M.A. Theses
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Item Working from home and work-life balance : relationship and links to job satisfaction and organizational commitment(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) İz, Ege Alposkay.; Kabasakal, Hayat.Balancing between professional and personal life became a challenge with social isolation and the lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic. An almost overnight shift to working from home eliminated the physical boundaries between work and private life and altered the work-life balance of many. With the withdrawal of pandemic waves, companies have started adapting to the pandemic-free world. The person environment fit theory emphasizes the fit between person and environment by indicating that ensuring a match between those is required for desirable outcomes, furthers that disruptions to the fit end up with a change in intention and necessity for parties. This study aimed to explore the relationship between work-life balance and working from home and how it influences job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The pragmatic paradigm framework combines survey and in-depth interview data to understand the participants’ working from home experiences, work life balance, and relationships. The results demonstrate that working from home improves work-life balance, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Moreover, the positive influence of work-life balance on job satisfaction and organizational commitment is shown. The study also indicated that remote work causes more damaged work-life for women than men. While the centuries-old workplace habits are reshaping with the recovery from the pandemic, more research about remote work and work-life balance is needed to sustain fit in business life.Item Online grocery shopping behavior within the theory of planned behavior : comparison between Turkey and UK(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Koç, Fatih Çağlar.; Yılmaz, Neslihan.Online grocery shopping has been a significantly growing industry under e-commerce by changing customer behavior, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. As the transition of grocery shopping from brick-and-mortar stores to online channels has progressed, it has become essential to understand customer behavior. In this context, we first aimed to understand factors that affect customers' online grocery shopping behavior. The theory of planned behavior was employed to determine these factors. The conceptual framework was also extended by different constructs in light of previous studies. The effects of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived risk were assessed to understand the buying intention and behavior. This paper also aimed to understand how these constructs may differ between customers in developed and developing countries since no studies have been found comparing customers in different regions. In this context, the UK and Turkey were chosen as representative countries. An online survey was prepared, and data were collected from 231 respondents from Turkey and 224 from the UK and analyzed employing regression and T-Tests analyses. Findings indicated that all the mentioned constructs except perceived risk significantly affected the purchase intention. Among them, the attitude was observed to be the dimension with the largest effect. It was also found that customers in Turkey find online grocery shopping more useful and less risky than those in the UK and perceive a higher level of control over the purchase process.Item Loyal or habitual? exploring differences of loyalty and habits for FMCG brands in Turkey(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Efendioğlu, Ebru.; Yılmaz, Neslihan.This dissertation is an exploration of the brand loyalty and habitual behavior of consumers in Turkey when it comes to fast- moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands in the personal care industry. The literature on habitual behavior and brand loyalty, with a specific focus on attitudinal loyalty, has separate studies on these topics that significantly affect consumer behavior, however, few studies examine their associations. Therefore, this paper aims to address this gap by concentrating on both concepts as a whole. Moreover, due to its economic standpoint and changing consumer attitudes, Turkey provides an intriguing environment to conduct this research. The study examines Turkish consumers’ habits and loyalties by utilizing a qualitative research method through a research design of in-depth interviews. The findings were categorized around ten themes which were subjected to thematic analysis and analyzed individually. The analysis revealed that there are five main habitual behaviors that consumers in Turkey utilize, consciously or subconsciously, when shopping for or consuming personal care brands, such as familiarity, price sensitivity, ease of accessibility, prior research, and advertising and marketing efforts. The study suggests that while personal care consumers in Turkey still regard brands highly, their decisions are largely influenced by habits which aid in consumers making decisions more quickly and ensuring satisfaction.Item The effect of social media influencer’s content format on the customer engagement on instagram(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Bozkır, Merve Elif.; Arısan, Belgin.In recent years, influencer marketing has grown its popularity as a communication strategy for brands to reach their target audience and achieve desired brand outcomes through social media. Despite the growing importance of influencer marketing, a comprehensive understanding of the factors that impact engagement remains inadequate, particularly at the social media platform level. To address this gap in the literature, this study investigates the impact of content format on social media engagement with both sponsored and non-sponsored social media influencer (SMI) posts on Instagram, as well as the effect of brand endorsement on engagement in a market where sponsorship disclosure is legally mandatory. The results show that sponsored content created by influencers has a lower engagement rate than nonsponsored content, regardless of the content format. The study also explores the impact of content format on engagement and reveals meaningful distinctions between each content format such that consumers engage more with carousel posts than reels