Corporate opinion leadership on professional social media

Abstract

PurposeThis study investigates online corporate opinion leadership on professional social media from two different perspectives: first, how corporate opinion leadership indicated by corporate followers is related to company revenue and second, what are the drivers and mediators of corporate opinion leadership?Design/methodology/approachThe authors randomly selected more than 300 companies with active profiles on LinkedIn from the S&P 500 list and then collected data on corporate followers as an indicator of corporate opinion leadership and revenue during a year. Moreover, the authors collected daily information on content generated by companies, users, and employees such as job posts, users' reactions to posts, and employee profiles during a 44-day period, which allowed the authors to apply panel estimation techniques to estimate the determinants of corporate opinion leadership.FindingsThe estimation results reveal that corporate opinion leadership and business revenue are positively and significantly correlated. Furthermore, after controlling for firm fixed effects and endogeneity, the authors show that corporate, user and employee-generated content (mediated by groups and skills) have a significant impact on corporate opinion leadership.Practical implicationsIndividual online opinion leaders are currently paying considerable attention to practitioners. However, professional networking platforms have also created an opportunity to establish corporate opinion leaders who may play an important role in business. The study provides useful and practical insights on the activities that companies can undertake to develop corporate opinion leadership.Originality/valueThis study seeks to expand previous research on opinion leadership with a focus on the corporate dimension, which is increasingly visible on professional networking platforms. Contrary to former research that collected data on perceived opinion leadership, the authors obtained data directly from LinkedIn. Moreover, the authors contribute to signaling and social identity theories by exploring how professional networking platforms constitute an environment for signaling and developing multiple professional identities.

Role and challenges of ChatGPT, Gemini, and similar generative artificial intelligence in human resource management

“…In our rapidly evolving technological landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) stands as a transformative force, reshaping multiple sectors, including human resource management (HRM) [6]. Within the realm of AI, generative AI tools like ChatGPT have emerged, revolutionizing how businesses handle HR tasks [8,9]. Generative AI refers to systems that produce human-like text responses based on the input they receive.…”

“…Generative AI refers to systems that produce human-like text responses based on the input they receive. This technology has deeply penetrated HRM, optimizing processes, enhancing communication, and increasing overall efficiency [5,8]. This section explores the pivotal role of ChatGPT and similar generative AI technologies in HRM, dissecting their influence on recruitment, employee engagement, training, and HR analytics.…”

“…ChatGPT performs sentiment analysis on employee feedback, social media mentions, and other textual data sources. However, it is crucial to acknowledge the ethical considerations tied to generative AI in HRM [8].…”

“…The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, specifically generative AI models such as ChatGPT, has brought about significant transformations across various industries, including human resource management (HRM) [13,16]. Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is an advanced language model crafted to generate human-like text based on input [8,10]. Despite the promising solutions they offer in HRM, these technologies pose several challenges that organizations must navigate [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25].…”

“…Within HRM, the integration of generative AI, exemplified by systems like ChatGPT, marks a new era [7]. These advanced systems, rooted in deep learning algorithms, can generate human-like text, engage in natural language conversations, and simulate human thought processes [8]. The role of ChatGPT and analogous generative AI in HRM is diverse, spanning from automating mundane tasks to enhancing candidate and employee experiences [9,10].…”