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Research has shown the potential of social media to disseminate important information as well as transform citizen engagement with government. However, implementation proves difficult, especially in public sector organizations. The success, impact and performance of these new forms of networked interactions are yet to be fully explored, especially at the local level. Many municipalities are experimenting with social media use, but few actively measure their performance on these platforms and their interactions with users. Different frameworks have been proposed to describe government communication types and activity on social media. They are addressed here through three phases that refer to forms of government-citizen communication on social media. The original assessment method developed here contributes to the existing literature and provides guidance to practitioners. Empirically, our research relies on a database of cities that have between 100,000 and 500,000 inhabitants in European Union member states located in Central and Eastern Europe. It provides social media metrics for these cities (N=82 and compares various indicators on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This contributes to a better assessment ofhow social media platforms are used by local governments in the region., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The emergence of social media has sparked a lot of interest in academic libraries especially in the area of adoption. However, there appears to be limited knowledge on whether librarians’ generation differs in the adoption levels of social media specifically in the Southwestern, Nigeria. In a bid to carrying out this focus, this study adopted the descriptive survey design. The population comprised seventy-nine (79) librarians from eight academic libraries. The total enumeration sampling technique was used to study all respondents for the study. A self-structured questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. Data gathered were analysed using descriptive (frequency, percentage & mean) and inferential statistics (ANOVA). The results indicate that there is a significant difference between the generations (Baby boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z) with respect to their adoption of social media, but that no significant differences were found between the generations and social media adoption for library services. The study concluded by noting that social media can be adopted by librarians across different generations. Library administrators should acknowledge these differences and formulate their social media strategy accordingly when designing plans on social media in Southwestern, Nigeria.

The purpose of the study is to create an understanding of whether, and in such cases how, employers in IT-firms examine jobseekers' social media as a part of the company's recruitment process. The study has been limited to recruiters in the IT-industry as it was considered extra interesting to examine the recruitment process related to social media due to the technical skills that are required within the IT industry. The choice of industry was also based on the fact that it is estimated that 70.000 new employees will be needed until the year of 2022, to meet Sweden's demand of employees within the IT-industry. Ten respondents with various positions in different IT-firms, that are responsible for the recruitment process, have participated in the study through semi-structured interviews. The conclusions drawn from the respondents' answers in relation to the theoretical framework are that all respondents actually examine job seekers' social media. This is done regardless of whether the company has considered that this is something that should be avoided or not. It was shown that the recruiters examined the job seekers' social media by their own initiative rather than on the basis of established guidelines. It did not appear that any specific guidelines nor policies existed or was used by any company regarding the review, and neither that there exists any form of internal dialogue regarding any specific approach. The majority of the respondents performed the review of social media in the final stages of the recruitment process. It has, however, been shown that the review is not used as a decisive decision in the recruitment process, rather as a complement for the overall picture. Even so, it turned out that there is content on social media that could have been decisive, but this only applies to individual cases where the content was considered extreme. Examples of such content were strong political statements that for instance regarded racism or other statements concern

The purpose of the study is to create an understanding of whether, and in such cases how, employers in IT-firms examine jobseekers' social media as a part of the company's recruitment process. The study has been limited to recruiters in the IT-industry as it was considered extra interesting to examine the recruitment process related to social media due to the technical skills that are required within the IT industry. The choice of industry was also based on the fact that it is estimated that 70.000 new employees will be needed until the year of 2022, to meet Sweden's demand of employees within the IT-industry. Ten respondents with various positions in different IT-firms, that are responsible for the recruitment process, have participated in the study through semi-structured interviews. The conclusions drawn from the respondents' answers in relation to the theoretical framework are that all respondents actually examine job seekers' social media. This is done regardless of whether the company has considered that this is something that should be avoided or not. It was shown that the recruiters examined the job seekers' social media by their own initiative rather than on the basis of established guidelines. It did not appear that any specific guidelines nor policies existed or was used by any company regarding the review, and neither that there exists any form of internal dialogue regarding any specific approach. The majority of the respondents performed the review of social media in the final stages of the recruitment process. It has, however, been shown that the review is not used as a decisive decision in the recruitment process, rather as a complement for the overall picture. Even so, it turned out that there is content on social media that could have been decisive, but this only applies to individual cases where the content was considered extreme. Examples of such content were strong political statements that for instance regarded racism or other statements concern

