Project Objective

The research proposal is about the advantages and disadvantages of using social networks. Though social network helps to improve the performance of business and there are business promoting itself on social media platform helps the business to gain a huge global customer base, but business has to handle negative feedbacks from customers in social media platforms. The purpose of this research proposal is to understand whether the positive outcomes of using social network in business outweigh the negative outcomes.

• To understand the negative effects of using social media platform by business.
• To understand the strategies that business use to promote itself on different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram?
• To understand the tactics and strategies used by business to handle negative feedback from customers in social media platform?
• To understand how business uses data mining techniques and promotes itself on social media platform to the right customer at the right time?
• Project Scope 

The scope of this research proposal is to identify the strategies that business adopts in promoting itself on social media platform like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The proposal will also reflect on the ways usage of social media improves the performance of business. This proposal will also be helping the future researchers in conducting further research on the topic and it will also help the readers to improve their knowledge regarding the subject.

The social network is one of the technological improvements that have to lead to the growth of many businesses in the world. This, therefore, explains the many advantages of a social network to business. There is much business that today its can attribute their success to the vast network of social media. Some advantages of a social network are communication platform, business advertisement, feedback mechanism, contact information, business research, online retailing, increase opportunity and marketing avenue.

Modern business considers the social network as the mode of communication where business management can use to pass information to junior employees or customers. As Baker et al (2012) can explain social media or social network being the fastest form of communication that currently attracts many users gives both public and confident information. For instance, Heerde, Leenheer, Bijmolt & Smidts (2007), indicate that WhatsApp is one of the best social media applications that can be used to pass confidential communication between management. Most of the businesses currently have switched from formal communication that mostly composed of memos and letters to social media since it’s the current trending mode of communication. In addition, Cristina (2012) explains that social network has proved effective especially as its facilitate faster delivery of information as compared to other former modes of communication. This means that social network can facilitate immediate feedback and often reach a large number of people at the same time.

The social network in business has proved to one of the successful advertisement media with most users in Australia and globally. Using social network helps advertisers to reach over 16 million users within Australia alone. According to Trudy & Chang (2016), manufacturers, and companies, in general, can introduce new products into the market through social network campaigns.  A good design advertisement disseminated into social media or network may pick immediately leading to the success of the new product in the market. As cited by Peter & Scott (2011), the social network also enables advertisers to share all the necessary information about a product that allows consumers to make an informed choice about the product. The social network has; therefore, transform business advertisement within Australia and around the world.

Literature Review

Social network enables a business to collect all the feedback information about a product or service. According to Gentle (2012), both advertisers and business, in general, can currently collect all comments about a product especially from users and potential customers. Nowadays some social networks such as Facebook and Twitter allow users to comment as express their thought about products or advertisement. As Wellman (2008) explains, a social network can help review help manufacture evaluate the product performance. A study by Bowler & Brass (2011) indicates that currently, most social network application has customer rating system enabling rating of satisfaction. As Denise (2013) confirms social media application especially those mobile software that easily integrated to devices hence users can use at their comfort.

Paniagua & Sapena (2014) explains the far social media has taken marketing research as many social networks have been turned into surveys. Customers who purchase products over the social media are allowed to comment on products and their taste of the product. According to Stretton & Karklins et al (2015), marketing research can easily be conducted online as customers and potential customers are given chance to express their opinion about products. Moreover, business research is easier on a social network as users feel involved as compared to other surveys. The business research utilizes application cookies that allow site visitors leave information about products.  Cranmer & Desmarais (2011) cites some organizations that currently utilize data from a social network to evaluate advertisement viewers. In addition, pay per click adverts is used to show the number of viewers that click adverts within the social media.

Social network helps expands online retailing since it has enabled online selling of connection between sellers and buyers.  The social network is currently connected to most online retail shops or online marketplace. This according to Agozzino (2012), social network makes a good traffic control element that attracts views from a social network which is healthy. The social network also works to popularize online businesses since its has capability of opening the same retail page within social media. As indicated by Granovetter (2005), online retailing is an innovative idea that can be traced to increase social network, online users. Though Stretton & Karklins et al (2015) contradicts use of social media in online shopping by an indication that not all users can buy products, the social network remains good online market place.

Yochai (2006) conducted a study on a social network and indicated that social network also widens the business opportunity to sell products both online and in shops. Social network increase business opportunity beyond location limits since social network connect the business with other new people. According to Rodrigo & Abraham (2012), developing appealing adverts attracts several users that are potential customers who buy products and services. In an agreement, Kassotakis (2010) explains that catchy adverts attract many viewers that are curious to find more about the service or products leading to contact. This remains a single problem of utilizing opportunity as pointed out by Granovetter (2005). As Cristina (2012) concludes those businesses that are connected to social network remains attractive and has wider opportunity to sell products abroad. This does not leave a clear connection between opportunities widen and the exact change in the purchase of products within the business.

Advantages of Using Social Networks in Business

Rodrigo & Abraham (2012) shows that despite the many advantages that may be cited on a social network to the business, it could not lack challenges or disadvantages that can result from using a social network. Some of the most common disadvantages of in cooperating social networks in business include cyber insecurity of business due to hacking, low production due to misuse of a social network by business employees, negative comments by social network users, the potential avenue for scams and requires frequent software updates.

