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Contextual factors influencing the adoption of social media marketing by SMEs in the tourism industry of Saudi Arabia
Problem statement: Social media has proved itself a valuable tool for personal connections and as a vital resource for small and medium enterprises. Small and medium enterprises increasingly recognise the importance of social media as a powerful marketing tool. Despite the surge in social media adop...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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Department of Information Systems
2026
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| Summary: | Problem statement: Social media has proved itself a valuable tool for personal connections and as a vital resource for small and medium enterprises. Small and medium enterprises increasingly recognise the importance of social media as a powerful marketing tool. Despite the surge in social media adoption and significant investments in the Saudi Arabian tourism sector, small and medium enterprises in Saudi Arabia lack the knowledge and skills on how best to use social media marketing. While studies on social media in the tourism sector are expanding in scope and depth, the exploration of social media marketing adoption by small and medium enterprises is still in its infancy. There is a gap in comprehension regarding how contextual factors influence and shape social media marketing adoption by small and medium enterprises in Saudi Arabia. It is vital to understand the influence that contextual factors have on social media marketing adoption by SMEs. Purpose of the study: The primary objective of this study was to identify and categorise the contextual factors that influence the adoption of social media marketing by small and medium enterprises within the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia. The study not only demonstrated but also analysed the influence of contextual factors on social media marketing by small and medium enterprises. The study offers insights into how small and medium enterprises in the Saudi Arabian tourism industry are currently adopting social media for marketing, and the way they are identifying their specific marketing objectives on these platforms. Research methodology: This research followed a subjectivist approach and employed an exploratory methodology within an interpretivist paradigm to interpret and understand the nuances of the contextual factors and the way they influence the adoption of social media marketing by small and medium enterprises within the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia. The conceptual model has been developed with guidance from institutional theory and sensitising concepts from the reviewed literature. This framework formed the conceptual foundation of the study, which was qualitative in nature and employed semi-structured interviews with owners of small and medium enterprises in the Saudi Arabian tourism sector. This researcher used semi-structured interviews, observations, and document reviews to collect information. The participants from small and medium enterprises in Saudi Arabia were chosen using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The data collected was analysed using the thematic analysis method. Key findings: The study revealed that small and medium enterprises within the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia primarily employ social media platforms for communication, market research, interaction, and for creating marketing content to achieve their social media objectives. It was found that the social media marketing objectives of participating small and medium enterprises included building brand awareness, enabling advertising and promotions, competitor monitoring, engaging with targeted audiences, establishing legitimacy, and driving website traffic. The findings however showed that there were contextual factors influencing social media marketing adoption by small and medium enterprises within the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia. The findings revealed various contextual factors, namely coercive pressure, mimetic pressure, normative pressure, resource-facilitating conditions, technology-facilitating conditions, and the global pandemic, which influenced the adoption of social media marketing by owners of small and medium enterprises. Contribution: The current study offers significant contributions to knowledge, theory, and practice. First, it puts forward theoretical propositions detailing how contextual factors influence the adoption of social media marketing by Saudi Arabian small and medium tourism enterprises. The findings offer valuable insights that can be applied to similar contexts in other developing countries. The integration of the study and institutional theory alongside sensitising concepts from the reviewed literature is a noteworthy theoretical advancement, providing a unique perspective on the contextual factors for social media marketing from an information systems research standpoint. Additionally, the research provides practical guidelines for small and medium enterprises in the tourism industry to use social media platforms effectively. These practical insights can be particularly useful for small and medium enterprises aiming to build a good social media presence. The study found how social media contributes to marketing and the way it bolsters efforts to promote ongoing, strategic marketing among Saudi small and medium enterprises. This aligns with the greater goal of enhancing social media use effectively and strategically for marketing, in accordance with Saudi Vision 2030. |
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