Research For Senior Manager: Impact Assessment Answer

m. It was after the advent of Arab Spring that the organizations came to know about the strength of the social media and the engagement of the consumers. However, it was found that Twitter was famous than face book in UAE.

On the contrary, the social media affected many organizations negatively. As per the report published by Nexgate, out of every five Facebook account that claim to present Fortune-500 companies are not authorized. As a result, the fotuene-500 companies have to face at least one incident on social media every day. The misuse of social media can be seen in Facebook. The negative effect of social media not only affected the business of the organization but also the brand image of the organization. Some of the examples of such can be seen through the problems faced by a restaurant chain in Chipotle. The hackers changed their profile picture by a swastika avatar and posted comments that are offensive to the public in their Twitter Handle. However, Chipotle is not responsible for such issues, but they had to apologize to the public for the content that was published.

Etihad Airways also had to face similar consequences when 10^th may 2015, Flight 650 carrying 128 passengers had to be diverted to a military base after getting a threat in their Twitter account. Later no attack was made and Etihad Airways concluded that the threats were just the work of the hackers.

Thus, it can be said that the organizations have to decide the correct way to use the social media for their business. It can help in generating the revenue for an organization or can tarnish the image of the organization resulting in huge losses for the organization. Social media will be helpful for any organization to reach the customers and make their presence felt in the market. The organization can make use of social media for its business but with proper measures and checklist.

Research Design and Methodology

Data Collection Method

Both the secondary and the primary data will be collected for this research paper. A survey has been conducted with the Hilti employees and analysis of data has been done. They will respond on the impact of social media on the buying habits of the customers as far as the products of the Hilti Corporation are concerned (Bryman and Bell 2015). On the other hand, the secondary data that will be in the form of previous research works by other authors will be helpful for the research to get an idea about the impact of social media on the business

Sampling Method

Two types of sampling methods that can be incorporated in the research papers

1. Probability sampling

2. Non-probability sampling

When the number of participants cannot be measured in the beginning of the research. The person carrying out the research has to depend on the evidence and the participants that will come in their way, then probability sampling will be used in that research work (Denscombe 2014). On the contrary, there are certain research works where the numbers of participants are known from the beginning, and then the person who is carrying out the research will adopt non-probability sampling (Polonsky and Waller 2014).

For the present research, non-probability sampling will be taken into consideration. The numbers of participants are known from the beginning. The exact data and facts are also taken into considerations that will be helpful for the research work.

Ethical Issues

An ethical issue is an important part of the research that should be taken care once there are a number of participants taking part in the research. It will be taken care that none of the participants are forced to take part in the research. The personal information of the participants is one of the sensitive parts of the research work (Wilson 2014). The personal information of the participants would not be published if the participants were unwilling to share their personal information in any external place. A proper environment should be provided to the participants while they are answering the questions, they should get a healthy and spacious place, and the place should not cause any danger to the participants (Smith and Blumenthal 2012).

Special attention will be given while accessing the secondary data as well (Miller et al. 2012). Many sites do not let a visitor access the full documents. None of the unethical ways will be used to access the sites. Either the required amount will be paid to access the site or some other sites will be used to write the information in the research paper (Sarantakos 2012).

Research Limitations

Some employees might have had some issues with the usage of social media. Hence, even if the social media marketing has benefitted the business, they might not share their experience. As a result, exact result might not be achieved from the interviews.

Many websites limit the access of the information to certain users. The users will have to a pay a certain amount of price to access the entire amount. In such a situation, much information might not be incorporated in the research paper . As a result, some of the instant information and data might be missed out from the research.

Time Table

Task	1st	2	3	4	5	6	7
Secondary Data Collection
Preparation of assessment tools
Contacting with the respondents
Collection of Primary Data :
Presentation of the Primary Data
Compilation and Analysis of Primary Data
Report Submission

Introduction:

Gone are the days when business is all about making purchase and sale of products and service. In a highly competitive world of business, each consumer is offered the opportunity of choosing his products, from a variety of options laid before him. Herein lies the importance of choosing the most effective and innovative form of promotional strategy, so that an organization can reach out to a huge number of people in the shortest possible time. Keeping in consideration, the significant role social media plays in the life of tech-obsessed people in today’s world, it is important to note that social media plays a vital role in influencing the purchasing decision of the consumers. Social media form of marketing has been enjoying a phenomenal success in engaging the consumers with the products, service and brand of an organization (Aral et al. 2013). Hilti Corporation is a very recognized Liechtenstein multinational organization thatdeals with the manufacture of products used for building, construction and mining industries. Hilti Corporation has opted for social media marketing, and employs different social media tools, for sales promotion, as well as for tracking the changing consumer demands (Hinterhuber and Liozu 2015).

