ASSi 7 CP (KIm Woods) only

Social Networking Sites

December 15, 2020

Research Project Proposal Outline

1. Introduction

This paper will focus on social networking sites and their contribution to marketing and brand development. Over the past decades, the rise in social networking sites has proven very useful in the growth of businesses (Moser & Korstjens, 2018). Most companies have assimilated this technological advancement to aid in marketing and branding, thus becoming an interesting research topic.

2. Background

The rise in technological advancement has facilitated global connections through social networking, with millions of subscribers joining for various reasons. Many studies have been conducted on social networking sites' role in morality, education, health, industrialization, and inequality (Moser & Korstjens, 2018). However, regarding its contribution to fostering marketing and branding of products, it remains a significant concern of whether it has met its intended target or not. Inconclusive research done on this area propels further discussion to be conducted, making it relevant and crucial.

3. Rationale

This paper focuses on two research questions:

1. What is the impact of social networking sites on business marketing and branding?

2. Are the results of using social networking sites in marketing and branding short term or long term?

These questions will answer these sites' effectiveness, efficiency, and reliability in growing the business world.

4. Method and Design

Data to be used will be collected primarily by interviewing a sample of business owners. This provides first-hand information that is accurate and reliable. When interviewing, questions will be kept short, simple, concise, objective, and precise (Baškarada & Koronios, 2018). Participants will also be allowed to give their personal experience. The use of updated descriptive data will again come from secondary sources such as journals and books to support and provide evidence of its contribution over the years. It is also readily available and cheaper.

Participants of this study will be business owners because they are active users of this business platform. A sample of small-scale and large-scale businesses will be considered. The age limit will not be considered for participants.

Thus, the research follows a descriptive design type since it best describes the relationship between variables of interest (Baškarada & Koronios, 2018). The relationship between social networking sites, marketing and branding will be determined, its impact, and its timeframe.

Descriptive studies are often done before an experiment to determine what specific things to manipulate and include in an experiment. They answer questions such as "what is" or "what was." This study's focus is to establish the relationships between variables of interest (Baškarada & Koronios, 2018). It is important to note that just because variables are related, does not significantly mean that one will cause the other. When interviewing, questions will be kept short, simple, concise, objective, and precise. Participants will also be allowed to give their personal experiences.

The results will be analyzed through correlation analysis, line graphs, and descriptive tables. The use of pie charts will also be widely used. Results showing a higher correlation between variables would suggest a stronger relationship between social networking sites and marketing and branding. An increasing trend in line graphs describes the significant impact of social networking sites on marketing and branding (Baškarada & Koronios, 2018). Higher variations from the line graph will describe the instability of the sites in adding value to marketing and branding. Smaller values of correlation will demonstrate insignificant effects.

5. Significance and Conclusion

This study will be crucial to business partners, students, and the government in shaping the direction in which businesses should take to increase their marketing and share in the global economy (Moser & Korstjens, 2018). Also, business partners will be better informed of the demand for their goods and services in the market. The growth of social networking sites will also help digitalize the business world and reduce production costs.

References

Baškarada, S., & Koronios, A. (2018). A philosophical discussion of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research in social science. Qualitative Research Journal.

Moser, A., & Korstjens, I. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 3: Sampling, data collection, and analysis. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 9-18.