A Case Study of Online Social Networking at Workplaces in Ghana

This literature review will be focusing on the interactions of social media and employment. It will discuss the scientific findings of how communications processes in the workplace are affected by social media. In this paper, we will show: (a) There is a negative correlation between organizations that allow their employees social media access and how those employees view their employer; (b) Use of social media in the workplace environment increases employee productivity and performance, and (c) social support can increase the amount workers access social media at work. It will also discuss how social media affects the interactions between workers at organizations, how they feel about their jobs, and how communication processes are affected by social media.

In today’s society, it is crucial for employees to understand the significance in the use of social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. This subject will discuss the primary reasons companies allow the usage of social networking sites in the workplace. It will also explain the positive impact social media usage has in the workplace, such as allowing communication to a broader audience. In addition to the positive usage, this topic will also explore the negative implications usage can cause. Because social media is still relatively new, there are not many laws establishing the proper guidelines for these sites in the workplace. Scholarly articles such as the ‘Workplace impact of social networking” examine the effects of not establishing said policies, an error which results in an unhealthy work environment. Ultimately, employees can positively influence the workplace by using social media if they have the proper guidelines to follow.

According to a survey report done by the Kelly services with 170,000 people from 30 different countries, 55% of all the participants believe that the use of social media for both the personal and professional posts can cause problems in the workplace (Bennett, 2012). According to a study done by the proof point, many US companies that have hired the employees more than 1000 in number face a real problem with their employees to use social media (Ostrow 2009). Almost 17% of these companies had faced serious disrepute due to the offensive comments on the social media websites (Ostrow 2009). Almost 13% of the US companies have investigated the use of personal text messages that have been found to infringe the company’s law (Ostrow 2009).

©2011 IAM IAM Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Business and Administration • Qualification handbook • 7

The use of social media leads to improved productivity within a workplace as a result of its knowledge sharing capabilities in conjunction with the development of a culture of a community work environment, willingness to share and cooperate.

Researches are always carried out with the purpose of answering questions that are there, to ascertain a particular phenomenon or to prove a concept. Different researchers have different reasons for carrying out their research and this is encourage because the knowledge that is gained can be used by the others in improving that research or better understanding what the situation is. This paper tries to look at what the researchers were after and at the same trying to see the challenges they faced and their limitations. It basically tries to understand why the researchers chose the research design that has been used in the research.

Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................... page(s) 52-68 • Introduction • Approach to the Research • Research Methodology • Sample and Population • Statistical Analysis • Limitations and Assumptions

Not only are these sites great for recruitment, but they also allow companies to quickly update people about unfolding events, like conferences, and also inform the community of potential threats, such as the H1N1 outbreak. Many of these updates are posted using Twitter, which is the site that asks, “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less. Large organizations, like the Society for Human Resource Management use Twitter to publicize annual conferences (Twitter Is the Latest Electronic Tool, 2009). Social networking sites also allow companies to communicate news and details about special offers directly to the consumer. It also allows for the consumer to give feedback and receive an actual response from a live person, rather than an automated email. Daniel Schwartz, an attorney with Pullman & Comley LLP, described Twitter as “a unique communication tool that, if used properly, can really help a company grow in outreach and brand marketing.” Not only do these sites help with brand marketing and recruitment, but they also create a record of activity which can prove to be a useful tool to the employer who notices there is too much activity on the sites from employees during work hours (Twitter is Latest Electronic Tool, 2009).

At the beginning, the keywords of the research question were identified with related words. This is done to create a broad and thoughtful review of the existing body of knowledge and to enable you identify the research gaps which subsequently inform and help to shape your research question. Subsequently, a search of databases was done followed by use of necessary criteria to sieve out the literature that is not needed and this will be followed by analysis of selected texts.

 A recent 3-year Business Administration Advance diploma graduate, at North Humber College, Toronto Canada. 09/14 –

Identifying the major that pose a deterrent as to why companies do not embrace social media is comprehensive. In our case study, three distinct issues are raised. Those include low adoption rates by employees, cumbersome features that employees never use, and difficulty to measure the impact that social media has to productivity.

Social media is becoming an increasingly common feature of
the world of work and this trend looks set to continue. This application of communication technology or computer mediated tools have developed rapidly in our lives. Survey such as that conducted by CIPD (2013) have shown that while only a quarter of UK employees use it in their professional lives, this increases to 42% among employees aged 18–24. The innovative operation mode of social media has not only successfully drawn the attention of industry and academia, but has also boosted user growth, especially in the younger generation.

Social media has increasingly been on the rise for over the past 10 years, so has the concern on the effect of it being in the workplace. People are spending more and more time on social media and other communication technology (Walder). Because of this, researchers have begun to wonder what the effect will be in the workplace. The argument of social media in the workplace is on the rise, and will continue to grow as the Internet continues to transform the way people are spending their time (Carlson).

A Graduate Research Report Submitted for INSS 690 In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master of Science in Management Information Systems

Social networking sites are very important source of communication. It helps to communicate with every person in every corner of the world it has some objectives which are given below.