Evaluation of Customer Loyalty Implementations By Consumers

In these times of increasing competition, customer loyalty is a concept which is critically important for businesses. Now it is more advantageous to keep existing customers rather than gaining new ones. Companies arrange various campaigns to actualise this. However, customer loyalty is not something that can be attained just by certain activities. Numerous factors such as the quality of the service provided to customers, product quality, process improvements, service speed, behaviours of company employees, etc. are critically important for customer loyalty. Within the scope of this study, consumers were asked what businesses should do to gain customer loyalty. The factors necessary for attaining customer loyalty from their perspective were listed. For this purpose, a questionnaire was administered to 300 people, and the findings obtained were subjected to variance analysis, crosstabs and correlation analyses. According to the results obtained, businesses should keep the promises they make and offer warranty for their products in order to gain customer loyalty. Consumers volunteer to do word-of-mouth marketing for those companies that meet these needs, and thus customer loyalty is ensured

Correlation between the findings of expiratory high resolution computed tomography, respiratory function tests and tracheal index in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Objectives: In this study we aimed to investigate the relationship between expiratory HRCT findings, tracheal index (TI) and pulmonary function tests in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Materials and methods: Sixty patients diagnosed with COPD in our hospital, department of pulmonary medicine, and 65 subjects complaining of cough with normal pulmonary function tests as a control group were enrolled in the study. All subjects were evaluated with HRCT. HRCT and pulmonary function tests were performed in same day and FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC values were recorded. Pearson Chi-Square, Independent Samples T test, and Mann Whitney U test were used for statistical evaluation.Results: Subjects’ mean age was 55.44±10.22 years. Bronchiectasis, bronchial wall thickening, emphysema, centrilobular bronchiolar thickening and air trapping were significantly higher in COPD group than control group. In patient group, TI values were lower than control group (p < 0.001). Also there was moderate negative relationship between TI and age (p = 0.00, r = -0.48).Conclusions: Expiratory HRCT findings and TI values show various degrees of relationship with pulmonary function test results in patients with COPD. Despite normal pulmonary function tests, pathological changes can be detected in expiratory HRCT scan

A research on social network websites as a marketing communication channel

Nowadays, as a result of rapid change in the informatics and the communication technologies consumers have begun to spend much more time on websites. In parallel with this change, firms adapted their marketing, sale, distribution and promotion facilities onto online platform. Thus the number of the consumers shopping on virtual platform is increasing day by day. Social network websites as a type of virtual communities present an important potential in attaining consumers shopping on virtual platform. The main purpose of this study is to determine the tendency of shopping websites operating in similar product and service categories to use the social networks as a type of virtual communities. For this purpose, the sharing updates of “Limango”, “Trendyol” ve “Markafoni shopping websites that operate on the electronic platform were investigated through content analysis method according to the determined evaluation criteria. In the content analysis, sharing status of Limango, Trendyol and Markafoni websites between 15 March and the 15 April 2011 has been considered. Using the electronic business to customer (e-b2c) strategy which is a type of target market strategy and operating in the similar product and service categories are the main factors to prefer concerned websites. According to the findings of this study, it was revealed that the concerned websites are effectively using social network platform as a marketing communication channel. It has also determined that the campaign and discount opportunities of the products are especially advertised on Facebook and Trendyol use the social networks more effective compared to the other online shopping websites.Günümüzde bilişim ve iletişim teknolojilerindeki hızlı değişim sonucunda tüketiciler web sitelerinde çok daha fazla zaman geçirmeye başladılar. Bu değişime paralel olarak firmalar pazarlama, satış, dağıtım ve tanıtım olanaklarını online platforma uyarlamışlardır. Böylece sanal platformda alışveriş yapan tüketici sayısı gün geçtikçe artmaktadır. Bir tür sanal topluluk olarak sosyal ağ siteleri, sanal platformda alışveriş yapan tüketicilere ulaşmada önemli bir potansiyel sunmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, benzer ürün ve hizmet kategorilerinde faaliyet gösteren alışveriş sitelerinin sosyal ağları bir tür sanal topluluk olarak kullanma eğilimlerini belirlemektir. Bu amaçla “Limango” nun paylaşım güncellemelerini, Elektronik platformda faaliyet gösteren “Trendyol” ve “Markafoni alışveriş siteleri, belirlenen değerlendirme kriterlerine göre içerik analizi yöntemiyle incelenmiştir. İçerik analizinde, 15 Mart - 15 Nisan 2011 tarihleri arasında Limango, Trendyol ve Markafoni web sitelerinin paylaşım statüsü göz önünde bulundurulmuştur. Elektronik işletmeyi, bir hedef pazar stratejisi türü olan ve benzer ürün ve hizmet kategorilerinde faaliyet gösteren müşteriye (e-b2c) stratejisini kullanmak, ilgili web sitelerini tercih etmenin ana faktörleridir. Bu araştırmanın bulgularına göre, söz konusu web sitelerinin sosyal ağ platformunu etkili bir şekilde pazarlama iletişimi kanalı olarak kullandıkları ortaya çıktı

