Digital Communication Recovery Strategy for Business Continuity amid Covid-19: Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises in Gauteng
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-659X/10239Keywords:
Digital channels, Virtual communication platform, small business enterprises, information and communication technology, business continuity, Covid-19Abstract
This study examined the adoption of digital channels to support business continuity following the outbreak of Covid-19. The population of the study comprised small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as tourism service providers in the City of Tshwane, Gauteng, South Africa. The study employed a quantitative approach and collected data using a self-administered questionnaire. The sample frame was 100 tourism SMEs registered with the Gauteng Tourism Authority, and the sample consisted of 65 business owners selected using purposive sampling. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results show that SMEs have adopted a variety of digital channels such as Skype, MS Teams, Zoom, emails, and so forth. Most of the respondents have shown skills in using digital channels such as Skype, MS Teams, Zoom, emails, and more. The most common applications, such as Skype, MS Teams, Zoom, and emails were used very effectively. The pandemic has substantially increased the diffusion and adoption of collaboration platforms to maintain business productivity and creativity. By linking the workforce beyond the limitations of location or workstation, digital channels allow workers to build communities of interest and collaborate while supporting business continuity. This study targeted only tourism SME service providers in the City of Tshwane. It would have been ideal to include SMEs in other provinces as well, but this would have required more time and resources, which the researcher simply did not have. Therefore, future studies should include SMEs from other provinces to understand how they are using digital channels to support business continuity following the outbreak of Covid-19.
References
Adjin-Tettey, T. D., and B. T. Mbatha. 2019. “Digital Natives’ Appropriation of New Media Technologies: A Survey of Literature.” Covenant Journal of Communication 6 (2): 47–71.
Amankwah, A. S., and B. T. Mbatha. 2019. “Unlocking the Potential of New Media Technologies for Political Communication about Elections in Ghana.” South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research 12 (2): 23–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2019.1639782.
Anweh, G. I., and M. M. Hile. 2020. “Websites and other Social Media Platforms as Digital Tools for Information Management of Universities in Benue State, Nigeria.” Ebonyi State University Journal of Mass Communication 7 (1): 110–119.
Bartik, A. W., M. Bertrand, Z. Cullen, E. L. Glaeser, M. Luca, and C. Stanton. 2020. “The Impact of Covid-19 on Small Business Outcomes and Expectations.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117 (30): 17656–17666. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006991117.
Bagozzi, R. P., F. D. Davis, and P. R. Warshaw. 1992. “Development and Test of a Theory of Technological Learning and Usage.” Human Relations 45 (7): 659–686. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679204500702.
Bharath, M., and V. Sreedevi. 2020. “Zoom in on the Levels of Employee Engagement, Perception, Satisfaction, Employee Roles Influenced: Health Care Sample Study.” XIMB Journal of Management 18 (1): 62–75.
Blair, M. K. 2017. “Using Digital and Social Media Platforms for Social Marketing.” Social Marketing and Public Health: Theory and Practice 12 (2): 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780198717690.003.0012.
Cardon, P. 2019. “Communication on Internal Digital Platforms.” In Exploring Internal Communication, edited by K. Ruck. London UK: Routledge, 187–195. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429244698-16.
Cardon, P. W., Y. Huang, and G. Power. 2019. “Leadership Communication on Internal Digital Platforms, Emotional Capital, and Corporate Performance: The Case for Leader-Centric Listening.” International Journal of Business Communication 23 (1): 32–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488419828808.
Charlebois-Laprade, N., E. Zabourdaev, D. Brunet, B. Wilson, M. Farran, K. Ng, and S. Cathcart. 2017. “Skype for Business Online.” In Expert Office 365: Notes from the Field, edited by C. A. Berkeley. Apress, 33–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-2991-0_2.
Courtney, J. 2015. “Using Skype in Business: Use Cases.” In Experience Skype to the Max, edited by C. A. Berkeley. Apress, 55–61.
Davis, F. D. 1989. “Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology.” MIS Quarterly 13 (3): 319–340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008.
