Wesfarmers Limited Business Research: Social Networking Analysis

This literature review examines the benefits and drawbacks of Wesfarmers Limited utilizing social networking. It identifies the research problem as the need to understand social networking's impact on business, especially concerning cybercrime and data security. The research question focuses on the advantages and disadvantages Wesfarmers faces due to social media use. The review discusses Social Network Theory, highlighting the importance of networks, relationships, and nodes in understanding social media dynamics. It contrasts previous research, noting that while social media offers marketing advantages, it also presents challenges like time wastage and misinformation. The goal is to provide insights for Wesfarmers to effectively manage social networking strategies, mitigate drawbacks, and leverage benefits.

Business Research
Project

Table of Contents
Literature Review........................................................................................................................................3
An opening statement of the Research Problem &Research Question (RQ)................................................3
Research Problem........................................................................................................................................3
Research Question...................................................................................................................................4
Discussion of major theories, models or streams of influence relevant to the RQ.......................................6
Draw the reader’s attention to any contrasting views expressed in prior research in this area -...................8
References.................................................................................................................................................11

Research Title
The title of the current research work is “Benefits &drawbacks of utilizing social networking in
the business of “Wesfarmers limited
Literature Review
An opening statement of the Research Problem &Research Question (RQ)
Research Problem
In this fast running world, competition is taking wider place &also provide direct impact
on the performance of the each &everyone life. In this time, advanced technologies are helpful to
improve the day to day operations of the company so that businesses can take more competitive
advantages. As per the demand of the situation, it is necessary to implement the technologies
&improve the effectiveness of the companies. The primary motive of this study is to understand
the requirements of the social networking &also identify its benefits &drawbacks so that
companies can effectively identify the usages of the social media &social networking &improve
their ability & capability in order to avoid the drawbacks &adopt the benefits of the social
networking (Bilyalova, Salimova and Zelenina, 2019). Social networking has become much
more widespread &contains numerous websites including Youtube, Facebook, Instagram &
Twitter provide internet social platforms whereby people may freely share their interests, actions,
photographs, & position in ability for others to recognise what they're on about or might do in
the coming. T is determined that social networking sites marketing got a lot of traction from
around time Myspace & Facebook were created. Businesses & enterprises may now easily
engage with big groups of people & express their knowledge thanks to these social networking
sites. They even use advertising to inform the public about just the debut of their new product
based on their tastes & preferences. Nonetheless, there are also few substantial problems with the
social networking hacking & cyber-crime, & as an outcomes, there was some spillage or
overflow of various important data about the organisation &its customers. The Wesfarmers
Organisation of Australia's study challenge based on social networking is mostly online crimes

such as cybercrime & hacking. As outcomes, there was an escalation in the threat of the
company's information being disseminated. As a result, the company has suffered a significant
financial loss, which may have an impact on several divisions. Wesfarmers mainly focused on
the disadvantages of the social networking sites so that company can try to reduce its impact on
their day to day working operations (Chang, Shen and Liu, 2016). Some specific drawbacks
which are facing by the organisation such as time consuming, proper awareness is required, some
investment is required, sometimes bad publicity, &problem is more visible, exposed to trolls,
extortion problems. These are considered as the most specific drawbacks which can mainly focus
by the organisation so that company can effectively manage their regular business operations.
Furthermore, cyber bullying is carried out in a variety of ways in several fields by creating a fake
identity. Moreover, this resulted in the spread of a variety of rumours among Wesfarmers'
customers. As per to certain circumstances, indiscriminate use of social media in the corporate
world may lead to frauds & cheating. As an outcome, the biggest research challenge in the
industry is security & privacy concerns, which may have an influence on the corporation's brand
reputation in the market (Dhar, Bose and Khan, 2021). The main motive of this study is to focus
on the benefits of the social networking platforms so that companies can effectively manage their
operational activities in an appropriate manner. There are various benefits of social networking
which are considered by the Wesfarmers such as attract the customers, provide instate feedback
to their customers, build the customer loyalty, improve the market reach, international
appearances, enhance the research &development &reduce the marketing cost, increase revenue,
create strong customer network &develop the brand image of the company. With the help of this
study, researcher is mainly focused about to identify the appropriate benefits &drawbacks of
implementation of social networking for the Wesfarmers Limited organisation.
Research Question
The primary purpose of this research is to identify the benefits &drawbacks of proper
utilising the social networking for Wesfarmers Limited. The main research question is to
determine the appropriate advantages &disadvantage of the social networking so that company
can effectively adopt specific strategies to deal with the disadvantages of the social networking
&also consider the advantages of the social networking in an effective way. In context of the
research problem, it is referred to as the major & principle portion that assists in examining,

