Destination marketing organizations’ social media usage: a research on Balkan countries

Social media has fundamentally reshaped the way tourism related information is distributed and the way people plan for and consume travel. Since social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and Trip Advisor began allowing businesses to create profiles and become active members, businesses have started incorporating these strategies into their marketing efforts. For Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) have used these sites to promote special offers, for customer service and strengthen their existing brands; however, little is known about how DMOs are taking advantage of the social media marketing popularity. The aim of this study is to explore the usage of social media among the DMOs of Balkan countries through a content analysis of Balkan countries’ official web site profiles,. Also this study examines how social media is being used by the DMOs to enhance their brands and to reach potential visitf1ors. This study confirms the growing importance of social media in the online tourism domain and mostly DMOs use only Facebook and Twitter as a social media tools. Solely having a profile will not in itself increase awareness. DMOs should use more social networking sites to communicate with their consumers and give them the ability to broadcast opinions about service

eWOM: the effects of online consumer reviews on purchasing decision of electronic goods

Internet has become the primary source of information for a large number of consumers and it has dramatically changed the consumer behaviour. One of the main changes in modern consumer behaviour has been the transition from a passive to an active and informed consumer. Internet enables customers to share their opinions on, and experiences with, goods and services with a multitude of other consumers. Online consumer reviews are used by prospective buyers of related products who are interested in obtaining more information from people who have purchased and used a product of interest. Word-of-mouth (WOM) is one of the most important information sources when a consumer is making a purchase decision. The arrival and expansion of the Internet has extended consumers' options for gathering product information by including other consumers' comments, posted on the Internet, and has provided consumers opportunities to offer their own consumption-related advice by engaging in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). eWOM can be defined as all informal communications directed at consumers through Internet-based technology related to the usage or characteristics of particular goods and services, or their sellers. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of, one type of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), the online consumer review, on purchasing decision of electronic products. This empirical study also focuses on the relationship between reviews and purchasing behaviour. An instrument was prepared to measure the proposed constructs, with questionnaire items taken from prior studies but adapted to fit the context of e-commerce. The survey was applied to academicians in Turkey through internet. The data was analyzed using the SPSS package. The results show that consumer reviews have a causal impact on consumer purchasing behaviour and they have an effect on choosing the products by consumer. Finally, the results and their implications are discussed

eWOM: The Effects of Online Consumer Reviews On Purchasing Decision

Internet has become the primary source of information for a large number of consumers and it has dramatically changed the consumer behaviour. The arrival and expansion of the internet has extended consumers’ options for gathering product information by including other consumers’ comments, posted on the internet, and has provided consumers opportunities to offer their own consumption-related advice by engaging in electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). The aim of this study is to assess the impact of, one type of e-WOM, the online consumer review, on purchasing decision. This empirical study also focuses on the relationship between reviews and purchasing behaviour. The results show that consumer reviews have a causal impact on consumer purchasing behaviour and they have an effect on choosing the products by consumer. Finally, the results and their implications are discussed

The evaluation of thermal hotels' online reviews

Th e main objective of this study was to evaluate the perceptions related to the online user reviews of thermal hotels. Specifi cally, it was investigated whether perceptions towards value (V), location (L), sleep quality (SQ), rooms (R), cleanliness (C), service (S) and factors infl uencing general evaluation depend on the star numbers of hotels, the location of the hotels and the nationalities of participants. In order to obtain data on perceptions of consumers towards thermal hotels in Turkey, the web site Trip Advisor (TA) was used. In total, 2,895 user reviews about thermal accommodations on TA were assessed by content analysis method. According to the study results, it was determined that the most important factor was the cleanliness of the hotels. It was followed by the location, sleep quality, rooms and service. Th e value factor was the last important. To analyse the eff ect of the nationality of the participants, domestic and foreign visitors, stars and the location of the accommodation on the perceptions towards value, location, sleep quality, rooms, cleanliness and service, t test and one-way ANOVA method were performed. It was found that the perceptions towards value, location, sleep quality, rooms, cleanliness and service diff ered between domestic and foreign visitors, nationalities, location and 4 or 5-star

Phase Transition in Compact QED(3) and the Josephson Junction

We study the finite temperature phase transition in 2+1 dimensional compact QED and its dual theory: Josephson junction. Duality of these theories at zero temperature was established long time ago by Hosotani. Phase transition in compact QED is well studied and we employ the `duality' to study the superconductivity phase transition in a Josephson junction. For a thick junction we obtain a critical temperature in terms of the geometrical properties of the junction.Comment: 9 pages, discussion added about the role of the solitons. To appear in JHE

Factors Influencing Hotel Managers’ Perceptions Regarding the Use of Mobile Apps to Gain a Competitive Advantage

The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the opinions of hotel managers regarding the use of mobile applications in the hotel industry and to analyse the influence of these applications on a hotel’s perceived competitive advantage. Factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed to analyse the data collected from 106 hotel managers in Turkey. The results of the study indicate that the factors connection and assistance had a significant impact on hotel managers’ perceived competitive advantage. The findings of this study, one of the few that have examined managers’ attitudes toward the use of mobile apps in the hotel industry, provide valuable information that will help to guide technology vendors and software companies that develop mobile apps for hotel

