Project Objective

Discuss about the Social Networks in Business Research.

Business organizations involved in the activities of either manufacturing a product or offering certain services to a group of targeted customers to gain a profit. Such activities are important, and the means through which these organizations carry them out determines the margin of profit that they obtain. An organization that for example offers high-quality services to the customers in most cases manage to win many customers who seek its services. When that occurrence takes place, the organization manage to increase the gains that it obtains and it eventually becomes successful. Organizations have many ways through which they can ensure that they establish effectiveness in the activities that they involve in. About the production of the products that they offer, to begin with, organizations have an aim of ensuring that they offer high-quality products. They achieve this by maintaining effectiveness in the production process and also ensuring that they attain high-quality supplies for use in the production. Without sufficient establishment of the best products for production, it is very difficult to create a product that can be regarded as being of high quality.

Apart from production, other important organizational activities that help in ensuring that the organization increases its gains with its activities include transportation, market penetration strategies and marketing and sales of the organizational products. Each one of these sections is important and highly beneficial to the organization. Maintaining effectiveness in each one of them ensures that the organization manages to remain effective in its activities and thus it eventually acquires significant gains in the form of profits (McDonald, 2017).  In this paper, the focus is maintained in the activities of marketing and sales of organizational products. The paper is guided by the research topic, “Advantages and Disadvantages of using social networks in Business.”

The objective of this project is to provide information regarding the importance of sales and marketing in the process of establishing organizational effectiveness, and mainly explaining the most appropriate means through which this effect can be achieved. The project also focusses mostly on the aspects of social networks, which consists of the different ways through which business organizations manage to communicate to their customers and the means by which they establish this communication. Social networks are utilized to establish a social connection between people, in a way that they can communicate and share ideas. Organizations utilize these networks to be able to connect to their customers and c0mmunicate different aspects of their products through the activities of advertising. Advertisements help in convincing the customers that the products or services being offered by an organization are of significant value to them, and thus they should consider purchasing them.

Project Scope

There is a large number of issues that require being addressed under the topic of organizational effectiveness and the means that organizations use to succeed. For this project, however, each one of these aspects will not be addressed. The project maintains its focus on the aspects and ways through which organizations can increase their effectiveness and that of the activities that they involve in, through the use of social networks. It addresses issues regarding the importance of an organization in maintaining effectiveness in its activities and remaining in complete capability to connect to its customers through the use of social networks (Nicholls, 2011).

The issue of social networks and how they can be utilized by many business organizations has been of significant concern to a large number of individuals. With this regard, many literal sources have been authored with the aim of managing to address the issues in question. Literal sources that explain issues regarding these aspects focus on different specific areas and provide details on how these areas are connected to the aspects of social networks and business. In their article, Ioanid and Scarlet explain about the many factors that exist, which influence the use of social networks for business. The research study carried out by these two authors is obtained from an analysis of both YouTube and Twitter. In their paper, the authors focus on the different influencing factors that push organizational managers, representatives or entrepreneurs into using social networks in organizational operations (Scarlat & Ioanid, 2016).

The first factor that the authors focus on is the factor of effectiveness in operations. The authors begin by explaining that it is significantly important for individuals like organizational managers and promoters to ensure that the organization succeeds in activities like sales and marketing of the products that organizations offer to its customers. Among the most effective channels through which these activities can be carried out include the channels of social networks. The author then embarks on explaining what social networks are and the means through which they are utilized for the benefit of the organizations. Among others, an example of social networks includes social media networks like Twitter and Facebook and other video view networks like YouTube. A common aspect of these networks is the fact that they do not charge people to share information to others or to view and retrieve the information that has been shared. This aspect has caused people to prefer these networks in sharing their information, and thus millions of people utilize them to read and share new information. From the information that these authors provide, therefore, it is clear that social networks are highly beneficial to an organization that is highly interested in communicating with a large group of individuals that are its target customers (Scarlat & Ioanid, 2016).

Literature Review

In the article, “Business Reputation of Social Networks of Web Services,” explanation is provided regarding how an organization can establish a certain social network, and manage to provide a business based reputation to the public. As explained earlier, social networks help business organizations to manage to operate in the right manner and maintain the effectiveness of the activities that are required. Many social networks are utilized by people currently. Examples include4 the social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, which people embrace and use in aspects of socializing. The purpose of these networks was however not for use in business activities, and even though businesses utilize them, most people do not use them to view and identify products. Business organizations, therefore, have the opportunity of establishing their social networks which are created with the form of being completely effective. With this regard, therefore, the first aspect of consideration is ensuring that the organization is effective and that all aspects have been put into consideration (Maamar, Costantino, Petrocchi, & Martinelli, 2015).

The authors of the article explain that one of the main advantages of establishing a business dedicated social network is the fact that it such a network can be controlled by the business and that the business can shape its reputation to remain business oriented. People actively seek for places where they can view and identify the products that they believe are of value to them and look into their prices. A business social network has the ability of effectively playing this role while revealing the new products that the organization may be offering. Any information posted on such a network can be controlled by the business, and thus ensure that all the potential customers manage to view the specific information that they need. To remain effective in their operations. The other important aspect of consideration is the means through which an organization can manage to retain effectiveness in the activities needed and the means through which that effectiveness can be achieved (Maamar, Costantino, Petrocchi, & Martinelli, 2015).

The other source that provides information regarding social networks and their relations with business organizations explain about the tools that are utilized by business networks and clusters in communication. In this source, the authors begin by explaining that to any communication to take place; a tool must be utilized to establish that communication. An internet platform like Facebook where social communications and socialization between people take place is a tool. Such a tool is the main reason through which these communications take place. For business organizations to manage to establish a social network that can be utilized for communications, the first important aspect to consider is the means through which these business communications can take place. When a business organization, therefore needs to establish its business social network that it will use for communication about business issues only, the first aspect of consideration is selecting the tool for the same.

