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EFFECTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

OF WATER REFILLING STATIONS IN SELECTED AREAS OF CAVITE

Thesis Proposal
Submitted to the Faculty of the
College of Economics, Management, and Development Studies
Cavite State University
Indang, Cavite

In partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the degree
Bachelor of Science in Business Management

SUNSHINE M. APURA
SHEREE LOU LUPINA
LORIEDETTE B. DELEÑA
January 2021
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EFFECTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF

WATER REFILLING STATIONS IN SELECTED AREAS OF CAVITE

SUNSHINE M. APURA
SHEREE LOU LUPINA
LORIEDETTE B. DELEÑA

A Thesis proposal submitted to the faculty of the Department of Management,

College of Economics, Management, and Development Studies, Cavite State
University, Indang, Cavite in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Business Management major in Operations Management
with Contribution No. ____________________________. Prepared under the
supervision of Dr. Tita C. Lopez.

INTRODUCTION

Not all water is safe to drink. Water in lakes and rivers can be polluted. It can

have harmful chemicals or germs that cause diseases. Long ago, many people living

in cities got sick or died from drinking dirty water. People still get sick from drinking

polluted water and many poor people still do not have pure drinking water. Scientists

have learned how to clean, or purify, drinking water. With the advent of

modernization, man learned to develop technology on how to produce clean drinking

water. These technologies were introduced and later commercialized and became a

fast-growing industry. The demand at the water refilling stations is now increasing. In

Cavite, a greater number of water refilling stations are now operating with some of

them operate other stations in nearby municipalities. A water refilling business is one

of the most popular ventures for those with little experience as an entrepreneur

because it is simple to operate and has a steady demand (businesscoachphil.com,

n.d.). With the growing competition, these water refilling stations must pay attention

on their marketing strategies since customers are now more concern on health and

safety.
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Safely managed water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services are an

essential part of preventing and protecting human health during infectious disease

outbreaks, including the current COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most cost-effective

strategies for increasing pandemic preparedness, especially in resource-constrained

settings, is investing in core public health infrastructure, including water and

sanitation systems. Good WASH and waste management practices, that are

consistently applied, serve as barriers to human-to-human transmission of the

COVID-19 virus in homes, communities, health care facilities, schools, and other

public spaces. 

Safely managed WASH services are also critical during the recovery phase of

a disease outbreak to mitigate secondary impacts on community livelihoods and

wellbeing. These secondary impacts—which could include disruptions to supply

chains, inability to pay bills, or panic-buying—have negative impacts on the continuity

and quality of water and sanitation services, the ability of affected households to

access and pay for WASH services and products (for instance, soap, point of use

water treatment or menstrual hygiene products) and the ability of schools,

workplaces and other public spaces to maintain effective hygiene protocols when

they re-open. If not managed, secondary impacts can increase the risk of further

spreading water borne diseases, including potential disease outbreaks such as

cholera, particularly where the disease is endemic.

The researchers conducted the study about the operational performance of

Purified water business in Imus and Bacoor Cavite to provide knowledge and

information about the business profile, operational performance, common problems

encountered by the owners in terms of marketing, sales, and product quality during

pandemic; and the business initiatives that will enhance the operational performance

of the business after re-opening.

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Statement of the Problem

The study aims to assess the operational performance of water refilling stations

during Covid-19 pandemic in Imus and Bacoor Cavite.

More specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:

1. What are the socio-demographic profile of water refilling station owners in

selected areas of Cavite:

a. Marital status;

b. Sex and gender;

c. Age;

d. Educational attainment;

2. What is the business profile of water refilling stations in selected areas of

Cavite, in terms of:

a. type of ownership;

b. length of operation; and

c. size of the business.

3. What is the operational performance of water refilling station in selected areas

of Cavite, in terms of:

a. flexibility

b. dependability

c. quality; and

d. speed.

4. What are the effects of Covid 19 Pandemic on operational performance of

Businesses?

