In the globalization era, the world has turn out to be too small as because of the electronic portals and media. The initiation of internet has made the communication more effective. One of the advancement in the communication initiated by the internet is the social networking sites which have a vital role in crossing the seas and connecting the boundaries and bringing societies at a platform where an individual can find old folks or can also come across with other people and communicate with them.
In this proposal, conceptual framework about the benefits of social networking sites for the business organization is discussed. In addition to this, the methodology which can be applied in the research with an objective to assess the impact of social networking on business enterprise is also discussed.
Social networking has become a potential way to stay in touch with all known ones or to establish relation with other people. In addition to this, social networking also plays an important role in context to business, as it facilitate to communicate with the customers or to ascertain the preferences of customers(Berkley & Walter, 2013). The main objective of the project is- “To ascertain the social networking`s impact on the business of Unilever”.
The secondary objectives of the project are-
Social networking sites are playing a crucial role in the life of individuals or for the businesses. As the individuals finds the sites of social networking as a medium to communicate with their friends or other people. On the other hand, business owners find the social networking sites to promote their business or to make contact with the customers(Brossman & McGaha, 2011). Business owners use social networking sites to display their products and services, in order to promote them or to provide information to the people through social networking sites. The impact of advertisements given through social networking sites can be seen as people look at the advertisement and get information about the product or the service offered by the company. Therefore the scope of the project is vast, as the business owners could ascertain the benefits which can be availed through using the social networking sites. In addition to this, the loopholes of social networking sites for the businesses can also be ascertain by the business organizations through the project( Barefoot & Szabo, 2010).
Social network can be defined as a designed structure which is used by the individuals, business organizations or groups in order to communicate or to develop relation with each other. In the year 1890, two scientists Ferdinand Tonnies and Emile Durkheim developed the idea of social network as they were pursuing the research on social groups(Shah, 2010). At present, the idea developed by these scientists has come in live. People can interact or communicate with each other by using social networking sites (Sns). Some of the popular social networking sites which are generally used by individuals or for the business enterprises are- twitter, Instagram, Vibe, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Ask.fm, LinkedIn, Google, WhatsApp, Vine and Snapchat. Social networking facilitate individuals who have similar interest, backgrounds, career interest, beliefs, real life connections and personal commitments to build relationship with each other. Social networking enables individuals to interact with each other so that they can share their ideas, opinions and issues with each other. In addition to this, people can interact with others who are from different nation, have different beliefs and different ideas and opinion. As the social networking is a platform where the people get chance to meet (visually) or interact with different people.
In case of business organizations, social networking plays an important role, as through using social networking sites, companies can perform marketing of their product or services(Bennet, 2014). A number of business functions can be performed by the business organizations by using social networking sites, some of the business activities carried out through Sns are advertisements of products and services, interacting with customers through forums, provides information about job vacancy and also displays some questions about the product and services to know the preference of individuals or the customers. Moreover, business organizations also use social networking sites to get feedback from their customers. As business enterprises has developed their own portal or websites in order to get feedback or suggestions from the customers or to answer the queries of customers in order to create brand image in public. At present, social networking is considered as an important method to contact or communicate with people who live far away( Ryan, 2011). Business organizations use social networking sites to keep in touch with their customers, suppliers of raw materials, market analysts, editors, distributors, transporters and many other people who have direct or indirect link with the business.
Cost effective- Many of the social networking sites do not cost high subscription fees and there are some more sites which are free of cost. This aspect of Sns facilitates business organization as they can perform marketing of their products or services at less cost or free of cost.
Delivery of information- Through social networking sites information about the product or the service can be dispersed to the individuals who are using those sites or the customers as well. This way of passing the information is prompt.
Establishing relation with customers- One of the best benefit availed by the business organization through using social networking sites is that, it enables the business enterprise to set sound relationship with the customers or the individuals( Partridge , 2011). As through the social networking sites, interaction is done with the customers and through the company`s websites or the portals, customers suggestions are used to be taken, queries are solved. This helps in building sound relationship with the customers.
Online sales- Another benefit provided through the social networking sites to the business organization is that, they can sale their product or services online, as the product can be displayed to the customers and information about the product such as size, color or other specifications can be provided to the customers. Online sales, save the cost which as expense incur in giving salary to the employees who sales the product at store.
Below is an example which display the use of social networking for business purpose-
Drawbacks of social networking for the business organization are-
Time consuming- On of the drawback of the social networking usage in the business is that it consumes much time. As to create online image of the company among the customers, a business organization has to make its online presence more effective(Brossman & McGaha, 2011). And to create an effective online presence it requires more time.
Lack of privacy- To promote the product, company use to display information regarding that product. This information can be used by the rivalry competitor for their own purpose and this can affect thebusiness.
Lack of control to the feedback of customers- Getting feedback from the customer can be beneficial for the business as through the feedback, it can be ascertain that what does a customer prefer and if there is any issue with the product that can also be known through the feedback. But, this benefit, sometimes act as a drawback of using social networking(Bennet, 2014). As the negative feedback of the customer about the product or service on the social site can affect the product`s or service`s promotion.
The hypothesis statement formulated by determining the literature review for the project are stated below-
H1. Higher the use of social networking in business, higher the probability of setting relationship with customers.
