“Status of Food Micro-Businesses Around Brgy.

Dumaloong
Gandara, Samar During Pandemic”

A Quantitative Research presented to Ms. Marycris Delabajan

of Ramon T. Diaz National High School,
Senior High School Department

In Fulfillment of the Requirements

in Practical Research 2

Alegria, Rainier C.
Derraco, Gene Marc L.
Rollo, Shanina Louise C.

2023
 Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Micro business is a type of business that employs a small

number of people that usually consist of at least 10 workers. A

microbusiness is one of the smallest business entities,

categorized as having much lesser annual revenue employees and

startup cost than the average small business. It is one of the

most significant element in the development of an economy. They

add value to a country's economy by creating jobs, improving

income, lowering costs and adding convenience.

When the pandemic started, global economic issues began to

emerge around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has

forced many businesses to close, leading to an unprecedented

disruption of commerce in most industry sectors. Retailers and

brands face many short-term challenges, such as those related to

the supply chain, the workforce, cash flow, consumer demand,

sales, and marketing (Eggers, F. (2020). Before focusing on the

impact and strategies to reduce the impact, it is crucial to

understand the definition of crisis. Booth (1993) defines crisis

as a situation faced by an individual, group or organization

which they are unable to cope with by the use of normal routine

procedures. There are three types of crisis, namely gradual

threat, periodic threat and sudden threat (Booth, 1993). The

Covid-19 crisis visibly can be regarded as ‘sudden threat’, as

the crisis developed suddenly and it affects not only entire

organization, but also whole sectors of the economy. The impact

of Covid-19 pandemic outbreak on global socio-economy can be

acute, and it is crucial that recovery is essential to survive in

a new normal way of living. However, little is known about the

challenges and the process in which small enterprises respond

during and after the outbreak crisis (Fabeil, Noor Fzlinda,

Pazim, Khairul Hanim, and Langgat, Juliana. (2020).

Statement of the Problem

The goal of this study is to determine the status of food

micro-businesses around Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar during the

pandemic. To obtain all the essential knowledge, data, and

information, the research sought to answer the crucial questions

as follows:

1. What are the status of food micro-businesses around Brgy.

Dumaloong Gandara, Samar during the pandemic?

 2. What are the factors that affects the status of food micro-

businesses around Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar during the

pandemic?

3. What are the strategies that the businessman businesswoman

employ in order to keep their food businesses running?

Hypothesis of the Study

There is a significant relationship between the pandemic and

the status of food micro-business.

Conceptual Framework

Pandemic Status of food micro-business

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

- Strategies of the
businessman/businesswoman

- Kind of food business

Mediating Variable
Figure 1. Illustrating the relationship between independent

variable and dependent variable.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study seeks to determine the status of food micro-

businesses around Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar during the

pandemic.

The study is limited to the randomly selected food micro-

businesses in Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar. The required

information will be gathered through the use of a questionnaire

checklist, which will be distributed to the selected food micro-

business owners. All information and conclusions drawn from this

study were obtained only to this particular group of people.

Significance of the Study

This study was created with the goal of providing critical

information and knowledge about the chosen topic from

respondents, recent studies or thesis, and related sites that are

required for the expected importance to the individuals as

follows:
 Micro food business owners The findings of this study will

be beneficial to the owners to enrich their knowledge and

understanding regarding the production process of food

businesses. The vital information gathered from this study will

help them identify problems which may lead to better strategies

and programs geared towards the improvement of the business’

operations.

Customers The information presented will enable them to

understand how a business operates and why there’s an increase or

a decrease in price.

Future researchers This will be an instrument that will

guide and navigate them in discovering credible, reliable, and

tantamount factors that are known as indispensable data for

further understanding on the topic. Indeed, this research is

going to be the chief source of enlightenment that they will

surely need in their future studies.

Definition of Terms

Micro-business is generally defined as a small business employing

nine people or fewer, and having a balance sheet or turnover

less.

Unprecedented means unknown or never before known.

Commerce is the activity of buying and selling, especially on

large scale.

Disruption is disturbance or problems which interrupt and event,

activity or process.

Lexicon is the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of

knowledge.

