Introduction.- Germany and its automotive industry.- Germany’s Automotive Aftermarket.- Value of automotive repair in Germany.- Vehicle diagnosis and European regulations.- Offline- knowledge online: The automotive mechanic’s asset.- Social Media and knowledge.- Social Media for repair-knowledge management.- Social Media.- Web 2.0.-Defining User Generated Content.- Social Media in automotive repair.- Defining Virtual Community.- Knowledge Management.- Concept of knowledge and its sharing.- Social capital and community.- Technology acceptance research.- Knowledge sharing in the context of theory.- Main findings and implications of reviewed studies.- Implications from the literature Review.- Research paradigm: Epistemology, Ontology and Methodology.- The major philosophical research paradigms in social inquiry.- Data Collection and Sampling.- Social Media Acceptance.- Qualitative data analysis.- Quantitative research approach.- Conclusions.
This book explores, describes and explains the predictors essential for the acceptance of social media as a digital platform to share professional knowledge in the field of automotive repair in Germany. It reports a rigorous literature review covering key elements of social media, knowledge management and technology acceptance studies. The book assumes a pragmatist approach and applies mixed methods in an exploratory sequential design, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to ensure robust collection and analysis of the collected data. Based on a survey on German automotive repair shops, the author provides a framework, for various stakeholders, to comprehend the motivations for knowledge sharing for automotive repair professionals in Germany. This book not only adds to the existing academic body of knowledge but also provides implications for industry and legislation on a European scale.