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Determinants of social media adoption by B2B organizations
Abstract
This study contributes to the current dearth of knowledge on the potential of social media as a marketing tool in industrial settings, by focusing on factors that determine social media adoption by B2B organizations. A conceptual model, which draws on the technology acceptance model and resource-based theory, is developed and tested using quantitative data from B2B organizations in the UK. Findings suggest that perceived usefulness of social media within B2B organizational contexts is determined by image, perceived ease of use and perceived barriers. Additionally, the results show that adoption of social media is significantly affected by organizational innovativeness and perceived usefulness. The moderating role of organizational innovativeness is also tested but no support is found. The findings of the study are further validated via nine qualitative interviews with B2B senior managers, yielding additional interesting and in-depth insights into the drivers of social media adoption by B2B organizations.
... Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, Douyin, and LinkedIn continue to emerge (Römmelt, 2021), which offer new venues to reach customers and become an integral part of digital marketing (Pekkala & van Zoonen, 2022). Social selling is the latest practice that integrates social media and sales activities (Iankova et al., 2019) and has achieved fruitful results in B2C; however, due to the perceptual barriers in this mode (Siamagka et al., 2015), it is difficult to effectively integrate social selling into the marketing mix (Siamagka et al., 2015;Quinton & Wilson, 2016;Agnihotri & John-Mariadoss, 2022). ...
... Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, Douyin, and LinkedIn continue to emerge (Römmelt, 2021), which offer new venues to reach customers and become an integral part of digital marketing (Pekkala & van Zoonen, 2022). Social selling is the latest practice that integrates social media and sales activities (Iankova et al., 2019) and has achieved fruitful results in B2C; however, due to the perceptual barriers in this mode (Siamagka et al., 2015), it is difficult to effectively integrate social selling into the marketing mix (Siamagka et al., 2015;Quinton & Wilson, 2016;Agnihotri & John-Mariadoss, 2022). ...
... Considering the research gap in B2B social selling (Itani et al., 2017;Salo, 2017;Siamagka et al., 2015), the aim of this paper is to conduct an exploratory analysis of these issues and focus on two questions: first, whether there is a suitable business model for B2B social selling and whether it can provide an exploration framework for family businesses; second, whether there are perceived barriers in B2B social selling and whether it can provide methods for family businesses to overcome perceptual barriers. Based on a one-year business experiment of three family-owned B2B enterprises, this study verifies and optimizes the "expert building + trust building" B2B social selling model of Hughes and Reynolds (2016) through a qualitative comparative analysis, provides insight into the gap between cognition and action from the perspectives of business logic and perceptual barriers, and explores the path and method to overcome perceptual barriers. ...
In the digital age, social media provides new channels to reach customers, social selling is subverting the traditional sales model of corporate, and the practice and research of B2B social selling is still in its infancy. Based on the business experiment of social selling of family owned B2B enterprises, this paper adopts the qualitative comparative research method to verify the effectiveness of the “expert shaping + trust building” social selling model, and analyzes the perceptual barriers and their impact. The research founds: (1) The B2B “expert shaping + trust building” social selling model is self-consistent and can be interpreted by the logical paradigm of “expert shaping = expert positioning + social media + content creation” and “trust building = media collaboration + social integration + data intelligence”. (2) Perceptual barriers affect social selling of family owned B2B enterprises through perceived usefulness and ease of use, causing a gap between cognition and action. Based on the logical paradigm of social selling, this paper integrates user engagement theory, the prestage of customer insight and product iteration, optimizes the B2B social selling model, and enriches B2B social selling literature for family businesses. This paper provides practical methodology for family businesse to adopt social selling, ssuggesting that family owned B2B enterprises need to achieve consensus among key family members and company executives, and enhance their strategic cognition, business insight, team execution and organizational learning capabilities to promote social selling.
... Parallel to this, previous literature has focused on exploring social media marketing as a new tool to be incorporated by a firm's business communication strategy. Consequently, the process of adopting social networks for the first time has been extensively studied (Aspasia and Ourania, 2014;Dahnil et al., 2014;Kumar et al., 2019;Shaltoni, 2017;Siamagka et al., 2015), and the strategies developed and their effectiveness (Balaji et al., 2023;Felix et al., 2017;Godey et al., 2016;Lipsman et al., 2012) have been analysed from an operational point of view. Thus, the question of deciding whether or not to be present in social networks is no longer relevant, given that the latter have established themselves as an indispensable tool (Forbes, 2023). ...
... Social media literature has extensively examined social networks from five distinct perspectives (Li et al., 2023a): as a promotion and selling outlet (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2015;Rohm et al., 2013;Spotts et al., 2014), as a communication and branding channel (Choi et al., 2018;Zhang et al., 2017), as a monitoring and intelligence source (Feit et al., 2013;Moe and Schweidel, 2017;Schweidel and Moe, 2014), as a CRM and value co-creation platform (Heidenreich et al., 2015;Wang et al., 2016;Wang and Kim, 2017) and finally, as a general marketing and strategic tool (Brink, 2017;Mahmoud et al., 2020;Rydén et al., 2015;Siamagka et al., 2015). Our research is situated within the framework of the latter approach, which highlights the strategic value of social networks within marketing strategy and their impact on company structure (Wu et al., 2020). ...
... A brand's decision to adopt social networks is influenced by different factors that can affect this decision either positively or negatively (Felix et al., 2017). These factors have been explained by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the theory of resources (Siamagka et al., 2015), or in terms of organizational aspects such as a company's sensemaking capacity (Rydén et al., 2015). However, as yet there are no studies that combine aspects of the technology and specific variables that affect the behaviour of organizations and their departments. ...
Given the rise of new social networks, companies must decide whether to incorporate each new network into their social media marketing strategy. This research analyses the factors that influence a brand's entry into a trendy social network, integrating two traditional paradigms of innovation adoption-the TOE and the UTAUT-with the concept of marketing agility, to incorporate the strategic perspective of marketing departments. We conduct a mixed methods approach, through a focus group with managers and a quantitative analysis based on a questionnaire with a sample of 161 managers, complemented with a fsQCA to identify specific configurations of factors that determine that entry. The study validates marketing agility's relevance, emphasising the importance of market monitoring beyond speed. Three company characterizations are proposed, including differences in expectations, effort perceptions, and competitors influence. We offer an explanatory model of the adoption conditions of technological innovations undertaken by marketing departments, applicable to future innovations in communication tools.
... According to Wu et al. (2016), result demonstrability is one of TAM3's constructs less thoroughly examined in IS/IT adoption studies. It can be defined as the extent to which people who use new technology believe that the benefits they will get from using the new technology will be tangible, perceivable, and shareable (Siamagka et al., 2015;Venkatesh and Bala, 2008). Results demonstrability, according to Venkatesh and Davis (2000), can significantly positively impact the perceived usefulness of a product or service. ...
... To enhance technology adoption, it is imperative to align the technological features with the specific tasks intended to facilitate (Kamoonpuri and Sengar, 2023). In the same vein, researchers have confirmed the same relationship in different contexts, such as mobile payment (Jaradat and Al-Mashaqba, 2014), mobile commerce technology (Faqih and Jaradat, 2015), the adoption of social media via B2B organizations (Siamagka et al., 2015), sustainable agricultural practices (Cakirli Aky€ uz and Theuvsen, 2020), sports watches with GPS (Yuan et al., 2021), intention to implement flipped classroom techniques (Doo and Bonk, 2021), and mobile agro-advising application adoption intention (Soodan et al., 2023). Colleagues' opinions are considered a component of subjective norms. ...
... These findings are consistent with the findings of earlier research conducted in other contexts (e.g. Cakirli Aky€ uz and Theuvsen, 2020;Faqih and Jaradat, 2015;Jaradat and Al-Mashaqba, 2014;Siamagka et al., 2015;Soodan et al., 2023;Yuan et al., 2021), which discovered that result demonstrability had a positive influence on perceived usefulness. Thus, doctors will adopt these technological services when they see the expected results on the ground, both in terms of the ability of nurses and doctors to deal with patient records and data easily and quickly and in terms of the administrative level. ...
Purpose
The success of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system is determined by the numerous facilitators and obstacles that influence physicians' intentions toward using these technologies. This study examines physicians' intentions to use EHR by applying the extended technology readiness and acceptance model (TRAM) factors, the result demonstrability, colleagues' opinions, perception of external control, and organizational support.
Design/methodology/approach
Convenience sampling was used to collect data from physicians in Egypt ( n = 520). To evaluate the model's hypotheses, this study used the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method with WarpPLS.7.
Findings
The results revealed that positive TR factors (innovativeness and optimism) positively affect perceived usefulness and ease of use, while negative TR factors (discomfort and insecurity) negatively impact perceived usefulness and ease of use. Furthermore, the result demonstrability and colleagues' opinions positively influence perceived usefulness, while the perception of external control and organizational support positively influence perceived ease of use. In addition, significant relationships between perceived ease of use and usefulness and adoption intention were identified.
Originality/value
This is the first study to apply the TRAM to understand physicians' adoption intentions to use EHR systems. Moreover, this study determined the different roles of positive and negative TR affecting physicians' cognition regarding using EHR systems.
... This line of research has predominantly explored whether organizations adopt social media and to what extent, revealing an initial hesitancy in the adoption of these platforms, indicative of a short-term-oriented approach (Nakara et al., 2012;Veldeman et al., 2017). Concurrently, these studies attempt to understand the antecedents that can drive firms to adopt and use social media (e.g., Siamagka et al., 2015) and the resultant outcomes (e.g., Martín-Rojas et al., 2021;Wu et al., 2020). Furthermore, scholars in this stream have devoted attention to understanding how firms design social media message strategies and features that result in higher levels of customer engagement and lead to positive outcomes (e.g., Balaji et al., 2023;Colicev et al., 2019;Drossos et al., 2023). ...
... Out of the 169 articles, 87 clearly stated their theoretical background (Appendix 2). It is worth mentioning that some researchers combine two or more theoretical underpinnings (Siamagka et al., 2015). Below are discussions on some of the most essential theories and models selected from the literature. ...
... Developed by Davis et al. (1989), TAM has been consistently applied in social media research to identify what drives organizational decision-makers to use social media . This model has also been integrated with other theories, such as motivational theory (Chatterjee et al., 2021) and the resource-based view (RBV; Siamagka et al., 2015). The DOI theory and the TOE framework, developed to investigate the use of IT innovation at the organizational level, are also prevalent. ...
