FICS Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collection

https://repository.upou.edu.ph/handle/20.500.13073/2
Theses and dissertations by graduate students from the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies.

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 5 of 292
  • Item
    From Arms to Farms: Communication Triggers Towards Transformation of Former Moro Islamic Liberation Front Combatants
    ( 2024-08-19) Antonio, Lou Ellen
    After years of getting involved in armed conflict, former combatants often face challenges in changing their roles and identities as they transition to civilian life. Various programs had been implemented to support their transformation. In Lanao del Norte, Philippines, the former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) transitioned to becoming organic farmers through the “From Arms to Farms” program implemented by the local government of Kauswagan. However, the program’s economic opportunities were not just the motivations that pushed them to join the program. Different communication strategies and triggers influenced their decision to transform their lives. Despite existing studies on the transition of former combatants to civilian life, little is known about how communication shapes their decisions toward starting anew. This study filled this gap by exploring how communication facilitated the transformation of former MILF combatants into organic farmers. This study used narrative inquiry and Bruner’s “subjunctivization” concept to examine the narratives of five former MILF combatants and the views of the Municipal Agriculture Officer of Kauswagan town. The results of this study showed the communication triggers that influenced the former combatants to transform their lives such as (a) personal motivations, such as their desire to have financial security and a better future for their families; (b) sincere engagement of the local authorities; (c) peer support and influence; (d) key messaging of the program’s benefits, and (e) consistent communication and regular visits. The local government of Kauswagan also established an online group chat to sustain communication with the former combatants which provided practical and real-time communication to keep them updated and engaged about the program and other activities in the town. The use of this communication channel hastened their transformation process. Moreover, this study highlighted the importance of building trust and providing resources, community-based training, and support in marketing their harvests. Constant dialogue and institutional support were also vital in their transformation.
  • Item
    Online Applicant Tracking System
    ( 2022) Taton, Ma. Cristina A.
    Systemantech, Inc, is a small/medium business company committed to providing competent professionals and technology for the improvements of the clients' business. The demand for competent professionals is high due to attrition or new projects that required manpower. Because of this, the monitoring of the applicant from sourcing to deployment is necessary which is currently a big challenge. The company uses different platforms to track the recruitment process. With the use of the existing ticketing tool to track all the movements from sourcing up to deployment, Onedrive to save all the data of the applicants, and Microsoft Excel for the manual creation of reports. There is also a shortage of technical interviewers due to the availability of time. The proposed customized system as agreed by the client to deliver in a given timeframe resolved the mentioned challenges with the following features such as Web Applicant Tracking Portal where the recruiter can add new candidates and track the movement based on the Candidate status from shortlisted up to the employment in a given time. This feature uses an existing OrangeHRM framework and customized the recruitment module to align with the client’s process. Another feature is the Interview Chatbot in which the new candidate experiences on-the-spot initial interviews. It is added under Job Posting Career Site as another way for the candidate to apply with interaction to a virtual agent. It captures not only the candidate data but how the candidate communicates and answers the question honestly. For the Descriptive Analytic Reporting, it can view the summary count of hired candidates. The dashboard shows the subunits percentage based on the organizational structure of the company. The participation of the company through testing of the customized system resulted in a successful implementation. The comments provided show that the system is ready to use and more recommendation for future works. Therefore, this customized system deployed as a new Online Applicant Tracking System for Systemantech, Inc.