and more with reels than photo posts. Using a secondary data approach, we analyze users' actual social media engagement behaviors with sponsored and nonsponsored content on Instagram, as well as individual content formats. Our research provides valuable insights for advertisers and brands to make informed decisions about selecting influencers and developing successful influencer marketing campaigns.Item The role of diverse perceived values in values co-creation : a study on collaborative consumption(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Tuzcu, Muteber.; Coşkun, Ali.; Kirezli, Özge.Sharing economy and collaborative consumption has been gaining increasing attention recently. So, applications of these two models are examined in various research. However, the existing literature generally focuses on the hospitality and transportation sectors. One of the essential applications, the second-hand textile sector, has not been adequately studied through the lens of value co-creation lenses. Thus, this study investigates value co-creation intention in the second-hand textile industry under one research question: What are antecedents of consumers' value co-creation in collaborative consumption activities? This study mainly contributes to the sharing economy and collaborative consumption literature, but it also provides supportive contributions to the field of service marketing. In order to achieve this, an online survey was conducted with a total number of 311 undergraduates, master, and Ph.D. students who are registered universities in İstanbul. Convenience and snowball sampling methods were adopted. The findings point out that perceived values and attitudes are antecedents of value co-creation intention in collaborative consumption platforms. Besides, functional value, economic value, social value, and emotional value as perceived values directly link with attitudes and value co-creation intention. Only green value does not impact value co-creation intention directly but the value influences value co-creation intention with the help of the mediation role of attitude.Item An exploration of online food delivery services and negative electronic word-of-mouth behavior(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Kuter, Deniz.; Asugman, Gülden.The current research aims to determine the antecedents of negative electronic word-of-mouth behavior in terms of posting ratings and reviews and posting on social media after a dissatisfactory online food delivery service encounter. Online food delivery services are a rising sector that has been getting attention in service marketing studies. A limited number of studies have investigated dissatisfaction with restaurant service after a negative online food delivery service and the consequent emotional and behavioral outcomes. This study also explores negative emotions, namely anger and regret, as outcomes of dissatisfaction and as antecedents of negative electronic word-of-mouth behavior. An online survey has been distributed, and a final sample size of n = 387 has been reached after data screening. Analyses have been made using structural equation modeling. Results suggest that customers are dissatisfied with the restaurant after a negative service encounter with an online food delivery provider. The importance of the deliverymen as frontline employees has been underlined. In addition, findings show that dissatisfaction strongly influences anger and regret, which are antecedents for posting online ratings. This study contributes to the literature by filling this gap and providing theoretical and practical implications.Item Thriving at work : the role of work-life balance and psychological capital(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Esvap, Esin.; Rodopman, Burcu.The growing dynamism of the change in social, economic, and political conditions, influences work environments and thus, employees’ work-life balance. In order to have a sustainable organizational performance, the need for a workforce constantly developing and feeling vital, namely thriving, is gaining importance. One of the purposes of organizational scholarship is to examine the impact of individual and collective outcomes on overall organizational performance, and for this purpose, it is emphasized that thriving is a critical stimulus to increase employee well-being and provides an understanding of organizational capabilities to achieve long-term adaptability. Therefore, organizational scholarship which focus on the understanding of the positive functioning' components in normal and adverse conditions can be enhanced in conjunction with further examination in thriving at work. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between thriving at work and work-life balance with the mediator role of psychological capital. For this aim, data were collected from 240 employees from various industries and occupational groups, using a one-phase questionnaire. According to the results of the study, it was evidenced that work-life balance and psychological capital have significant effects on thriving. Moreover, it was also observed that psychological capital has partially mediated the relationship between work-life balance and thriving at work. The results support the significance of questioning the relationship between thriving at work, work- life balance and further individual or organizational variables for future research by considering uncertain and changing working condition.Item The effect of empowering leadership on job satisfaction & work effort(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Tezcan, Eda.; Kabasakal, Hayat.Empowering leadership is a practice in which leaders share power with their subordinates and facilitate the use of that power (Amundsen and Martinsen, 2014; Conger and Kanungo, 1988; and Vecchio et al. ,2010) and is associated with poositive job outcomes. As a theoretical framework, this thesis uses Self- Determination Theory (SDT), which is built on three main principles–autonomy, competence, and relatedness–that increase individuals' intrinsic motivation and the process of internalization (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1987; Ryan & Deci, 2005; Ryan, 1995; Ryan & Deci, 2000; Ryan et al.,1997), which leads to positive job outcomes that are elaborated by contemporary research. This study explores whether the presence of empowering leaders in the workplace has a significant relationship with two specific job outcomes: work effort and job satisfaction. Simple linear regression analyses were conducted on a sample of white-collar employees of various age groups and sectors. The findings confirmed the positive impact of empowering leadership on job satisfaction only. The theoretical implications and practical significance of the study's findings are examined and discussed in relation to future research and practical applications. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the importance of empowering leadership in the workplace and its impact on positive job outcomes.Item The effect of leadership styles and emotional intelligence on employee job satisfaction & performance(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Akhuy, Nursu.; Kabasakal, Hayat.While there is no one definition of leadership, there is no one set of characteristics that define an effective leader, as it can vary depending on the situation and context. However, a leader has a direct impact on employee work outcomes, making it crucial for organizations to search for effective leaders. To find the best leaders in recent times and conditions, this thesis aims to examine leadership qualities that influence positive employee outcomes. As a unique approach, the study includes the quality of relationship between leader and follower (LMX) as a moderator. The study aims to identify effective leadership traits in the Turkish business environment, which has experienced major political and economic changes recently. Several regression analyses were conducted on a group of employees and managers in Turkey, who were mostly highly educated and working on different industries. Results of the first stage of the research were consistent with many previous studies. We found that a higher transformational leadership style and transactional leadership style of a leader were positively related to employee satisfaction and performance, respectively. However, a higher emotional intelligence (EQ) of a leader was only partially related to employee performance. The results show that EQ is one aspect of leadership traits and is not sufficient on its own to influence positive employee work outcomes. The study also found that LMX plays a compensatory role for low transformational leadership. Overall, the results of this study can help organizations and leaders make informed decisions about leaders to influence positive employee outcomes.Item Specialty advertising and an empirical study in the Turkish pharmaceutical industry(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 1987., 1987.) Kaan, Vedat Emre.; Bodur, Muzaffer.Item Export performance and structure after 1980(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 1987., 1987.) Gün, Saim Murat.; Bodur, Muzaffer.The main purpose of this study is to examine the results of the new stability program which was put into force in January 1980. In this study, answers are sought about the problems of our exportation, the reason for the firms not exporting, and the qualifications discriminating the firms who do and who do not export., The sources of information in this study are collected thru literature survey and telephone interviews with the managers of some firms. It is serious that managers of some non-exporting firms who have achieved to be among the first "500 industrial firms" of Turkey as to the year 1985 said that they could be defeated as a result of competition with domestic and foreign firms as the reason for not exporting. Added value and the net total assets of the firms come first among the factors discriminating firms who do and who do not export. It is hoped that the study will stimulate further research on the topic and will provide some insights for motivating non-exporting firms.Item MBO practices in the banking sector of Turkey(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 1987., 1987.) Ekmekci, Özgür.; Kabasakal, Hayat.This study aims at examining the present MBO practices being applied in the banking sector of Turkey. the .perception of the concept as viewed by managers employed in this domain, actors influencing their performance and satisfaction. The scope of the study covered two foreign, and two domestic banks, employing MBO programs within their organizational structure. The results indicated that there was a strong potential for future practices in this sector, which may provide oganizations with the desirable outcomes of better performance, improved relations, and efficient operations throughout the complete range of their activities.Item A field study on the comparison of the manufacturing companies before and after the positive real interest policy was put into effect(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 1987., 1987.) Güleşçi, Mehmet.; Ertuna, İbrahim Özer,In this thesis, the financial structure and operating results of manufacturing companies before and after the positive real interest rate policy was put into effect are compared. This study was conducted by way of analyzing the financial structure and operating results of manufacturing companies from those two time periods. All required figures related with the operating results of these companies were obtained from Istanbul Chamber of Industry Periodicals dated October 1985 and 1984 and Financial Analysis book written by Cihangir Samin. By using these figures, firstly the financial ratios that are used in financial analysis were calculated, and then these ratios were compared with each other by using statistical analysis methods. The findings of this study showed that in the aspect of financial structure, the difference between the two groups of manuacturing companies from those two time periods was significant. The discriminant function, mentioned in section 2.2.1, explains approximately 20% of the discrimination, leaving 80% unexplained, which means that there might be other independent variables that would effect the discriminant function. According to findings, it came out that var 4-Return to Equity, var 2-Euqity/Total Asset and var 6-Return on Sales each can be accepted as a discri~inator betw~en the two groups of companies.According to coefficients of the above variables, it is understood that companies from Group Two use more equity than companies from Group One, thus they have higher Equity/Total Asset Ratio and smaller Return to Equity Ratio. Return on Sales Ratio is higher for Group One companies which means that since financial expenses became higher due to the increase