Plummeted means to decrease rapidly in value or amount.

Firms is a for-profit business organization.

Sector is an area or portion that is distinct from others.

Scarcity is the state of being scarce or short supply; shortage.

Constraints is a limit or restriction.

Vulnerable is the quality or state of being exposed to the

possibility of being affected or harmed.

Prodigious means remarkably or impressively great in extent, size

or degree.

Adverse is to prevent success or development; harmful;

unfavorable.

Compelled to bring out (something) by the use of force or

pressure.
 Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the related literature and studies

after the thorough and in-depth search done by the researchers.

The related literature are reviews from electronic articles,

books, and other publications.

Review of Related Literature

Small businesses are the foundation of any economy, it

contributes to local economies by bringing growth and innovation

to the community, making it increasingly important. Small

businesses, or more commonly referred as small and micro

enterprises as the lexicon goes, the sector has been growing

steadily for the past decade or so. These small scale businesses

play a role in local economies by proving jobs to individuals and

much-needed products and services (Price 2020). However, facing

the wrath of the coronavirus pandemic, most of these firms face

difficulty surviving in the current climate for even above 5

months, (Ethiopian press agency (2020).

 According to Fairlie (2020a), his study finds that the

number of working business owners plummeted from 15.0 million in

February 2020 to 11.7 million in April 2020 because of COVID-19

mandates and health- and economic-driven demand shifts. The loss

of 3.3 million active business owners (or 22%) was the largest

drop on record. These results build on the findings is from a

very few related studies of the early effects of the coronavirus

on small businesses in different countries.

The results of the study of Dagpin, Jumalyn C., et al (2022)

stated that most of the problems encountered by the micro

enterprises owners in managing the enterprises during the

pandemic in terms of the marketing aspect of the enterprise were

limited to direct marketing, inefficient promotional activities,

and lack of a marketing plan. Considerably, in terms of financial

aspects, owners’ revenue decreased, problems in budgeting and

sourcing funds to grow the business and large bills to pay were

identified.

In a study conducted by Alexander et al. (2020) his research

examined the financial fragility of many small businesses, and

how deeply affected they are by the current crisis. The study

result suggested that many of these firms had little cash on hand

toward the beginning of the pandemic, which means that they will

either have to dramatically cut expenses, take on additional

debt, or declare bankruptcy. There has been researched on

business continuity strategies among large enterprises in

industrial nations. However, there has been little research on

microenterprises, particularly in developing nations. There is

still a scarcity of research on the impact of emerging crises,

such as a pandemic breakout, on microenterprises. It is believed

that microenterprises are more vulnerable to constraints than

bigger firms, particularly during a crisis Dagpin, Jumalyn C., et

al (2022).

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3612830

In relation, Abriham Ebabu Engidaw (2020) his study finds

that doing business in this COVID-19 pandemic time is very

challenging and has a dangerous impact on small businesses,

worker life, as well as the country’s overall economy.

Inshan Meahjohn and Prakash Persad in 2020 investigated the

impacts of COVID-19 on Entrepreneurship globally. Their study

showed various factors and how these affected businesses in

different aspects. The study concluded that Covid-19 has caused

significant disruption to economies and entrepreneurship

globally, and has posed several unprecedented challenges.

According to Inshan Meahjohn and Prakash Persad 2020) in

their study, it is stated that due to preventive measures taken

by governments to limit virus transmission, there was a

prodigious disruption socially and economically to

entrepreneurship, at different levels, of which small scale

businesses and startups were among the most vulnerable. The

adverse impact was observed in businesses worldwide and most of

the newly formed businesses and startups were compelled to

dismiss their employees, leading to issues such as widespread

unemployment, lack of productivity, and the downturn of

economies. Covid-19 also impacted the global supply chain, which

resulted in a contraction of the worldwide economy. Many

entrepreneurs and startups faced a significant reduction in

revenue due to the impact on the global supply chain of both

goods and services. However, the absolute impact remains unclear,

as more in-depth longitudinal studies are required to better

investigate this issue.

https://www.futurelearn.com/info/futurelearn-international/

philippines-economy-covid-19

The articles and studies mentioned and cited in this RRL are

the ones most relevant to the study. The researchers discovered a

lot of information from different sources that assisted them in

better understanding of the topic. They have observed that only a

few studies have been conducted regarding the issue. However, no

study has placed a strong emphasis on the perspective of micro

businesses owners. Although the researchers have found articles

that shows the impact of COVID-19 on businesses, it is not

specifically about micro enterprises as the basis of the study.

