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Like in all areas, virtual communities make their presence felt in the area of healthcare too. Virtual communities play an important role in healthcare in terms of gathering information on healthcare, sharing of personal interests and providing social support. Virtual communities provide a way for a group of peers to communicate with each other. In the health context, they may also be referred to as electronic support groups. They include forums, discussion boards on websites, mailing lists, chat rooms, or newsgroups. This paper provides an overview and discussion of virtual communities in health care. In this paper the state of marketing implications in virtual communities in the health care sector is reviewed. The case study method was used. Data were collected from a web site about health care, as content analysis. CRM, customization, marketing research and database, e-word of mouth, e-services and promotions as marketing tools were used in the virtual community. The findings indicate that members of the reviewed web site used forums heavily as a means of interactivity and gathering of health related and social based information. (Contains 8 tables.)

The primary objective of the present study is to identify the antecedents of voter loyalty, with a particular focus on the mediating role of party attachment in the relationship between inner‐self, social‐self, trust, and loyalty. Using a convenience sampling method, the data for this study were gathered from a sample of 750 voters residing in a developing European country, Turkey. The collected data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling. The results of the study demonstrate that significant and positive relationships exist between the aforementioned antecedents (i.e., inner‐self, social‐self, trust, and party attachment) and voter loyalty. Additionally, the findings suggest that party attachment acts as a mediator between the antecedents and loyalty. Drawing on these results and the existing literature on voter behavior and practice, the authors discuss methodological, theoretical, and practical implications for inner‐self, social‐self, trust, and party attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Doppler echocardiography has become the standard imaging modality for diastolic function and provides pathophysiological insight into systolic and diastolic heart failure. In this study, we aimed to obtain normal echocardiographic Doppler parameters of healthy Turkish population. Methods: Among 31 collaborating institutions from all regions of Turkey, 1154 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Predefined protocols were used for all participants during echocardiographic examination and The American Society of Echocardiography and European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging recommendations were used for echocardiographic Doppler measurements. Results: A total of 967 healthy participants were enrolled in this study after applying exclusion criteria. Echocardiographic examination was obtained from all subjects following predefined protocols. Mitral E wave velocity and E/A ratio were higher in females and decreased progressively in advancing ages. E wave deceleration time and A wave velocity were increased with aging. Assessment of tissue Doppler velocities showed that left ventricular lateral e′, septal e′, and septal s′ were higher in younger subjects and in females. E/e′ ratio was increased progressively with advancing decades. Right ventricular e′ and s′ were decreased but a′ was increased with increasing age. Septal e′ lower than 8 cm/s was 1.9% in the fifth decade and 13.7% in ages older than 50 years. The E/e′ ratio greater than 15 (and also 13) was not found. Conclusion: This study, for the first time, provides echocardiographic reference ranges for normal cardiac Doppler data in healthy Turkish population which will be useful in routine clinical practice as well as in future clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nigde University Journal of Physical Education & Sport Sciences / Nigde Üniversitesi Beden Egitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Journal of Physical Education & Sports Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The current study explores the underlying psycho-social motivations of consumer-centric fear of missing out (FoMO) and, in turn, its effects on consumption behavior. More specifically, we add to the literature by investigating the complex set of relationships between the antecedents of consumer-centric FoMO (consumer need for uniqueness – CNFU and consumer independence), its underlying dimensions (desire for belonging and anxiety of isolation), and its consequences on (conformity and conspicuous) consumption. The data were collected from a total of 1156 consumers residing in the United States and Turkey, a developed and a developing country, using convenience sampling. Confirmatory factor analyses, as well as structural equation modeling, were applied. The findings revealed negative effects of consumer independence on consumer-centric FoMO, whereas CNFU had a counter-intuitive positive effect, as proposed. In turn, the underlying dimensions of FoMO, desire for belonging and anxiety of isolation, affected consumption consequences in the opposite direction with positive and negative influences respectively. Moreover, consumer-centric FoMO mediated the association between individual consumer differences and socially-motivated consumption behavior. The theoretical and applied implications of these results are discussed. [Display omitted] • FoMO is associated with consumer behavior. • Consumer need for uniqueness and consumer independence may affect FoMO. • FoMO can mediate the effect of individual consumer characteristics on consumption. • Dimensions of FoMO relate to conformity consumption and conspicuous consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate the dimensions of emotions and clusters of the shoppers based on emotion factors, and to analyze whether there are differences across the responses of the segments with respect to emotion factors and demographic variables. A questionnaire consisted of two parts was conducted on people (n=741) living in a province of middle region of Turkey. Factor (EFA) and cluster analysis were applied. The results of analyzes reveal four valid emotion constructs (apprehension and stress, serenity and well-being, dissatisfaction and displeasure, and romanticism and love) and indicated two segments titled optimists and pessimists. The segments differ according to demographic characteristics (age, marital status, income, education and occupation) of