Investigating factors influencing the intention of social media adoption by a perspective of SMEs during COVID-19 pandemic
Keywords:
Social media, The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2, SMEs, ThailandAbstract
Using 412 respondents based on a questionnaire collected data from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) located at lower Northern of Thailand with the aimed at to figure out the catalyst of Social Media (SM) adoption by SMEs owner-managers-could hopefully predict SM adoption intention. With the great advance of SM technologies coupled with the support of digital technologies can lead to the opportunity for SM to thrive by nascent entrepreneurs. As such, it could transform the business model where family-owned businesses; particularly, the second or third owner generation leverages the empowerment of SM tools by integrating such new technologies with its own legacy system. The goal of this study was to identify and explore the elements that influence SMEs' decisions to use SM as a marketing platform in rural areas. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT-2) with the extension of three new factors, including personal innovativeness, perceived fear, and competitive pressure, was proposed along with the original constructs in the UTAUT-2 model. The empirical findings reveal that competitive pressure, performance expectations, perceived fear, pricing value, and personal innovativeness all have a significant impact on the intention to use and adopt SM, according to the research findings. Hedonic motivation, however, has not revealed a significant impact of such an intention. This research provides theoretical and practical guidance on how SME owners, managers, and policy makers may adopt and implement a strategic plan on SM adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic.References
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