Social media has become essential part of almost everyone’s life nowadays. Everyone is attracted to social media these days with bearing all its positive and contrary negative effects. The present research study aims to investigate the factors that motivate the older population to adopt Internet and social media. Previous studies have shown significant relation between age and social media usage. Cross sectional research with multistage cluster sampling design was employed to investigate the relationship of attitudinal, normative and control beliefs on older population to adopt social media. It is hypothesized that attitudinal, normative and control beliefs have significant positive relationship in adoption of social media by older population. Data collection was carried out through randomly selected population of 150 people with age of more than 50 years. The findings of the study revealed that attitudinal belief, dimensions utility outcomes and relative advantage were significantly positively correlated with the adoption of social media by the older population. In normative beliefs, dimensions primary and secondary influences were significantly correlated but the older population negatively correlated secondary influence with the adoption of social media. The hypothesis regarding control belief was positively correlated with the adoption of social media. The results of the study partially support hypothesis about attitudinal beliefs. The findings have significant implications for social scientist, senior citizens and social media industry and policy makers.

Social media has proliferated into the everyday life of Vietnamese people. As a result, in the past years, Vietnam has seen many organizational crises that started on this platform. Social media has proven to be able to foster crises, thanks to open platforms that allow for relatively free discussion among strangers with common interests. Nonetheless, Vietnamese organizations have often ignored or underutilized these channels in their crisis communication efforts. Organizations prioritize using traditional media in their crisis communication efforts and paid little to no attention to social media outlets, even if the crisis had started on social media channels. Through a survey with experienced Vietnamese PR practitioners, this research aims to understand this trend of crisis management and explore the perception of Vietnamese organizations toward the use of social media in crisis communication.Bahasa Indonesia Abstrak: Media sosial telah menjamur ke dalam kehidupan sehari-hari rakyat di Vietnam. Akibatnya, dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, Vietnam telah melihat banyak krisis organisasi yang dimulai pada platform ini. Media sosial telah terbukti mampu menumbuhkan krisis, berkat platform terbuka yang memungkinkan diskusi bebas untuk kepentingan bersama. Meskipun demikian, organisasi di Vietnam sering mengabaikan atau kurang memanfaatkan saluran-saluran ini dalam upaya krisis komunikasi yang mereka alami. Organisasi lebih memprioritaskan menggunakan media tradisional dalam upaya menanggulangi krisis komunikasi mereka dan sedikit memberikan perhatian kepada outlet media sosial, bahkan jika krisis telah dimulai pada saluran media sosial. Melalui survei yang dilakukan oleh praktisi PR di Vietnam yang berpengalaman, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memahami tren manajemen krisis ini dan mengeksplorasi persepsi organisasi di Vietnam terhadap penggunaan media sosial dalam komunikasi krisis.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to clarify business-to-business (B2B) firms’ strategies of social media (SM) marketing communication. Secondly, to explore the factors contributing to the formation of adoption and integration strategies, and identify who the B2B firms target.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study approach is utilized to compare four multinational corporations and their practices. Face to face interviews with key managers, as well as extensive readings and observations of the firms’ websites and SM platforms have been conducted.Findings – The study results in a model, illustrating different processes of selection, adoption and integration involved in the development of SM communication strategy for B2B firms. Major factors involved in determining the platform type, and strategies used within different phases and processes are identified.Research limitations/implications – Since the chosen methodology may limit generalizability, further research is encouraged to test the model within a B2B context especially within SMEs, as only large multinational corporations were investigated in this study.Practical implications – The paper provides insight in to how B2B marketers can align SM with the firm’s goals through the strategic selection of platforms in order to reach the targeted audience and communicate their message.Originality/value - The study uncovers the benefits gained by B2B firms’ through interaction with individuals on SM. This is a significant contribution as the value of such interaction was previously undefined and acted as a barrier for adopting SM in some B2B firms., QCR 20180326

