draft english research chapter 1-3
TRANSCRIPT
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CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
One company in the United States adopted a policy embracing the use of
Facebook inside the work place. The chief executive officer urged his 800 employees to
sign up for Facebook and use it to network with one another and spend time every
Friday getting to know fellow workers. He believes that social networking sites (SNS)
like Facebook can help them know other people, understand their business and
products well and help them better serve their customers. But in the Philippines, where
the Social Networking Capital of the World lies and people are usually unproductive, the
use of SNS in the workplace makes them unfocused on their work because their
attention is diverted with the availability of social media at their fingertips. In the
Philippines, one governor of South Cotobato has banned the use of Social Networking
Sites in his capitol in order to ensure that government employees will work well. A
proper evaluation of this new trend in the workplace is a necessity to educate Filipino
employees, whether in the private or public sector, on the consequences of using
technological innovations such as SNS in the workplace.
As defined by PC Magazine, Social Networking Sites (SNS), is a web site that
provides a virtual community for people to share their daily activities with family and
friends, or to share their interest in a particular topic, or to increase their circle of
acquaintances. There are dating sites, friendship sites, and sites with a business
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purpose and hybrids that offer a combination of these. Facebook is the leading personal
site, and LinkedIn is the leading business site. Globally, hundreds of millions of people
have joined one or more social sites. These online networks allow individuals to meet
strangers and build new relationship and provide a means to maintain relationships by
serving as venues for users to keep contact with friends and relatives.
The Internet, being one of the most exceptional innovations in the 20th and 21st
centuries, has great significance in the different aspects of human life. Most
organizations in the Philippines have embraced the benefits of utilizing the Internet in
their day-to-day work, making it an essential tool in conducting business. It is utilized
according to the unique needs of an individual, a community, an industry or a company.
According to the Ateneo Center for Organization Research and Development (2008),
instead of doing work-related matters during working hours, Filipinos engage in
downloading music or video, playing Internet games, checking personal emails,
blogging and accessing Social Networking Sites. This has led to an average one hour
time lost by the company.
A total ban of social networking tools during work hours may be a good idea on
the part of the organization management to prevent further loss in the productivity of
employees, as well as to conserve the resources of the company. But it should also be
considered that this social media serves temporary relief from pressures of work that
will enable them to work fluidly with a clear and refreshed heads. Thus, the purpose of
this study is to provide proper assessment of this current situation to give knowledge to
both employees and employers on the advantages and disadvantages of social
networking in the work place.
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Assumptions
This study which aims to provide information on the advantages and
disadvantages of having access to social networking sites in the workplace and
measures that employers may impose to ensure employee-productivity, enumerates the
following suppositions:
That access to internet during working hours, especially without polices,
leads to downtime at work;
That data or identity theft happens which poses great threat on the
organization or office;
That the attitudes of a group of respondents are stable, and;
That the subjects of the study are all employees of a particular department in
an organization.
Statement of the Problem and Objectives
In order to identify the effect of using Social Networking Sites of employees in
workplace and at the same time to assess the current office policy that would create
safety nets and limitations in utilizing these sites for purpose of work or not.
General Problem: How does the use of Social Networking Sites at the government
offices affects the role of the employees and how it was regulated by the office rules?
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The said problem would address the following objectives of the study:
To find the reason why employees use Social Networking sites at workplace
during work hours.
To know the effects of using Social Networking Sites to employees behavior and
productivity.
To know the regulatory and safety measures of the office in allowing employees
to use Social Networking Sites with companys internet and computer.
To know the advantages and disadvantages of using Social Networking Sites in
the office to employee himself and to the office/company as a whole.
To distinguish the difference of employees productivity before and after the
existence of Social Networking Sites.
To know if the usage of Social Networking Sites at workplace is inherent and
related to their job specifications.