5. What are the common problems encountered during pandemic?

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Objectives of the study

The study will be conducted to analyze the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the

operational performance of water refilling stations in selected areas of Cavite.

Specifically, this study aims to:

1. Determine the socio-demographic profile of selected owners of water refilling

stations in selected areas of Cavite:

e. Marital status;

f. Sex and gender;

g. Age;

h. Educational attainment;

2. Determine the business profile of Water refilling station in selected areas of

Cavite, in terms of:

a. Type of ownership.

b. Length of operation; and

c. Size of the business.

3. Determine the operational performance of Water refilling station in selected areas

of Cavite, in terms of:

a. Flexibility.

b. Dependability.

c. Quality; and

d. Speed.

4. What is the effect of Covid 19 Pandemic on operational performance of

Businesses.

5. What is the common problems encountered during pandemic?

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Significance of the Study

The importance of the study aims to know the operational performance of purified

water business during pandemic in Bacoor and Imus Cavite. Moreover, the following

are expected to benefit:

Owners. They will be able to identify the solutions that may aid them to solve the

problems they encounter in the business operations especially during pandemic.

Employees. They will be able to identify the various aspects that promotes

financial stability of their company and find bases on how they can contribute to each

identified aspect.

Future Researchers. Through this study, future researchers will acquire and

discover new things that will be beneficial in their research endeavors. This research

will be an effective tool and reference for the future researchers who will intend to

make any further relevant research particularly the operational performance that may

affect the customer’s perceptions.

Definition of Terms

Bottled water - refers to water that is intended for human consumption and

that Is sealed in bottles or other containers with no added ingredients except that it

may optionally contain safe and suitable anti-microbial agents and may optionally

contain minerals such as, but not limited to fluorides, chlorides, carbonates and

sulfates, including flavoring within limitations established by the bottler's country.

Bottled water may be used as an ingredient in beverages such as, but not limited to,

diluted juices and flavored bottled waters. It does not include those food ingredients

that are declared in ingredient labelling as "water" and or carbonated, disinfected,

filtered, seltzer, soda, sparkling and tonic water.

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Drinking Water- refers to water intended for human consumption or for use

in food preparation.

Water Refilling Stations- refers to the selling for profit either wholesale or

retail of water placed in refillable water containers or in customer’s containers in

refilling stations.

Operational Performance- It is the capacity of the business to fulfill its stated

mission through excellence, dedication, and governance to meet its certain goal and

objectives. It refers to flexibility, dependability, quality, and speed.

Type of Ownership. It is the state of how an individuals or group of

individuals owns a part of the business. The type of ownership could be sole

proprietorship, partnership, and corporation.

Business Profile. It gives information to the readers about the business. It

also refers to the business characteristics of water stations such as (1) type of

ownership, (2) length of operation, and (3) size of the business.

Customer. It is a person that receives, consumes, or buys a product or

service and can choose between different goods and suppliers.

Customer Satisfaction. It is the fulfillment of customer’s feelings provided by

the goods and services they have availed.

Flexibility. It is the ability of the business to be able to respond to the

changes as a certain part of the business environment.

Speed. Speed Measures the time that it takes to create or process one or

more product and measures how quickly the business can deliver the product and

sales quotes.

Quality. It usually measures how well a product conforms to specifications.

Dependability. It is an operational performance objective that measure how

reliable the company is when it comes to timely delivery of product to the customers

in accordance with planned price and costs.

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Length of Operation. It refers to the duration of business operations and

represents the stability of the business.

Management- is the administration of an organization, whether it is a

business, a not-for-profit organization, or government body. Management includes

the activities of setting the strategy of an organization and coordinating the efforts of

its employees or volunteers to accomplish its objectives through the application of

available resources, such as financial, natural, technological, and human resources.

The term "management" may also refer to the people who manage an organization.

Sales performance is a performance metrics used to determine the business

efficacy in terms of sales. It is determined by deducting the monthly income to

expenses.