  • Item
    Empowering Women Fisherfolk through Participatory Communication Among the Subanens in Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines
    ( 2024-08-23) Tosino, Roeyna May
    This research explores how participatory communication fosters the empowerment of women fisherfolk in Miagao, Iloilo. Data were gathered from focus group discussion, in-depth interviews and key informant interview. Through a thematic analysis, the study identified four major themes: Dialogues and Interactions, Economic Outcomes, Recognition and Importance, and Decision-making. Dialogues and Interactions reiterated the role of dialogue in assessing the needs of the women fisherfolk. Through community dialogues with the barangay and interactions with the University of the Philippines Visayas, capacity-building programs were implemented. These programs led to better economic outcomes for women fisherfolk because of income diversification, access to credit and market opportunities, and product reputation. Women fisherfolk also experienced recognition from the community, which further strengthened their roles in the fisheries sector. Their decision-making capacity and involvement in ordinance formulations at the barangay level contributed to their empowerment as women fisherfolk. Findings revealed that participatory communication fosters empowerment among women fisherfolk in Miagao, Iloilo through giving them an inclusive communication platform in dialogues, addressing their needs and supporting their capacity-building that will facilitate better economic outcomes and strengthened role and independence in the community. It is recommended that there should be continuous implementation of inclusive community dialogues and facilitate participatory decision-making among women fisherfolk.
  • Item
    Structuring Innovation from Tech Startup Founding Stories: The Communicative Constitution of Innovation
    (University of the Philippines Open University, 2024-08-27) Calbay, Francis Raymond
    Innovation serves as the impetus in organizing tech startups, which are said to have a penchant for disrupting big business. Against the backdrop of the Innovative Startup Act (RA 1137) incentivizing innovation in the Philippines, this dissertation conducted narrative interviews with ten Filipino founders of tech startup companies. Subscribing to the Communicative Constitution of Organizations (CCO) approach, the study hinged on the premise that “organization is structured like a narrative” (Cooren, 2000: 58). The study looked at how innovation is perceived, articulated, and materialized in the founding stories of tech startups, which in turn shed light on how innovation structures—and simultaneously get structured by—the tech startup organization. This is demonstrated in eight identified themes including “the story of a vision for innovation”, “the story of recognizing and overcoming threats to the innovation”, and “the story of innovation as a series of trials and pivots”, each of which has a representative narrative schema that plotted the structure of the founding story. A metanarrative of innovation has also been proposed and further cast into an actantial model, highlighting the trajectory that innovation goes through and thus revealing its common characteristics in the tech startup organization. Innovation is improvised and accomplished in communication as well as materialized and made meaningful by the processes within the (narrative) structure. From the context of tech startups as the organization of innovation, the study theorizes on the “communicative constitution of innovation”.
  • Item
    Conduct of Facebook Page Content Creation of a Not-for-Profit Virtual Community in the Philippines: An Autoethnographic Study of a Filipino Online Community Manager
    ( 2025-03-11) Lopez, Gabrielle Angeli V.
    This study explored how Facebook content creation is conducted by a not-for-profit virtual community in the Philippines and the meaning or motivations behind these practices from the perspective of the researcher, a Filipino Online Community Manager. Utilizing Autoethnography and Grounded Theory as a methodological frameworks, the researcher analyzed textual artifacts from 2021 to 2024. Thematic analysis was employed supported bu MAXQDA software, a qualitative analysis software, to guarantee organized coding and efficient theme identification despite the breadth of data. The findings revealed that Facebook content creation is conducted through practices such as employing diverse content themes and formats, promoting collaborative engagement with members and partners, implementing strategic content creation and management system (e.g., use of social media calendars, standardized design guides, and content storage banks), leveraging data-driven audience insights, and optimizing posting schedules and frequency strategies. The study further identified key motivations behind these practices, including building meaningful member connections, utilizing social monitoring for community improvement and as a content creation guide, increasing community awareness, promoting growth, fostering trust and credibility, and encouraging member participation. Recommendations include diversifying content formats and themes, conducting regular social monitoring, encouraging contributions from members and partners, and leveraging data-driven insights to refine strategies. Strategic content creation and management practices—such as maintaining content storage systems, using social media calendars, and optimizing posting schedules were also highlighted as vital for enhancing engagement and content creation process' effectiveness. The study's findings have broader applications in fields such as Advertising, Marketing Communications, Organizational Planning, Corporate Social Responsibility, Advocacy and Social Mobilization, Public Relations, and Information Studies. An assessment guide for social media content creators of for-profit and non-profit organizations, specifically Facebook content creators, and online community managers was also created by the researcher which can be potentially used as a reference in the conduct of their Facebook content creation process.