The effect of Twitter as a social blog on corporate reputation management in the telecommunication industry in Zimbabwe=Umthelela weTwitter njengesocial blog ekulawuleni isithunzi sabezamabhizinisi embonini yokuxhumana ngezingcingo eZimbabwe.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine how Twitter can be used as a social blog to improve the corporate reputation of organisations operating in Zimbabwe’s telecommunications industry. This was undertaken guided by the broader objective of developing insights on how the telecommunications industry is responding to shifts from traditional to contemporary approaches in corporate reputation being driven by social blogs. Analysis was made of the views of the internal stakeholders namely employees, operational and top-level managers, who are pivotal in the engagement of stakeholders including customers online. In that regard, the study tested the main relationship (H1), which was to understand whether Twitter has a direct influence on the corporate reputation of telecommunication companies operating in Zimbabwe. Since the study positions Twitter between the traditional corporate reputation guides (top-level managers, operation managers, general employees, and customers) and the contemporary methods (boundary theory, social cognitive, social blogs and social exchange), these became the intermediate variables (H2) for the research. The fact that Twitter is not the only social blog in the landscape resulted in comparison with other equal alternative types (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube) to assess their effect on corporate reputation against that of Twitter (H3). The study, therefore, confirmed the relationships and proposed a framework that guides contemporary approaches towards the management of corporate reputation in the telecommunications industry. For this reason, the study gave back new knowledge to the research community and practical frameworks on how to manage reputation in contemporary times, wherein social blogs are central in the shaping of reputations. A mixed-method approach was therefore employed in the study, where both quantitative and qualitative research designs were drawn upon in the data collection and analysis. A stratified random sampling process was employed in selecting respondents from whom to elicit the quantitative data, and purposive judgmental sampling was used to select participants from whom to obtain the qualitative data. A total of 369 survey questionnaires were distributed to the targeted sample with a response rate of 90%, as 332 employees in the telecommunications industry returned completed questionnaires. Eighteen (18) interviews were conducted, with key interview informants in Zimbabwe’s telecommunications industry, thereby allowing for triangulation of the data obtained from the quantitative survey with the insights from the qualitative interviews. The results show that social blogs, specifically Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, have a direct impact on the management of positive corporate reputation in the telecommunications industry as they contribute to the social capital of the organisation leading to the contemporary management of reputation. A framework on the effect of social blog platforms on positive corporate reputation management in Zimbabwe’s telecommunications industry was developed.

Iqoqa: Inhloso yocwaningo kwakuwukuhlonza ukuthi uTwitter ungasetshenziswa kanjani ukwenza ngcono isithunzi sezinkampani ezinhlanganweni ezisebenza embonini yezokuxhumana ngezingcingo eZimbabwe. Lokhu kwakuqondiswa yinhloso yemibono efufusayo yokuthi imboni yokuxhumana ngezingcingo ibhekana kanjani nezindlelasu zakudala nezasesikhathini samanje zokuthi isithunzi sezinkampani sihlelwe amasocial blogs. Uhlaziyo lwalugxile kwabanesabelo bangaphakathi ababalulekile ekuxoxisaneni kwabanesabelo okufaka namakhasimende athenga ngobuxhakaxhaka bokuxhumana. Ucwaningo luhlole ubudlelwane obukhulu (H1), obabenzelwe ukuqonda ukuthi uTwitter unawo yini umthelelangqo esithunzini sokuhweba kwezinkampani zokuxhumana ngezingcingo eZimbabwe. Njengoba ucwaningo lubeka uTwitter phakathi kwesithunzi sokuhweba kwasesikhathini sakudala nezindlelasu zesimanje, lokhu kwaba amavariyebhuli amaphakathi (H2) ocwaningweni. UTwitter akuyona yodwa isocial blog ekhona eholela ekuqhathanisweni nezinye izinhlobo eziseceleni ezilingana nayo zokuhlola umthelela esithunzini sezinkampani uma kuqhathaniswa naleso sikaTwitter (H3). Izimo ezithinta isithunzi sezinkampani ngokwejwayelekile sixhumana nezindaba ezikhona njengamanje kanti uma kulawulwe ngendlela, zingakha utshalomali lomphakathi lwamabhizinisi okuxhumana ngezingcingo ukuze kugcine kuphuculwe isithunzi esihle sezezinkampani. Ucwaningo luqinisekise ubudlelwane nohlaka oluphakanyisiwe oluqondisa izindlelasu zesikhathi samanje uma kuziwa ekulawuleni isithunzi sezezinkampani embonini. Ucwaningo lwanika ulwazi olusha emphakathini ocwaningwayo kanye nezinhlakansebenziseko zokuthi kulawulwa kanjani isithunzi ezikhathini zamanje, kanti amasocial blogs awumongo ekwakheni izithunzi. Indlelasu exube izindlelakwenza yabe isisetshenziswa kulolu cwaningo. Isamba sezinhlumibuzo zesaveyi sasatshalaliswa esampuleni elihlosiwe ngesikalosilinganiso sezimpendulo ezingama-90%, njengoba abasebenzi abangama-332 embonini yokuxhumana ngezingcingo babuyisa izinhlumibuzo ezigcwalisiwe. Kwaba nezimposambuzo eziyishumi nesishiyagalombili (18), ezenziwa nabanikilwazi abasemqoka abasembonini. Imiphumela ikhombisa amasocial blogs, ikakhulukazi uTwitter, uFacebook noYouTube, zinomthelelangqo ekulawulweni kwesithunzi esihle sezinkampani embonini njengoba ifaka isandla kutshalozimali lomphakathi ezinhlanganweni okuholela ekulawuleni isithunzi kwasesikhathini samanje.