11

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE / SYSTEMS

The researcher presents relevant theories, related literatures and studies that are

essential to this research. Conceptual framework, and definition of terms are also

discussed in this chapter.

Relevant Theories

There are several theories in the industry of software development and web design

that are indispensable in every research today. This section is going to discuss relevant

theories which the researcher believes is deemed relevant and vital to this study. These

theories are Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Unified Theory of Acceptance and

Use of Technology (UTAUT), Gestalt Theory and File Organization Theory.

Technology Acceptance Model Theory by Fred Davis (1985). This is a theory

of Information Systems that assesses how users accept the use of new technology. With

the use of this theory, the factors that may affect the decision of how and when to use the

system can be described. According to Chuttur (2017) user acceptance of technology has

been an important field of study for almost two decades now and this theory has captured

greatest attentions of the Information Systems community. It is proposed by Davis in

1985 in his Doctoral thesis at the MIT Sloan School of management. Davis proposed that

the system use is an effect that may be predicted by the user’s motivation in using it

which in turn is directly influenced by external factors consisting of the system’s features

and capabilities. Davis hypothesized that the major factor of whether the user will use or
 12

refuse the system is the user’s attitude toward using the system and this attitude can be

influenced by these two major beliefs: Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of

Use (PEOU). He defined PU as the level of an individual believes that using the system

will leverage a person’s job performance and PEOU as the level to which a person

perceived that using the system can be used conveniently. These two beliefs are

rationalized by the argument “the less effort it is required to use a technology, the more

useful a technology is.” First, people may use or refuse the system based on the extent

that the user believes it can help in their job performance. Second, even if the system is

said to be useful and at the same time it is hard to use that the benefits of using the system

outweighs the effort of using the system. Thus, the easier it is to use the system, the less

effort is needed to operate it, in line with these, an employee can put more effort in other

activities that can contribute to overall job performance.

This model was considered in developing a web-based management system for

BulSU Office of Student Organizations in order to motivate the administrator and staffs

to use the system as a tool for every day transactions. The researcher believes that this

system will diminish the effort of performing transactions in the office while producing

accurate and better results.

Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) by

(Vankatesh, Morris, Davis and Davis, 2003). Many theoretical models have been

proposed to explain the degree of acceptance of a new Information System and the

newest among them is the UTAUT by Venkatesh et al.,(2003) which has been tried and

tested in different systems. As the name implies, this theory was developed through the
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consolidation of different models used in research in determining information systems

usage behavior.

According to AlQudah (2014), UTAUT typically answers one of the most critical

questions in using new technology which is “What are the user’s attitudes toward

accepting ICT solution?” No matter how abundant the available materials and support is,

there is a concern on the level of preparedness of the users of the system to integrate the

available technology that may lead to a better job performance. UTAUT is composed of

four main concepts: Performance Expectancy (PE) which deals with the degree to which

the user thinks that using the system will improve their job performance. Next is Effort

Expectancy (EE) which deals with the level of ease in using the system. Third is social

influence (SS) which is concerned on the degree of an individual to be aware about the

opinion of others whether to use or decline the system. The fourth concept is the

Facilitating Conditions (FC) which has something to do with which a person believes that

an infrastructure exists that signifies the support and use of the system.

The researcher believed that by developing a web-based management system for

BulSU Office of Student Organizations, the staff will be able to accept and interact with

the system as a new tool in improving everyday transactions. The system will provide

convenience in information dissemination and most of all the acquisition and submission

of documents will be more accessible.

Gestalt Theory by Max Wertheimer. Rutherford (2016) mentioned that “Gestalt

theory is the fundamental basis of all visual designs.” Gestalt, a German word is defined

as a configuration of elements unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a

sum of its parts, he also stated that Gestalt means an individual can see groups of
 14

interlacing parts and not as individual links in a chain but the chain itself, like a person

don’t see vast number of trees, but a forest, not even millions of sands, but a beach.

Gestalt design emphasizes that the human brain interprets imagery and it must be

the fundamental assumption of every visual designer’s pedagogy. The concept of Gestalt

can be divided into seven categories: Symmetry and Order which refers to objects that are

absolutely balanced, reflected exactly on opposite sides. The next concept is Simplicity

which basically means simple. The simpler an image is, the more it captivates a human

eye. Simplicity is the trend these days in the form of minimalist design. Next is Similarity

which is a method of creating connections by organizing things in equal parts. Another

concept of Gestalt Theory is Proximity which is placing objects near to one another that

will be perceived as belonging together as a unit. It states that placing objects near to

each other can be automatically grouped in a person’s mind. Next is Continuity which

deals with the eye’s tendency to follow a path and predicting that a line will continue to a

direction beyond what is seen. Continuity is a state of being uninterrupted which can

guide the user’s attention on the area which the designer desires to emphasize. Next is

Figure and Ground which deals with the unclearness by virtue of having two meanings.

Lastly, the Closure concept which is a tendency to perceive incomplete objects as

complete. The mind can fill the gaps and recognize it as closed objects (Rutherford,

2016).

