The impact of strategic purchasing on supply chain performance of the bottled water industry in Turkey

Efficient and effective supply chain management (SCM) aims to provide high quality products and excellent customer service and is a significant component in obtaining a competitive advantage. Supply chain management has advanced to contain strategic partnership arrangements with suppliers and service providers throughout the supply chain. Every action in the supply chain is important, and downfall at any action - be it of strategy, documentation or performance - can negatively affect business objectives. Plenty of companies now acknowledge that a powerful and solid supply chain is one of the most crucial elements in attaining increased profitability and shareholder value. Effective supply chain management has the ability to manage costs and enhance the compliance with company standards and key performance indicators (KPI). This research examines the relationship between strategic purchasing and supply chain performance (in terms of vendor performance, material quality, and inventory level) of the bottled water industry in Turkey. The results indicate that strategic purchasing is positively related to overall company performance. Keywords: Strategic purchasing, Bottled water industry, Supply chain performance, Turke

A Recommendation for New Diction Rhymes to be used in Turkish Diction Education Studies

Acquisition of the ability to speak correctly and effectively is one of the main purposes of elocution. One of the conditions required to achieve this is to have a good diction. Although the students speak standard Turkish language at schools, they have poor diction due to being under the influence of local dialects in the family and outside the school. This affects the process of making the students acquire the ability of speaking, one of the main objectives of Turkish teaching. The aim of the study addressed with case study method is to determine how the diction rhymes should be to be prepared by the prospective Turkish teachers in order to correct and improve the diction of the students. The study group constituted 46 first-grade prospective Turkish teachers studying in the Department of Turkish Language Education, in Ataturk University between 2017-2018 academic year. Prospective Turkish teachers were asked to create a diction rhyme for 10 sounds “b, p, d, t, g, k, e, o, u, ü”. 434 diction rhymes were obtained as a result of the research. Rhymes were examined in terms of length, including the number of the target sound, entertainment, creativity, and availability in diction training. As a result of the examination, 149 of the recommended rhymes were determined to have the capability to be used in diction training

Book review: global democratic theory: a critical introduction

Global Democratic Theory analyses a number of theories related to democracy at different levels of government. Issues of representation of different civil society groups and government accountability are among the main themes. Mehmet Kerem Coban recommends the book “for all readers because we are all affected by ‘democratic deficits’ at various levels of the policy-making process.

Book review: rethinking the new world order by Georg Sørensen

In Rethinking the New World Order, Georg Sørensen explores timely questions regarding the nature of the ‘old’ and ‘new’ world order in the light of recent global uncertainty and widespread state fragility. Mehmet Kerem Coban welcomes Sørensen’s attempt to present a middle ground between realist and liberal approaches to IR, while calling for even greater theoretical pluralism when it comes to understanding the current state of the world order

Book review: conceptualizing capitalism: institutions, evolution, future by Geoffrey M. Hodgson

In Conceptualizing Capitalism: Institutions, Evolution, Future, Geoffrey M. Hodgson positions legal institutionalism at the heart of his analysis of capitalism. By exploring the constitutive role that law and the State have played in the historical emergence of capitalist systems, Hodgson addresses a number of contemporary issues such as inequality. Although he would have welcomed further analysis of the political economy aspects of legal institutionalism, Mehmet Kerem Coban praises the book for its rich traversal of capitalism in its myriad dimensions

Outcomes of External Dacryocystorhinostomy and Effects of the Incision Type on Cosmetic and Functional Outcomes

 Aim: Evaluation of external dacryocystorhinostomy surgery in patients with nasolacrimal canal obstruction and the effects of the incision type on the functional and esthetic outcomes. Material and Methods: Outcomes of 49 patients who underwent external dacryocystorhinostomy and bicanalicular silicon tube intubation(when necessary) for nasolacrimal canal obstruction between 2004 and 2008 were evaluated retrospectively. The effects of oblique incision, used between 2004-2005, and the vertical incision, used between 2006-2008, on the functional and cosmetic outcomes were evaluated. The patients were asked to complete a survey on preoperative symptoms, functional outcomes of the operation, and the patient satisfaction with the scar tissue and cosmetic outcomes. The results were compared statistically. Results: Mean age of the 49 patients (35 females and 14 males) was 42.63±15.57 (19-72). Except for the 2 patients operated in other centers, first operations of 47 patients were performed in our clinic. Five patients required revision surgery due to functional failure. Jones’ tube implantation was performed in 1 of the 3 patients with persistant epiphora. No serious complications were observed postoperatively, except for mild nasal hemorrhage. Three patients, (2 of witch had persistent epiphora), were not satisfied with the surgery. Silicon intubation was performed to 21 patients during surgery. Outcomes were satisfactory in 46 patients. In each of the 2 incision groups, 7 patients had noticeable scars but they were satisfied esthetically. It was observed that the type of incision used, either oblique or vertical, had no effect on the functional outcome of surgery. On the contrary, it was determined that vertical incision yielded better cosmetic outcomes.Conclusion: External dacryocystorhinostomy is a successful surgery for patients with nasolacrimal canal obstruction. Incision type does not affect the functional outcomes of the surgery but it does affect the cosmetic outcomes

