Abstract:
The adoption of social media by small and emerging businesses as a communication tool
has led to the decrease on patronage of the services of people who work in the traditional
media sector. Most businesses, notably small ones, now rarely use the traditional
communication tool for advertising their products and services except in rural communities
that are less abreast with the digital phenomenon. At Obuasi Central Market, an urban and
vibrant economic centre at Obuasi in the Ashanti region, lies several small-scale businesses
which were the participants of this research. The main objective of this research study was
to establish the relationship between these small-scale businesses and social media. These
questions that needed to be answered included the impacts of social media on small-scale
businesses, the challenges faced by small-scale businesses using social media and the factors
causing small-scale businesses to adopt social media as a communication tool. The
quantitative research approach was used in this research. Forty respondents were used in
this study. In the research findings, it was revealed that one of the factors why small-scale
businesses are adopting social media is because of its affordability. 65% of business owners
in this study also stated that they used social media because they wanted to reach more
customers and potential customers within a short time. 62% of customer of small scall
businesses in the study also stated that they preferred to buy via social media because of
free delivery packages and its easy way of making purchases. Overall, it became so clear
that the relation between small-scale businesses and social media was one of a gradual
dependency on the part of the small-scale businesses on social media. Although small-scale
businesses have a ready market on social media to capture, they also have to make sure that
they win over their trust, since it was the major way to keep the customer.
Description:
A thesis in the School of Communication and Media
Studies, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Arts
(Strategic Communication)
in the University of Education, Winneba.