The effects of servicescape on the emotional states and behavioural responses of hotel guests

The aim of this paper is to reveal the influence of servicescape of hotel businesses on the emotional states and behavioural responses of guests. Data collected from 211 participants, was tested by using Regression Analysis to determine the interaction among identified variables (servicescape, emotional states and behavioural responses). It was found that the servicescape component had a positive effect on behavioural responses, and emotional states of guests played a mediating role between servicescape and behavioural response components. It is important to determine what kind of emotional states along with the influence of servicescape result in behavioural changes in hotels. Hence, determining the emotional states that individuals experience in hotels will make it possible to design a servicescape by considering those emotional states

Radioprotective profile of Urtica dioica L. seed extract on oxidative DNA-damage in liver tissue and whole blood of radiation-administered rats

It was aimed to investigate the radioprotective activity of Urtica dioica L. seed extract (UDSE) in the whole blood and liver of radiation-administered rats, both biochemically and immunohistochemically. 32 rats were divided into 4 groups (n:8). Control group (C): no administration for 10 days. Radiation group (IR): fed pellets for 10 days after exposure to radiation. Radiation + UDSE (IR+UDSE) group: exposed to radiation and fed UDSE for 10 days. UDSE group (UDSE): fed UDSE for 10 days. Radiation (5Gy) was given as a single fraction. 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and deoxyguanosine (dG) levels were analyzed by biochemical method and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx-1) analyses were performed by immunohistochemical method in the liver and blood tissues of the rats. The increased 8-OHdG rates and decreased GPx-1 immunoreactivity was observed in the IR group. Those parameters were ameliorated in the IR+UDSE group when compared to the IR group. UDSE is likely to be a valuable radioprotector against the harmful effects of radiation

Izrada školskog kurikula za kolegij Nastavna načela i metode

The purpose of this study is to develop a school-based curriculum for the Teaching principles and methods course. The study was designed as action research. In this context, the implementation process was carried out in a 14-week period with the participation of 36 sophomore students taking the Teaching principles and methods course at a State University, Faculty of Education, Department of Classroom Teaching, in the fall semester of the academic year 2014/2015. Observations, interviews and document analysis were used to collect data. According to the findings, it was observed that the problems encountered in the implementation process were mainly associated with the insufficiency of the time allocated to the course for all learning outcomes in the guideline draft that directed the action plans, the functional implementation of peer assessment process, and the seating arrangement within the group. Most of these problems were tackled in the action research process so that the difficulties that students had during the course decreased, while the number of participants who found the implementations satisfactory increased.Cilj je ovog istraživanja izraditi školski kurikul za kolegij Nastavna načela i metode primjenom dizajna akcijskog istraživanja. U tom kontekstu provedba istraživanja trajala je 14 tjedana, a u njemu je sudjelovalo 36 studenata druge godine Učiteljskog fakulteta Državnog sveučilišta, smjera Razredna nastava, koji su pohađali kolegij Nastavna načela i metode u zimskom semestru akademske godine 2014./2015. Promatranje, intervju i analiza dokumenata koristili su se za prikupljanje podataka. Na temelju rezultata uočeno je da su problemi koji su se pojavili u procesu provedbe uglavnom povezani s nedovoljnom količinom vremena planiranog za kolegij kako bi se ostvarili svi ishodi navedeni u smjernicama koje su određivale akcijski plan, funkcionalnu provedbu kolegijalne evaluacije i raspored sjedenja za vrijeme nastave. Većina tih problema spomenuta je tijekom akcijskog istraživanja, pa je umanjen broj poteškoća s kojima su se studenti susretali tijekom kolegija, a broj se sudionika koji su smatrali da je njegova provedba zadovoljavajuća povećao

Global Multimedia Collaboration System

In order to build an integrated collaboration system over heterogeneous collaboration technologies, we propose a Global Multimedia Collaboration System (Global-MMCS) based on XGSP A/V Web-Services framework. This system can integrate multiple A/V services, and support various collaboration clients and communities. Now the prototype is being developed and deployed across many universities in USA and China

Consumer perceptions of education-based corporate social responsibility campaigns

