Lecturers from the Faculty of Economics and Business, Widyatama University (UTama) Bandung, who are members of two research and Community Service (PkM) cluster teams, have conducted the first batch of PkM activities in Putrapinggan Village, Pangandaran Regency and Bangunharja Village, Ciamis Regency.
The activities were conducted face-to-face on Monday and Tuesday, November 29-30, 2021.
The theme was “Developing the Managerial Competence of MSME and Tourism Actors in Penetrating the International Market”.
Dr. Ratna Komala Putri, S.E., M.Si, Head of the Research and Community Service Institute (LP2M) at UTama, explained that the purpose of the activity was to explore the possibility of collaboration between UTama, represented by the Cooperation Bureau, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the two villages.
“Basically, the first batch of PkM events, represented by the village heads (Putrapinggan and Bangunharja), was followed up with the second batch of PkM activities in mid-January 2022, which were held in the form of online webinars or via the Zoom application,” said Ratna on Thursday (3/2/2022).
Ratna also hopes that with this collaboration, UTama University can contribute by providing assistance in the form of useful counseling, training, and guidance activities. This is to overcome various problems faced by residents of both villages, especially for MSME players who want to develop their businesses, improve, and be able to market their products internationally.
Dr. Ratna Komala Putri, S.E., M.Si, Head of the Research and Community Service Institute (LP2M) UTama (left) carrying a typical MSME bag product in Bangunharja Village, Ciamis Regency
Representing the UTama research and community service team, Ratna also revealed that the problem faced by MSME players from both villages was their inability to create product packaging that would attract potential consumers.
“In fact, many of the products produced have no brand or label when sold to the market,” said Ratna.
In addition, the product packaging made by MSME players does not meet the standards for foreign markets.
Another problem is the human resources aspect, because MSME players lack the skills to create attractive packaging and are unaware of the importance of labeling products to be sold.
Oliver Hasan Padmanegara, S.E., M.Sc., Head of the UTama Cooperation Bureau (left) signing an MoU with Carikin, S.Ag, M.Pd.I., Head of Bangunharja Village, Ciamis Regency.
Therefore, with the existence of these various problems, the UTama PkM Team is helping to solve them. Among other things, by providing counseling and training. So that the products produced by MSME actors in both villages have a higher selling value and can be marketed internationally.
Ratna explained in detail that the first batch of PkM began with a first visit to Putrapinggan Village, Pangandaran Regency, which was held on Monday, November 29, 2021. The next visit was on November 30, 2021, to Bangunharja Village, Ciamis Regency.
During the PkM event, technical explanations were presented regarding the things that MSME actors should prepare.
The speaker for this activity was Dr. Anton Budi Santoso, S.AB., M.M., who presented material on “Entrepreneurial Competence.”
The material on the importance of labeling and product “brand image” was presented by Reva Yuliani, S.E., M.M. Meanwhile, Dr. Radea Respati Paramudhita, S.H., M.H., presented material on intellectual property rights.
The PkM Team of Lecturers from the Faculty of Economics and Business, UTama, took a group photo in Putrapinggan Village, Pangandaran Regency.
Meanwhile, in the second batch of PkM in January 2022, Ratna explained the presentation materials that need to be prepared by MSME actors for each type of business they run. The materials are in the form of PowerPoint (PPT) slides and videos of business activities.
It is known that during the PkM activity, the possibility of a cooperation agreement in the form of an MoU was explored between Putrapinggan Village, Pangandaran Regency, represented by Salam, the Village Head of Putrapinggan, and the UTama campus. Meanwhile, Bangunharja Village, Ciamis Regency, was represented by Carikin, S.Ag, M.Pd.I.
“With the implementation of this PkM activity, it is hoped that it will generate greater confidence among partners in their efforts to advance their businesses. As a result, the products they produce will become more attractive to customers or potential consumers, and will be able to penetrate the global market,” concluded Ratna.
The following is a list of lecturers from the Faculty of Economics and Business at UTama who participated in the PkM activity: Dr. Anton Budi Santoso, S.A.B., M.M, Dr. Ratna Komala Putri,.S.E.,M.M, Indra Taruna, S.E., M.M., Shendy Amalia, S.E., M.M., Didi Tarmidi, S.E., M.Si., Vina Silviani Marinda, S.E., M.M., Dr. Radea Respati Paramudhita, S.H., M.H., Oliver Hasan Padmanegara, S.E., M.Sc., Djoko S. Roespinoedji, S.E., Pg. Dip., Henry Meytra Taufik, S.E., M.M., Gita Genia Falihat, S.M.B., M.M., Galuh Boga Kuswara, S.E., M.M., and Reva Yuliani, S.E., M.M.
(Source: majalahsora.com)
