THE IMPACT OF FACEBOOK AS A BUSINESS PLATFORM AMIDST COVID-19 PANDEMIC, High school final essays of Business

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Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION This chapter of the paper presents the problem and its setting. It includes the background of the study, the statement of the problem, significance of the study and scope and delimitation of the study. Background of the Study A business owner, also known as an entrepreneur, is someone who can start a new business, take on the level of risk of doing so, and then reap rewards, even if they are fruitful or futile. Nonetheless, in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic, small businesses have suffered enormous losses, and entrepreneurs across the Philippines are struggling to keep their businesses afloat. COVID19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. This pandemic halted many industries, and people were advised to stay at home to ensure everyone's safety. As people struggle to keep normalcy in their lives in the face of pandemic limitations, social media has evolved into a forum for the "new normal." Entrepreneurs have welcomed the modern phenomenon of internet shopping as well. This research intends to develop an understanding of how Facebook affects the business growth in the middle of pandemic as well as its effectiveness. The researchers ought to conduct the study in the Municipality of Balingasag through a stratified random sampling of the entrepreneurs that uses Facebook as a business platform. In this part, the researchers also hypothesized that Facebook as a business platform may not as effective

as other e-commerce platforms. Consumers’ usage of Facebook to identify product needs has increased since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results will be analyzed thoroughly to come up with an accurate conclusion. Statement of the Problem The primary goal of this research is to explore the impact of Facebook on business through selecting entrepreneurs from the Municipality of Balingasag. The sought to reply the undermentioned inquiries:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of: a. Age; b. Gender; c. Educational Attainment d. Current employment status
2. What are their knowledge about the Facebook? a. What is Facebook? b. What is the purpose of Facebook? c. What are the benefits of using Facebook as a business platform?
3. What would be the answer of each respondents towards the following questions;

a. Does Facebook make the business more productive than any other e-commerce platforms? b. Does Facebook has a lot of income despite of the pandemic? c. Are there still many customers while using Facebook as a business platform? Significance of the Study The primary objective of the study is to explore the impact of Facebook for the business in the middle of pandemic. Benefiting this study are the various sectors as follows:  For the student This study may serve as a guide and reference for students pursuing similar studies. This will also provide the students’ knowledge on running a business amidst pandemic.  For the school This school will be gaining insights as to what measures are appropriate to help the students in line of business. The school would be able to teach a strategy for business in the middle of pandemic.  For the Future Researchers This study will be beneficial for the future researchers as a guide to start a new study similar to the topic, expanding to a broader side.  For the world

This research will help persuade individuals to do business without having direct contact with consumers and the rise of e-commerce. A readily available information from small scale business up to the large-scale business that would benefit the world, as a whole. Learning new ways of survival by using the new age technology for advantage. Scope and Delimitation This study will be conducted using stratified random sampling among twenty (20) online business owners in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental from the month of March-April 2021. The researchers delimit the study in the online business owners which will focus on the information and opinion/s about their usage of Facebook as a business platform. The researchers did not include the data of their personal lives.

Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter of the paper presents the review of related literature, the conceptual framework, the research hypotheses and the definition of terms. Social Media (Facebook) as a Business Platform In today's technologically advanced world, social networking sites have evolved into a channel by which retailers can broaden their marketing campaigns to a broader range of consumers. With the increasing use of the internet and mobile applications, social media has become an official part of our professional and personal lives. According to Mangold and Faulds (2009), social media has greatly changed the way businesses interact with their customers and business owners must learn how to use social media in a way that is stable with their business plan. Social networking sites have created an opportunity for firms to extend their advertising campaigns to a larger range of target audiences. Chi (2011), defines social media advertising as a connection between brands and consumers, while offering a personal channel and currency for user centered networking and social interaction. According to Ramsaran-Fowdar, RR. and Fowdar, S. (2013), the increased availability of various communication channels, combined with the improved flow of information among customers, is introducing a plethora of new into the design and implementation of new marketing strategies. A growing number of businesses believe that having their brand or organization on Facebook will aid in the development or maintenance of their sole records. Allowing users to post product information in their

status updates may allow the company to be seen by thousands of potential customers via the Facebook news feed (Caers et.al., 2013). According to Statista (2020), Shopee was the most popular B2C e-commerce platform during this time period, with nearly 36 million monthly web visitors. In 2019, there were approximately 74 million Facebook users in the Philippines. By 2025, the number of Facebook users is expected to reach 88.1 million. The growing number of Facebook users would be of a great help in promoting and reaching every sides of the world but the rise of the other e-commerce websites may affect the growth of Facebook business. As e-Marketer survey (2021) stated, of 551 social media marketers from throughout the world, Facebook is the most successful social media advertising platform, with nearly 96 percent of the sample achieving the highest return on investment (ROI). According to Glg Insights (2020), Facebook's solidarity is that it's worldwide and broadened in its publicists. The business has the higher chance to be reached by many people across the world given a good promotion and service quality. COVID-19 Pandemic and Business The World Health Organization announced the COVID19 pandemic in March

