Sustainability of Final Year Projects of Diploma in Business Studies (DPM) Students Under the Innovation’s Commerce Project (iComPro) Competition, Department of Commerse, Mersing Polytechnic

Abstract

The Innovation’s Commerce Project (iComPro) is a semesterly competition designed for final-semester students (semester 5) of the Diploma in Business Studies (DPM) programme at Mersing Polytechnic. It serves as an initiative to cultivate students’ confidence and capability in producing innovative, technological, and creative products or services, developed from the start of the semester until its final week. This study involves the final-year projects of students from Session I 2023/2024, Session II 2023/2024, Session I 2024/2025 and Session II 2024/2025, comprising 22 students from semester 5 Programme Diploma in Business Studies, Department of Commerce. The purpose of this study is to assess the sustainability of students’ final projects after completing the iComPro competition, to identify the success and failure factors in sustaining these projects beyond graduation, and to evaluate the impact of the iComPro competition on the continuity of students’ projects. The data were collected and analysed qualitatively, using the Thematic Analysis and stored by the course coordinator. This study also identifies students who continue their final projects after graduation and provides opportunities for lecturers and institutions to guide and mentor students on how to commercialise their projects, thereby fostering resilient and sustainable young entrepreneurs. It is hoped that this study will provide recommendations to students, the Department of Commerce, and the institution regarding the factors contributing to why many students choose not to continue their final projects after participating in iComPro competition.