Promoting Strategies and Its Ethical Aspect: An Application in the Pharmaceutical Industry

This study aims to reveal the strategies followed in the pharmaceutical industry, their ethical aspect and the image effect of the pharmaceutical companies on doctors’ prescribing habits.  The image of pharmaceutical companies, their contact with stakeholders in the sector, the strategies they follow, their representatives’ and managers’ honesty and reliability are seen vital for the doctor and the pharmacists called on. Besides, due to the competition in the pharmaceutical industry, promoting strategies have become crucial. It is important to take the ethical aspect into consideration in this process. In the study, frequency analysis is conducted. The data is collected from doctors, pharmacists, managers and representatives in pharmaceutical companies working in the four different cities in Turkey. Results of the study reveal that; attention-grabbing small promotional items are the most frequently used promoting tools;  pharmaceutical presentation is one of the most important promoting strategies that companies consider its ethical aspect in their marketing activities; drug samples are used by the patient; medical training is important for all the stakeholders in the industry; companies are giving more importance to promoting activities; goal-oriented marketing trends are rising; public relations enable the communication between the stakeholders; patient-centred view plays role in determining the promoting strategies; professionalism and honesty of the managers & representatives, and also the image of the company play role in doctors’ prescribing habits. Keywords: Pharmaceutical industry, promoting, ethics, marketing strategies

Protective effects of hyperbaric oxygen and iloprost on ischemia/reperfusion-induced lung injury in a rabbit model

Durakoglugil, Emre/0000-0001-5268-4262; Dokumcu, Z/0000-0002-4996-7824; YILMAZ, Yeliz/0000-0003-1811-122X; Bozok, Sahin/0000-0002-1256-5055WOS: 000307333500001PubMed: 22676276Background: the role of multiorgan damage in the mortality caused by ischemic limb injury is still not clarified. the objective of this study was to examine the potential protective effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and iloprost (IL) therapy on lung damage induced by limb ischemia/reperfusion injury in a rabbit model, using both biochemical and histopathological aspects. Methods: Forty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly allocated into one of five study groups: HBO group (single session of HBO treatment); IL group (25 ng/kg/min infusion of IL); HBO + IL group (both HBO and IL); Control group (0.9% saline only); and a sham group. Acute hind limb ischemia-reperfusion was established by clamping the abdominal aorta for 1 h. HBO treatment and IL infusion were administrated during 60 min of ischemia and 60 min of reperfusion period. Blood pH, partial pressure of oxygen, partial pressure of carbon dioxide and levels of bicarbonate, sodium, potassium, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were determined at the end of the reperfusion period. Malondialdehyde was measured in the plasma and lung as an indicator of free radicals. After sacrifice, left lungs were removed and histopathological examination determined the degree of lung injury. Results: in the control group, blood partial pressure of oxygen and bicarbonate levels were significantly lower and creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, malondialdehyde and tumor necrosis factor-a levels were significantly higher than those of the HBO group, IL group, HBO + IL group and sham group. Similarly, the malondialdehyde levels in the lung tissue and plasma levels were significantly lower in the treatment groups compared with the control group. the extent of lung injury according to the histological findings was significantly higher in the control group. Conclusions: These results suggest that both HBO and IL therapies and their combination might be effectively used in the prevention of lung injury after ischemia/reperfusion injury of the lower extremities

The influence of alcohol related accidents on health care cost

Introduction: Road traffic accidents are globally leading causes of mortality and morbidity. Alcohol is among the most frequently used pleasure-inducing substances in the world. Use of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol is completely illegal in some countries. However, it is allowed up to a certain level of eth- anol in blood in other countries. Traffic accidents caused by alcohol consumption are known to cause more harmonhealthofindividuals.Thealcoholaffectsnervoussystem. Alcoholslowsreflexesandimpairsbalance. In other words, alcohol intake reduces capability of individuals while using any motor vehicle. This study aims to search the health care cost of individuals who had traffic accidents under the influence of alcohol.  Methods: This present study included 657 patients who were admitted to the E.R. resulting from traffic accidents between the dates 01.01.2017–01.06.2017. Demographic information of the patients, their time of hospital admission, medical analyses and examinations, the cost of those analyses and examinations, and their ethanol levels were recorded.  Results: 657 patients were included in the study. 460 (68.1) of those patients were males. Their age average was 35.57 ± 15.18. 61 (9.0%) of the patients were seen to have ethanol positive blood. The health care expenditures of ethanol positive patients were found to be 374,75 ± 251,3 TL whereas the expenditures of ethanol free patients were identified to be 283,17 ± 222,72 TL. The health care expenditures of ethanol positive patients were seen to have substantially increased. (p = 0,003).  Conclusions: Alcohol intake is known to be a leading cause of traffic accidents that generally results in deaths and heavy injuries. This present study displays that traffic accidents caused by alcohol consumption increases the cost of health care as well.