The researcher believes that by adapting this principle, the front-end of the web-

based management system for BulSU OSO will captivate the user’s attention and

eventually lead to using the entire system features. Through the categories of Gestalt

principle, the researcher will be able to formulate an appropriate design for the system.
 15

Data Management: File Organization Theory. Malinowski (2016) stated that

first person to share your data is yourself. When thesis documents are completed and the

researcher get back to it after five years, can the researcher still use or remember it by

relying on it’s file name? Can someone still understand data files and use it accordingly?

File organization theory included key principles of file organization which are spending a

little time in naming file can save a lot of time later on. Next is be realistic which refers to

strike a balance between doing too much and too little. Another one is there’s no single

right way to organize files, establish a suitable system that works. Finally, think about

who are the person does the system needs to work for, is it a single person, a lab group or

collaborators. The 5C’s of file organization must be clear, concise, consistent, corrent and

conformant it comprises the file structures, naming and versioning.

File structures refers to where to put the data so that it can be located easily. It can

be heirarchical, tagbased and hybrid. Heirarchical is a method in organizing files inside

folders and subfolders. Malinowski listed some drawbacks of heirarchical method which

are hard to set up, challenging to get the balance between breadth and depth, items are

located in a single place, and the files are time consuming to reorganize. Best practices

are to avoid overlapping categories and don’t get folders get too big or composed of huge

amount of files and do not let the structure of the folder get too deep that will take a

number of clicks to get into a document. Next method is the tag-based method wherein

each item is assigned to one or more tags. The benefits of this method are items can go in

multiple categories, easy to setup and when collaborating, it is easier to identify than

heirarchical method. In assigning tags, drawbacks is if the item isn’t tagged properly in

the beginning, it can be hard to find, it can also increase the risk of inconsistency in
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naming and less good at representing the strucure of information. Hybrid is the

combination of the two methods, heirarchical and tag-based.

The researcher chooses to name the files stored in the system in a hybrid method

and will be structured consistently. Types of data and file formats will be defined

properly with important contextual information. Files to be uploaded by the administrator

and submitted by the organization leaders will be organized by meaningful categories and

naming conventions as well as the numbering of versions. File names will be clear,

concise, consistent, correct and conformant. The researcher believes that by following the

5C’s in file organization will help the BulSU – OSO in organizing the documents

submitted by different organizations. As a result, the files will be organized and will be

maximized to it’s full usability.

Related Literature

This study presented literatures to deepen the understanding and serve as the basis

for the researcher’s approach in developing a system that will improve the transaction

management of BulSU OSO through a web-based management system.

Management System of Office of Student Organizations. Office of Student

Organizations plays a vital role in the support of all student organizations, this office

provides assistance, counseling and guidance from the inception up to the office

recognition of the organization. The Office of Student Organizations was managed by the

coordinator of Student Organizations and a graduate assistant and was supervised by the

Director of Finance and Personnel for the Department of Student Life. (Award Title

Student Organization System, 2017). This information was based on the Office of
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Student Organizations of University of South Carolina which stresses the relevance and

importance of participation on campus activities. There are over three hundred eighty

(380) registered student organizations in the said university that offers thousands of

opportunities to participate in co – curricular activities. These organizations were

managed by hundreds of faculty and staff members.

Office of Student Organizations handles complex tasks of collecting student

organization recognition requests, managing renewal process of student organizations,

assessment and budget submissions. Management System of Office of Student

Organizations provides communication to the faculty advisors. Vital information that

office collects were the name, organization type, description, web page address, election

date for officers, collection of dues, attendance at mandatory renewal workshops, number

of active members, affiliations, fund number, meeting times and locations, advisor

appointment and advisor confirmation.

Historical Data must also be provided which is useful for analysis and decision

making. Submission of documents of authorized student organizations representatives

such as constitution and other transactional requirements. Budget requests for student

activity fee allocations were also being catered by the office in case the organization

needs fund for food, transportation, lodging, honorarium and contractual services to

successfully perform an activity.

Likewise, the Office of Student Organizations practices the same management

system such as application for a new student organization, renewal of commitment of

currently recognized student organizations, consultation to faculty advisors. These

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transactions were integrated as functional requirements of the web – based transaction

management system.

Legal Basis, Rules and Policies in Managing Student’s Activities. In the

Philippines, the government gave Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) the academic

freedom to include off – campus activities of students in order to promote quality of

learning outside the four corners of the classroom. These activities include student

development activities, non – curricular activities such as mission – based, immersion or

reach out programs, conventions conferences, trainings, volunteer work, interschool

competitions, cultural performances and team development activities and educational

tours or field trips. According to Section 3 of the CHED Memorandum Order No. 63

Series of 2017 (CMO No. 63) it is the obligation of the HEIs to adopt mechanisms for

safely and welfare of all participants to the off – campus activities and observe due

diligence and strict adherence stipulated in CMO No. 63.

HEIs are also expected to issue guidelines concerning partnership with the

different departments in the Philippine Government such as Land Transportation

Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department

of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and

League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP). It is the obligation of the mentioned

government agencies to provide necessary services and assistance relative to the off –

campus activities as stated in the Section 10 of CMO No. 63.