De Guzman, M. J., R. J. M. Ventayen, S. Doria, C. K. Pastor, and C. E. David. 2021. “Usability Evaluation of Microsoft Teams as an E-learning Platform of Junior Business Administrators.” Accessed October 19, 2021. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3829085. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3829085.
Duch-Brown, N., and B. Martens. 2015. Barriers to Cross-border Ecommerce in the EU Digital Single Market (No. 2015/07). Institute for Prospective Technological Studies Digital Economy Working Paper.
Duch-Brown, N., and F. Rossetti. 2020. “Digital Platforms across the European Regional Energy Markets.” Energy Policy 144: 111612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111612.
Faci, N., Z. Maamar, V. Burégio, E. Ugljanin, and D. Benslimane. 2017. “Web 2.0 Applications in the Workplace: How to Ensure their Proper Use?” Computers in Industry 88 (2): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2017.03.003.
Flew, T., and D. Wilding. 2021. “The Turn to Regulation in Digital Communication: The ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry and Australian Media Policy.” Media, Culture and Society 43 (1): 48–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720926044.
Gunelius, S. 2018. “Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for Business.” Entrepreneur Press. Accessed October 19, 2019. https://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/ultimate-guide-to-email-marketing-for-business.
Karjaluoto, H., N. Mustonen, and P. Ulkuniemi. 2015. “The Role of Digital Channels in Industrial Marketing Communications.” Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing 6 (30): 703–710. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-04-2013-0092.
Kocielnik, R., D. Avrahami, J. Marlow, D. Lu, and G. Hsieh. 2018. Designing For Workplace Reflection: A Chat and Voice-based Conversational Agent. Proceedings of the 2018 Designing Interactive Systems Conference, 881–894. https://doi.org/10.1145/3196709.3196784.
Marks, A., L. Skountridaki, and O. Mallett. 2020. “Don’t Say goodbye to Zoom yet: Most People Want to Get back to the Office, but not for the full Week.” The Conversation 12 (2): 33–45.
Martin, L., and D. Tapp. 2019. “Teaching with Teams: An Introduction to Teaching an Undergraduate Law Module Using Microsoft Teams.” Innovative Practice in Higher Education 3 (3): 58–66.
Mbatha, B. T. 2015. “Diffusion and Adoption of ICTs in South African Telecentres: The Case of Selected Telecentres in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.” South African Journal of Information Studies 33 (1): 103–120. https://doi.org/10.25159/0027-2639/845.
Meijer, A., and W. Boon. 2021. “Digital Platforms for the Co-creation of Public Value.” Policy and Politics 49 (2): 231–248. https://doi.org/10.1332/030557321X16115951032181.
Plantin, J. C., and G. de Seta. 2019. “WeChat as Infrastructure: The Techno-nationalist Shaping of Chinese Digital Platforms.” Chinese Journal of Communication 12 (3): 257–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2019.1572633.
Rao, B., B. Angelov, and O. Nov. 2006. “Fusion of Disruptive Technologies: Lessons from the Skype Case.” European Management Journal 24 (2–3): 174–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2006.03.007.
Singh, R., and S. Awasthi. 2020. “Updated Comparative Analysis on Video Conferencing Platforms: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, WebEx Teams and GoToMeetings.” EasyChair: The World for Scientists, 1–9.
Sumecki, D., M. Chipulu, and U. Ojiako. 2011. “Email Overload: Exploring the Moderating Role of the Perception of Email as a ‘Business Critical’ Tool.” International Journal of Information Management 31 (5): 407–414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2010.12.008.
Taiminen, H. M., and H. Karjaluoto. 2015. “The Usage of Digital Marketing Channels in SMEs.” Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development 22 (4): 633–651.
Tassabehji, R., and M. Vakola. 2005. “Business Email: The Killer Impact.” Communications of the ACM 48 (11): 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1145/1096000.1096006.