Bu çalışmanın amacı, eğitim destekli kurumsal sosyal sorumluluk kampanyalarının tüketici bakış açısıyla değerlendirilmesidir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda çalışmada kurumsal sosyal sorumluluk kavramı açıklanmakta ve özellikle eğitimle ilgili yapılan sosyal sorumluluk kampanyaları değerlendirilmektedir. Araştırmanın evrenini Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesinde öğrenim gören önlisans, lisans ve yüksek lisans düzeyindeki öğrenciler oluşturmaktadır. Anket formu, örneklemin tüm gruplar için eşik (sınır) değeri olan n=384 sayısının üzerine çıkılarak 451 kişiye uygulanmıştır. Anket yöntemiyle toplanan veriler, frekans-yüzde analiziyle değerlendirilmiş, katılımcıların konuya ilişkin görüşleri ile demografik özelliklerinin karşılaştırılmasında ilişkisiz ölçümler için “t-testi” ve “Varyans (ANOVA) Analizi”nden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırmada elde edilen sonuçlara göre, tüketiciler Kurumsal Sosyal Sorumluluk faaliyetleri yürüten işletmelerin amacının müşteri kazanmak ve imajlarını yükseltmek olduğunu düşünmektedirler. Bununla birlikte; işletmelerin amacı ne olursa olsun tüketiciler bu faaliyetleri destekleme eğilimindedir.The main purpose of this study is to evaluate education supported corporate social responsibility campaigns from customers’ point of view. Within this scope, corporate social responsibility notion has been explained and especially education based social responsibility campaigns have been evaluated. The population of the study was constituted from the undergraduate students which study in Afyon Kocatepe University. The survey implementation was conducted through 451 participants, which is above the threshold (limit) value of the sample determined in the research, which was n=384. Data obtained in the research were analyzed by using frequency-percentage distribution, arithmetical average and standard deviation values. By using varimax rotation and principal components method, confirming factor analysis was applied in order to determine the representation level of expressions about considerations aimed at social responsibility campaigns supporting education. For statistical comparison of participants’ opinions and their demographic characteristics, independent measurements “t-test” and “Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)” were used. According to the results, customers thought that socially responsible firms’ basic aims are to gain new customers and to enhance their image. However, consumers tend to support these attempts anyho

Analysis of factors related to consumers’ purchasing intention: a study on Afyon delight

Son yıllarda gelişen teknoloji ile birlikte mal ve hizmet çeşitliliğinde artış gözlenmektedir. Bu artış ile birlikte işletmeler, benzer özellikler gösteren mal ve hizmetlerin ayırt edilebilmesi için markalaşma yoluna gitmektedir. İşletmelerin markalaşma yolunda başarılı olabilmesi için tüketicilerin markaya güven duyması gerekmektedir. Bunu sağlayabilen markalar tercih edilebilir hale gelecek ve işletme açısından marka sadakati sağlanmış olacaktır. Marka sadakati oluşan tüketiciler ise işletmeye bağlılık duyacak ve satın alma davranışını sürekli hale getirecektir. Bu çalışmada marka güveni, marka tercihi, marka sadakati ve fiyat bilinci faktörleri ile tüketici satın alma niyeti arasındaki ilişki araştırılmaktadır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda 548 tüketici üzerine bir anket çalışması gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler ışığında marka sadakati, güveni, tercihi ve fiyat bilinci ile satın alma niyeti arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Ayrıca yapılan analizler neticesinde satın alma niyetinin cinsiyet, yaş, gelir düzeyi, medeni durum gibi demografik değişkenlere göre farklılaşmadığı anlaşılmıştır.In recent years, there has been an increase in the variety of goods and services with the developing technology. With this increase, businesses go to branding in order to distinguish goods and services with similar characteristics. In order for businesses to be successful in branding, consumers need to trust the brand. Brands that can provide this will become preferable and brand loyalty will be ensured in terms of business. Consumers with brand loyalty will be loyal to the business and will make their purchasing behavior permanent. In this study, the relationship between brand trust, brand preference, brand loyalty and price awareness factors and consumer purchase intention is investigated. For this purpose, a survey study was conducted on 548 consumers. In the light of the data obtained, it has been revealed that there is a significant relationship between brand loyalty, trust, preference, price awareness and purchase intention. In addition, as a result of the analyses made, it was understood that the purchase intention did not differ according to demographic variables such as gender, age, income level, marital status

Peer-to-Peer Grids

We describe Peer-to-Peer Grids built around Integration of technologies from the peer-to-peer and Grid fields. We focus on the role of Web services linked by a powerful event service using uniform XML interfaces and application level routing. We describe how a rich synchronous and asynchronous collaboration environment can support virtual communities built on top of such infrastructure. Universal access mechanisms are discussed