Date of Defense
24-11-2025 9:00 AM
Location
D3-1049, Crescent Building
Document Type
Dissertation Defense
Degree Name
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
College
CBE
Department
Marketing and Entrepreneurship
First Advisor
Dr. Browny Wood
Keywords
Small Business Firms, Business-ICT Integration, Social Media Adoption, Integrated Marketing Communications, Technology-Organization-Environment Model, Top Management Decision, Dubai
Abstract
The utilization of social media by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their business growth and sales promotion has garnered significant attention in both academic and industrial arenas. Thus, several academic inquiries have attempted to identify the most effective ways to equip and incorporate social media technology, as well as applications into small business operations. This study is primarily concerned with the integration of social media technologies to facilitate seamless digital transformation across small business functions and operations. Conversely, research on social media in the UAE has emphasized the advantages for end users, while neglecting to consider the factors that influence organizational adoption and utilization of such technology. To address this research gap, this study investigates the factors that drive small businesses in the UAE to adopt social media technology, taking Dubai as a case study. In the context of Dubai's business networks, this study examines the potential impact of technology-organizational-environmental (TOE) factors on small companies' adoption of social media technology, using the TOE framework proposed by DePietro et al. (1990) and Nunnally and Bernstein (1994). The required data were collected through an online survey completed by 380 participants (e.g., owners, senior managers, and executives) from small businesses in Dubai. By utilizing IBM AMOS 28, the data collected and processed quantitatively by using SPSS. It identified the factors that influence small business use of social media within Dubai and highlighted how advanced ICT infrastructure in the UAE is key to e-business activity and cost-effective operations.
ANTECEDENTS AND EFFECTS OF USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY SMALL BUSINESS FIRMS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: INSIGHTS FROM DUBAI
D3-1049, Crescent Building
The utilization of social media by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their business growth and sales promotion has garnered significant attention in both academic and industrial arenas. Thus, several academic inquiries have attempted to identify the most effective ways to equip and incorporate social media technology, as well as applications into small business operations. This study is primarily concerned with the integration of social media technologies to facilitate seamless digital transformation across small business functions and operations. Conversely, research on social media in the UAE has emphasized the advantages for end users, while neglecting to consider the factors that influence organizational adoption and utilization of such technology. To address this research gap, this study investigates the factors that drive small businesses in the UAE to adopt social media technology, taking Dubai as a case study. In the context of Dubai's business networks, this study examines the potential impact of technology-organizational-environmental (TOE) factors on small companies' adoption of social media technology, using the TOE framework proposed by DePietro et al. (1990) and Nunnally and Bernstein (1994). The required data were collected through an online survey completed by 380 participants (e.g., owners, senior managers, and executives) from small businesses in Dubai. By utilizing IBM AMOS 28, the data collected and processed quantitatively by using SPSS. It identified the factors that influence small business use of social media within Dubai and highlighted how advanced ICT infrastructure in the UAE is key to e-business activity and cost-effective operations.