Introduction
The group set out to study the impact of social networks on business and assess whether the networks were efficient in bettering the positions of businesses in the market (Becton and Wysocki para. 3). Over the past few weeks, we had discussed whether a business should have a social media policy or not and the issues that would need to be addressed in the policy. My role was to coordinate the group members to bring their ideas into one forum, to explain the role of different media and how businesses use these media or can utilize such media.
The group researched information on the best practice of the use of media and examples of case studies on the market. I also organized the meetings and planned few workshops open to all members and even invited non-members to be able to have a wider range of insights, contributions, and ideas on the uses of social media in business.
Team Effort
Our way of the study was simple whereby we had a whiteboard and dry-erasable marker commonly referred to as ‘felt pen’. The members of the groups study individuals and brought different findings to the group concerning bloggers, public relations, and advertisers on social networks. We used very few online tools which included emailing, Facebook, and MySpace. Through these media, we created a fake company and marketed it to try and see the way it would be received by social network users.
As the person in charge of the group, I guided the team in reaching an agreement of dividing the task amongst ourselves to be able to cover the topic extensively. Considering that every firm nowadays wants to be in the social network, there was quite a lot to discuss and research to be able to come up with the best advice to give to everyone.
The first member of the group was given the task of studying social media strategy whereby this covered out objectives and the outcomes that are attained. There are several approaches to this just like any other kind of marketing strategy.
The second member studied the tactics of social media marketing strategies. This was very important because for a business to thrive, we knew we had to have the best combination of tactics. The clients and business partners have different preferences and behavior therefore, understanding who one is dealing with was so crucial. Important networks that we addressed included Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Blogs. These sites offered the least resistance and were dominated by many businesses as a result.
The third member dealt with the processes of social media and how firms can work through strategies. This issue helped the group to be able to stick to the plan that was written and also to have a way of responding to issues that arose like negative outcomes. This was like dealing with dynamic scenarios in the real business world.
Finally, I dealt with the social commerce issue in business and under this, I addressed the return on investment of the social networks media. This was quite easy since it was about assessing how firms benefitted from the sites in terms of sales, recruitment, and production. The information was compiled and presented in PowerPoint documents.
Team Environment and Materials
It was hence logical to move to new issues with the implementation of the social network strategy in business. Sometimes a mere policy won’t do any good to the business but requires a plan to help execute the strategy and bring out the required outcomes. Our group targeted the strategies that would help to develop businesses by using social media like blogging, community sites, podcasts, and networking.
As an individual realized that I had expanded my world because of social sites but this was mainly for personal benefit. However, this enabled me to see the potential the social networks had in business. The product or service for the social network is web-based. The product can be accessed through various search engines such as Google and direct web search. The accessibility of some of these products is through registration whereby members subscribe for free and receive various newsletters about the development of subsidiary products and applications. In the year 2009 alone I met over 400 people online and a few offline via social media.
The common ones that I used were Facebook and MySpace and sometimes Twitter. In January I watched one basketball game in the NBA tournament while following many of my friends on Twitter. It is amazing that many of the people I have never had an opportunity to meet with them physically but we still assist each other with issues, ideas, share information, and inspire each other in attaining our own goals in the business world and personal lives.
The team contribution and material brought in to the group were important because the professional passion for success demands that social media was a must. Being a devoted and avid individual I was able to easily pick the strategies of marketing, communication, and development of tactics from the information that was brought in by members following individual studies.
To be a good leader in business, I understood that I needed to learn faster to build my professional ability. Therefore I was able to be a leader who offered great help in the social networks strategy and social media promotion of the fake business. Besides the fact that we were able to works as a team, we were able to maintain cohesiveness and were more creative in developing strategies and produced quality work.
The product is expected to reach a large market of working-class people. This is because the service is especially applicable to the professional environment and people who like to socialize. The project is also viable in the academic arena because it will be helpful for people to learn various aspects of the new technology is gaining more information and staying abreast of current news. Taking into consideration that various academic institutions are embracing technology with open arms, the project can gain wide acceptance in this area. The size of the market for this project begins from the local population to national and then international market when the organization was globalized.
The professional development plan that we developed had the first step as listening. Listening is a very crucial process and the social networks are set to facilitate communication or conversation. Before our company could be part of the communication, we had to listen to what people were saying about the industry and the business itself. From here we knew what to contribute.