Significance of the Study
As we all know, government offices or agencies funds came from public funds of
our government which was gathered from the taxes paid by Filipino citizens, If every
government employee will reduce their productivity just because of using Social
Networking Sites without direct relation to their job, it can still be considered as
corruption or wasting of public funds.
We live in a world where technology has changed the way people communicate,
the way they are informed and how they do business. We live in a world where people
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would rather communicate by sending a text message from their mobile phone, post
comments on their favorite online network or send a short Tweet to inform all their
friends that they have just got out of bed or they are out to dinner. The growth of social
networking sites, e.g. Facebook, Tweeter, My Space, etc., has been phenomenal.
While having access to social networking sites in the work place may give the
organization an opportunity to widen their circle of contacts, it may in one hand, cause
non-productive work day if the employee spends the whole day improving his/her
profile.
The findings of this study may be a valuable resource for the organization
management and administrators, which may lead to government agencies adopting
policies that will utilize the use of social networking sites during work hours. This study
will provide information on how employees utilize their Social Networking Sites; how
they present themselves online; what their reasons and motivations are for accessing
Social Networking Sites at the workplace; and how all of these affect interaction in the
company.
This study offers more positive look on the use of social networking sites and to
change the negative view of people that SNS during work hours is a liability for the
organization. This study also focuses on the effects in the interpersonal relationship and
work performance of employees and aims to provide measures and policies to shift the
negative consequences into positive ones. This might be a benchmark study for
organizations to further improve their policies and regulations or; for the legislative or
administrative agencies in the Philippines, to regulate.
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Scope and Delimitation
The scope of this study will cover the employees of different offices in
Metro Manila particularly Manila City Hall and/or Department of Tourism and other
related government agencies who are familiar in using social Networking sites at
workplace.
This paper will be limited only to offices that has internet access and to
employees who are working to that particular office for at least one year.
In line with these standards, the research will focus more on the concrete
relation of using Social Networking sites at workplace to the current regulatory
measures of each offices in allowing employees to use internet access.
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Review of Related Literature
According to Villafania, 2011, in an effort to increase productivity among staff of
his office, South Cotabato Governor Arthur Pingoy, Jr. has officially banned the use of
any social networking services during work hours among employees at the provincial
capitol office. The ban will cover social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter,
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as well as online video services such as YouTube. Pingoy is also banning playing online
games. Apart from increasing efficiency among government employees, Pingoy
explained that the capital offices network server is also affected by the number of
employees using social networking sites, watching online videos or playing games.
The impact of the internet in today's generation as a whole is really hard to be
identify specifically but there is no doubt that the world-spanning communication system
has already had its impact. There were studies done in knowing how the internet affects
human habits as today, technology cannot be left behind by the people in their daily
living. Our generation has now greatly relied on electronics and technology certainly in
socializing using internet services. In the recent survey, computer use for activities such
as social networking had raised nearly threefold since 2000, to more than 1 hour and 22
minutes a day on average. Social networking is debatable as one of the most influential
and vital aspects of today's society. It was reported that Social networking one of the
most active web-based activities in the Philippines with Filipinos being declared as the
most active users on a number of web-based social network sites such as Facebook,
Twitter, Friendster, Multiply, etc. It is estimated that from 2 million subscribers during
2000 it had an increase up to 29.7 million. Though some says that networking could be
bad for some it is good and beneficial for others specially those having business for
convenience. However, although it is for convenience it also creates a threat to a
company especially when it comes to misuse or mismanagement thereof.
This chapter of the study presents and evaluates previous rules governing the
use of such social networking in the workplace leading to mismanagement and misuse
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of it. Furthermore it discusses on how could social networking affects the productivity of
an employee and with that to extend a set of rules to limit the use of it.
A. Misuse of Internet and Company Limiting Actions
According to Young & Case, 2004, It is said that inappropriate and abusive
usage among company employees led to productivity losses, negative publicity and
legal damages. Each year, companies spend millions of dollars to cover "additional
network upgrades, lost productivity and slow network response" as a result of
employees' widespread Internet abuse.
