CEBU, Philippines - The education sector can significantly help the industry and government address the current local economic and business issues through the conduct of practical research.
Challoner Matero, School of Business and Economics dean of the University of San Carlos, said the academe can produce relevant researches by students and professors that the industry can use.
“Our research agenda include managing technology, social entrepreneurship, knowledge management and Asean integration,” Matero told The FREEMAN Friday at the sidelines of USC-SBE’s 1st international research forum on business and economy.
SBE has partnered with three Asian universities – Universitas Jember in Indonesia, Nilai University in Malaysia and Aletheia University in Taiwan – to bring in researchers who create studies that talk on economic issues and Asean integration.
Indonesian professor Dewi Prihatini Kawima from UJ said it is important that Asean students know what their countries are doing to become competitive in the regional economy.
Through research, learners can produce new knowledge and concepts the business sector can adopt.
STUDIES
Corazon Anzano, USC’s economics department chair, said they have particularly targeted to make competitiveness studies that would help local industries.
“We need more dialogues and they [the government and industry] can come to the university and tell us what they need. Students are hungry for problems [and we make use of research] to solve those problems,” she said.
The school’s economics students have been tapped to do research projects on increasing competitiveness in business.
Matero said they have done projects with the trade agency, National Competitiveness Council, Philippine Economic Zone Authority and various local government units, with the students involved in research works.
These works are used to hopefully improve local industries.
Meanwhile, SBE students also shared their insights on how research has helped the youth be involved in solving problems in the community.
Marc Raphael Ong, a senior accountancy student, said: “The nice thing about research is we get to talk ideas. The dialogues start with the ideas we get.”
For economics learner Jan Marionne Yap, students can actually make research works that would help people in small communities grow economically. “We have this outcomes-based education wherein we apply what we’ve learned.” (FREEMAN)