Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a model by Davis (1989) which was developed after improving his ideas previously-used in his doctoral dissertation that states the acceptance of the new technology of end-users can be formed by the aid of (1) Perceived usefulness and (2) Perceived ease of use. Technology Acceptance Model guided the ideas which defending that success of the information systems – technologically – can be achieved not only by technical and administrative features of the users but also by their personal characteristics, expectations and perceptions; user’s perception on various issues can affect this success as well.

This study examines the user factor in order to determine the success of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, within the framework of TAM. 236 firms which use ERP softwares participated in the survey study. Results prove that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have a positive and statistically significant effect on ERP implementation success as well as on perceived organizational performance. These results reveal that all hypotheses have been supported and the study is coherent the findings of similar studies within the literature.

Keywords:Technology Acceptance Model, Perceived Usefullnes, Perceived Ease of Use, Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation Success, Perceived Organizational Performance

Several negative emotions as stress, tiredness and dissatisfaction within intense work environment in the organizational context can give employees to develop a burnout response. We focused the personality as have an impact in predicting the emerging burnout response in employees, and we explored the roles of the personality in the burnout processes. The data, gathered from 313 primary school teachers, were analyzed with using structural equation modeling. Results showed that personality dimensions as extrovert, emotional stability and conscientiousness predicted the emotional exhaustion; extrovert, agreeableness and conscientiousness predicted the depersonalization; and just conscientiousness predicted the reduced personal accomplishment as dimensions of burnout response. All the results suggested that personality characteristics had important effects in predicting burnout response dimensions and the implications were discussed in the light of the findings of the studies in related literature.

Keywords:Burnout, Personality, Teacher, Organizational behavior, Structural equation modeling

Shaping and changing the attitude of academic staff in private higher education institutions is critical in enhancing their commitment for the overall improvement of organizational performance. This will enable private universities to compete with other institutions as well as to produce high quality and competitive graduates. The first objective of this research is to examine the relationship between psychological empowerment and organizational commitment. The second objective is to explore the influence of the four cognitions of psychological empowerment: meaning cognition, competence cognition, self-determination cognition and impact cognition on organizational commitment. The study employed a stratified proportionate sampling design. A total of 247 academicians from four private universities participated in the survey. The result indicated that the overall psychological empowerment is significantly related to organizational commitment. Further analysis also revealed that of the four cognitions of psychological empowerment, only impact cognition significantly contributes to organization commitment. Managers who empower their employees by giving them opportunities to make decisions about their work methods, pace and efforts will subsequently increase their subordinates’ commitment.

Keywords:Organizational Commitment, Psychological Empowerment, Economic Transformation Programme, High-Income Nation and Malaysian Private Universities

Banking sector has a great importance in a national economy. Banks provide the vital function of mobilizing savings from those who have it and allocating such savings to those who wish to borrow to invest in economic development. When these two cardinal functions are not effectively provided by a country’s banking institutions, then its economic performance is seriously hampered. Main duty of banks is to accept deposits and channel those deposits into lending activities, either directly or through capital markets. In this study it is tried to determine if there is any correlation between the level of lending and the level of profitability. In addition to that, optimal level of lending is tried to be determined. Total lendings / total assets which is the best indicator of asset quality is accepted as independent variable and net income / total asset (return on assets), net income / equity (Return on equity) are accepted as dependent variable. Between those variables regression and correlation analyse are done .

Keywords:Bankings, Lending, Profitability ratios, Financial performance

Just like all developing countries, export is the locomotive of economic growth for Turkey. To maintain the high economic growth rate, increasing the export is of great importance. Turkey’s export target is 500 billion dollars for 2023. To achieve this goal, it needs foreign firms, which produce within the country and sell goods abroad. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of inflows to Turkey foreign direct investment on the country’s export performance. In this study, the relationship between exports and foreign direct investment in Turkey has been studied by a bounds testing approach with using the monthly data for the period 2000-2010. According to empirical findings of the study, the series was found to be co-integrated. In the long term analysis, the effect of foreign direct investment on the export is positive and statistically significant. In the short term analysis, foreign direct investment affected the export after a period. The model’s error correction term has been worked.

Keywords:Foreign Direct Investments, Export Performance, Bounds Testing.

