The Impact of Social Media Quality on Their Use in Business Continuity of Jordanian Small and Medium Enterprises During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

With the spread of the Corona virus around the world, the purchasing power of individuals has declined due to job losses for many employees, which has caused a decline in total per capita income due to the Covid-19 crisis (Celik & Dane, 2020). Although the epidemic weakened the performance of small and medium enterprises, it greatly increased the need for a different approach by small and medium enterprises to overcome the obstacles that resulted from the health distance policy and the scarcity of vital raw materials, which forced them to turn to social media (Dwivedi et al., 2021). The use of social media for SMEs can be seen as a useful way for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as to help consumers more easily access desired products and services and facilitate comparison between different products and services (Chatterjee & Kumar Kar, 2020).

Previous studies focused on the impact of social media on business in general and more studies are needed to investigate the effects of social media during COVID-19 on a specific business or sector. This study focused on targeting small and medium enterprises in Jordan to study the impact of social media on business continuity.

This study focused on understanding the opportunities and challenges that arise in times of crisis with regard to the use of social media. Moreover, the study examined social media quality variables including usefulness, ease of use, facilitation, and low cost to gain insights into the role of these variables in business continuity.

This research attempted to answer the following questions:

1. Did SMEs in Jordan use social media platforms for business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic?

2. Was there an impact of the quality of social media on their use in the business continuity of SMEs in Jordan?

3. Was there an impact of the usefulness variable of the quality of social media on their use in the business continuity of SMEs in Jordan?

4. Was there an impact of the ease-of-use variable of the quality of social media on their use in the business continuity of SMEs in Jordan?

5. Was there an impact of the variable of the facilitative conditions of the quality of social media on their use in the business continuity of SMEs in Jordan?

6. Was there an impact of the low-cost variable of the quality of social media on their use in the business continuity of SMEs in Jordan?

There is value associated with this study regarding social media use and business continuity during a crisis. Small and medium business owners can benefit from the practical implications of the study in running their businesses. By understanding and integrating the various aspects of social media into their business practices, SME owners can not only benefit financially, but also handle any emergency and continue their business. Moreover, this study provided insights to scholars and policy makers on the importance of different quality variables of social media and technology acceptance.

Literature Review

During the Covid-19 crisis, governments around the world have adopted lockdown measures that have had a huge impact on SMEs. Small and medium-sized businesses have suffered the most due to their lack of resilience in the face of major environmental challenges, according to the OECD report (OECD, 2020). A crisis is an unexpected event that threatens to interrupt the organization’s activities, which can lead to financial and reputational consequences (Coombs, 2007). Businesses should take steps to increase their resilience during crises such as Covid-19 (Reeves et al., 2020). Contemporary crisis management research focused mostly on large corporations, with small and medium-sized firms receiving less attention.

SMEs play an important role in employment creation and economic growth, and they are always innovating and evolving (Tajpour et al., 2018). However, due to limited resources and weak market, they are more vulnerable to crises (Coombs, 2007). As a result, during the coronavirus crisis, social media has been seen as essential to the survival of small businesses (Akpan et al., 2020; Sugandini et al., 2020). However, when it comes to dealing with crisis, SMEs have excellent learning capabilities and strong relationship with clients unlike large organizations (Hong et al., 2012; Irvine & Anderson, 2006). Each of these factors mentioned above are variables that help in resilience and adaptation to changing crises. However, small and medium businesses must pay attention to the means of communication in order to maintain their reputation among their customers (Hong et al., 2012).

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a major external shock with significant impacts, particularly with the introduction of healthy distancing policies (Fitriasari, 2020). As a result, the owners of the company must quickly and correctly change their sales approach (Lorentz et al., 2016). SMEs may address this by emphasizing the use of technology and using social media (Dwivedi et al., 2021).

Social media is useful not just for assisting SMEs in growing their businesses, and as a consumer media for discovering new goods, services and SMEs (Dahnil et al., 2014). People may use social media to participate in online activities, market themselves, and even make effective comparisons when making decisions (Chatterjee & Kumar Kar, 2020). Sabri et al. (2023) contributed to attribution-emotion-action theory by revealing the unintended effects of parody on social media engagement.