Purpose The purpose of this study is to clarify business-to-business (B2B) firms' strategies of social media marketing communication. The study aims to explore the factors contributing to the formation and adoption of integration strategies and identify who the B2B firms target. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study approach is used to compare four multinational corporations and their practices. Face-to-face interviews with key managers, and extensive readings and observations of the firms' websites and social media platforms have been conducted. Findings The study results in a model, illustrating different processes of selection, adoption and integration involved in the development of social media communication strategy for B2B firms. Major factors involved in determining the platform type, and strategies used within different phases and processes are identified. Research limitations/implications As the chosen methodology may limit generalizability, further research is encouraged to test the model within a B2B context especially within small and medium enterprises as only large multinational corporations were investigated in this study. Practical implications The paper provides insight into how B2B marketers can align social media with their firms' goals through the strategic selection of platforms to reach the targeted audience and communicate their message. Originality/value The study uncovers the benefits gained by B2B firms' through interaction with individuals on social media. This is a significant contribution as the value of such interaction was previously undefined and acted as a barrier for adopting social media in some B2B firms., QC 20230201

Social media is considered an important marketing tool for B2B companies that are operating in the current decade (Andersson and Wikström, 2017; Brink, 2017; Itani, Agnihotri and Dingus, 2017). As social media has become a well-researched topic over the last decade, it has become more popular for businesses and individuals to use (Andersson and Wikstrom, 2017; Lacka and Chong, 2016; Michaelidou, Siamagka and Christodoulides, 2011). However there are limited research on how specific industries are adopting social media (Siamagka et al., (2015). Therefore, this thesis will contribute with research on why the industrial industrys adopt social media as well as how they are using it (Ibid). Ten industrial businesses working in Sweden have been used for the empirical data collection. A qualitative approach have been used for this study in order to satisfy the purpose. All of the interviewees have experience within social media adoption or are working with social media on a daily basis. The interviews were conducted through phone and lasted approximately 20-50 minutes. The conclusion of this study is that academic research within this field are somewhat in an agreement with the empirical data provided within this study. The main reasons to why industrial B2B businesses are adopting social media is because businesses can reach their target customers in an easy and fast way, also the pressure from stakeholders and customers have been an important factor to why some of the practitioners within this study have adopted social media. The barriers and benefits of using social media goes hand in hand. As one of the main benefits is the communication with customers and the main barrier is the negative comments that businesses can get. Although this study has indicated that the benefits outweigh the barriers when adopting and using social media. Findings from this study has shown that LinkedIn is the most useful social networking sites for businesses to use and this statement is

Social media marketing has become a central issue for companies and marketers. Few studies have, however, specifically researched factors and barriers influencing the adoption of social media at company level. This study addresses this gap by focusing on furthering the theory involved in the adoption social media at company level. Based on the findings of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 17 marketing executives of large companies in Brazil, six variables that weigh in the adoption of social media were identified: the demonstrability of the results, the customers’ presence on Social media, knowledge of social media, stakeholder influence, common sense as related to digital marketing and the executive’s age. Additionally, we propose a theoretical model of social media adoption, in the light of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

