The role of social media in driving FLE performance and customer relationship: an internal marketing perspective

The Internal Marketing (IM) discourse has long remain fragmented and is at the verge of becoming further outdated. This is due to the lack of relevance of IM work to recent technological advancements and its use in firm interactions internally (with employees) and externally (with customers). This thesis aims to review the current state of IM discourse as well as explore its value in relation to the use of social media in the workplace. Through the theoretical lens of IM this thesis explores how organisations can effectively manage frontline employees’ (FLEs) use of social media in their communications, and attempts to build relationships, with customers. Furthermore, it aims to show how FLEs social media use, both externally with their customers and simultaneously internally with their colleagues, impacts FLEs performance. This thesis addresses these issues using a three-paper approach. Paper 1 delivers a systematic review of the IM discourse, by analysing 349 published articles, concluding that IM has entered a period of ennui due to the limitations of existing theoretical lenses. It also develops an integrated framework of six IM dimensions and advances a research agenda in light of recent theoretical and market developments. Papers 2 and 3 investigate two of these emerging avenues for future research (i.e. the role of technology-mediated communication and leadership in organisations’ IM capabilities). For papers 2 and 3, empirical evidence was collected from 388 paired responses (i.e., employee self-reported and supervisor-rated surveys) through a survey-based approach within financial service firms in a Chinese context. Paper 2 investigates the role of leadership, in the form of supervisors, in employees’ social media communications and their effect on sales performance. FLEs’ adoption of social media is driven their supervisor’s social media capabilities, enhanced by supervisor enabled empowerment and supervisor-FLE relationships. Paper 2 demonstrates whilst social media communication is effective in increasing sales performance it may also have a dark side leading to employee information overload. Paper 2 updates the underpinning mechanism of IM effects through applying Media Synchronicity Theory showing the effects are contingent on the communication modes of social media (synchronous or asynchronous). Paper 3 investigates the consequences of employees’ social media relationship-building efforts with both their customers and their co-workers. Applying Social Capital Theory as the explanatory mechanism, the results show that through both employee-customer and employee-colleague social media interactions, FLEs directly and indirectly acquire customer needs; enhance both organisational identification and customer identification, leading to greater customer service performance. Furthermore, customer, and not organisational, identification encourages FLEs to break organisational rules for the benefit of customers. This thesis makes some important theoretical contributions. First, this thesis updates IM theory by suggesting the investigation of internal marketing through new theoretical lenses (i.e., Media Synchronicity Theory, Social Capital Theory). Second, social media is demonstrated as a technological tool of IM communication and relationship-building both externally with customers and internally with colleagues. Third, this thesis empirically confirms two new theoretical mechanisms through which social media enhances employee sales and customer service performance but also acknowledges limitations such as information overload and customer deviance that can occur. Fourth, it expands Media Synchronicity Theory by showing that its interplay between different social media communication modes, and in-person communication that affect outcomes. Finally, it contributes to Social Capital Theory by demonstrating the distinct effect of internal and external social capital in one theoretical framework presented in Paper 3

Examining the Impact of Personal Social Media Use at Work on Workplace Outcomes

A noticable shift is underway in today’s multi-generational workforce. As younger employees propel digital workforce transformation and embrace technology adoption in the workplace, organisations need to show they are forward-thinking in their digital transformation strategies, and the emergent integration of social media in organisations is reshaping internal communication strategies, in a bid to improve corporate reputations and foster employee engagement. However, the impact of personal social media use on psychological and behavioural workplace outcomes is still debatebale with contrasting results in the literature identifying both positive and negative effects on workplace outcomes among organisational employees. This study seeks to examine this debate through the lens of social capital theory and study personal social media use at work using distinct variables of social use, cognitive use, and hedonic use. A quantitative analysis of data from 419 organisational employees in Jordan using SEM-PLS reveals that personal social media use at work is a double-edged sword as its impact differs by usage types. First, the social use of personal social media at work reduces job burnout, turnover intention, presenteeism, and absenteeism; it also increases job involvement and organisational citizen behaviour. Second, the cognitive use of personal social media at work increases job involvement, organisational citizen behaviour, employee adaptability, and decreases presenteeism and absenteeism; it also increases job burnout and turnover intention. Finally, the hedonic use of personal social media at work carries only negative effects by increasing job burnout and turnover intention. This study contributes to managerial understanding by showing the impact of different types of personal social media usage and recommends that organisations not limit employee access to personal social media within work time, but rather focus on raising awareness of the negative effects of excessive usage on employee well-being and encourage low to moderate use of personal social media at work and other personal and work-related online interaction associated with positive workplace outcomes. It also clarifies the need for further research in regions such as the Middle East with distinct cultural and socio-economic contexts

