Keep it Oakland: e-commerce meets social justice

2021 ◽  
pp. 016344372110483
Author(s):  
Tamara Kneese
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Business Transactions ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
Racial Hierarchies

This article examines the labor involved with the upkeep of social media accounts for Oakland-based brick-and-mortar boutiques and their digital storefronts, particularly as businesses move their wares online during shelter-in-place amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Focusing on independent shops in Oakland, California, particularly those which are part of Oakland’s Indie Alliance – a coalition of independent small business owners – this article explores the role of shop workers in producing the authentic aesthetics of themselves and store accounts as a replacement for brick-and-mortar shops. How do small-scale shop owners and clerks make platforms, which were not designed with their needs in mind, work for them? How does sellers’ performance of the local interface with a global digital marketplace and platform infrastructures? In what ways do existing racial hierarchies and structural inequalities affect shop personnel’s experiences of platforms and apps meant to facilitate business transactions? I focus on the Oakland Indie Alliance’s Covid Recovery and Repair funds, which employ social media and crowdfunding platforms or payment apps to provide assistance to local businesses, particularly those which are BIPOC and/or immigrant owned, connecting commercial and social justice oriented goals.

scholarly journals Impact of Social Media Applications on Small Business Entrepreneurs

2016 ◽  
Vol 02 ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malik Shahzad Shabbir ◽  
Muhammad Saarim Ghazi ◽  
Atta Rasool Mehmood ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Applications ◽  
The Impact

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of social media applications on small business entrepreneurs. It also examines how small business owners are motivated to use social media applications. Social media has completely transformed the way businesses are done. Social media applications in the present time have become the most efficient and effective tool for small business entrepreneurs, and normally all small businesses use social media platforms for the advertising and publicity of their products and services. They make fan pages for their followers, and they warmly welcome their suggestions and opinions, which help in improving their businesses. However, based on literature review, we conclude that there is a positive impact of social media applications on small business entrepreneurs as well as they are highly motivated to use these platforms.

scholarly journals Role of Micro-Influencers in Affecting Behavioural Intentions

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4S5) ◽  
pp. 189-192
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Qualitative Nature ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
A Current

Purpose – Micro-influencers are often positioned between common social media users and celebrities. Using them for endorsements is a current and prospective aspect of social media marketing. This paper studies the credibility of microinfluencers and their impact on behavioral intentions of their followers. Designing – This paper take benefit of the qualitative analysis on responses received from 135 Instagram users who follow at least one micro-influencer and have purchased at least one product promoted by them. Responses from 15 microinfluencers and 08 small business owners (who have roped in regional micro-influencers) have also been studied. Findings – The paper identifies that micro-influencers are gaining much popularity in India, since the users find them relatable and trustworthy. The attractive advertisements (in form of posts & stories) leave an impact on followers and also shape their purchase and viral intentions. Research limitations/implications- The methodology adopted for this paper is of qualitative nature and the responses collected from various sources were verified against the available literature. Same could be done in qualitative terms. Practical implications - The use of micro-influencers for social media marketing is on the rise. Studying their impact especially for small businesses that can’t spend on other cost intensive advertising alternatives becomes relevant. Originality/value -This research contributes to studying microinfluencer role in affecting the behavioral intentions of social media users in India. Not many studies have been conducted in this regard and even less considering Instagram as a platform

Barriers to E-Commerce Adoption in SMEs

2011 ◽  
pp. 256-276
Author(s):  
Robert C. MacGregor
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Slow Growth ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Developed Economies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Research Studies

It has long been known that small businesses have realised enhanced profits through the adoption of ecommerce. However, a number of recent studies have suggested that it is the larger businesses that are reaping the rewards of e-commerce rather than the smaller businesses. This slow growth of e-commerce adoption in SMEs has been attributed to various adoption barriers that are faced by small business owners/managers. These barriers have been well documented in numerous research studies. However, the relationship between these barriers has not been fully examined, particularly in developing countries. Of particular concern is the fact that the conclusions concerning the nature and role of barriers to e-commerce adoption have simply been transferred from studies in developed economies to those in developing ones. 96 non-adopting SMEs in Indonesia are compared to 129 in Sweden to determine whether the perception of importance of barriers differs between the two locations. The data is also analysed to determine whether the underlying factors of these barriers differs across the two locations.

Near, far, and online: small business owners’ advice-seeking from peers

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Kuhn ◽  
Tera Galloway ◽  
Maureen Collins-Williams
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Local Networks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advice Seeking ◽  
Peer Advisors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine small business owners’ informal advice-seeking from peers, with a focus on the opportunities afforded by the internet for owners to acquire assistance from other owner-managers outside their local community. Design/methodology/approach – Over 600 owner-managers in a rural US state were surveyed about their advice-seeking during the previous year from peers in the same community, from non-local peers they had met in person, and from peers known only online. Mixed effects logistic regression analysis was used to test both main effects of business and owner characteristics on advice-seeking and interactions with type/location of peer advisors. Findings – Most owners had received advice from peers, and one-third had received advice online from a peer whom they had never met in person. Business performance was not associated with overall use of peer advice, but did interact significantly with source; the use of online-only advisors was associated with business growth, suggesting the possible benefit of weak ties. Over two-thirds of respondents reported having used social media and/or online forums to access advice or support from other owners (both those met in person and those not), with women and younger owners more likely to rely on such tools. Originality/value – This study shows that entrepreneurial research needs to consider peer advisors beyond local networks as potential resources for small business owners. While previous research has examined entrepreneurs’ use of social media for marketing, this study shows its utility for accessing advice.

scholarly journals Impact of Social Media Applications on Small Business Entrepreneurs

2016 ◽  
Vol 02 ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malik Shahzad Shabbir ◽  
Muhammad Saarim Ghazi ◽  
Atta Rasool Mehmood ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Applications ◽  
The Impact

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of social media applications on small business entrepreneurs. It also examines how small business owners are motivated to use social media applications. Social media has completely transformed the way businesses are done. Social media applications in the present time have become the most efficient and effective tool for small business entrepreneurs, and normally all small businesses use social media platforms for the advertising and publicity of their products and services. They make fan pages for their followers, and they warmly welcome their suggestions and opinions, which help in improving their businesses. However, based on literature review, we conclude that there is a positive impact of social media applications on small business entrepreneurs as well as they are highly motivated to use these platforms.

scholarly journals Social Media Marketing Adoption Strategies: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study of Landscape Industry Small Businesses

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystal Lupo ◽  
Jason R. Stroman
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Multiple Case

Despite research contending that marketing is a pivotal factor in small business success, many small business owners continue to underutilize low-cost marketing options available to them. Of these options, social media marketing is a useful tool to maintain competitiveness in the larger marketplace. However, the adoption of social media best practices in small business remains deficient. The landscape industry is a large and growing field with small businesses making up a large and growing share of the industry. Yet some landscape industry small business owners lack strategies to adopt innovative social media marketing strategies to help ensure business viability. This study incorporated a qualitative, exploratory multiple-case study design to explore how landscape industry small business owners use social media marketing strategies to help ensure business viability. Results indicated that successful marketing strategies tended to incorporate Facebook as the primary social media tool and included content such as service, education, and holiday posts. Benefits of social media marketing primarily centered on low-cost marketing options for improved visibility, while challenges included a trial-and-error learning curve. Results of this study might help small businesses improve their long-term viability through social media marketing strategies.

scholarly journals Co-creating a digital service for small business owners’ finance management

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heikkilä Päivi ◽  
Maria Johanna Antikainen
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Finance Management ◽  
Digital Service ◽  
Integration Of Services ◽  
Service Offering

This paper presents a small-scale qualitative study exploring the everyday finance management of small business owners. The study was conducted by carrying out contextual interviews, combining the approach of business and social sciences. Insights from five study cases were utilised in co-creating a novel digital service targeted to facilitate finance management in the areas identified as challenging or lacking suitable services. The benefits and challenges of the co-creation process are also discussed. The findings increase the current understanding and bring practical implications to the understudied area of co-creation of financial services. For example, the needs for integration of services and graphical presentation of financial data are not met with current service offering and should be supported better. Gamification and social aspects, as well as, the need for mobile use, are seen as interesting elements for future research.

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