Social media marketing has become a central issue for companies and marketers. Few studies have, however, specifically researched factors and barriers influencing the adoption of social media at company level. This study addresses this gap by focusing on furthering the theory involved in the adoption social media at company level. Based on the findings of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 17 marketing executives of large companies in Brazil, six variables that weigh in the adoption of social media were identified: the demonstrability of the results, the customers’ presence on Social media, knowledge of social media, stakeholder influence, common sense as related to digital marketing and the executive’s age. Additionally, we propose a theoretical model of social media adoption, in the light of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to clarify business-to-business (B2B) firms’ strategies of social media marketing communication. The study aims to explore the factors contributing to the formation and adoption of integration strategies and identify who the B2B firms target. Design/methodology/approach: A multiple case study approach is used to compare four multinational corporations and their practices. Face-to-face interviews with key managers, and extensive readings and observations of the firms’ websites and social media platforms have been conducted. Findings: The study results in a model, illustrating different processes of selection, adoption and integration involved in the development of social media communication strategy for B2B firms. Major factors involved in determining the platform type, and strategies used within different phases and processes are identified. Research limitations/implications: As the chosen methodology may limit generalizability, further research is encouraged to test the model within a B2B context especially within small and medium enterprises as only large multinational corporations were investigated in this study. Practical implications: The paper provides insight into how B2B marketers can align social media with their firms’ goals through the strategic selection of platforms to reach the targeted audience and communicate their message. Originality/value: The study uncovers the benefits gained by B2B firms’ through interaction with individuals on social media. This is a significant contribution as the value of such interaction was previously undefined and acted as a barrier for adopting social media in some B2B firms. © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Social media is considered an important marketing tool for B2B companies that are operating in the current decade (Andersson and Wikström, 2017; Brink, 2017; Itani, Agnihotri and Dingus, 2017). As social media has become a well-researched topic over the last decade, it has become more popular for businesses and individuals to use (Andersson and Wikstrom, 2017; Lacka and Chong, 2016; Michaelidou, Siamagka and Christodoulides, 2011). However there are limited research on how specific industries are adopting social media (Siamagka et al., (2015). Therefore, this thesis will contribute with research on why the industrial industrys adopt social media as well as how they are using it (Ibid). Ten industrial businesses working in Sweden have been used for the empirical data collection. A qualitative approach have been used for this study in order to satisfy the purpose. All of the interviewees have experience within social media adoption or are working with social media on a daily basis. The interviews were conducted through phone and lasted approximately 20-50 minutes. The conclusion of this study is that academic research within this field are somewhat in an agreement with the empirical data provided within this study. The main reasons to why industrial B2B businesses are adopting social media is because businesses can reach their target customers in an easy and fast way, also the pressure from stakeholders and customers have been an important factor to why some of the practitioners within this study have adopted social media. The barriers and benefits of using social media goes hand in hand. As one of the main benefits is the communication with customers and the main barrier is the negative comments that businesses can get. Although this study has indicated that the benefits outweigh the barriers when adopting and using social media. Findings from this study has shown that LinkedIn is the most useful social networking sites for businesses to use and this statement is

Social media marketing has become a central issue for companies and marketers. Few studies have, however, specifically researched factors and barriers influencing the adoption of social media at company level. This study addresses this gap by focusing on furthering the theory involved in the adoption social media at company level. Based on the findings of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 17 marketing executives of large companies in Brazil, six variables that weigh in the adoption of social media were identified: the demonstrability of the results, the customers’ presence on Social media, knowledge of social media, stakeholder influence, common sense as related to digital marketing and the executive’s age. Additionally, we propose a theoretical model of social media adoption, in the light of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

The pressure on organisations to adopt social media technologies is increasing, due to the large usage among customers and stakeholders. Nevertheless, there are still uncertainties about why organisations adopt social media and researchers call for more empirical studies in this research field. This study focuses on a hotel chain that recently made the decision to adopt social media. A technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework is used to analyse the hotel chain and local hotels’ perception of the social media adoption. 22 interviews in 14 hotels in seven European countries have been conducted. The results shows that the hotel management and the local hotels have different views on why social media should be adopted and that there are several organisational challenges for the hotels, such as example to create structures for social media usage within the organisations.

Over the last couple of years’ social media has come to have an influential role in our lives. With the broad use questions has raised if social media use can have negative effects. We have seen a recurrent tendency in media and society that encourage people to overlook their social media use and seen cases of people reducing their private social media use. The purpose of this study is to examine attitudes in young adults whom have taken a break from social media or reduced their usage. Furthermore, we wanted to distinguish what types of strategies they have used when they renounced from social media. With a qualitative approach we interviewed five young adults that had waived from social media during different periods of time due to negative usage experiences. We examined our empirical material along side with previous research on social media, Goffman’s impression management theory and Nanna Gillberg’s notion on Bourdieu’s forms of capital. We found that people tend to see the opportunity of impression control as something tedious and time consuming which had lead to a diminished use of social media. When tackle this aspect of social media, it came down to reducing your usage to an extent without having to compromise the possibility social media offers to keep in contact with friends.

The advent of Social Media tools has been one of the most relevant technological innovations in recent years and has strongly impacted the tourism industry. Despite the numerous benefits that Social Media can offer to hotels, transforming the way they relate to customers and opening a vast array of new possibilities, its implementation implies also numerous challenges. Considering that the use of Social Media is becoming increasingly popular, it seems to be critical to understand how hotels can use them strategically to reinvent customer relationships. This study explores the topic following a mixed methodology, combining both quantitative and qualitative data from a European sample of 312 hotels. Results suggest that review sites and social networks were the most used tools. The main advantages and disadvantages of its use were identified and widely discussed.

