Financial benchmarking of transportation companies in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) through data envelopment analysis (DEA) and visualization

In this paper, we present a benchmarking study of industrial transportation companies traded in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). There are two distinguishing aspects of our study: First, instead of using operational data for the input and the output items of the developed Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model, we use financial data of the companies that are readily available on the Internet. Secondly, we visualize the efficiency scores of the companies in relation to the subsectors and the number of employees. These visualizations enable us to discover interesting insights about the companies within each subsector, and about subsectors in comparison to each other. The visualization approach that we employ can be used in any DEA study that contains subgroups within a group. Thus, our paper also contains a methodological contribution

A fogyasztói elégedettség, a fogyasztói bizalom és a fogyasztói lojalitás összefüggéseinek vizsgálata a magyar mobil telekommunikációs szolgáltatások piacán = Connexions of Consumer Satisfaction, Consumer Trust and Consumer Loyalty in the Hungarian Mobile Telecommunication Services Market

Dolgozatom témájául a fogyasztói lojalitást választottam, illetve az ezt meghatározó tényezők vizsgálatát, kiemelten kezelve a fogyasztói elégedettség és fogyasztói bizalom témaköreit, illetve ezek összefüggéseit a fogyasztói lojalitással. Ezek vizsgálatát a magyar mobil telekommunikációs piacon végeztem el, amely a telített piac nyomán gazdaságilag is különösen releváns kérdés. A témaválasztás relevanciáját az adja, hogy a vállalatok számára a gazdasági életben az új fogyasztók megszerzése nagyobb költségekkel jár együtt, mint a már meglévő fogyasztók megtartása. A lojalitás jelentőségét a vizsgált piacon az is kiemeli, hogy a mobil telekommunikációs szolgáltatási piac telített piacnak tekinthető, vagyis a vállalatoknak különösen nagy figyelmet kell fordítaniuk a már meglévő ügyfelek megtartására, mivel új ügyfelek érdemben csak a többi szolgáltató rovására szerezhetők. A dolgozat tudományos újszerűsége így egyfelől abban áll, hogy egyszerre vizsgálja a fogyasztói elégedettség, a fogyasztói bizalom és a fogyasztói lojalitás témaköreit, mindezt úgy, hogy a vizsgált változók között oksági kapcsolatot feltételez. Másfelől a jelen dolgozat a váltási költségek lojalitásra gyakorolt hatását egyszerre vizsgálja a többi komponenssel együttesen, mint az elégedettség és a bizalom. A korábbi kutatások általában a váltási költségek hatásának vizsgálatakor nem tartalmazták mindkét tényezőt, csupán az egyik ilyen komponens vizsgálatára szorítkoztak. A mobiltelekommunikációs szolgáltatási piac esetében elvégzett strukturális elemzés, amely PLS módszertannal készült, arra is rávilágított, hogy a bizalom jobb előrejelzője a lojalitásnak, az elégedettséghez képest. Mivel ha a bizalom állt közvetlen kapcsolatban a lojalitással, akkor az összefüggések rendre magasabb értéket mutatnak, mintha az elégedettséget tételezzük fel a lojalitás közvetlen előfeltételeként. Emellett szintén fontos szempont, hogy a bizalom azért is tekinthető a lojalitás jobb indikátorának, mert ebben az esetben a váltási költségek hatása gyengébbnek bizonyult a fogyasztói lojalitás egyes aspektusaira nézve. Tehát a bizalom a fogyasztók által észlelt más akadályok szerepét is mérsékelték az elégedettséghez képest, amikor lojálisnak mutatkoztak a szolgáltató vállalat iránt, így lojalitás inkább bizonyult a saját vállalat iránt érzett kötődés, jelen esetben a bizalom eredményének. A váltási költségek hatása a fogyasztói lojalitásra a vállalat iránti bizalomhoz képest jelentősen kisebb, azonban szignifikáns a három vizsgált dimenzióból kettőben. Illetve a váltási költségek kis mértékben képesek a bizalom szerepét is csökkenteni. Az észlelt akadályozó tényezők tehát szintén hozzájárulnak, hogy a fogyasztók fenntartsák kapcsolatukat a szolgáltató vállalattal, valamint hogy preferálást, kedvező attitűdöket érezzenek a szolgáltató vállalat irányába

Mobile phone usage and device selection of university students

Nowadays, what can be identified as info-communication age, the mobile phone became a determinant technical device in life. I studied the mobile device selection criteria and usage habits of university students with a non-representative research. The results show that the price, look and shape of the device are more important than the available applications or brand. Technical parameters have more importance, like good battery and durability. Mobile phones have determinant importance for the young, and they rather use it more in public situations or places, than in private ones. The time-management applications are used more often than other information based ones. They use clock, alarm clock and calendar most often, while sound recorder and Internet are used most rarely.marketing, technology, economic sociology