Social media has been around for 20 years and has profoundly affected the dynamics of interactions between companies and customers. Studies have increasingly focused on how firms effectively use social media in their marketing strategies. However, the literature appears highly fragmented. Scholars have tended to investigate individual facets of social media marketing (SMM) behaviours, adopting a narrow perspective on their antecedents and outcomes. This approach hinders a comprehensive understanding of the overall phenomenon. Against this background, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of 169 articles to develop a causal‐chain framework based on inputs, contingency factors, and outputs to illustrate the interrelationships among different research constructs explored so far. This framework contributes to overcoming the isolated perspectives of firms’ SMM that have characterized the extant knowledge, thus offering clarity and an overarching view of SMM in firms. The findings also provide concrete guidance for future research endeavours in this area.
... However, in terms of meaningfully supporting strategic practices, this feature tends to act as an impediment to effective use [30]. The perception identified regarding social media convenience and its presumed effects extends previous outcomes from a mixed-method study on social media adoption for industrial SMEs [141], but in turn contradicts results emerging from research focusing on Latin American entrepreneurs [142], who could not reveal usability as a particular feature of social media. In contrast to the study conducted by Beier and Wagner [37], this analysis clearly showed that the perceived effort of time and work necessary to engage in social media negatively influences the propensity toward social media. ...
... In contrast to these previous suggestions, the analysis showed that the effect of customer pressure is not restricted to specific business settings or models. The significance of the impact of competitors' pressure is consistent with the data obtained from an analysis of social media adoption at industrial SMEs conducted by Siamagka [141]. ...
... The results on feeling an obligation extend Griffith's view, as she suggests primarily tracing deliberate initiatives back to tangential or vague attributes of technology. A sense of necessity as an impetus for drawing attention to social media is also reported by Siamagka et al. [141]. The aspect of innovation or novelty plays a subordinated role for pre-attentional foci on social media; this finding is likely to be related to the vast penetration of social media into private and business life [9]. ...
... The rationale of this study is to see the sights promoting handicraft family business through digital marketing technology towards sustainable business performance. However, studies of different technology accepted models found that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use (Davis, 1989); individual attitude and social norms (Siamagka et al., 2015); perceived behavioral control (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1990); perceived risk (Marra et al., 2003); intents and behavior are the primary psychological categories which are positively impact on technology adoption (Taylor and Todd, 1995). Thus, this study also adopted the perceived risk factor for the proposed conceptual model. ...
... This study shows that, attitude, intention to use DM, CBC, and PEoU, PR, PU and SN are significantly impact on the digital marketing adoption of handicraft family business. This study result is also similar with previous studies (Carli et al., 2017;Deb et al., 2022;Kumar et al., 2018;Lacka and Chong, 2016;Siamagka et al., 2015), encouraged the use of digital marketing in the business sector. PU, PBC, SN, and attitude all have a big influence on whether or not someone will use digital marketing. ...
The study aims to determine the dimensions of the adoption intention of digital marketing in handicraft family businesses towards business performance, as well as technological innovation applications in the family business for sustainable development. This study examines the theoretical insights and designs a conceptual framework based on previous studies of handicraft family businesses. In so doing, 290 survey data were collected from handicraft business owners and tourists by using face-to-face interviews through a structured questionnaire with 82.85% valid response rate. Moreover, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze data and find out the causal relationship among the constructs and hypothesis testing. As per the results of the study, among the 6 hypotheses paths all were supported along wit h 24 relationship path coefficients were noteworthy. The result shows that perceived ease of use, perceived risk, perceived usefulness, social norms, perceived behavioral control, and attitude radically influence to the adoption of digital marketing in han dicraft family businesses. The results of this study will assist the research scholars through theory and theoretical foundation for family business owners in understanding and comprehending the role of digital marketing in sustainable family business performance. Similarly, the legacy of family businesses in handicrafts or small businesses can be maintained and empowered through digital marketing to boost the economy. The study is the foremost one in discovering a sustainable business strategy through the success factors of digital marketing adoption in family businesses.
... Although the issue of whether social media impacts organizational performance is important, it has not been sufficiently investigated by past studies , which demonstrated that the adoption of social media can significantly benefit organizations (Siamagka et al., 2015), and that investors could thereby expect to receive a good return on investment (Verheyden and Goeman, 2013). Social media are expected to generate value because they enable viral marketing; enhance customer loyalty, satisfaction and retention; help save costs; and improve sales revenue (Culnan et al., 2010). ...
... This result confirms that simply creating an online presence does not guarantee that a company will reap business value through the use of social media (Culnan et al., 2010). The important point to keep in mind is to use these communication platforms as a bridge to reach customers, shareholders, and civil society, thereby benefitting the organization (Siamagka et al., 2015). Doing so might improve non-financial performance (Schaupp and Be´langer, 2014;Ainin et al., 2015;Parveen et al., 2015), enhance financial performance (Schniederjans et al., 2013;Kim et al., 2015b), attract investor attention, (Da et al., 2011), and eventually improve firm value (Kim et al., 2015a;Da et al., 2011;Luo et al., 2013;Yu et al., 2013;Du and Jiang, 2015). ...
This study investigates the impact created upon firm value when social media, in an emerging market context. Social media enables communication with stakeholders in terms of financial and non-financial achievements, as well as issues of organization at low cost, in a direct and timely manner; thus, the study draws attention to the new phenomenon of enhanced value to firms through the use of social media. The sample consists of Turkish corporations listed on the BIST 100 Index of Borsa Istanbul for the year 2014, utilizing three metrics regarding social media usage: establishment of a social media account, the breadth of social media engagement, and the depth of social media engagement. The results demonstrate that depth of social media engagement has a significant positive association with firm value; whereas social media account ownership per se, and breadth of social media engagement do not show a viable statistical relationship. These findings imply that if social media accounts are opened and icons for several social media are placed on corporate websites, which is presently a fad and fashion, a benefit may not necessarily accrue. However, strong engagement for corporate purposes will generate the desired results and benefits. Thus, the study provides implications and guidance for firms which are using social media currently or thinking of using it in the future.
... Social media is useful for entrepreneurs to build relationships with customers, promote products, and increase brand awareness (Atanassova & Clark, 2015). Research on SMEs in Iran by Tajvidi & Karami (2021) found that social media helps SMEs improve marketing and competitive advantage, research in the United States by Siamagka et al. (2015) in his research found that, the adoption of social media by SMEs is positively correlated with an increase in the number of customers and business development. So that it can be concluded in the hypothesis, namely: H6. social media utilization has a positive effect on business development. ...
... The relationship of social media utilization to business development through social support Social media is important for the development of SMEs. Social media and social support on social media can improve the marketing and financial performance of SMEs (Siamagka et al., 2015). Social media has become a very important platform to help the marketing and development of various types of businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs). ...
This study examines the impact of growth mindset, product innovation, and social media utilization on business development and the role of social support as a mediating variable in MSMEs in Lalabata District, Soppeng Regency. This study used a quantitative approach with purposive sampling technique and involved 100 respondents. The data analysis technique applied was Partial Least-Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results showed that growth mindset, product innovation, and social media utilization all have a positive influence on business development. Social support also has a positive impact on business development. In addition, social support mediates the relationship between growth mindset, product innovation, and social media utilization with business development in MSMEs in Lalabata District, Soppeng Regency
... Customers are more likely to be motivated by the function of hedonic motivation towards social networking sites usage and to communicate with organisations related to sports using such platforms, according to (Mahan, 2011) that is enjoyment . Siamagka et al., (2015) studied that their research using the Resource Based Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model conceptual framework to forecast the use of social media in the B2B environment. Siamagka et al., (2015) incurred that to demonstrate there is a considerable impact of apparent ease of usage, barriers on usefulness and images pertaining to social media based on the data that was collected via questionnaires. ...
... Siamagka et al., (2015) studied that their research using the Resource Based Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model conceptual framework to forecast the use of social media in the B2B environment. Siamagka et al., (2015) incurred that to demonstrate there is a considerable impact of apparent ease of usage, barriers on usefulness and images pertaining to social media based on the data that was collected via questionnaires. According to (Drummond, McGrath, & O'Toole, 2023) SM can be used to add value in a variety of areas, including: sales and marketing initiatives, connection building and maintenance, network identity and reputation development for businesses, and product selling to the market. ...
Historically, indirect taxes have played a significant role in India's financial system. Prior to the implementation of tax changes in the nineties, the primary contributor to the government's coffers came through indirect taxation. The widespread poverty in India was cited as the primary reason for the country's dependence on indirect forms of taxation. Consequently, expanding the direct tax base was constrained by structural barriers. Cascading and skewed taxes over the production of products and services are hallmarks of India's indirect taxation system, which in turn reduces productivity and slows economic growth. This is one of the reasons why India's economic development is so much slower than that of other wealthy countries. A simple tax that is known as goods and services tax that necessary for eliminating infinite number of duties or taxes levied, that exist under the existing system, some of which are charged by the center while the rest are imposed by the states, and to reduce the burden on taxpayers. Current taxation procedures include an unlimited number of taxes, only a small subset of which are collected centrally (GST). This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the Value added Tax, including its rationale, its model, its pros and cons, and its effects on the Indian economy as well as the impact of GST over SMES during pandemic era.
... Despite its limitations (Benbasat and Barki 2007), TAM remains the predominant theory due to its capacity to explain a higher variance in consumer intention to use and actual usage of technologies (Porter and Donthu 2006;Venkatesh and Bala 2008). Recent research has also applied the TAM model to clarify the adoption of mobile services, interactive media, and social media technologies in various contexts (Muk and Chung 2015;Siamagka et al. 2016;Tojib and Tsarenko 2012). Prior studies have delved into the impact of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of technology on the intention to use a system (Munoz-Leiva et al. 2017;Vahdat et al. 2021). ...