The traditional Capital Asset Pricing Model stating that the risk premium of a financial asset is positively related to its market risk, was found to be insufficient in explaining the expected returns of stocks. Fama and French (1993) introduced the “Three-Factor Asset Pricing Model” via inserting the size and book-to-market factors to the standard Capital Asset Pricing Model. In this study, the validity of the Three-Factor Model in Istanbul Stock Exchange within 1999-2011 period is investigated. The model is tested on ISE-100 Index non-financial companies monthly data by utilizing panel data analysis. The findings reveal that Three-Factor Model gives statistically significant results in Istanbul Stock Exchange. In the forecast of the cost of capital, Three-Factor Model can be used instead of one-factor Capital Asset Pricing Model by the investors in Turkey. Our findings are consistent with most of the studies that suggested the validity of the Three-Factor Model in developed and emerging markets.

Keywords:Three-Factor Model, Fama and French, Asset Pricing, Panel Data Analysis, ISE

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In the 21st century, housing has various functions such as investment, sign of status in social structure, auxiliary asset to financial assurance apart from meeting people’s need of shelter. Criteria which determine individuals’ choice of housing differ in parallel with the functions of housing. In this study, effects of spatial and cultural changes on housing perception witnessed in urban structure together with the process of globalization are mentioned; concept and functions of housing are evaluated. In this sense, it is aimed to determine the elements which influence housing choices of individuals in Bursa. Perspective of individuals living in Bursa towards the concept of housing and criteria they have considered or will consider in selecting residences are studied with face-to-face survey method. Determination of criteria about housing to be purchased by individuals helps city managers and planers in taking and implementing decision in the process of forming urban areas physically in parallel with the requirements of individuals, but in a way that supports city plans.

Keywords:Globalization processes, meaning of housing, housing preferences, Bursa

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Functional food term defines the foods that provide further benefits to human physiology and metabolic functions in addition to their nutritional function. Consequently, they have health promoting and disease preventing effects. The objective of this study is to have an insight into the Turkish consumers’ perceptions by revealing their awareness, acceptance and attitudes toward functional foods. The data is collected through a survey from the academic staff working in the universities of Izmir city. The findings show that the most widely used functional foods are, respectively, mineral water, diet cereal biscuit and cereal flake. The health related reasons that make consumers use functional foods are, respectively, functional foods increase healty gut bacteria, functional foods help to lose weight and functional foods help child development. There is a difference between consumers who have heard about “functional food term” before and who have not heard it before, in terms of the “reward” dimension of Functional Food Related Attitudes scale. Contributions to the literature and practice are discussed. Besides, the limitations and the suggestions for future research are presented.

Keywords:Functional Foods, Food Marketing, Healty Food, Nutrition, Novel Food

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Because of the heavy competition between businesses and uncertainty in market conditions, attainment of complete and certain information flow becomes harder. Especially, in evaluations with linguistic varibles, because of the uncertainty in speaking language, there exists some fuzinesses. In fuzzy environments like this, decision making with fuzzy numbers is rather important. The aim of this study is, to put forward drawbacks of extended analysis technique, which is developed for solving multi criteria decision making problems with Fuzzy
Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and evaluation of the applicability of FAHP for supplier selection. In fuzzy environments, operations with imprecise data are so important in terms of decision making. FAHP is a decision making tool that supports evaluation of quantitative and qualitative criteria simultaneously. In this study, a bread factory’s flour supplier selection process is evaluated by FAHP and extended analysis and total integral techniques are compared. As a result of the comparison, total integral technique has more appropriate conclusions.

Keywords:Fuzzy Sets, Triangular Fuzzy Numbers, Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Decision Making, FAHP, Supplier Selection In Fuzzy Environment.

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Abstract

This study aims to explain competitiveness of OECD countries through developing institutional and mixed models. In these models, the data of 2007 are used to avoid the global crisis effects of 2008. As a result of predictions, instituional models developed with the indicators formed to show the institutional, political and socio-cultural structures of the countries by some organizations are found functional in explaining competetiveness of OECD. It is found that factors thought to have been defining the national competitiveness depending on institutional models explain WEF measures of OECD’s competitiveness along 47 % – 56 %, IMD meausures of OECDS’s competitiveness along 74% -84 %. Mixed models developed by including theoretical variables into instituional models are found explaining OECD’s competitivess around 63%-90%.

Keywords:Competitiveness, OECD, multiple regression, institutional models, mixed models