Innovation Intermediation in Global Value Chains: A Proposed Framework
Kevin Christopher L.
Go, PhD
Development Studies Program
Ateneo de Manila University
Innovation intermediaries have a critical role to play in deepening the relationship between a country’s various innovation systems with global value chains. Yet, little is known about how innovation intermediaries may specifically aid local firms to foster further integration and participation in their respective global value chains. Through a comparative case-study of 18 public and private organizations active in the Philippine rice and mango industries, this paper proposes a novel framework that allows for the classification and identification of roles that intermediaries may perform. The proposed framework integrates research on innovation intermediation with the literature on the relationship of innovation systems and global value chains.
Effects of Gendered Wage-Differentials and Employment Shares on Price Inflation and Unemployment Rate
Carlos S. Tabora
Noel P. de Guzman
Ateneo de Manila University
Hazel C. Parcon-Santos
Laura B. Fermo
Neil G. Lomibao
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Structural features of labor markets such as the microeconomics of wage-setting are often suspected to have implications for inflation and unemployment. Features often overlooked in traditional macroeconomic explanations of inflation are gendered wage-differential and employment shares. Recent studies by D’ Acunto, et. al. (2020) and Neyer, U., et. al (2021) tested for this effect and found evidence to support that gendered wage-differentials matter. This study first builds a simple theoretical model for price inflation and unemployment based on a gendered central bank loss function as well as a gendered Phillips curve. Guided by insights from the model, we test whether gendered wage-differential and employment shares, along with the interest rate significantly influence price-setting behavior and unemployment rates in the Philippines. Using panel data from the PSA for the period 2013-2017 and sectoral, regional, and female wage dummies, we estimate the effects of gendered wage-differential, employment shares, and interest rate on price inflation and gendered unemployment rates. We find that gendered wage-differential and interest rate have positive effects, while employment shares have negative effects on price inflation and gendered unemployment rates. Results also show that male and female wage-differential, male and female employment share, and interest rate effects are significantly different in the short- and long-run.
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Buffalo Dairy Product Reseller’s Customer Experience Amid Covid-19
Estephanie P. De Gracia
University of the Philippines Los Baños
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Jyro B. Triviño
Ateneo de Manila University
This study focused on the twenty resellers of buffalo dairy products amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It aims to discover the pivotal factors impacting resellers’ customer experience. Using both quantitative and qualitative data gathering methods, pricing emerged as a critical factor when cost for retail attracted resellers despite potential challenges. Reasonable pricing aligned with product value bolstered favorable opinions of the brand. However, production insufficiency led to frequent out-of-stock scenarios, impacting customer satisfaction and retention. Meeting reseller demand proved instrumental in shaping positive experiences. We underscore the significance of pricing strategies and production capacity in influencing reseller experiences, but brand value, social responsibility and service performance were also important. We shed light on the intricate interplay among pricing, product quality, and supply chain efficiency during the pandemic-induced market shifts from individual customer focus to resellers, offering actionable insights for businesses navigating similar landscape.
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Social Capital Dimensions and Processes in Organizations: How Organizational Context Influences Social Capital Formation and Maintenance Among PTA Volunteers
Amelia Lorena
Perez Dycoco
Ateneo Center for Educational Development
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Several studies demonstrate that less affluent communities are predicted to have very little social capital due to limited financial and human capital in the community that social capital can leverage on. Relatedly, contextual conditions such as financial and human capital in communities shape various aspects of community life, one of which is education. Consequently, PTAs in schools that are embedded in less affluent communities are not expected to flourish in the same way that PTAs in more affluent communities do. However, this is not always the case as seen in the case of a PTA in a public school in Quezon City. Despite the PTA volunteers’ limited resources, they undertook tasks that formed and maintained social capital. As a response to the school's contextual conditions, the PTA volunteers extended the school’s human resources as they actively participated routinely in school engagements and formed useful ties among themselves in the process. The study’s main findings contend that norms oriented towards others contributed to the formation and maintenance of social capital among the PTA volunteers. Additionally, several key findings emanating from the structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital served as enablers of social capital’s maintenance and mobilization among the PTA volunteers. Effectively mobilized social capital was seen in how projects and tasks undertaken by the PTA volunteers benefitted the entire school community in various ways, signaling the organization’s appropriability and public good nature. This study argues that the PTA volunteers are themselves social capital as indicated in their contributions to the school community by extending the school’s limited human resources.