Browsing by Subject "Quality of life"
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Item Restricted Ankara metrosu: planlama, inşaat ve başlama süreci(Bilkent University, 2023) Nadirler, Ahmet Utku; Tuğcu, Bilgehan; Uzun, Cansu Naz; Czichon, Cem Paul; Tanoğlu, Fatma NurBu araştırmanın konusu Ankara Metrosunun inşaat sürecinin incelenmesidir. Metronun planlanması, inşaatta kullanılan yöntemler, alınan güvenlik önlemleri ve metronun kullanıma açılması ile toplumda yarattığı etkiler incelenmiştir. Metronun ulaşımda sağladığı kolaylıklar ve ne kadar önemli olduğunu kanıtlama amacı doğrultusunda araştırma yapılmıştır. Araştırma yapılırken kullanılan makalelerin, tez yazılarının ve gazetelerin yanı sıra daha kesin bilgilere ulaşabilmek için o yıllarda M1 hattının yapımında çalışmış bir inşaat mühendisi olan Yalçın Uzun’dan da yardım aldık.Item Restricted Çocuklar uğruna bir yolculuk: Akbulut ailesinin Sivas'tan İstanbul’a mecburi göçü ve göçün etkileri(Bilkent University, 2023) Gonca, Ayşe Bengi; Nardalı, Azra; Öz, Begüm Filiz; Çelik, Orhun Ege; Yılmaz, Ruşen AliBu çalışmada Türkmen Akbulut ve ailesinin 1974 yılında Sivas’ın İmranlı ilçesinin Süvariler köyünden İstanbul’a gerçekleştirdiği göç Türkmen Akbulut ile gerçekleştirilen görüşme vasıtasıyla incelenmektedir. Makalede Sivas’taki köy hayatında ve İstanbul’daki şehir hayatında günlük yaşam, çalışma koşulları, sağlık imkanlarına erişim, çocukların eğitim hayatı, güvenlik hissiyatı ve hayat kalitesi karşılaştırılarak araştırılacaktır. Bu karşılaştırma yoluyla ailenin göç etmeye karar vermesindeki temel etkenlerin ortaya konulması sağlanacaktır. Edinilecek bilgiler doğrultusunda Akbulut ailesinin Türkiye’deki göç literatüründe önemli bir örneklemi yansıtması beklenmektedir. Çalışmanın sonucunda Akbulut ailesinin göçünün temel sebeplerinin anlaşılması ve bundan yola çıkılarak Türkiye’de 1970-1980 arasında yaşanan köyden kente göçün nedenleri hakkında izlenim sahibi olunması hedeflenmektedir.Item Open Access Consumer attitude toward marketing and subjective quality of life in the context of a developing country(Sage Publications, 2007) Peterson M.; Ekici, A.The purpose of this research is to better understand Consumer Attitude toward Marketing (CATM) and how it relates to quality of life (QOL) in a developing country. Such sentiments toward marketing practice are core indicators of the marketing system's performance in delivering well-being to consumers during the first stage of the consumption process - acquisition. In this stage, the activities of businesses are set in high relief for consumers. As Douglas and Craig (2006) have noted how marketing is sadly neglected in developing countries, the Consumer Attitude toward Marketing (CATM) measures suggest how QOL-marketing might correlate with QOL in developing countries. Measures used in Gaski and Etzel's (1986) Index of Consumer Sentiments toward Marketing (ICSM) are enhanced and refined in this study of Turkish consumers. Using a confirmatory-factor-analysis approach, these measures are then used to derive a second-order factor representing CATM and to assess its nomological relationship with subjective quality of life (QOL).Item Open Access Debris removal during disaster response: a case for Turkey(Elsevier, 2016) Sahin, H.; Kara, B. Y.; Karasan, O. E.Debris occurs from the ruin and wreckage of structures during a disaster. Proper removal of debris is of great importance because it blocks roads and prohibits emergency aid teams from accessing disaster-affected regions. Poor disaster management, lack of efficiency and delays in debris removal cause disruptions in providing shelter, nutrition, healthcare and communication services to disaster victims, and more importantly, result in loss of lives. Due to the importance of systematic and efficient debris removal from the perspectives of improving disaster victims quality of life and allowing the transportation of emergency relief materials, the focus of this study is on providing emergency relief supplies to disaster-affected regions as soon as possible by unblocking roads through removing the accumulated debris. We develop a mathematical model for the problem that requires long CPU times for large instances. Since it is crucial to act quickly in an emergency case, we also propose a heuristic methodology that solves instances with an average gap of 1% and optimum ratio of 80.83%.Item Open Access Development and quality of life in Turkey: how globalization, religion, and economic growth influence individual well-being(SAGE Publications Inc., 2016) Sandıkcı, Ö.; Peterson M.; Ekici, A.; Simkins, T.Recently, scholars have been calling attention to the macro-social and institutional structures shaping development and welfare. In this study we offer a socio-temporally situated understanding of quality of life (QOL) in a developing country setting and investigate the effects of macro structures on consumer well-being. Specifically, we focus on neoliberal development (led by the business sector, rather than led or directed by the government) and examine how a neoliberal transformation of the marketplace affects consumers’ QOL perceptions. The context of our research is Turkey, a developing country that has been an avid follower of neoliberal policies since the 1990s. We focus on three key macro-social developments that have been shaping Turkish society in the past decades – globalization, religion, and economic growth – and seek to understand how these forces influence consumers’ satisfaction with life. Our study contributes to the literature on development and QOL by first, showing the moderating effect of income, and second, introducing faith and global brands as important variables in conceptualizing QOL.Item Open Access Does control of rheumatic disease raise the standard of living in developing countries?