Book review: better bankers, better banks: promoting good business through contractual commitment by Claire A. Hill and Richard W. Painter

In Better Bankers, Better Banks: Promoting Good Business through Contractual Commitment, Claire A. Hill and Richard W. Painter provide an account of the changes to banking that encouraged the risk-taking that became a factor in the global financial crisis, and propose a solution: ‘covenant banking’. The authors’ suggestion of binding bankers to contracts that encourage accountability to stakeholders and increase personal liability for losses is an essential contribution to debates over the regulation of the financial sector. However, the wider structural factors that enable excessive risk-taking behaviour remain somewhat overlooked, writes Mehmet Kerem Coban

Book review: leading professionals: power, politics and prima donnas by Laura Empson

In Leading Professionals: Power, Politics and Prima Donnas, Laura Empson explores the nature and foundations of leadership, its impact on the trajectory of professional organisations and how power and politics are implicated in it. Drawing upon over 500 interviews with professionals, the book offers insights on how organisations cope with internal politics and achieve collective action that will be of relevance to numerous sectors, finds M Kerem Coban

Book review: democracy and prosperity: reinventing capitalism through a turbulent century

Democracy and Prosperity: Reinventing Capitalism through a Turbulent Century. Torben Iversen and David Soskice. Princeton University Press. 2019. Democracy and Prosperity: Reinventing Capitalism through a Turbulent Century. Torben Iversen and David Soskice. Princeton University Press. 2019. Is democracy compatible with (advanced) capitalism? And how has (advanced) democracy maintained resilience? In Democracy and Prosperity: Reinventing Capitalism through a Turbulent Century, Torben Iversen and David Soskice, two prominent scholars of comparative political economy, take up the challenge to contribute to the debate concerning the relationship between democracy and capitalism with a unique and provocative analytical framework. It should be stated at the very beginning that this review cannot do full justice to every noteworthy point raised in this significant contribution given the space limitation

NEURAL CONTROL OF CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION FOLLOWING SPINAL CORD INJURY IN HUMANS

Maintenance of stable arterial blood pressure during orthostatic challenges is a major problem after spinal cord injury (SCI). Since early participation in rehabilitation is critically important in reducing long term morbidity, recovering the ability to regulate blood pressure during therapy is essential for individuals with SCI. The objective of our study was to investigate short term cardiovascular function of able-bodied (AB), paraplegic (PARA) and tetraplegic (TETRA) subjects in response to head up tilt (HUT) as an early indicator of autonomic damage that might forewarn of future orthostatic regulatory problems. We acquired cardiovascular variables from able-bodied (AB; n=11), paraplegic (PARA; n=5) and tetraplegic (TETRA; n=5) subjects in response to HUT. The SCI patients in both groups were in their first two months post injury. Data were recorded at rest and during 7 min each at 20??, 40??, 60?? and 80?? HUT. Techniques used to estimate regulatory capability and reflex activity included: Mean values and spectral power of heart rate (HR) and arterial blood pressure (BP), baroreflex sequence measurements and cross correlation between HR and systolic blood pressure (SBP). An index of baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), baroreflex effectiveness index (BEI), and the percentage occurrence of systolic blood pressure (BP) ramps and baroreflex sequences were calculated from baroreflex sequence measurements. The spectral power of HR and BP, the cross correlation of systolic BP and heart rate (HR) were examined in low frequency (LF: 0.04-0.15 Hz) and high frequency (HF: 0.15-0.4 Hz) ranges. The BRS index was significantly (p andlt; 0.05) decreased from supine to 80o HUT in AB and TETRA. This index in PARA was the lowest at each tilt position in the three groups, and decreased with tilt. The percentage of heart beats involved in systolic BP ramps and in baroreflex sequences significantly (pandlt;0.05) rose from supine to 80o HUT in AB, was relatively unchanged in PARA and declined in TETRA. Both of these indexes were significantly (pandlt;0.05) lowerin the SCI than in the AB group at each tilt level. The BEI values were greatest in AB, and declined with tilt in all groups. Spinal cord injured patients had less power of BP and HR fluctuations than AB in both LF and HF regions. The LF spectral power of BP and HR increased with tilt in AB, remained unchanged in PARA and decreased in TETRA. The HF spectral power of HR decreased in all three groups. The peak HR / BP cross correlation in the LF region was greatest in AB, and significantly (pandlt;0.05) increased during HUT in AB, remained fairly constant in PARA, and declined in TETRA. The peak cross correlation in the HF region significantly (pandlt;0.05) decreased with tilt in all groups, and the SCI group had lower values than AB at each tilt level. We conclude that both PARA and TETRA had a smaller percentage of SBP ramps, BRS, and lower BEI than AB, likely indicating decreased stimulation of arterial baroreceptors, and less engagement of feedback control. The mixed sympathetic, parasympathetic innervations of paraplegics, or their elevated HR, may contribute to their significantly lower BRS. Our data indicate that the pathways utilized to evoke baroreflex regulation of HR are compromised by SCI and this loss may be a major contributor to the decrease in orthostatic tolerance following injury