CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1.
Background of the Study
Social networking is creating a dramatic changes or
dynamic in the environment but it’s obvious it is creating changes. Social
networking an online medium of interaction which let people build relations,
share ideas, communicate information and bounding society in sentimental
stream. Social networking is making dramatic growth in dynamic environment of
now a day. People use social networks for catharsis of their human emotions.
Motives of social networking can be different for person to person like; people
connect to LinkedIn for professional purpose, Facebook and MySpace for personal
motive, Twitter for social networking, Personalized Blogs for personal thoughts
and view point. Motive of using social networks can be change but the ultimate
logic of connecting is building social contacts and sharing (Ehrlich, 2011).
Social networking is not only targeting young
generation. It’s tempting and hitting all age groups and generations. The way
to use and respond social networks is not a good thing, nor a bad thing; it’s
just a different thing. Using and connecting to social networks is part and
parcel now a day of everyone’s life. Now people never ask for mail addresses or
mobile numbers instead of that people ask each other for their social network
IDs for carrying on long term contacts (Avalos, S. 2011),
Every organization is using social network sites for
their professional benefits like creating customer relationship. So it becomes
the need and it’s the time for organizations to design workforce according to changing
environments. Organization’s productivity and profits base on its employee’s
performance, and its employees are strongly connecting to social networks. In
other aspects Social networks are creating risks, opportunities, threats,
weaknesses, and strengths for organizations. Risk in a way that social networks
are real time communication mediums, It can communicate and disseminate
information of organization instantly in real timing which organization may
never want to share with people outside the organization. Opportunity in the
context that competitor’s employee shared information about upcoming strategy
at social medium which can be used for organization’s benefit. Threat can be
faced by organizations when its employees discuss internal information of
organization at social networks which can be used by its competitors. Social
networking can be weakness of organization when it affects its productivity
negatively. Same social networking become strength for organizations when it’s
used to build good relationship with employees, to direct them is right way, to
collect information about employee behavior and to train them (Flynn, 2011),
Social networking affect all sectors of the economy
as it affects employee’s skills, productivity, qualification/knowledge and
motivational level. Organizations practice social networking for building
employer-employee relationship by increasing employee’s skills, productivity,
motivational level and knowledge. Organizations evaluate their employees and
manage their contributions to keep organization’s image high through social
networking. Some organizations direct their employees for ethical behavior in
using social networks while they are representative of the organization. For
doing all this organizations are formulating some sort of policies regarding
using of social networking (Flynn, 2011), however, it can be said that social
networking has strong impact on employees’ performance in terms of affecting
the skills, productivity, knowledge and motivation.
Guaranty Trust Bank plc was incorporated as a
limited liability company licensed to provide commercial and other banking
services to the general public of Nigeria in 1990. The Bank commenced
operations in February 1991, and has since then grown to become one of the most
respected and service focused banks in Nigeria (GTB, 2015). In September 1996,
Guaranty Trust Bank plc became a publicly quoted company and won the Nigerian
Stock Exchange President's Merit award that same year and subsequently in the
years 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. In February 2002, the Bank
was granted a universal banking license and later appointed a settlement bank
by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2003. GT Bank plc has 217 branches, 17
Cash Centres, 18 e-branches, 23 GT Express locations and more than 1141 ATMs in
Nigeria.
1.2.
Statement of the Problem
Some studies claim that the use of social networking
sites makes employees happier and, therefore, more productive (AT&T, 2008;
Bennett et al., 2010; Leidner et al., 2010; Li & Bernoff, 2008; Patel
&Jasani, 2010) while other studies consider social networking sites use a
reason for reduced productivity since it can waste time and be addictive
(Accountemps, 2010; Nucleus, 2009; O’Murchu et al., 2004; Rooksby et al., 2009;
Shepherd, 2011; Wavecrest, 2006). These studies that argue that using social
networking sites reduces productivity in the workplace looked only at the time
wasted as a result of social networking sites use in the workplace and ignored
the possible indirect benefits such as enhanced job satisfaction, higher
organizational commitment, lower absenteeism, higher retention rates, higher
innovative behavior, and increased productivity. As for studies that argue that
the use of social networking sites in the workplace is adding value to
organizations, they did not empirically measure the positive effects of social
networking sites use in the workplace on work-related outcomes.
This study, in turn, attempts to resolve this
controversy by empirically studying the direct and mediating effects of job
satisfaction, organizational commitment, absenteeism, turnover intention, and
innovative behavior on the relationship between social networking sites use
intensity and job performance
1.3.
Objectives of the Research
The general objective of the study is to evaluate
the impact of social networking sites on employee performance while the
following are the specific objectives of this study:
1. To
find out the impact of social networking sites on employee performance.
2. To
examine the effect of social networking sites on the privacy and security of an
organization’s information.
3. To
evaluate the potential benefits of social networking sites for business in an
organization.
1.4.
Research Questions
1. What is the impact of social networking sites on
employee performance?
2. What is the effect of social networking sites on
the privacy and security of an organization’s information?
3. What are the potential benefits of social
networking sites for business in an organization?
1.5
Research Hypothesis
Ho: There is no significant relationship between
social networking sites and employee performance.
Hi: There is a significant relationship between
social networking sites and employee performance.
1.6.
Significance of the Study
Studying the effect of social networking sites use
in the workplace on employee performance is important for several reasons.
First, professionals in charge of human resource departments will benefit from
understanding the associations elicited by this study. Understanding relationships
between social networking sites use in the workplace and employee performance
and productivity, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, absenteeism,
turnover intention, innovative behavior, and job performance can help reveal
the underlying rationale for organizations to either allow or disallow the use
of social networking sites in the workplace. Organizations are searching for
available means to increase workplace productivity. If the use of social
networking sites turns out to be one of these means, organizations will be able
to add the use of social networking sites in the workplace to their arsenal of
practices to enhance job satisfaction, organizational commitment, absenteeism,
turnover intention, innovative behavior, and ultimately job performance.
Second, this study contributes to social networking, employee performance, job
satisfaction, organizational commitment, absenteeism, turnover intention,
innovative behavior, and job performance literature.
The findings of this study will reveal whether the
belief that happy workers work harder holds in the context of social networking
sites use in the workplace..
1.7.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
The focus of the study is on the impact of social
network sites on employee performance will make use of data obtained from this
research to conclude and establish whether the use of social network sites
actually results in low productivity or enhances it. Due to the nature and the
subject of the study only educated workers will be involved in the category of
workers that are more likely to use the internet as part of their work and
during this course make use of social network site as a side entertainment.
Workers could be exposed to issues such as network security, cybercrime,
pornography, online marketing and advertisement and this study will be touched
all these areas considering the previous literature on the subject area.
1.8
Definition of Terms
Social
Media: A social networking site is a platform to build
social networks or social relations among people who share similar interests,
activities, backgrounds or real-life connections.
Website:
A website is a set of related web pages typically served from a single web
domain.
Employee:
An individual who works part-time or full-time under a contract of employment,
whether oral or written, express or implied, and has recognized rights and
duties.
Employee
Performance: The job related
activities expected of a worker and how well those activities were executed.