H2. Higher the use of social networking in business, higher the probability to know the customer`s preference.
H3. Higher the use of social networking sites in business, higher the impact of those sites on business.
H4. Difference between advertisements displayed for female and male do not exist at higher level.
The main question or the primary question of the research is-
The project also have some other questions which are important to be answered, secondary question of the research
The research methodology for this study will follow both qualitative and quantitative research.
The steps of qualitative research which is going to be follow in the research project are-
Approaches to reliability and validity- In order to approach the reliability in the research, internal consistency will be maintained. To approach the validity, appropriate research methodology will be followed and the respondents will not be pressurized to choose particular choice from the answer set.
Sampling- Convenient sampling will be done for the research.
Sample size- A sample size of 60 employees from the company i.e. Unilever, will be approached for the research.
Data collection method- Primary data collection method is going to be use in the qualitative research process. As the qualitative data will be gathered through the interview. The data which is descriptive in nature will be gathered through the interview of employees of Unilever.
Variable specifications- Independent variable will be approached in the research.
Data analysis- The descriptive or qualitative, gathered data will be analyzed through the marketing expert.
The steps of quantitative research process which are going to be follow in the research are-
Research instrument- The research instrument which will be appropriate for the research is interviewing the selected sample or respondent through the questionnaire(Hajli & Nick, 2015).
Quantitative data analysis process- The quantitative data is going to be analyzed through the statistical techniques.
Sampling- Random sampling technique will be used for selecting the respondents. In the quantitative research process, respondents will be customers of the Unilever Company.
Sample size- The number of respondents or the sample for the quantitative research will be 100.
Interviewing and questioner design- structured questionnaire will be designed for the research to gather the data from the respondents or customers. Questions will be divided into the following main heads: time spent on sites by the customers, customer`s analysis of sites, use of social networking sites for purchasing, general information and activities(Bennet, 2014). Through this, data could be gathered to ascertain that how the business organization gets benefited through the social networking sites. As the response of the sample or the customers will make certain that the use of SNS by the business organization is effective or not.
Reliability and validity of data- In order to approach the reliability of the data, respondents will not be forced to giver particular answers(Cunha & Manuela, 2011). Beside this, appropriate methodology for the research will be applied to make the data more reliable. To approach the validity of data, internal consistency will be maintained in the research.
Concept of social networking site is not unique, as this concept is popular and number of research has been conducted in context to the social networking`s advantages and disadvantages for the individuals or for the business organizations( Kara, 2015). Therefore the main limitation of this research is that the conclusion of the other research on same topic could vary from the conclusion of this research. The other limitations of the research are-
The activities for research are planned in a way stated below-
|
S. No. |
Activities |
Staring Day of Activity |
Finishing Day of Activity |
Overall days taken for finishing the research activity (in days) |
|
1 |
Research Project objective |
May 6, 2017 |
May 10, 2017 |
5 |
|
2 |
Research Project scope |
May 11, 2017 |
May 15, 2017 |
5 |
|
3 |
Review of Literature |
May 16, 2017 |
May 25, 2017 |
10 |
|
4 |
Research Questions |
May 26, 2017 |
May 28, 2017 |
3 |
|
5 |
Research Methodology |
May 29, 2017 |
June 4, 2017 |
7 |
|
6 |
Overall days in carrying out all the research activities |
– |
– |
30 |
Conclusion
Social networking is crucial not only for the individual or for society but also for the business organizations as they use the sites of social networking such as- Facebook, Twitter and many other sites for their business purposes. This proposal concludes that the research on the benefits and drawbacks of using social networking site by the business organizations are important to be recognized. As this will facilitate the business owners to make effective decisions in context to promote their business in healthy way. Research is important to carry out, as through the research`s conclusion it could be ascertain that the social networking sites actually puts positive impact on the business or not. It is also important to select appropriate methodology for the research to make the research unbiased.
References
Barefoot, D., & Szabo, J. (2010). Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook. No Starch Press. .
Ewing , M. (2012). Social Marketing. Routledge.
Kara, H. (2015). Creative Research Methods in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide. Policy Press. .
Kuada, J. (2012). Research Methodology. Samfundslitteratur.
Leavy, P. (2017). Research Design. Guilford Publications.
Lee In. (2014). Integrating Social Media into Business Practice, Applications, Management and models. IGI Global. .
Lusted, M. A. (2011). Social Networking: MySpace, Facebook, & Twitter. ABDO.
Partridge , K. (2011). Social Networking. H.W. Wilson.
Ryan, P. (2011). Social Networking. The Rosen Publishing Group. .
Bennet, A. (2014). Social Media: Global Perspectives, Applications and Benefits and Dangers. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated.
Berkley, H., & Walter, A. (2013). The Social Media Advantage: An Essential Handbook for Small Business. Self-Counsel Press.
Brossman, M., & McGaha, A. (2011). Social Media for Business. Outer Banks Publishing Group.
Cunha, C., & Manuela, M. (2011). Handbook of Research on Business Social Networking. IGI Global. .
Hajli, & Nick. (2015). Handbook of Research on Integrating Social Media into Strategic Marketing. IGI Global.
Hartley, D. (2010). 10 Steps to Successful Social Networking for Business. American Society for Training and Development.
Shah, R. (2010). Social Networking for Business. Pearson Prentice Hall.
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