The reviewed articles and studies included participants from and

created in other countries, and the researchers found one

national article.

There are already conducted studies that provide evidence

that covid-19 affected the economy. However, there is a research

gap since no certain study was conducted having micro businesses

owners as the respondents. Thus, there really is a need to

conduct a study on this matter.

 Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the methods and procedures used by

the researchers to carry out the study. The purpose of the

research was to ascertain the status of food micro-businesses

around Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar, during the pandemic. The

following information provides details on the research design,

research locale, study respondents, general procedure, research

instruments, and a description of how the data is analyzed.

Research Design

The relationship between variables is examined in this

study, which involved a quantitative design to enhance the

research and make the study reliable and valid. Quantitative

research design is a formal, objective, systematic process in

which numerical data are used to obtain information about the

variables. It is used to describe and examine relationships

between and among variables (Lamar, 2005). Correlational research

is a quantitative method of research in which you have two or

more quantitative variables from the same group of subjects. The

pandemic (IV) has had a significant impact on the status of food

micro-businesses (DV) in Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar. As the

research questions are quantitative in nature, a correlational

design is chosen to achieve the intended goals since the main

purpose of the study is to determine the status of food micro-

businesses around Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar, during the

pandemic.

Research Locale

The study was conducted in the province of Samar,

specifically in the municipality of Gandara. This municipality is

made up of 69 barangays. The majority of businesses in Gandara

are centered in Brgy. Dumaloong, particularly the food micro-

businesses. As a result, Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar is the

ideal location for the interview because there will be a plethora

of significant information, different ideas, and distinct

opinions from real experiences in the business industry that are

essential to the research.

Respondents of the Study

The owners of food micro-business in Brgy. Dumaloong

Gandara, Samar, are the primary respondents in this study. They

were given questionnaire checklist forms to fill out regarding

the status of food micro-businesses in the said barangay. The

respondents were chosen using simple random sampling by the

researchers. The survey participants were chosen at random.

Respondents would be any random owner of a food micro-business

aged 20 above. Furthermore, the research will only be conducted

in and around Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar.

General Procedure

The following steps were taken during the data collection

process for this study:

1. Permission to carry out the research. The adviser will be

asked for permission to conduct the study. An initial

communication was sent out to explain the research and study's

goals.

2. Recognizing the Respondents. The study's respondents are

randomly selected owners of food micro-businesses in Brgy.

Dumaloong Gandara, Samar.

3. Evaluating the Questionnaires. The questionnaires will be

checked by the teachers of practical research II.

4. Distribution of Questionnaires. Questionnaire checklist are

given to the randomly selected owners of food micro-businesses in

Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar.

5. Receiving Questionnaires. The finished questionnaires will be

collected and reviewed to see if the respondents misunderstood

the questions.

6. Gathering of Data. The data will be organized into major and

minor categories, and such ideas will be classified, recognized,

and acknowledged quantitatively and narratively in relation to

the original respondents. This will be tailed based on the data

provided by the respondents and analyzed based on the study's

findings.

7. Interpretation of Questionnaire. In this case, owners are

prevalent during questionnaire interpretation. If the researcher

erroneously interpreted the details, the respondents are

informed.

Research Instruments

A researcher-made questionnaire checklist was used to

collect the necessary data. The questionnaires consisted of 8

items and were created based on the researcher's readings,

previous studies, published and unpublished thesis relevant to

the study, and other sources. The requirements for the design of

a good data collection instrument were considered during the

instrument's preparation. For example, statements describing

situations or issues were toned down to accommodate respondents'

knowledge readiness. To accommodate free-form views on the topics

or issues, open-ended options were provided. As a result, the

instrument is authorized to obtain valid responses from the

owners. Preference for the use of structured questionnaires is

based on several research assumptions, including: a) the cost of

being the least expensive means of gathering data; b) the

avoidance of personal bias; c) less pressure for an immediate

response; and d) providing respondents with a greater sense of

anonymity. In the end, it encouraged open responses to sensitive

issues.