analyzing, or summarizing the task in a timely manner. This is the most important component,
since it considers both the quantitative & qualitative aspects of the research of the advantages &
downsides of using social media in Wesfarmers' company. Additionally, this will aid in
obtaining thorough information regarding the advantages & disadvantages of using social media
in Wesfarmers' company. The study topic contains a variety of research topics &theoretical
values on the issues that arise inside the sales as a result of a social networking business model.
"What are the advantages & downsides that Wesfarmers encounters as a result of using social
networking?" is the key study topic. This research question is mainly targeting the benefits of the
social networking so that companies can effectively avoid the drawbacks of the social
networking. In order to address the requirement of the research question, company is looking
forward to adopt the social networking marketing strategies so that company can effectively
reduce the impact of challenges &drawbacks of the social networking &improve the
implementation of the social networking in an organisation.

Discussion of major theories, models or streams of influence relevant to the
RQ
In order to provide the evidence & strengths of this study which is all about the benefits
&drawbacks of social networking? As per to maintain the effectiveness & relevancy of the
research question, “Social Network Theory” is mainly considered by the researcher, so that
company can full fill the requirements of the research question &manage the literature relevancy.
Manager of the Wesfarmers is mainly consider this theory that is “Social Network Theory” &the
explanation about this theory is given below -
Social Network Theory
The study of how humans, organisations, & effective interventions with each other
&within their structure are known as social network theory. Examining the separate elements,
commencing with both the greatest component, connections, &moving down to the lowest
element, assists comprehending the subject simpler (Galati and et. al., 2017).
Examining Networks
It is analysed that networks are considered as the made up of players & the interactions
between them, it may be compared to neighbourhoods in certain aspects. It is determined that
consumers, organisations, & enterprises may all be nodes in a network. They are the simplest
single group from the inside of a connection, independent matter what they are. The explanation
about some appropriate factor related with network is as follows -
 Ego-centric networking is considered as the social economic connections, &open-system
networks are the main aspects of social networks studied by social scientists (Garcia-Cruz
and et. al., 2018).
 Ego-centric channels are specifically made up of a single node or person, nodes, after
instance, are interconnected to all of the close friends.
 Socio-centric systems are considered as the closed systems. Children in the school or
employees in a enterprises are two frequent instances of this sort of networking.

 Boundaries of wireless connections are not precisely established. America's privileged
class, corporate ties, & the sequence of influences of a single choice are all instances of
this kind of networking. This sort of structure is regarded the most challenging to
research due to the absence of sharp boundaries.
Studying Relationships
This is the most specific part of this study; it can determine the relationship among the
networks. The relationships between the cable network members are what social scientists are
interested in. These linkages, also known as connections, have been at the centre of what social
researchers investigate & comprehend. Why do the people connect and engage, about the
interaction and what is the amount of intimacy (also known as connectedness) among group
members? It can despite the fact that there are several other sorts of connections involved the
reciprocal, directed, & others, each one may be distilled to something like a strong & weak bond
(Hall, Voranau and Rentschler, 2020).
Weak versus Strong Ties
This part of the social network theory mainly demonstrates the weak and strong factors. It is
analysed that strong relationships are close enough that likely to know their mobile numbers,
although weaker ties would be astonished if people contacted one of them. However, study
reveals that the cable network weakest relationships are more beneficial in some aspects. It is
analysed that if consumers seeking work obtained more quality work suggestions from weak ties
than those from strong relationships, according to a research done by John S. Granovetter of
John Hopkins University.
Nodes or Actors
Individuals or actors are inside the network is considered as the nodes. It is analysed that
researchers, entrepreneurs, &sometimes even policymakers strive to assess the links a nodes has
with some other network participants in this section, which is the tiniest piece of the social
network puzzle (Issa and et. al., 2021). The degree of the links that bind an actor can be
determined the position of the company in the social media platform. In comparison to someone
over the channel's periphery, someone towards the core of the network has far more ties — or

links — connecting themselves & other participants. Only one link could connect a specific
person on the network's periphery to the rest of the system

Theory in Practice: Social Media
It is necessary to understand the practically of the concept, everything from staff turnover to
the complicated webs designated terrorist organisations is studied utilising this approach. In
many prospective, social network theory's math illustrates how an item of user - generated
content becomes viral in a very short amount of time. This method is known as the power
equations, demonstrates how a minor adjustment in one region may have the significant
influence on the entire network. When the change is made at the specific routing layer, it spreads
outwards from the node, via its linkages to the many related connections, before spreading to
other node & associated relationships, resulting in a shift across the entire social media platform
(Kitsantas and et. al., 2016).
Draw the reader’s attention to any contrasting views expressed in prior
research in this area -
In order to fill the gap of this research, this study contracting the views which are
expressed in the previous research &demonstrate the different aspects of the authors which can
helpful to answer the questions in a appropriate manner &also resolve the research problem
specifically.
According to the Bax for Gaebler Ventures, 2021, revealed that social networking has
evolved into one of the most effective &widely used marketing strategies. People nowadays
spend a considerable amount of their time on social media. This is what has gotten way rid of a
number of business roadblocks. It has raised the proportion the commerce & aided companies in
developing in unusual ways. Aside from that, the selling price has increased all over the world as
a result of the growth of social media in announcements, the abundance of opportunities, & a
main indication (Lacka and Chong, 2016).