2020. COVID19 had a significant impact on almost every aspect of economic and social life around the world. Governments have closed borders, prohibited mass meetings, and imposed social distancing, resulting in a new normal for businesses and individual citizens.

Global markets are severely disrupted as a result of the current COVID- pandemic. Businesses are being forced to seek out novel solutions to deal with the growing negative consequences of this unprecedented crisis (Pwc. com., 2020). The pandemic has brought fast-moving and unexpected variables, some of which existing crisis plans and teams weren’t prepared to handle. As business activities slow, some companies are seeing lower revenue resulting in less cash flow. During the economic uncertainty, managing cash and liquidity positions may be crucial in the weeks ahead. (Glg Insights, 2020). “If there’s one thing that the Enhanced Community Quarantine taught us, it’s that we can explore the possibilities in the digital space,” said Perlada (DTI 2020). As customers, employees, citizens, and humans, the global COVID-19 pandemic has forever altered our experiences, and our attitudes and behaviors are changing as a result. The crisis is fundamentally altering how and what consumers buy, as well as hastening massive structural changes in the consumer goods industry, for example. Once the virus's immediate threat has passed, businesses must consider the impact of these changes on how we design, communicate, build, and run the experiences that people require and want. With these emerging new behaviors, organizations have an opportunity to accelerate the transition to digital commerce by expanding existing offerings and developing new lines of service, such as retailers banding together to provide consumers with “contactless” delivery and curb-side pick-up services. This acceleration will force businesses to rethink their digital strategies in order to capitalize on new market opportunities and digital customer segments (Accenture, 2020). Theoretical Framework

The research intends to know the impact of Facebook as a business platform. This study is inspired from the Chaffey’s Theory – Social Media Marketing (2002) where defined as “monitoring and facilitating customer’s interaction, participation and sharing through digital media to encourage positive engagement with a company and its brands leading to commercial value.” The security of great business performance relies on how the company takes care of the consumer’s needs, delivers the service, and interacts with them. Thus, able to make a long-term relationship with the clients. Conceptual Framework Social media marketing has come convenient to most technology-driven entrepreneurs to adapt the new marketing method. The use of Facebook as a business platform has become convenient. According to Rehman et.al., (2014), Facebook fulfills the social needs of people and can be used for advertising to stay connected with customers. In this study, the researchers explore the impact of Facebook as a business platform. Figure 1. The representation of the conceptual framework for the research The Impact of Facebook as a Business Platform. Facebook Consumers Business

The presented conceptual framework model depicts the Facebook as the independent variable and the business as the dependent variable. Ranking and Likert scale are used to measure the agreement level of Facebook user entrepreneurs. Moderating variables are the consumers’ demographic profile or personal statistics that include information such as age, gender, educational, and occupational attainment. These moderating variables influence the independent and dependent variable. Research Hypotheses Knowles et.al., (2020) discovered that consumers' fear of having social interaction with other customers and general merchandise sales people is developing. As a result, it seems sensible that consumers will depend more on social media to find product needs and information, as well as to assess products and make purchases. Hence, the researchers postulated the following hypotheses: Null Hypothesis Facebook as a business platform is not as effective as other e-commerce platforms. Alternative Hypothesis Consumers’ usage of Facebook to identify product needs has increased since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operational Definition of Terms To further more understand about the contents of this research paper, here are some key words to help you out: Consumers. a person that purchases goods for consumption. COVID-19. a disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus. Economy. the structure of economic life in a country. Entrepreneur. an individual who creates new business. E-Commerce. any business on the Internet. Facebook. an online social networking website. Marketing. the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market. Pandemic. occurring over a wide geographic area. Social Media Marketing. the use of social media to connect with the market. Unprecedented. never done or known before.