Furthermore, social media has served as a link between small businesses and prospective customers (Abed et al., 2015). Tripopsakul (2018) said that efficient social media usage might boost productivity and profitability. However, the business’s technological change necessitates a fresh financial allocation. According to Chatterjee and Kumar Kar (2020), a budget is essential to include marketing and understand how another platform works. Studies on the amount of acceptance of e-commerce in underdeveloped countries are still insufficient (Makiwa & Steyn, 2020). Several key elements influence, including scholarly resources, awareness, sources of information, and possibly the difficulties of e-commerce adoption (Rahayu & Day, 2017).

As a result, the new technological transformation in business marketing will require dedicated expenditures to achieve its objectives (Davis, 1989). Engaging in digital business and marketing and using social media is largely based on usefulness and ease of use. Small and medium businesses that have used social media that is useful and easy to use will not face high purchase and maintenance expenses and therefore this will have a positive impact on their long-term viability (Lee et al., 2019).

This study is necessary in order to obtain new insights about the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the long-term viability of Jordanian SMEs. It also identified the means and tools that may have an impact on the long-term survival of small and medium enterprises. The goal of this study is to look into the use of social media in business continuity. As well as the impact of quality variables of social media (usefulness, ease of use, facilitation and low cost) on the business continuity of SMEs.

Theoretical framework

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Usefulness and ease of use affect the acceptance of a technology significantly (Davis, 1989). These two factors are the key components of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which is used to describe how consumers accept and get used to the technology. Moreover, factors based on the attitude of the customer and its impact on the intent and behavior plays crucial role in the acceptance of the technology, along with the effects of the society in persuading the customer to make the technology as an important part of the life (Vahdat et al., 2021). Furthermore, cognitive impacts of the technology are another significant component of the acceptance of the technology. Customers are supposed to appreciate the rationale of the use of the technology in their mind, and by absorbing the technology on a cognitive level; they can integrate it in their daily activities (Salimon et al., 2021).

Other components of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) include credibility, interactivity, customisation, data protection, cognitive factors, social factors, customer satisfaction, upgradability, accessibility, analytics, and integration with other processes. Information shared on social media by the businesses and the perceptions of the customers about its credibility affect the continuity of the business significantly (Alshurideh et al., 2019). It is important for businesses to share authentic information on social media to enhance their perceived credibility for customers.

One of the important components of quality aspects of social media is its interactivity, as interactivity of the platform enhances its acceptance among the customers (Binyamin et al., 2019). To continue operating effectively, SMEs in Jordan must focus on incorporating an interactive social media strategy.

Having a personalised approach for all the customers can also affect the acceptance of the technology by the customers. It is important to consider the customisation of the social media strategy to address different segments of society and have positive impacts on the continuity of the business. (Altarteer & Charissis, 2019).

Another important role in the acceptance of technology by customers is the protection of their personal and financial information. Without feeling secure about their data collected by the small and medium enterprises for operation reasons, it is difficult for the customers to affect the continuity of the business positively using the social media platforms (Hu et al., 2019).

Social factors play a crucial role in influencing the business based on the findings of a study conducted by Vahdat et al. (2021). The attitude of the customer and its impact on the intent and behaviour also plays a crucial role in the acceptance of the technology, along with the effects of the society in persuading the customer to make the technology an important part of their life (Vahdat et al., 2021).

Assessment of the satisfaction level of the customer is an important factor in analysing the quality aspects of the technology. The experiences of the user on social media platforms can affect small and medium enterprises significantly. The acceptations of social media technology by customers depends on their positive responses and negative experiences can be detrimental for the business as it indicates the challenges in the quality of the technology. Overall, the enhancement in the satisfaction level of the customers can not only help in the continuity of the business but also make it sustainable (Abd et al., 2015).

Innovation and the upgradability of the technological platform are important for the continuity of the business. Customer acceptance of the technology that is not upgraded reduces gradually affecting the businesses that are using that technology. Social media platform and strategies to continue the business with the help of it requires continuous upgradation according to the needs of society. By adding new features to their services by using the upgradability aspect of social media technology, small and medium enterprises can improve their productivity and sustainability. Financial aspects of the business are also enhanced by the upgradability factor (Zhong et al., 2021).

