Resilience and Entrepreneurial Capabilities Amid the Pandemic: The Case of Harbest Agribusiness Corporation

Date

6-2021

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Dr. Dinah Pura T. Depositario

Committee Member

Dr. Dinah Pura T. Depositario, Maria Noriza Q. Herrera, Melodee MArciana E. De Castro

Abstract

The onset of the pandemic created disruptions in the different sectors of society and created disruptions in the different sectors of the local and global economies. One of the most affected sectors in the Philippines was the Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector. The pandemic adversely affected agribusiness enterprises, largely due to the lockdown protocols. Fortunately, there were some enterprises like Harbest Agribusiness Corporation which were able to weather the impact. This study investigated the resiliency capabilities of Harbest Agribusiness Corporation (Harbest) and the entrepreneurial capabilities of the owner, Arsenio Barcelona, amid the COVID 19 pandemic.

This study used a qualitative case study to describe the status of Harbest before and during the pandemic. To gather preliminary information, the researcher conducted a key informant interview with the president of Harbest, Mr. Barcelona. As for secondary data, the researcher utilized information from their website and social media sites, and different news articles about the business.

The study results revealed some indicators that showed the resilience of Harbest. In line with this, the researcher comes up with three general indicators, 1) relevance of product and service offerings; 2) relationship with the internal and external environment; and 3) persistence and continued operations amid the pandemic. These indicators provide evidence that Harbest was able to weather the impacts of the pandemic.

The researcher also evaluated the portfolio of capabilities of Harbest that helped them overcome problems associated with the crisis. The portfolio of capabilities includes anticipation, cultural and behavioral, relational, and technological. Further, the entrepreneurial capacities of the president served a vital role in guiding the enterprise during the pandemic. Some of the personal entrepreneurial competencies of Mr. Barcelona include risk-taking, demand for quality and efficiency, innovativeness, information-seeking, commitment to work contract, goal setting. The interaction between the two factors contributed to the overall agribusiness resilience of Harbest.

Recommendations for enterprises to become more resilient amid the pandemic and other disruptive events were made. These include: building a capabilities portfolio and instilling an 13 entrepreneurial mindset among the management and employees. A portfolio of capabilities is developed through continuously improving processes, interactions, knowledge, and skills. These contribute to the enterprise’s ability to adapt to different disruptions. On the other hand, entrepreneurial capabilities are developed through constant exposure to challenges and unexpected events because difficult situations drive innovation and change. By successfully integrating these two factors, enterprises will become more resilient and prepared in times of crisis.

In future studies, it would be better to include more subject enterprises in the study to create a clearer understanding of the impacts of the pandemic. It is also recommended to explore quantitative methods in investigating entrepreneurial resilience.

Language

English

LC Subject

Agricultural industries

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993 2021 M17 Z37

Document Type

Thesis

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