In Whitty's (2004) survey of 524 Australian employees provided insight on what is
considered appropriate and inappropriate non work related Internet use in the work
setting. Respondents expressed that an access to their personal e-mails at work is one
that should not be limited.
B. Social Networking Sites
In Park, Jin, B. & Jin, S.A., 2009, the utilization of Social Networking Sites
became the mainstream that researchers began to see to it as a fertile of study. College
students are seen to be the most prominent users of SNS and much has been studied
about their social networking experiences online, starting with their motivations and
sought gratifications from accessing such sites.
More and more businesses use social media as one of the key metrics for
expanding their presence in the market. In the Asia Pacific region, social networking
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sites have become an increasingly distinct contributor to boost sales and marketing
efforts.
Although the use is on the rise, many organizations lack acknowledgement of
what potential risks and threats that social media can bring, let alone have
comprehensive governance policies to regulate their employees. As a result, the cost of
security breaches posed by using social networking platforms might be far greater than
their benefits.
According to Nielsen, 74 percent of the worlds Internet population visits a social
networking/blogging site and across Asia Pacific, the most common access location for
engaging with social media is in the workplace.
Social media usage in the workplace has grown enormously with about a half of
workers surveyed claimed to have a social media presence and 18.5 percent to be
personally knowledgeable about or responsible for planning, evaluation or selection of
social media within their organizations, Gartner reports.
Social media are gaining in business popularity. We have seen companies
increasingly leverage virtual networking sites as marketing tools to keep current in their
fields or to stay on top of the game. However, many overlook the security risks present
in such networking sites, said Myla Pilao, Director for Core Technology, TrendLabs.
With more than 500 million of active users, Facebook is regarded as the most
popular social networking site. However, it also presents cybercriminals a new infection
vector to spread malware or instigate attacks. For example, spammers have taken to
Facebook to spread malicious links that often lead to the download of malware which
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puts users in the unenviable position of enticing others to fall for the same ruse. Trend
Micro has included Facebook in its top 10 most dangerous list in light of frequently
reported attacks associated with Facebook.
Like search engines, Twitter has also become a common source of poisoned
links. Cybercriminals have made it a habit to keep tabs on so-called trending topics to
target those on the lookout for information. Twitter users who click bad links are then led
to malware-hosting pages.
The pitfalls of carelessly accesing social networking range from simple
redirections to complicated system infections. In addition to viruses/malware,
likejacking attacks, rogue applications and Twitter spam, businesses could also be at
risk if their employees post wrong or improper messages or information revealing office
location, in-office politics, confidential projects, strategies, or the office climate and other
things, said Myla.
As published from Manila Bulletin dated July 26, 2011, to block threats derived
from employee use of social networking sites, there are a few principles that businesses
should adopt. First, create social media guidelines for employees behavior and advise
employees to be mindful of what they publish online; second, deploy and update
multilayered protection regularly; third, monitor all social media assets and log all
communications; fourth, have a communication and action plan in place in the event of
the intentional or unintentional disclosure of confidential company information and last
but not least, organize user security awareness campaigns to help employees
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understand and appreciate the value of the company's information assets and the
consequences of these assets being compromised.
C. Social Networking Use in the Workplace
It said that Social Networking site can have positive aspects as to help to socially
connect distant employees especially today when more people get to work remotely.
Also it is argued that "within many companies, staying in contact and maintaining
relationships within an organization are crucial activities for a successful career, and a
social networking site can become an integral way in which to do this" (DiMicco &
Millen, 2007, p.4).
Conceptual Framework
The concepts stated below are contextualized to fit the purpose of this study to
assess the effect of Social networking sites to employees at workplace and how it is
being regulated by the office.
Office employees are the main factor of growing number of users which belong to
the professional/working class who are using Social Networking sites. Similarities
among employees will help them find new circle friends or clich where they can talk or
share their interests.
