan.

Veracio (2016) conducted a feasibility study of offering Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) and Master in Information Technology (MIT) graduate programs at Leyte Normal University. The result showed that the offering is feasible based on SWOT analysis wherein there is a high advantage to existing facilities, including classrooms, computer laboratory facilities, and library resources. The analysis involved observations, interviews, and a review of available documents.

The result of the feasibility study conducted by Forlales (2015) to offer a Master of Engineering at Romblon State University was feasible. It was validated by focus group discussion with representatives from the Department of Education (DepEd), Local Government Units (LGU), and Engineering student-leaders as discussants. The study found very high viability based on the assessment of the strengths of the proposed program in terms of management, market demand of graduates, and financial and operational aspects.

Homer (2013) conducted a feasibility study for a four-year online Bachelor of Early Childhood Education degree for the Atlantic Region. A mixed-method approach was used through the online survey, personal interviews, and policy documents. Based on the findings, there is adequate demand for the proposed program, with 47.69% of the respondents interested and 38.79% possibly interested in enrolling.

Famacion-Quinco (2010) found out in his research study on the feasibility and desirability of offering a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and other Related Fields that the proposed programs are viable with the highest desirability rating. The feasibility study was assessed from three components – market study, technical study, and financial study.

FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

Figure 1 shows the study’s conceptual framework, which is adapted from the Input Process Output (IPO) model. The input consists of a profile and assessment of participants. The process involves survey data results, document evaluation, and SWOT analysis. The output directs to the feasibility of offering the BSBA major in Marketing Management on the campus.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Strengths

AACCUP Level 1 Accreditation

The campus applied to the AACCUP (Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines) for Level 1 Accreditation for all-academic programs in the year 2021. The said accrediting agency granted Level 1 among the ten academic programs and recognized TCTO as the Top 4 SUC for the number of accredited programs (MSUTCTO, 2022).

University’s Partners

Several organizations have partnered with the university. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) have been signed by and between the university and the partner organizations. It indicates that the university has a strong relationship with other local and international organizations. It includes National Government Agencies, Civic Society Organizations, Private Institutions, and Local Government Units such as the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism (MTIT), and Bangsamoro Transition Authority, and others. Local universities are also collaborating with MSU-TCTO, such as UP Mindanao, UP Los Banos, UP Diliman, Davao del Norte State College, and other schools. The university is also tied-up with six (6) international universities such as International Islamic University Malaysia, Kastamonu University – Turkey, Institut Pertanian Bogor – Indonesia, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology – Taiwan, Universiti Sultan Sharif Ali (Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University) – Brunei Darussalam, Kolej Universiti Perguruan Ugama Seri Begawan, and Religious Teachers University College – Brunei Darussalam.

Facilities

The university constructed an academic building, food incubation, and cafeteria. The academic building has 30 classrooms that are utilized for instruction. It is a considerable space for classrooms conducive to learning and can be used for significant subject classes.

The IT facilities in the same building have high-quality computer equipment with the latest software and hardware technology for business IT course subjects. It has four computer classrooms with 15 to 20 sets of computers. In addition, a speech laboratory is installed for training and strengthening the students listening and speaking skills. It is also for speech rehearsal that will be used in their sales and marketing subject. It will result to become effective sales and marketing communication.

Food Incubation Center facilitates the ideas and concepts of the students for food development that translate to actual. The university cafeteria will also be utilized as a laboratory for practice and training for selling products from their output. It provides the students with practical exercises and applications in sales and marketing.

Fund

The university fund has relied on the General Appropriations Act (GAA) funds. All expenses shall be charged to the said funds.

Scholarship

The MSU-TCTO crafted comprehensive policies on tertiary student scholarships and grants. It was approved on October 11, 2018, with Board Resolution No. 249 S. 2018 by the Board of Regents of the University. This privilege is granted to the students who gained a high score in Mindanao State University System Admission and Scholarship Examination (MSU-SASE), have an academic performance deemed at least “very good,” and other types of scholarship.

Types of Scholarships include academic scholarships for Science and Mathematics courses, academic scholarships for Non-Science/Mathematics courses, Special Muslim Grants, cultural Community grants, The Badjao Student Grant, Talent/Skill Study Grants, and Student Assistantship grants.

Weaknesses

Faculty

This proposed program will be adopted by the General Education, Secretarial, and Office Management (GESecOM) Department of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), MSU-TCTO. The department has employed four faculty members. The two faculty members graduated with a Master in Management from UP Mindanao, and the other is from MSU-TCTO with a master’s degree in Public Administration. The other faculty is on-schooling at the University of Mindanao with a master’s degree of Master in Business Administration.

