The impact of social media on brand image of UK coffee shops Dissertation

The impact of social media on brand image of UK coffee shops - Dissertation Example The main objective of this dissertation has been to identify the impact of the social media sites on the brand image of coffee shops in the UK for which Starbucks has been considered as the sample brand. In order to attain the objective, this dissertation has taken into consideration a mixed approach. Furthermore, the sample size for the project is 200 respondents who were supposed to respond to online survey. Questionnaire was also prepared comprising of close-ended questions. In this regard, it has been identified that social media sites imposes a significant impact on the creation of brand image of Starbucks. Table of Contents 1 Abstract 2 Chapter 1: Introduction 5 1.1.Background of the Study 5 1.2. Scope and Objective of the Study 8 1.3 Methodological Overview 11 1.4 Structure of the Project 12 Chapter 2: Literature Review 14 2.1 The Growing Significance of Social Media in the Business Environment of UK (Coffee Retailing) 14 2.2 Contribution of Social Media in Developing Brand Im age 16 2.3 Influencing Factors Causing Impact on Inclusion of Social Media 20 2.4. Opportunity and Risks of Social Media Inclusion 25 2.5 Organisational Strategies Generally Adopted By UK Coffee Shops to Use Social Media 30 2.6. Research Gap 33 Chapter 3: Research Methodology 35 3.1 Overview 35 3.2 Research Philosophy 36 3.3 Research Design and Approach 37 3.4. Data Collection 40 3.5 Data Analysis 41 3.6 Ethical Considerations and Research Limitations 43 3.7 Expected Results 45 Chapter 4: Results and Analysis 47 4.1 Overview 47 4.2 Findings 47 4.3 Evaluation 68 Chapter Five: Conclusion and Recommendations 77 5.1 Key Findings 77 5.2 Recommendations 79 5.3 Further Research 82 References 84 Appendix A 97 Questionnaire 97 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. Background of the Study Social media has been successful at rediscovering the association between companies, employees, suppliers as well as regulators, minimising the implementation of methods that were generally identified as quite time-c onsuming in the traditional era concerning public relations. Most of the companies are making use of the social media so that their efficiencies can be enhanced in respect to the supply chain (Lew & Fung, 2010). In the similar context, others are making use of the social media so that they can create innovative business models and develop relationships with the customers, employees, investors as well as other interested stakeholders gaining the identification of a socially responsible corporate entity. A handful of the companies are making use of the social media sites so that they can boost the morale of the employees and hence enhance efficiency in terms of communication within the organisational setting. The companies striving to strengthen their brand, customer loyalty as well as increase the market share are also making use of the social media sites (Insead, 2012). Although, social media users are basically found to belong from the young age group of the society, an increasing number of middle aged users, especially those possessing a higher level of discretionary income. It has been noted that nearly 67% of the users of the social media believe that the information rendered online imposes a significant impact on their purchasing decision. In the recent phenomenon, it has further been observed that this trend is likely to continue, majorly owing to the underlying fact that advances in technology continue to increase the impact of social media. This trend has permitted the consumers to