Minor Field Trip @ PSSCC

University of Southeastern Philippines

Bo. Obrero Campus, Davao City

Institute of Computing

TRAVEL REPORT

August 25, 2012

Davao City

Field Trip Overview

In this modern era, we all know that technology became the center of some of the peoples’ lives. Most of these people became so dependent on the things that the technology can do to them. Some people also cannot do work without the aid of the new technologies. As a BS in Information Technology and BS in Computer Science students, we are in line with the creation and development of these technologies. With that, we should be exposed and must be the first to know of the most current technology that exists. But, due to the fact that we were in a public school, and we do not have enough resources to support us in the learning process, we must have to be exposed outside our shell. And that is the reason why Field Trip and Seminars subject was part of the new curriculum.

           

Before we can proceed with what we are going to do on our field trip, a survey was conducted to know on what category the parent would want their children to have. Majority of us chose the Set A which comprises a single Major Field Trip, one National Seminar, one Minor Field Trip and an Interpersonal Activity. 

As part of the category, we will be having an interpersonal activity before we can proceed with the Minor Field Trip, National Seminar and Major Field trip. Our interpersonal activity was held last July 5 at the USeP Social Hall. After the interpersonal activity, it really help us a lot breaking the barriers between BSIT day students, BSCS day students and the evening class of both courses knowing the different sides and attitudes of our team mates.

After a series of meetings and discussion, we finally decided to choose the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) on our minor field trip. It was not really an easy task to ask permission to the company for us to have our trip there. But due to our consistent efforts, they finally approved our minor field trip to be on their company on the 25^th of August this same year.

Today I went on a company visit to …

Today, I went on a company visit for our Minor Field Trip to the Public Safety and Security Command Center here in Davao City. It was not as easy as what you think to be able to enter their building since this is a security company. And it takes many tries for us to approve our Minor Field Trip here. Nevertheless, the experience and the learning that we had brought home made a great impact on our lives today.

What I Learned?

            There were many things that I learned from them. Having the name of Public Safety and Security Command Center, there are the ones who would maintain the peace and order of our city by monitoring the whole town in terms of traffic, crimes, terrorisms and disaster. I learned also that they are enabling a safer city through technology. As a matter of fact, they became partners with the IBM or the International Business Machines for their intelligent operation systems. I also learned many things about traffic control, traffic lights and the proper ways on how to cross the street safely.

What I Like?

            What I really like about the company is that they were able to show us their work fields and also sample videos that we can take as an example for us to do better as we go along the streets especially those with traffic lights. They were also able to explain to us what they do and their processes for insuring that Davao maintains the title of being a ‘Safer City’.

What I didn’t like?   

            Most probably, the thing that I did not like about the PSSCC is that we weren’t able to get in easily nevertheless, it was really a great opportunity that they allowed us to explore and learn more about their company. And also, the viewing area is small, that is why were separated by batch.

APPENDIX

Recommendation

            Our experience at the PSSCC was really amazing because we got to learn more about their company as well as their services around the city. The only problem that we encounter during the process of our Minor Field Trip is that we weren’t able to explore more companies here in Mindanao because our time is just a little. That’s why when we finally decided to have our Minor Field trip at the PSSCC we really had a hard time to process it.

My recommendation to the next batch who will take the Field Trip and Seminars subject is to choose the company you want as soon as possible because some of the good companies may ask lots of requirements from you. Also, in choosing a good company, you must also consider their services that must be greatly related to your courses so that when you finished your course someday, you will know what IT companies will be better for you.