First-line treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer

Fluoropyrimidine+cisplatin/oxaliplatin+trastuzumab therapy is recommended for the first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma. However, there is no comprehensive study on which platinum-based treatment should be preferred. This study aimed to compare the treatment response and survival characteristics of patients with HER2-positive metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer who received fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and leucovorin (mFOLFOX)+trastuzumab or cisplatin and fluorouracil (CF)+trastuzumab as first-line therapy. It was a multicenter, retrospective study of the Turkish Oncology Group, which included 243 patients from 21 oncology centers. There were 113 patients in the mFOLFOX+trastuzumab arm and 130 patients in the CF+trastuzumab arm. The median age was 62 years in the mFOLFOX+trastuzumab arm and 61 years in the CF+trastuzumab arm (P = 0.495). 81.4% of patients in the mFOLFOX+trastuzumab arm and 83.1% in the CF+trastuzumab arm had gastric tumor localization (P = 0.735). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly higher in the mFOLFOX+trastuzumab arm (9.4 months vs. 7.3 months, P = 0.024). The median overall survival (OS) was similar in both groups (18.4 months vs. 15.1 months, P = 0.640). Maintenance trastuzumab was continued after chemotherapy in 101 patients. In this subgroup, the median OS was 23.3 months and the median PFS was 13.3 months. In conclusion, mFOLFOX+trastuzumab is similar to CF+trastuzumab in terms of the median OS, but it is more effective in terms of the median PFS in the first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastatic gastric and GEJ cancer. The choice of treatment should be made by considering the prominent toxicity findings of the chemotherapy regimens

The effect of technological competence, technological readiness and service ınnovation on consumer-based brand equity: A study on hotel businesses

Doktora TeziBu araştırmanın amacı otel işletmelerinde hizmet inovasyonunun, teknolojik yetkinliğin, ve teknolojiye hazır bulunuşluğun, tüketici-temelli marka denkliğine olan ilişkilerini araştırmaktır. Yeni bir marka denkliği modeli önermek için uluslararası beş yıldızlı zincir otellerde algılanan değer ve markaya duyulan güvenin, tüketici-temelli marka denkliğinin alt boyutları üzerindeki aracılık rolü incelenmiştir. Bu kapsam dahilindeki otel misafirlerinden çevrimiçi ve ayrıca fiziki olarak anket yanıtları alınmıştır. Öncelikle güvenirlik analizi uygulanmıştır. Sonrasında faktör analizi uygulanarak araştırmanın yapı geçerliliği test edilmiştir. Bu analizler açımlayıcı faktör analizi ve doğrulayıcı faktör analizi olmak üzere iki aşamada meydana gelmiştir. Ardından yapısal eşitlik modellemesi uygulanmıştır. Araştırma kapsamında 12 hipotez belirtilmiş; bunlardan dokuz tanesi gizli değişkenler arasındaki toplam etkiyi ölçerken diğer üç tanesi de aracılık ilişkisini önyükleme tekniğiyle ortaya koymuştur. Kurulan araştırma modelinde aracı değişken olan markaya duyulan güvenin, tüketici-temelli marka denkliğindeki değişkenlere olan etkilerinin oldukça fazla olduğu bulgular arasındadır. Teknoloji ve inovasyonunun, yani bu araştırmada bu varyasonları ölçen hizmet inovasyonu ve teknolojik yetkinlik gizil değişkenlerinin algılanan değere ve markaya duyulan güvene olan etkilerinin olumlu olduğu görülmektedir. Ayrıca diğer bir bağımsız değişken olan teknolojiye hazır bulunuşluğun da bu modele etkileri görülmüştür. Netice itibariyle uluslararası beş yıldızlı otel misafirleri üzerinde yürütülen araştırma kapsamında kurulan 12 hipotezin hepsi kabul edilmiştir. Araştırmanın, otel işletmelerine yönelik kayda değer sonuçlarla alana katkı sağlanması planlanmıştır. Bu doğrultuda araştırmanın sonunda otel yöneticilerine ve araştırmacılara konuyla ilgili öneriler sunulmuştur.The aim of this research is to investigate the relationships of service innovation, technological competence, and technology readiness to consumer-based brand equity in hotel businesses. In order to propose a new brand equity model, the mediating role of perceived value and brand trust in the sub-dimensions of consumer-based brand equity in international five-star chain hotels was examined. Survey responses were received from hotel guests within this scope, both online and physically. First of all, reliability analysis was applied. Afterward, the construct validity of the research was tested by applying factor analysis. These analyzes took place in two stages, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Then, structural equation modeling was applied. Within the scope of the research, 12 hypotheses were specified; nine of them measured the total effect between latent variables, while the other three revealed the mediation relationship with the bootstrapping technique. It is among the findings that the effects of brand trust, which is the mediating variable in the established research model, on the variables in consumer-based brand equity are highly significant. It was seen that the effects of technology and innovation, that is, the latent variables of service innovation and technological competence, which measure these variances in this study, on perceived value and brand trust are positive. In addition, the effects of technology readiness, which is another independent variable, on this model were also observed. As a result, all 12 hypotheses developed within the scope of the research conducted on international five-star hotel guests were accepted. The research is planned to contribute to the field with remarkable results for hotel businesses. In this direction, at the end of the research, suggestions were presented to hotel managers and researchers in regard to the subject

