The Level of Consumers’ Awareness and Perceptions in Consumption of Halal Certified Products

Based on the fact that, officially, 99 percent of Turkey’s population is Muslim, the purpose of the study was to determine the consumers’ awareness about the concept of halal food and their perceptions regarding halal food certificated products. In this study it was also aimed to determine whether there is a relationship (or difference) between the awareness about halal food certificate and the religious values, and finally to put forth whether the levels of awareness differ according to demographic and socio-economic features. This study was conducted in Kayseri, located in the Middle Anatolian part of Turkey. The data were compiled from the consumers through face-to-face survey method. The sample size was comprised of 430 consumers. The data regarding halal food perceptions of the respondents were tested with factor analysis, MANOVA and t-test method, and then the findings were interpreted. The fundamental findings of the study are as follows: (i) Most of the consumers (76 percent) stated that they heard about halal food certificate; (ii) there were differences with respect to religious values in awareness about halal food certificate; (iii) finally, demographic and socio-economic factors (education status, occupation, age, gender and marital status) were fairly effective about the consumers’ perception levels regarding halal food products. Keywords: Islamic marketing, halal food certificate, consumer awareness and perception

Exploring the Factors Affecting Purchase Intention of Halal Certified Foods in Turkey: A PLS-Path Modeling Study

The global market value of the halal food industry was estimated at US$1.1 trillion in 2013. The halal food industry is growing in a number of markets, mainly in countries in the Middle East, North Africa and the South East Asia region. Indonesia is the biggest halal food market with a market value of$197 billion; Turkey is the second largest market with an estimated market value of $100 billion. The halal food sector has great potential to drive the global economy. Despite the halal food industry having a significant share in the global economy, the number of empirical studies that have been conducted on the consumer purchase behavior of halal food is quite limited. In order to fill this gap, we aimed to investigate the factors influencing intention to purchase halal certified products among Muslim consumers in Turkey. The data were collected by means of self-administered questionnaires from consumers and the study was conducted in Kayseri, Turkey. The convenience sampling method was used and a total of 650 questionnaires were collected between February and March 2014. The PLS-Path modeling analysis results reveal that consumers’ preference for halal certified products, consumers' religiosity level, price and sales promotions are important factors influencing consumers’ halal food purchase intention. Keywords: Consumer behavior, halal certified products, purchase intention, religiosity, and partial least square analysis

The Effect of Financial Pressure on the Banking Lending Policy: A Review under the 2008 Global Crisis on the Turkey

The global financial crisis in 2008 has affected economies in many aspects. Besides the devastating effects of the crisis on banks, expansionary policies have been revived in consequence of economic recession. On the other hand, the recovery packages for financial sector have imposed a burden on public finance and therefore have increased borrowing requirement. Consequently, the interaction between the balance of public finance and the changes in structure of banking system has become more important within the context of global crisis. This paper investigates the association between bank’s lending strategies and financial instability in Turkish economy using ARDL approach to co-integration. The empirical results suggest that financial instability lead to change the lending structure of banking sector for public sector in Turkish economy.Global Financial Crises, Financial Instability, Public Finance, Banking System, Bound Test

Monte Carlo simulation for statistical mechanics model of ion channel cooperativity in cell membranes

Voltage-gated ion channels are key molecules for the generation and propagation of electrical signals in excitable cell membranes. The voltage-dependent switching of these channels between conducting and nonconducting states is a major factor in controlling the transmembrane voltage. In this study, a statistical mechanics model of these molecules has been discussed on the basis of a two-dimensional spin model. A new Hamiltonian and a new Monte Carlo simulation algorithm are introduced to simulate such a model. It was shown that the results well match the experimental data obtained from batrachotoxin-modified sodium channels in the squid giant axon using the cut-open axon technique.Comment: Paper has been revise