Blog URL

 http://mythoughtsandi02.blogspot.com/2012/10/minor-field-trip-psscc.html

Pictures

PSSCC

PSSCC War Room

PSSCC War Room

PSSCC

List of Students

1. Abarquez, Argen Pearl V.

2. Aberjedo, Che May Ann A.

3. Alderite, Jon Ares A.

4. Amistoso, Emmanuel E.

5. Amora, Kristine Faith M.

6. Anzano, Jordan M.

7. Asueros, April Anne A.

8. Bacaoco, Joanna P.

9. Barayan, Marco C.

10. Bargamento, Claire R.

11. Belayro, Yvonne P.

12. Bestis, Sheila Mae A.

13. Biloy, Victorio Q.

14. Bonto, April Mae B.

15. Cagnaan, Ruby Jean P.

16. Canoy, Jeffrey D.

17. Cariño, Louella Marree C.

18. Casal, Sherry Ann Marie J.

19. Catalan, Xevler B.

20. Chavez, Laian Joy D.

21. Chua, Rina Richie M.

22. Comidoy, Nikko P.

23. Cubelo, Jhun Rey T.

24. Datoy, Jerland O.

25. Dela Luz, Chenny G.

26. De Paz, Ricardo Jr. R.

27. Diacono, Jose Jr. B.

28. Dicon, Jonie T.

29. Espina, Firlyvir T.

30. Flores, Brian

31. Flores, Roscel O.

32. Galindo, Jesmael G.

33. Gallardo, Jecris P.

34. Gascon, Miguel Paulo Anthony

35. Insierto, Jeanie Joy L.

36. Juarez, Jazel Noreen C.
37. Larayos, Arpi S.

38. Lejano, Benjamin A.

39. Letchadores, Raquel D.

40. Librea, Eldrin Jay Chit L.

41. Literatus, Nikki P.

42. Magallen, Febie Jane D.

43. Manipis, Ozy Hale D.

44. Mendez, Kevin P.

45. Miguel, John Cyril D.

46. Morado, Welfred L.

47. Narciso, Loren E.

48. Obiso, Karina N.

49. Olmedo, Kleant James R.

50. Osiones, Vanessa Joy C.

51. Paman, Jesse Rhey V.

52. Panoy, Rhea Eleonor B.

53. Partosa, Therry Charm R.

54. Perez, Jasper Humprey O.

55. Polinar, Joemar M.

56. Reyes, Jomarie L.

57. Saclauso, Salveah M.

58. Salar, Mary Ann A.

59. Santos, Sandina Y.

60. Sarga, Myrine A.

61. Sarino, Jefalyn B,

62. Soriano, Uriel Emmanuel R.

63. Sumalinog, Fretzeil Mae V.

64. Tomanding, Khelly M.

65. Tomas, Jed Wil T.

66. Torres, Jay Erickson T.

67. Travilla, Zyra Jane M.

Marketing Convergence

Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large as defined in the dictionary. In simple terms, marketing refers to the action done by a person who promotes and sells a product or a service. Marketing may also refers to a business wherein it promotes and sells their products and services to the costumers. How about convergence? What does marketing convergence means? Actually, I really do not know the word convergence not until I heard that word during the discussions last Monday. Convergence according the books is the occurrence of two or more things coming together. In terms of technology, convergence may refer to the tendency of different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks.

In marketing or in business, one primary goal to make it more progressive is to promote their products in a sense that everyone must know about it and that every individual would use it. Promoting a particular product well may lead to the development and growth of the company or business. The progress of a company sometimes depends on the way they endorse their products and services to the consumers or costumers. During those early days, one way of promoting products is to print tarpaulins on roads, give flyers, and offer free taste and many more. But now, there were only few of the companies who promote their products in that way because most of the people in the business industries promote their products online in today’s modern world or simply because the businessmen wanted to engage their business in technology. Before, when you order a food, you have to be present in a fast food chain before you can enjoy their products but today, online buying as well as online delivery is now being developed and adapted by most of the food establishments as well as other business industries. Most of the commerce nowadays evolves in promoting their products using the internet. And we cannot deny the fact that most of the percentage of the people were already connected in a technological world wherein they wanted to get something in just few clicks.

                It was once said that the Internet changed everything. It is true that due to the technological advancements, lots of changes occur particularly in the business industry nowadays. It is because the power of new technology basically creates new opportunities and possibilities for costumers as well as for the companies. Most of the time, businesses change their strategic plans to produce a better idea, just as what I have mentioned before about food industries who are now starting to engage in online buying and online delivery. E-business and traditional business when combined and put together may result to something different and something new. This is one way of creating new trends in marketing convergence.

