Business and Economics Research Journal

597-616

Authors: Hasim Bagci

Oil is an energy source having no alternative and always demanded. Since this is the case, how oil consumer countries are affected by price changes and their financial situations are one of the questions waiting for an answer. In this study, the relationship between oil prices, oil consumption and financial development, has been explored. In the study, OECD countries have been analyzed and yearly data between 1980-2015 has been used. The aim of the study is to designate the effect of oil prices and oil consumption over financial development. In the study, 17 OECD countries have been analyzed and the method of panel data analysis has been used. All steps of panel data analysis have been applied and since no cointegration relationship was detected, the analysis was sustained by using panel VAR analysis. Other sub-analysis belonging to panel VAR analysis like Granger causality analysis, variance decomposition and impulse-response functions have been used to complete the analysis. At the end of the analysis, one-way causality relationships have been detected from oil consumption to financial development and from oil prices to oil consumption. As a result of these findings, as there is a meaningful relationship; it has been shown by impulse-response functions that the upside in oil consumption increases financial development level and the upside in oil prices decreases oil consumption. All these findings supported the studies in the literature.

629-647

Authors: Fatih Ayhan

Foreign trade volume is significantly affected by different macroeconomic factors. The change in the exchange rate also has a significant effect on foreign trade decisions such as other macro factors. In this study, the effect of exchange rate volatility on foreign trade is examined both theoretical and empirically. The industrial production index, exports, imports and the real exchange rate monthly data are used for January 2005 and February 2014 for Turkey’s economy used. The ARDL model was used in this paper and according to findings; while foreign country income level has a positive impact on both short and long term, exchange rate volatility and real exchange rate negatively affect exports both in the short and long term. At the same time, industrial production and real exchange rate positively affect the imports of Turkey in both short and long term, while exchange rate volatility negatively affects the imports for Turkey.

671-685

Authors: Ismail Cagri Ozcan

Though Turkey is one of the initial countries that started a privatization program, the pace of the implementation of the privatization program has remained quite low. Many state-owned enterprises (SOEs) stayed for a long time in the privatization program and many others are not even included in the privatization program. This situation arises the questions such as “what are the criteria for the SOEs to be included into the privatization portfolio” and “what kind of restructuring processes are these SOEs going through before the privatization”. Because the selection of the SOEs to be privatized and the associated restructuring directly affect the success of the privatizations. There is no study on this topic to our knowledge for Turkey. This study aims at filling this gap by examining which SOEs were included into the privatization portfolio and what kind of restructuring processes these SOEs underwent over the 1990-2001 period. The findings of the study suggest that Turkish governments decided to privatize the SOEs that were easier to be privatized. Another finding is that the SOEs underwent a restructuring especially in the following year of being included into the privatization portfolio.

699-708

Authors: Berna Serener

Non-adopters of internet banking is not a homogenous group. In this study, non-adopters are divided into two groups: prospective adopters and persistent non-adopters. The aim of this paper is to analyse how the two non-adopter groups differ with regard to usage, image, tradition, risk and value barriers. Factor analysis is used to categorize the data into five barriers. Independent samples t-tests are used to reveal the differences between prospective adopters and persistent non-adopters of internet banking. The results of this study reveal that persistent non-adopters show more resistance to internet banking in relation to usage, image, tradition, risk and value barriers. The p-values indicate that the value barrier differentiates the groups the most, followed by usage, image, risk and tradition barriers. The results highlight the fact that psychological barriers are a greater cause of resistance than functional barriers.

723-734

Authors: Basak Gok, Uzeyir Fidan

Businesses are in competition with other businesses in order to survive and achieve success. Reputation, which is a tool for competition in all sectors, affects the future of enterprises. The perception of corporate reputation created by enterprises has an important role in determining the purchasing preferences of customers. In this study, the results of a mistake, made by an international tire manufacturer in marketing and promotion process, were investigated. After the mistake, the perception of the customers about the brand and the effect of this perception on the purchase intention were examined. The research was carried out with the data obtained from the customers who volunteered in the dealers selling the products of this brand. The responses of 397 participants were evaluated at the study. Reputation perception score and re-purchase intention of the customers regarding the brand were investigated by decision tree method from data mining techniques. The intent of buying the customers, according to the status of being aware of faulty advertisement and brand reputation score has been determined. Although products of this brand are preferred in Turkey, Customers are adversely affected from the incorrect advertising films. Predicting customer preferences, maintains its attractiveness and importance. This study is expected to contribute the literature on corporate reputation perception and data mining.

749-776

Authors: Muhittin Tolga Ozsaglam

This study discusses the nature of the current international relations system and examines the roles and behaviours of the actors within the system. Certainly, the study does not neglect the former studies regarding the nature of the system, and so it contains disciplinary literature review. The methodology of the study is based on combination of quantitative and qualitative methods which evaluates the current system by uniting facts, numbers and arguments-theories. This study focuses on nature of current international relations system by emphasizing on the impacts and relations of the major actors particularly Russia and China. Certainly, other significant actors are not neglected which have close relationship with Russia and China. For instance, Turkey, Iran and members of the BRICS and some African countries are playing crucial roles in current international relations system by improving their ties with Russia and China in economic, political and military spheres. Only sovereign states are not actors in international relations system, international organizations and multinational companies also play crucial roles within international relations system. Therefore, they may create competitive and cooperative atmosphere as dependent on their own interests, which makes the system more complicated. As a result the paper indicates interactions of the various actors and the challenges of the emerging new actors to the USA-Western dominated unipolar system and their involvements in economic, social and political spheres in the world.