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Controlled by algorithms - A study about the external bureaucratization of employer branding efforts caused by social media

Draguanova Mihaylova, Melliz LU and Lövrup, Kerstin LU (2019) BUSN49 20191
Department of Business Administration
Abstract (Swedish)
Employer branding, social media, public sector, algorithms bureaucracy, technology, control
The purpose of this study is to deepen the understanding on employer branding via social media in the public sector. The aim is to investigate how employees within a municipality make sense and meaning of employer branding via social media and how this creates and potentially consumes positive aspects e.g. effectivity and transparency for the organisation. To be able to reach the purpose of this paper a qualitative case study was conducted at a municipality in Sweden with the aid of semi-structured interviews and observations. The study had an interpretative, critical and abductive approach. We found that algorithms implied three different meanings... (More)
Employer branding, social media, public sector, algorithms bureaucracy, technology, control
The purpose of this study is to deepen the understanding on employer branding via social media in the public sector. The aim is to investigate how employees within a municipality make sense and meaning of employer branding via social media and how this creates and potentially consumes positive aspects e.g. effectivity and transparency for the organisation. To be able to reach the purpose of this paper a qualitative case study was conducted at a municipality in Sweden with the aid of semi-structured interviews and observations. The study had an interpretative, critical and abductive approach. We found that algorithms implied three different meanings to the employees in the municipality. The first category we found was that the algorithms implied control, the second implication we found was the increase of interaction and speed, and the third finding, lastly, was the anxious feelings around social media. By this, we uncovered several different meanings that all tied back to one certain meaning: the control by the algorithms and the rules around them. In our research we found one common thread of the meaning which was the underlying control by algorithms when working with employer branding specifically through social media. Thus, what we found was social media to become an external bureaucratization of employer branding efforts, which could be understood as causing both positive and negative effects in the organisation. (Less)
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author
Draguanova Mihaylova, Melliz LU and Lövrup, Kerstin LU
supervisor
organization
course
BUSN49 20191
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Employer branding, social media, public sector, algorithms, bureaucracy, technology, control
language
English
id
8987052
date added to LUP
2019-07-04 16:29:21
date last changed
2019-07-04 16:29:21
@misc{8987052,
  abstract     = {{Employer branding, social media, public sector, algorithms bureaucracy, technology, control
The purpose of this study is to deepen the understanding on employer branding via social media in the public sector. The aim is to investigate how employees within a municipality make sense and meaning of employer branding via social media and how this creates and potentially consumes positive aspects e.g. effectivity and transparency for the organisation. To be able to reach the purpose of this paper a qualitative case study was conducted at a municipality in Sweden with the aid of semi-structured interviews and observations. The study had an interpretative, critical and abductive approach. We found that algorithms implied three different meanings to the employees in the municipality. The first category we found was that the algorithms implied control, the second implication we found was the increase of interaction and speed, and the third finding, lastly, was the anxious feelings around social media. By this, we uncovered several different meanings that all tied back to one certain meaning: the control by the algorithms and the rules around them. In our research we found one common thread of the meaning which was the underlying control by algorithms when working with employer branding specifically through social media. Thus, what we found was social media to become an external bureaucratization of employer branding efforts, which could be understood as causing both positive and negative effects in the organisation.}},
  author       = {{Draguanova Mihaylova, Melliz and Lövrup, Kerstin}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Controlled by algorithms - A study about the external bureaucratization of employer branding efforts caused by social media}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}