It is also emphasized in the set of policies and guidelines in conducting off –

campus activities stated in the Section 5 of CMO No. 63 that the activity to be conducted
 19

must be a part of the approved curriculum of the HEIs. The activity must be necessary to

attain relevant knowledge, skills and values of the concerned students. HEIs must

formulate mechanisms to exercise safety and welfare of the students and personnel

involved in the activities and implement parallel activities to those students who cannot

participate in the activity which produces the same knowledge as acquired in the missed

off – campus activities.

Responsibilities and obligations of the HEIs were to design and determine and

approve activities relevant to the curriculum requirement, adopt policies in order to

comply with the requirements stated in CMO No. 63, designate person – in – charge

(PIC) to lead an activity. Implement a ratio of 1:35-50 PIC – student ratio for a particular

off – campus activity to ensure a close monitoring of participants. HEIs must also secure

the safety of students in terms of mobility by ensuring the registration, insurance

coverage, driver’s license and assurance of roadworthiness of the vehicle owned by the

HEIs. In case the activity requires to rent a third party of sub-contracting vehicle, valid

franchise with LTFRB or travel and tour operator accredited by DOT must be submitted.

HEIs must give considerations to the learners with special need or Persons with

Disabilities (PWDs).

The researcher focused in the acquisition of documents that ensure the relevance

of the student off – campus activities like CHED Endorsements to make sure that the

activity to be conducted is being supported by CHED. Moreover, the safety and security

of student must be taken serious actions and monitoring by providing necessary

documents to ensure the roadworthiness of the vehicle. Medical clearance must also be

submitted to implement considerations regarding the medical condition of the students as

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well as to determine if the student is fit to participate in a particular event. A notarized

parent consent letter must be submitted incase the activity venue is outside Bulacan.

These documents were integrated in the web – based transaction management system as a

requirement to propose an activity.

Web – Based Transaction Management for Office of Student Organizations

Functional Requirements and Benefits. To acquire the meaning of a web-based

management system, the researcher opts to discuss about the management system first. A

management system is the outline of an organization’s policies, processes and procedures

to guarantee that it can accomplish the required tasks in order to meet the organization’s

objectives. As stated in (Management System Standards, 2017) management system is

the process where the organization manages the related portions of the business to attain

its objectives. These objectives can be products or different services offered by an

organization, activities lead by the management, safety of the members, efficiency of

operations and the like. When talking about IT systems management in computer

definition, it is the leadership and control made up of people interacting with another

people or machines together to set the goals and objectives, outline strategies and develop

the plans and schedules necessary to run an organization. The relationship between

systems discusses the usage of a database to define data structures important in the

organization. Application programs are used in data entry, updating existing records,

queries for selecting and searching certain information and reporting for important

decision making. Procedures defines the data flow, altogether is called information

system.
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It is clear that a management system is a set of guidelines used by an organization

to meet its objectives and a system that will cater the organization’s necessary

information is called an information system and once it is being accessed over the

internet using a web browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari etc.) it

can be referred to as web-based. The user doesn’t need to set up any compact discs,

download necessary software or updates. Every data inputted in a web-based system will

be stored in one place over the web and is safe and secured because it is password

protected. In using web-based system, there is no need to ask if it is compatible since the

user is free to use any web browser available. Anyone that is trusted by the administrator

or has an account on the web-based system can gain access to latest information and most

importantly, the system can be accessed anywhere, from home, work or even on the road

provided that there is an internet connection.

The researcher believes that by using a web-based management system for BulSU

OSO, the staffs will be able to spend less time in paper works and more time with the

needs of the student organizations. Thus, everyone deserves convenience in everyday

tasks while aiming to achieve the organization’s objectives.

Development of a Web-based Management System. Developing a web-based

management system for an organization is an innovative way on hastening transactions of

an office indispensable for everyday progress. Conventional way of entertaining queries,

disseminating information and submission of requirements for approval are done

manually and as everyone sees it, it can still be done successfully without any hassle. In

contrary, nowadays where bulk of workloads, papers, overlapping tasks occur in an

organization where extra effort and money is involved, timely management is a must,
 22

quick and accurate response is necessary. Thus, every office must adapt to the changing

needs of the society by not only settling with mediocre process. To provide a storage for

the data to be inputted in the web-based management system the researcher will make use

of MY Structured Query Language (MYSQL) database which is a free relational database

management system constructed using Structured Query Language (SQL) commands.

This database runs virtually on all platform that prevents the issue in incompatibility.

In developing an application program to be used in inserting data, updating

existing records and queries for selecting information, open source or free scripting

languages are already available. This is the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) which

is a markup language used to create web pages. In HTML, the elements that will be

displayed is represented as tags and the browsers such as (Chrome, IE, Firefox, Safari)

are used to read HTML documents. This markup language is used together with other

scripting languages to describe the appearance and behavior of a web page.