Before, what the producer gives is what the consumer gets. But now, there is what we call the ‘Death of the Consumer’ who gives rise to the so-called Prosumers as the new trend of marketing convergence exists. Because every business wanted to provide their services to the costumers at their contentment, they developed a new strategic plan wherein a costumer can demand what he wants to the producer. For example he wanted to buy a car but does not like the design of the car’s chair; every costumer can now customized the design just as what they wanted to have. They are now the ones who have taken the chances to demand on to something.                       

Another trend also of marketing convergence is the use of the Internet in buying and selling products. We now have these websites such as the Sulit.com or the AyosDito.com who allows every consumer to become a producer by selling their own products. In which one can buy and sell products online. There were also some of the branded companies who display their products online for the costumers who cannot afford to go to the said establishment just to buy their product.

Marketing convergence also occurs in the fusion of two different fields when combined together will create a much better result and produces more chances of being in the field of greater opportunities. According to the book of Yoram (Jerry) Wind, Vijay Mahajan, and Robert E. Gunther which is the “Covergence Marketing: Strategies for Reaching the New Hybrid Consumer”, they explore the five areas in which the convergence seems to lead to a very powerful combinations that is also important in a business success. These are the five areas in which some of the most interesting fusion or combination concepts can be developed:

·   Customerization - convergence of customized and standardized offerings and messages. In this area, customers were allowed to become co-producers in developing and customizing products and services of the company.

·   Community – Convergence of virtual and physical communities. In this modern world, the internet creates and develop virtual community that draws people together even at different continents.

·   Channels – Seamless convergence of call, click and visit. Companies need to design strategies that combine the strengths of online and offline approach.

·   Competitive Value – convergence of new and traditional competitive value equations and pricing models. Companies can also add value equation by adding information, entertainment and education to their traditional value propositions.

·   Choice Tools – convergence of new search engines and decision tools for consumers and company-provided advice.

These were the areas in which marketing convergence helps create new and effective opportunities to everyone who desires to put up a business. Companies can use and create variety of strategies plans to improve their means of promoting their products to the consumers. We cannot deny the fact that the world in evolving every day. In just a blink of an eye, new discovery is developed. One way of coping up to the changing world is by adapting to it so that you will never be on the last list. There were lots of opportunities in convergence that every businessman must know.

Make Meaning in Your Company

                Nobody here in this world does not want somehow to succeed, to be known and be expertise in the field that they love. All of us yearn to become what we had always dreamed about at broad daylight. Some wanted to become an artists, singer, educator, musician, inventor, scientists, astronaut, pilot, magician, and businessman or to beat Carlos Slim Helu and his family having a net worth of sixty nine billion dollars of the Telecom to be the richest man in the whole wide world! Who wouldn’t want to?

                What we have in our minds are very powerful. One day your just an ordinary person walking on the subway doing serendipity walks suddenly bumps to something and have thought of an extraordinary idea that you immediately put into action. The next day, you became the great competitor of larger companies in the world. Amazing isn’t it? We can never tell what really would happen tomorrow! One day you are just nobody to anybody, someday you became someone to everybody. Life is full of surprises everyone must be aware of.

It is often told that the key to success is what’s inside your thoughts. Sometimes it is by the way people think of life’s opportunities and possibilities that make an individual as successful as he can be. Sometimes it is in our own way of thinking about the things and what actions are we going to make to pursue those thoughts that we have. Remembering the movie “Pirates of the Silicon Valley”, Steve Jobs was just an ordinary person who did not finish his studies but became successful because of just a simple idea that he simply put into action. Another successful businessman of today’s generation is Guy Kawasaki who is the founder of Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures. I will share to you my reflection concerning his “Art of Start” in making meaning to the company.

                On October 21, 2004, Guy Kawasaki spoke to Stanford University students about making meaning in your company. In the statement that he delivered, he believed that those companies who set out to make positive change in the world are only those who will ultimately be successful someday. He emphasizes that the core and the essence of entrepreneurship is about making meaning as well as making difference.

                Many people especially those who were starting to put up a business and be an entrepreneur thought of it just to make money and become rich. But never did they know that those who only thought of making money for the purpose of doing a business oftentimes are the ones who do not became successful in the near future. They only end up losing more instead of gaining something. As what Guy Kawasaki says, “My naïve and romantic belief is that if you make meaning, you probably make money. If you sell out to make money, you probably not make meaning and you won’t make money.”