Accessibility of the social media platform for the customers influences business continuity significantly. Social media services or any technology that cannot be accessed across all platforms and devices can have detrimental impacts on its acceptance. For small and medium enterprises to continue their businesses and serve a broader range of customers, they need to integrate a social media platform that is compatible across all devices (Ratten, 2015).

Processing a large amount of data to analyse it and gain insights from it is one of the most important quality aspects of social media technology. Analysing the existing customer’s data can not only help in making strategies for the acceptance of the technology for a broader range of customers but it can also help the businesses to make informed decisions. The analytical aspect of social media technology can be very helpful for making policies for business continuity (Shahbaz et al., 2019).

Acceptance of social media technology cannot be enhanced if it is not compatible to address the traditional processes and provide a quality service to the customers. Already established business processes need to be incorporated by modern technology to make itself acceptable to the customers (Ross et al., 2022).

The aim of this study was not to examine all components or aspects of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), but rather to examine and correspond to the quality variables of social media that were mostly derived from the TAM, and whose main components were included in the quality variables examined.

The examined quality variables of social media

Usefulness

Perceived usefulness is a belief in a technology’s performance, efficacy, risk, and trust (Turner et al., 2010). Usefulness includes risk issues, privacy, and security (Chatterjee & Kumar Kar, 2020). It plays an important role with the success of marketing methods. Numerous studies have illustrated the relationship between usage perceptions and the use of social media marketing (SMM). For instance, Kim and Chiu (2019) conducted research on the link between perceived usefulness and technology use, finding that perceived usefulness has a positive relationship with new technology use. They also concluded that smartphone technology use has a beneficial association with perceived usefulness. If the expected obstacles are addressed, social media marketing for SMEs will bring many advantages (Turner et al., 2010).

According to Han and Sa (2022), Perceived usefulness of the technology is very significant for the acceptance of the technology. In the case of social media and small and medium enterprises, customers must be aware of the usefulness of the social media platform to continue giving business to these enterprises. The functionality of the technology plays a crucial role in the incorporation of the virtual practices of the customers for business continuity. Social media platforms that are functional in providing services to customers during a crisis are an integral part of the technology used for the continuity of the business. According to the study usefulness of the technology is an important component of the customer’s decision to accept the technology, and customers must be satisfied by the functionality of the service they are using to integrate it in their daily activities. Small and medium enterprises focus on the satisfaction level of the customers based on the usefulness of the social media strategy, as the satisfaction of the customers is directly related to the acceptance of the technology and continuity of the business. (Rihastuti et al., 2020)

Ease of use

Davis (1989) and Davis et al. (1989) suggested the framework of the perceived ease-of-use, which is mainly used to understand how businesses and firms adopt technology and other fields that are relevant. Prior research conducted by Momani and Jamous (2017) suggested that new users in small and medium firms may be anxious to use new methods of marketing related to technology. However, using technology in a decent way provides many advantages for users. Previous studies have shown that if a renewal is useful and flexible for users, they will be more encouraged and motivated to adopt (Ware, 2018).

Based on the study conducted by Granić and Marangunić (2019), it can be concluded that ease of use of the technology is another significant factor for the acceptance of the technology. For small and medium enterprises to continue their business effectively in the pandemic, significantly, the technology used to connect their business with the customers is easy to use. Customers requires only the relevant aspects of the technology to avail services at ease and without having a simple interface it can be difficult for the business to provide only relevant aspect of the technology to the customers. Various studies are reviewed by Granić and Marangunić (2019) to develop an understanding of the acceptance of technology by customers, and the findings suggested that customers should not feel the burden of learning the usage of the technology. Small and medium enterprises can enhance their business by providing services for customers that can be availed easily to resolve any concern. Having an easy-to-use technology can encourage the customers to re-use the service provided by the business, which can have a significant impact on the growth of the technology and the business (Silva et al., 2022).

Facilitation

Facilitation is described as a person’s level of trust in the technological infrastructure and top management’s support for using the new system (Venkatesh et al., 2012). Facilitation circumstances have a substantial impact on the adoption of breakthrough technologies (Chatterjee & Kumar Kar, 2020). If the employees are taught to use social media properly and proper infrastructure is provided and the organizational environment is not hostile to the use of social media then SMEs will adopt it in their business continuity (Chatterjee & Kumar Kar, 2020).

A study conducted to understand the acceptance of technology during the COVID-19 period by Sukendro et al. (2020) suggested that the facilitation factor of the technology is an important factor in the acceptance of the technology by customers. Various aspects of the facilitation can influence technology acceptance such as the environment and infrastructure of the business providing the service. An environment that promotes the facilitation of the customers by encouraging them to raise any concern freely can be impactful in the overall growth of the business and technology. Moreover, it is important to have a trustworthy infrastructure, as it can affect customer satisfaction positively. Small and medium enterprises by considering the importance of facilitation in the acceptance of the technology can focus on continuing their business effectively. The significance of the facilitation increases many folds in the time of the crisis as is observed in the case of COVID-19. Having a good technological infrastructure can help small and medium enterprises to facilitate their customers in any crisis. Overall, acceptance of the technology was enhanced during COVID-19 based on various factors including facilitation (Horas et al., 2023).

Low cost

Cost in economics, as the loss that occurs because of an economic element. Therefore, every cost associated with the production procedure of an item must be taken into consideration when specifying any purchasing price of an item (Teece, 2019). Since using technology costs money, SME players decide whether to use it or not depending on the benefits, they will get (Wang et al., 2020). There is a link between cost and technology adoption (Chatterjee & Kumar Kar, 2020; K. J. Kim & Shin, 2015). The cost element has a significant effect in a company’s adoption of technology (Chan & Chong, 2012). Other factors that encourage SMEs to adopt SMM include minimal obstacles, cheap expenses, and low IT skill requirements (Derham et al., 2011). This indicates that if the expenses of using social media in running business were too high, SME would not use it. Social media is a low-cost method of communication. This gives SMEs a low-cost way to interact with their customers (Zhang et al., 2019).

According to Sprenger and Schwaninger (2021), cost of the usage of the technology can affect the decision of the customer for using or not using the technology. Low costs associated with the technology can help in its acceptance by a broader customer base, which cannot help the business to continue during crisis, but it will also play an important role in the growth. Small and medium enterprise can provide their services by using social media, which can help them, reduce the cost of operation for themselves and it can enhance the financial satisfaction of the customers. It is important that business work on the acceptance of the technology by the customers using strategies that lower the cost of using it (Peng & Hwang, 2021).

Using social media in business continuity

Elbanna et al. (2019) defined social media as a communication tool, a source of knowledge exchange, and a platform for self-actualization and cooperation in cyberspace. Social media has great business potential, and this platform has evolved into a simple tool for online communication between customers and businesses, as well as between consumers and consumers around the world, at any time. Since SMEs have limited resources like cash, technical skills, etc., this platform is ideal for them (Rana et al., 2019). It was reported in literature that in addition to increasing a company’s trust and brand loyalty, using social media makes it simpler for customers to get information about a company’s goods (Puspaningrum, 2020). The use of social media in business also demonstrates a good association with customer loyalty, proximity, and trust (Khoa, 2020). Companies who utilize social media to grow their business and expand their commercial operations have an easier time doing so (Chatterjee & Kumar Kar, 2020; Fatima & Bilal, 2019; Sullivan & Koh, 2019). SMEs may benefit from social media since it can assist them enhance their performance.

This study addressed the main variables of the quality of social media. These variables were derived from and correspond to aspects of the Technology Acceptance Model. It consisted of two variables: independent variables (quality variables of social media: usefulness, ease of use, facilitation, and low cost) and a dependent variable (using social media in business continuity). Research model is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.The Research Model (source: developed by the authors)

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were tested using appropriate statistical methods:

H1: Social media platforms have been used in business continuity by SMEs in Jordan during the Covid-19 pandemic.

H2: The variables of social media quality had a significant positive impact on their use in the business continuity of SMEs in Jordan during the Covid-19 pandemic.

H2.1: The usefulness variable of the quality of social media had a significant positive impact on their use in the business continuity of SMEs in Jordan during the Covid-19 pandemic.