Next is the Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) that will be embedded in an HTML

document to incorporate style and arrangement of elements. By using CSS the researcher

can save a lot of work because it can manage multiple pages all at once. For the client-

side behavior of the webpage, JavaScript will be used to develop and interactive user

interface of the system. JavaScript is a high level, dynamic programming language used

alongside HTML and CSS to make webpages interactive. Almost all of the websites

employ JavaScript and modern web browsers support it.

To provide connection between the web-pages and the data stored in the database,

Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) will be utilized as the object-oriented scripting language.

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PHP was created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994. It is an open source scripting language that

can be used to develop webpages. According to the PHP manual, this scripting

language’s goal is to allow programmers to develop dynamic web pages quickly. This

scripting language can gather data from forms, save the data to a database or another file,

send data via e-mail, and return manipulated data to the user. PHP can access data storage

like databases and create a Web interface for creating, retrieving, updating and deleting

data within the database.

Log-in credentials require passwords that must be hidden to the eye of other users

of the system and PHP is capable to encrypt data which can be used specially on

passwords to cipher a given confidential information. Lastly, PHP can use object-oriented

programming approach to make the codes reusable and easy to maintain.

Report generation using Portable Document Format (PDF) file is a great solution

to provide digital documents in a web-based application. Every system aims to accept

data from the user and process it in a way that will be a great help to solve problems in an

organization. Making use of PHP scripting language can generate PDF files such as the

Free PDF (FPDF) class. FPDF is the first open source script in producing PDF

documents. The researcher will utilize it since it offers a great documentation with a lot

of useful codes, examples and tutorials.

Dynamic Content Management System Usefulness, Pitfalls and Misconceptions.

Churchville (2017), states that content management system (CMS) is an electronic

application having a number of related programs that is used as a tool to insert, update,

delete and manage electronic contents. These contents include images, documents like
 24

PowerPoint presentations and pdf, blog posts, comments, audio files etc. A CMS must

offer search and retrieval of information stored in the database and allows the user to

modify contents after initial publication. CMS also allows individuals to use a template

which is approved by the organization. Besides, this system will be used by individuals

without technical training so it must be uncomplicated wherein the user can easily add,

delete and update contents in the website. A comprehensive content management system

will allow the administrator to manage the website without any technical knowledge or

experience in HTML programming. Thus, having CMS reduces requests to the web

designer whenever a minor update is about to perform which will offer an up-to-date

information to the users.

Kohan (2017), a web application development and technology analyst expert

stated that a CMS provides capabilities for multiple users with different levels of access

manage the content, data or information of a website or internet application which refers

to creating, modifying, archiving, publishing, reporting and distributing data or

information. A CMS application is a web application that provide user friendly forms to

Create, Edit, Publish and Archive web pages, articles, blogs and press releases. A CMS

provides a section wherein the user can add or edit events into an event calendar, add or

edit inventory products, descriptions, prices, photos etc. For decision making, the system

will provide statistics of the website data in a form of a report. Administrators are given

the capability to access different capabilities pertaining to the system features.

The main purpose of a CMS is to provide a number of users with varying levels of

access to manage a website however, due to the benefits being offered to the users, there

are misconceptions that take place. First is the need to hiring an IT personnel to make
 25

changes to the website because CMS covers almost all the possible needs of a company

but it is untrue. It requires an IT personnel to set up and customize a CMS depending on

the needs of the company. Another large misconception in CMS is its ability to be the

main ingredient for a website’s success. Though it can make the management and

distribution of information easy, the website’s success has something to do with the

quality of content inputted by the users and administrators, the services offered by the

party and marketing of the website. Lastly, most CMS are written by programmers which

do not have branding, as a result the CMS will be unused or fully utilized because of the

absence of branding and personality.

The researcher will develop CMS that is tailor-made with the needs of BulSU

OSO using the scripting technologies mentioned above including the creating, editing,

publishing and archiving of news, events and announcements. The CMS will also include

add and edit events in the event calendar which will serve as the schedule of activities of

the office. The website will contain updated information to the students regarding

important matters. In terms of setting permission levels, the administrator will have the

capability to give varying access to the contents of the system to different users.

Determining Client Satisfaction Through Black-box Testing. Black-box testing is

also known as “Behavioral Testing” and as the word implies, it tests the behavior of the

system and in the eye of the tester it is like a black box which the internal contents are

hidden. The tester will be knowledgeable particularly in the input and output of the

system, the tester will enter the valid and invalid data and determine the expected output

without having to check the internal structure of the system. An example of this method

of testing is for the quality assurance of a website, the tester will assess the webpages
 26

using a web browser (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera

and etc.), then provide data inputs using keyboard and mouse and validate system outputs

based on the expectation of the client.

Rongala (2016), listed some advantages and disadvantages of using black box

testing. The first advantage is the tester will be free from any pressure in studying any

programming languages in order to test the reliability and functionality of the system.