Indeed, office works are exhausting and to find something new enjoyable like
Social Networking Sites can relieve their stress and help them to work again well. When
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a certain employee found a source of gaining interpersonal skills, the tendency is to
have good working relationships.
Unfortunately, using of Social Networking Sites will not be considered as totally
useful. Threats in the internet to the security of companys confidential profile, loosing of
focus during working hours or affecting the productivity of the department of a certain
office are some of the detriments of using Social Networking Sites in the workplace.
In line with this, it is important to know that the management of the office has the
sole responsibility in regulating and balancing the effects of using Social networking
Sites in the workplace.
Regulation of the
management to
balance the effects of
Social Networking
Sites to become morefavorable to the
employees and
company.
EFFECTS:
Good for
relieveing stressand working
relations and bad
for Income,
sec urity and
productivity.
Social
Networking Sites
used by
employees at
workplace
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Hypothesis:
Social Networking Sites had become part of a routine of several Filipinos and
was much given more time than a productive work. This had done a great impact in the
business world especially to the people working that they use the internet services in
their workplace inappropriately that leads to abuse. It affects the productivity of an
individual in workplace. There should be office rules extending the limitations of use of
such internet services, more importantly, when the public interest was rest upon on their
jobs as government employees.
Definition of Terms
Internet - An international computer network providing e-mail and information from
computers in educational institutions, government agencies, and industry, accessible to
the general public via modem links.
Social Networking- is the practice of expanding the number of one's business and/or
social contacts by making connections through individuals.
Social Networking Sites - used to describe community-based Web sites, online
discussions forums, chatrooms and other social spaces online or used to describe any
Web site that enables users to create public profiles within that Web site and form
relationships with other users of the same Web site who access their profile.
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Technology- the use of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems, especially in
industry and commerce.
Workplace- A place, such as an office or factory, where people are employed.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the research design, sources of data, data-gathering
instruments data-gathering procedures, and data analysis procedures. Specifically, it
discusses how the current research was done, what variables and concepts were
considered together with their corresponding measures and indicators, as well as the
strategies employed for data construction and analysis.
Research Design
The present study sought to provide understanding on the proliferation of using
Social Networking Sites at workplace and its possible impact, be it positive or negative,
on ones professional relationships, performing and overall work experience. Although
SNS has become a popular subject of research in recent years, few have focused on
the fact that its utilization is becoming common practice in the workplace. Specifically,
no full-blown study has been done, yet in the Philippines to comprehend this trend and
its implications. With all these in mind, the researchers have decided to adopt an
exploratory approach, using both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
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For the qualitative part of this study, a series of focus interviews (FIs) were
conducted among office employees and HR/Management personnel belonging to both
public and private organizations. The FIs were done in order to provide a picture of the
current state of SNS use among Filipino employees, understand the context and
motivations behind their SNS use and delve into their personal experiences of using
SNS at work. On the part of the HR/Management personnel, the FIs gauged how
Philippine-based companies regard the use of SNS in their offices. The insights of these
managers helped the researchers in situating the use of SNS in the Philippine
Corporate setting and finding out whether it is seen as a counterproductive activity or a
potential new media source. The results of the focus interviews also served as the
foundation for the quantitative aspect of this study.
A quantitative method, in the form of a self-administered survey, will be employed
in order to determine the extent to which SNS is used in the workplace, to find out
employees reasons for using SNS, an to provide generalizations on their perceptio ns of
this phenomenon. A total of at least 100 survey responses should be acquired. Because
the study involved working people who have accounts in Social Networking Sites, it was
assumed that they regularly go online and hence, may be more easily reached through
an Internet-based survey. This specific type of survey was also chosen so that
respondents may answer the questionnaire according to their available time.
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Sources of Data
1. Focus Interview
For this particular research, small number of employees and one
HR/Management personnel from both public and private sectors who have
accounts in Social Networking Sites served as the units of analysis. Because this
study asks how the use of SNS at work affects interpersonal relationships and
work performance, it is imperative that individual perspective on this emerging
trend be delved into.