Building better employer brands through employee social media competence and online social capital

Despite the significant and increasing influence of social media on employees' work lives, there is limited focus on employees' social media competencies from an employer branding or internal marketing perspective. Building on social identity and social exchange theories, this paper links employees' social media competence to an increase in online brand citizenship behaviour and reduction in feelings of psychological contract violation towards their employer's brand. We also examine the distinct mediatory effects of two forms of online social capital—bonding mediates the influence of employee social media competence on online brand citizenship and feelings of psychological contract violation, whilst Bridging only mediates the effect of social media competence on feelings of psychological contract violation. In doing so, we contribute to extant literature in two ways: (1) Address the need for research on social media in relation to employer branding; and (2) highlight the importance of building employee‐to‐employee and employee‐to‐employer relationships by virtual means in the context of employer branding. Therefore, this paper responds to calls for research that advances more responsible approaches to employer branding and internal marketing; that is, approaches that take into account employee competencies (emphasise need for skill development) as well as wellbeing (emphasise need for support)

Voicing job satisfaction and dissatisfaction through Twitter: employees’ use of cyberspace

This article adopts a work orientations perspective to consider how, through the medium of Twitter, employees voice the things they love and hate about their jobs. Using 817,235 tweets posted by 650,958 users in the calendar year 2014, the findings provide new insights into both the employee voice and job satisfaction/dissatisfaction literatures as well as an enhanced understanding of the nature of the employment relationship. First, our findings indicate that Twitter, in its expression of very personal and individualistic needs, might be considered a new form of employee voice. Second, Twitter captures the positive, the negative and the ambivalence in the notion of job satisfaction. Third, the description of the methodology used to access and analyse Twitter data illustrates how new methodological approaches, particularly those embedded within computer science, may be of value to social scientists in their analysis of 'Big Data'

Antecedents of psychological well-being among workers within small and medium enterprises

ORIENTATION : In the contemporary business environment, employee mental health is neglected, especially in mental health research and practice in African Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This occurs even though this sector is the largest contributor to developed economies. This study highlights the importance of psychological well-being in SME performance and the individual employee. RESEARCH PURPOSE : To investigate the influence of perceived organisational support, career goal development and empowering leadership on the psychological well-being of SME employees in Gauteng province, South Africa. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY : Despite increasing research on SMEs, few studies have investigated the impact of perceived organisational support, career goal development, and empowering leadership on psychological well-being in a Southern African context. RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD : This study followed a quantitative approach, using the survey methodology where a structured questionnaire was administered to 250 SME employees. To evaluate the psychometric properties of measurement scales, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses. MAIN FINDINGS : Perceived organisational support, career goal development and empowering leadership have a positive and significant impact on the psychological well-being of SME workers. A robust, positive and significant relationship exists between empowering leadership and psychological well-being. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS : The results indicate that SME managers in South Africa should pay more attention to, or place greater emphasis on, supporting employees in their organisations, recognising and assisting them in achieving their goals, and empowering them to be happy at work. If the psychological well-being of employees is prioritised, SME business performance will ultimately improve. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD : This study contributes to the current body of Africa’s industrial psychology and mental health literature – a field that has received little research attention in developing countries like South Africa.http://www.sajip.co.zahj2019Marketing Managemen

The increased application of social media in the South African public relations industry