Next is the primary concern of black box testing is the user’s point of view in

determining the discrepancies of the system features rather than the developers. Another

advantage is unbiased tests can be performed because the tests can be conducted by a

group independent from the developers. Lastly, the test cases can be planned once the

developers are done creating the system features. The system failures can be detected as

soon as the specifications are complete. Though these advantages are can prove that black

box testing is suitable to test the functionalities of the system, there are some cons or

disadvantages that can be considered. According to Rongala (2016), tests can be

redundant if already run by the software designer which most likely to occur during trial

and error stage of the developer in order to attain the desired functions. Next is the test

cases are extremely difficult to design without clear and concise specification, that’s why

there is a need for a good tester-user communication. Black-box cannot be used for

testing complex segments of code but it can be useful enough to attain the user’s

expectation from an application or software, it is reliable in verifying the functional

requirements of the system and ensuring a bug-free system.

There most prominent types of black-box testing are Functional Testing, Non-

Functional Testing and Regression Testing. Functional Testing, this is a type of software
 27

testing that focuses on functional requirements of a system which is performed by

software testers. Non-Functional Testing is the next type of black box testing that tests

the non-functional criteria like performance, scalability, and usability. Lastly, the

Regression Testing, a testing that is performed after code fixes and system maintenance

to check the new updates and fixes has not affected the existing code.

Moreover, there are numerous black box testing strategies and this article explains

three prominent strategies that are commonly used in black box testing. First is the

“Equivalence Class Testing” which diminishes the number of test cases to the most

desirable level while maintaining reasonable test coverage. Next is the “Boundary Value

Testing” which is suitable for systems that accept inputs with certain ranges. This testing

focuses on the values and boundaries of the data to be stored in the system which is very

useful in reducing the number of test cases to be designed. “Decision Table Testing” is

another strategy in black box testing wherein a decision table puts causes and effects in a

matrix and there is a unique combination in each column.

Hence, the researcher will utilize black box testing in evaluating the effectiveness

of the system and to ensure that the system is bug-free. The strategies mentioned above

will be considered particularly in designing test cases to be used by the software testers.

Short Messages Service (SMS) for Web Communications. There are times that an

appointment can be easily remembered if a person received an SMS reminder. Anyone

can think of being special when a hotel or restaurant thanked for availing services

through a text message. These are some examples of an innovative way of integrating

SMS to an application to improve its user experience. SMS can be used in numerous

practical ways including notifying a person of an inquiry for a contact to call, inform a
 28

person of an emergency problem, contact driver for the next address of pick-up and

nowadays, a person is more available to be contacted over the phone. SMS can send

messages from one device to another also from one web application to another web

browser or mobile device. Transfer of messages can be made possible from a computer

via SMS gateway. SMS gateway is a website that allows a web application to send SMS

to mobile devices within the covered geographical area.

The researcher will integrate SMS capability in the web-based management

system to allow the office staff to disseminate information regarding urgent meetings and

announcements via web.

Electronic Document Management System (EDMS). Electronic documents are

media contents that are to be used in electronic manner or be printed out as tangible

documents. On the other hand, management system refers to the procedures utilized by

organizations to ensure that the objectives are met. Hence, this kind of a management

system is a program that manages the creation and control of documents

electronically.The function of EDMS is to manage digital information of an organization

with document management, retrieval, imaging and workflow. EDMS must have lots of

security features, easy to maintain and can cater deletion or disposal of all the data in the

system (EDMS – Electronic Document Management System, 2017). EDMS may also

handle digital scanned versions of original paper documents, pdf files, word document,

power point presentation, spreadsheet, text files, images, video and any document that are

intended to be printed out or used electronically. EDMS provides a way to store vast

amount of digital documents and include an efficient retrieval function.

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An organization that is planning to adapt EDMS must consider the security

control, version control and metadata capture. Security controls which users have access

to a particular information, the system must be able to protect private documents and has

levels of access. Next is version control allows users to add documents to the system,

upload revisions and should also automatically determine the correct version to be

utilized. Lastly, the metadata capture which allows the organization to use metadata

appropriate for the agency, all the suitable features of an EDMS must be tailored

according to the needs of the client.

There are different EDMS that are commercially available and some are open

source. Some of the EDMS providers are: Mayan – EDMS, Synergis Software,

MaxxVault, Open KM, DocStar, and Master Control. The researcher will develop a web

– application that will be able to accept and display digital content in a format called

portable document format (pdf) for the forms and letters that the office requires. PDF

files are secured because of it’s read – only characteristic. Also, like the EDMS, the

system will provide an efficient upload, download and retrieval of documents for the

convenience of both students and BulSU-OSO staff. The reasearcher will include system

features that are suitable to the transactions of the office.

Simplifying File Management Through a Document Tracking System. A document

tracking system is a computer application that offers convenience in filling systems of

different offices. A file management is a struggle for many organizations, not only for

running an efficient facility, but also ensuring compliance to the standard set by the

company. A systematic approach in managing pertinent documents includes featuring

important documents that needs attention; improve the productivity of the documents,
 30

diminish lost or forgotten files and ensures the reliability of the system. Having a

comprehensive document tracking system can facilitate daily transactions of an agency

and ensures the accomplishment of a particular documentation. This system also helps to

obtain needed documents in timely manner. A document tracking system (DTS) is a tool

to use in order to manage the entire recording system which improves services faster in a

cost-effective manner, it also allows the administrator to easily collect and retrieve

documents, eliminate duplications and ease the pain of inputting documents manually.