An investigation of acute effects at various doses of malathion on glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in rat liver, pancreas and serum

Objective. This study investigates acute effects of various doses of Malathion on glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance in rat. Methods. Rats were randomly divided into four groups of 6 animals each. Corn oil was given orally to Group 1. Group 2, Group 3, and Group 4 received malathion dissolved in corn oil via oral administration at the doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively. 24 hours later the rats were sacrificed. Results. Acute administration of Malathion led to a decrease in serum butryl cholinesterase (BChE) levels at all doses tested. It also caused a significant increase in serum advanced glycation end products (AGEs), insulin, and TNF-α levels at all doses. Moreover, Malathion administration raised the liver ALT, AST and LDH, TNF-α, and glycogen levels in a dose dependent manner. It also led to a remarkable increase in pancreatic insulin levels at all doses. Conclusions. Acute administrations of Malathion affect glucose homeostasis in a dose dependent manner through its effects on the liver, serum, and pancreas

Sosyal medya kullanıcılarının konaklama tesi̇sleri̇ne yöneli̇k algılamaları: Pamukkale ve Karahayıt örneği̇

Bu çalışmanın amacı; Pamukkale ve Karahayıt destinasyonlarında bulunan konaklama tesislerine ait kullanıcı yorumlarının değerlendirilmesidir. Pamukkale ve Karahayıt destinasyonlarında bulunan konaklama tesislerinin tüketiciler tarafından nasıl algılandığını değerlendirmek amacıyla yapılan bu çalışmada, TripAdvisor (TA) seyahat yorum sitesinde yapılan yorumlar ele alınmış ve içerik analizi yöntemiyle değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırma kapsamında toplam 3.651 adet kullanıcı değerlendirmesinden 1.315 adet (%36) kullanıcı yorumu değerlendirilmiştir. Pamukkale ve Karahayıt destinasyonlarında bulunan konaklama tesisleri değerlendirmeleri incelendiğinde tüketiciler, en çok tesislerin bulunduğu yeri (konumu), ikinci sırada ise tesisin temizliğini beğenmektedirler, daha sonra sırasıyla değer (alınan hizmetle ödenen ücret arasındaki ilişki), hizmet, uyku kalitesi ve odalar boyutları gelmektedir. Tüketicilerin tesislere yönelik genel değerlendirme boyutuna yönelik yorumlarına bakıldığında ise; % 40,2’si mükemmel, % 22,7’si çok iyi, % 18,6’sı ortalama, % 10,8’si kötü ve sadece % 7,7’si berbat olarak derecelendirdiği görülmektedir. Genel değerlendirme ile değer, yer, uyku kalitesi, odalar, temizlik ve hizmet arasındaki ilişki incelendiğinde genel değerlendirmeyi en iyi açıklayan değişkenin hizmet olduğu, ikinci olarak değer, üçüncü olarak odalar, dördüncü olarak temizlik ve son olarak uyku kalitesinin geldiği görülmektedir

The evaluation of thermal hotels\u27 online reviews

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the perceptions related to the online user reviews of thermal hotels. Specifically, it was investigated whether perceptions towards value (V), location (L), sleep quality (SQ), rooms (R), cleanliness (C), service (S) and factors influencing general evaluation depend on the star numbers of hotels, the location of the hotels and the nationalities of participants. In order to obtain data on perceptions of consumers towards thermal hotels in Turkey, the web site Trip Advisor (TA) was used. In total, 2,895 user reviews about thermal accommo-dations on TA were assessed by content analysis method. According to the study results, it was determined that the most important factor was the cleanliness of the hotels. It was followed by the location, sleep quality, rooms and service. The value factor was the last important. To analyse the effect of the nationality of the participants, domestic and foreign visitors, stars and the location of the accommodation on the perceptions towards value, location, sleep quality, rooms, cleanliness and service, t test and one-way ANOVA method were performed. It was found that the perceptions towards value, location, sleep quality, rooms, cleanliness and service differed between domestic and foreign visitors, nationalities, location and 4 or 5-star

Academic Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Turkish and American Ph.D Students: A Comparative Study

The aim of the research is to comparatively investigate the opinions of students in doctoral education in the USA and Turkey about academic self-efficacy. The research used the basic qualitative research pattern from among qualitative research designs. The study group in the research comprised a total of 32 doctoral students with 16 from Turkey and 16 from the USA. Of these students, 25 were male (78%) and 7 were female (22%). With the aim of determining the participant group, criterion sampling was used from the targeted sampling methods. A semi-structured interview form was used to gather data in the research. For analysis of data, the content analysis technique was used. It has been determined by the results obtained from the study that Turkish and American students have similar goals to attend a Ph.D program in some respect and they have a high level of academic self-efficacy belief (ASEB) in using the relevant terminology and reaching the literature. In addition, it has been determined that Turkish students have a weaker academic self- efficacy belief than American students in respect of using scientific research methods and qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques