Good Day to our panel, Ms. Zanoria, Ms. Balisacan, Ms. Jacalan, and our adviser, Mr. Ababon.

We will present our Research Proposal titled “Exploring the Barriers of Cultural Innovation in
Accounting Departments among Manufacturing Companies in Mactan Economic Processing
Zone II (MEPZ), Lapu-Lapu City.” Before we start, I would like to introduce myself and my team.
I am Phoebe Lyn Ong Salazar, This is Patricia Denise Ortega, Maria Cristine Pangan, Mary
Beth Ed Martel, and Stevie Lantaya.

The Mactan Economic Processing Zone (MEPZ) is located in Lapu-Lapu City, on Mactan Island,
Philippines. It was established to encourage economic development in the region by attracting
foreign and local investments. MEPZ operates under the supervision of the Mactan Economic
Zone Authority (MEPZA), a government agency responsible for managing and regulating
economic zones in the area. This study of accounting within contexts of innovation is motivated
by the importance of innovation, which constitutes a significant factor for the success, survival,
and development of every organization. Cultural innovation is dynamic and ongoing, reflecting
the adaptability of societies to changing circumstances. It is a complex process that involves the
interplay of various factors, including individual creativity, social dynamics, economic forces, and
technological advancements. Embracing cultural innovation can contribute to the vitality and
resilience of a culture over time. The increasing competitiveness among companies, the
uncertainties generated by the continuous changes in the markets, and the consistently quicker
technological development of products and many competitors make innovation a key factor that
organizations should consider when they formulate their strategies and manage their processes.
Thus, the purpose of this research is to discover the barriers to Cultural Innovation in
Accounting Departments, such as but not limited to leadership styles, workforce diversity,
technological integration, and other external factors, to give helpful information on how to make
the accounting mindset more creative and flexible.

For our RRL we have chosen 3 essential things that we can anchor on,

Prioritizing innovation equips businesses with the agility to compete effectively, swiftly adapt to
market and technological shifts, and capitalize on emerging opportunities (Shahzad et al.,
2017). An innovation-centric culture fosters creativity, employee engagement, and adaptability,
forming the cornerstone of a company's enduring success.
Strategies for achieving cultural innovation encompass granting employees autonomy,
promoting reflective leadership, cultivating an innovation-driven mindset, and incentivizing the
generation of novel ideas. (Wang et al., 2019; Fang et al., 2021). Such approaches seek to
foster a culture that values creativity, experimentation, and risk-taking to achieve the goals of
MEPZ's accounting departments in adopting innovations to aid in the development of
appropriate strategies and to lead them in their decision-making.

Innovation-oriented culture constitutes a framework of organizational values, norms, and

artifacts that nurture a company's innovativeness. (Stock et al., 2013). To establish a culture of
innovation, companies can focus on several key strategies or frameworks. By understanding
these frameworks, we'll know the barriers that hinder cultural innovation in the accounting
departments at MEPZ. These strategies seek to create a culture that values creativity,
experimentation, and risk-taking.

Our Gap numerous studies have underscored the positive impact of factors like strong
leadership, technology integration, and workforce diversity in driving innovation within
organizations. However, our examination reveals a significant gap in the discourse—a lack of
exploration into the challenges and obstacles that organizations, particularly those in
accounting, may face while implementing these crucial elements. The research fills in a gap in
the existing literature by looking into the barriers that haven't been looked into enough, such as
strong leadership, integrating technology, and workforce diversity. These are some of the things
that stop accounting departments from creating a culture that values innovation, and the
research gives us valuable information about the problems that aren't talked about enough
during the implementation process. Our study points explicitly to the need for a deeper
understanding of how factors like strong leadership, technology integration, and workforce
diversity, while beneficial in fostering innovation, may simultaneously pose challenges in specific
organizational contexts. It is not merely about recognizing the positive impact but also
acknowledging and addressing potential impediments that these factors might introduce.

Our Theoretical Framework is anchored on the Diffusion of Innovation, The Theory of

Revealed and Deterred Barriers, The Theory of Change, and the Contingency Theory. It
shows how cultural innovation affects accounting departments by showing how it expands,
what stops people from adopting it, how it evolves, and what factors are hard to predict.
This all-around method makes the study more profound and more valuable by giving us a
solid base for looking into cultural innovation in accounting and raising the chances of
relevant findings that add to the overall success and strength of the research. "The Diffusion
of Innovation theory is used to look at how new cultural practices are adopted in accounting
departments and how they relate to cultural innovation in accounting." We would like to
learn more about the adoption rate, the factors that affect adoption decisions, and how the
adoption affects the company's overall culture. "Revealed barriers could include
accountants who don't want to change, while deterred barriers could include training
programs that aren't good enough." We plan to deal with these problems in our study by
implementing targeted training programs and creating an environment that encourages new
ideas and flexibility. "The Theory of Change helps us understand by showing how cultural
innovation develops in accounting departments." It creates a more innovative mindset and
makes organizational processes more flexible, and it's essential to understand this. This will
lead to benefits like higher efficiency and adaptability. "Contingency Theory recognizes that
several unpredictable factors can lead to changes in accounting." We will use a flexible
research approach to account for these factors so we can make changes as new factors
arise. We will also devise ways to lessen their effects through ongoing analysis and
adaptation. This theoretical framework helps us understand more by looking into the
adoption process, barriers, change processes, and unpredictable factors in accounting's
cultural innovation. As a structured and multifaceted method that improves the richness and
relevance of the study's results, it fits with the overall goals of our research. It helps us
understand cultural innovation in accounting better.

In our Research Design and Method, we will use the Purposive Sampling Technique, in which
the researchers will select five (5) accounting department heads with at least three (3) years of
relevant working experience. This study focuses on accounting heads who hold pivotal positions
in the organizational structure, directly influencing the department's culture, policies, and
practices. As key decision-makers, their insights and perspectives play a crucial role in shaping
and fostering a culture of innovation in accounting practices within the manufacturing sector.
This will be a Qualitative research method deemed appropriate for this study as it enables
researchers to gather rich and nuanced data on factors hindering cultural innovation. Utilizing a
semi-structured interview allows for a comprehensive understanding of the topic. The nature of
this study is well-suited to investigate a topic that has yet to be extensively explored in the
specific context of accounting departments. The Research Respondents will be 5 Accounting
Heads with at least three years of relevant working experience as they hold pivotal positions in
the organizational structure, directly influencing the department’s culture, policies, practices, and
decision-making. For the Researcher to devise interview questions, the interview should be
done in a suitable and confidential location, like a private meeting room, to ensure that
respondents feel comfortable and secure, and it will last approximately 45-60 minutes. It will be
voice recorded, and follow-up questions will be administered.

Lastly, the Data Set refers to a data collection organized and presented in a structured format.
This data set can be derived from various sources, such as surveys, experiments, observations,
or existing databases. The questions are specific inquiries or prompts included in a survey or
questionnaire to collect information from participants. These questions are designed to gather
data that will later be organized into a structured dataset for analysis.

That’s all, Thank you.

What is the study all about?

The increasing competitiveness among companies, the uncertainties generated by the

continuous changes in the markets, and the consistently quicker technological development of
products and many competitors make innovation a key factor that organizations should consider
when they formulate their strategies and manage their processes. Thus, the purpose of this
research is to discover the barriers to Cultural Innovation in Accounting Departments, such as
but not limited to leadership styles, workforce diversity, technological integration, and other
external factors, to give helpful information on how to make the accounting mindset more
creative and flexible.

This study of accounting within contexts of innovation is motivated by the importance of

innovation, which constitutes a significant factor for the success, survival, and development of
every organization.

What is cultural innovation? What is MEPZ, and why did we choose MEPZ.?
Cultural innovation is dynamic and ongoing, reflecting the adaptability of societies to changing
circumstances. It is a complex process that involves the interplay of various factors, including
individual creativity, social dynamics, economic forces, and technological advancements.
Embracing cultural innovation can contribute to the vitality and resilience of a culture over time.
The Mactan Economic Processing Zone (MEPZ) is located in Lapu-Lapu City, on Mactan Island,
Philippines. It was established to encourage economic development in the region by attracting
foreign and local investments. MEPZ operates under the supervision of the Mactan Economic
Zone Authority (MEPZA), a government agency responsible for managing and regulating
economic zones in the area.

Our RRL area

Prioritizing innovation equips businesses with the agility to compete effectively, swiftly
adapt to market and technological shifts, and capitalize on emerging opportunities
(Shahzad et al., 2017). An innovation-centric culture fosters creativity, employee engagement,
and adaptability, forming the cornerstone of a company's enduring success.

Strategies for achieving cultural innovation encompass granting employees autonomy,

fostering reflective leadership, cultivating an innovation-driven mindset, and
incentivizing the generation of novel ideas. (Wang et al., 2019; Fang et al., 2021). Such
approaches seek to foster a culture that values creativity, experimentation, and risk-taking to
achieve the goals of MEPZ's accounting departments in adopting innovations to aid in the
development of appropriate strategies and to lead them in their decision-making.

Innovation-oriented culture constitutes a framework of organizational values, norms, and

artifacts that nurture a company's innovativeness. (Stock et al., 2013). To establish a
culture of innovation, companies can focus on several key strategies or frameworks. By
understanding these frameworks, we'll know the barriers that hinder cultural innovation in the
accounting departments at MEPZ. These strategies seek to create a culture that values
creativity, experimentation, and risk-taking. This means that the company's innovativeness is
anchored on these strategies.

GAP
Numerous studies have underscored the positive impact of factors like strong leadership,
technology integration, and workforce diversity in driving innovation within organizations.
However, our examination reveals a significant gap in the discourse – a lack of exploration into
the challenges and obstacles that organizations, particularly those in accounting, may face
during the implementation of these crucial elements.

The research points explicitly to the need for a deeper understanding of how factors like strong
leadership, technology integration, and workforce diversity, while beneficial in fostering
innovation, may simultaneously pose challenges in specific organizational contexts. It is not
merely about recognizing the positive impact but also acknowledging and addressing potential
impediments that these factors might introduce.

The research fills in a gap in the existing literature by looking into the barriers that haven't been
looked into enough, such as strong leadership, integrating technology, and workforce diversity.
These are some of the things that stop accounting departments from creating a culture that
values innovation, and the research gives us valuable information about the problems that aren't
talked about enough during the implementation process.

THEORETICAL
Our Theoretical Framework is anchored on the Diffusion of Innovation, The Theory of
Revealed and Deterred Barriers, The Theory of Change, and the Contingency Theory. It
shows how cultural innovation affects accounting departments by showing how it expands,
what stops people from adopting it, how it evolves, and what factors are hard to predict.
This all-around method makes the study more profound and more valuable by giving us a
solid base for looking into cultural innovation in accounting and raising the chances of
relevant findings that add to the overall success and strength of the research. "The Diffusion
of Innovation theory is used to look at how new cultural practices are adopted in accounting
departments and how they relate to cultural innovation in accounting." We would like to
learn more about the adoption rate, the factors that affect adoption decisions, and how the
adoption affects the company's overall culture. "Revealed barriers could include
accountants who don't want to change, while deterred barriers could include training
programs that aren't good enough." We plan to deal with these problems in our study by
implementing targeted training programs and creating an environment that encourages new
ideas and flexibility. "The Theory of Change helps us understand by showing how cultural
innovation develops in accounting departments." It creates a more innovative mindset and
makes organizational processes more flexible, and it's essential to understand this. This will
lead to benefits like higher efficiency and adaptability. "Contingency Theory recognizes that
several unpredictable factors can lead to changes in accounting." We will use a flexible
research approach to account for these factors so we can make changes as new factors
arise. We will also devise ways to lessen their effects through ongoing analysis and
adaptation. This theoretical framework helps us understand more by looking into the
adoption process, barriers, change processes, and unpredictable factors in accounting's
cultural innovation. As a structured and multifaceted method that improves the richness and
relevance of the study's results, it fits with the overall goals of our research. It helps us
understand cultural innovation in accounting better.

For our research design and method, we use

Purposive Sampling Technique - A purposive sampling technique will be used to select a

specific group or individuals, they are chosen ‘on purpose’ not randomly. In our case, the criteria
should be accounting department heads like acctg supervisor, manager, chief accountant or
controller with at least three (3) years of relevant working experience.

Qualitative research - Qualitative research methods are deemed appropriate for this study as
they enable researchers to gather rich and nuanced data on factors hindering cultural
innovation. Utilizing a semi-structured interview allows for a comprehensive understanding of
the topic. The nature of this study is well-suited to investigate a topic that has yet to be
extensively explored in the specific context of accounting departments.

Research Respondents: 5 Accounting Heads with at least three years of relevant working
experience as they hold pivotal positions in the organizational structure, directly influencing the
department’s culture, policies, practices and decision-making. As key decision-makers, their
insights and perspectives play a crucial role in shaping and fostering a culture of innovation in
accounting practices within the manufacturing sector

Researcher-devised interview questions

Private meeting rooms - for it to br suitable and confidential to ensure that respondents feel
comfortable and secure
and it will Approximately last for 45-60 minutes
Voice recorded
Follow-up questions will be administered

DATA SET
Data set refers to a collection of data that is organized and presented in a structured format.
This data set can be derived from various sources, such as surveys, experiments, observations,
or existing databases. Data set questions are specific inquiries or prompts included in a survey
or questionnaire to collect information from participants. These questions are designed to gather
data that will later be organized into a structured dataset for analysis.

That’s all Thank you.