Question

Discuss how information released to the public can affect a company’s actions. For example, an employee’s comment to a group of friends is released on social media and results in the termination of the individual’s employment.

• should be 2-3 paragraphs in length.
• Include one peer reviewed journal article to support your post. You can search for a journal article from Welder Library EResources. (Ex: Risk of social media or social media polices, etc.).

Answer 1

Information released to the public can affect a company's actions as the social media spreads the information faster to a large number of people including stakeholders and customers. This can have a negative impact on the business reputation of the company. The information shared can be false and negative and the company can find it difficult to control the spread of incorrect or false rumours in a short time. Organisations require to have a social media policy so that it can effectively respond to such issues and control any harm to the business.

It is important that companies identify the risks associated from social media and develop a strategy to control any communication which can adversely impact the business of the company. The company needs to train its team by identifying any potential issues that may arise and the steps required to deal with such issues. The company needs to have an active communication and social media team to observe customer and public responses related to its business on social media and regularly interact with the audience to build a positive relationship and image for the business.

An effective policy of social media can help to clarify any doubts or share information about the company culture and practices, its products and policies. It can be used to build consumer engagement and understand customer feedback and preferences. The social media policy needs have an approach starting from the top management to specify the importance as well as the employees responsible to manage the communication and social media platforms. If the employees are clear about the company policies and the consequences of their action, they can avoid any serious consequences from the company for any inappropriate comments of sharing of information about the company. Creating a positive relationship with customers and using social media to communicate with the customers and public can reduce the chances for any rumours, complaints or controversies and explain any corrective actions initiated.

One peer reviewed article to support the post is " Users of the world,unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media " by Andreas M. Kaplan and Michael Hanlein.