Strategic location is a plan for obtaining the optimal location for a company

by identifying business/company needs and objectives and searching for locations

with the offerings that are compatible with these needs and objectives.
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Conceptual Framework

1.Determine the
1.Identify and Assess
Business Profile of
the Operational
Water Refilling Station
Performance of Water
terms of: -Type of
Refilling Station in
Ownership -Length of
Selected Areas of
Ownership -Size of the Provide Possible
Cavite.
Business. Recommendation to
2.Recognize the improve the practices
2.Identify the that implemented by
problems in Operating
Operational the Water Refilling
the Water Refilling
Performance of Water Station.
Station and how they
Refilling
follow the health
protocol mandated by
3. Determine the effect
the Government due
and common problems
to COVID 19
encounter during
Pandemic.
pandemic.

Input Process Output

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In this literature review, researchers present selected readings, survey results

and related studies conducted globally and locally to provide further support for this

study.

Type of Ownership

In a business it is important to set up an organization that will be used to

embark on the business journey. Making a decision regarding the type of ownership

is one of the factors needs to be consider in putting-up a business. It is the key first

step in every entrepreneur to identify the common forms in organizing a business

from the simplest to complex way. Thus, type of ownership will have long-term

implications in a business (All Business, n.d.). According to the Up Counsel, (2019), it

is necessary to choose the right structure for your business as the type of the

ownership chosen for the business will have an effect on the organization of the

business, how the business will be taxed, and how the business will be managed or

handled.

There are different types of business ownership or structure that an

entrepreneur must know before you can determine how you want to structure your

desired business. The three main types of ownership these are the (a) Sole

proprietorship, (b) Partnership and (c) Corporations.

According to Kevin Smith, (n.d.) the most basic form of business ownership is

Sole Proprietorship, were there is one sole owner in organizing the business.

According to Up Counsel, (2019) sole proprietorship is a type of business ownership

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which is managed by one person. Majority of small businesses started as sole

proprietorship, which is owned by one person, who has the responsibility of running

the day-to-day operation of the business (All Business, n.d.). Based on Up Counsel,

(2019) this type of ownership is rather easy to form and straight forward. The

government requirements and regulation were not too much. Thus, sole

proprietorship may have limited source of capital/fund, and the only person that is

liable for all the business’ debts and obligation is the owner itself. On the other hand,

the sole proprietor owns all the asset of the business and the profit generated by the

business (All Business, n.d.). Novak (2019) explains that in Sole Proprietorship there

is no separate distinction between the business owner’s personal and professional

assets and liabilities. And this is a good option for someone starting a low risk

business trial basis and no additional taxation.

More people share ownership of a single business (All Business, n.d.).Spence

(2015) explains that partnership has two or more business owners, were the partners

assumes that the risk for the business and their assets may be taken by creditors.

This type of business ownership has two (2) types, the General Partnership and

Limited Partnership.

According to Up Counsel (n.d.), General Partnership is a type of ownership

formed by two (2) or more individuals, and each all of them will operate as business

partners, each one will have personal liability in the event that the partner fails to pay

any form of debts and losses. However, Limited Partnership are created when two (2)

or more individuals come together to form a partnership, in which each partner is

liable only for the certain amount of money each one invested into the business. All

Business (n.d.) stated that partnership should undergo a legal agreement that sets

how decision will be made, and how profit will be shared. Generally, a partnership

has more resources to finance the business. The advantage in this form of ownership

is that the owners share risk and decision making, greater borrowing capacity and

benefits of teamwork (Novak, 2019).

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Another type of business ownership is the Corporation, which is formed by

different business unit. Up Counsel (n.d.) stated that Corporations are viewed as

entirely independent entities from the owners. Furthermore, Corporation has two (2)

different types which are the for-profit and non-profit corporation.

For-profit Corporation is the one that operates to gain profit, while the Non-

profit Corporation is the one that operates to benefit the public, or a certain

population (Up Counsel, n.d.). Setting up a corporation is much difficult; it requires

more capital and resources to cover the expenses and create legal documentation. It

is suited for fast growing organizations.

