Social Network Sites: a communication and trust generator low cost tool for exporting companies
(A2020-64049)

AUTHORS

Josep Rialp, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Alex Rialp, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; María del Carmen Alarcón-del-Amo, Universidad de Murcia

KEYWORDS

Social network; Communication; Exporting firm

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of this research is to analyse how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) capabilities of exporting firms influence in firms’ usage of Social Network Sites (SNS) what facilitates to build relations with foreign customers reducing the marketing cost for this type of firms. The empirical results verify that ICT capabilities of exporting firms indeed influence in firms’ usage of SNS. Furthermore, it proves that the usage of SNS by exporting companies facilitates communication what, jointly with the usage of SNS itself, allow these companies to build relations with foreign customers reducing the marketing costs for this type of firms. Likewise, as the mediating effect of communication is proved, this study allows us to remark the important role that communication has for exporting firms in terms of building relationship with foreign customers