Analysis of International Hotels’ Social Media Strategies

The hospitality industry and customer behaviors are unceasingly due to technology. Social media is thoroughly used by many people globally today and is a primary digital form of communication that includes these developments regarding hospitality, which is discernible in the most recent way. Eminently, it is being browsed for recreation, providing notable information and promotion for businesses. Social media generates outstanding opportunities for corporations to run critical digital marketing strategies. One of the essential considerations of enterprises is to grow their sales volumes, and advertising on digital platforms is a much more operative approach than any other platform nowadays, so hotels are thriving to a great extent in that regard. Accordingly, in this descriptive research, how international hotel brands in Ankara use digital marketing for expanding their marketing activities within the framework of brand standards and to what extent the usage of such platforms is practical concerning their sales are analyzed by using the interview technique

Analysis of International Hotels’ Social Media Strategies

The hospitality industry and customer behaviors are unceasingly due to technology. Social media is thoroughly used by many people globally today and is a primary digital form of communication that includes these developments regarding hospitality, which is discernible in the most recent way. Eminently, it is being browsed for recreation, providing notable information and promotion for businesses. Social media generates outstanding opportunities for corporations to run critical digital marketing strategies. One of the essential considerations of enterprises is to grow their sales volumes, and advertising on digital platforms is a much more operative approach than any other platform nowadays, so hotels are thriving to a great extent in that regard. Accordingly, in this descriptive research, how international hotel brands in Ankara use digital marketing for expanding their marketing activities within the framework of brand standards and to what extent the usage of such platforms is practical concerning their sales are analyzed by using the interview technique

Hayrabolu Irrigation Scheme Information System

Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemleri (CBS) konumsal grafik ve grafik olmayan verilerin ortaklaşa çalıştığı ortamlar yaratarak sulama yönetimine karar vermede destek sağlayan en önemli araçlardan bir tanesidir. Bu çalışmada, sulama yönetiminekarar vermede destek sağlaması amacıyla, Hayrabolu sulama şebekesine ait CBS kullanılarak bir veritabanı oluşturulmasıamaçlanmıştır.Oluşturulanveritabanında şebekeye ait parsel, sulama kanalı ve drenaj kanallarına ait katmanlar yer almaktadır. ArcGIS Desktop programı yardımı ile oluşturulan parsel katmanına, yerleşimyeri, parsel no, parselsahibi, ekili bitki bilgileri girilirkensulama kanalıkatmanında, kanal adı,tipi, suladığı alan, kanaldebisi bilgileri ve drenaj kanalı katmanında ise drenaj kanalı isimleri ve uzunluk bilg ileri girilmiştir. Oluşturulanveritabanında, ArcGIS Desktop programınınsorgulama ve analiz özellikleri yardımı ile farklı analizler gerçekleştirilerek birlik yönetiminin iş yükü ve zaman kaybını en aza indirmek amaçlanmıştır.GIS (Geographical Information System)is a effective tool thatsupportirrigation managementfor decision makers and it generallyworksincooperation with graphical and ungraphical data. In context of this study, GIS database belonged to Hayrabolu IrrigationScheme waspurposed for helping irrigation management. Parcel, irrigation channeland drainage channel layers were createdinthisdatabase. The parcel data containslocationplace, parcel number, crop informationwere enteredin parcel layers. Also irrigationdata (channel name, channel type, irrigation area, channel flows)anddrainage data (channel name, channel length) are enteredinchannel and drainage layer respectively. This database ensure usthat different analysis opportunitywithquery and analysis features of ArcGIS Desktop software andoptionfor getting outputintype of maps andtableswith analysis result. This type databases are designedfor helping takemore right decisionandthey get attention from different users like researchers and managers by reasonof their strongfeature is about collecting numerous information in different type format

Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemlerinden Faydalanarak Hayrabolu Sulama Şebekesi Bilgi Sistemi

Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemleri (CBS) konumsal grafik ve grafik olmayan verilerin ortaklaşa çalıştığı ortamlar yaratarak sulama yönetimine karar vermede destek sağlayan en önemli araçlardan bir tanesidir. Bu çalışmada, sulama yönetimine karar vermede destek sağlaması amacıyla, Hayrabolu sulama şebekesine ait CBS kullanılarak bir veritabanı oluşturulması amaçlanmıştır. Oluşturulan veritabanında şebekeye ait parsel, sulama kanalı ve drenaj kanallarına ait katmanlar yer almaktadır. ArcGIS Desktop programı yardımı ile oluşturulan parsel katmanına, yerleşim yeri, parsel no, parsel sahibi, ekili bitki bilgileri girilirken sulama kanalı katmanında, kanal adı, tipi, suladığı alan, kanal debisi bilgileri ve drenaj kanalı katmanında ise drenaj kanalı isimleri ve uzunluk bilg ileri girilmiştir. Oluşturulan veritabanında, ArcGIS Desktop programının sorgulama ve analiz özellikleri yardımı ile farklı analizler gerçekleştirilerek birlik yönetiminin iş yükü ve zaman kaybını en aza indirmek amaçlanmıştır