Background and problem statement:

Hilti Corporation has been offering innovative solutions to the customers of the building maintenance and construction industries. However, even the most recognized organizations need to keep on updating the consumers about their latest products, discounts, or achievement, lest they are forgotten. This is the reason, why Hilti Corporation has chosen the social media form of marketing. The benefits from social media marketing can surpass the benefits of print media marketing, as social media help in selling the product, while building a valuable relation with the consumers. Social media tools help an organization in informing its consumers about the recently launched products and service. They promote the product, in a much friendlier manner, rather than adopting the typical commercial approach. Social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram help an organization in a multiple ways, but however, at the same time, it is important to understand how far the social media tools influence a consumer. Hilti Corporation has been employing social media form of marketing over the last years, and it has been updating its consumers about the new service and attractive discounts, via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn (Stelzner 2012). However, it is important for the management authority of Hilti Corporation to understand and evaluate the way in which the existent or the new consumers respond to this form of promotional strategy. The management authority of each organization must be well-informed about how the consumers respond to the tweets or the Facebook posts, promoting their products and services. Any business organization works with the aim of profit maximization. Hilti Corporation invests adequate time and money for social media marketing, and so it should understand how social media helps the organization in increasing product sales and gaining greater recognition . 

Research Aim:

Hilti Corporation has been employing social media marketing, as an effective tool for interacting with the consumers and promoting the sale of its products. Keeping this in consideration, the aim of the research is to understand and critically analyze the impact of social media on the consumers of Hilti Corporation.

Objective of study:

The objectives of the research are as follows:

1. To investigate the impact of social media on the business of Hilti Corporation

2. To understand how can Hilti Emirates influence the purchasing decision of the consumers, and enhance its profitability, by earning more revenue

Research Questions:

The research questions are as follows:

1. What is the impact of social media in Hilti business?

2. How can Hilti Corporation increase its revenue using social media?

Significance of the research:

Social media tools have become extremely popular among the masses, and almost everyone enjoys access to social media tools, for the purpose of recreation. Taking advantage of the new trend of social media, business organizations such as Hilti Corporation is also promoting their service on the social platforms. However, it is important to understand how and to what extent does the online presence of Hilti Corporation influence the consumers in buying their products, and availing their services. The research will throw a light on the effectiveness of the social media marketing strategy adopted by Hilti Corporation. The research will help the organization understand the areas where any improvement may be needed, as far as the social media marketing strategy is concerned.

Structure of the Research:

First, the topic is introduced, and the background of the topic is discussed in detail. After discussing the aims and objectives of the research, the research will be carried out by employing qualitative and quantitative data. On the one hand, the articles and journals will be used as informative sources of knowledge about the concerned topic; on the other hand survey will be conducted for understanding the situation at hand. Based on the information collected, the data will be analyzed to understand and critically evaluate the impact social media exercises on Hilti Corporation. Accordingly, necessary recommendations will be made, if necessary (Pickard 2012).

Literature Review:

Nowadays, a huge number of people invest most of their time during leisure, using various social media sites. It is no shocking fact that the latest report by Global Web Index reported that the internet accounts for as much as 57% of global media consumption, out of which social media accounts for 26% of people’s media time (Trainor et al. 2015) . The report also claims that social media has already outrivaled ordinary digital media, such as television, and hence it has become extremely popular among the masses. The greatest benefit of social media in business is that it can reach out to a wide number of people, at the least possible rate. As a result of deploying social media form of marketing, an organization can get greater exposure, and can interact with the consumers on a daily basis. In turn, the organization can succeed in creating a loyal customer base.

Figure 1: Figure Showing the Growth of Social Media Usage Over the Last Years

Source: (Rapp et al. 2013)

As it is evident from the above figure, the number of people using social media has considerably grown over the years, and as such creating a Facebook page or opening up a Twitter account, can significantly influence the purchasing decision of the consumers. According to the Social Media Marketing Industry Report of 2015, approximately 92% of the organizations claimed that social media enhanced their profitability, and rendered them greater recognition than before (Gensler et al. 2013). The most important feature of social media marketing is that it enables the organization in knowing the target group of audience, with the help of Google+, Facebook, and other social media tools. This filtered search helps an organization attract the attention of the consumers who are in need of availing its service, or are willing to purchase the kind of products produced by it.