Length of Operation

According to Arifin, et. al., (2018) length of business operation refers to the

duration of business operations and represents the stability of the business.

Alayunddin (2008) as cited by Arifin, et. al., (2018) mentioned that, in the first three

(3) years of the business operation, the main challenge is to achieve financial

stability. At this point of situation, entrepreneurs were introducing their products and

implementing their ideas for the business. After three (3) years, the situation of the

start-up business could change, when the business had overcome the critical years,

at this point of time, the business owners have gathered a lot of experiences and the

business that they have established is operationally stable.

Size of the Business

The size of the Business is determined by the number of employees a

business have (Blackman, 2016). According to Novak, (2019) while all business

contributes to the same economy, they do so in all different sizes. Classifying the size

of the business should not be overlooked, as it helps correctly measure impact and

success. There are three business size classifications, and these are small business,

mid-market enterprise and large enterprise and each business size classification is

defined by its own set of characteristics.

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A small business is, well, the smallest business size. However, they aren’t

always a group of struggling employees working in a basement. Typically, a small

business has no more than 50 employees, Mid-market enterprises are more

expansive than small businesses, but not quite as big as a large enterprise. They

usually employ no more than 250 employees; large enterprises are few and far

between. However, due to their size and industry domination, they usually employ

over or equal to 250 employees (Brussels economy and employment, n.d.).

Operational performance

According to Stoner (1999), Operations refer to the process of transforming

the inputs such as Materials, Labor, money, equipment and so on in order to produce

specific output which is the goods and services. Operations are the functions needed

to keep the business producing and delivering (Cevich, 1997). The success of the

business can be determined by its operational performance. According to Lebas,

(1995) as cited by Kamau, (2014) performance is the ability to do and accomplish a

certain task. Hamed, (2017) explains that performance is an output from processes,

products and service that permit evaluation and comparison relative to goals,

standards, past results, and other organizations. Performance is expressed on two

forms either in financial or non-financial terms. The financial measure of

performance was described as a traditional way of measuring a company’s

performance through financial measures such as return on sale, net profit, return on

investment and cash flow. The non-financial performances are quantitative measures

that cannot be express through monetary units.

Hence, Operational performance is described as the backbone of the

business performance (Salem, 2003). Operational Performance is the capacity of the

business to fulfil its stated mission through excellence, dedication, and governance to

meet its certain goal and objectives. Furthermore, operational performance can

measure as of how well a business use its asset on the production and generates
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revenue over a given period of time. On the other hand, operational performance is

the performance of an organization according to its set standard (O’Brien, 2009).

To have an accurate assessment and evaluation of operational performance,

the approach of the measurement for the operational performance should be correct,

and well maintained by the management of the particular process. A systematic

performance measurement should be in place to be able to achieve operational

excellence (Moulin, 2012). Hamed, (2017) also perceives operational performance

refers to the Flexibility, Dependability, quality, and speed. In this study, these

variables will be used to measure the operational performance of water stations,

which is the same variables used in research study of Kamau, Saumu Muthoni

(2016), about performance measurement practices and operational performance.

Sales Performance

Sales are the lifeblood of the company. Salespeople should know what the customer

and prospects want and expect from the company and form the sales force. Common

sales performance metrics include total sales revenues, number of sales, average

order value, repeat sales, sales for year-to-date, and so on. These metrics on their

own only provide part of the story however, and as a business owner you need to be

able to understand what the metrics actually represent and how they are affecting

your overall business performance (Miller, 2009). According to Bearden et al. (1995)

(as cited by Limpiada (2010)), standards by which performance and competitiveness

are assessed usually relate to quantitative outcomes or quotas, such as total sales

volume, gross margin, market share, number of new accounts added and accounts

retained. It also strengthened the study of Crizaldo (2010) and Limpiada (2010), as

they based the performance and competitiveness of handicraft business and brand

new and surplus appliance store by targeting the monthly quotas. Sales force

surveys and gathers sales force’s collective knowledge and experiences about

customers and about the support, information, tools, training, and other resources the

salespeople need to boost sales significantly. (Howard Deutch, November 20, 2009)
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Location and Layout