(2009) Wigley, R.; Chopra, A.; Wigley, S.; Akkoyunlu-Wigley, A.[No abstract available]Item Open Access The effects of shopping well-being and shopping ill-being on consumer life satisfaction(Springer Netherlands, 2018) Ekici, Ahmet; Sirgy, M. J.; Lee, D-J.; Yu, G. B.; Bosnjak, M.Individuals hold two distinct sets of beliefs about shopping activities: Positive beliefs regarding the degree to which shopping contributes to quality of life (shopping well-being), and negative beliefs related to the degree to which shopping activities result in overspending time, effort, and money (shopping ill-being). Shopping well-being and shopping ill-being are conceptualized as independent constructs in that shopping ill-being is not treated as negative polar of a single dimension. That is, one can experience both shopping well-being as well as shopping ill-being, simultaneously. We hypothesized that (1) shopping well-being is a positive predictor of life satisfaction, (2) shopping ill-being is a negative predictor of life satisfaction, and (3) shopping well-being does contribute to life satisfaction under conditions of low than high shopping ill-being. The study surveyed 1035 respondents in the UK. The study results supported hypotheses 1 and 3, not Hypothesis 2. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for retailers, macro-marketers, and policy makers.Item Open Access Evaluation of psychosocial functioning in the acute treatment term of major depressive disorder: A 16-week multi-centered follow-up study(Elsevier BV, 2021-12) Altunsoy, Neslihan; Dikici, D. S.; Çökmüş, F. P.; Özkan, H. M.; Aşçıbaşı, K.; Alçı, D.; Kuru, E.; Aydemir, Ö.Major depressive disorder is the leading cause of non-fatal burden, and disability in adulthood. Even though depression is well-treated in the acute term,psychosocial functioning does not get back to the premorbid level most of the time. In this present study, it is aimed to evaluate the outcome of the acute term treatment of major depressive disorder in terms of psychosocial functioning. Methods: The study is an open-label, observational, multi-center follow-up study for four months of patients with major depressive disorder according to DSM-5. Patients were evaluated with Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and Short Form-36 (SF-36) at the beginning, and at the 2., 4., 8., 12. and 16.weeks. Results: 100 patients were invited to the study and 56 patients completed the study.As a result of the treatment, the mean MADRS and SDS scores decreased significantly. All domains of SF-36 were improved significantly with the treatment. Unfortunately patients suffering from MDD could not reach the normative data,especially on the domains of social functioning, role emotional, pain, and general health perception. Treatment outcomes show that SNRI users presented higher scores on the domains of pain and physical functioning. However SSRI users showed better outcomes on the domains of mental health and vitality. Conclusion: Our research corroborated that even patients gain symptomatic remission in MDD treatment, psy-chosocial dysfunction persists. It is also concluded that different antidepressant options may act differently on treatment outcomes.Item Open Access Functional mobility, depressive symptoms, level of independence, and quality of life of the elderly living at home and in the nursing home(Elsevier Inc., 2009) Karakaya, M. G.; Bilgin, S. C.; Ekici, G.; Köse, N.; Otman, A. S.Objectives: To compare functional mobility, depressive symptoms, level of independence, and quality of life of the elderly living at home and in the nursing home. Design: A prospectively designed, comparative study. Setting: A nursing home and a university hospital department. Participants: In this study, 33 elderly living in a nursing home and 25 elderly living at home, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and volunteered to participate, were included. Measurements: Sociodemographic characteristics were recorded. Functional mobility (Timed Up & Go Test), depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale), level of independence (Kahoku Aging Longitudinal Study Scale), and quality of life (Visual Analogue Scale) scores were compared between the groups. Results: Functional mobility and independence level of the nursing home residents were higher than the home-dwelling elderly (95% CI: -4.88, -0.29 and 0.41, 6.30, respectively), but they had more depressive symptoms (95% CI: 0.30, 5.45), and their level of QoL was lower (95% CI: -15.55, -2.93). Conclusion: These findings are thought to be important and of benefit for health care professionals and caregivers as indicating the areas that need to be supported for the elderly living at home (functional mobility and independence) and in the nursing home (depressive symptoms and quality of life). © 2009 American Medical Directors Association.Item Open Access How the poor in a developing country view business' contribution to quality-of-life 5 years after a national economic crisis(Elsevier, 2010) Peterson M.; Ekici, A.; Hunt, D. M.This study proposes and tests a three-step model of business' contribution to quality of life 5 years after a devastating national economic crisis in a developing country. The model incorporates both a beneficent dimension of the marketplace (represented by consumer attitude toward marketing - CATM) and a non-maleficent dimension (represented by consumer trust for market-related institutions - CTMRI). This study compares how the poor and the non-poor draw differently on these two dimensions in forming their perceptions about how business contributes to their quality of life. Beginning with the exogenous construct attitude toward changes in marketing practices since the last economic crisis (5 years ago), this study 1) proposes a causal model that introduces a first-order construct - Business' Contribution to My Quality of Life (BCM-QOL), and 2) explains how BCM-QOL serves as a mediator between marketplace perceptions of both beneficence and non-maleficence and quality of life. Results reveal differences between how the poor and the non-poor in a developing country think about the effects of market changes after an economic crisis. Consumers living below the Turkish poverty line, although not within the UN-defined ranks of the global poor (e.g., 2 per-day earnings) tend to see their place in the market in a manner similar to subsistence consumers. © 2009 Elsevier Inc.Item Open Access Is Materialism All That Bad? Effects on Satisfaction with Material Life, Life Satisfaction, and Economic Motivation(2013) Joseph Sirgy, M.; Gurel-Atay, E.; Webb, D.; Cicic, M.; Husic-Mehmedovic, M.; Ekici, A.; Herrmann, A.; Hegazy I.; Lee, D.-J.; Johar J.S.The literature in economic psychology and quality-of-life studies alludes to a negative relationship between materialism and life satisfaction. In contrast, the macroeconomic literature implies a positive relationship between material consumption and economic growth. That is, materialism may be both good and bad. We develop a model that reconciles these two contrasting viewpoints by asserting that materialism may lead to life dissatisfaction when materialistic people evaluate their standard of living using fantasy-based expectations (e. g., ideal expectations), which increases the likelihood that they would evaluate their standard of living negatively. In turn, dissatisfaction with standard of living increases the likelihood that they would evaluate their life negatively. However, materialistic people who evaluate their standard of living using reality-based expectations (e. g., ability expectations) are likely to feel more economically motivated than their non-materialistic counterparts, and this economic motivation is likely to contribute significantly and positively to life satisfaction. Survey data were collected from seven major cities each in a different country (Australia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Germany, Egypt, Korea, Turkey, and the USA) using a probability sample (cluster sampling method involving income stratification). The results provide support for the model. The economic public policy implications concerning how people evaluate their standard of living using ability-based expectations are discussed in the context of the ideals of meritocracy. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.Item Open Access Linking advertising, materialism, and life satisfaction(Springer Netherlands, 2012) Sirgy, M. J.; Gurel-Atay E.; Webb, D.; Cicic, M.; Husic, M.; Ekici, A.; Herrmann, A.; Hegazy, I.; Lee, Dong-Jin; Johar, J. S.This paper develops theory related to advertising, materialism, and life satisfaction by formally testing explanations related to the antecedents and consequences of materialism. Survey data were collected from seven major cities each in a different country (Australia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Germany, Egypt, Korea, Turkey, and the USA) using a probability sample (cluster sampling method involving income stratification). The results showed that the extent to which advertising is perceived to be materialistic contributes to materialism. Materialism, in turn, leads to the frequent use of various standards of comparison in making judgments about standard of living. As judgments about standard of living increase, standard of living is evaluated more negatively. In turn, negative self-evaluations contribute significantly to dissatisfaction with life. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.Item Open Access Measuring the quality of life in European Union: the case of Turkey as a candidate country(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2003) Yoruk, B. K.; Zaim, O.This paper is aimed at measuring and comparing the quality of life in European Union (EU) and Turkey as an important candidate country on the process of integrating with the EU. Rather than using per capita income as a classical measure, this study uses social indicators of development as a measure of well-being. Instead of using human development index (HDI) - an index commonly referred as "deprivation index" - we adopt the indices that are developed in Zaim, Fare and Grosskopf. The "achievement index" measures the success of a country in the provision of standard of life. On the other hand "improvement index" is used to measure the improvement of the country over time in terms of its life quality. The stated results suggest that Turkey should improve its quality of life on the way of integrating with the EU.Item Open Access Quality of college life (QCL) of students: further validation of a measure of well-being(Springer, 2010) Sirgy, M. J.; Lee, D. -J.; Grzeskowiak, S.; Yu, G. B.; Webb, D.; El-Hasan, K.; Garcia Vega, J. J.; Ekici, A.; Johar, J. S.; Krishen, A.; Kangal, A.; Swoboda, B.; Claiborne, C. B.; Maggino, F.; Rahtz, D.; Canton, A.; Kuruuzum, A.This paper reports a study designed to further validate a measure of quality of college life (QCL) of university students (Sirgy, Grzeskowiak, Rahtz, Soc Indic Res 80(2), 343-360, 2007). Two studies were conducted: a replication study and an extension study. The replication study involved surveys of 10 different college campuses in different countries. The results of the replication study provided additional nomological (predictive) validation support of the measure based on a theoretical model mapping out the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction with college life. With respect to the extension study, the focus was to further test the nomological validity of the QCL measure by arguing and empirically demonstrating that the consequence of QCL is life satisfaction. The extension study involved a survey of three college campuses in different countries. The results were also supportive of the nomological validity of the QCL measure.Item Open Access Rethinking social inclusivity: Design strategies for cities(ICE Publishing, 2011) Afacan, Yasemin; Afacan, S. O.Cities have become more fragmented due to the increasing urbanisation of many parts of the world. There is more inequality and a growing complexity of social life in cities that leads to social exclusion and increasing social differentiation. This study approaches social inclusivity within the context of universal urban design and defines it as a vehicle for promoting human wellbeing, environmental wholeness and principles of participatory democracy. Mat urbanism - an urban form concept that is more organic and fluid than other urban forms and models - is proposed, alongside a universal design approach, to achieve the goals of sustainable communities and enhance quality of life. The relationship of mat urbanism to the features of high-quality environments and sustainable developments is questioned and illustrated with simple diagrams. The paper concludes with the importance of universally designed sets of regulatory practices regarding sustainable architecture and urban development - from individual buildings to the district and city-scale level. The contribution of this study is not only to explore the potentials of Smithson's configurations theoretically but also to open new means through which towns and cities can be planned in the future in order to promote social inclusivity, environmental responsiveness, sustainability and universal urban design.Item Open Access Trust-driven entrepreneurship for community well-being of refugees and their local hosts(SAGE Publications, 2021) Baktır, Zeynep; Watson, F.This article explores community well-being (CWB) outcomes of institutional trust (and distrust) through entrepreneurship in the context of a refugee-hosting society in Turkey. Existing studies show the positive relationship between institutional trust and quality of life (QOL) as well as entrepreneurship and QOL in subsistence contexts. This research, however, explores the relationship between institutional (dis)trust and entrepreneurship on a path to CWB with a special emphasis on refugee and local interactions in the marketplace. Three different paths to the QOL of refugees and/or locals are presented, but only two lead to CWB outcomes encompassing both refugees and locals. Consideration of refugees and locals as both consumers and business owners provides perspective on the interplay between social trust and institutional trust in a socio-culturally heterogeneous subsistence context. The article also discusses implications for theory and practice.Item Open Access The unique relationship between quality of life and consumer trust in market-related institutions among financially constrained consumers in a developing country(Sage Publications, 2009) Ekici, A.; Peterson M.This study focuses on how relationships among constructs representing (1) consumer trust in marketrelated institutions (CTMRI), (2) distrust for individuals (DFI), and (3) subjective quality of life (QOL) differ across groups separated by the poverty line in a developing country (Turkey). A comparison of models across the two groups using multisample confirmatory factor analysis indicates that there is a correlation only between CTMRI and QOL for consumers below the poverty line (r =.43); there are no correlations between any of the three constructs for consumers above the poverty line. Accordingly, there is a unique relationship between QOL and CTMRI among financially constrained consumers in a developing country. Below the poverty line, consumers with lower trust in market-related institutions tend to report lower QOL, while those with higher trust in market-related institutions tend to report higher QOL.