Ugljanin, E., N. Faci, V. Buregio, and Z. Maamar. 2016. “How to Restrict Web 2.0 Applications Use in the Workplace? Example of Google+ Hangouts.” In 2016 IEEE 20th International Enterprise Distributed Object Computing Workshop (EDOCW), 1–4. IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/EDOCW.2016.7584361.
Uzun, C., F. E. Uzun, and T. Medeni. 2013. “Social Knowledge Co-construction Conceptual Framework and Google Applications.” International Journal of eBusiness and eGovernment Studies 5 (2): 68–77.
Venkatesh, V. 2000. “Determinants of Perceived Ease of Use: Integrating Control, Intrinsic Motivation, and Emotion into the Technology Acceptance Model.” Information Systems Research 11 (4): 342–365. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.11.4.342.11872.
Amankwah, A. S., and B. T. Mbatha. 2019. “Unlocking the Potential of New Media Technologies for Political Communication about Elections in Ghana.” South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research 12 (2): 23–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2019.1639782.
Anweh, G. I., and M. M. Hile. 2020. “Websites and other Social Media Platforms as Digital Tools for Information Management of Universities in Benue State, Nigeria.” Ebonyi State University Journal of Mass Communication 7 (1): 110–119.
Bartik, A. W., M. Bertrand, Z. Cullen, E. L. Glaeser, M. Luca, and C. Stanton. 2020. “The Impact of Covid-19 on Small Business Outcomes and Expectations.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117 (30): 17656–17666. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006991117.
Bagozzi, R. P., F. D. Davis, and P. R. Warshaw. 1992. “Development and Test of a Theory of Technological Learning and Usage.” Human Relations 45 (7): 659–686. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679204500702.
Bharath, M., and V. Sreedevi. 2020. “Zoom in on the Levels of Employee Engagement, Perception, Satisfaction, Employee Roles Influenced: Health Care Sample Study.” XIMB Journal of Management 18 (1): 62–75.
Blair, M. K. 2017. “Using Digital and Social Media Platforms for Social Marketing.” Social Marketing and Public Health: Theory and Practice 12 (2): 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780198717690.003.0012.
Cardon, P. 2019. “Communication on Internal Digital Platforms.” In Exploring Internal Communication, edited by K. Ruck. London UK: Routledge, 187–195. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429244698-16.
Cardon, P. W., Y. Huang, and G. Power. 2019. “Leadership Communication on Internal Digital Platforms, Emotional Capital, and Corporate Performance: The Case for Leader-Centric Listening.” International Journal of Business Communication 23 (1): 32–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488419828808.
Charlebois-Laprade, N., E. Zabourdaev, D. Brunet, B. Wilson, M. Farran, K. Ng, and S. Cathcart. 2017. “Skype for Business Online.” In Expert Office 365: Notes from the Field, edited by C. A. Berkeley. Apress, 33–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-2991-0_2.
Courtney, J. 2015. “Using Skype in Business: Use Cases.” In Experience Skype to the Max, edited by C. A. Berkeley. Apress, 55–61.
Davis, F. D. 1989. “Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology.” MIS Quarterly 13 (3): 319–340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008.
De Guzman, M. J., R. J. M. Ventayen, S. Doria, C. K. Pastor, and C. E. David. 2021. “Usability Evaluation of Microsoft Teams as an E-learning Platform of Junior Business Administrators.” Accessed October 19, 2021. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3829085. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3829085.
Duch-Brown, N., and B. Martens. 2015. Barriers to Cross-border Ecommerce in the EU Digital Single Market (No. 2015/07). Institute for Prospective Technological Studies Digital Economy Working Paper.
Duch-Brown, N., and F. Rossetti. 2020. “Digital Platforms across the European Regional Energy Markets.” Energy Policy 144: 111612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111612.
Faci, N., Z. Maamar, V. Burégio, E. Ugljanin, and D. Benslimane. 2017. “Web 2.0 Applications in the Workplace: How to Ensure their Proper Use?” Computers in Industry 88 (2): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2017.03.003.
Flew, T., and D. Wilding. 2021. “The Turn to Regulation in Digital Communication: The ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry and Australian Media Policy.” Media, Culture and Society 43 (1): 48–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720926044.