One of the largest expenses of business is the cost of rent. As stated in

smallbizviewpoints.com (2013), with the yearly increasing of cost of rent many store

owners maximize the use of the floor size to increase the productivity and as well as

to increase the business income. It supports the study of Fernandez (1998) as cited

of Bernardo (2012) which stated that, as the farmers have smaller farm area or size,

there is the tendency for the farmers to cultivate the land in more intensive manner

so that farm can be increased as well as it can increase the income of the farmers.

The physical characteristics of the workplace and the productivity of the employees

are positively correlated. The productivity of employees can be improved through the

efficient and effective organization of teams and by supporting the emotional well-

being of the employees using rewards and creating a sense of security and

belonging (Best, Langston & De Valence, 2003). Business owners should ensure that

the building and work environment comply with the standards of health, safety, and

welfare by providing adequate workplace facilities. A combination 13 of motivated

employees and increased productivity may ultimately enhance business performance

(Booty, 2009). Inflation rates affect the rent paid by tenants and the income received

by landlords. When vacancy rates are low, landlords have the power to charge higher

rental rates with increasing inflation; however, when vacancy rates are high, the

negotiating power switches to tenants, who then have the ability to choose cheaper

alternatives, regardless of inflation rates. In general, the price of products and

services increases as the inflation rate increases, and thereby diminishes

consumers‟ purchasing power. This reduces the demand for products and services

resulting in lower revenues for business owners, according to Hartzell & Webb (1993)

as cited by Ebazaar (2008). Bosch et al. (2011) describe the interest rate as the cost
 15

of money expressed as a percentage. The demand for and supply of money in the

market determines the level of the interest rate at a given period. Changes in interest

rates, such as the repo rate and the prime lending rate, influence the costs related to

purchasing or leasing a property. An increase in interest rates makes purchasing a

property more expensive for business owners as the cost associated with a mortgage

bond will be higher than the cost of renting said by Kernohan (2010).

Business Profile

According to Succeed Group (2017), business profile gives information to the

readers about the business, such as the name of the business, business history,

product or service offerings, location of the business, and expertise. Ottow, (2016)

stated that business profile is a quick look into a business/company, that enables

different groups of people to know the basic information and get the general idea

about the business. A good business profile should demonstrate how effective a

company is at meeting customer’s needs (Ottow, 2016). In this research study, the

researchers will only determine some items about the business profile of the water

stations which includes (a) type of ownership, (b) Length of operation, (c) Size of the

Business.

Flexibility

A flexible organization will be able to respond to the changes as a certain part

of the business environment, the business will create a way to discover something

that works more efficiently than what already exist (La Marco, 2018). In a

contemporary world, small business must be flexible if your too rigid, then the

business possibly fail. Business organization must change constantly in adaption to

the changes in the environment (Soffer, n.d.). Flexible operations are operations that

pertain to configuring a product line to deal with various requirements and to easily

adjust this product lines to new requirements. Flexibility lies to the speed of
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production were a business should be able to produce various quality of a product

while also adapting to the operations to adequately suit different market conditions

(Planet Together, 2019).

Ibarondo and Mercader, (n.d.) stated that the traditional way of the business

organization to be flexible is by increasing its capacity and using the stored products

to comply with the demand variations. They also explained that most of the greater

problem of the enterprises is the ability to provide the offered product or services on

time, with the effective fulfilment required by its customer (Ibarondo and Mercader,

n.d.)

According to Prasal, (n.d.) there are types of flexibility. These are the

product/service flexibility, mix flexibility, volume flexibility, and delivery flexibility. The

different types of flexibility allow an operation to fit its product/services to its customer

in same way. Mix flexibility allows an operation to produce a wide variety of products

and services for its customer to choose from. Product/services flexibility allows

developing and enhancing the product or generating new ideas that the customer

might find it attractive. Volume and delivery flexibility allow the operation to adjust its

output levels and its delivery procedures in order to cope with unexpected changes.