In terms of investment, the main concern with social media is the waste of important
time. Inaccurate data can sometimes be handed on to consumers or persons who aren't affiliated
with the company. This might lead to the emergence of a new issue: selecting difficulties. All of
this has the potential to profoundly affect the firm (Langteau, 2017).
According to Stacey Mclachlan &Christina Newberryjune (2021), revealed that there are
various benefits of utilising the social networking &all these benefits are distributed in specific
categories such as Benefits of the social media for the brand building, gaining insights,
communications, creation & distribution. There are various benefits which are considering by the
company such as boost brand recognition, make the brand more human, make a name for
yourself as a thinking leader, keep in the forefront of your consciousness , Enhance traffic to the
website & lead generation, Increase sales, collaborate with influencers, content should be
promoted, preservation of one's reputation, communication during a crisis, customer & spectator
participation, easily find about the clients, determine how people feel about your company,
keep a close watch on the opposition, keep up with the latest industry news & also advertising
that is specifically targeted. On the basis of Stacey Mclachlan &Christina Newberryjune, it is
determined that social networking is helpful to maintain the effectiveness of the organisation
&also improve the brand applicability &customer base of the organisation.
One of the most cost-effective digital marketing channels for syndicating content
&increasing a company's profile is online communication. Because you'll be connecting with a
large audience of customers, establishing an online presence will dramatically boost your brand
awareness. Establish social media accounts for your company &begin connecting with others to
get started. Obtain "likes" &"shares" from your workers, business relationships, & patrons. To
have people connect with your material can raise brand recognition &start to establish the
professional image (Moro-Visconti, 2021).
The use of social media allows for network communication. In want to personalize the
company, you must provide it a personality through all of these channels. Customers like
receiving a customised answer instead of an automatic one &when they leave comments on
company pages. Recognizing each feedback demonstrates that you really are aware of your
guests' requirements &strive to give the greatest service possible (Newman and et. al., 2017).

According to the Dimas Pardo, (2017), explained that there are various kinds of
drawbacks are facing by the organisations which can affect the performance &productivity of the
company while utilising the social networking platforms. Some common drawbacks which are
facing by the company like take a long time, necessary to hire qualified staff, some investment
may be necessary, material is monotonous &dull, unfavourable publicity, become increasingly
apparent &trolls are a threat the company (Oeldorf-Hirsch and et. al., 2019).
On the basis of Raider and Krackhardt, 2017,revealed that there are certain drawbacks to
employing a social media networking approach in the workplace. He also found that social
media attracts a diverse range of people from all over the world, & that it sometimes entails the
possibility of encountering difficult situations &immoral people. The purpose of this paper is to
discuss the disadvantages that the Wesfarmers Company has experienced in the past of its use of
social media networking. The corporation has been hacked on social media, &as a result, there's
been some seepage or outflow of various important data about the company &its customers.
Aside from that, there are several internet frauds taking place in company these days, &it is
increasingly being seen as an indiscriminately practice (Regis, 2018).
The primary concern of this study is to identify the benefits & drawbacks &also analyse
most specific social network marketing strategies such as educate the audience, choose effective
promotional method, produce diversified &influential content, adopt the ,micro influencer
marketing , focus on the customer loyalty, utilise virtual &augmented reality, embrace the video
& live streaming (Serrat, 2017). All these social networking marketing strategies are beneficial
for the development of the organisation &improve the effective utilisation of the social
networking rather than find out its drawbacks. On the basis of Bilyalova, 2019, it is determined
that using advertisement journals, newspapers, & advertisements to assist firm build brand
recognition among locals or the marketing objectives they wish to target is a terrific idea.
Criminals, on the other hand, are present to take advantage of their powerlessness as internet
commerce grows (Wallace and Sheldon, 2015). As a result, it is safe to say that the social media
management approach has unquestionably changed the entire corporate landscape &has brought
individuals from all over the world together. It does, however, have a dark side that is
inconceivable & insignificant (Wirth, Maier and Laumer, 2019).

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