Being away or being there:British holidaymakers' motivations and experiences visiting Alanya, Turkey

This thesis investigates British holidaymakers' motivations, behaviours and experiences visiting Alanya, Turkey, based on the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data gathered through structured self-administrated questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Employing a convenience sample of 505 holidaymakers visiting a coastal holiday resort in the Mediterranean, the thesis provides a destination-based analysis of the tourist experience process in three analytical phases. Utilising qualitative and quantitative techniques, the study investigates and addresses, in particular, two specific issues: Motivators, constraints and facilitators of holiday choice; and evaluation of holiday/destination behaviour and experiences. The underlying characteristic of Alanya holiday was found to be seeking 'fun in the sun'. ‗Being away‘ was more important than ‗being there‘ as long as sunny weather and the 'right price‘ were guaranteed. Coastal pleasures dominated the holiday activity, and social and cultural contacts were also significant. Motivations, constraints and facilitators were significant determinants of holiday choice and holiday activity patterns. Supporting consumption experiences were the facilitators of peak experiences. Both peak and supporting consumption experiences were crucial in combination for holidaymakers‘ satisfaction. Preferences and perceptions indicated both similarities and differences between holidaymakers. Differences that are rather more significant were based on repeat visitation patterns. Socio-demographic characteristics were more significant for pre-and on-site experience phases. Trip characteristics were more significant for on-site- and post-experience phases. This study adds substantially to our understanding of tourist motivations, behaviours and experiences and provides additional evidence in terms of their complexity and heterogeneity. Demonstrating the relevance of peak touristic experiences and supporting consumption experiences, the study highlighted the importance of the constraints/facilitators, on the structural, interpersonal and intrapersonal levels. Using mixed methods research design and studying three phases of the tourist experience process simultaneously, the study provides both a theoretical and a methodological base for future research. The study has important implications for the management and marketing of destination experiences. This study calls for cross-national research involving its replication with random sampling in the same resort area, and other tourist resorts in the Mediterranean

Political Leadership and Foreign Policy in Post-Cold War Israel and Turkey

Frequent references to "hawkish" and "dovish" leaders in Israel, or Turkey's "secular" and "Islamist" leaders, lack a systematic analysis of the personalities of political leadership in Israel and Turkey. Notwithstanding, such portrayals attract not only domestic actors in these countries but also others across the globe. Scholars, pundits, the public, as well as the policymakers, easily adapt these dichotomous and simplistic perceptions of leadership in Israel and Turkey. Utilizing contemporary at-a-distance measures of personality assessment (specifically, leadership traits analysis and operational code analysis), this study draws profiles all of Israel's and Turkey's prime ministers since November 1991. As such, this dissertation expands the political leadership literatures to two strategically located countries in the Middle East. In its unique design with two methods of personality assessment, it illustrates the gains from such an approach. Then, this study also makes an effort to link leadership styles and belief systems with foreign policy behavior. The results cast doubt on simplistic appraisals of political leadership in terms of "hawkish" and "dovish" in Israel and "secular" and "Islamist" in Turkey. Furthermore, the findings here suggest the significance of distrust of others (a personality trait in Leadership Traits Analysis) in predicting conflictual foreign policy behavior. In much broader terms, this dissertation also contributes to understanding political leaders of the Middle East

The Evolution of Political Islam in Turkey: Comparing Party Programs of 'Islamic' Parties in Government

Political Islam is a concept that draws attention in international relations. Turkey is a unique model of the various usages of political Islam in a secular state. Moreover, unlike other Muslim countries, Turkey has a comparatively long history since the beginning of the Republic of Turkey. Therefore, the study will analyze three Turkish parties which are: Democrat, Welfare, and Justice and Development Parties to understand political Islam in Turkey. I ask if these parties had an Islamist agenda for political reasons. I will examine party programs and policy implications of the parties. Then, I will compare them and try to find evidence of uses of Islam in foreign, education, economic policies and religious/moral values. After analyzing the parties, I will categorize them using the classification of Daniel Brumberg. I expect that this study will show differences among parties and the evolution of political Islam in Turkey over the decades

Optimal Design of Special High Torque Density Electric Machines based on Electromagnetic FEA