The internal affects associated with this performance objective, the three most

important are namely flexibility speeds up response, flexibility saves time, and

flexibility helps maintain dependability. Flexibility in this study will be measured by

volume flexibility. According to Wagner, et. al., (2011) volume flexibility is the

capability of the business to react to the changes in the volume of the products, or

the ability to change the product volume.

Dependability

It is an operational performance objective that measure how reliable the

company is when it comes to timely delivery of product to the customers in

accordance with planned price and costs (Planet Together, 2019). It also has a big

effect externally and internally in the business. Dependability is generally regarded by

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customers as a good thing. Certainly, being late with the delivery of products and

services can irritate the customers. Internal dependability has an effect on cost in

three ways- by saving time (and therefore money), by saving money directly and by

giving an organization the stability which allows it to improve its efficiencies (Prasal,

n.d.). Dependability in this study will be measured by reliability and stability.

Quality of Product

Quality usually measures how well a product conforms to specifications.

Having a desirable product that is reliable, durable, can easily be serviced, performs

well, and the customers believed in it is a substantial component within the objectives

of performance (Planet Together, 2019). This brings in more revenue in the

organization (Prasal, n.d.). Quality in this research study will be measured by

Customer perspective, User perspective, and Customer satisfaction.

The customers perceived quality in terms of how serious defects affect

customer (Sustainable Software LLC, n.d.). The perception of quality by the

customer revolves around the customers reported defects (CFD) regarding the

product, rather than the other aspect of quality, such as whether the product does

what the customer expected. Customer perspective of quality measures considers

the organization’s performance through the eyes of its customers, so that the

organization retains a careful focus on customer needs and satisfaction.

According to Smith, (2014) customer satisfaction about the quality is difficult

to measure due to customer’s unique preferences and other several reasons.

Furthermore, there are different ways to measure customer satisfaction that the

management of the business must do. One of the ways is to survey customer; it is a

probable way of getting customer feedback about the quality of the product or service

that a business is offering. However, the management should understand customer’s

expectation about the quality. Understanding the customer, the customer’s

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expectation will enable the management to provide what the customers really wants

and satisfy their expectation.

Speed

Speed Measures the time that it takes to create or process one or more

product and measures how quickly the business can deliver the product and sales

quotes. (Planet Together, 2019). Speed is also important in inventory replenishment

thus, choosing a supplier with shorter lead time provides significant advantage for the

quicker stock replenishment of basic products as well as seasonal products.

(Hartman et. al., 2001).

According to All About Lean, (2015) the speed of production of a business is

a key aspect of the way of creating the product and controlling it is necessary for the

success of the business. According to Prasal, (n.d.), externally speed is important

because it helps to respond quickly to the consumers. Sometimes it charges higher

price when the service is fast. The effects of speed have much to do with cost

reduction.

Effects of Covid 19 in Business

The contemporary world has been challenged by unprecedented disease

outbreaks (Chew et al. 2004; Lin et al. 2020; Nigmatulina and Larson 2009), with

significant negatively effects on the society as a whole, but also on the efficiency of

operations and supply chain (SC) management (OSCM) business models. Such

disruptive impacts frequently yield the ripple effects (Ivanov 2020a; Ivanov et

al. 2018; Pavlov et al. 2019b). While SCs across the globe have been already

suffering from epidemics and pandemic, they have recently been seriously hit by an

unprecedented, far-reaching disruptive epidemic outbreak, namely COVID-19

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(Boccaletti et al. 2020), which is considered as a new type of extremely contagious

coronavirus, with destructive impacts (Choi 2020; Ivanov 2020a; Ivanov and

Dolgui 2020b).

In response to COVID-19, cities and states have curbed educational and business

operations under penalty of citations, fines, and loss of licenses. Almost all states

have closed or limited operation of bars, restaurants, theaters, gyms, shopping malls,

and other settings. More than half of states have closed all nonessential businesses,

with exceptions for health care, first responders, the food and agriculture sector, and

other needs.