Over the past few years, social media have become both a part of everyday life and a topic of research interest. The impact of the increased use of social media and their integration into society is important from the human science, business and organisational perspectives. This study set out to establish the factors influencing the increased application of social media in the South African public relations (PR) industry. Research conducted in other countries indicates that the impact of social media on PR practice is profound, and there exists a research gap for similar insights in South African PR practice. Specifically, all research on the topic has so far been conducted on developed economies and in first world countries. There is therefore a need to conduct research in a third world country with an emerging economy such as South Africa. The main purpose of the study was to investigate how social media are impacting on organisations, and therefore PR practice, in the South African context by replicating a study carried out internationally. The secondary purpose was to compare the results of the South African study with those of the original study, which was conducted mainly in first world countries with developed economies. The study aimed to contribute to the theoretical body of knowledge as follows: First, from a practical perspective, the findings will be of future assistance to South African PR practitioners in identifying the possible impact and effects that social media could have, and might already have had, on communication strategies and objectives. Secondly, the study determined the extent to which social media are impacting on the PR industry in South Africa. It compares the results with the research findings by Wright and Hinson (2009) in other first world countries. Finally, the study adds an academic theoretical dimension to the research, having been conducted in the context of a meta-theoretical framework. IT therefore offers offered an academic explanation of the study and its results, as an additional contribution to the existing body of knowledge. The 11 research objectives for the study were empirically tested by using a cross-sectional quantitative survey design. The survey was a replica of the one used in the original study. Data collected from the Likert-type scale questions were analysed using the Chi square method to determine probability results. The theoretical and literature review confirmed that the impact of social media on communication and PR practice is significant. The review also indicated that it is important to investigate this impact in a third world country, as internet penetration into these countries is very different from that of first world countries. The empirical section of the research showed that most of the respondents in the South African study agreed that the emergence of social media has changed the ways in which organisations communicate and handle both internal and external communication. In this South African study, most respondents agreed that social media and mainstream media complement each other; social media enhance the practice of PR, but respondents rated them very low in terms of accuracy, credibility, truth and ethics. However, respondents gave social media high marks for offering organisations suggestions for low-cost ways in which to develop relationships with members of various strategic publics, serving as a watchdog for traditional mainstream media, and impacting on corporate and organisational transparency. Subjects in the study felt strongly that research and measurement were important for organisations in determining what is being said about them in social media channels. However, very few of the subjects in all three studies have claimed to be actually conducting such research. The present study also inquired about the percentage of workdays respondents spend on activities with blogs and other social media. The study found that three times more South African practitioners are spending 50% or more of their time on blogs and with other social media, compared with respondents in the international survey. Results indicated that, overall, social media are having a positive effect on PR practice in South Africa. However, the overall perception by PR practitioners is that, in comparison with traditional media, social media have a long way to go in terms of accuracy, truth and ethical standards. If these platforms do perform as badly on the ethical level as PR practitioners perceive, there must surely be a significant need for organisational reputation management. There is also a significant need for organisations to design and implement research structures to monitor social media communication on their organisations, brands and messaging. Findings suggest that PR managers could use traditional media communication together with social media, as the two seem complementary to each other, and will become even more so in the future. PR communications strategies should allow for organisations to respond more rapidly to criticism than in the past. They should also incorporate transparency and ethical practice into organisational communication, as the nature of social media demands that organisations hold to higher ethical principles. CopyrightDissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012.Communication ManagementMComUnrestricte

Cyberloafing and cyberslacking in the workplace: systematic literature review of past achievements and future promises

– Scholars are increasingly focusing on the adverse effects of digitization on human lives in personal and professional contexts. Cyberloafing is one such effect and digitization-related workplace behavior that has garnered attention in both academic and mainstream media. However, the existing literature is fragmented and needs to be consolidated to generate a comprehensive and contemporary overview of cyberloafing research and map its current intellectual boundaries. The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on systematic literature review (SLR) in cyberloafing and cyberslacking in the workplace.publishedVersio

Brand community: The right crowd for crowdfunding

Recently crowdfunding has become popular among entrepreneurs, startups and non-profit organizations. Funders often seek to get something back either in form of equity or non-financial terms.Members of the same group show strong relationship for crowdfunding rather than individuals.Brand community including online communities has more response for open call crowdfunding.Brand community members are relatively enthusiastic in funding altruistic way that is often pursued by many firms. Besides brand community members make surveillance for project success and often volunteer in addition to funding.This study suggests brand communities as the right crowd for crowdfunding