Chapter 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter includes the research design, the sample, the instruments, the intervention (if research is experimental), the data collection procedure, and the plan for data analysis. Research Method Used This study utilized the quantitative approach using descriptive data in gathering information necessary on what impacts that Facebook does as a business platform amidst pandemic. According to Bryman, A. (2012), quantitative research is a research strategy that focuses on quantifying the collection and analysis of data. Krathwohl, D. (2009), defined descriptive research as purposive process of gathering, analyzing, classifying, and tabulating data about prevailing condition, practices, beliefs, process, trends, and cause-effect relationship and then, making adequate and accurate interpretation about such data with or without the aid of statistical method. The researchers used survey questionnaire to selected individuals and the method of being agree or disagree to sort out, assess and site out relevant information needed for this research.

Setting of the Study The research will be conducted in the Municipality of Balingasag. Balingasag is a 2 nd^ class municipality in the province of Misamis Oriental, Philippines. The researchers chose the setting because they believe that the respondents from this municipality has enough qualification of the population that suits what the researchers need for the study. Also, for the safety and accessibility purpose of the researchers. Respondents of the Study This research utilizes the twenty (20) selected online sellers in Balingasag. There were twenty (20) survey questionnaires that were handed to the two gender types, the male and female. Seven (7) male respondents and thirteen (13) female respondents answered the survey questionnaire. All the detailed data and information from the survey questionnaires were collectively gathered from the seller-respondents. Research Instrument The instruments used in this study are researcher-made questionnaires. The questionnaires were designed in a way that it shall meet the main objective of the study which is to determine the impact of Facebook as a business platform amidst pandemic to the online sellers that needed to be tallied and assessed accordingly. Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers made a survey questionnaire which tackles about the following questions about Facebook as a business platform amidst pandemic then after the researchers made the questionnaires, which was validated from the research adviser. The researchers asked and get a consent form to conduct a field survey. The researchers approached selected entrepreneurs to answer the survey and explained all the papers including the consent form, the questions that are being asked and most especially the topic of the research. After explaining all the terms, the respondents were given enough time to answer the questionnaire and once it was done, the participant passed the answered questionnaire to the researcher. After filling all the conducted questionnaires, the results were tallied, analyzed and finalized. Plan for Data Analysis The data gathered from the survey questionnaires were assessed and reduce the data into a format that can easily be analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data in terms of frequency, percentage, ranking and average mean for the agreement level by using 5-point Likert scale. According to Mann, P.S., (1995), the descriptive statistic is a summary statistic that quantitatively describes or summarizes features from a collection of information. Percentage and frequency were used for the demographic profile of the respondents. It was calculated by taking the frequency in the category divided by the total number of participants and multiplying by 100%. The ranking were the top answers out of 20 chosen based from their answers similarity and picked those that were distinct to each other but still relates into the question. To determine the agreement level, Likert scale range from 1 (SA-strongly agree) to 5 (SD-

strongly disagree). The frequency was used to multiply the Likert scale range. The result was added and divided from the number of points in the scale to get the mean. The researchers then got the verbal interpretation through Likert scale range with an interval of 0.80. Chapter 4 DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION This chapter is concerned with data presentation, of the findings obtained through the study. The findings are presented in tabular form. Demographic Profile of the Respondents This study entitled the impact of Facebook as platform for business amidst covid- 19 pandemic thus respondents’ level of education, occupational attainment, age range and gender are considered very important demographic characteristics in our findings. Table 1. Distribution of the Respondents by Age Age Frequency Percentage 13-15 0 0% 16-20 8 40% 20-25 7 35% 26-30 5 25% Total 20 100% Table 1 above shows the distribution of the respondents by age. Out of the 20 respondents, 8 (40%) belongs to the age range of 16-20; 7 (35%) of respondents belongs to 20-25; 5 (25%) belongs to 26-30 and 0 or none of the respondents belongs to 13-

age range. This analysis suggests that most of respondents who belong to range 16- uses Facebook as their online business platform and none of the respondents who belong to the age range between 13-15. According to Duggan et.al (2015), the majority of young adults (18-29 years old) report using Facebook (87%), yet this age group experienced a 5% drop-in usage rates from 2013 to 2015, however, there was no significant change in Facebook usage rates among internet adults’ user. Table 2. Distribution of the Respondents by Gender Gender Frequency Percentage Male 7 35% Female 13 65% Total 20 100% The table 2 above shows the distribution of the respondents by gender. Out of 20 respondents, 13 (65%) were females; 7 (35%) were males and 0 or none of the respondents who are choosing others as the part of choices. This analysis implies that most of females are comfortable of using Facebook as their online business platform compared to males. According to a survey conducted on 2019, among respondents that uses Facebook, shows that 50% of the users were females and 41% were male (Statista, 2020).