The qualitative part of data-gathering employed criterion sampling for both
the employees and the HR personnel. In this kind of sampling strategy, the
nature of the sampling unit is well-defined by the researcher before data-
collection or data-generation.
For the employees and HR personnel to become eligible respondents,
they must meet the following criteria: they have Social Networking Site accounts;
they have access to such sites during work hours at the workplace; they are
either employed by private companies or by the government.
2. Direct Survey
The quantitative part of data-gathering made use of the questionnaires. The
Researchers posted and shared the link of their online survey form to contacts
who met the criteria of being able to access Social Networking Sites at the
workplace. The researchers then asked their own SNS contacts to share their
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link with their own networks and to provide referrals for possible respondents.
There were at least total of 100 respondents.
Data Gathering Instruments
Two kinds of research instruments were used in this study: an interview schedule
and an direct survey questionnaire. The interview schedule enabled the proponents of
this study to gain insights on the said trend and behaviour and subsequently served as
the basis for the construction of the survey questionnaire. On the other hand, the survey
questionnaire supplied generalizations on this trend.
1. Interview Schedule
Two versions of the interview schedule were produced: one for the office
employees and another for HR/Management personnel. The reason for this is the
need to juxtapose competing views on SNS use at the workplace, whether it is
seen as a wasteful activity leading to unproductive hours or a healthy diversion
from stress.
a. Employees Interview Schedule
In the first part of the employees interview schedule, informants were
asked to give a brief personal and professional background, as well as a
description of the Internet connection set-up in their respective offices. This
introductory portion of the interview aimed to elicit responses that would help
establish the employees social and professional environments, identify their
lifestyle patterns which may be contributors to their usage of SNS in the
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workplace and provide insights on how the nature of their jobs create or hinder
opportunities for them to explore Social Networking Sites at work.
The succeeding series of question on the employees actual experiences
on accessing SNS during their work hours constituted the longest section of the
interview/ starting from the frequency of logging onto Social Networking Sites and
the kinds of activities they do there, the questions progressed to uncover their
personal observations on how SNS use has affected their work life. Specifically,
probing was done in order to uncover the perceived effects of SNS use on the
following main concepts: perception of work colleagues, face-to-face interaction
with work colleagues, personal relationships and work productivity.
Lastly, employees were asked to describe their organizations existing
Internet use policies. This was done to provide richer context of their SNS use at
work, as well as to compare and contrast their opinions on personal Internet use
with the existing policies of the companies or organizations they work for.
b. HR/ Management Personnel or Head of Managements Interview
Schedule
The HR and Management personnel were also asked the same set of
questions on their personal and professional background, their working
environment and their personal use of Social Networking Sites. A supplementary
section on Internet use policies and how they are implemented was also included
as well as how they have responded to the rise of SNS use in the workplace. The
questions in this instrument were drafted in order to reveal how managers
reconcile issues of productivity and employee satisfaction.
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2. Survey Questionnaire
The survey questionnaire was constructed to describe the current trend in
the use of SNS at work. The researchers decided on using direct survey to
accommodate more respondents, since the study specifically asks for the
insights of working people with SNS accounts.
Concepts and Indicators
The following concepts were used in the qualitative part of this study:
a. Gratifications Sought and Gratifications Obtained
The indicators used for Gratifications Sought were the findings of Solis
(2005) when she studied the reasons why employees use the Internet at work.
Linking it to the framework, the indicators were classified to be either Ritualistic
or Instrumental. Pushing for professional advancement, gaining
network/contacts, and building/maintaining personal relations were under the
category of Instrumental Gratifications Sought. On the other hand, Ritualistic
Gratifications Sought by employees were seeking diversion, passing time and
entertaining oneself. These were also the indicators for the concept Gratifications
Obtained after the office employees utilized Social Networking Sites.