A fogyasztói lojalitás előzményei a magyar mobiltelefonos szolgáltatási piacon – A bizalom szerepe (Antecedents of the consumer loyalty in the Hungarian telecommunication market – the role of trust)

A fogyasztói lojalitás kritikus versenyelőnynek számít a szolgáltatóknak a telekommunikációs szektorban, ahol a piac növekedésének lassulásával és az erősödő piaci verseny folytán a vállalatoknak inkább a fogyasztók megtartására kell fókuszálniuk. Egyre fontosabbá vált és válik a piaci részesedés, illetve a már meglévő ügyfelek megtartása, mivel az új ügyfelek megszerzésének költsége és nehézsége is megnőtt. Az ügyfelek megtartásához ki kell vívni a hosszú távú kapcsolat fenntartását, vagyis a fogyasztók lojalitását. A korábbi marketing-irodalomban a fogyasztók elégedettségének szerepe a lojalitás kialakításában vitathatatlan, azonban felmerül a kérdés, hogy mennyire közvetlen ez a hatás. Így érdemes megvizsgálni, mint közvetítő változónak az elégedettség és lojalitás között, a fogyasztói bizalom szerepét is a fogyasztói lojalitás formálódásában. A szerző empirikus kutatásának eredményei azt támasztják alá, hogy a fogyasztói elégedettség hatása a fogyasztói lojalitásra nem feltétlenül közvetlen, hanem a fogyasztói bizalom játszik közvetítő szerepet, és a bizalom a fogyasztói lojalitás erősebb indikátorának bizonyult, mint egyedül az elégedettség. / === / The consumer loyalty is a crucial competitive advantage in the telecommunication sector, which has a decreasing growth rate and increasing market competition, so the companies should focus on the consumer retention. The market share and the retention of present consumers become more and more important, because both the cost and the difficulty of the acquisition of new consumers are increased. The previous marketing literature states that the role of satisfaction in loyalty is evident, but the effect is not necessary a direct one. Worth to examine the role of consumer trust in loyalty creation, where trust is a mediator variable between satisfaction and loyalty. The author’s empirical results suggest the direct effect of satisfaction on loyalty is not necessary direct, but indirect, where the consumer trust is the link. The effect of trust on loyalty is higher than the satisfaction alone

EFFECTS OF THE CUSTOMS UNION ON COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE OF TURKISH MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of the customs union (CU) on the comparative advantage of the Turkish manufacturing industry for the period 1988 to 2008. The revealed comparative advantage is analyzed with respect to twelve old European Union countries (EU) and the enlarged EU with the inclusion of new member states. In this study, both the effects of the CU and the enlargement process of the EU are analyzed using the panel data estimation method covering 45 cross-section units by taking into account that domestic factors of Turkey’s comparative advantage, real effective exchange rates, and a manufacturing sector wage index. The results show that the CU and wages has created a positive effect on Turkey’s comparative advantage. However, real exchange rates created negative effects for the comparative advantage of Turkish industry due to the appreciation of the Turkish Lira throughout the time period

Bio-inspired design of a kinetic node for adaptable structures

Thesis (Master)--İzmir Institute Of Technology, Architecture, İzmir, 2011Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 112-119)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishxiii, 119 leavesThe architectural design should no longer consider just in terms of today's demands, but also the life cycle and the further requirements of the built environment. The design process should consider the adaptation to the changing conditions which can be in terms of the building usage, environmental factors or even in the changes ofsociological demands. Rapid change in activities of modern society and building technologies, has led to the need for adaptable spaces. Those spaces can be obtained by the adaptable structures which have potential for using our resources in efficient way and also for responding to the era's needs. This can be achieved with kinetic structural systems and learning adaptable structures from nature.Nature has always inspired humanity by solving the basic needs with minimum material and sustainable solutions. Observation of nature enables architects and engineers familiar with highly developed structures and lead to the creation of new forms. The designs that are produced by learning from nature lead to practical engineering solutions in terms of sustainability. The aim of this research is to propose a joint; kinetic node with multidisciplinary approach. This kinetic node is designed by inspiring from the minimum energy shape configurations and the structural orders in natural structures especially the cell membrane and analyzing the joining details of space truss structural systems and the geometric principles of Bricard linkage mechanism. This new kinetic node gives capability to construct variable static and dynamic structural systems while constructing in different structural orders

Sectoral agglomeration economies and their effects on regional convergence in Turkey