A DTS can be anything from a complex system to a simple checklist to ensure

that all the required information is doucmented completely and accurately. A checklist is

convenient to create and update and has a cheap cost in terms of implementation, it helps

the user to track that indispensable documents are available and updated. Complex

systems or computer applications can help the user to track and locate documents,

accomplish the workflow, archive and backup and restore important documents for future

actions. It may also perform some complicated tasks like automatic sending of email

notifications to anyone that is concerned, distribute and flag documents to be processed

immediately. More than that, DTS assures to give opportunity to multiple users to have

access to the data.

A DTS helped JoAnn Underwood, a registered nurse with specialization in special

surgery survived a survey using a form to track licensure, credentials and education for

the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Underwood was able to answer the surveyor’s inquiries

quickly by just looking at the report generated by the system even though the actual

documentation resided in different locations. Underwood admits that an electronic form

may be easier and very basic, but it suits the requirements to accomple a particular task.
 31

Experts lend useful tips for building a document tracking system. First is to

evaluate what are the types of the document needed to keep track of, indentify how

frequent is the need to monitor the documents to ensure compliance. Next is know how

quick does the document must be able to obtain if requested and where to locate it.

Lastly, consider providing a checklist of file of memoranda or notices that remind of

things to be done.

The researcher will consider the expert tips in building a DTS. Evaluating the

documents needed to be tracked of are the requirements of activity proposals and renewal

of commitments of a student organization, the documents submitted by the student

leaders using the web – application will be verified and approved by the administrator,

the system will provide close monitoring regarding the status of the requirements.

Compliance checklist with icons and color indicator will be included to remind both the

student leaders and the administrator regarding the progress of the request. Easy access or

retrieval of the a particular document will also be considered for the convenience of the

administrator.

Related Studies

In this section, the researcher considers reviewing related studies and researches

related to the development of web-based management information systems and

transactions of an office.

Previous research study by Bsailan, Acharya and Aithal (2015) states that the

current trend in the market is a paperless automated management system. His study

focuses on Information Technology Innovations in Office Management because an office

that deals with the administration of a college have several responsibilities like
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admission, document collection and verification, fee collections, attendance report,

general notices etc. Bsailan, et al., (2015) together with his team developed a software

called Information Management System (IMS) for the administrator of the school that

automates all the services of the office Srinivas Institute of Management Studies (SIMS),

Pandeshwara, Mangalore.

There are lots of drawbacks in the traditional office management system in many

educational institutions such as using manual methods with files, ledgers and using huge

amount of human resource and the best practice is to implement a software-based office

automation system. The role of the software is to help the staff of an office to manage

everyday operations smoothly, increasing the efficiency of work and reducing the need of

manpower (Bsailan et al., (2015). This office management system includes an

administrator account that is responsible for the user authentication, creation of

department, semester and various administrative activities. The principal account has the

capability to send SMS to the parents, view faculty and student details and update

personnel records. The system provides a faculty account that will allow the teachers to

enter attendance of students, marks, upload study materials and modify personnel profile.

An office staff account has the capability to enroll a new student, view attendance, send

SMS and mail to the parents about the student’s attendance and assessment marks and

view student’s profile. Lastly, the student account which provides summary of

assessment marks, attendance, downloadable forms and study materials and view various

general information.

The researcher considers that by using innovative methods in web-based

management system, the manual interference to the students will be reduced and the
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user’s requirements will be provided immediately. The usage and wastage of numerous

papers in the office will be reduced and most of all, the management and the students can

receive up to date information in using the automated system.

The study of San Pascual, Salazar and Bengco (2016) entitled “Web-based

document tracking and management system of the Department of Public Works and

Highways (DPWH), Laguna II District Engineering Office” focuses on the development

of a system that would provide ease in handling documents, securing confidential

records, and tracking the documents in the DPWH Laguna II District Engineering Office.

The system helps the said department on keeping track of the office’s documents and

records, storing the documents and providing fast retrieval of the document. The client or

sender could also submit request using the system.

The researcher believes that the usage of the web-based management system will

be beneficial to the BulSU OSO because this office manages voluminous documents

submitted by the student organizations during submission of requirements for renewal of

commitment, activity proposals, accomplishment reports and financial reports. The

researcher will consider integrating a responsive search engine to be able to quickly

retrieve the needed documents and levels of access for security purposes. The researcher

will also provide contact us section to submit inquiries and requests of the students.

According to the study conducted by Samson (2014), about improving and

promoting transactions and services of BulSU Analytical Testing Laboratory, a system

with SMS notification provides a faster performance of the different transactions and

services of the office. The author mentioned that this system reduces errors being

experienced by the staff in registering client records and updating laboratory services and
 34

product tests. The system is capable in handling numerous records and consolidates it

within a database which is necessary to prevent data loss. The system utilizes the use of

Short Messages Service (SMS) technology in notifying the clients regarding the status of

the tests and product samples. This system allows the staff to manage client records and

product testing services. The application for product testing can be done using the system

and the client will be notified about the appointment for product testing and claiming of

test results. After the tests conducted to evaluate the usability of the system, Samson

(2014) said that it is considered as suitable for BulSU Analytical Testing Laboratory and

would help to perform the office’s services faster and more accurate. Through careful

analysis of this study, the researcher found out that the use of Short Messages Service

(SMS) technology would be a tool disseminate urgent information, the web-based

management system for BulSU OSO will allow the administrator to send messages to the

organization president’s mobile. Moreover, the researcher also aims to provide a user-

friendly interface in registering and updating records of organizations. Lastly, the

application of a new organization, renewal of commitment and activity proposals will

also be performed using the system and the students will be notified regarding the result

immediately.