As organizations are gradually shifting their emphasis from customer acquisition to creating customer engagement and participation, mobile applications serve as an important tool for organizations to encourage and enhance customers’ active engagement and to serve as brand ambassadors. Previous research outlines that consumer engagement with branded mobile apps can lead to customer loyalty but has yet to examine the effects of branded mobile apps on brand love. Building on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and consumers’ utilitarian and hedonic motivations of using technology, this study provides a comprehensive framework on how consumers’ brand love can be attained through branded apps. In this process, this research identified three primary app attributes namely perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived entertainment and examined their direct and indirect influences on brand love through app attitude and app satisfaction. The results from 323 branded app users revealed that out of those three primary app attributes, only perceived usefulness serves as a key driver of brand love. Perceived entertainment may enhance the attitude towards the app but it does not improve brand love. And, perceived ease of use has no impact on either the attitude towards the app or brand love. These findings provide valuable insights and recommendations for researchers and managers alike.
... Furthermore, organizational innovativeness and perceived usefulness significantly affect the adoption of social media. Siamagka et al., (2015) ...
... According to psychological research results, a good brand image can generate trust among users [Lee, K.C.;Chung, N., 2009]. Therefore, brand image is the guarantee of products and services, which enables users to clearly define the service orientation of the enterprise, helps enterprises and users build a solid relationship, improves user recognition and satisfaction, and ultimately affects customer recognition and builds trust [Siamagka, N.T.;]. ...
The advent of online banking services has revolutionized the banking industry, offering convenience, accessibility, and efficiency to customers worldwide. This paper explores online banking services as a sustainable business model, emphasizing their impact on customer value, trust, and loyalty. The widespread adoption of online banking has transformed traditional banking practices, leading to increased competition, innovation, and transparency in the industry. Factors such as security, technological integration, regulatory compliance, and brand perception play crucial roles in shaping the sustainability and resilience of online banking businesses. Moreover, future research directions highlight the need to further explore novel security measures, emerging technologies, regulatory frameworks, customer loyalty drivers, and brand management strategies to advance the sustainability of online banking services in an increasingly digital marketplace.
... In addition, businesses can quickly and easily spread the word about what they have to offer to a wide range of people by incorporating social media activities into firm operations in a way that is consistent with the firm's objectives, policies, and values . Compatibility with the adopters' ideas, experiences, and wants is the hallmark of this technological element (Siamagka et al., 2015). Technology adoption is less likely to fail when it is aligned with the organization's systems (Hamdy et al., 2024;Sin Tan et al., 2009). ...
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use social media to communicate effectively with stakeholders. However, little is known about the influence wielded by social media adoption on sustainable performance during COVID-19. Based on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework, our study developed an integrated model to explore the factors affecting social media adoption and its effect on sustainable performance in SMEs in the Saudi Arabian context. The quantitative method of a survey was used to collect data from SMEs owner-managers and CEOs. Partial least square was used to analyze data collected from 609 respondents. The findings revealed that environmental factors (i.e., the intensity of the competition, competitive pressure, and the bandwagon effect), technological factors (i.e., relative advantages and compatibility), and organizational factors have been the key drivers of social media adoption in SMEs during COVID-19. It also indicated that social media adoption is a key predictor of social, environmental, and economic sustainability. This study provides SMEs with meaningful implications about ways of fostering sustainable performance.
... Companies' acceptance of technology can build excellent networks between businesses, clients, and vendors (Siamagka et al., 2015). ...
During economic crises, innovation performance becomes a critical driver of competitiveness. Technological opportunism is recognized within dynamic markets as a key driver for innovation development. However, gaps persist in understanding how technological flexibility, pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities, and resource optimization influence innovation performance. In order to fill these gaps, this study looks at the relationship between technical opportunism and innovation performance while taking managerial ties and entrepreneurial orientation into account as moderating factors. The study, which collected 93 questionnaires from managers, team leaders, branch leaders, and directors of Indonesian banks, finds a favourable and statistically significant correlation between technological opportunism and innovation performance. It was discovered that managerial ties and entrepreneurial inclination moderated this link. The findings contribute to bridging knowledge gaps in entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation, particularly within the banking industry.
... Therefore, using social media marketing can help firms, customers, and suppliers form a strong network (Siamagka et al., 2015;Syaifullah et al., 2021). In addition, a majority of studies that looked into social media marketing found that it had an impact on companies' performance (Yadav and Rahman, 2017;AlQershi et al., 2018;Abbas et al., 2019;Syaifullah et al., 2021). ...
This study aimed to investigate the effect of market orientation on the performance of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Yemen. It also aimed to examine the moderating role of social media marketing (SMM) adoption in relation to market orientation (MO). A sample of 362 MSEs in Yemen was found eligible for this study. The data was analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Two analyses were undertaken, utilising descriptive statistical analysis and inferential analysis techniques, to fulfil the research objectives. The results of the data analysis demonstrated that MO and MSEs' performance had a positive and significant association. SMM also had a significant impact on the performance of MSEs. Additionally, SMM did not moderate the relationship between market orientation and the performance of MSEs. Only a few studies have been done on MSEs' performance and the impact of MO and SMM. Thus, this study has provided a new insight into this area of research.
... Additionally, this study employed purposive sampling as its sampling approach. Purposive sampling involves selecting informants who are in the best position to provide an in-depth understanding of the research target (Siamagka et al., 2015). This method has also been used in previous studies on e-commerce (Aditya, 2020;Mahliza, 2020;Yeni & Yasri, 2020;Suryawirawan, 2019). ...
This study investigates the factors influencing e-commerce adoption among SMEs in Sabah and Sarawak, addressing gaps in the existing consensus and theoretical framework. Utilizing the Technology-Organisation-Environment theory, the research focuses on perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, organizational readiness, and top management support, with government support as a moderating variable. Employing a quantitative approach and survey methodology, data analysis was conducted using SPSS and SmartPLS 4. The results reveal that perceived usefulness and ease of use positively impact e-commerce adoption, and government support moderates the relationship between ease of use and adoption. The findings highlight the crucial role of the technological context, particularly user experience. The study underscores that user-friendly and useful e-commerce platforms increase the likelihood of adoption, while government support is vital through regulations and infrastructure improvements. Future research is recommended to explore e-commerce adoption across diverse industries and examine post-adoption stages to identify evolving patterns over time.
... Haldar (2022) studied the effect of user-generated content on social media on travel decisions, showing a positive relationship between information quality, reliability, and usefulness on information adoption behaviour. Siamagka et al. (2015) stated that the perceived usefulness of social media adoption by B2B organizations is determined by perceived ease of use and perceived barriers, significantly affecting social media adoption. The evidence compiled from these studies demonstrates that the usability of information provided by social media influencers is a critical factor in individuals' process of adopting this information. ...
This study meticulously examines the influence of social media influencers on consumer behaviour, adopting the Information Adoption Model (IAM) as its theoretical cornerstone. In the era of Web 2.0, social media has emerged as a vital conduit for user-generated content, profoundly altering the landscapes of communication, public relations, and marketing strategies. The role of social media in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) marketing underscores its potential to craft consumer experiences, thereby augmenting brand equity. Central to this inquiry is the IAM, which elucidates the process through which users assess and adopt information, with the quality, reliability, and perceived utility of information being paramount. This study specifically probes into how the content disseminated by social media influencers impacts consumer purchase intentions. Analyzing data collected from respondents via questionnaires through structural equation modelling, this investigation sheds light on the intricate dynamics of this relationship. The findings underscore the indispensability of influencers' originality, trustworthiness, and emotional resonance in amplifying the perceived value of information, consequently swaying consumer purchase intentions. This scholarly endeavour contributes to the broader academic dialogue on the sway of social media over consumer behaviours. It provides valuable insights for marketers seeking to harness the power of influencer marketing with greater efficacy.
... Additionally, the website is the place where tourism businesses connect with customers (Kayumovich and Kamalovna 2019) in the tourism service business. Consumers use the web and other communication applications to search, compare, discuss and book travel services (Siamagka et al. 2015). Social networks are being used by travel service companies to achieve their business goals and create business advantages. ...
The field of marketing through social media has gained increasing popularity among tourist companies. The study aims to determine the factors on social media sites that affect customers’ trust in tourism business brands. The purpose of the survey is to test a linear structural model, in which, customers’ trust in the brand is affected by factors such as Online User Awareness, Handling online Interactions, Online Information Content, Online Communication Team and Online Communication Platform. The results of a quantitative survey carried out with a sample size of 298 subjects are also mentioned in this paper. The research results provide evidence of the factors contributing to Brand Trust through Social Media Sites. Current studies show that all factors have a positive impact, so the proposed research model is completely suitable. The theoretical and practical implications were discussed and applied to brand marketing and business.
... The tourism industry's acceptance of technology is influenced by various variables (Ukpabi & Karjaluoto, 2017); perceived usefulness is a key factor since technology ought to offer capabilities that are both required and beneficial to help travelers (Chu & Choi, 2000). Another important consideration is perceived ease of use; travelers are more inclined to embrace technology that is simple to operate and doesn't require a lot of training (Siamagka et al., 2015). Moreover, Gretzel et al. (2010) state that trust, security, and privacy issues are crucial factors to consider while accepting technology in the tourism sector. ...
This article offers a comprehensive bibliometric analysis examining the complex relationship between technological acceptance and tourism. The study examines 313 documents from 183 different sources between 1995 and 2023, with a primary focus on articles (n = 213). Key findings show that this research area first appeared in 1995 and that 856 authors contributed 966 times to its changing environment. Global collaborations are led by China, the USA, and, surprisingly, Malaysia; this highlights the international character of modern research. The selection of essential journals is guided by Bradford's Law, which emphasizes "Sustainability" as a key resource. Lodka's Law highlights the contributions of a small number of extremely productive writers while revealing complex authorship interactions. Information technology and user acceptance are two examples of thematic focal points that are found through word cloud analysis. Global research clusters are identified by Collaboration Network analysis across nations, organizations, and authors. These analyses provide important information for future research orientations, industry, and academia. This research adds to the growing body of knowledge regarding how technology affects travel by offering guidance to academics, industry professionals, and decision-makers on how to navigate this complex intersection.
... As shown by the recent extensive review by Yan et al. (2021), TAM is the most frequently adopted theory to study the continuance intention of online technologies, including platforms. The TAM has been extensively applied to understand technology use by organizations, such as social media (Siamagka et al., 2015). For example, the TAM has been successfully applied to explain the use of digital marketing by small business owners and managers (Ritz et al., 2019). ...