His approach in making the company successful is that the goal must be to make meaning. Like doing something because you want to change the world, to make the world a better place and to make meaning or to make differences. You must not set your goal just to make money to be called successful but to make a change to the way people live or to make the world a better living place.

                On his speech, he said that the core of why you start a company must be to make meaning. There are three components of how to make meaning:

1. Increase the quality of life

In increasing the quality of life, each of the company members must be motivated in changing the world to make people more creative and more productive. They must think of a proper solution as to how they can transform the way people live and increase their way of living. Instilling those motivations would keep the company going despite many difficulties that they may come across. But doing so, they would not only help other people but they can also help themselves.  

2. Right a wrong

The very core to right a wrong is to end what is not right. It means that when you notice something is wrong; you must have to have an idea or ways on how to make it right. You must have a mind that has a capability to think that you can solve a problem and you want to solve it. For example, there is a crime or pollution taking all over the place, we can think of a possible solution to solve that particular problem like reporting it to the police or to report it to the administration about the improper segregation of waste that causes pollution or the smoke from vehicles and burning rubbers. Right a wrong means you must have the power to end something that you think is not right not only for you but also for every individual living in this world. Be a part of the solution finder not in the problem maker.

3. Prevent the end of something good

You can end what is not right but you cannot end something if it is good. For example, you saw something that is beautiful before but then it is being ruined and eroded today. You must think of a possible solution on how to bring it back to life.  You must preserve something that is important. Like the mother earth, sometimes people misuse its benefits and abuse it, as a good citizen you must take actions to that so you can preserve its beauty throughout.

If you are starting to put up a company someday, make sure your purpose is to make meaning and have those three mentioned above. You must not only build something for money and only for money itself but you must build something that everyone can benefit and that can change the way people live. It must be something with good reasons not that selfish one. As what Guy Kawasaki says,”If you make meaning, you probably make money. If you sell out to make money, you probably not make meaning and you won’t make money.”  

SONA 2012

Last Monday, July 23, 2012, the president of the Republic of the Philippines received more positive feedbacks in his third State of the Nation Address. Stated there were the improvements and the changes of our nation under his regime that covers the Education, National Defense, Tourism, Health and many more.

In terms of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), he mentioned the Project NOAH, also known as National Operational Assessment of Hazards, a system developed to help mitigate the effects of natural disasters in at-risk area. This technology gives fair warning to Filipinos in order to prepare in every disaster and to avoid it by getting worst. It is accomplished by putting 86 automated rain gauze and 28 water level monitoring sensors in various regions. This project greatly help every individual especially those who were always affected by floods and other disasters. By having this kind of technology in our place, we will never worry that much about how we will cope up and how we can prevent the calamity.

Another area related to the ICT from the address of the president was the increase number of people employed by the BPO also known as the Business Process Outsourcing here in the Philippines. From the 5,000 people in the year 2000, it increases to 638,000 people who were employed by the BPO that contributed 11 billion dollars to the economy. Among the scope of the BPO were the Call Center industry in the Philippines and the Software Development and Animation. If the employment here in the Philippines will increase yearly, the rate of unemployed will decrease, thus making Philippines a poor less country.  

The last thing is the TESDA Specialists Technopreneurship Program that delivered concrete victories. From 5,240 specialists who were earning 562 pesos a day or 11,240 pesos a month which is considered higher than the minimum wage. If this program will continue to strive, more and more Filipinos will never worry about having no job at all.  

Alternative Mindset & Concept of Job Creation

It has been three weeks since we started our class in Technopreneurship. On our first meeting, we were asked to wander around malls and fast food chains here in Davao City and observe the current processes and the systems used. After days of observing, we must be able to come up with a new technology that we could suggest for the betterment of those establishments. On our second meeting, we watched the movie “Pirates of the Silicon Valley” and reflected on what we had understood and what important thoughts and inspirational ideas we got in the movie. One thought that retains in my mind is that being an entrepreneur is not as easy as what others may think. It has a lot of sacrifices and challenges to take as what Steve Jobs and Bill Gates experienced during those times that they were struggling to be known by everyone. Business also is a great risk that only those brave ones and with courage passed through.

