Global use and access of social networking web sites: a national culture perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Gong ◽  
Rodney L. Stump ◽  
Zhan G. Li

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the role and effect of national culture on social networking web sites (SNWs) use and access across countries while controlling for socio-economic factors, specifically networked readiness, level of education and mobile penetration. Design/methodology/approach – Hofstede's multidimensional framework serves as the conceptual basis for the study. Hierarchical regressions are conducted to test the hypothesized effects of cultural dimensions beyond that of the control variables on the penetration of SNWs using a secondary dataset for 36 countries. Findings – The results provide supporting empirical evidence linking three of Hofstede's cultural dimensions to nations' SNWs use and access. Research limitations/implications – Limitations include the use of secondary data for a limited number of countries. Only three social-economic variables were included as controls on the relationship between culture and SNWs access and usage. Future research will benefit from examining other cultural frameworks (such as Hall's classifications) and potential factors such as a nation's demographic composition and their roles in adoption and diffusion of the SNWs. Further research is needed to validate the results by including more nations and employing time-series data of social media penetration and diffusion. Practical implications – Managerial implications are discussed with respect to formulating more effective online marketing strategies for brand engagement and promotional media choice by accommodating for cultural differences. Originality/value – The paper's original contribution stems from the fact that little can be found in the literature about the influence of national culture on the use of social media. It attempts to establish the importance of understanding cultural impact on consumers' SNWs adoption behavior across countries.

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin D. Lo ◽  
Richard D. Waters ◽  
Nicklas Christensen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions are reflected on the official corporate Facebook pages from 259 organizations on Fortune magazine’s Global 500 list. This is the first attempt to create a conceptualization of Hofstede’s dimensions for organizational social media use. Design/methodology/approach To determine how Facebook is used by the Global 500 corporations, a content analysis was carried out based on the 2013 listing of the highest revenue corporations throughout the world. As a research method, content analysis allows researchers to examine the actual practices of communication by focusing on the information provided through textual and visual messages. Findings The results paint a mixed picture indicating that the global nature of these corporations is echoed in a somewhat similar overall presence on Facebook; but when the individual elements (About Us, updates, and media) are examined, statistical differences emerge in relation to the reflection of the cultural dimensions. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work to match Facebook behaviors with Hofstede’s dimensions. This work needs to be replicated with other organizations to determine its staying power. In addition, future research might tap into agency and any consciousness on the part of social media managers in a specific direction. Depending on those findings, they might make important statements on the emergence of a global social media culture.


2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akhtar Hussain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the adoption of Web 2.0 in library associations in the presence of social media. This paper attempts to measure the penetration of Web 2.0 tools in various library associations all over the world. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted through an assessment of the library associations’ web sites. A total of 188 library associations’ web sites were analysed, out of which 115 library associations have implemented Web 2.0 applications; this is 61.17 percent of the total. Findings – On the basis of the analysis it was found that the majority of Web 2.0 tools have been used by American continents library associations. This stands at, 89.86 percent, whereas only a small number of Web 2.0 tools have been used by Asian continent library associations, that is, 25.64 percent. The most of Web 2.0 tools used by library associations, is, Facebook, Twitter, RSS feeds, LinkedIn, Flickr and Blogs. Research limitations/implications – The findings of this study can be utilized to assess the status of assorted Web 2.0 tools used in libraries associations. It may enable future research to investigate other aspects, such as the adoption of Web 2.0 tools in library associations of a particular country as well as continent. Originality/value – The paper begins with an introduction to Web 2.0 technology and attempts has been made to analyse the usage of this new technology in library associations worldwide.