The Deloitte report highlighted the importance of social media marketing strategy in case of large, multinational organizations as well. The report stated that a huge number of consumers who use social media, are four times more likely to consume a product than those who are not regular users of social media. Social media creates a virtual world, where an organization can promote its product, by creating an element of personal touch in the content of the advertisement. A story-telling mode of narration is used while advertising about a product on Instagram, and if the content is meaningful and effective enough to create an impact on the mind of the consumer, he will easily be persuaded to buy it; Again, when an individual finds his friends and relatives expressing their admiration for a specific product, by “liking”, and “sharing” the product, the individual is also likely to consume the product.

The effective use of social media marketing strategy can remarkably help an organization in gaining competitive advantage over the rival organizations. High quality service and promotion go hand in hand. If an organization focuses chiefly on the production of its products, and dismisses the importance of informing the consumers about the exclusive benefits it offers, it will fail to influence the buying decision of the consumers. Hilti Corporation is a large organization, and despite the huge recognition it has earned over the years, it actively employs social media tools for engaging with the consumers, and for gaining greater exposure, and for improving the sale. According to the Forbes magazine, social media presence enables an organization in multiple ways, and directly contributes to its success. It drives purchase, it engages the consumers in a more active way, builds a strong relation with them, and allows an organization to understand if the consumer is liking the product or not. Similarly, the consumers are also mostly pre-occupied with their own works, and as such social media marketing allows them to be informed about their favorite products as per their convenience

Research Design and Methodology

Research Method

A research method is required to be chosen in order to conduct a research smoothly. For conducting any sort of research, data has to be collected, so that the same can be analyzed subsequently to reach a specific conclusion about the problem at hand. Hence, there should be a proper research design, stating the process of data collection. Here, in case of the present research, both Qualitative as well as Quantitative method of data collection is being used. The Qualitative method of data collection helps in gaining a critical insight into the problem, based on the books, journals and articles written by others. Again, the Quantitative method of data collection helps in understanding the problem in the light of present situation, by interpreting the statistical data collected through survey (Chang et al. 2016).

Research Approach:

The entire process of research is carried out by the employing the Deductive method of research approach. Social media marketing and promotional strategy has always been known to have a remarkable influence on the consumers, and as such taking this fact compelling, the research is being undertaken to test the validity of the truth. The research is being undertaken by moving from the general to the specific; at first the theories are being read, and then survey is being conducted to test the hypothesis.

Figure 2: Deductive Method of Research

Source: (Bryman et al. 2015)

Research Strategy:

Any research should have a proper framework showing the basic structure, as to how the research is being conducted. There are two kinds of research philosophy that can be adopted in a research- Positivism and Interpretivism. Positivist research philosophy upholds the view that only factual knowledge gained through observation is to be considered real, and hence here the researcher relies on data collection and objective interpretation of the data for reaching the conclusion. On the other hand, in case of Interpretivism, the researcher relies more on personal interviews and subjective observations, to understand the personal viewpoint of each respondent. Here, Positivist paradigm is being used as it involves a scientific, objective approach to a problem, based on the experimental and manipulative methods. As a result of the Positivist approach, the research is based solely on the information gathered, and is absolutely free from any sort of bias on part of the researcher (Sarantakos 2012). The data will be is collected with the help of both qualitative as well as quantitative research method. The qualitative method of data collection helps in gaining a critical insight into the relation that exists between the use of social media tools and the success of an organization (Ritchie et al. 2013). On the other hand, the quantitative method helps in recording the immediate response of the employees about the extent to which they have been able to influence the consumers of Hilti Corporation. For conducting the survey effectively, the appropriate sampling method has to be adopted. It enables choosing the right target audience, in providing response to the questions.  The questions asked in the survey are based on the relation between the social media marketing strategy adopted by Hilti Corporation, and the extent to which it influences the consumers. For this reason, the stratified sampling method is being used (Levi and Lemishow 2013). In this method, the subset of population selected, shares two important common characteristics:

• Each of the respondents is an employee of Hilti Corporation
• Each of the respondents uses social media tools, almost on a regular basis.

The survey was conducted on 30 employees whereby they were provided with a questionnaire, and the respondents were required to tick the most suitable answer out of five alternatives provided in the form of a statement. It is quite tough to approach each employee in person for completing the survey, and hence a few surveys were being done by emailing the questionnaire to the particular respondents.