States and localities historically have exercised broad authority over business

operations to protect the public’s health, including licensure, nuisance abatement,

and closures.

Chapter III
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METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the research method used in the study, the

procedures employed in the administration of the method, the research instrument

and statistical treatment of data. It also presents the respondents and the sampling

procedure used in their selection.

Research Design

The researchers will use the descriptive analytical method of research for this

is the most appropriate means of evaluating the operational performance of spa

services and establishments.

According to Calderon (1993), descriptive analytical method of research as

certain to prevailing conditions affecting a given group. Hence, this study calls for this

method. It is a study component to serve a direction in reaching a goal. They pointed

out that the descriptive methods tell “what is” that which leads to a scientific

information. Calderon further described it as a fact-finding with adequate

interpretation usually beyond fact-finding. The descriptive method of research

involves as a certain data gathering process on prevailing conditions and practice or

descriptions of objects, process, or person as they exist for about a certain

educational phenomenon, predicting for identifying relationships of the variable

described.

The researchers will make a quantitative analysis in identifying the status of

the participants regarding their level of awareness about spa establishments and

services.
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Time and Place of the Study

The thesis proposal will be conducted in selected water refilling stations in

selected areas of Cavite specifically in the cities of Imus and Bacoor from September

2020 to January 2021.

Participants of the Study

This study aims to assess the operational performance of water refilling

stations in the cities of Imus and Bacoor. The respondents of this study will be the

owners/managers of water refilling stations who invested, organized, put up and

managed the business.

Thus, the researchers will consider the personnel-in-charge or any available

staff of the water refilling station, who already have played the role as manager.

Using the total enumeration, the water refilling stations will be the sample size

subject for data gathering of this research study. Moreover, the researchers will

choose ten (10) water refilling stations form the remaining fourteen (14) areas of

Cavite that has the total of forty-two (42) unselected water refilling stations, for the

pre-test.
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Table 1. Distribution of respondents by the top five areas with the most population of

Water refilling stations in Cavite.

___________________________________________________________________

MUNICIPALITY TOTAL NUMBERS OF WATER STATIONS

___________________________________________________________________

Bacoor 312

Silang 109

Tagaytay 25

Cavite City 41

Alfonso 31

Dasmarinas 310

General Trias 108

Trece Martires 44

Imus 474

Indang 24

Amadeo 16
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Naic 63

Kawit 60

Mendez 21

Tanza 3

Bailen 7

Ternate 6

Carmona 50

Maragondon 13

Rosario 50

GMA 44

______________________________________________________________

Total 1953

Sampling Technique

The method that will be used in this study is Convenience sampling due to

closing of some water refilling station and to follow the health protocol mandated by

the government because of Covid-19 pandemic. Due to this issue, the researchers

will be using the internet as their means of communication with the participants to

ensure that no physical contact will be made.

Sources of Data

This study will be using primary data. The questionnaires will be sent and

obtain from emails, Google survey forms and video chats (if possible). The

researchers will also gather data from different books, internet, and related studies of

water refilling stations in Cavite.

 24

Data Gathering Procedure

In order for the researcher to collect the relevant information they needed for

the study, first they prepared a letter and sent it via email to the Department of Trade

Industry in Trece Martires, Cavite to get the list and identify the target population

which are the registered purified water refilling stations in the municipalities.

In conducting the survey, the researchers will look for a survey form that they

can use. They will submit a letter wherein they are requesting permission to hand out

the questionnaires to the respondents. The draft of the questionnaire will be

inspected, evaluated, and validated by a professional and a grammarian.

The contents of the questionnaire are simple and clear to avoid

misinterpretation wherein the respondents could easily understand what is being said

and asked in the questionnaire. The researchers will distribute the online survey

forms to their target respondents through online platforms and they will be given time

to answer the questions. After the distribution and collection of online survey forms,

the researchers will gather all the information, tabulate and interpret the gathered

data.