The author explains the first tool of communication is currently embraced by many business organizations is the internet. Through the internet, platforms are established where business organizations manage to communicate effectively with their customers and have the communication information stored for use in future. The other tool that is also being used rampantly is the use of communication applications. The applications have the requirement for any individuals willing to communicate to have its access. With its access, the individuals manage to communicate effectively. The other communication tools that are used are the features that can be implemented in the well-known social networks like Facebook to allow business organizations to use them for their purposes. These include creating business accounts on those platforms and business pages. Such tools help to communicate to the large number of people in the platform about issues that are of interest to the business (Letitia, Veronica, & Sofica, 2014). 

The other literal source that address issues regarding social networks and their impact on business organizations are the source, “Social Media Impact on Business Evaluation.” This source has its main focus on social media and assesses the impact that its utilization has on the business. The authors begin by explaining that social media provides a platform that business organizations attain the ability to communicate to its customers with. By providing this ability, organizations attain a means through which they advertise their products to the customers. In social media, information posted by people remains in the accounts where it is posted. This aspect makes the platform an effective platform to share information. An individual can even manage to view information that was posted yesterday, even after millions of posts being sent to the platform after. When an organization, therefore, utilizes the platform to make an advert for the product, people who view the advert are not limited to those that were online when the information was being stored. On the centrally, all individuals who would like to view the advert have the chance to do so, through the account or page where that information was posted. This feature of social media makes it possible for organizations to share information cheaply to a large number of people (Jurgelane, & Grizane, 2017).

The other important feature of social media that is significantly beneficial to organizations in their process of information sharing is the feature of resending information and sharing. When an individual views and identifies an important piece of information, he or she has the chance and opportunity to share that information with other people in his or her account. With this feature, social media also becomes the most appropriate platform through which a piece of information attains the ability to reach the largest number of people within a very short period. Information is of significant importance. Without it, it is difficult to enable organizations to remain effective. When an organization is effective and capable of maintaining an effective way of communicating, individuals lack the means through which they can establish this communication.

The other important feature, which the authors explain applies to all social networks is the fact that through them, organizations manage to stratified the target groups which are effective for their specific adverts. The authors explain that different social networks are appropriate and mostly visited by certain individuals, and thus strategically placing business advertisements in different platforms makes organizations manage to communicate important business information to the targeted groups. An example of a sports page in a platform like Facebook reveals the means through which the organizations manage to separate groups of viewers and product targets. When an organization is offering products that are specifically for men or sports, sports related pages are appropriate selections for making these adverts and adding the advertisement ads. This is because in such pages, the number of men that are likely to view the information is likely to be relatively high than that of women, and a large number of sports players are also likely to be found on such pages. With this regard, therefore, the information provided in such a platform can help an organization in targeting a certain group of potential buyers to products (Jurgelane, & Grizane, 2017).

The other source that provides information regarding the impact of social networks on business focus on the aspects regarding negative aspects in the social sector. In this source, the author explains that information that is communicated by people through the social platforms is aimed at informing people about what value products that the organizations are offering can add to them. There is a major problem with this aspect. Many people do not trust the information they read in social media platforms, mostly because it can be posted by any person and no verification process helps people to determine whether the information posted is true or false. This aspect reduces the effectiveness of social networks platforms in communicating information regarding organizations.

The other aspect associated with this issue is the problem of alteration of information. When an organization utilized platforms like Facebook to communicate critical and important information to its targeted customers, people alter that information to suit their interests and then distribute the altered piece of information. This aspect may tarnish the reputation of the organization or communicate the unintended piece of information by the organization, an aspect that is considered less beneficial to the organization. With this regard, therefore, it is significantly appropriate for organizations to establish their own private business social networks, which they have control over, and use them to communicate to people about their intentions and plans (Singh, & Kaur, 2016).

Conclusion

In conclusion, social networks are of significant importance to many organizations and individuals who seek to communicate certain information to a group of people. The main advantage of these networks is that compared to the communication services that they offer and their effectiveness, they are of significant importance to people. Through them, information is easily communicated at a significantly low price to the individual or organization that is communicating that information. The information is then distributed to a large number of people within a very short period, an aspect that makes this method significantly beneficial for the purposes of establishing effectiveness. The other important aspect of consideration is the negative aspects that are associated with these networks regarding communication. The negative impacts are mainly based on the fact that a large number of people do not trust the information they obtain in platforms, and thus even the legit information is considered less effective, an aspect that reduces the trust that people have on the information they obtain from the platforms. Despite these aspects, however, the benefits that the networks have to organizations significantly surpass the negative aspects associated with them and thus they are essential to the success of business organizations.

References

Jurgelane, I. & Grizane, T. (2017). Social Media Impact on Business Evaluation: Procedia Computer Science. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050917301047

Letitia, A. Veronica, R. & Sofica, A. (2014). Innovative tools used by business networks and clusters in Communication: Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences

Maamar, Z., Costantino, G, Petrocchi, M. & Martinelli, F. (2015). Business Reputation of Social Networks of Web Services: International Conference on Mobile Systems and Pervasive Computing

McDonald, J. (2017). Social media marketing workbook : how to use social media for business. San Jose, CA: JM Internet Group,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Nicholls, S. (2011). Social media in business : succeeding in the new Internet revolution. London: Bookinars.

Scarlat, C. & Ioanid, A. (2016). Factors Influencing Social Networks Use for Business: Twitter and YouTube Analysis: Faculty of Entrepreneurship, Business Engineering and Management, Romania.

Singh, S. & Kaur, M. (2016). Analyzing negative ties in social networks: A survey. Egyptian Informatics Journal. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110866515000432