Social Media Marketing in Trinidad and Tobago

The objective of this research was to examine the utilization of social media by SMEs as a marketing tool in Trinidad and Tobago. A review of the literature in the field was undertaken on themes such as social media marketing, the value of social media for SMEs, and the challenges to implementing social media campaigns. The empirical process consisted of 35 qualitative semi-structured interviews with SMEs throughout Trinidad and Tobago to examine the experiences and impact of their social media strategies. The participants had businesses in sectors such as food and beverage, clothing, health and wellness, and sporting goods. The study concluded by giving recommendations such as developing a formal system to manage social media performance, conducting a due diligence before social media channel selection, embarking on and developing a strategic marketing plan for SMEs when the decision has been made to incorporate the tools of social media as a significant marketing channel.

Female Entrepreneurship in Business Artisanal SMEs

Neuroeconomics research helps explaining phenomena and key questions surrounding good decision-making within the realm of entrepreneurship studies. It applies qualitative methodology, using a modified Delphi method, to integrate neuroeconomics. This study explains the factors that influence the decision-making of female entrepreneurs drawn from female founders of artisanal SMEs in Mexico. Results show that neuroeconomics adds valuable insights to explaining issues of female entrepreneurship. The results deviate from the predictive or behavioural bias of decision-making models in standard economic theory. The practical implications of this study are that it adds expert opinion into the debate on neuroeconomics in relation to female entrepreneurship.

Social Media Influencers' Effect on Chinese Gen Z Consumers

The objective of this paper is to explore the relationships between different types of Chinese social media influences and their use of short videos, and how that content is managed influence Chinese Generation Z consumers. Effective use of social media is a way for SMEs and new ventures to level the playing field and compete with established enterprises; it is cost effective and can target a very specific consumer demographic. Data was collected by online surveys of Gen Z Chinese self-described heavy social media users. The results of this study may be of particular interest to entrepreneurs who tend to be early adopters and who can most benefit from strategic use of social media advertising to locate and reach their target customers more efficiently and more effectively.

Hiring the Best Job Applicants?

Human resources (HR) management professionals have been using different methods of social media (SM) in their recruitment strategies with varying degrees of success. Through examining SM and its effect, this can support the development of a more effective HR recruitment strategy. This research investigates effects and issues associated with SM and recruitment and whether SM is effective as an innovative e-entrepreneurship method of hiring the best job applicants for enterprises. Professionals, recruiters, and employees were questioned on their views of SM from a personal and professional perspective through a variety of methods including focus groups and questionnaires. It is argued that the advantages of using SM for online recruitment include increased efficiency and convenience for both potential employees and enterprises, whereas where the systems are not designed correctly, it can create increased difficulties for the enterprises in communicating with potential employees. A framework is provided that can be used by enterprises in order to create their own SM recruitment cycle.

Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle in Advertising

This study aims to validate the influence of Aristotle's rhetorical triangle—ethos, pathos, and logos—to the behavior of Saudi Arabian consumers, focusing particularly on consumer product. Quantitative and qualitative methods including descriptive research design were used. Two hundred respondents participated in the study. Results shows that age has impact to influence respondent's preference of Aristotle's rhetorical appeals. However, educational attainment has no influence on respondents' behavior towards Aristotle's rhetorical appeals. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents perceived ethos appeal as the most effective appeal of persuasion. This finding could be due to culture, since Saudis valued trust and credibility. Entities that might be affected directly or indirectly of the findings will give them an idea on how to reach and persuade the target audiences. The classical Aristotle's rhetorical triangle is the ancient art of persuasion still remains useful and applicable for the communication.

Digital Leadership

Advances in digitalization place completely new demands on both political and economic leaders as well as on society as a whole. In addition to technical skills as a basis for dealing with and understanding digital technologies, digitalization demands that relevant decision-makers have a digital mindset so that they can recognize and correctly assess the opportunities and challenges associated with digitalization. Against this backdrop, this article presents a conceptual framework for digital leadership and explains the motives as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with it. It also shows how the critical capabilities of a digital leader contributes to the realization of their strategic vision of successful digitalization. The article concludes by discussing whether and how digital leadership can support successful digital transformation in the economy and society, and it points out possible fields for future research.

Mobile Media Usability

With the evolution of smartphones and tablets, mobile devices have quickly become the primary means by which consumers interact with web-based media. Media managers and content developers simply cannot ignore this shift. The problem lies in maintaining content designed for multiple devices and platforms; it puts pressure on the developer to juggle different versions of the same site. The industry's answer to this problem has been the creation of automated adaptation techniques as a means of device-agnostic media delivery. However, how do these techniques handle usability? Do they improve the experience or simply mirror the content? Increased usability can lead to higher levels of user satisfaction and engagement. Therefore, media managers should be cognizant of these effects. This article presents a study of techniques in content adaptation and the factors that influence the success of media distributed on mobile platforms. Included is an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of current methods and techniques along with consideration for future technologies.

The Impact of e-Supply Chain Management Systems on Procurement Operations and Cost Reduction in the Electronics Manufacturing Services Industry

The article examines the effect of e-supply chain management systems in the operations and business models in the North American electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry. A causal and descriptive research study was conducted based on a survey applied to thirty-six individuals in EMS firms in order to determine the impact of e-SCM on their key supply chain operations and business models. Results of the research revealed that e-SCM had a positive effect in the operations and business models of the EMS industry as these showed that the profits of the firm increased and internal communications was improved due to the implementation of e-SCM. The research also showed that e-SCMs have many technical issues such as problems with process automation and transmission of supply chain data, e-procurement effectiveness, integration with existing systems and the monitoring of inventory systems and the purchasing process. The research also shows how social media and the internet has affected the business models of the EMS by improving communications and operations in the overall supply chain.

The Video-on-Demand Market in Germany

The markets for audiovisual content are subject to dynamic change. Where once “traditional” television was dominating, i.e. linear audiovisual media services, markets display nowadays the strong growth of different types of video-on-demand (VoD), i.e. nonlinear audiovisual media services including paid-for VoD such as Netflix and advertised-financed VoD like YouTube. This article aims at providing insights into the VoD market in general and the competitive environment in particular. For doing so, the authors first present recent developments in the German VoD market. In the second part of this article, the authors focus on the (perhaps special) role of YouTube in the market for audiovisual (online) services. Thereby arguments for and against YouTube exerting competitive pressure on i) other non-linear audiovisual media services (e.g. Netflix) as well as ii) on other linear audiovisual media service providers (TV stations) are discussed. The article concludes that there are numerous pros and cons speaking for a relevant role of YouTube for both markets.

Entrepreneurship in South Africa

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the promotion and development of entrepreneurship in South Africa. The objective was to develop and test a model which could be used in the development and training of entrepreneurs. Officially, 27.7% of South Africans are unemployed. This is especially important in that, the South African economy is battling to recover from the world economic crisis of 2009/10, putting pressure on government to alleviate growing unemployment and curtail social unrest. The study comprised of a literature review as to how globally entrepreneurs are developed, culminating in the perceived success factors for entrepreneurship. These factors were then tested on small business owners operating in South Africa. The authors argue that, in order to successfully develop entrepreneurs: 1) 99% of entrepreneurs will need to have the required socio-emotional skills; 2) 99% of entrepreneurs will require mentorship; and 3) 95% of entrepreneurs will require access to start-up capital.