The next step of the plan was to make preparations. Since social networks are platforms for communication, our business had to find the right people for communication because essentially conversations are always between individuals and not firms. The people to communicate are the experts in certain areas of the business representing the company to the outsiders. And to ensure that the media is not abused, there has to be a media policy that guides the workers in the business.
The most crucial part of the plan is defining the strategy. There are several platforms but it would be unwise to try and participate in all of them. We chose only two media and following that was to engage people. The engagement entailed leaving comments on the Facebook wall and MySpace plus uploading photos. We also designed to build fan pages on facebook and creating more channels to establish online relationships.
The strategies for using the balancing and reinforcing systems that control the proposed business organization are such that they include various aspects of the strategy framework. The purpose of the project was to be definite after which the environmental analysis was done. The objectives of the business organization are also important in strategizing for any project. In this project, we planned to elucidate the way the organization is going to achieve its target.
There was also option analysis that explored the alternative routes to be taken for the best to be selected. When the project is on-going, the question of how to turn plans into reality must be answered and this must come along with a monitoring system that ensures that the project is on the correct path. The indicative resources include those resources gained from literature and individuals. The most paramount resource here was money. Once the funds were secured, we researched the field to see where the products are likely to perform well in the market. The available literature, interviews, and questionnaires were important in tackling this issue.
Competitive forces will emanate from the existing similar projects. This is because we will have to compete with the giants in the social networking industry for the market. The main strategy that we have been using is by trying new unexplored markets and improving the products to win consumer confidence in the explored markets. This can increase the market share of the product and hence help expand the social network. We also considered the porter’s model in which we tackle potential entrants into the market and liaison more closely with suppliers and buyers of particular products in the organization. Also, we will try to tackle the threat of substitutes to make the products quite indispensable.
My Role
I was the default leader of the group after I appeared to be well informed of the implications of the social networks in management and leadership. This means that I had to take on a coordinating role and become very actively involved in every aspect of the study. My main role was to coordinate all the activities of the groups especially ensuring that the members did their assignments and they brought results to the group discussion so that the whole group could come up with a single report to present.
As a member of the team, I contributed actively to the collection of data and prepared the tools to be used for working. This was not a complex job but it required a lot of dedication and facilitation. In matters that concern social networking, the tools to be used were mainly social sites, and the internet. The social sites were easy to facilitate and use in our study because they acted like a community online.
Therefore many of the social site’s users were the participants. Based on the questions that were posed or the topic posted on the blogs, the members would respond by posting their opinions, ideas, experienced, and feelings on the issue. Once an individual would be granted access, then that person would be able to socialize on the site. I knew this was pertinent to the management and marketing of businesses.
After collecting all the information and discussing them as well as conducting some analyses, I was left with the duty of finalizing the report into one piece. I had to integrate discussion notes I made during our group studies and group meetings. The notes acted like a summary for me to make a short report however, despite being short, the summary was comprehensive in a way that touched on all the important issues of social networks and business success. The final report was written in word documents and also presented in PowerPoint slides.
The Team Helped me achieve My Role
The first meeting leads to my emergence as the coordinator of the team and the members gave me full support and this role was similar to a team leader though not a leader as it were. For that fact, my role was to be the person to organize meetings, follow up on the studies, lead the discussion, and make compiled reports. The team gave me their total support and one of the main supports was to give their knowledge support and experience. This is because as a team we were required to complete the responsibility of using the social networks in building business success.
The team members worked to help in my job by providing purposeful reviews of the material that we found from our study. The other role was to discuss the results and participate in all the meetings helping to reach a consensus that covers the idea of every individual hence can be determined as the group’s single perception of things. The team members helped me to review the information we have previously obtained from the studies. The members made noted during studies and they all helped me to fill up the notes I had skipped. The information was therefore crucial in future games. The note offered the things needed to finish the assignment. The members participated in a conference call and all the meetings therefore they made the job of the coordinator easy
Conclusion
The team should have been more frequently like twice a week and then use the classroom as well. A social network is not a big problem to apply in business but also requires concentration. Despite the success of the social networks in making a success story, some crucial obstacles need to be addressed. Online predators have become prevalent and effective. The group members found that the use of computers and the cyber environment was apparent where the people who cared for the study benefitted. The final report was dropped at the lecturer’s office before the deadline and this week was exciting.
Works Cited
Becton, Clayton and Wysocki, Allen. Building teamwork and the importance of trust in a Business environment. 2008. Web.