This study aims to explain the factors affecting the profitability among Turkish industrial firms. The determination of the factors which may influance profitability enables firms to work more effectively and to control their profits much easily. For this reason, the top 500 and the second batch of 500 largest firms, determined each year by Istanbul Chamber of Industry, have been taken as the data set. Panel data pertaining, to the top 1000 firms have been analyzed. It has been found that there is an inverse relationship between profitability rate and level of debt. The relationship between profitability and size has also been found as inverse. On the other hand, a positive relationship has been found between workforce efficiency and the level of exports of a firm.The findings also suggest that foreign partnership firms are more profitable than domestic businesses and private firms are more profitable mthan state owned firms enterprises.

Keywords:Profitability, Panel Models