According to Gloor, et al (2013), one of the most serious concerns about using the social network in business is cyber insecurity. Trudy and Chang (2016), also affirms that hackers have currently increased in number making social network security lower than before. Cyber insecurity may result in the downfall of business in the event of cyber attack as most hackers currently target social network due to many users. Moreover, as Stretton & Karklins et al (2015) confirms, cyber attack makes business to lose millions of dollars and this is the recipe for business collapse. Similar research by Bowler & Brass (2011) shows that social network is a major catalyst for hackers entering the system that can vastly affect numerous businesses especially those connected to one social media page or application.

Though social network has been advertisement platform, expression of opinion on a certain product has proved destructive. Rodrigo & Abraham (2012) indicates that negative comments on the social network may derail product performance leading loss of funds by advertisers. A similar study by Cristina (2012) also confirms that sharing of adverts in social media may also trigger emotional gung against a product or service as users respond differently on adverts. In addition, according to Huan and Kathleen (2016), dissatisfied customers can write or comment negatively about a service or product though there are minimal adverse feedback about that service or product. Stretton and Karklins et al (2015) summarizes cyber bulling of an employee is the worse experience that a business can get on a social network.

Another disadvantage of a social network is the misuse of social media’s pages or resources by business employees. As explained by Peter and Scott (2011), business with social networks normally suffers from misuse of internet resources for their own benefits. Social network such as Twitter or Facebook page for an organization has been reportedly misused by business employees who update their individual profiles instead of business. The productivity tied to adverts on the social network may reduce due to misuse of pages by employees as Denise (2013) comment on the disadvantage of social network and subsequently systems.

Software frequent update is the grievous challenge to business using social media or network since it poses more security challenge. As reported by Estrada (2011), most mega online businesses like Amazon have good e-commerce software that is linked with security firewalls before connection to social network plugging. In order to effectively use social media, George (2011) advises every business to update its software especially security firewalls so that it can shield the business from hackers and virus. Kassotakis (2010) contrast the issue of software update indicating that software update is taken care of by social network website and application developers. Paniagua and Sapena (2014) also agree on the software update as one of the business threat links on a social network.

Disadvantages of using social networks in business

Another area of challenge according to Gloor, et al (2013), is the growing scam and sales of fake services or products.  A Recent study by Huan and Kathleen (2016) shows that many business and employees have become victims of a scam or fake services that are advertised on the social network. Agozzino (2012) cites some of the businesses that have experience theft or loss of millions of dollars to scam suppliers. Cranmer & Desmarais (2011) explains that some fake business was not initially scam but due to huge sums of money they trade in leads to challenges of handling customers hence scam. In contrast, Yochai (2006) claim has been refuted by Rodrigo & Abraham (2012), the author cites that once a business has been entrusted to handle sums of money there is a need for a good monetary system. When confirming this Ariel & Avidar (2014) also indicates that business that deals in a monetary system need to remove any fear of mishandling of funds leading to scam.

How can social network improve the performance of business?

• How can social media platforms like Facebok , Twitter, Instagram, Youtube me managed in an integrated manner?
• How does customer’s negative feedback in social media affect the performance of business
• What are the promotional strategies adopted by business on different social networks?
• What are the strategies related to handling negative effects of social media like negative feedback from customers?

Research is depending upon both primary and secondary data, whose collection is done from books, informal discussions as well as journals. Questionnaire will be providing the pertinent information based upon the objectives.

The research is mainly based upon the primary data. In respect of the random sampling process, it is being utilized as primary data collection. This process will be implying the selection of 10 companies and interview the customers and employees of that Company who use social network for business randomly within the country. Through this process, it assists in random selection of 100 employees as well as to understand their requirements in respect of research purpose.

In respect of the size of the sample, sample of 100 employees from 10 random Companies within the country will be considered. The data collection method that will be considered is the interview process and regarding this, there will be occurring 5 open-ended questions regarding the advantage and disadvantage of social media. The responses that are being received from the respondents are required having a descriptive assessment. The reasons for undertaking descriptive research are as follows,

1. To have the effectiveness to do the evaluation of topics and issues that are non-qualified.
2. To have the opportunity to integrate the qualitative processes in relation to the aspect of data collection.

A survey will be conducted by providing the respondents with questionnaires. There will occur the process of collecting empirical data and it will be used for achieving the research objective. The sampling method that will be taken into consideration is the random sampling method and the sample size will be 100 customers who use social network site. The research approach that will be considered is the deductive approach of research. There will take place the survey as well as questionnaire design. The quantitative data evaluation process that will be considered is the method of statistical data evaluation. To conduct the validity and reliability regarding the data, co-relation, regression and Anova test will be getting considered.

• Deficit in budget – There might be the aspect of limiting the deficit in budget to conduct the research. The budget deficit will hinder the research process.
• Lack in time – Because of having a dearth in time, the research might occur in a hurried way and due to that, there might occur the skipping of major sections regarding the research.
• Respondent’s biased attitude – The respondents may not provide the correct reply regarding every question in the questionnaire because of their biased mindset in respect of specific matters (Pinder 2014).

Activity	Week 1	Week 4	Week 8	Week 12	Week 14	Week 16
Selection of the topic
Background Review
Data Collection (Survey & Secondary Data)
Review of data
Analysis  of data
Recommendation
Final Submission

Figure 1 Gantt chart

    (Source: Created by Author)

Conclusion 

In conclusion, it can be stated that social networking sites has many advantages and helps business to gain a huge customer base of global customers. Using social media platform like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can be advantageous for business organizations for global exposure as well as to gain profit. Though using social networking platforms has several advantages like using data mining techniques to understand the shopping behaviour of customers and advertise the right product to right customers at right time, yet business organizations have to handle negative feedback from customers and should have a separate team to manage different social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in an integrated manner.

Reference 

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