Reyes (2015), conducted a study about enhancing record keeping of BulSU

Scholarship Office through an automated management system. This system improves the

current process of managing scholar’s benefactor’s records and uses SMS technology and

a broadband to disseminate information about the schedules of assemblies, interviews and

urgent announcements. The system provides reports necessary for decision making and is

capable to produce application forms, renewal forms and letter. Reyes (2015) mentioned
 35

that this system is secured because of the account management module integrated in the

system. In addition, this automated system takes care of handling of voluminous data,

reliability of data and transaction and quick retrieval of information which is made

possible through My Structured Query Language server database. The author uses

questionnaires and evaluation forms, conduct surveys, interviews and observation as

research instruments and concluded that the system will lessen the queue of students

because the system is capable in providing faster and convenient transactions in BulSU

scholarship office.

In relation with this study, the researcher used MySQL database in handling

administration of records over the web. A form generator was included in the system in

order to produce application forms, renewal forms and letters which can be submitted

online.

A comparison of E-Assessment assignment submission processes in introductory

computing courses by Koorsse, Taljaard and Calitz (2016) attempted to determine the

most convenient method on submitting documents for online assessment. This study

compared three different procedures for submitting MS-Office assignment of students

enrolled in the Computer Fundamentals Module (CFM) presented by the Department of

Computing Sciences at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Port Elizabeth, 6031,

South Africa. There are over 1,000 students enrolled in CFM which are required to

submit weekly assignments in PowerPoint, excel or word format based on the

instructions and the task of marking requires a long period of time to accomplish which

increases the burden of the lecturers.

 36

Three methods of submission and assessment were evaluated, first is the

submissions folder method which was the method currently used by the students. Each

student has a folder on the network to save assignment files and indicate once the task

had been completed to be able to start the grading process. Next is the use of Moodle that

requires the participants to sign into a Moodle leaning site and follow the provided

instructions on how to upload and submit a file. The students had to put labels once the

file has been submitted before the grading can be started manually. Lastly, the online

submission method that requires participants to navigate an online site where the student

could upload the file. The system automatically checks if the files are named correctly

and notifies the student immediately if the file was named properly or not. This online

system initiates the marking of the file and provides link to access the result.

These methods were analyzed by determining the amount of time each method

was selected, easy to learn and use, works efficiently, marks accurately and the tendency

if the method would be more likely to use in the future. The results indicated that the

submission folder is easy to use. However, the online submission system provided a

greater level of the student’s confidence that the file had been submitted successfully.

The Moodle method is not efficient nor desirable to use by the students due to numerous

steps required to submit a file. The timely feedback provided by the online submission

system satisfied the participants with the marking accuracy and feedback of the system.

Moreover, for the Moodle and submission folder methods, the marking was manually

initiated which the participants often failed to do.

The researcher considered the benefits mentioned in using an online submission

system and get rid of the problems stated on this comparative study. The online
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submission of documents for BulSU organizations will provide an easy navigation to

upload a file, automatic checker of document file name errors, timely notification if the

file was successfully uploaded and provide less instructions on how to use the system.

del Rosario, del Rosario, Nieva, Tan and Tangkeko (2016) conducted a study

named CollaborateIT: A CCS IT Thesis Portal with Electronic Document Management

System which is a system that enables the students of Information Technology

Department under the College of Computer Studies of De La Salle University – Manila to

better track the documents in order to accomplish the entire thesis cycle. This system

allows the researcher to communicate to the faculty with regards to the revisions and

suggestions to improve the documents thus, saving time and energy will follow. The time

saved in communication will give both the researcher and the faculty to do other works

that will contribute to the productivity of the faculty and the students. del Rosario et. al,

(2016) stated that the main problem that stood out among other problems is the time. By

means of interviews with the different people involved with this dilemma, the solution

will be to devise a one channel where the students and faculty can discuss the thesis. The

project is a web application composed of nine modules which are the preparation,

request, consultation, defense scheduling, evaluation results, revisions, document

management, report generation and announcements. At the end of the testing phase, the

result came out to be positive because the system was able to solve the problem when it

comes to the time needed to communicate and track the cycle of a particular thesis.

Upon knowing the features of CollaborateIT, the researcher decided to provide a

centralized channel to improve the communication of organization leaders to the BulSU –

OSO administrator. The system will cater online submission of documents and the
 38

administrator will have the capability to approve, reject and discuss the revisions of the

document using the application. In terms of scheduling, the system will provide a

calendar that will consolidate all activities of the office and student organizations so that

important dates won’t be neglected. News and announcements will also be posted in the

website and useful reports will be generated using a comprehensive report module.

