Management: Social Media Impact on Wesfarmers Effectiveness

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the impact of social media on the organizational effectiveness of Wesfarmers. It begins by identifying the research problem, highlighting the importance of social media in today's business environment, and exploring relevant theories like agenda-setting theory. The report then provides a conceptual framework outlining the role of social media in communication, customer feedback, and data security. A thorough literature review examines social media marketing strategies, organizational effectiveness, and the influence of social media on brand awareness and customer behavior. The study explores the impact of social media on various aspects of the business, including marketing, customer relations, and overall brand image. The report concludes with a discussion of the implications of social media marketing for organizational effectiveness, emphasizing the importance of strategic approaches and customer-centric strategies for success. This report is a valuable resource for understanding the complexities of social media's influence on a major corporation.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Impact of social media on organizational effectiveness: A case study of Wesfarmers
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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ULO 1- Identifying research problem
The main ideas, theories, concepts and methodologies
Social media has attained an important position in the present business context. It is
one of an effective sources, enabling the brands to attain competitive advantage. Delving
deeper into the issue, this media enhances the corporate social responsibility of the brands to
socialize their business. Uploading the specific facts about the products and services on the
social networking sites helps in enhancing the trafficking of the audience towards the brand
image like that of Wesfarmers (Felix, Rauschnabel and Hinsch 2017). As per the
functionality, communication is the main motive behind this marketing, which helps in
enhancing the stability in the relationship with the clients and customers.
Application of the agenda setting theory helps in excavating the fact that social
medias adversely influence the purchasing power and decision of the customers. In this
context, the role of the press subsides, invoking the power of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
and others. The posts regarding the latest innovations in the services directs the decisions,
perceptions and thoughts of the customers, shaping their behaviour.
According to the arguments of Rodriguez, Peterson and Ajjan (2015), methodological
approach in this context relates to the execution of primary quantitative data regarding the
approach and perception of the customers about the social media notifications. Consideration
of probability means for selecting the samples is assistance in terms of gaining crucial data
regarding the technological advancements in the workplace of Wesfarmers. This type of
methodology is fruitful for achieving the outcomes as expected, specifically linking the
objectives for ensuring that every criterion has been fulfilled for enhancing the organizational
effectiveness of brands like Wesfarmers (Ainin et al. 2015).

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Areas of agreement and disagreement
Agreement can be proposed to the fact that social media marketing has revolutionised
the business practices of brands like Wesfarmers. Updating the current plans and trends on
the social networking sites aligns the business to that of the altering tastes and preferences of
the stakeholders and shareholders. Disagreement area is that of the data thefts, which arises
due to the ineffective plans regarding securing the confidential statements regarding the
services. Along with this, disagreement is also proposed in case of the identification of the
aims and objectives, which delays the process of completing the research related activities.
Therefore, Siamagka, Christodoulides, Michaelidou and Valvi (2015) argues that meetings,
discussions and forums are needed for averting these kind of issues at the time of actual
submission of the research projects.
Any problems or gaps in the literature
One of the main constraint is that of the difference between scope and approach. If
approval is not achieved from Human Research Ethics Committee, then it is a problem for
proceeding with the research on excavating the impact of social media marketing on the
enhancement of the organizational effectiveness. If the proposed ideas are criticized, then it is
an issue for the researcher to produce the research as per the requirements (Wang and Kim
2017).
ULO 2: Conceptual framework

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Fig: Conceptual framework
(Source: created by the author)
The main motive of social media is communicating for informing the customers about
the latest trends, which have been planned to be implemented in the business operations. This
is a process, where the aim is to collect feedbacks regarding the launched services. In this
context, agenda setting theory is used for mapping the response of the customers. Tracking
the activities of the customers on the social networking sites is a means for detecting the
specific tastes and preferences of the clients and customers. Surveying the customers helps in
detecting the approaches towards levied services. In this context, Alalwan, Rana, Dwivedi
and Algharabat (2017) opines that the variables, which are considered are business
requirements and the data security, cloud computing.
Responsiveness relates to the two way communication, indicating the relationship
between the firm and the stakeholders. In this context, social networking sites like Facebook
is a medium for ensuring that the advertising message of the firms reaches to the customers.
Clarity is one of an important aspects, which enhances the brand loyalty. Installing security
cookies and policies is effective in terms of the ensuring the security and privacy of the
opinions shard by the customers.
Social media
marketing
Information
communication
Responsiveness
(Agenda setting
theory)
Customer
satisfaction

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ULO 3 and ULO 4- Literature review
Social media marketing
According to Ngai et al. (2015), social media marketing diversifies the workplace
culture. This is because of the assemblage of people from diverse backgrounds for providing
the opinions. According to the current business type, the usage of social media has been
characterized as something beyond entertainment. The latest features are flexible, which
enables the firms to share photos, videos with the clients and the customers. This process is a
cornerstone for sharing the ideas and assessing its feasibility in terms of the response
provided by the customers. Advertisements are posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
regarding the creation of the groups, which the customers can join.
The focus of this marketing is customer oriented, which revolves around the aspect of
data collection, opinions, attitudes, purchasing decisions and post purchase evaluation. On the
According to Hassan, Nadzim and Shiratuddin (2015), feedbacks from the stakeholders in the
social networking sites is one of the means for adding innovation into the products and
services. Consistency in tracking the response of the customers helps in upgrading the
standards and quality of the operations. The social networking sites has enhanced the ease of
the customers to find information about the desired products. The effects of social media
usage is that it increases the sales revenue and profit margin. Uploading the specific
information about the products and services is a means adopted by the firms for influencing
the purchasing decision and power of the customers.
Strategic approach is assistance for the firms in terms of enhancing the corporate
social responsibility. Strategy is the source of consistency and balance in the operations.
Parveen, Jaafar and Ainin (2016) argues that identification of the goals lays a flexible
foundation to the social media marketing. Identifying the marketing objectives is the
sequential step for expanding the scope and arena of the business. In this process, the ideal