in interest rates, Return on Sales Ratio has decreased. In the study, the following limitations were encountered. Under the facility of the given figures, only six ratios were calculated. The other ratios that would be used in the analysis are indicated in Appendix I. The shareholders' equity figures include revaluation adjustment which otherwise would have changed the results. The selected 90 companies for each year were not the same in the four years which othenvise might have changed ·the results. Additionally, in the selection of dependent variables, Group Two companies were selected from the years of 1983 and 1984 which otherwise would also have changed the results of the study. We hope that the results obtained from this study may contribute to the understanding of financial analysis of the manufacturing companies.Item A forecasting approach for an evaluation of television set sector in Turkey(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 1987., 1987.) Ceyhan, Kemal.; Bodur, Muzaffer.The government and corporate planners are facing sets of problem in identifying the promising industries, their market potential, future demand potential and future competitiveness. The purpose of this study is to investigate the television set sector in Turkey and evaluate future demand potential and future competitiveness of Turkish television sets. Chapter one gives some basic concepts about the product. chapter two examines the past history of the sector in the world as well as production and demand figures of TV sets in Turkey. Chapter three studies Turkish export and import figures for TV sets. Chapter four examines the demand prospects in Turkey by approaching the subject with cross sectional tools as well as domestic variables and domestic TV set demand functions. Demand figures until 1991 areestimafed in this chapter. Chapter five is a detailed analysis of the cost of a Turkish TV set produced under the licence of a foreign company in case of acceptance of agreed EEC custom duties of ANKARA agreement. Chapter six summarizes the findings of the study and states the :conclusions and implications. We conclude that although future TV set market in Turkey will be sufficient for the exploitation of the full capacity of the existing manufacturers, the sector will face serious threats in the future because of production technology and expected competition with the imported TV sets.Item An analysis on Istanbul district municipalities(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 1987., 1987.) Bayraktaroğlu, Müfit Altan.Item A computer-aided production planning system for a fertilizer manufacturing company(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 1987., 1987.) Aksu, Feza.; Koçak, Ceyhan (Kozanoğlu).This study aims to design a specific Computer-Aided Production Planning System for a private chemical fertilizer manufacturing company in a recently liberalized market, within the bounds of the environmental and organizational conditions. The respective computer pacage has been designed as an integrated whole to achieve maximum flexibility and ease of application. The package consists of three main modules : Inventory Planning to maintain inventory investment at an optimum level; Material ReqUirements Planning to secure time phased availability of the inventory items and finally Capacity Requirements Planning to match the production schedules with the productive capability of the production centers. The framework includes two supplementary modules, namely ABC Analysis and Bill of Materials and read/write programs for the data files.Item A study on the supply of and demand for management consultancy services(Thesis (M.A.)- Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Scieences, 1987., 1987.) Bonofiyel, Keti.; Bodur, Muzaffer.Management consul ting is a very new subj ect in Turkey; therefore, the purpose of this thesis can be summarised by the following research questions: i) What is management consultancy? ii) Which consulting finns are there in Turkey? iii) Do companies know about management consulting finns and what is their attitude towards these finns? since there is not much work in this area, this study covers literature review to the extent possible. The field study was conducted by having interviews with consulting firm managers and by gi ving out questionnaries to finns which are potential clients or which have already used management consultancy services. The interpretations of the questionnaires was analysed on the computer and the implications of the findings were presented. If the findings of this survey is to be briefly summarised, it is found out that there are very· few professional management consulting finns in Turkey. It was also found out that at present there is no great demand for management. consulting services but finns expect the demand for their services to increase significantly in a few years time as long as there is no unexpected change in the political and economic envirorunent of the country. The results of the analysis also showed that there will be high demand for management information consultancy with the development of need for information technology. FUture research in order to fill the present gaps in the li terature should aim at providing comparative studies on company manager's willingness to use consultancy services, their satisfaction levels and the importance levels attributed. to certain key factors. Therefore a lot of responsibility rests on the academicians and researchers for providing infonnation on this subject. Finally, management consul ting finn managers should put a lot of effort for letting the market ]mow about them and they should emphasise the importance of their services for giving assistance to companies which are in the process of expansion and development.Item An empirical study on store attributes, self image and fashion life styles(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 1987., 1987.) Gabay, Rozita.; Bodur, Muzaffer.The purpose of this study is to find out how consumer's perception of their self-image and fashion life styles could be utilized in delineating salient store attributes and improving strategic retail positioning. Hence; the study was administered in izmir with respect to fashion clothing retailers. Market positioning is the most crucial strategic proplem facing the retailing executive. Therefore; much research has been conducted to depict variables that can be used to predict