Too (2015), a bachelor of computer science major in database management in the

University Teknikal Malaysia Melaka built a digital document management system. The

management of documents of the Document Control Department (Doc Con) in Ayer

Keroh, Melaka is currently done manually. This process consumes large amount of time

and causes data mistakes and loss due to human carelessness. Lack of security is another

problem as well because the documents are visible to anyone. Moreover, it is difficult to

modify hand writing errors as a result, a computerized system was devised to prevent

these difficulties. The system enables the staff to record status of the documents in a

systematic way. The system was developed using System Development Life Cycle

(SDLC) methodology. The system features are depicted in the Context Diagram and Data

Flow Diagram (DFD). For the backend, the Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) with

sufficient business rules and data normalization was produced that will serve as a guide in

creating a comprehensive database. A comparative study between Microsoft Access and

Microsoft SQL Server has been carried out and Microsoft SQL Server has been selected

as the database management system of the project because of the advantages to be gained

and its usability to the system.

The researcher realized the importance of the SDLC, DFD and ERD in

developing the system, it is necessary to produce a project systematically. As the

 39

problems of current process of the Doc Con implies, the researcher will focus more on

expediting the process of different transactions in BulSU-OSO by providing a user-

friendly environment specially in uploading and modifying documents. Security will also

be practiced by encrypting the user’s password and providing log-in credentials in using

the system.

Conceptual Framework

This section presents the underlying set of ideas, principles, agreements, or rules

in developing the system and the processes involved in finishing and creating the

proposed system for this study. The three key elements are presented to evaluate the

composition of the study: input, process and output.

Figure 1 displays the conceptual framework which is used to understand the

direction of this study. Adequate information mentioned in the input phase were gathered

to structure, plan and control the development of the system.

Input Process Output

 Information gathered by the  Planning of the possible solution

researcher’s observation. for the difficulties mentioned by
the BulSU OSO staffs and
 Information given by the researcher’s observation. Web-Based
BulSU OSO head, staff and
officers during interview.  Determine the functional Management
requirements to be integrated to
 Interfacing techniques the system. System for
 Software development tools  Designing the web-based system Bulacan State
prototype.
 Related studies and literatures
University Office
 Develop by Building/Coding the
web application using Software
of Student
 Technical advises from thesis
adviser Development Tools. Organizations
 Testing the system features.

 Evaluate the system using Black-

box testing.

 Meeting with the client.

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Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Conceptual Model of the Study

Input phase includes the initial point of where the gathering of data is done by the

researcher. The observation method conducted by the researcher is a great help to be

informed regarding the current process of the office.

Interview to the client unfolds a clearer depiction of the difficulties experienced

by the client in performing everyday transactions as well as the innovations that the office

desires. The researcher also seeks numerous interfacing techniques that will fit in

building a user-friendly environment for a web-based management. Software

development tools such as web – development technologies, frameworks are used

throughout the development of the system. Knowledge requirements from previous

researches and related literatures are also utilized by this study and lastly, the technical

inputs and comments from the thesis adviser will be used to develop a significant project.

Process phase involves the system development life cycle agile model. First, is the

planning stage wherein the problems encountered by the BulSU OSO are determined.

During the requirements analysis stage, the researcher enumerates the functional

requirements to be integrated to the system based on the requirements mentioned by the

client during the interview. Next is the designing of a prototype or an initial version of

the system which will recur depending on the demands of the client. The building or

coding of the system will take place once the list of requirements and system design is

ready, this phase will be repeated until the desired outputs of the client were met. To
 41

determine the client satisfaction using black-box testing, the researcher will prepare test

cases to discover the possible failures of the system. The test cases will be evaluated by a

number of IT Professionals.

The final output will be the Web-Based Management System that will offer

improvement in the transactions of Bulacan State University Office of Student

Organizations.

Assumptions of the Study

In conducting this study and development of a web – based transaction

management system, the researcher presumed that the Web-based Transaction

Management System can hasten and improve the daily transactions taking place in the

Office of Student Organizations of Bulacan State University.

The web – based transaction management system can be a tool of the office to

perform renewal of commitment transaction in a paper-less manner by implementing

online submission of requirements. Thus, saving resources and spaces by eliminating tons

of papers to be stored in the office.

The web – based transaction management system can also expedite the activity

proposal process by giving immediate results upon the submission of the documents, the

system can sort the pending, revised and approved proposals of a particular organization.

The administrator can have convenience in viewing the documents submitted by the

students and can easily approve and reject a requirement. The system can also detect

conflict of schedules in terms of date, time, venue and organizations. These schedules
 42

will be automatically posted in the calendar of events of the website that diminishes the

time to spend in preparing notes to be pinned in the calendar of events inside the office.

Instead of traveling from satellite campuses, a student can just download a

particular form to be filled – out and submitted to the office. This innovative way of

disseminating documents can save time and money of the concerned students. The

students will become aware of the latest events, news and announcements of the office in

a timely manner.