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and prospective customers are identified. Using the social media is also a means for striving
towards maintaining the competitive rivalry. Survey is one of the means for selecting the
prospective channel through which the revenue can be increased. Content strategy creation is
one of the means through which the firms align their business practices with the specific
tastes and preference of the customers.
After the strategy is selected, budgets are allocated, which enhances the awareness
about the expense behind the activities. As per the arguments of Valos et al. (2016), this
process is followed by allocation of the roles and responsibilities to the marketing team.
Typical exemplars of social media marketing are networking, volunteering, hosting events
and others.
Organizational effectiveness
The motto behind enhancing the organizational effectiveness is achieving the
identified goals through the appropriate strategy. In this context, Effing and Spil (2016) is of
the view that societal expectations are to be considered for expanding the triple bottom line.
Mapping the business outlook with the corporate business strategy helps in securing the
future. Application of the scientific management theory proposed by Frederick Taylor is apt
in terms of establishing the fact that minimization of the technological costs is fruitful for
maximizing the productivity. According to the arguments of Elton Mayo, effectiveness of a
firm is enhanced through the means of employee satisfaction.
Henry Fayol opines that authoritative management is productive in terms of
inculcating discipline within the employees. On the contrary, Zhang and Mao (2016) is of the
view that participative management style is effective in terms of diversifying the knowledge
and thought horizons. There are different approaches, which contribute to the enhancement of
the organizational effectiveness. These approaches are goal attainment, system approach,
strategic constituencies and competing value approach. Strategic approach along with

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systematization leads the business towards goal attainment. Rationality and logical reasoning
in this context is effective in terms of generating value within the business, acting as an agent
towards maintaining the marketing position in the competitive ambience of the market.
Internal process is one of the important aspects, which relates to the upgradation of
the infrastructure through technological innovation. Coordination is essential for
standardizing the performance in terms of the identified benchmarks. Motivation generates an
urge within the employees to expose better performance. Provision of a safe and congenial
working environment is the key towards gaining the employee satisfaction. Agnihotri et al.
(2016) highlights that there are four modes through which the organizational effectiveness
can be enhanced. These are: human relation, internal process, open system and rational goals.
Adopting effective means of negotiation is important for maintaining the stability in the
professional relationships. Ethical code of conduct is crucial for averting the instances of
conflicts, discrimination and harassments, which degrades the sanctity and integrity.
Open systems and human relations can be placed together. Conducting discussion,
sessions and meetings diversifies the workplace culture. Openness and transparency
contradicts the instances of conflicts, discriminations and harassments. Rationality in this
aspect is an effective source of gaining trust, loyalty and dependence from the clients and the
customers. Eisenberg, Johnson and Pieterson (2015) opines that rationality in the
development of the goals acts as a platform for the investors, luring them to avail the
services.
Impact of social media marketing on organizational effectiveness
Online marketing practices expands the scope and arena of the business. Social media
marketing is an effective source, which enables the firms to save time, money and resource.
The key element in this context is that of the customers, whose opinions bring drastic change
in the business outlook. As a matter of specification, uploading the specific information about

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the products and services on the social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
helps in increasing the trafficking of the audience towards the brand image. According to the
Honeycomb framework, social media marketing expands the presence of the brand in the
market, enhancing the reputation. Bharati, Zhang and Chaudhury (2015) states that marketing
in the social media helps in detecting the attitudes and behaviour of the staffs towards the
proposed contents and advertisements.
Monitoring the contents and the responses acts as an agent in terms of gaining an
insight into the specific tastes and preferences of the clients and the customers. This insight
leads the business towards innovations, which is possible through the means of latest
technologies and software. Mention can be made of Big data, ICT and cloud computing,
which acts assistance in saving bulk amount of data. Security cookies and policies are also
essential for ensuring that the private information is not leaked to the third parties (Ngai, Tao
and Moon 2015). All these aspects are essential for gaining higher customer satisfaction, trust
and dependence.
Social media is one of the means through which the brand awareness can be
enhanced. Optimal use of the resources helps in accomplishing the goals and objectives. This
approach is fruitful for influencing the purchasing decision and power of the clients and the
customers. According to the arguments of Bharati, Zhang and Chaudhury (2015), social
media is reducing the individual labour in terms of the cost and time. On the contrary,
Eisenberg, Johnson and Pieterson (2015) is of the view that social media has increased the
ease of the customers and employees towards upgrading their knowledge on the latest trends.
Substantiation of the products on the social media enhances the brand image in the
competitive ambience of the market.

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Social media marketing is a two way communication, enabling the firms to enhance
the stability in the professional relationships. Feedbacks makes the staffs aware of the
approaches towards the levied products and services. In this context, Agnihotri et al. (2016)
states the 3c model, which seems to be fruitful for expanding the triple bottom line approach.
Customer centric approach is reflected from the introduction of schemes, discounts and offers
on online subscriptions. This kind of initiatives is a means of achieving higher competitive
advantage as compared to the contemporary brands. The social networking sites is a means
for updating the customers about the newly launched products and services.

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