Data Collection Method 

Data collection is a process by which the data is collected and gathered, so that it can be analyzed. There are two methods by which the data for a particular research is collected:

• Qualitative method
• Quantitative Method (Mathhews and Ross 2014)

In this research, data is collected by employing both the methods. At first, the literary articles, journals and books were being thoroughly read. These secondary sources of knowledge were being collected to get a comprehensive knowledge about the impact social media exercises in the minds of the consumers, and how it contributes to the organizational success. However, this form of qualitative data collected helps in getting general conclusion from the specific business situations, and hence to get a problem-specific solution, the quantitative method of data collection is being used. A survey is conducted whereby the different employees of Hilti Corporation, holding managerial designations, were being asked regarding their opinion about the effectiveness of the social media marketing strategy adopted by Hilti Corporation. The statistical data collected from the survey is being used to critically evaluate the effectiveness of the social media usage of large organizations, such as Hilti Corporation.

Ethical Issues:

It is important to incorporate ethical and legal principles, in the process of conducting the research. Every researcher has a set of ethical obligations that he needs to adhere to, and the particular research is also conducted with ethical approval. The research has been conducted with the help of individual efforts and independent study, and does not involve any sort of plagiarism in the content. For the purpose of conducting the survey, no participant was being compelled to participate against his own will, and after participation no embarrassing or sensitive question was being asked. The respondents of the survey were being first informed about the aim and objective of the research, and then only were allowed to participate in the research process. Above all, the confidentiality of the data shared by an individual respondent has been maintained, and will not be disclosed under any circumstance, against his will. It was ensured that the research is being carried out without causing any form of harm to the participants involved (Dave et al. 2016).

Data Analysis:

It is very important to analyze the collected data in a very accurate way so that one is not misled by the wrong conclusion. From the survey conducted, it was found out that 63.3% of the employees of the Hilti corporation has claimed that they agree with the fact that social media has played an important role in the success of Hilti Corporation. Furthermore, around 63.3% of the respondents have also agreed that social media tools help in the effective promotion of its products, thereby increasing its sales manifold. Although only 20% of the respondents said that social media interaction with consumers helps them to understand their needs of the consumers, 46.7 % of the employees admitted that social media has helped in increasing the number of consumers of the organization (Refer to the student’s file ). However, it should be noted that only a mere 23.3 % of the respondents found social media marketing to be more effective than any other traditional form of marketing, and hence discarding the other advertising media, such as newspapers or digital media may not be a right decision. Again, 43.3 % of the respondents stated that Facebook or Twitter does not help sufficiently in knowing the consumer demand and expectations, and hence alternative strategy has to be adopted. However, 63.3 % of the managers have agreed that social media does help them sustain itself in a highly competitive construction industry.

Findings and Interpretations:

From the research, it was being discovered that creating a website and being present on the online platform has been one of the most effective strategies undertaken by Hilti Corporation. The social media tools, such as Twitter and Facebook have considerably helped Hilti Corporation maintain competitive edge. The organization with the help of social media tools, improves its responsiveness to the consumer queries, reaches out to a huge number of new potential consumers and enhances its brand image (Laroche et al. 2013). It has been observed that social media marketing strategy is undoubtedly an effective strategy for the promotion of products of Hiliti Corporation, but however, over-reliance on it is useless. Hilti Corporation should also invest sufficient money for advertising its products via emails or mobiles, as it helps in communicating the message individually to the respective consumer. Further, people have a natural affinity for newspapers and magazines, and hence employing print media will also be equally useful. Besides, despite the fact that social media plays an important role in the promotion of a product, Hilti Corporation must conduct surveys to know the demands of the consumers. Further, Hilti Corporation should rely more on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software if it intends to understand the ever changing demands of the consumers.  Conductive extensive market research can also help the organization comprehend the expectations of the potential consumers. However, social media marketing, as found from the research, is an effective way of surviving in a competitive market, and hence the organization must employ a social media marketing team, that will be entrusted with the duty of enhancing the brand recognition of Hilti Corporation among the social media users.

Conclusion and Recommendation:

Social profiles as well as websites can help in improving the brand image of an organization. It is a misconception that only small organizations should seek the help of social media marketing. Any organization needs to engage in the process of social media marketing strategy if it intends to influence the purchasing decision of its consumers. Hilti Corporation should adopt more innovative strategies for social media marketing. However, the authority should remain cautious lest any negative complaint or remark on these sites get viral, and malign the organization’s reputation. The social media managers should not only focus on promoting the brand on the social sites, but should also ensure that any sort of negative comment is coolly dealt with, outside the social platform. It should be remembered that the consumers should not feel disgusted with the marketing campaigns on social media sites, and hence Hilti Corporation needs to create innovative ideas of promotion that will actively engage the attention of the consumers. Telling interesting stories, using catchy taglines, hiring celebrities to represent the brand on these social sites, can help the organization easily get the attention of the consumers.

