TRANSGRESSING EXPANSIVE BUSINESS MARGINS: THE CHALLENGES OF FILIPINO FRANCHISED BUSINESS MANAGERS IN QATAR, A PHENOMENOLOGY

Background: Many people started to ride the trend of creating a business. Agreeably, it is one of the best ways of earning profit; some business owners pushed the limits of entrepreneurship and expanded their businesses worldwide. This idea applies especially to Filipino immigrants living in Qatar who decided to stretch the reach of their business in a foreign land. Method: This study used a qualitative research design to recognize the lived experiences of Filipino franchised business managers in Qatar. It intended to derive the participants' viewpoint about managing Filipino franchised businesses, associating it to the central question: “How do Filipino franchise managers overcome the challenges and demands of managing a Filipino franchised business in Qatar?” Findings: Three themes emerged from the research: (1) Building foundation which consists of past experience, requirement compliance, and managerial competence; (2) Establishing interaction that encompasses employee apprising, brand recognizing, and social media marketing; and (3) Regulating time allocation which embodies work management, personal commitment, and policy adjustment. Conclusion: With the number of Filipino franchised businesses in Qatar steadily increasing, the country has never felt more like home. Although it does not signify that these managers handle business operations easily since challenges are unavoidable. The findings illustrated that with; enough requirements, consistent communication, and proper time management, day-to-day tasks are manageable. Recommendation: This paper suggested that future researchers consider employees of Filipino franchised businesses as the participants and capture their experiences being in the front lines of the company.