Electric machines with high torque density are essential for many low-speed direct-drive systems, such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, and industrial automation. Permanent magnet (PM) machines that incorporate a magnetic gearing effect are particularly useful for these applications due to their potential for achieving extremely high torque density. However, when the number of rotor polarities is increased, there is a corresponding need to increase the number of stator slots and coils proportionally. This can result in manufacturing challenges. A new topology of an axial-flux vernier-type machine of MAGNUS type has been presented to address the mentioned limitation. These machines can attain high electrical frequency using only a few stator coils and teeth, which can simplify construction and manufacturing under certain conditions. Additionally, the inclusion of auxiliary small teeth within the stator main teeth can generate a noteworthy increase in output torque, making it a unique characteristic of this motor. By analyzing the operating principle of the proposed VTFM PM machine, possible pole-slot combinations have been derived. The process of designing an electric machine is complicated and involves several variables and factors that must be balanced by the designer, such as efficiency, cost, and performance requirements. To achieve a successful design, it is crucial to employ multi-objective optimization. Using a 3D FEA model can consider the impact of magnetic saturation, leakage flux, and end effects, which are not accounted for in 2D. Optimization using a 3D parametric model can offer a more precise analysis. Validating the machine\u27s performance requires prototyping a model and testing it under different operating conditions, such as speed and load, which is a crucial step. This approach provides valuable insights into the machine\u27s behavior, allowing the identification of any areas for improvement or weaknesses. A large-scale multi-objective optimization study has been conducted for an axial-flux vernier-type PM machine with a 3-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis (FEA) to minimize the material cost and maximize the electromagnetic efficiency. A detailed study for torque contribution has indicated that auxiliary teeth on each stator main teeth amplify net torque production. A prototype of optimal design has been built and tested

Local authorities\u27 and NGOs\u27 perceptions of tourism development and urbanization in Alanya

Tourism development and urbanization have economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts on host destinations. With the recognition of the importance of these impacts on host perceptions and attitudes, numerous studies have been conducted towards tourism development. However, resident’s perceptions studies of tourism development are superfluous; there are a few empirical studies on local authorities’ and non-governmental organizations’ (NGOs) perceptions of tourism development. In this regard, this study aims to determine the local authorities’ and NGOs’ perceptions of tourism development and urbanization in Alanya with an empirical study. The major findings have shown that both local authorities and NGOs strongly agree that tourism certainly improves the quality of life in the region, the establishment of an integrated management approach is essential and that the tourism development should be promoted in qualitative perspective. The findings indicated that the planning of further tourism development and urbanization should be encouraged within the aim to offer a higher quality of life for hosts and guests

Machine Learning with Chaotic Strange Attractors

Machine learning studies need colossal power to process massive datasets and train neural networks to reach high accuracies, which have become gradually unsustainable. Limited by the von Neumann bottleneck, current computing architectures and methods fuel this high power consumption. Here, we present an analog computing method that harnesses chaotic nonlinear attractors to perform machine learning tasks with low power consumption. Inspired by neuromorphic computing, our model is a programmable, versatile, and generalized platform for machine learning tasks. Our mode provides exceptional performance in clustering by utilizing chaotic attractors' nonlinear mapping and sensitivity to initial conditions. When deployed as a simple analog device, it only requires milliwatt-scale power levels while being on par with current machine learning techniques. We demonstrate low errors and high accuracies with our model for regression and classification-based learning tasks.Comment: Manuscript is 13 pages, 4 figures. Supplementary Material is 6 pages, 3 figure

Do Tourists Change Their International Travel Plans in Times of Terror?

This study presents the preliminary findings of a broader investigation into the level of concern regarding international travel at times of terrorist attacks. The results indicate that there is not a significantly different pattern in demographic characteristics regarding the level of concern. The preliminary findings reveal a strong association between media searching behavior regarding terrorist attacks and level of concern in international travel. Tourists are selective in their destination choice with a tendency to travel more developed destinations. However, tourists demonstrate that they do not change their trip once destination choice is made even in the case of terrorist attacks. Behavioral resistance differs slightly between the most risky and least risky destination choices. Industry specific accessible research such as this enhances theoretical knowledge about resilient or resistant tourists and informs practitioners about how to formulate strategic responses to disruptions to maintain the level of tourist arrivals

Residents as destination advocates: The role of attraction familiarity on destination image

Purpose – Emphasizing the role of residents as destination advocates, this study investigates the influence of residents’ familiarity with, and, favorability of attractions on destination image. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methods research strategy was employed using fifteen individual in-depth interviews and a survey questionnaire with a sample of N=364. The study utilizes an attraction familiarity index to classify respondents into four groups based on high, average, and low familiarity and examines the characteristics of each in the relationship between informational familiarity, experiential familiarity, and favorability and destination image. Findings – The study reveals resident perceptions of attractions within the tourism product assembly framework and illustrates the positive relationship between the residents’ level of familiarity with, and favorability of visitor attractions and destination image. Further, the findings also demonstrate the significant role of demographic characteristics such as gender and length of residency in the area. The study findings suggest that temporary residents can function as destination advocates. Research limitations/implications – Employees and students from a prominent northeastern university were sampled, representing local residents and temporary residents respectively. While appropriate and fairly representative of the target market for the research questions in this investigation, more work is required to replicate this study utilizing representative samples across different locations. Practical implications – Evidence from our study indicates the importance of marketing to residents as they serve as destination advocates. In particular, the residents’ familiarity with and favorability of attractions is critical to positive destination image. The research offers insights into the identification of potential segments of residents that require special attention. Originality/value – Limited existing research investigates the role of residents as destination advocates, especially in the context of destinations that lack a primary tourism attraction but have a well-balanced mix of attractions