Future Scope of the Study:

Any social site is usually used with the purpose of gaining new consumers, but however, the social sites can also be used in order to form a valued relation with the clients. Organizations like Hilti Corporation, should engage more in interaction with the consumers, and if necessary can reward the loyal consumers, by announcing them voucher winners, via social sites. This instant success and recognition a consumer gets overnight can successfully help in increasing consumer loyalty as well as developing the brand image. The organizations need to chalk out various new and innovative strategies through which they can easily draw the attention of the consumers towards the newly launched products and services. Social media marketing is the most effective and yet affordable methods of marketing that helps any organization advertise about their products, without making the consumers feel that they are overwhelmed by the organization’s marketing campaigns.

References:

Aral, S., Dellarocas, C. and Godes, D., 2013. Introduction to the special issue-social media and business transformation: A framework for research.Information Systems Research, 24(1), pp.3-13.

Aral, S., Dellarocas, C. and Godes, D., 2013. Introduction to the special issue-social media and business transformation: A framework for research.Information Systems Research, 24(1), pp.3-13.

Berthon, P.R., Pitt, L.F., Plangger, K. and Shapiro, D., 2012. Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy. Business horizons, 55(3), pp.261-271.

Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2015. Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA.

Bryman, A., 2015. Social research methods. Oxford university press.

Chang, W. and Seibert, J.H., Crashlytics, Inc., 2016. System and method for data collection and analysis of information relating to mobile applications. U.S. Patent 9,262,250.

Dave, A., Cumin, J., Chung, R. and Hunt, M., 2016. Engaging Ethical Issues Associated with Research and Public Health Interventions During Humanitarian Crises: Review of a Dialogic Workshop.

Denscombe, M., 2014. The good research guide: for small-scale social research projects. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Dewberry, C., 2004. Statistical methods for organizational research: Theory and practice. Psychology Press.

ErdoÄŸmuÅŸ, Ä°.E. and Cicek, M., 2012. The impact of social media marketing on brand loyalty. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 58, pp.1353-1360.

Gensler, S., Völckner, F., Liu-Thompkins, Y. and Wiertz, C., 2013. Managing brands in the social media environment. Journal of Interactive Marketing,27(4), pp.242-256.

Hilti United Arab Emirates, 2016. Hilti - Hilti UAE. [online] Hilti United Arab Emirates. Available at: https://www.hilti.ae/#/stage1/topnavigation-link-1_foldout [Accessed 6 Aug. 2016].

Hinterhuber, A. and Liozu, S.M. eds., 2015. Pricing and the Sales Force. Routledge.

Laroche, M., Habibi, M.R. and Richard, M.O., 2013. To be or not to be in social media: How brand loyalty is affected by social media?. International Journal of Information Management, 33(1), pp.76-82.

Levy, P.S. and Lemeshow, S., 2013. Sampling of populations: methods and applications. John Wiley & Sons.

Matthews, B. and Ross, L., 2014. Research methods. Pearson Higher Ed.

Miller, T., Birch, M., Mauthner, M. and Jessop, J. eds., 2012. Ethics in qualitative research. Sage.

Pickard, A., 2012. Research methods in information. Facet publishing.

Piller, F.T., Vossen, A. and Ihl, C., 2012. From social media to social product development: The impact of social media on co-creation of innovation. Die Unternehmung, 65(1).

Polonsky, M.J. and Waller, D.S., 2014. Designing and managing a research project: A business student's guide. Sage Publications.

Rapp, A., Beitelspacher, L.S., Grewal, D. and Hughes, D.E., 2013. Understanding social media effects across seller, retailer, and consumer interactions. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(5), pp.547-566.

Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nicholls, C.M. and Ormston, R. eds., 2013. Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and researchers. Sage.

Sarantakos, S., 2012. Social research. Palgrave Macmillan.

Smith, S.A. and Blumenthal, D.S., 2012. Community Health Workers Support Community-based Participatory Research Ethics:: Lessons Learned along the Research-to-Practice-to-Community Continuum. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 23(4 Suppl), p.77.

Stelzner, M.A., 2012. 2012 social media marketing industry report: how marketers are using social media to grow their businesses. social media examiner.

Trainor, K.J., Andzulis, J.M., Rapp, A. and Agnihotri, R., 2014. Social media technology usage and customer relationship performance: A capabilities-based examination of social CRM. Journal of Business Research, 67(6), pp.1201-1208.

Wilson, J., 2014. Essentials of business research: A guide to doing your research project. Sage.