The Role of Instagram in the Internationalization of Finnish SMEs in the Food and Beverage Industry
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Journal Title
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Volume Title
School of Business |
Master's thesis
Authors
Date
2019
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Management and International Business (MIB)
Language
en
Pages
82+11
Series
Abstract
Research Objectives: The objective of the study is to understand the role of Instagram in the internationalization of Finnish SMEs in the food and beverage industry. In order to address the research questions, the study investigates whether the use of Instagram facilitates the internationalization of Finnish SMEs. In addition, the study discusses how is Instagram used to benefit the internationalization. Methodology: The study is a qualitative multiple case study research. The research method was selected after carefully considering the objectives of the research. The empirical data was collected from Instagram posts and short interviews with representatives from all eight case companies. Additional information was collected online. Moreover, the analysis methods were selected with careful consideration in order to make the best use of the data. Findings: The results of the empirical findings show that Instagram can be used as a tool for internationalization purposes to help achieve more international growth. Instagram can be used for better communication with local markets, marketing, increasing brand knowledge, enhancing customer and partner engagement, etc. Using Instagram with specific tactics has the possibility to generate a greater audience response and benefits the internationalization of the companies. These tactics include, for example, building a unique Instagram personality on Instagram profile, trying to use English as a common business language and adding Nordic features into the posts. Additionally, using some other tactics can positively impact on the brand awareness and the customer engagement, potentially influencing the internationalization of the companies.Description
Thesis advisor
Lu, WeiKeywords
Finnish SMEs in food and beverage industry, internationalization, Instagram, SMEs