Surplus or anti-food waste platforms have emerged as opportunities for restaurants to sell their daily surplus food. However, restaurants' commitment to these platforms often diminishes over time, which can result in discontinuance. Hence, it is necessary to explain and predict restaurant surplus food platform continuance intentions. For this purpose, we propose a model that integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and self-determination theory. We assessed our model by jointly applying partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA) to analyze data from 214 restaurants using surplus food platforms. The findings indicate that perceived ease of use, economic motivation, and environmental motivation are significant determinants of and necessary conditions for continuance intention. Moreover, model comparisons using BIC, Akaike weights, and CVPAT highlighted that our model's predictive accuracy was higher than that of alternative models based solely on the TAM.
... With regard to various technologies, perceived usefulness has been extensively researched and found to be significant, as seen in the adoption of social media by businesses (Siamagka et al. 2015), online travel services (Yuan et al. 2016), mobile service providers (Abbas and Hamdy, 2015), online ride-hailing (Irfansyah, 2021), social commerce (Abed, 2020) and blog learning (Wang et al. 2016) and digital payment system (Al-Okaily et al. 2020). Thus, in the context of this study, SMEs owner may adopt Cloud Accounting due to its perceived usefulness. ...
"Bihar stands in seventh place in foodgrain production in the country. It produced 15.38 million tonnes in 2020-21 from an area of 6.36 million hectares. Production of cereals was 15 million tonnes, from which rice accounts for 6.74 million tonnes and maize accounts for 2.08 million tonnes of production, but pulses contribute only 0.38 million tonnes. This paper calculated the growth rate, instability index, and decomposition analysis of the area, production, and yield of food grains in Bihar. The study period was from 1991-92 to 2020-21. It was divided into three decades. The area under foodgrains was showing a negative growth rate every decade. Production showed an increasing growth rate in the first and third decades, but in the second decade, it showed a negative growth rate. The yield of foodgrains showed a positive growth rate every decade, which was the main source of production growth. Cereals followed a similar trend as food grains, but the scenario was somewhat different for pulses. Pulse area and production showed a negative growth rate every decade, but its yield showed a positive growth rate in the first two decades and a negative growth rate in the last decade. In cereals, the rice area showed a negative growth rate in all the decades, but production and yield showed a positive growth rate in the first and third decades and a negative growth rate in the second decade. The area under maize showed a negative growth rate in every decade except in the second decade, where it was found a positive growth rate. Production of maize showed a positive growth rate in all the decades though its yield also had a positive growth rate in the first and third decades and a negative growth rate in the second decade. The highest instability in the area of foodgrains was observed in the first decade, but production and yield of foodgrains showed the highest instability in the second decade. Yield effects of crops were contributing more than area effect in increasing foodgrains production. Net cropped area and gross cropped area in Bihar had decreased. Due to more intensive cultivation, the cropping intensity in Bihar has increased from 138% in 2001-02 to 143% in 2018-19. More effective production methods are used, fallow land is used for the production of pulses, short-duration varieties may be encouraged, and focused efforts from various line departments be made in order to ensure that Bihar is both food and nutritionally secure."
... It can be associated with an absence of confidence, significantly hindering the acceptance of technology (Siamagka et al., 2015). In this context, it encompasses concerns related to finances and confidentiality that are inherent in the selection of financial technology facilities. ...
... Studying the determinants of the adoption of social media by B2B Organizations in the UK [12], concluded that organizational innovativeness and perceived usefulness were the critical determinants. In this respect, various factors have been reported to influence the use of social media, including performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions [13]. ...
The study determined the level of use and factors influencing the use of social media to access market information among Small-Scale Chicken Farmers (SSCFs) in Arusha City. Data were collected from 260 SSCFs between June and August 2022 through interviews with key informants and a questionnaire. The data were descriptively analyzed to determine the level of use of social media. In addition, a binary logistic regression model was used to determine the factors influencing the use of social media in accessing market information. The study found that SSCFs had a high level of use (more than 16 times monthly) of WhatsApp as compared to Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube (all at less than 16 times monthly). Furthermore, the study identified the following factors as influencing the SSCFs use of social media to access market information: the perceived usefulness, extrinsic motivation, job-fit, attitude, relative advantage and outcome expectations, perceived ease of use, and complexity. Others include social factors and innovative image, perceived behavioural control, facilitating conditions and compatibility, and ownership of smartphone. The study revealed that perceived usefulness, extrinsic motivation, job-fit, attitude, relative advantage and outcome expectations, perceived ease of use and complexity, social factors, innovative image, and ownership of smartphone have a positive influence on the use of social media among SSCFs. Conversely, perceived behavioural control, facilitating conditions, and compatibility have a negative influence on the use of social media among SSCFs to access market information in the study area. The study recommends that the government should create a supportive environment to ensure that factors that have a positive influence on the use of social media platforms to access market information among SSCFs are maintained. Moreover, facilitating conditions, as factors with negative influence on the use of social media to access market information, need to be improved to enable SSCFs to use social media.
... While it has been documented that corporations and big businesses actively embrace Twitter for diverse functions such as marketing, promotion, product development, and customer relationship management, there exists a shortage of comprehensive research linking social media utilization to the generation of market value (Kato & Tsoka, 2020). Preceding scholarly inquiries have suggested the proposition that the adoption of social media stimulates the establishment of valuable networks interconnecting businesses, customers, and suppliers (Siamagka et al., 2015). ...
This study investigates the impact of Twitter adoption on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) performance in Buloba, Uganda. Despite the economic significance of the SME sector in Uganda, concerns persist about the high rate of start-up failures. This impedes the attainment of several SDG 17 goals, including 8 and 9. The study explores the link between Twitter usage and SME performance, aiming to fill gaps in the existing literature, particularly within the Ugandan context. The research utilizes a descriptive quantitative survey approach with a sample of 120 SMEs in Buloba. The findings reveal moderate mean scores across various dimensions of Twitter adoption, suggesting a balanced yet not exceptionally high proficiency among SMEs. Positive correlations between SMEs performance and different aspects of Twitter adoption indicate that a well-rounded approach is associated with improved performance. The regression model, while modest, suggests a significant impact. Recommendations include strategies to enhance proficiency in product marketing and customer ordering and a strategic focus on developing Twitter usage skills for impactful customer engagement. Future research is encouraged to delve deeper into the qualitative aspects of Twitter adoption for SME performance.
... And Social media can prove to be an effective source of building trust in such users so that they can confidently start their transactions on e-wallets. It enables people to communicate and move beyond private one-on-one conversations to many-tomany conversations [26]. ...
Understanding the emerging trend and future of e-wallets in the Indian context. To learn and find out up to what extent e- wallets have penetrated into the self- employed groups and to study the impact of this emerging trend.The research process was systematically carried out through online questionnaire which contains 82 respondents of India. The data is of primary nature and was analyzed through SPSS. Descriptive study is done. Variables are taken from present literature and an attempt has been made to find balance among them.
... According to psychological research results, a decent brand image can create trust among users [32]. Therefore, brand image is the guarantee of products and services, which enables users to clearly define the service orientation of the enterprise, improves user recognition and satisfaction, helps enterprises and users build a solid relationship, and ultimately affects customer recognition and builds trust [33]. Hence, the following hypothesis is proposed. ...
... Davis (1989, p. 320) defined perceived usefulness as "the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance." According to the technology acceptance model, the perceived usefulness of technology affects attitudes and behavioral intentions, ultimately resulting in acceptance and use of the given technology (Siamagka et al., 2015). Perceived usefulness constitutes one of the essential core constructs of TAM and a significant determinant in adopting technological innovations . ...
This study explores FinTech adoption in Jordan during and post-COVID-19 pandemic by integrating and extending the TAM and UTAUT theories to predict behavioral intention to use FinTech. Six predictors were hypothesized to test their impact on behavioral intention: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, personal innovativeness, financial risks, and privacy risks. while using COVID-19 lockdowns as a moderator. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) on a sample of 296 respondents, the data analysis results indicated that the proposed variables, including the predictors and the moderator, accounted for 38.4% of the variation in behavioral intention to use FinTech. Which clearly shows the important impact of COVID-19 on increasing the adoption of technologies and especially FinTech’s in the Jordanian context. The empirical findings revealed that perceived usefulness and personal innovativeness had the most significant impact on behavioral intention. In contrast, privacy risks had no significant impact on behavioral intention. Besides, this study empirically demonstrated the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns as a moderator. The impact of COVID-19 lockdowns significantly moderated the relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, personal innovativeness, and financial risks with behavioral intention. The result of this study contributes to both theory and practice by adding to the existing literature on FinTech adoption using new determinants that might drive behavioral intention to use FinTech services.
The emergence of Industry 4.0, characterized by rapid technological change and fierce competition, challenges technology firms to make strategic innovation decisions. Central to this is the metaverse, a hybrid virtual space combining virtual reality, augmented reality, and the internet. Recognizing that the implications of metaverse applications extend beyond individual organizations, this research examines its adoption configurations. Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, we analyze survey data from 116 high-technology small and medium-sized enterprises in China using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Our research reveals that no isolated factor within the TAM-TOE framework solely affects innovation decision-making. Instead, we identify three configurations that enhance decision-making quality and three that increase its speed, leading to improved innovation performance. In this way, this research advances the understanding of technology adoption configurations in the innovation processes of young tech firms.
Purpose
Despite the considerable hype about how Big Data Analytics (BDA) can transform businesses and advance their capabilities, recognising its strategic value through successful adoption is yet to be appreciated. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the process-level value-chain realisation of BDA adoption between SMEs and large organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
Resource-based theory offered the lens for developing a conceptual BDA process-level value chain adoption model. A combined two-staged regression-artificial neural network approach has been utilised for 369 small, medium (SMEs) and large organisations to verify their critical value chain process-level drivers for successful organisational adoption of BDA.
Findings
The findings revealed that organisational BDA adoption success is driven predominantly by product—and service-process-level value, with distinctive discrepancies dependent on the organisation’s size. Large organisations primarily embrace BDA for their external value chain dimensions, while SMEs encompass its internal value chain cues. As such, businesses will be advised to acknowledge their organisational dynamics and precise size to develop the right strategies to adopt BDA successfully.