Data Analysis

Data analysis is an important part of this research because

it allows the researcher to draw conclusions from the findings.

The researcher analyzed the questionnaire, which consists of

eight (8) items, using a questionnaire checklist.

 The procedures of data analysis of this study were stated

below:

1. After collecting the data, they were classified based on

the purpose of the study.

2. Describing the data to know about the status of food

micro-businesses in Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar during the

pandemic.

3. Tabulating the data that had been described.

4. Analyzing the data was by using the following formula:

PP == F/N
F/N xx 100%
100%

Where:

P = the percentage of the students’ interest

F = the number of frequency of the respondents’ classification

N = the number of respondents

Besides, the result of the research was interpreted by using

the following formula to know about the status of food micro-

business in Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar during the pandemic.

Mean = ∑F/N

Where :

∑F = amount of multiplying in the score with the frequency

N = number of class

5. Drawing conclusion

Chapter IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents the data gathered, the results of the

statistical analysis done, and the interpretation of the

findings. These are presented in tables following the sequence of

the specific research problem regarding the status of food micro-

businesses around Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar, during the

pandemic.

Table 1.1 Age Distribution of Respondents

Age Range Frequency Percentage

20 – 25 3 10
 26 – 30 4 13.3

31 – 35 7 23.3

36 – 40 3 10

41 - 45 3 10

46 – 50 4 13.3

51 – 55 1 3.3

56 – 60 2 6.7

61 above 3 10

Total 30 100

Table 1.1 presents the age distribution of the respondents.

It shows that out of 30 respondents, 7 or 23.3% are 31-35 years

old, 4 or 13.3% are 26-30 and 46-50 years old, 3 or 10% are 20-

25, 36-40, 41-45, and 61 years old, 2 or 6.7% are 56-60 years

old, and 1 or 3.3% are 51-55 years old.

Also; it shows that the majority of the respondents are 36-

40 years old.

Table 1.2 Gender Distribution of Respondents

Gender Frequency Percentage

Male 9 30
 Female 21 70

Total 30 100

Table 1.2 presents the gender of respondents. It shows that

out of 30 respondents, 21 or 70% are female, whereas 9 or 30% are

male.

Table 2. How long has the business been operating?

Years Frequency Percentage

0-1 6 20

2-5 13 43.3

6-10 6 20

15 above 5 16.7

Total 30 100

Table 2 presents how long the respondents’ business has been

operating. 6 or 20% of the respondents’ business has been

operating for 0–1 year, 13 or 43.3% has been operating for 2–5

years, 6 or 20% has been operating for 6–10 years, and 5 or 16.7%

of the respondents’ business has been operating for 15 years or

more.
Table 3. Income per month before the pandemic.

Income Frequency Percentage

1,000 – 5,000 14 46.7

10,000 – 15,000 9 30

20,000 above 7 23.3

Total 30 100

Table 3 presents the respondents’ income per month before

the pandemic. 14 or 46.7% of the respondents had an income of

1,000–5,000 per month, 9 or 30% had an income of 10,000–15,000

per month, and 7 or 23.3% had an income of 20,000 or more per

month.

Table 4. Income per month during the pandemic.

Income Frequency Percentage

1,000 – 5,000 18 60

10,000 – 15,000 8 26.7

20,000 above 4 13.3

Total 30 100

Table 4 presents the respondents’ income per month during

the pandemic. 18 or 60% of the respondents had an income of

1,000–5,000 per month, 8 or 26.7% had an income of 10,000–15,000

per month, and 4 or 13.3% had an income of 20,000 or more per

month.

Table 5. Pricing of products before the pandemic.

Pricing of products Frequency Percentage

Low 10 33.3

Average 13 43.3

High 7 23.3

Total 30 100

Table 5 presents the pricing of products before the

pandemic. 10 or 33.3% of respondents had low pricing before the

pandemic, 13 or 43.3% had average pricing, and 7 or 23.3% had

high pricing before the pandemic.

