Thesis (Master in Management) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, April 2018

Capture fisheries production is observed to be declining in the past years, while the demand for fish consumption is constantly increasing. This issue has paved its way for the acquaculture sector to answer the increasing demand for fish. Aquaculture has been one of the fast-growing food-producing sectors in the world accounting to 50% of world fish. In the Philippines, it has reached a point where it is vital to food security and beneficial to the economy. One of the most promising product in acquaculture is the production of catfish. Catfish production in the Philippines has been continuously growing even if it is a relatively new industry in the country. In fact, the production of catfish has been a success for a barangay in Davao City where it has been a consistent major contributor in the production of catfish in the city. Los Amigos Aquaculture Producers Organization (LAACPO), Inc. plays a vital role in the success of the catfish industry. It has founded in 2004 to address the excessive production of catfish with a very low demand. The organization was very successful in launching the first Pantatan Festival in the same year. As a result, the consumption of catfish has been known in the city. However, LAACPO, Inc. and its members are facing some issues and challenges due to external factors most especially the extreme changes weather conditions, the presence of predatory species, and flooding. Aside from these environmental threats, the organization also has its own deal of challenges internally most especially the poor financial management and performance, lack of member engagement, and the absence of organizational goals. A strategic management process conceptual framework modified in the context of sustainable livelihoods was devised to guide the strategic plan for LAACPO. It combined the framework developed by Hahn (2012) and Archaeological and Sustainable Rural Livelihood Framework (ASRLF) developed by Addinsall, et al. (2015) in order to fit in the discussion of acquaculture and sustainable livelihoods. The frameworks follow the ASRLF as the basis for the analysis where it begins with the evaluation of the internal assets: (1) the natural capital, (2) operations, (3) organization and human resources, (4) marketing, and (5) financial asset. These assets were summarized into strengths and weaknesses and evaluated through the Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) matrix. After the analysis on the internal environment, the second stage is the analysis on the external environment where the proponent examined the external factors that affect the organization, the industry structure, the supply chain of the industry, and the livelihood outcomes. These factors are then summarized to opportunities and threats were evaluated the External Factor Evaluation (EFE) matrix. The organizational goals were also considered in the formulation of strategies. After the analysis of the internal and external environment, alternative strategies were presented. The strategies were generated through matching the organization?s strengths and weaknesses to its opportunities and threats (SWOT). A strategic position and action evaluation (SPACE) was also used to examine the surrounding issues. To pick out the best strategy, a quantitative strategic matric (QSPM) was used. From the results of the SWOT, SPACE, and QSPM, the proponent picked out the growth strategies where it focuses on improving the business processes, develop new products and market, and initiate a strategic alliance with other stakeholders. These strategies are implemented in order to answer the raised issues of the organization.