Research limitations/implications
The study advances the understanding of the role of internal and external value chain drivers in influencing how BDA can be successfully adopted in SMEs and large organisations. Thus, appreciating the organisation’s unique attributes, including its size, will need to be carefully examined. By investigating these elements, this research has shed new light on how developing such innovative capabilities and competencies must be carefully crafted to help create a sustainable competitive advantage.
Practical implications
For an organisational positioning, acknowledging the role of internal and external value chain drivers is critical for implementing the right strategies for adopting BDA. For larger businesses, resources for innovation often can be widely available compared to SMEs. As such, they can manage their costs and associated risks resourcefully. By considering the identified value-chain-related adoption success factors, businesses should be better positioned to assess their competencies while being prepared to adopt BDA.
Originality/value
The study offers the research and business community empirical-based insights into the strategies needed to successfully adopt big data in an organisation from a process-level value chain perspective.
The Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is critical to the Indian economy since it creates jobs and raises living standards. SMEs, on the other hand, encounter difficulties in embracing digital transformation. This research investigates the role of effective digital marketing in promoting SME development and sustainability under volatile market conditions. The study focuses on social media marketing and its effect on the financial performance of SMEs. According to the study, technological, organizational, environmental, and individual preference factors all have a major impact on social media marketing adoption. According to the survey, SMEs can efficiently use digital platforms to build up their enterprises, expand their market reach, and handle client difficulties. The data was gathered by the researcher using a standardized census survey questionnaire. Structured questionnaires are being delivered to 392 SMEs in Bengaluru City, with a focus on the service sector, and analyzed between August and November 2023. Out of the total distributed 392 questionnaires about 8 of them have not returned with full data while the remaining 384 responses are used for data analysis. The Data is analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and AMOS. The study employed the descriptive and explanatory research design. The result indicated that the Technological Factors (p-value = 0.000), Organizational Factors (p-value = 0.042), Environmental Factors (p-value = 0.021), and Individual Preference (p-value = 0.023) have a significant positive influence on Social Media Marketing Adoption, and Impact of Social Media Marketing Adoption (p-value = 0.035) on Financial Inclusion of SME Businesses is also found to be significant. The SMEs could use this opportunity to elevate their business in the digital platform.
Social media may be used to build virtual communities around brands, allowing consumers to learn more about them and interact with the material they provide. In this sense, it serves as a helpful communication medium for obtaining and disseminating information about wine as a social commodity, affecting wine consumers' purchasing decisions. The number of Algarve wine producers has increased in recent years, indicating the sector's progress. Wine is one of the most popular internet products, and social media sites like Facebook are ideal for promoting it. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the evolution of the usage of Algarve wine producers on their Facebook pages between February 2019 and the end of January 2022, corresponding to a pre-Covid-19 period and the Covid-19 period. To do this, we used the model developed by Huertas, Setó-Pàmies & Míguez-González (2015), where the variables of “Contents”, “Interactivity”, “Visibility” are considered, with an additional variable for “Profitability”, referenced by Rodríguez-Fernandez et al. (2017b). The analysis was made through a series of performance indicators collected using the online data collection tool Fanpage Karma. Results have shown a greater effort from some of these pages to produce content more often, specially at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic period, while some are still struggling to explore this medium, but overall there is room to be more active and productive in social media networks since these pages frequency of publication is low. In need to adjust their communication strategies, the most active pages grew a lot in numbers of fans, reactions, and other interactions, producing quality content that engaged consumers. The less explored pages show smaller evolution, from which we can conclude that there is still potential in Facebook as a platform for the wine sector.
Web 2.0 networks have provoked a revolution in the last years due to their capacity to modify human relationships, particularly in business contexts. Social capital, as a crucial intangible asset embedded in Web 2.0 networks, can be extremely helpful to build and optimize personal and organizational performance. The study analysed the influence of web 2 adoptions on the organisational performance of MTN Ghana with perceived ease of use playing a moderating role. The study adopted a quantitative approach and explanatory research design. Data were collected via structured questionnaires from 367 conveniently sampled customers from the 16.2 million active subscribers who had successfully linked their Sim cards with their Ghana cards as of June 30, 2022. The study obtained a valid data set of 272 with a response rate of 74.1% which was then processed via IBM SPSS (v.26) and SmartPLS3 software. The study found that web 2 adoption comprising wikis, blogs, social networking sites, and file sharing has a significant positive effect on MTN’s overall performance. It was concluded that perceived ease of use plays a significant moderating role in the link between web 2 adoption and MTN-Ghana performance. The study, therefore, recommended that policy makers including the management of MTN-Ghana should continue to adopt and invest in its web 2 technologies in order to attain higher performance levels and become more competitive.
Purpose
Drawing on the social presence theory, this study aims to explore how supplier–customer social media interactions influence supplier observers’ trust in the customers and what mechanisms contribute to variation in trust experience.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 36 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Chinese suppliers using WeChat for business-to-business interactions. Data were analyzed in three steps: open coding, axial coding and selective coding.
Findings
Findings reveal that varied trust is based not only on the categories of social presence of interaction – whether social presence is embedded in informative interactions – but also on the perceived selectivity in social presence. Observer suppliers who experience selectivity during social and affective interactions create a perception of hidden information and an unhealthy relationship atmosphere, and report a sense of emotional vulnerability, thus eroding cognitive and affective trust.
Originality/value
The findings contribute new understandings to social presence theory by exploring the social presence of interactions in a supplier–supplier–customer triad and offer valuable insights into business-to-business social media literature by adopting a suppliers’ viewpoint to unpack the mechanisms of how social presence of interaction positively and negatively influences suppliers’ trust and behavioral responses.
This study investigates the impact of live-streaming commerce on the Indonesian fashion industry, with a specific focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It explores how factors like perceived media richness, price fairness, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), social media marketing, and brand image influence consumer purchase intentions. The research methodology includes a survey of Indonesian consumers who have engaged in shopping for fashion products via live streaming at least once in the past three months. The findings analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), reveal the pivotal role of media richness, price fairness, and social media marketing in shaping purchase intentions, with brand image emerging as a key mediator. However, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) shows less impact. indicating a complex market dynamic. The findings highlight the effectiveness of live streaming as a marketing and sales tool in the digital era. The study contributes valuable insights for SMEs looking to optimize their digital strategies and enhance sales effectiveness in the rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape.
In light of rapid advances in technology, tourism companies increasingly favor "social media" platforms for brand promotion. In the study, Fanpage Karma and SimilarWeb analysis tools were utilized to examine various parameters indicating Vietravel's current status regarding the utilization of social media platforms. The findings of the study highlight both the positives and some of the drawbacks of Vietravel, and as a result, they provide a number of recommendations for how to enhance the effectiveness of utilizing "social media" tools in the subsequent stage.
Decentralized payment companies are one of the most important factors of the payment networks’ role in the global economy. Organizations in the Decentralized payment sector need to develop their services through digital marketing to improve their customers’ engagement. To achieve this, a plethora of digital marketing strategies can be developed, like webpage auditing. The authors aimed to examine the role of the webpage auditing of decentralized payment services websites in the optimization of their digital marketing performance. For this reason, a framework of three stages was deployed consisting of regression analysis, fuzzy cognitive mapping, and hybrid model development. Webpage technical data were used as input of this context through 100 days of simulation. The outcomes of the paper highlight the importance of webpage auditing in explaining the websites’ abandoning rate and the optimization of decentralized payment organizations’ digital marketing performance.
Purpose
When retail businesses, especially small businesses with greater vulnerability, could not meet consumers in person during the recent pandemic crisis, how did they adapt to the situation? This study examined how small business practitioners (SBPs’) perceptions, trust and adoption intention levels for social media, as well as the relationships among these variables, changed before and during the crisis based on the integration of the contingency theory and the diffusion of innovation theory (DIT).
Design/methodology/approach
Online surveys were conducted with USA SBPs before ( n = 175) and during ( n = 225) the recent pandemic. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and multiple-group SEM analysis.
Findings
The results confirmed significant sequential positive relationships between SBPs’ perceived external pressure and perceived benefits of adopting social media, which in turn led to their trust in and then adoption intentions for social media. Further, the comparisons between the pre- and in-pandemic samples revealed that SBPs’ perceptions and adoption intentions all became significantly higher during (vs before) the pandemic, but the structural relationships among these variables weakened during the pandemic.
Originality/value
This study uses a novel approach to integrate the contingency theory with the DIT to propose small businesses' perceptions, trust and adoption intentions for social media during the innovation decision process under rapid contingency changes. Our findings also offer practical implications including recommendations for small businesses’ innovation management as well as training programs.
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of digital marketing on the growth of SMEs by adopting digital marketing strategies in the Kingdom of Bahrain after the pandemic. This study is to determine the effect of digital marketing tools such as social media, emails, viral marketing, and others, on the establishment of successful SMEs businesses. Additionally, it seeks to explore the connection between SMEs and digital marketing by defining key components of the digital marketing strategy and how to apply them in small and medium-sized businesses from a marketing standpoint. This study will employ a structured questionnaire to determine the impact of digital marketing on sales improvement of SMEs in Bahrain. Digital marketing has positive impact on users experience into increasing sales revenues which has affected consumers buying decision online. The study’s findings will aid SMEs’ management and owners in considering digital marketing tactics as a crucial platform for promoting their brands. The suggestions for more research are connected, but possibly more specific in the context of Bahrain.
Business customers often hold a critical attitude towards an (industrial) innovation and resist its adoption because of the associated uncertainties. One main reason for this lies in a non-functioning knowledge transfer from salespeople to the business customer. This issue results in business customer’s poor adoption of knowledge about the new offering and a potential lower (industrial) innovation adoption; however, until now there are only very limited insights on how to address this issue. One lever seems to be the salespeople’s selling capability, i.e., the capability of individuals to perform salespeople’s tasks, and its contingencies. Therefore, we focus in our study on the influence of the selling capability on customer’s knowledge adoption. We collected unique data from surveys of business customers on actual, incremental industrial innovations, supplemented by objective purchase data from company records.
To the best of our knowledge, we are the first, who empirically prove that customers’ knowledge adoption mediates the relationship between salespeople’s selling capability and innovation purchases. Interestingly, we also reveal that there is an optimum level of selling capability for the transfer of knowledge of the innovation to the business customer, which depends on contingencies. Thus, sales managers, innovation managers and marketing managers, should provide their salespeople with additional strategies (e.g. assertive listening) which can complement the use of selling capability and thus prevent salespeople to overuse these.