Over the last couple of years’ social media has come to have an influential role in our lives. With the broad use questions has raised if social media use can have negative effects. We have seen a recurrent tendency in media and society that encourage people to overlook their social media use and seen cases of people reducing their private social media use. The purpose of this study is to examine attitudes in young adults whom have taken a break from social media or reduced their usage. Furthermore, we wanted to distinguish what types of strategies they have used when they renounced from social media. With a qualitative approach we interviewed five young adults that had waived from social media during different periods of time due to negative usage experiences. We examined our empirical material along side with previous research on social media, Goffman’s impression management theory and Nanna Gillberg’s notion on Bourdieu’s forms of capital. We found that people tend to see the opportunity of impression control as something tedious and time consuming which had lead to a diminished use of social media. When tackle this aspect of social media, it came down to reducing your usage to an extent without having to compromise the possibility social media offers to keep in contact with friends.

This thesis focuses on social media adoption by the Australian banks as method of communication. It proposes a ‘technology independent’ adoption model with components that encompass sociotechnological factors governing the adoption of social media. The model can also be adapted by any business organisation and prove beneficial for future.

The number of commercial applications that exploit Web 2.0 social media is increasing rapidly. However, little is known about the challenges that public sector organizations face when they decide to adopt Web or other technology-based applications, and offer them to consumers; particularly when governmental and civil service organizations are involved. This is particularly true in developing non-Western regions, such as the Middle East, where 'Arab Spring' developments in 2011 stimulated interest in the ability of social networking to mobilize citizens against ruling elites. Consequently, this study investigated Oman's public sector to gain a deeper understanding of the adoption and use of information technology innovation and its potential to engage governments more closely with citizens. In essence, it aimed to develop a comprehensive model of ‘organizational adoption’ and ‘citizen use’ of technology for achieving meaningful online dialogue. The focus of this study is not social media applications per se, but rather it concerns any Web or other technology-based application that is suited to improving dialogue between government organizations and citizens. The final model was derived over three distinct phases of research using a mixed method approach. In Phase I, an initial literature review developed understanding of global trends in e-Government adoption and clarified the study aims, scope, and primary research question. A more extensive literature review was then undertaken to derive a tentative 'first-cut model' theoretical framework. This contains factors considered critical to both achieving successful organizational adoption of IT innovations and a meaningful dialogue between governments and citizens. These are presented from three distinct perspectives or levels; the National level, Organization level, and Management level. In Phase II of the research, case studies involving three Omani civil services organizations helped to refine the tentative model. Pol

The number of commercial applications that exploit Web 2.0 social media is increasing rapidly. However, little is known about the challenges that public sector organizations face when they decide to adopt Web or other technology-based applications, and offer them to consumers; particularly when governmental and civil service organizations are involved. This is particularly true in developing non-Western regions, such as the Middle East, where 'Arab Spring' developments in 2011 stimulated interest in the ability of social networking to mobilize citizens against ruling elites. Consequently, this study investigated Oman's public sector to gain a deeper understanding of the adoption and use of information technology innovation and its potential to engage governments more closely with citizens. In essence, it aimed to develop a comprehensive model of ‘organizational adoption’ and ‘citizen use’ of technology for achieving meaningful online dialogue. The focus of this study is not social media applications per se, but rather it concerns any Web or other technology-based application that is suited to improving dialogue between government organizations and citizens. The final model was derived over three distinct phases of research using a mixed method approach. In Phase I, an initial literature review developed understanding of global trends in e-Government adoption and clarified the study aims, scope, and primary research question. A more extensive literature review was then undertaken to derive a tentative 'first-cut model' theoretical framework. This contains factors considered critical to both achieving successful organizational adoption of IT innovations and a meaningful dialogue between governments and citizens. These are presented from three distinct perspectives or levels; the National level, Organization level, and Management level. In Phase II of the research, case studies involving three Omani civil services organizations helped to refine the tentative model. Pol