Gunelius, S. 2018. “Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for Business.” Entrepreneur Press. Accessed October 19, 2019. https://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/ultimate-guide-to-email-marketing-for-business.
Karjaluoto, H., N. Mustonen, and P. Ulkuniemi. 2015. “The Role of Digital Channels in Industrial Marketing Communications.” Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing 6 (30): 703–710. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-04-2013-0092.
Kocielnik, R., D. Avrahami, J. Marlow, D. Lu, and G. Hsieh. 2018. Designing For Workplace Reflection: A Chat and Voice-based Conversational Agent. Proceedings of the 2018 Designing Interactive Systems Conference, 881–894. https://doi.org/10.1145/3196709.3196784.
Marks, A., L. Skountridaki, and O. Mallett. 2020. “Don’t Say goodbye to Zoom yet: Most People Want to Get back to the Office, but not for the full Week.” The Conversation 12 (2): 33–45.
Martin, L., and D. Tapp. 2019. “Teaching with Teams: An Introduction to Teaching an Undergraduate Law Module Using Microsoft Teams.” Innovative Practice in Higher Education 3 (3): 58–66.
Mbatha, B. T. 2015. “Diffusion and Adoption of ICTs in South African Telecentres: The Case of Selected Telecentres in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.” South African Journal of Information Studies 33 (1): 103–120. https://doi.org/10.25159/0027-2639/845.
Meijer, A., and W. Boon. 2021. “Digital Platforms for the Co-creation of Public Value.” Policy and Politics 49 (2): 231–248. https://doi.org/10.1332/030557321X16115951032181.
Plantin, J. C., and G. de Seta. 2019. “WeChat as Infrastructure: The Techno-nationalist Shaping of Chinese Digital Platforms.” Chinese Journal of Communication 12 (3): 257–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2019.1572633.
Rao, B., B. Angelov, and O. Nov. 2006. “Fusion of Disruptive Technologies: Lessons from the Skype Case.” European Management Journal 24 (2–3): 174–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2006.03.007.
Singh, R., and S. Awasthi. 2020. “Updated Comparative Analysis on Video Conferencing Platforms: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, WebEx Teams and GoToMeetings.” EasyChair: The World for Scientists, 1–9.
Sumecki, D., M. Chipulu, and U. Ojiako. 2011. “Email Overload: Exploring the Moderating Role of the Perception of Email as a ‘Business Critical’ Tool.” International Journal of Information Management 31 (5): 407–414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2010.12.008.
Taiminen, H. M., and H. Karjaluoto. 2015. “The Usage of Digital Marketing Channels in SMEs.” Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development 22 (4): 633–651.
Tassabehji, R., and M. Vakola. 2005. “Business Email: The Killer Impact.” Communications of the ACM 48 (11): 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1145/1096000.1096006.
Ugljanin, E., N. Faci, V. Buregio, and Z. Maamar. 2016. “How to Restrict Web 2.0 Applications Use in the Workplace? Example of Google+ Hangouts.” In 2016 IEEE 20th International Enterprise Distributed Object Computing Workshop (EDOCW), 1–4. IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/EDOCW.2016.7584361.
Uzun, C., F. E. Uzun, and T. Medeni. 2013. “Social Knowledge Co-construction Conceptual Framework and Google Applications.” International Journal of eBusiness and eGovernment Studies 5 (2): 68–77.
Venkatesh, V. 2000. “Determinants of Perceived Ease of Use: Integrating Control, Intrinsic Motivation, and Emotion into the Technology Acceptance Model.” Information Systems Research 11 (4): 342–365. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.11.4.342.11872.
Downloads
Published
2023-10-23
How to Cite
Mbatha, Blessing. 2023. “Digital Communication Recovery Strategy for Business Continuity Amid Covid-19: Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises in Gauteng”. Mousaion: South African Journal of Information Studies 41 (2):15 pages . https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-659X/10239.
Issue
Section
Articles