2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 518-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matloub Hussain ◽  
Muhammad Irfan Javaid ◽  
Paul R. Drake

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship among environmental pollution, economic growth and energy consumption per capita in the case of Pakistan. The per capital carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is used as the environmental indicator, the commercial energy use per capita as the energy consumption indicator, and the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) as the economic indicator.Design/methodology/approachThe investigation is made on the basis of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC), using time series data from 1971 to 2006, by applying different econometric tools like ADF Unit Root Johansen Co‐integration VECM and Granger causality tests.FindingsThe Granger causality test shows that there is a long term relationship between these three indicators, with bidirectional causality between per capita CO2 emission and per capita energy consumption. A monotonically increasing curve between GDP and CO2 emission has been found for the sample period, rejecting the EKC relationship, implying that as per capita GDP increases a linear increase will be observed in per capita CO2 emission.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should replace the economic growth variable, i.e. GDP by industrial growth variable because industrial sector is major contributor of pollution by emitting CO2.Practical implicationsThe empirical findings will help the policy makers of Pakistan in understanding the severity of the CO2 emissions issue and in developing new standards and monitoring networks for reducing CO2 emissions.Originality/valueEnergy consumption is the major cause of environmental pollution in Pakistan but no substantial work has been done in this regard with reference to Pakistan.


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1563-1583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Rubino ◽  
Filippo Vitolla ◽  
Nicola Raimo ◽  
Isabel-Maria Garcia-Sanchez

PurposeThis study investigates the relationship between national culture and the country level of firms' digitalisation, by applying Hofstede's cultural framework to the European Union member states. Although many studies have observed the impact of national culture on firms' innovation and information and communication technology (ICT) adoption, there have been no analyses of how cultural dimensions impact firms' digitalisation at the country level. This study intends to fill that gap.Design/methodology/approachUsing a pooled ordinary least square (OLS) model, this study analyses data from 27 European countries over the period from 2014 to 2018.FindingsThe results suggest the existence of a negative, significant, relationship between both masculinity and uncertainty avoidance, and the country level of firms' digitalisation. Indulgence is found to positively and significantly influence a country's level of digitalisation. Contrary to expectations, this study indicates a negative, significant, relationship between individualism and the degree of digitalisation. Power distance is found to have no significant impact.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by showing how a country's various cultural dimensions help or hinder the level of firms' digitalisation in that country. Theoretical and managerial implications are presented, including suggestions for future research.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepa Ray

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the barriers to knowledge management (KM) due to various national cultural dimensions and to understand how social media can be used to mitigate those barriers to KM processes within organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with a focussed review of existing literature to understand the key concepts in KM and national culture. The paper then outlined the important dimensions of national culture and the barriers they introduce to the KM processes. The paper also briefly reviews the features of some of the popular social media tools available. The paper then conceptually link the three areas of KM, national culture and social media to emerge with a clear picture of how social media can overcome KM barriers due to specific cultural traits. Findings – National culture has multiple dimensions and each of these dimensions can act as a significant barrier to KM within organizations. Social media tools have rich interactive features which can help overcome these barriers. Choosing the correct social media tool with specific features can help alleviate the issues introduced by specific cultural traits. Originality/value – This paper integrates the three areas of KM, national culture and social media. It provides an understanding of how the various cultural dimensions can act as barriers to KM. It particularly outlines specific social media tools to remedy obstacles to KM due to each of the national culture dimension.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 268-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Barger ◽  
James W. Peltier ◽  
Don E. Schultz

Purpose In “Social media’s slippery slope: challenges, opportunities and future research directions”, Schultz and Peltier (2013) asked “whether or how social media can be used to leverage consumer engagement into highly profitable relationships for both parties”. The purpose of this article is to continue this discussion by reviewing recent literature on consumer engagement and proposing a framework for future research. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews the marketing literature on social media, paying particular attention to consumer engagement, which was identified as a primary area of concern in Schultz and Peltier (2013). Findings A significant amount of research has been conducted on consumer engagement since 2010. Lack of consensus on the definition of the construct has led to fragmentation in the discipline, however. As a result, research related to consumer engagement is often not identified as such, making it difficult for academics and practitioners to stay abreast of developments in this area. Originality/value This critical review provides marketing academics and practitioners insights into the antecedents and consequences of consumer engagement and offers a conceptual framework for future research.