Table 1. Stages and Phases for Data Gathering Procedure

Preparation Stage Phase 1: Providing a letter

Phase 2: Choosing Participants

Stage 2.1: Choosing administrator for the study

Phase 3: Development and Questionnaire

Stage 3.1: Validity of the instrument

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Stage 3.2: Test-Retest for Reliability

Administration Stage

Phase 4: Survey

Phase 5: Data Analysis

First stage consists of three (3) phases: The first is creating and providing a

letter to be submitted to the selected Water Refilling Stations in Cavite that delimits

this study. Next phase is the choosing of the participants for the survey. On this

phase, the researcher’s choses the owner and employee of water refilling stations as

the participants of the study. The last phase of the stage is providing a questionnaire

for the survey. The researchers will then test the validity and reliability of the

instrument.

The next stage consists of two (2) phases: The first is the survey. On this

phase, the participants of the study will be gathered. The next phase is the data

analysis. This phase is done to test the operational performance.

Data Analysis

The data gathered from the survey will be tallied and organized into frequency

tables and will be analyze descriptively. These procedures allowed easy

interpretation of findings.
 26

In the survey questionnaire, participants will be asked about their level of

perception on the operational performance of the Water Refilling stations. The

indicators to be used in assessing their level of competencies would be as follows:

Score Interpretation Scale

4 Strongly Agree 3.25 – 4.00

3 Agree 2.50 – 3.24

2 Neutral 1.75 – 2.49

1 Not Agree 1.00 – 1.74

Interpretation

Strongly agree. The participant strongly agreed that they have an extremely high

level of agree.

Aware. The participant agreed that they have a high level of agree.

Neutral. The participant has average level of agree.

Not aware. The participant has low level of agree.

Statistical Treatment of Data

For preliminary statistical treatment, the researcher used weighted mean.

This was used to measure the respondents’ assessment. It was computed by

multiplying the value in the groups by appropriate weight factors and the products

were summed up and divided by the total number of respondents. This was used to

answer the specific problems of this study.

The formula for weighted mean is shown below:

X = F(1)+ F(2)+ F(3)+ F(4)+ F(5)

Where:
 27

X= Weighted Mean

F= Weight of each item

N= the total number of respondents

The data were interpreted using the Five-Point Likert Scale as the criteria. It

served as the basis for the interpretation of the data.

The concept boundary of role was used as well as the options, to wit:

Scale Ratings Description Interpretation

Strongly When the item described by the

5 4.50-5.00 Agree statement is true

When the item described by the

4 3.50-4.49 Agree statement is frequently true.

When the item described by the

3 2.50-3.49 Neutral statement is neutral.

When the item described by the

2 1.50-2.49 Disagree statement is not true all the time.

Strongly When the item described by the

1 1.0-1.49 Disagree statement rarely true.

Table 3.1 Five-Point Likert Scale

Hypothesis

Ho: The operational performance of Purified Water Refilling Stations Imus and

Bacoor Cavite is affected by its marketing, sales, and product quality aspects.
 28

Scope and limitation

The researcher will focus on determining the operational performance of

purified water business/ refilling stations in the Municipality of Imus and Bacoor

Cavite basically, it will determine the profile of the business entities, the operational

performance of Purified Water Business/ Refilling Station in terms of marketing,

management, technical and financial aspect, the problems encountered by the

owners and the business performance initiatives that helped them enhance the

operational performance of their business. The study was conducted from Oct. 2020

to February 2020.

A total of 1,953 registered water refilling stations are listed in the whole Cavite

area based on the records provided by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The record also shows that the municipalities of Imus and Bacoor has the highest

number of registered water stations among all other municipalities – 473 and 428

registered water stations, respectively. Therefore, the researchers will conduct the

study in these areas to obtain more information. The data will be obtaining through

questionnaires and interviews through online platforms like emails, video chats and

Google forms. The data that will be used in the study will be limited to what the

participants will provide and later will be analyzed by the researcher.

The researcher will conduct

 29

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