Table 3. Educational attainment/background Educational attainment Frequency Percentage Elementary 0 0% Secondary 5 25% College 15 75% Others 0 0% Total 20 100% Table 3 present education level of the respondents who responded to our questionnaire. Out of 20 respondents, 15 or 75% acquired college level, 5 or 25% acquired secondary level, none of the respondents belong to elementary level only. This analysis suggests that most of the respondents have college degree, there are few respondents only completed the secondary level; while none of the respondents belong to elementary. According to a survey conducted in the Philippines on 2019, 78% of college graduates had a Facebook account (Statista, 2020).

Table 4. Occupational Attainment Occupational Attainment Frequency Percentage Regular 2 10% Contractual 0 0% Part-timer 6 30% Currently Studying 10 50% Others 2 10% Total 20 100% Table 4 shows that out of 20 responded, 10 (50%) of the respondents are currently studying, 6 (30%) of belongs to part-timer, 2 (10%) regular, and 2 (10%) chooses other. This analysis suggests that most of the respondents who responded to the questionnaires are in the state of currently studying, there are few part-timer respondents, 2 respondents that are regular in their jobs, there are 2 respondents who chooses others due to their position as a business owner. In a study conducted in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), the finding of the study showed that 97.10% of students use Facebook (Adhelai, Y.M., 2010).

Table 5. Nakaila ba ka sa Faceboook? (Do you know Facebook ?) STATEMENT MALE FEMALE Yes. 5 8 Yes, I use it. 2 3 Yes, it’s a social media platform use for social interaction.

Yes, to promote my business. 0 1 The table 7 above shows that online business owners know Facebook very well considering different reasons on how they know it. A number of 5 males and 8 females directly said “Yes.” 2 males and 3 females said they are also using it. One female answered she knows Facebook as a social media platform for social interaction and one female answered yes to promote the business. As of January 2020, there were almost 74 million Facebook users in the Philippines which accounted for 65.4% of entire population (Statista, 2020). That shows Facebook is the most popular online social community in the Philippines.

Table 6. Unsa ang kahinungdanan sa Facebook? (What is the importance of Facebook?) STATEMENT RANKING Diin kini makapag-communicate ug makapag-entertain sa ubang klasi-klasing baligya. (Where it can communicate and entertain other kinds of merchandise.) 1st It gives information on the things we don’t know. 2nd Ang kahinungdanan sa Facebook is para makakita paka’g more customer ug para maka post sa lain-laing mga baligya sa Facebook. (The purpose of Facebook is to find more customers and post different products on Facebook.) 3rd The table above shows the ranking of the respondents’ answer regarding the question, “What is the importance of Facebook?” The first statement describes the importance of Facebook as a platform for communication and entertainment. The second statement describes the Facebook as a platform to gather information. The third statement describes the Facebook as tool to find more customers and a usage for products advertisement. Facebook (2016), stated that their mission is “to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.”

Table 7. Unsa nga mga benepisyo ang makuha sa pamaagi sa paggamit sa Facebook as business platform****? (What are the benefits we can get through the usage of Facebook as a business platform?) STATEMENT RANKING Ang benepisyo sa Facebook para sa mga negosyo kay gakatabang kini para pag advertise sa imong baligya. (The benefits of Facebook for the business is very helpful to advertise your products.) 1 st Kini pamaagi nga makakuha ka ug daghang customer og makahatag pud kini sa kalambuan sa imong negosyo. ( This is a how you get more customers and it also contributes to the growth of your business.) 2 nd Efficient and convenient. 3 rd The table above shows the ranking of the respondents’ answer regarding the question, “What are the benefits we can get through the usage of Facebook as a business platform”. The first statement states the benefits of Facebook for the business for advertising the product. The second statement states that it’s a key to get more customers and for the growth of the business. According to Fan & Tsai (2014), the benefit of online marketing is the ability to reach wider audiences and advertise anytime and anywhere. The third statement states that Facebook is effective and convenient to use_._ A study from Ainin et.al., (2015), found out that using Facebook for business result in building and interaction with more consumers effectively and efficiently.

Table 8. Agreement Level of the Respondents by 5-point Likert Scale QUESTION SD (5)

D

(4)

N

(3)

A

(2)

SA

(1)

MEAN INTERPRET

ATION

Mas productive ba kung sa online magbaligya? (Is online selling more productive?)

0 2 2.05 Agree Mas tsada ba gamiton ang Facebook sa pagpromote sa mga produkto kaysa sa uban online platforms? (Is it better to use Facebook to promote products than other online platforms?) 0 0 15 8 1.35 Agree Nakatabang ba ang social media platform nga Facebook sa pag- negosyo? (Is the social media platform like Facebook helpful for business?)