Furthermore, the campus has an information technology course on which three of the seven faculty members finished their master’s degrees in a different specialization. Among the faculty members, two of them specialized in multimedia arts.

Library and Books Availability

The university has two libraries located at Sanga-Sanga and Bongao campuses. The latter is used by the graduate school and Integrated Laboratory School, which is composed of Basic Education, Intermediate, and Senior High School.

The two-story library building of the Sanga-Sanga Campus has a total area of 1,500 sq. m. It comprises 11 sections: Filipiniana, Technical, Computer, Senior High, Circulation, Reference, Periodicals, Reserve, Bangko Sentral, Binding & Photocopying, and Reading Sections. American Corner has occupied a section and a room, the audio-visual room.

However, the collections of books, journals, references, publications, and other research materials for business subjects are limited. There are 22 available business-related books on the shelves. The librarian will purchase new books for additional sources for the proposed program.

Opportunities

Most Demand Jobs in the Philippines

Berard (2022) & The Global Strategic (2022) listed the country’s most in-demand jobs and skills in 2022-2023. Four (4) out of 10 listed jobs are skills from marketing. The four include customer service, digital marketing, web development, and social media marketing or content creation. Hence, this is an opportunity for graduates to get better jobs in the future.

External Partnership

For years, the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) has initiated a collaboration with other partner agencies and private companies of international countries, specifically in Malaysia, for business development and opportunities for the community of Tawi-Tawi. This engagement attracts private companies to invest in the province and partner agencies (private, non-government, and national agencies) to venture business programs and economic-uplifted activities that help to boost and sustain the economic development of Tawi-Tawi (Tawi-Tawi Provincial Government, 2021).

The Provincial heads and officials met and discussed with business companies’ chiefs and public officials of Malaysia for the business partnerships for economic development, cooperation, exploration, and growth in the province. The officials attended some business and economic forums organized by Malaysian agencies. This international economic initiative and business partnership provides socioeconomic development between the province and Malaysia (Sali, 2021).

In addition, a memorandum of agreement on the Tawi-Tawi Seaweed Value Chain program was signed by and between Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the PLGU along with the MTIT and Seaweeds Research Center of the University. This program would provide students to develop a research study on the seaweed value chain that will promote social development in the community (Sali, 2022).

Local Economic Partnership

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) presented to the provincial government its plan for the different economic zone opportunities for the province. It includes job opportunities, revenue allocation, economic development, and international investment reliability (Sali, 2022).

According to Usop (2022), the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) eyed Tawi-Tawi as the gateway and a strategic location for the region’s economic development or Mindanao as a whole. Through this avenue, the province will boast the eco-tourism, agriculture, and fish processing industry and be the cross-border trading hub in the region.

Expansion of International Flight and Additional New Airlines

The Sanga-Sanga Airport is the provincial airport that operates for local travel bound for Zamboanga City. Moreover, an airline opened a new route bound for Cotabato City was started on June 2022 (Philippine Airline, 2022). This additional route signifies the active participation of Tawi-Tawi towards the progress of the Bangsamoro Government (Tawi-Tawi Provincial Government, 2022). It contributes to eco-tourism development and business expansion (Cordero, 2022). Aside from opening the new route, the management plans to open an international flight direct from the airport (Sali, 2021). Another airline company also will operate in the province (Jacinto, 2022; Fabian, 2022).

With this expansion, there will be expected to invest and open new business enterprises in the province. Companies are expected to hire employees to work with.

Tawi-Tawi’s Trading History

Historically, cross-barter trade has been practiced by the local communities between the Sulu Archipelago and Sabah, Malaysia. This practice is locally known as “barter trade,” wherein goods from Sabah are essential to the province’s local economy. The province’s distance from the capital Manila and the shared culture of Malaysia makes high incentive distinct from Philippine markets (Asia Foundation, 2019).

Scholarship from Agencies

Aside from the scholarship from the university, partner agencies, and other organizations have supported the students through cash assistance. These partner agencies tied up with the university have signed a memorandum of agreement, including the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) through Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST). There are agencies and other organizations also provide cash aid to the student without a memorandum with the university, such as the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Tawi-Tawi, Pantawid Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Access to Higher and Modern Education – Scholarship Program (ACME-SP) and others. The students received direct cash assistance from the said agencies.

