IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ids/ijeven/v7y2015i1p1-23.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The influence of online social networks on performance of small and medium enterprises: an empirical investigation of the online business to business network XING

Author

Listed:
  • Melanie E. Zaglia
  • Martin K.J. Waiguny
  • Dagmar Abfalter
  • Julia Müller

Abstract

Social networks are considered a contributing factor in the growth and performance of companies, especially in the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This paper examines how CEOs of SMEs perceive online social networks (OSNs) as beneficial for their companies. As CEOs strongly identify with their SME, the influence of the OSN on the SME is largely driven by the CEO's value perception of OSN utilisation. Results of a focus group discussion and survey among 181 owners and CEOs of Austrian SMEs, who are members of the OSN XING, revealed indeed that trust in the OSN and access to resources available only through OSN membership lead to satisfaction with the OSN. Although access to resources does not lead to growth itself, it is mediated by the perceived value of the OSN. Trust and perceived value of the OSN increase the intention of recommending the OSN to other business partners (i.e., word of mouth). These outcomes are largely mediated by company growth and the perceived value of OSN participation. Implications for the use of OSN are discussed from the customer's (i.e., SME's) perspective, as well as from the corporate OSN perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Melanie E. Zaglia & Martin K.J. Waiguny & Dagmar Abfalter & Julia Müller, 2015. "The influence of online social networks on performance of small and medium enterprises: an empirical investigation of the online business to business network XING," International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 7(1), pages 1-23.
    • Handle: RePEc:ids:ijeven:v:7:y:2015:i:1:p:1-23
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=67870
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jarillo, J. Carlos, 1989. "Entrepreneurship and growth: the strategic use of external resources," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 133-147, March.
    2. Constance Elise Porter & Naveen Donthu, 2008. "Cultivating Trust and Harvesting Value in Virtual Communities," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(1), pages 113-128, January.
    3. Arent Greve & Janet W. Salaff, 2003. "Social Networks and Entrepreneurship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 28(1), pages 1-22, January.
    4. Harris, Simon & Wheeler, Colin, 2005. "Entrepreneurs' relationships for internationalization: functions, origins and strategies," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 187-207, April.
    5. G. M.P. Swann, 2009. "The Economics of Innovation," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13211.
    6. Lianxi Zhou & Wei-ping Wu & Xueming Luo, 2007. "Internationalization and the performance of born-global SMEs: the mediating role of social networks," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(4), pages 673-690, July.
    7. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    8. Kati Schmengler & Sascha Kraus, 2010. "Entrepreneurial marketing over the internet: an explorative qualitative empirical analysis," International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 2(1), pages 56-71.
    9. J Michael Geringer & Louis Hebert, 1991. "Measuring Performance of International Joint Ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 22(2), pages 249-263, June.
    10. Schutjens, Veronique & Stam, Erik, 2003. "The Evolution and Nature of Young Firm Networks: A Longitudinal Perspective," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 115-134, September.
    11. Tuija Mainela & Vesa Puhakka, 2011. "Role of networks in emergence of international new ventures," International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 3(1), pages 5-25.
    12. Chen, Xiaoyun & Zou, Huan & Wang, Danny T., 2009. "How do new ventures grow? Firm capabilities, growth strategies and performance," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 294-303.
    13. Schmitz, Hubert & Nadvi, Khalid, 1999. "Clustering and Industrialization: Introduction," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(9), pages 1503-1514, September.
    14. Massimiliano Mazzanti & Roberto Zoboli, 2009. "Embedding environmental innovation in local production systems: SME strategies, networking and industrial relations: evidence on innovation drivers in industrial districts," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 169-195.
    15. Wen-Hsien Tsai & Yi-Chen Kuo & Jung-Hua Hung, 2009. "Corporate diversification and CEO turnover in family businesses: self-entrenchment or risk reduction?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 57-76, January.
    16. David Godes & Dina Mayzlin, 2004. "Using Online Conversations to Study Word-of-Mouth Communication," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(4), pages 545-560, June.
    17. Sharma, D. Deo & Blomstermo, Anders, 2003. "The internationalization process of Born Globals: a network view," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 12(6), pages 739-753, December.
    18. Hallin, Christina & Holm, Ulf & Sharma, Dharma Deo, 2011. "Embeddedness of innovation receivers in the multinational corporation: Effects on business performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 362-373, June.
    19. Noor Hazlina Ahmad & Pi-Shen Seet, 2009. "Understanding business success through the lens of SME founder-owners in Australia and Malaysia," International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(1), pages 72-87.
    20. James G. March & Robert I. Sutton, 1997. "Crossroads---Organizational Performance as a Dependent Variable," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 8(6), pages 698-706, December.