Currently, with the percentage of active users on social networks increasing, it becomes almost mandatory for brands to have a communication strategy using social networks. Digital agencies come to fill the need for brands to communicate with their customers through these channels, but it is possible to see that not all social networks are used by digital agencies for this strategy. The present investigation focuses on understanding the factors that lead Portuguese digital agencies to adopt a certain social network as a communication tool for their clients. Was followed a qualitative methodology, using semi-structured interviews with digital agencies in Portugal. It was possible to verify that digital agencies in Portugal do not look for specific characteristics in social networks, but rather functionalities such as the possibility of integrating third-party applications. This investigation was the first to study the relationship between Portuguese Digital Agencies and Social Networks, a topic that until then had no references. In this way, for future investigations, this study leaves many paths to explore to expand knowledge on the subject.
The branding literature has long recognized the power of storytelling to provide meaning to the brand and practitioners have used storytelling to enhance consumers' connections with brands. The premise of brand storytelling has been that the story and its content, production, and distribution are the brand owner's realm and the consumer primarily a listener. The emergence of social media has changed the consumers' role in storytelling from that of a passive listener to a more active participant. Our paper uses the metaphor of improvisation (improv) theater to show that in social media brand owners do not tell brand stories alone but co-create brand performances in collaboration with the consumers. The first and foremost contribution of such a conceptualization is that it offers a semantic framework that resolves issues in storytelling, demonstrates the necessity of co-creation in storytelling, and identifies the core of an inspiring story. The improv theater metaphor also helps identify the following three propositions relevant for branding in social media: (i) the process of improvisation is more important than the output, (ii) managing brands is about keeping the brand performance alive, and (iii) understanding the audience and its roles is the prerequisite for a successful brand performance.
Cross-sectional studies of attitude-behavior relationships are vulnerable to the inflation of correlations by common method variance (CMV). Here, a model is presented that allows partial correlation analysis to adjust the observed correlations for CMV contamination and determine if conclusions about the statistical and practical significance of a predictor have been influenced by the presence of CMV. This method also suggests procedures for designing questionnaires to increase the precision of this adjustment.
Despite the fact that most Americans use the Internet, those who are older, less educated, minority and lower income have lower usage rates than younger, highly educated, white and wealthier individuals. We develop and test an extended version of the technology acceptance model (TAM) to explain these differences. We found that age, education, income and race are associated differentially with beliefs about the Internet, and that these beliefs influence a consumer's attitude toward and use of the Internet. Further, we found that although access barriers have a significant effect in the model, perceptions regarding ease of use and usefulness have a stronger effect. Our results suggest that by extending the TAM, to include perceived access barriers helps to explain demographic-based differences in Internet use. We also provide key insights for both managers and policymakers.
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook enable the creation of virtual customer environments (VCEs) where online communities of interest form around specific firms, brands, or products. While these platforms can be used as another means to deliver familiar e-commerce applications, when firms fail to fully engage their customers, they also fail to fully exploit the capabilities of social media platforms. To gain business value, organizations need to incorporate community building as part of the implementation of social media. This article starts by describing the Fortune 500's use of four of the most popular social media platforms-Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and client-hosted forums-to interact with customers. We then argue that to gain full business value from social media, firms need to develop implementation strategies based on three elements: mindful adoption, community building, and absorptive capacity. Next, we use case studies of three Fortune 100 corporations to illustrate how they are managing their respective networks of social media applications. Finally, we provide guidelines for implementing social media.
The use of online data is becoming increasingly essential for the generation of insight in today's research environment. This reflects the much wider range of data available online and the key role that social media now plays in interpersonal communication. However, the process of gaining permission to use social media data for research purposes creates a number of significant issues when considering compatibility with professional ethics guidelines. This paper critically explores the application of existing informed consent policies to social media research and compares with the form of consent gained by the social networks themselves, which we label 'uninformed consent'. We argue that, as currently constructed, informed consent carries assumptions about the nature of privacy that are not consistent with the way that consumers behave in an online environment. On the other hand, uninformed consent relies on asymmetric relationships that are unlikely to succeed in an environment based on co-creation of value. The paper highlights the ethical ambiguity created by current approaches for gaining customer consent, and proposes a new conceptual framework based on participative consent that allows for greater alignment between consumer privacy and ethical concerns.
As social media increasingly penetrate the business world, it is important to understand the underlying reasons for companies to adopt social networks marketing (SNM). This study extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) to explore the role of social influences in the context of SNM technology adoption by small and medium companies, and considers how the temporal aspect of new technology adoption affects this relationship. Our findings show that adoption of SNM is strongly influenced by social influences from experts, competitors, and customers. These social influences affect intention to adopt this new technology both directly, and by affecting the perceptions of the technology usefulness. For SMEs already using SNM, social influence is the only strong determinant of the intention to continue employing this marketing technology, with the amount of experience with SNM strengthening this relationship.
While the tools of social media are ubiquitous in contemporary consumer marketing, there is little evidence about the extent to which they have been adopted by business-to-business marketers. Although experts argue that B2B firms can and should use platforms such as FaceBook and YouTube, almost all of the popular examples used in mainstream seminars, conferences and the practitioner press are of consumer brands. Our exploratory study used content analysis and text-mining to look at current B2B marketing practitioner literature on the subject, and examined ten large B2B technology companies to profile their use of social media. We found that although large companies were extensive users of almost all the mainstream social media channels, the adoption of these tools was by no means universal. It seems that US-based firms are the furthest ahead in using social media for B2B marketing. The B2B social media pioneers are striving to use these tools to position themselves as 'thought leaders', to take a market-driving role in the sector and to build relationships with a range of stakeholder groups.
The branding literature has long recognized the power of storytelling to provide meaning to the brand and practitioners have used storytelling to enhance consumers’ connections with brands. The premise of brand storytelling has been that the story and its content, production, and distribution are the brand owner’s realm and the consumer primarily a listener. The emergence of social media has changed the consumers’ role in storytelling from that of a passive listener to a more active participant. Our paper uses the metaphor of improvisation (improv) theater to show that in social media, brand owners do not tell brand stories alone but co-create brand performances in collaboration with the consumers. The first and foremost contribution of such a conceptualization is that it offers a semantic framework that resolves issues in storytelling , demonstrates the necessity of co-creation in storytelling, and identifies the core of an inspiring story. The improv theater metaphor also helps identify the following three propositions relevant for branding in social media: (i) the process of improvisation is more important than the output, (ii) managing brands is about keeping the brand performance alive, and (iii) understanding the audience and its roles is the prerequisite for a successful brand performance.
Motivating the sales force to adopt and use sales force automation (SFA) technology remains an issue. If salespeople are not committed to the selling organization's technology strategies, customer alliances are hindered.
Social media tools are used by firms to create and capture business value. In this study, we synthesize emerging literature on social commerce, social media, and the diffusion of innovation to identify the role that organizational, managerial and environmental characteristics of SMEs play in the adoption of Twitter. To test the model, we administered a survey to 453 SME mangers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and India. The results of logistic hierarchical regression indicate that firm innovativeness, age and geographic location have a significant impact on Twitter adoption by SMEs. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
In this article, we provide guidance for substantive researchers on the use of structural equation modeling in practice for theory testing and development. We present a comprehensive, two-step modeling approach that employs a series of nested models and sequential chi-square difference tests. We discuss the comparative advantages of this approach over a one-step approach. Considerations in specification, assessment of fit, and respecification of measurement models using confirmatory factor analysis are reviewed. As background to the two-step approach, the distinction between exploratory and confirmatory analysis, the distinction between complementary approaches for theory testing versus predictive application, and some developments in estimation methods also are discussed.
While the technology acceptance model (TAM), introduced in 1986, continues to be the most widely applied theoretical model in the IS field, few previous efforts examined its accomplishments and limitations. This study traces TAM's history, investigates its findings, and cautiously predicts its future trajectory. One hundred and one articles published by leading IS journals and conferences in the past eighteen years are examined and summarized. An open- ended survey of thirty-two leading IS researchers assisted in critically examining TAM and specifying future directions.
The internet and its related e-technologies have to a large extent upset the asymmetry of information that for so many years worked in favour of brand managers. Consumers are now empowered to interact with brands and other consumers but also to create their own content on user generated content sites leading to a more participative approach to branding. Internet brands adopt a more relaxed stance on brand management, which involves the consumer in fundamental stages of the brand building process. In this context, the brand manager is no longer a 'guardian' of the brand but becomes more of a brand 'host'. The question is to what extent can traditional companies follow suit? Are they comfortable to cede control to consumers? Do we need a new theory of branding in an e-space?
The goals of this article are twofold: (a) briefly highlight the merits of residual centering for representing interaction and powered terms in standard regression contexts (e.g., Lance, 1988), and (b) extend the residual centering procedure to represent latent variable interactions. The proposed method for representing latent variable interactions has potential advantages over extant procedures. First, the latent variable interaction is derived from the observed covariation pattern among all possible indicators of the interaction. Second, no constraints on particular estimated parameters need to be placed. Third, no recalculations of parameters are required. Fourth, model estimates are stable and interpretable. In our view, the orthogonalizing approach is technically and conceptually straightforward, can be estimated using any structural equation modeling software package, and has direct practical interpretation of parameter estimates. Its behavior in terms of model fit and estimated standard errors is very reasonable, and it can be readily generalized to other types of latent variables where nonlinearity or collinearity are involved (e.g., powered variables).
Purpose – Extant research has examined consumer acceptance of the internet in various contexts mainly as a dichotomy (adoption/non-adoption), thus ignoring the process underlying adoption. This paper aims to provide insights into factors determining the extent to which an innovation is adopted. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the literature on the technology acceptance model (TAM), and justifies the use of this model to explore the factors contributing to the extent to which consumers use the internet as a distribution channel for financial services (FS). Data are collected through telephone interviews with 300 UK consumers responding to a questionnaire. Findings – The application of the TAM model is helpful but additional links need to be included. The key drivers of extent of use are past experience with the internet as a purchasing channel (for non-FS) and attitudinal aspects, i.e. positive emotions towards the internet as a distribution channel for FS. Insecurity about this channel does not appear to be an obstacle and perceived usefulness is not directly linked to extent of use but fully mediated via attitude towards the channel. Consumers with computer access from home, those with an active interest in FS, as well as consumers who have general online purchasing experience tend to find this channel easy to use, which, jointly with perceived usefulness, leads to a positive attitude toward this distribution channel. Research limitations/implications – The findings are limited to the FS online retail context and may not be generalisable beyond this context. Future research should be considered using a longitudinal approach. Practical implications – FS retail providers should consider prior experience with the internet as a distribution channel and product category involvement as segmentation bases, and also provide more opportunities for consumers to try and observe the internet as a distribution channel. Originality/value – This research explores the determinants of consumer acceptance of online retailing from a process-based rather than a binary view of adoption of an innovation.