On the following meetings, we took up the lesson about Technopreneurship. During that time, I discover that the word technopreneurship exists. During my high school days, I only knew the word entrepreneur and entrepreneurship but never the word technopreneurship. What is technopreneurship by the way? During our discussions, I learned that technopreneurship obviously came from two words which is the “Technology” and “Entrepreneurship”. According to some books and dictionary.com website, technology refers to the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science and pure science. While entrepreneurship according to the entrepreneur.com refers to the practice of starting new organizations or revitalizing mature organizations, particularly new business generally in response to identified opportunities. It is often a difficult undertaking, as a vast majority of new business fail. To add those two words, technopreneurship simply refers to the entrepreneurship in the field of technology. You can create a business of your skills in programming, designing, networking or even a database administrator.                  

Default Mindset

We also tackle about the default mindset and the alternative mindset. Upon knowing those two terms, I was enlightened and realized that we are the ones who have the will and the power to help the nation, that what we think and what we perceive are the key to a much better society. Most of the people nowadays do have this employee mindset or simply called the default mindset. And there are just these few people who would always go outside box and explore the great challenges of the jungle-like world.   

"Go to school, get good grades, and land in a high-paying job.” This is the default or the employee mindset of most of the society’s living creatures. When we go to school, oftentimes our parents including ourselves do have this default mindset. Parents send their children to school because they want them to learn and excel so that when they would finish their study, they can have those high-paying jobs in the future. But the result of this default mindset may or may not be beneficial. Another is from the schools perspective; those students who graduated with excellence oftentimes were the ones being sought out by companies outside thus making those bigger companies grew even wider. While those average graduates that are not sought by those companies will just be thrown around the city and be employed. As a result, those wider companies will grow even bigger while those who are not will remain. These were the scenarios that our professor discussed to us about having the default mindset.

In the case of Davao City, those IT students who graduated in the University with flying colors are accepted and are now working to larger companies outside Mindanao or even to other countries. Simply because those companies offer bigger salaries compare to the companies offering them here in the city. Due to this scenario, people will immediately grab those opportunity leaving the city with those average graduates that performs only minimal works.  This situation leads to the development of those companies while leaving the city 5 years behind in terms of technological advancements to the other. And this is not so good since we are the ones who mold those young graduates yet others benefit to it. As what the saying goes, ”Tayo ang nagsaing, iba ng kumain.” Unfair as it may seem but this is what is really happening nowadays.

Alternative Mindset

When a problem comes, a solution arrives. Having some negative effects on the default mindset, there exists another mindset called the alternative mindset which states that, “Go to school, get good grades, create own company.” It is also the same that parents will send their children to school, create higher grades but after finishing their courses, will remain to the city and create own company. This mindset leads to a much better society since those excellent graduates will not be working to other companies outside the city instead they will produce their own company, be an employer and help build the nation’s progress. As a result, they can also help the city be more productive in terms of technological advancements. This alternative mindset brought some of the IT professionals within Mindanao who shared their thoughts that resulted to the creation of this so-called SEED curriculum.

As time goes on, our professor also discussed about the SEED model which simply stands for Self Mastery,Environment Friendly, Enterprise Mastery, and Development of Business Plan. The Self Mastery from the word itself refers to how you understand yourself. A self mastered person does not need to have higher IQ or higher EQ and AQ but a person who is whole-brained and knows his own weaknesses and strengths. To be able to know your true weakness and strengths, you can surpass any of the worlds’ difficulties. You can face all of the challenges that may come if and only if you knew yourself very well. Our professor let us discover our EQ/AQ by taking the tests online. To me, it appears that I was average in terms of my emotional quotient. I tend to be good in interpreting, understanding and acting upon emotions. While in my adversity quotient, I tend to deal with the adversity fairly well. Environment friendly on the other hand refers on how you react and generate ideas based on the events happening around you. Idea developed under crisis, trends and may be ideas that pop out your mind during serendipity walks could be one of the foundation to your success someday. An person who mastered his environment are the persons who understands the industry he is in and also be able to see opportunity in every problem that may arise. From the SEED model, one must also have enterprise mastery. In the enterprise mastery, one must have to have skills in management such as planning, organizing, directing and controlling. The last one of the SEED model is the development of the business plan. It includes proposing a business plan, presenting it and then defending it.