Table 6. Pricing of products during the pandemic.

Pricing of products Frequency Percentage

Low 6 20

Average 10 33.3

High 14 46.7

Total 30 100
 Table 6 presents the pricing of products during the

pandemic. 6 or 20% of respondents had low pricing during the

pandemic, 10 or 33.3% had average pricing, and 14 or 46.7% had

high pricing during the pandemic.

Table 7. Customers per day before the pandemic.

Customers per day Frequency Percentage

5 – 10 5 16.7

15 – 20 16 53.3

25 above 9 30

Total 30 100

Table 7 presents the number of customers per day before the

pandemic. 5 or 16.7% of respondents said that they had 5-10

customers per day before the pandemic, whereas 16 or 53.3% of

respondents said that they had 15-20 customers per day, and 9 or

30% said that they had 25 or more customers per day before the

pandemic.

Table 8. Customers per day during the pandemic.

 Customers per day Frequency Percentage

5 – 10 15 50

15 – 20 11 36.7

25 above 4 13.3

Total 30 100

Table 8 presents the number of customers per day during the

pandemic. 15 or 50% of respondents said that they had 5-10

customers per day during the pandemic, whereas 11 or 36.7% of

respondents said that they had 15-20 customers per day, and 4 or

13.3% said that they had 25 or more customers per day during the

pandemic.

Table 9. How the business is going during the pandemic?

Frequency Percentage

Income increased 3 10

Income decreased 27 90

Total 30 100

Table 9 presents how the businesses of the respondents are

going during the pandemic. 3 or 10% of the respondents’ income

increased during the pandemic, while 27 or 90% of the

respondents’ income decreased during the pandemic.

Chapter V

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The previous chapter discussed the analysis and

interpretation of questionnaire checklist data. A brief summary

of the research project will be presented in this chapter. The

results of the literature review and the empirical investigation

on the status of food micro-businesses in Brgy. Dumaloong

Gandara, Samar will also be presented. There will be

recommendations that will serve as guidelines to help owners keep

their businesses running smoothly during a pandemic.

Summary

The overriding purpose of this study was to determine the

status of food micro-businesses in Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara,

Samar, during the pandemic. To accomplish that goal, it became

necessary to reach some prerequisite goals. Determining what food

microbusiness means and how that ideal is connected with the

improvement of the economy assumed a high degree of importance

during the literature review conducted for this dissertation.

Related to that effort, it became necessary to reach an

understanding of the business industries' effect on the economy.

To provide for the possibility that construction could be

perceived and measured as a viable component of these

philosophical constructs, it was important to develop a model

with the potential to encompass the totality of the data that has

been gathered. Once these fundamental steps were achieved, this

research was able to go forward. This chapter reports the

conclusions and recommendations that resulted from this study.

A questionnaire checklist was the instrument used to gather

the important data needed in this study. The researchers used a

random sampling technique to collect 30 food micro-business

owners whose ages ranged from 20 to 65 years old, with a total of

21 females and 9 males. The researchers discovered a significant

relationship between the pandemic and the status of food

microbusinesses. Researchers discovered that the pandemic reduces

the income of 27 percent, or 90%, of respondents' businesses. As

a result, the food micro-businesses in Brgy. During the pandemic,

Dumaloong Gandara and Samar decreased.

Conclusion

The following conclusions were defined from the significant

findings:

1. The researchers found that there were difficulties,

challenges, and disruptions in microbusinesses by the time

the pandemic occurred.

2. According to the findings and data gathered by the

researchers, the pandemic caused microbusinesses to decline

in terms of sales, customers, supply, and capital.

3. The researcher therefore concludes that the status of food

microbusinesses in Brgy. Dumaloong Gandara, Samar, has

decreased during the pandemic.

Recommendation

The following are the recommendations based on the findings

of the study:
1. Since the negative effects of the pandemic on micro-

businesses have been proven, owners of microbusinesses

should incorporate coping measures to minimize the threats

and losses.

2. Implementation of proper financial budgeting in operating a

business should be taken into account by micro-business

owners to continually improve their business.