8 8 2 Agree Dako ba ang income sa pagnegosyo through Facebook despite pandemic? (Is the income through Facebook high despite the pandemic?)

0 4 2.25 Agree Mag-malambuon ba ang imong negosyo pinaagi sa paggamit sa Facebook? (Will the business thrive by using Facebook?)

4 7 2.05 Agree Daghan ba gihapun customers sa negosyo pinaagi sa paggamit sa Facebook? (Are there still many customers in the business by using

2 7 2.1 Agree

Facebook?) Komportable ka ba sa paggamit sa Facebook as business platform? (Are you comfortable in using Facebook as a business platform?)

8 7 1.8 Strongly Agree The table 8 above presents the questions regarding the impact of Facebook as a business platform amidst COVID-19 Pandemic, average mean of the results and its verbal interpretation using the 5-point Likert Scale. The Likert scale range from 1 (SA- strongly agree) to 5 (SD-strongly disagree). Legend: INTERVAL VERBAL INTERPRETATION 1.0 - 1.80 Strongly Agree 1.81 - 2.61 Agree 2.62 - 3.42 Neutral 3.43 - 4.23 Disagree 4.24 - 5.04 Strongly Disagree The majority agreed with an average mean of 2.05 that online selling is more productive. With an average mean of 1.35, the respondents also agreed that Facebook is a better platform for online selling than other online platforms. In an average mean of 2, the respondents think Facebook is helpful for the business. Meanwhile, with an average mean of 2.25, the respondents think they have a lot more income through Facebook despite of the pandemic. With the average mean of 2.05 thinks business will thrive

through Facebook. With the average mean of 2.1, respondents agreed that there are still many customers in the business by using Facebook. With an average mean of 1.8, it is strongly agreed that they feel comfortable using Facebook as a business platform. According to our findings, majority of our respondents knows how to use Facebook as an online platform. It shows that the importance of Facebook as online platform is to communicate and entertain other kinds of merchandise, it also gives information, find more customers directly and will able to post the different products to sell (Table 6). The respondents stated that the benefits of Facebook as an online platform, it helps online sellers to advertise their products conveniently, it will get more customers, it’s also contributes to the growth of the Business. Using Facebook as an online platform is more efficient and convenient (Table 7). In majority, the findings show favorable result “Agree” in every question aside from one, “Strongly Agree” relating as they find Facebook comfortable to use as their business platform.

Chapter 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This chapter presents the conclusions and recommendations of the study. Conclusions The purpose of the study was to explore the impact of Facebook on business through selecting entrepreneurs from the Municipality of Balingasag. The study was set in a pandemic situation which able the researchers to explore on how the business strive through pandemic. The study showed that Facebook has helped most participants to market in the middle of pandemic by being a business platform. It can garner a lot of customers scrolling through the internet as media has been an escape getaway during the pandemic. The participants also discussed their familiarity and the importance of Facebook to their lives. To ensure their safety from going out to buy their desired goods, they resorted in online shopping. According to Morgan-Thomas and Veloutsou (2013), having an established brand on the Internet is valuable. It may help simplify a consumer’s decision- making process by providing familiarity and lowering perceived risk. Simmons et.al. (2011), found that the core of successful Internet branding was the understanding of target customers, which allows companies to create personalized

marketing communications and content to better address customer needs and increase engagements with the brand. The word-of-mouth marketing wherein the customers are also advertising the product through telling their experiences and its effectiveness help entrepreneurs a lot. As Chaffey’s Theory – Social Media Marketing (2002), where it was stated that the business relies on how they take care of the customers and how they interact with them. The results of this study confirmed the impact of Facebook as business platform which are; (a). increased the product sales, (b). it is better to use Facebook to promote products than other online platforms, (c). Facebook is helpful for the business, (d). there are still a lot of customers by the use of Facebook, (d). the business thrives by using Facebook, and (e). the entrepreneurs had developed creative marketing strategy to render customers. Jones et.al. (2015), has stated that online communication is an essential tool to help business leaders succeed with online sales. RECOMMENDATIONS The researchers hypothesized that;

1. Facebook as a business platform may not as effective as other e-commerce platforms. The growing number of online business platforms competes with the Facebook. However, the number of users that can access the Facebook is a big advantage. Statista (2021), stated market leader Facebook was the first network to surpass 1 billion registered accounts and currently sits more than 2.6 billion