Increasing Business Establishment in Bongao

There was an increase of 0.88% in business establishments from 2021-2022 (Table 2). From 2017 to 2019, there was an increase of 4.72% in business establishments in the municipality. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, there was an enormous decrease of 21.46% and 6% from the years 2020 and 2021.

Table 2. Number of Business Establishments, 2017-2022

Source: LGU-Bongao

Market Viability

Survey Results from Students

The prospective market of the offering is the graduates of Senior High School regardless of the strand from any schools in the Municipality of Bongao and the two-year course of MSU-TCTO. The university offered a Diploma course in Office Management in 2017, producing more than 80 graduates from its conception.

The program will accommodate graduates of any strand from SH schools of the Municipality of Bongao. With this, a survey was conducted to determine the market viability among the SHS students in the area.

Table 3 presents the profile of the SHS respondents in terms of personal characteristics. It shows that 59.45% of the respondents are female, and 40.55% are male. For academic status, most respondents are senior high school students, with 94.93% and 5.07% are from 2-Year course graduates. Regarding age, most respondents are aged 17-20, with 83.87% and 11.06% for 21-24.

Table 3. Profile of the Respondents in terms of Personal Characteristics

Students enrolled in the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) strand should be the respondents of this study. However, only two schools offered the said strand. Hence, other strands were included in this study. Table 4 reflects the distribution of the respondents in terms of program strand. About 40% of the respondents are from General Academic Strand (GAS). 32.04% and 20.39% are from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and ABM, respectively.

Table 4. Profile of Respondents in terms of Program Strand

Table 5 shows the assessment of the respondents, both the students and the employers, on the positive benefits of the proposed program to the people of Tawi-Tawi. The respondents agreed that the proposed course is undoubtedly beneficial, with 59.57% and 73.58% for students and employers, respectively. Based on the result, there are varying degrees of positive responses from the respondents, with a total rating of 90.44% for the students and 92.45% for the employers.

Table 5. Assessment on the Beneficial of the Proposed Program

The participants responded on the career opportunities in the proposed program for its graduate as reflected in Table 6. The students were certain (48.70%) that the proposed program has career opportunities or better jobs for the graduates. On the other hand, employers also trust the program, with a 67.92% rating. The positive responses of the participants signify that the graduates of the proposed course are confident of their career opportunities. It has a total rating of 91.74% and 88.67% for students’ and employers’ responses.

Table 6. Assessment of the Career Opportunities of the Proposed Program for its Graduate

Based on the result presented in Table 7 shows that the students’ and employers’ assessment, with 48.70% and 60.38%, respectively, has a positive response to the proposed program of MSUTCTO preparedness to hone the students to compete in the Philippines and the global community. 43.04% of the respondents among the students assessed that there is a possibility that the institution could prepare the students to compete.

Table 7. Participants’ Assessment of MSUTCTO preparedness for its students

Table 8 shows the intention of the respondents to attend college on campus (4), intention to pursue marketing (5), and intention to enroll in the proposed program (6). Almost 50% of the survey respondents certainly want to attend college at MSU-TCTO, and 32.17% answered probably, as reflected in column number 4. Of the total respondents, 81.17% had varying degrees of positive response. 39.36% had answered probably, and 60.64% had a positive response.

Column number 5 shows that 35.65% of the participants would certainly pursue a career in marketing. Followed by probably 32.61%. To sum up, the positive response shows that there are 68.26% of the respondents to pursue this business career.

Regarding the respondents’ intention to enroll in this program, as reflected in column number 6, 41.74% of the respondents were sure to enroll in the said program. 26.96% are possible to enroll, and 25.22% are undecided. 4.78% of the respondents are confident and possibly not to enroll.

Table 8. Respondents’ Intention to Enroll in the Course Program of MSU-TCTO

Respondents were given topics on marketing wherein the participants would choose three topics with which they prefer to major. Table 9 shows the result according to rank. 18.09% of the respondents chose services marketing as rank 1. Followed by internet marketing with 13.82%. The third rank is tourism marketing, with 12.17%.

Table 9. Respondents’ Chosen Topics of Marketing

Among the career types given, the respondents would rank 1-6 in their dream profession. Table 10 presents the top 1 chosen by the respondents according to rank. According to the result, only four professions were top, including administrative office/staff/aide, school teacher or university professor, accountant, and salesperson.

Table 10. Chosen Profession Rank 1-6

Survey Result from Employer

Table 11 shows the category of business establishments in Bongao based on the business industry. 19.68% of the business establishment respondents belong to the hotel, tourism, and catering industry. 15.09% and 13.21% are from the financial services and commerce industries.