store patronage. Hence, these variables could reveal consumer categories tha.t,would effectively be used to segment markets. ~ .. Life style retailing is widely suggested as one of the competitive strategies of the 1980's, since the demographic variables were found to be limited in classifying the consumer categories that could serve as a basis for effective market segmentation. Thus Blackwell (1983) defines life style retailing as "the policy of tailoring the retail offering closely to the life styles of specific target market segments." (p.53) An understanding of why shoppers select one store over another and what factors generate store loyalty has been an area of much debate. Martineau (1958) was one of the first to suggest that a consumer selects a store which has an image congruent with his/her personality. Thus; various personality and self-image criteria was dev~loped to provide better means for positioning. · ., · A literature review of Self Image and Life Style Retailing is the primary focus of this paper and is followed by an integrative study which adapts and applies the works of (Bellenger, Steinberg, Stanton, 1976), (Gutman, Mills 1982) and (Hansen, Deutscher., 1978) on market positioning based on store attributes, self-image profiles and fashion life styles to the fashion clothing retailers in Izmir. The results reveal that consumer with different self-image profiles have indicated "merchandise", "service" and post purchase satisfaction as the most salient store dimensions. Moreover; emphasis is given to having access to more price competitive dependable products, courteous and friendly sales personnel and post purchase exchange and return facilities. The Assertive, Passive, Objective and Impulsive profiles exhibited distinct fashion life style orientations. Accordingly, the Assertive shopper is socially active, therefore; she needs wide variety of clothes, spends much money on clothes and fashion related activities. Moreover, she is a fashion leader in her style and enjoys shopping. Conversely; the Passive shopper possesses the reverse profile. The objective shopper on the other hand is more cost concious, traditional and practical percieves herself as a fashion follower rather than a leader and does not go out shopping frequently. Demographic differences were however, relatively unimportant in depicting segmentation variables except for age and education. The older shoppers lend to be more utility oriented and show less interest in fashion and are more cost concious and traditional. On the other hand; college graduates bend to be more cost concious then high school graduates. As a result, this study has some implications for the fashion clothing retailers, researchers and academics. As for the fashion clothing retailer, merchandise quality, sales personnel and post purchase facilities should be the primary operational cues to be emphasised to attain competitive advantages. The other attributes ~ • I I which form the peripheral cues could be elaborated to fit tPe requirements of the target market. Moreover; making use of.the selfimage and life style determinants, the retail executive should select a specific segment to serve· effectively. Thus; if the retail executive stresses the specifics of his target market maximum impact can be achieved successfully. The fashion retailer should show great care in preserving a distinct store image before deciding on the design and physical attributes of the store. Because the consumers rely heavily upon perceptual cues in developing store images, ambiguous stimuli may distract the consumer attention. Future research in order to fill the present gaps in the literature should aim at providing comperative studies with respect to image among different types of retail institutions alias department stores, specialty chains and mass merchandisers. Attention should be directed at generating various other self-image profiles in order to broaden the horizons of life style retailing ~rid other areas. More effective measurement techniques like multivariate scales should be devised inorder to get more information out of the available data and to increase external validity of the studies. Finally; a lot of responsability rests on the academics in providing information to the retailing industry with respect to the findings secured from previous studies, guiding the retail executive on planning and implementation of strategic positioning and adapting existing strategies into areas that prove to be possible and feasible. I'Item An investigation of the İslamic banking clientele in Turkish Banking sector(Thesis (M.A.)- Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Scieences, 1987., 1987.) Anıtsal, İsmet.; Bodur, Muzaffer.This research aims to explore and describe ix the characteristics of Special Financial Institution (SFI) depositors, and study the differences between SFI depositors and bank depositors in their demographic characteristics, investment objectives, decision mechanics, market attitudes and rate of return perceptions. The study included the literature review and a field study which was conducted through a questionnaire. The data was analyzed by SPSS-X and the findings were given together with the implications for the marketers and the researchers. The findings of the study showed that some significant differences exist in investment processes of the depositors rather than their demographic characteristics. Although the primary concern was to provide additional income when depositing in banks/SFIs, bank depositors use interest profit share rates and SFI depositors use inflation rates as primary criterion in evaluating the performance of their institutions.Expected return and safety/guarantee for principal are the factors influencing both bank and SFI selection.Depositors directly form bank influencing the or prefer to SFI.Finally, satisfaction convenience and good dialogue. go and take information the most important factor level with bank/SFI is Knowledge of these differences might help bank and SFI executives, and researchers to better understand the Islamic banking clientele in Turkey in order to allocate their marketing effort more efficiently.Item Optimum allocation of resources in the Sümerbank leather and shoe factory in Beykoz :|a practical application of linear programming in Turkey(Thesis (M.A.) - Robert College. Faculty of the School of Business Administration and Economics, 1967., 1967.) Balkan, Örsçelik.; Göker, Metin.