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b. Work Behavior
The effect of Social Networking Sites on Work Behavior was measured in
terms of whether it positively or negatively affected the completion of tasks by the
employees. Assessment of this was looked at both from their own perspective
and that of the HR personnel informants.
c. Wok Relationships
The indicators used for the concept Work Relationships were the effects of
using Social Networking Sites on the information they have gained about their
work colleagues; their face-to-face communication; and their general personal
relationship with each other. Focus was also given to employees interaction and
relational development.
Variables and Measures
The variables used for the quantitative part of the study were Gratifications
Sought, Gratifications Obtained, Work Behavior, Work Relationships, Communication
behaviour, Selective Self Presentation and Relational Development, Productivity during
work hours, and Management policies. The measures for these variables were divided
into the last three main parts of the online survey instrument.
1. Utilization of Social Networking Sites
Respondents were asked to answer questions regarding their interaction with
their work peers in Social Networking Sites; what kind of information, status messages
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or updates, photos and blogs they post in their individual accounts; and how often they
access their Social Networking Sites while at the workplace. These were the measures
for the variable Communicative Behavior.
The different information that the respondents posted on their respective
accounts served as the measures for Selective Self-Presentation.
2. Use of Social Networking Sites during Work Hours
Respondents were asked to give their reasons for using Social Networking Sites
at the workplace. They were given various statements patterned after the findings of
informant interviews which they rated in a 5-point scale of strong agree, agree, neither
agree nor disagree, disagree, and strongly disagree. These were the measures for
Gratification Sought.
3. Effects of Using Social Networking Sites during Work Hours.
Respondents were made to rate the effects of using Social Networking Sites at
the workplace in a 5-point scale of strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree,
disagree and strongly disagree. Statements were also patterned after the findings of the
informant interviews. These were the measures for the variables Gratifications South,
Work behaviour and Work relationships.
In the case of Relational Development, three statements from this section were
specifically look at by the researchers. The statements were as follows: I have come to
learn new things about my work colleagues by browsing through their profile pages and
posts; I became more comfortable with my work colleagues during face-to-face
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communication; my relationships with my work colleagues became more personal.
These three statements were related to the premise of Social Information Processing
Theory that good impressions formed about each other through SNS, as in the case of
this study, would lead to relational development.
Data Gathering/ Procedure
For the data gathering/generation phase of this study, the researchers
conducted a series of focus interviews. These FIs were done in private and quiet
venues such as coffee shops and offices. The answers of the interviewees were
documented through the use of digital audio recorders. Due to the exploratory
nature of this research, both government and private employees were targeted
as informants.
The second part of the data gathering procedure commenced after all the
focus interviews have been transcribed and read by the researchers. A
preliminary analysis of the themes which emerged from the FIs served as the
basis for the construction of the online survey. To ensure that the survey answers
would be coming only from eligible respondents, several filter questions were
asked. The survey-hosting website has a feature that automatically filters
completed surveys from partially-answered, terminated or abandoned surveys.
Although, all responses were saved, only those which were complete and had
valid answers were compiled for analysis.
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Data Analysis Procedure
A two-phase analysis was done for the present study. The qualitative analysis
began after all focus interviews have been transcribed. Following the study framework,
the interview answers for every question were grouped together. Major concepts used
to categorize the FI results were Gratifications Sought, Gratification Obtained,
Perceived Effects on Work Behavior and Perceived Effects on Work Relationships.
The results of the direct survey were organized, analyzed and interpreted by the
researcher. For the Likert Scale used to measure the variable Gratifications Sought for
Using Social Networking Sites and Effects obtained from it, each degree was given the
following value in SPSS: 1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neither Agree Nor
Disagree, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly Agree. For the negative statements, the values were
reversed such as 1 was assigned to Strongly Agree.
Descriptive statistics was run for all variables. Mean, Median, mode and
percentages were obtained to help in the analysis, interpretation and presentation of
data.