The aim of this paper is to study technology acceptance of internet banking among undergraduate students in Malaysia. Thus, the theoretical framework of the paper is based on modified version of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This paper develops a technology acceptance model for internet banking, a conceptual framework to explain the factors influencing undergraduate students' acceptance of internet banking. The model employs perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived credibility (PC) and computer self-efficacy (CSE). The first two are two initial constructs for TAM model. The rest are new constructs to be included in the model in order to have an extension of TAM model that better reflects the students' view. The results suggest that PU, PEOU and PC had a significant relationship with behavioral intention. Further, these measures are good determinant for undergraduate acceptance for internet banking. Results also suggest that PU and PEOU had a significant relationship with CSE. On the contrary, CSE did not associate with PC. Also, PEOU had
An expanded paradigm is needed to explain how competitive advantage is gained and held. Firms resorting to 'resource-based strategy' attempt to accumulate valuable technology assets and employ an aggressive intellectual property stance. However, winners in the global marketplace have been firms demonstrating timely responsiveness and rapid and flexible product innovation, along with the management capability to effectively coordinate and redeploy internal and external competences. This source of competitive advantage, 'dynamic capabilities', emphasizes two aspects. First, it refers to the shifting character of the environment; second, it emphasizes the key role of strategic management in appropriately adapting, integrating, and re-configuring internal and external organizational skills, resources, and functional competences toward changing environment. 5 Only recently have researchers begun to focus on the specifics of developing firm-specific capabilities and the manner in which competences are renewed to respond to shifts in the business environment. The dynamic capabilities approach provides a coherent framework to integrate existing conceptual and empirical knowledge, and facilitate prescription. This paper argues that the competitive advan is tage of firms stems from dynamic capabilities rooted in high performance routines operating inside the firm, embedded in the firm's processes, and conditioned by its history. It offers dynamic capabilities as an emerging paradigm of the modern business firm that draws on multiple disciplines and advances, with the help of industry studies in the USA and elsewhere.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effects of the dimensions of organisational trust on organisational innovativeness in a relatively large survey sample of the information and communication technology (ICT) and paper and pulp industries in Finland.
Design/methodology/approach
Organisational trust is deemed to consist of both interpersonal and impersonal types of trust. The empirical part of the study shows the relationship between various types of trust and dimensions of organisational innovativeness. Quantitative empirical analysis is based on a survey of 40 organisational units and 214 respondents within the ICT and paper and pulp industries.
Findings
The impact of different types of organisational trust on dimensions of organisational innovativeness was analyzed. The results imply that the impersonal form in particular, namely institutional trust, has an important role in determining organisational innovativeness.
Research implications
This study contributes both to the literature on organisational innovativeness, as well as to the emerging theory on trust, in its approach to trust as not only an interpersonal issue, but also as something with impersonal aspects.
Practical implications
It is suggested that managers should pay special attention to impersonal forms of trust, i.e. to the institutional dimension of organisational trust. Above all, institutional trust and its development could be seen as a strategic question for companies.
Originality/value
This study makes a significant theoretical contribution by examining the linkages between various dimensions of organisational trust and organisational innovativeness, which have previously been studied only to a very minor extent. It thus provides a richer understanding of the relationship between organisational trust and innovativeness.
Given assumptions about the characteristics of knowledge and the knowledge requirements of production, the firm is conceptualized as an institution for integrating knowledge. The primary contribution of the paper is in exploring the coordination mechanisms through which firms integrate the specialist knowledge of their members. In contrast to earlier literature, knowledge is viewed as residing within the individual, and the primary role of the organization is knowledge application rather than knowledge creation. The resulting theory has implications for the basis of organizational capability, the principles of organization design (in particular, the analysis of hierarchy and the distribution of decision-making authority), and the determinants of the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the firm. More generally, the knowledge-based approach sheds new light upon current organizational innovations and trends and has far-reaching implications for management practice.
At present, the resource-based view of the firm is perhaps the most influential framework for understanding strategic management. In this editor's introduction, we briefly describe the contribu-tions to knowledge provided by the commentaries and articles contained in this issue. In addition, we outline some additional areas of research wherein the resource-based view can be gainfully deployed.
In this article, we provide guidance for substantive researchers on the use of structural equation modeling in practice for theory testing and development. We present a comprehensive, two-step modeling approach that employs a series of nested models and sequential chi-square difference tests. We discuss the comparative advantages of this approach over a one-step approach. Considerations in specification, assessment of fit, and respecification of measurement models using confirmatory factor analysis are reviewed. As background to the two-step approach, the distinction between exploratory and confirmatory analysis, the distinction between complementary approaches for theory testing versus predictive application, and some developments in estimation methods also are discussed.
Interest in the problem of method biases has a long history in the behavioral sciences. Despite this, a comprehensive summary of the potential sources of method biases and how to control for them does not exist. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to examine the extent to which method biases influence behavioral research results, identify potential sources of method biases, discuss the cognitive processes through which method biases influence responses to measures, evaluate the many different procedural and statistical techniques that can be used to control method biases, and provide recommendations for how to select appropriate procedural and statistical remedies for different types of research settings.
There is a great deal of evidence that method bias influences item validities, item reliabilities, and the covariation between latent constructs. In this paper, we identify a series of factors that may cause method bias by undermining the capabilities of the respondent, making the task of responding accurately more difficult, decreasing the motivation to respond accurately, and making it easier for respondents to satisfice. In addition, we discuss the psychological mechanisms through which these factors produce their biasing effects and propose several procedural remedies that counterbalance or offset each of these specific effects. We hope that this discussion will help researchers anticipate when method bias is likely to be a problem and provide ideas about how to avoid it through the careful design of a study.
At present, the resource-based view of the firm is perhaps the most influential framework for understanding strategic management. In this editor’s introduction, we briefly describe the contributions to knowledge provided by the commentaries and articles contained in this issue. In addition, we outline some additional areas of research wherein the resource-based view can be gainfully deployed.
Consumer socialization through peer communication using social media websites has become an important marketing issue through the development and increasing popularity of social media. Guided by a socialization framework, this article investigates peer communication through social media websites; individual-level tie strength and group-level identification with the peer group as antecedents; and product attitudes and purchase decisions as outcomes. Survey data from 292 participants who engaged in peer communications about products through social media confirm that the two antecedents have positive influences on peer communication outcomes. Online consumer socialization through peer communication also affects purchasing decisions in two ways: directly (conformity with peers) and indirectly by reinforcing product involvement. In addition, consumer's need for uniqueness has a moderating effect on the influence of peer communication on product attitudes. These findings have significant theoretical and managerial implications.
This article investigates-and compares-the effects of brand publicity in social and 'traditional' digital media. In an analysis of consumer responses to identical brand publicity in seven popular b ...
The authors present the results of a study that empirically tests a model connecting national export-promotion programs with export performance through the intervening role of export-related organizational resources and capabilities, export marketing strategy, and export competitive advantage. The study reveals that the adoption of specific national export-promotion programs positively strengthens the firm's export-related resources and capabilities, which in turn are instrumental in developing a sound export marketing strategy. By realizing this strategy, the firm enjoys competitive advantages related to costs, products, or services, which in turn help it achieve superior export performance in both market and financial dimensions. In addition, the firm's export market performance has a positive impact on export financial performance. This study also shows that the effect of national export-promotion programs on export-related resources and capabilities is stronger among smaller firms and, for some programs, among firms with less export experience.
Previous research has established the benefits of branding for business-to-business (B2B) organizations. Various tools can be used to support B2B brands, including the internet and other interactive technologies. Yet research on how organizations use Social Networking Sites (SNS) to achieve brand objectives remains limited. This study addresses the gap by focusing on B2B SMEs and their social networking practices, particularly, usage, perceived barriers, and the measurement of effectiveness of SNS as a marketing tool. Findings from a mail survey show that over a quarter of B2B SMEs in the UK are currently using SNS to achieve brand objectives, the most popular of which is to attract new customers. On the other hand, the most significant barrier is the lack of perceived relevance for particular sectors. Notably, the overwhelming majority of users do not adopt any metrics to assess SNS effectiveness. Almost half of the sample of SMEs that currently use SNS have indicated their intention to increase their marketing spending on this channel, highlighting the growing importance of SNS in a B2B context.
The Internet increases the likelihood of “disintermediation” in global B2B supply chains. At the same time, opportunities for intermediaries to generate incremental value for other channel members are opened up. The discussion highlights three such strategic directions — “information rich”, “relational exchange” and “joint-learning” — with the focus on the role played by the Internet in the implementation of these strategies. Particular attention is also given to the experience of a leading Hong Kong intermediary to illustrate the alignment of the Internet with each of these strategies for enhancing the competitive position of intermediaries in global supply chains.
To date, industrial marketing has built its conceptual frameworks upon the concept of a dyad—a relationship between one buyer and one seller. Thus, much of what has been researched in business-to-business marketing uses the buyer–seller relationship as the most appropriate unit of analysis. Yet, today, the most exciting development in business marketing is electronic commerce, which is a technology and a paradigm not of dyads but of networks. A great deal of the buyer–seller relationship between firms is being replaced or significantly transformed by electronic commerce systems. Networks pose a tremendous problem in measurement. Existing business metrics were designed for a world of concrete boundaries and fixed categories—a world that is slipping away day by day. Governments will have a keen interest in the development of metrics, as they struggle with regulation of these new entities. As boundaries between organizations blur, governments will have more trouble defining the entity that they are attempting to regulate. In the information economy, perhaps governments will recognize the essential role of “co-opetition” as an essential business strategy. For the dyad, we have the metaphor of marriage. For bureaucratic organizations, we have the metaphor of an army. What is the “similar” organization that will deliver insights about managing within a network? Perhaps the closest metaphor may be a migrating flock of birds. Thus, managers and researchers who want to understand the emerging face of technology-enabled business must come to grips with network concepts and their implications.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relative impact of brand communication on brand equity through social media as compared to traditional media. In a juxtaposition of different industries it aims at: investigating whether both communication instruments have an impact on consumer‐based brand equity; comparing the effect sizes of these two communication instruments; and separating the effects of firm‐created and user‐generated social media communication.