H2.2: The ease of use variable of the quality of social media had a significant positive impact on their use in the business continuity of SMEs in Jordan during the Covid-19 pandemic.

H2.3: The facilitation variable of the quality of social media had a significant positive impact on their use in the business continuity of SMEs in Jordan during the Covid-19 pandemic.

H2.4: The low cost variable of the quality of social media had a significant positive impact on their use in the business continuity of SMEs in Jordan during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Methodology

The research is designed to investigate the impact of social media on business continuity of the small and medium enterprises of Jordan during COVID-19. The theory of the Technology Acceptance Model was considered to develop the theoretical framework of the study, especially for social media quality variables. Moreover, primary data collected based on a survey questionnaire and analysed using statistical methods. Descriptive statistics, one-sample t-test and regression test were performed for statistical analysis of the study data collected from 94 small and medium enterprises in Jordan regarding the impact of social media during the pandemic. In general, the conclusion of the study was derived from the analysis and interpretation of the results.

The study variables were measured by a set questions developed based on questionnaires from previous studies: usefulness (such as Dwivedi et al., 2015; Abed et al., 2015; Elbanna et al., 2019), ease of use (such as Rana et al., 2019; Venkatesh et al., 2012; Ware, 2018), facilitation (such as Sykes et al., 2009; Rana et al., 2019; Venkatesh et al., 2012; Zhang et al., 2019), low cost (such as Abed et al., 2015; K. J. Kim & Shin, 2015; Zhang et al., 2019), using social media in business continuity (such as Abed et al., 2015; Dwivedi et al., 2021; Shareef et al., 2019).

A five-point Likert scale was used, with points ranging from 1 for “strongly disagree” to 5 for “strongly agree”. Each of these points has a length calculated by dividing the intervals of the original scale used in the questionnaire (in this study is 4) by the number of points (in this study is 5), which equals 0.80 (4/5). Then with respect to study variables, “strongly disagree” falls between (1.00 to 1.80), “disagree” falls between (1.81 to 2.60), “neither agree nor disagree” falls between (2.61 to 3.40), “agree” falls between (3.41 to 4.20), and finally “strongly agree” falls between (4.21 to 5.0). This means that the range of disagreement is (1 to 2.60), the range of neutral is (more than 2.6 to 3.40), while the range of agreement is (more than 3.4 to 5). Therefore, differences between means were tested using one-sample t-test with 3.4 as the test value.

A questionnaire was developed, tested and modified based on feedback from six experts, two university faculty members and four SME general managers, by asking them to review the questions and provide any comments or suggestion to ensure the validity of the questionnaire. The final version of the questionnaire was distributed to 125 SMEs in Jordan affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The responses were 94 questionnaires, which is more than 75% of the distributed questionnaires. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the survey was conducted using a google form and distributed via social media with the support of the Jordanian Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship. All respondents have at least a bachelor’s degree and more than two-thirds of them are male. About 60% of the respondents are owners of small and medium enterprises, the rest are managers.

Reliability of data is significant to assure the quality of the research. Reliability means that the questionnaire is reliable if it is used to measure another sample under the same conditions and gives the same results (Moser & Kalton, 1989). With respect to cut-off points, (Hinton et al., 2004) suggested four cut-off points for reliability as follows, excellent reliability (0.90 and above), high reliability (0.70-0.90), moderate reliability (0.50-0.70) and low reliability (0.50 and below). Reliability was tested and the output shown in Table 1 indicates that the responses to the questionnaire are reliable as all Cronbach’s alpha values ranged from 0.772 to 0.889.

Results

The mean scores and standard deviations for research variables are summarized in Table 2. It is evident that the mean scores for all research variables (usefulness, ease of use, facilitation, low cost, and using social media in business continuity) ranged between 3.6676 and 4.1277 with standard deviations ranging from .72976 to .92374. This indicates that the average responses were above the lower end of the agreement range, which is over 3.40.

One sample t-test conducted to check if there is a statistically significant differences between variable mean scores and the lower end the agreement range (the test value = 3.40), which represents according to the scale adopted in this study the point between the range of agreement and the range of neutral. As shown in Table 3, results indicated that the average scores of usefulness, ease of use, facilitation, low cost, and using social media in business continuity are statistically different from (higher than) the test value (M = 3.4) with Sig <.003 and mean differences of (.70638, .39362, .26844, .26755, .72766) respectively. This also indicates acceptance of the first hypothesis.

