Metin Argan

Development of the serious and casual leisure measure

Abstract The aim of this study is to test if there are different qualities of serious leisure in a Turkish sample and to develop a valid and reliable serious and casual leisure measure (SCLM) using data from both casual and serious leisure participants. With the use of focus groups, an expert panel, a pilot study, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, a 9-factor model with 42 items demonstrated acceptable fit and reliability values. Besides six dimensions of serious leisure set out by Stebbins [(1982). Serious leisure: A conceptual statement. The Pacific Sociological Review, 25(2), 251–272], two new qualities – personality congruence and sense of competence – not previously discussed in the serious leisure literature emerged in this study. In addition, durable benefits, one of the qualities of serious leisure, was divided into two interpretable factors and they were labelled as therapeutic benefits and psycho-social benefits.

A different leisure activity for Turkish women: Invitation Day

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the activities of Turkish women during Invitation Days-regular occasions when women, on a reciprocal basis, host other women coming to their homes to spend time in each others company. A questionnaire, administered in a face-to-face situation, was used to collect data from 379 women participating in Invitation Days in Eskisehir province, Turkey. The results of analyzing the Likert-scale responses show highest statistical means for eating and drinking, conversation about current subjects and handwork and knitting, and lowest means for playing a musical instrument and wood painting. ANOVA results show significant differences between Turkish womens Invitation Day leisure activities when socio-economic and demographic data and frequency of participation in Invitation Days are considered.

An Examination of Spring Festival Attendees' Motivations within Campus Recreation

Abstract Special festivals at university campuses have increased in number and size with various purposes including enhancing organizational culture and providing campus recreation opportunities. It was aimed to identify the underlying dimensions of the Spring Festival motivation. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first section was comprised of 18 statements related to motives of Spring Festival attendees. The second section of the questionnaire includes 6 items about festival satisfaction as a dependent variable. The third section was related with festival participant behavior and demographic characteristics of the respondents. The sample comprised of university students who attended “Spring Fest 2011” at a Turkish state university in province of Eskisehir. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed four factors labeled as entertainment, escape, novelty and socialization. According to the results it was found that there was a significant relationship between motivational factors and festival satisfaction.

Relationship among service personal values, service value, satisfaction and loyalty: a preliminary study in private hospitals

Service and value are the two inseparable concepts in experiential service environment. Service personal value is a concept that is subjectively assessed from a consumer perspective, and is associated with service value, consumer satisfaction and loyalty. In this context, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between services personal values, service value, satisfaction, and loyalty. Data were collected from persons (250) receiving services from private hospitals using convenience sampling method. The scales of service personal values involving three dimensions (peaceful life, social recognition and social integration) and service value comprising two dimensions (outcome and process) were adapted from Lages and Fernandes (2005), Hau and Thuy (2012). The items of satisfaction and loyalty were adjusted from Oliver (1997) and Zeithaml et al. (1996). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to investigate validity and reliability of the scales. Then, a structural equation model (SEM) was developed and tested using data with Lisrel 8.80 software. The results of the study indicates significant relationships between services personal values, service value, satisfaction, and loyalty. Service value have a full mediator effect on satisfaction and loyalty. The results of the study have significant implications as to how well private hospital managers design strategies of health service, satisfaction, and loyalty.

The Effect of Word-of-Mouth Communication on Stock Holdings and Trades: Empirical Evidence From an Emerging Market

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between investors’ satisfaction and intention and word-of-mouth communication. This study contributes to the ongoing debate on the relationship between investor behavior and word-of-mouth communication. Many studies are related to investors’ participation and individual investors’ asset allocation decisions that are instigated by their social community via word-of-mouth communication whereas this study directly investigates the relationship between investment satisfaction and intention and word-of-mouth communication. We emphasize how many factors are considered when making satisfactory investment decisions. Our results confirm the strong relationship between the satisfaction and intention of investors and word-of-mouth communication. This finding may be useful to regulators, investors and managers who seek to establish effective rules for stock holdings and trade.

SPORCU BESİN DESTEKLERİNE (SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS) YÖNELİK TUTUM FAKTÖRLERİ: FİTNESS MERKEZİ KATILIMCILARI ÜZERİNE BİR ARAŞTIRMA.

S porcu besin desteginin kullanimi son yillarda onemli duzeyde artis gostermektedir. Tuketici olarak fitness katilimcilari arasinda sporcu besin desteginin kullanimi, inanc ve tutumlardan etkilenebilmektedir. Sporcular arasinda besin desteginin kullanimi ve etkileri incelenmis olup, buna karsin fitness katilimcilarinin besin destegi kullanimina iliskin tutumlari inceleyen bilimsel calismanin sayisi sinirlidir. Nitekim bu calismanin amaci, spor tuketicilerinin sporcu besin destegi faktorlerine yonelik tutumlari ve tuketim orneklerini incelemektir. Arastirmanin sonuclari fayda, yan etkiler ve etik ve dogal beslenme adli uc faktoru ortaya koymustur. Bu arastirmanin sonuclari ayni zamanda bu sporcu besin destegi faktorlerinin bilgi noksanligi, doktora basvurma ve urun tanitimi uzerinde anlamli bir etkiye sahip oldugunu ortaya koymaktadir. Bu calisma spor pazarlama uygulayicilarinin ve ureticilerinin Turkiye’deki sporcu besin destegi uygulamalarinin tuketim boyutlarini nasil kullanacaklari konusunda onemli cikarsamalar sunmaktadir