Table 11. Business Establishment in Bongao based on Business Industry

54.72% of the business establishment in Bongao are owned by sole proprietorship (Table 12). Corporation shares the percentage of 30.19 as the second rank. Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation was the third rank with 9.43%.

Table 12. Distribution of Bongao’s Business Establishment based on Form of Business

Table 13 shows the response of the employers on the business aspect needed in their establishment. Marketing is needed among 33.78% of respondents in their business establishments. Human resources share 22.97% as the second need. Employers also need financial aspects with 20.27%.

Table 13. Business Aspect Needed in the Business Establishment

The participants answered the given queries regarding the importance of the proposed program to their business establishment. The respondents assessed these three queries, including (4) the usefulness of the proposed program to their business establishment; (5) the willingness to accept student practicums to work in their business; and (6) recruitment for the new graduate.

Table 14 illustrates the result of the respondent’s assessment of the course program to their business. 52.83% of all respondents believe that the proposed program would undoubtedly be helpful to their business establishment (Column No. 4). An additional 33.96% indicated that the program is valuable for their business. No respondents answered probably not and certainly not.

In column no. 5, 43.40% stated that employers would certainly accept trainers in their business. Some of the respondents (26.42%) would accept. However, 11.32% of all respondents answered that they would not accept trainers. 35.85% of the respondents may be hired as new graduates (Column No. 6). Meanwhile, 24.53% will hire new graduates. 15.09% would not hire.

Table 14. Respondents’ Assessment of the Proposed Program of their Business Establishment

The respondents (26.80%) chose public marketing or relation as the preferred skill for the graduates (Table 15). Only 25.77% and 16.49% want sales and public communication, respectively.

Table 15. Respondents’ Preferred Skills for the Graduates

Threats

Aside from MSU-TCTO, three (3) Higher Education Institutions in Bongao (Table 16) offer business-related courses. However, one college offers BS in Agribusiness Management.

Table 16. Other Schools offered Business Courses

CONCLUSION

Based on the SWOT analysis and results of the survey conducted, the following conclusions are made:

1. Regarding market viability, the proposed program has a positive response from the student respondents. The result indicates that there would be a sufficient enrolment of 68.7% in the proposed program; 68.26% would pursue a career in marketing, and 81.74% would attend college at MSU-TCTO.
2. According to the response of employer respondents, the proposed program is helpful to their business establishment. Business owners and public office heads will accept student interns to work in their businesses. Some employers will hire new graduates for employment and need a marketing graduate for their business.
3. Concerning the perception of the respondents, the proposed program is undoubtedly beneficial to the community of the province of Tawi-Tawi. The respondents are confident that there is a huge career opportunity and a better job for the graduates in the future. Moreover, there is a positive response from the respondents towards preparing the university for its students.
4. Based on management viability, the university has enough classrooms to accommodate the students for instruction and classes. Laboratory and other facilities are ready to use for the students of this newly proposed program. There is an allotted budget for the students’ assistance from the university and other agencies. The university has a strong relationship with national government agencies, non-government organizations, local government units, private establishments, and others. However, books and holdings are limited, and faculty members need to be more sufficient to handle classes.
5. As for opportunities, the local government units had meetings with other agencies, private establishments, and international companies from Malaysia to invest in the province. Other agencies and local government units have supported the students through cash assistance and other scholarship programs. Regarding threats, four schools offer business administration and other related courses. There is a deteriorating rate of establishing the business in Bongao.
6. This proposed program is feasible with strong strengths and sufficient opportunities against a few weaknesses and threats.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the conclusion, the following are the recommendations:

1. Present the result of this study to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and to the Academic Council for review, evaluation, and approval;
2. Conduct consultation meetings with the representatives from the business industry, parents, students, SH schools, faculty, and some officials for evaluation and improvement of the proposal;
3. Since the department has four faculty members and expects to increase the number of students in the following years, the university must hire a faculty to handle marketing subjects. With other subjects, it will be handled by other faculty members from another college.
4. The university must strengthen the facilities, especially laboratory and physical facilities, for instruction, research, and extension.
5. Purchase books and other learning materials
6. Strengthen the relationship with other local and international universities, public offices, private establishments, and non-government organizations.

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20. Verecio, R. (2016). Exploring the Feasibility of Offering MSIT & MIT Graduate Programs at Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City, Philippines. Int J Recent Sci Res. 7(6), pp. 11723-11726