As shown in Table 4, R = .754, R² = .569, significance of ANOVA = .000, significance of coefficients of usefulness, ease of use, facilitation and low cost =.048, .043, .009 and .030 respectively. The results of regression analysis showed statistically significant impacts of the dimensions of the quality of social media on the use of social media in business continuity. This indicates acceptance of the second main and sub-hypotheses.

Discussion and Conclusion

This study referred to the visual impact of social media platforms by SMEs in Jordan as a response to the changing conditions in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. The presence of the Covid-19 epidemic has a significant influence on the operations of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan. This accrued because of social and physical limits, which have severely limited the activities that may take place inside the community. As a result, a great number of enterprises and firms have been forced to physically shut their doors. The use of online media as part of the company’s operations was one possibility to consider. One example of this was utilizing social media for business purposes. The use of social media in running business by small and medium businesses is still relatively new. The usefulness, ease of use, facilitation and cost of social media platforms are directly related to their use. This is consistent with previous studies (such as Chatterjee & Kumar Kar, 2020).

SME are able to use the social media according to their ability, particularly as a medium to market their products during Covid-19 pandemic. This is possible because there is a variety of social media, each of which offers a variety of facilities, and each of which has its own set of limitations. According to the results of the investigation conducted in this research, usefulness has a beneficial effect on the use of social media in business. Because of this beneficial effect, it is clear that the number of people who use social media for commercial purposes is directly proportional to the benefits that can be gained from doing so. The usage of social media is seen to have additional value as a business and marketing tool, and it is seen to be capable of enhancing productivity. This was a view shared by respondents. It is also believed that social media may aid improve management of the firm and contribute to higher levels of customer satisfaction. The results of this research are consistent with previous studies (such as Chatterjee & Kumar Kar, 2020; T. Kim & Chiu, 2019; Park et al., 2016; Syaifullah et al., 2021).

SMEs that decide to use social media to be a part of their business should know what kinds of applications are suitable and widely influential in their target market. However, the use of social media services may require SMEs to set a budget that will enable them to benefit from their services.

Since the use of social media in business involves supporting facilities and infrastructure, it requires a sound investment as well as expertise in order to maximize the use of social media for business purposes. According to the findings of this research, the facilitation has a major impact on the commercial used of social media. This indicates that SMEs should have adequate infrastructure and resources.

The point at which it is easy to expand the use of social media platforms, is a major factor in determining whether or not they can be used successfully as a promotion and marketing tool. SME players who have a limited understanding of information technology IT need to be able to learn this technology in order to maximize the technology or its features, especially on social media. According to the findings of the investigation that was carried out in this research, the perceived ease of use has a positive influence on the use of social media in business. This demonstrates that the simpler it is for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses to utilize the technology behind social media, the more often they use social media as a business marketing strategy.

Some of the signs of how easy it is to use social media include how easy it is to learn, how easy it is to find new customers, and how easy it is to learn about demand from the consumers who use it. In addition, the easier it is to understand the information provided about customers, the easier it is to promote using social media. When it comes to marketing, using social media can be expensive, especially for paid advertising. Developing a company’s infrastructure and training in the use of social media are two examples of how costs can be used to enhance a company’s human resource capabilities.

This research highlighted the great importance of the following quality dimensions of social media: usefulness, ease of use, facilitating conditions, and low cost. In order to make better use of social media, SMEs need to have a better understanding and knowledge, and information technology must be easy to use to encourage users to take advantage of its services, which will have a positive impact on increasing sales and the effectiveness of SMEs. This research concluded that social media has been very helpful in increasing the success of small and medium businesses during the pandemic period, which makes it very important to gain more knowledge related to it to support the business. According to the findings of this research, the adoption of new business technology and social media marketing can be explained by the perceived usefulness and ease of use of the technologies by users, facilitating conditions and low cost. This research indicated that social media has been extremely beneficial to small and medium businesses during the pandemic period. It is recommended to use social media platforms for commercial and marketing activities.