    21. Daniel Z. Levin & Rob Cross, 2004. "The Strength of Weak Ties You Can Trust: The Mediating Role of Trust in Effective Knowledge Transfer," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(11), pages 1477-1490, November.
    22. Hooley, Graham J. & Greenley, Gordon E. & Cadogan, John W. & Fahy, John, 2005. "The performance impact of marketing resources," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(1), pages 18-27, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Juan Gabriel Martínez-Navalón & Vera Gelashvili & Felipe Debasa, 2019. "The Impact of Restaurant Social Media on Environmental Sustainability: An Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-24, November.
    2. Juan Gabriel Martínez-Navalón & Vera Gelashvili & José Ramón Saura, 2020. "The Impact of Environmental Social Media Publications on User Satisfaction with and Trust in Tourism Businesses," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-17, July.
    3. Manuel A. Fernández-Gámez & José António C. Santos & Julio Diéguez-Soto & Juan A. Campos-Soria, 2020. "The Effect of Countries’ Health and Environmental Conditions on Restaurant Reputation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-14, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rimante Sedziniauskiene & Jurgita Sekliuckiene & Antonella Zucchella, 2019. "Networks’ Impact on the Entrepreneurial Internationalization: A Literature Review and Research Agenda," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(5), pages 779-823, October.
    2. Thor Sigfusson & Simon Harris, 2012. "The relationship formation paths of international entrepreneurs," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 325-349, December.
    3. Ciravegna, Luciano & Majano, Sara B. & Zhan, Ge, 2014. "The inception of internationalization of small and medium enterprises: The role of activeness and networks," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(6), pages 1081-1089.
    4. Nicole Coviello & Martin Cox, 2006. "The resource dynamics of international new venture networks," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 113-132, September.
    5. Martina Musteen & Deepak K. Datta & Marcus M. Butts, 2014. "Do International Networks and Foreign Market Knowledge Facilitate SME Internationalization? Evidence from the Czech Republic," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(4), pages 749-774, July.
    6. Bembom, Michael & Schwens, Christian, 2018. "The role of networks in early internationalizing firms: A systematic review and future research agenda," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 679-694.
    7. Bai, Wensong & Holmström-Lind, Christine & Johanson, Martin, 2018. "Leveraging networks, capabilities and opportunities for international success: A study on returnee entrepreneurial ventures," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 51-62.
    8. Robert Huggins & Piers Thompson, 2015. "Entrepreneurship, innovation and regional growth: a network theory," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 103-128, June.
    9. Eberhard, Manuel & Craig, Justin, 2013. "The evolving role of organisational and personal networks in international market venturing," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 385-397.
    10. Christophe Estay & Manzoom Akhter, 2019. "Le développement international des entreprises nées globales : l'importance du réseau social," Post-Print hal-02872778, HAL.
    11. Alexander Tabares & Yanto Chandra & Claudia Alvarez & Manuela Escobar-Sierra, 2021. "Opportunity-related behaviors in international entrepreneurship research: a multilevel analysis of antecedents, processes, and outcomes," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 321-368, March.
    12. Manolova, Tatiana S. & Manev, Ivan M. & Gyoshev, Bojidar S., 2010. "In good company: The role of personal and inter-firm networks for new-venture internationalization in a transition economy," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 257-265, July.
    13. Jonsson, Sara & Lindbergh, Jessica, 2010. "The impact of institutional impediments and information and knowledge exchange on SMEs' investments in international business relationships," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 548-561, December.
    14. Mariluz Fernández-Alles & Dara Hernández-Roque & Mercedes Villanueva-Flores & Mirta Díaz-Fernández, 2022. "The impact of human, social, and psychological capital on academic spin-off internationalization," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 433-473, September.
    15. Li, Haiyan, 2020. "Role of overseas ethnic and non-ethnic ties and firm activity in the home country in the internationalization of returnee entrepreneurial firms," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(1).
    16. Smith, Delmonize A. & Lohrke, Franz T., 2008. "Entrepreneurial network development: Trusting in the process," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 61(4), pages 315-322, April.
    17. Danik Lidia & Mirońska Dominika, 2022. "Who gains more from networking? A comparative study of Polish exporting and non-exporting SMEs," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 58(1), pages 64-79, March.
    18. Joan Freixanet & Ryan Federo, 2022. "When Born Globals Grow Up: A Review and Agenda for Research on the Performance of Maturing Early Internationalizers," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 62(6), pages 817-857, December.
    19. Do, Hoa & Nguyen, Bach & Shipton, Helen, 2023. "Innovation and internationalization in an emerging market context: Moderating effects of interpersonal and organizational social networks," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(2).
    20. Jones, Marian V. & Coviello, Nicole & Tang, Yee Kwan, 2011. "International Entrepreneurship research (1989–2009): A domain ontology and thematic analysis," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 632-659.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ids:ijeven:v:7:y:2015:i:1:p:1-23. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sarah Parker (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalID=123 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.