shoppers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationships between attitudinal loyalty, behavioral loyalty, team identification, and whether team identification served as a mediator between attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty in a sample of soccer fans. In this study, a structural equation model is proposed for investigates the mediating role of team identification of the relationship between attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty. The data gained through the 261 soccer fans were analyzed by using SPSS, AMOS 22.0 software programs. To validity and reliability of measurement model three different Confirmatory Factor Analysis have been used the path suggested by literature was followed to identify the partial mediation effect of team identification between attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty of soccer fans. As a result, all constructs have a highly significant effect with each other and team identification has partial mediation effect between attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty of football fans. Fan loyalty has a crucial effect on sport clubs' sustainability as it has the same effect that customer loyalty has on corporate sustainability. It can be said that importance of defining the processes of creating loyal fans for sport clubs has incontrovertibly effect the clubs' sustainability. In this context the results taken from this research provide the sports marketers with important inferences from the way they need to create the loyal fans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Internet Applications & Management / İnternet Uygulamaları ve Yönetimi Dergisi is the property of Journal of Internet Applications & Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors in a new book choice situation and their effects on attitudes about formal features. In the study, a questionnaire was applied on 353 university students at Anadolu University. The results of this study indicated that five factors were about formal features: The kind of cover and paper, characteristics of dimension and writing style, drawings and pictures in pages, shape and color of cover, table of contents and references. Besides, four factors of attitudes about structural features were determined. These are attention and impression, willingness, reading enjoyment, and facilitation. The results showed that factors of formal features are related with attitudes. The results of the research have significant implications as to how publishers interpret production of new book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses results of a study examining experiences of participants in leisure and pleasure behaviors and provides some interesting recommendations for leisure professionals. Facilitating leisure experience is the most important goal in providing and delivering leisure services; however, studies on leisure marketing give very little guidance on how recreation providers could increase their customers' satisfaction with an experiential product such as a live music or an open air concert. The Turkish Rock'n Coke Festival was chosen as a research subject. Questionnaire items concerning leisure experiences during the Festival were adapted from Schmitt (1999); Gentile, Spiller and Noci (2007); Tsaur, Chiu and Wang (2006); Borrie (1995); Chao (2003); Cotte (1998); Manfredo and Driver (1996); and Kao, Huang and Wu (2008) with some modifications and revisions to fit our empirical case. A total of 234 questionnaires were collected. The obtained results showed that leisure experience could be conceptualized as a four-dimensional construct comprising social relations, lifestyle, expression of emotions and sensual perception. All these dimensions were found to affect leisure behaviors [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is one of the five commands of Islam. Ramadan is more than a holy month and has a deep social, cultural, and economic impact on the daily life of Muslims in Turkey. The purpose of the study is to investigate the underlying aspects of Turkish consumers' Ramadan consumption patterns. The concept of Ramadan consumption is discussed first in the light of current literature followed by empirical findings on the subject matter. Results revealed five aspects, which are media, culture, attractiveness, spiritual pleasure, and nostalgia. The results of the study suggest that these factors have significant effects on unplanned purchasing, special product consumption, and spending amount in Ramadan. The study has significant implications as to how marketing practitioners and theorists interpret consumption dimensions of Ramadan practices in Turkey as a modern and secular nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WebCT is one of the widely used web-based learning tools. For enriching teaching and learning courses at tertiary level, WebCT emerges as an important tool. This paper describes attitudes of students at Anadolu University towards WebCT applications in selected courses. Furthermore, the study describes the attitudes of a sample of students towards WebCT and analyzes data to determine the effect of WebCT dimensions on satisfaction, course advising, and course preference on their overall perception and referral of a course. The findings indicate the emergence of four WebCT dimensions. These factors are access and interaction, learning experience, time and compensation, and exam and exercise. The dimensions are positively associated with satisfaction, course advising, and course preference. The results of this research have significant implications for both the web-based learning as a whole, and it would be a contribution to relatively limited literature on the attitudes towards WebCT enhanced courses in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attitudes of students who used Anadolu University central library were examined by means of a questionnaire, which was applied to 353 students. The results indicate that five factors (being expressed through 13 items) had substantial effects on book choice. They were the kinds of cover and paper being used, characteristics of dimensions and writing style, drawings and pictures, shape and colour of the cover, and the table of contents and references. The results indicated that kind of cover and paper, and drawings within the text were statistically significant in determining the selection of book genres. Findings also comprised that book gender and academic study areas affect the choices concerning table of contents and references. Conclusions that might be drawn are apt to imply clues for publishers on matters that attract attention by the production of a new book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]