Design/methodology/approach
– A total of 393 data sets from three different industries, namely tourism, telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals, were generated using a standardized online‐survey. Structural equation modeling was used in the analysis of the data obtained to investigate the interplay of social media and traditional media in general, as well as in an examination of industry‐specific differences.
Findings
– The results of the empirical study show that both traditional communications and social media communications have a significant impact on brand equity. While traditional media has a stronger impact on brand awareness, social media communications strongly influence brand image. Firm‐created social media communication is shown to have an important impact on functional brand image, while user‐generated social media communication exerts a major influence on hedonic brand image. Furthermore, the present study highlights significant differences between the industries under investigation.
Originality/value
– The research described in this paper is pioneering in that it juxtaposes the impacts of social media and traditional media on brand equity – a topic of increasing interest to firms in the era of Facebook and Twitter but so far largely uninvestigated. Moreover, the differentiation between firm‐created and user‐generated social media communication, which is gaining increasingly in importance, as companies see their brand marketing power devolve to the consumer through social media platforms, offers valuable insights to marketing practitioners and academics.
This paper investigates the relationship between mandatory adoption of mobile information technology and market performance in the business-to-business (B2B) setting. This study presents and tests the B2B technology satisfaction model (TSM), including perceived loss of control as the mandatory technology acceptance-specific variable. The results of this study reveal that integrating perceived loss of control with user satisfaction and the TAM (technology acceptance model) in a single model can better explain the B2B market performance model. The empirical results suggest that perceived loss of control has a negative effect on user satisfaction and perceived market performance is influenced by user satisfaction and perceived usefulness. Managerial implications of the study are discussed.
Two conceptual approaches [Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13 (3), 319–340; DeLone, W. H., & McLean, E. R. (1992). Information systems success: The quest for the dependent variable. Information Systems Research, 3 (1), 60–95] are unified into a conceptual model that offers a comprehensive explanation of CRM acceptance antecedents and consequences in a sales force setting. Based upon responses from 240 salespersons that utilize a CRM system, the model is tested and explanations are offered for the system's acceptance. Specifically, the most prevailing influence on CRM acceptance comes from CRM perceived usefulness, followed by the setting of accurate expectations regarding system usage, the salesperson innovativeness towards new technological tools, the CRM perceived ease-of-use, and the supervisor encouragement and support. Surprisingly, the model does not adequately explicate salesperson performance. Sales managers are presented with a discussion and implications of the findings.
Strategic management has been increasingly characterized by an emphasis on core competences. Firms are advised to divest unrelated businesses and return to core business. Moreover, competitive advantage is now increasingly seen as a matter of efficiently deploying scarce knowledge resources to product markets. Much of this change in emphasis has occurred because of the emergence of a unified and rigorous approach to strategy, often called the resource-based approach. This Reader brings together extracts from the seminal articles that created this dominant perspective in strategic management. It includes the pioneering work of Selznick, Penrose, and Chandler and more recent writing by Wernerfelt, Barney, Teece, and Prahalad and Hamel.
Getting an innovation adopted is difficult; a common problem is increasing the rate of its diffusion. Diffusion is the communication of an innovation through certain channels over time among members of a social system. It is a communication whose messages are concerned with new ideas; it is a process where participants create and share information to achieve a mutual understanding. Initial chapters of the book discuss the history of diffusion research, some major criticisms of diffusion research, and the meta-research procedures used in the book. This text is the third edition of this well-respected work. The first edition was published in 1962, and the fifth edition in 2003. The book's theoretical framework relies on the concepts of information and uncertainty. Uncertainty is the degree to which alternatives are perceived with respect to an event and the relative probabilities of these alternatives; uncertainty implies a lack of predictability and motivates an individual to seek information. A technological innovation embodies information, thus reducing uncertainty. Information affects uncertainty in a situation where a choice exists among alternatives; information about a technological innovation can be software information or innovation-evaluation information. An innovation is an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or an other unit of adoption; innovation presents an individual or organization with a new alternative(s) or new means of solving problems. Whether new alternatives are superior is not precisely known by problem solvers. Thus people seek new information. Information about new ideas is exchanged through a process of convergence involving interpersonal networks. Thus, diffusion of innovations is a social process that communicates perceived information about a new idea; it produces an alteration in the structure and function of a social system, producing social consequences. Diffusion has four elements: (1) an innovation that is perceived as new, (2) communication channels, (3) time, and (4) a social system (members jointly solving to accomplish a common goal). Diffusion systems can be centralized or decentralized. The innovation-development process has five steps passing from recognition of a need, through R&D, commercialization, diffusions and adoption, to consequences. Time enters the diffusion process in three ways: (1) innovation-decision process, (2) innovativeness, and (3) rate of the innovation's adoption. The innovation-decision process is an information-seeking and information-processing activity that motivates an individual to reduce uncertainty about the (dis)advantages of the innovation. There are five steps in the process: (1) knowledge for an adoption/rejection/implementation decision; (2) persuasion to form an attitude, (3) decision, (4) implementation, and (5) confirmation (reinforcement or rejection). Innovations can also be re-invented (changed or modified) by the user. The innovation-decision period is the time required to pass through the innovation-decision process. Rates of adoption of an innovation depend on (and can be predicted by) how its characteristics are perceived in terms of relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. The diffusion effect is the increasing, cumulative pressure from interpersonal networks to adopt (or reject) an innovation. Overadoption is an innovation's adoption when experts suggest its rejection. Diffusion networks convey innovation-evaluation information to decrease uncertainty about an idea's use. The heart of the diffusion process is the modeling and imitation by potential adopters of their network partners who have adopted already. Change agents influence innovation decisions in a direction deemed desirable. Opinion leadership is the degree individuals influence others' attitudes
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to test the cross‐national application of an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) in online shopping across the USA and China. Specifically, the proposed model is tested for invariance, and used to investigate the effect of the TAM constructs on online purchase intentions and interrelationships among the constructs across the two samples.
Design/methodology/approach
– A total of 513 usable questionnaires were collected in the USA and China. Measurement and structural invariance of the proposed TAM model were assessed using multi‐group confirmatory factor analysis.
Findings
– The paper revealed that both perceived usefulness and perceived risk of online shopping have an invariant effect on consumers' online purchase intentions, while prior online shopping experience does not have an invariant effect. Perceived ease of use shows an equivalent, positive effect on perceived usefulness; prior online shopping experience has an equivalent, positive effect on perceived ease of use and an equivalent, negative effect on perceived risks. But prior online shopping experience has a quite different effect on perceived usefulness across the two countries.
Originality/value
– The paper not only tests the cross‐national application of the extended TAM, but also extends the TAM's use to examine key factors that influence online shoppers' purchase decision in the retail apparel sector.
This paper aims to predict consumer acceptance of e-commerce by proposing a set of key drivers for engaging consumers in on-line transactions. The primary constructs for capturing consumer acceptance of e-commerce are intention to transact and on-line transaction behavior. Following the theory of reasoned action (TRA) as applied to a technology-driven environment, technology acceptance model (TAM) variables (perceived usefulness and ease of use) are posited as key drivers of e-commerce acceptance. The practical utility of TAM stems from the fact that e-commerce is technology-driven. The proposed model integrates trust and perceived risk, which are incorporated given the implicit uncertainty of the e-commerce environment. The proposed integration of the hypothesized independent variables is justified by placing all the variables under the nomological TRA structure and proposing their interrelationships. The resulting research model is tested using data from two empirical studies. The first, exploratory study comprises three experiential scenarios with 103 students. The second, confirmatory study uses a sample of 155 on-line consumers. Both studies strongly support the e-commerce acceptance model by validating the proposed hypotheses. The paper discusses the implications for e-commerce theory, research, and practice, and makes several suggestions for future research.
The author, who has worked on the Internet since 1990, and used social networks such as Facebook and Twitter soon after their inception, looks at how these new media can impact on branding.
Firms in transitional economies are learning to develop strategies to exploit new market opportunities though bounded by their lack of market experience and resources as well as institutional and cultural heritage. This paper examines the managerial orientations of top managers in the transitional economy of China by focusing on a firm's team and organizational resources. Specifically, the following antecedents motivate a firm to put more emphases on strategic orientations: the firm has an effective top management team, strong managerial competences, and when the firm has ample endowment of slack resources, social network, and support from the institutional environment. Empirical results support that team orientation, managerial competence, social network, and local institutional support are instrumental in developing market-focused strategic orientations. In addition, strategic orientations with heavy emphases on overall low costs and product innovation relate to higher firm performance.
Previous research indicates that perceived usefulness is a major determinant and predictor of intentions to use computers in the workplace. In contrast, the impact of enjoyment on usage intentions has not been examined. Two studies are reported concerning the relative effects of usefulness and enjoyment on intentions to use, and usage of, computers in the workplace. Usefulness had a strong effect on usage intentions in both Study 1, regarding word processing software (β=.68), and Study 2, regarding business graphics programs (β=.79). As hypothesized, enjoyment also had a significant effect on intentions in both studies, controlling for perceived usefulness (β=.16 and 0.15 for Studies 1 and 2, respectively). Study 1 found that intentions correlated 0.63 with system usage and that usefulness and enjoyment influenced usage behavior entirely indirectly through their effects on intentions. In both studies, a positive interaction between usefulness and enjoyment was observed. Together, usefulness and enjoyment explained 62% (Study 1) and 75% (Study 2) of the variance in usage intentions. Moreover, usefulness and enjoyment were found to mediate fully the effects on usage intentions of perceived output quality and perceived ease of use. As hypothesized, a measure of task importance moderated the effects of ease of use and output quality on usefulness but not on enjoyment. Several implications are drawn for how to design computer programs to be both more useful and more enjoyable in order to increase their acceptability among potential users.