2015 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Haynes ◽  
Lyn Robinson

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the risks faced by users of online social networking services (SNSs) in the UK and to develop a typology of risk that can be used to assess regulatory effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – An initial investigation of the literature revealed no detailed taxonomies of risk in this area. Existing taxonomies were reviewed and merged with categories identified in a pilot survey and expanded in purposive sample survey directed at the library and information services (LIS) community in the UK. Findings – Analysis of the relationships between different risk categories yielded a grouping of risks by their consequences. This aligns with one of the objectives of regulation, which is to mitigate risks. Research limitations/implications – This research offers a tool for evaluation of different modes of regulation of social media. Practical implications – Awareness of the risks associated with use of online SNSs and wider social media contributes to the work of LIS professionals in their roles as: educators; intermediaries; and users of social media. An understanding of risk also informs the work of policy makers and legislators responsible for regulating access to personal data. Originality/value – A risk-based view of regulation of personal data on social media has not been attempted in such a comprehensive way before.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Androniki Kavoura ◽  
Aikaterini Stavrianeas

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine visitors’ perceptions and relevant importance of social media when choosing a Mediterranean destination and also to explore the extent in which they believe it is important for them to belong to an online community with shared characteristics among its members. Design/methodology/approach – A stratified, based on nationality and gender, sample of 301 respondents of foreign arrivals of visitors in the Athens airport, Greece was collected in June and July 2014 based on the official Athens Airport Authorities Arrival Research. This is a partially exploratory research. Findings – Differences between age groups as far as the importance attributed to social media as sources of information about a tourism destination were found. The respondents, when using the internet for gathering information about a tourism Mediterranean destination, consider different online channels. Facebook is among the most important sources of information for them associated with the tourism destinations. Official web sites/blogs of the destination are the first source and photo sharing sites are the second most preferred source; sharing aesthetics of photos was found to contribute to the feeling of belonging to an on line travel community. Research limitations/implications – Further research will contribute to the development of greater understanding of the strategic approaches to social media and their use to promote a destination. Greek diaspora would be interesting to examine and geographical differences among groups. Practical implications – The paper denotes the importance for destination management organizations and companies, to fully employ the social media in their marketing efforts. Originality/value – The present study increases our understanding of the adoption of online and traditional communications in the visitor’s process for Athens, Greece, shedding light to the literature existing on the significance attributed to the online travel community belonging from visitors through sharing aesthetics of photos and associations of ideas based on age differences.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linghe Huang ◽  
Qinghua Zhu ◽  
Jia Tina Du ◽  
Baozhen Lee

Purpose – Wiki is a new form of information production and organization, which has become one of the most important knowledge resources. In recent years, with the increase of users in wikis, “free rider problem” has been serious. In order to motivate editors to contribute more to a wiki system, it is important to fully understand their contribution behavior. The purpose of this paper is to explore the law of dynamic contribution behavior of editors in wikis. Design/methodology/approach – After developing a dynamic model of contribution behavior, the authors employed both the metrological and clustering methods to process the time series data. The experimental data were collected from Baidu Baike, a renowned Chinese wiki system similar to Wikipedia. Findings – There are four categories of editors: “testers,” “dropouts,” “delayers” and “stickers.” Testers, who contribute the least content and stop contributing rapidly after editing a few articles. After editing a large amount of content, dropouts stop contributing completely. Delayers are the editors who do not stop contributing during the observation time, but they may stop contributing in the near future. Stickers, who keep contributing and edit the most content, are the core editors. In addition, there are significant time-of-day and holiday effects on the number of editors’ contributions. Originality/value – By using the method of time series analysis, some new characteristics of editors and editor types were found. Compared with the former studies, this research also had a larger sample. Therefore, the results are more scientific and representative and can help managers to better optimize the wiki systems and formulate incentive strategies for editors.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu Goel ◽  
Narinder Pal Singh

Purpose Artificial neural network (ANN) is a powerful technique to forecast the time series data such as the stock market. Therefore, this study aims to predict the Indian stock market closing price using ANNs. Design/methodology/approach The input variables identified from the literature are some macroeconomic variables and a global stock market factor. The study uses an ANN with Scaled Conjugate Gradient Algorithm (SCG) to forecast the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex. Findings The empirical findings reveal that the ANN model is able to achieve 93% accuracy in predicting the BSE Sensex closing prices. Moreover, the results indicate that the Morgan Stanley Capital International world index is the most important variable and the index of industrial production is the least important in predicting Sensex. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study have implications for the investors of all categories such as foreign institutional investors, domestic institutional investors and investment houses. Originality/value The novelty of this study lies in the fact that there are hardly any studies that use ANN to forecast the Indian stock market using macroeconomic indicators.


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