Writing or planning a business plan covers larger scope since it has to consider many factors including inner self, environment, management skills, great confidence and bright ideas. As the discussions grew deeper, it I also learned that being a technopreneur is a much better job than just being a salaried employee due to the following reasons:

· A salaried employee has his fixed salary. It would only increase if there are bonuses or if he got promoted while being a technopreneur does not have a fixed salary. Meaning to say, if the business grows, he can have much salary than the boss of a salaried employee has.

· A salaried employee must have to work 8 hours or more a day to complete his salary while a technopreneur may or may not go to office as long as the business is still going.

· A salaried employee can only be promoted if there are vacant positions but a technopreneur can increase his salary by inventing new ideas that would best buy if implemented.

· A salaried employee may be stuck in his position forever but a technopreneur can always give and bring him to another field in the business.

It only proves that having an alternative mindset or being an employer instead of being an employee may lead every individual to a brighter future not only for himself, but being successful means you also take great part in the progress of your nation. It is hard to take risks and to try something you are not sure of – like planning a business or proposing an idea. But those risks always have a positive outcome – make you a successful person or if not, would make you knowledgeable about your mistakes and make that as an inspiration and learning as you stride for your next journey.  

Concept of Job Creation

 Because many of the IT professionals adapted the alternative mindset, they improvise a special concept of job creation wherein those graduates who are willing to do business but are not capable of funding their first trade will be given a capital as long as their ideas would effectively sell in the market. To attain and sustain the purpose, a technopreneurship ecosystem in the region has to be in place. It is composed of Human Resource, Laws and Policies, Environment, and Financial Resources that is centered to the Techno Ventures. The human resource component is composed of those developers, researchers, financers, and marketing people. While the environmental component are those science parks, incubations centers, and other academic institutions and laws and policies is composed of the intellectual property rights, licensing office and other legal service. Those business investors or those funding agencies belong to the financial component. These are the components that a technology venture must have. Twelve schools as of the moment take part in the implementation of the technopreneurship course in their IT education here in Davao City, among these are the following: Ateneo de Davao University, Brokenshire College, Cor Jesu College, Davao Doctors College, Holy Child School of Davao, Jose Maria College, St. Mary’s College, Interface Computer College, University of Immaculate Concepcion, University of Mindanao, University of the Philippines Mindanao and lastly the University of Southeastern Philippines. I learned also that we have one incubation center located in the Brokenshire College campus that would cater those business ideas of fresh graduate students. But the job creation does not limit only on the fresh graduates or for those students who had finished already their degree course in IT education but it welcomes also those students who have brighter business plans or ideas to offer. As long as those funding agencies agreed upon the business deal, one can be a technopreneur no matter what degree he finished.

                There are these basic facts that I learned from the slide of the module 1.2 in the Basics of Technopreneurship of the SEED model:

· “Businesses starts from ideas, but ideas alone do not make business.”

· “Customers do not buy ideas, they buy products/services.”

· “Customers pay the price, value is what they get.”

· “A marketable product may not result in a viable business.”

· “A studied approach to planning the business is needed.”

· “Entrepreneurship is calculated risk-taking, not foolhardiness.”

It is true that everything starts from a simple idea. When enhanced and developed, it may boost to larger opportunities that leads to one’s success same as what had happened to Steve Jobs journey to his success in developing the Apple Inc. It came from a single chip of idea, but because of his perseverance, that idea was built to a larger building that almost everyone knows about it.

The development of the SEED model or the idea of starting to develop IT companies here in Davao City started five or more years before.  Lucky to say, the plan of the IT professionals does have its positive outcome. One example of which is the development of the IT Park at the Damosa property and the NCCC mall’s IT zone at the fourth floor. We also have a lot of establishments providing free wireless fidelity to their customers.  Also, IT companies here in the city were starting to multiply their number and most of the IT graduates start to develop their own company instead of landing to other places and be an employee. If this will continue to happen, Davao will soon become as progressive as other countries around the world.