Ekonomik kalkınma, ülkelerin gerçekleştirmek istedikleri en önemi amaçlardan birisidir. Ancak ülke içinde bazı bölgeler, sahip oldukları ekonomik, coğrafi, sosyal ve kültürel avantajlar nedeniyle diğerlerinden daha hızlı büyümektedir. Sanayi kuruluşları bazı bölgeleri özellikle tercih ettikleri için, yığılma ekonomileri yaratmaktadır. İktisat literatüründe yığılma ekonomilerinin bölgesel kalkınmaya etkileri konusunda iki farklı görüş mevcuttur: 'Bir bölgede yığılma, komşu bölgelerin de kalkınmasına katkı sağlar' ya da 'Yığılmalar, ekonomik kaynakları belli bir bölgeye çekerek komşu bölgelerin geri kalmasına neden olur'. Kişi başına düşen milli gelir, ekonomik kalkınmanın en önemli göstergelerinden birisidir. İller, bölgeler ya da ülkeler arasındaki milli gelir farklılıkları, iktisadi faaliyetlerin belli mekanlarda yoğunlaştığı fikrini desteklemektedir. Bölgeler arasındaki bu gelir farklılıklarının zamanla azalıp azalmayacağını araştırmak için, yakınsama analizleri yapılmaktadır. Bu tezin temel amacı, Türkiye'de iller bazında yığılma ekonomilerini hesaplamak ve yığılma ekonomilerinin bölgesel yakınsamaya etkilerini araştırmaktır. Bu amaçla, öncelikle 1993'2001 dönemini kapsayan ISIC Rev 3 bazında iki basamaklı olarak sınıflandırılan imalat sanayi verileri kullanılarak, her bir il için üretim, katma değer ve istihdam verileri ile Herfindahl, Gini ve Lokasyon yöntemleriyle yığılma katsayıları hesaplanmıştır. Daha sonra, elde edilen bu katsayılarla, GMM ve LSDV tahmin yöntemleriyle yakınsama analizleri yapılmıştır. Tahmin sonuçlarına göre, yığılma ekonomilerinin, iller arasındaki yakınsamayı olumsuz etkilediği ortaya çıkmıştır. Komşu illerin büyümeleri, yakınsamayı olumlu yönde etkilerken, komşu illerin imalat sanayi yığılmaları, yakınsamayı olumsuz etkilemektedir. Bölge içi analizlere göre, Güneydoğu Anadolu ve Karadeniz bölgelerinde benzer sonuçlar elde edilmiştir. Yığılma ekonomilerinin, bölgeler arası yakınsama üzerinde de anlamlı bir etkisi bulunamamıştır. Sonuç olarak, bölgesel kalkınma politikalarının hazırlanmasında, belli bölgeler üzerinde uzmanlaşma ve yoğunlaşmanın, komşu bölgeleri geriletici etkileri olabileceği göz önünde bulundurulmalıdır.Economic development, for any country, is one of the most important objectives to achieve. However, some regions with better economical, geographical, social and cultural advantages grow faster than the others. Industries are located particularly in certain regions creating agglomeration economies. Two opposite views exist in the literature, related to the impact of agglomeration economies on regional development: 'Agglomeration in one region contributes to the development of the surrounding regions' or 'Agglomeration in one region attracts all economic resources there, causing the backwardness of the neighboring regions'. Per capita income is the major indicator of economic development. The differences in per capita income among districts, regions or countries support the idea that economic activities are concentrated in certain locations. Convergence analyses are carried out in order to investigate whether the income differentials would lessen by time. The main objective of this thesis is to measure initially the agglomeration economies in Turkish districts and then to find out the impact of agglomeration economies on regional convergence. For that purpose, firstly, Herfindahl Index, Gini Coefficient and Location Quotient are calculated for manufacturing industries in each district by using the production, value added and employment data classified under ISIC Rev 3 for the period 1993-2001. Then, convergence analyses are done by using these coefficients by employing GMM and LSDV estimation methods. The estimation results reveal that agglomeration influences the convergence among districts negatively. Economic growth of neighboring districts has positive effects but agglomeration in surrounding districts has negative effects on convergence. According to convergence analyses within the regions, similar results are obtained for the districts in Southern Anatolia and Black Sea regions. Finally agglomeration economies do not seem to affect regional convergence. It can be concluded that the negative factors arisen from concentration of industries in certain regions are needed to be taken into account in designing regional development policies

LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY, REAL WAGES AND UNEMPLOYMENT: AN APPLICATION OF BOUNDS TEST APPROACH FOR TURKEY

This study investigates the relationship between labour productivity, average real wages, and the unemployment rate by employing the bounds testing procedure within an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modeling approach and applies Toda-Yamamoto causality test for the period 2007:01−2016:04. The results indicate that real wages and unemployment have a significant and positive long-run impact on labour productivity. While a long-run wage–productivity elasticity of 0.97 supports the efficiency wage theorem and the unemployment-productivity elasticity of 0.53 indicates that workers increase efforts to secure jobs. Therefore, a rise in real wages and unemployment may induce higher productivity by raising the costs and probability of job loss, respectively, which implies rigidity in Turkish labour market.Furthermore, the causality tests provide evidence for the effect of a high and persistent unemployment rate on the Turkish economy, where unemployment affected both labour productivity and real wages. While a bi-directional causality was found between labour productivity and unemployment, a unilateral causality was observed between unemployment and real wages. Unemployment causes real wages, but there is no evidence of reversal causation