Eastern Mediterranean University Institutional Repository (EMU i-REP)
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Recent Submissions
Item type:Item, The Effect of Trust, Perceived Risk and Self-Confidence on Online Purchase Intentions: The Moderating Role of E-WOM Receiving(Eastern Mediterranean University, 2024) Zehra, Rubab; Oney, Emrah (Supervisor)Online shopping has become increasingly popular because of its convenience, wide selection, and competitive prices. However, many shoppers are hesitant to purchase products online because of factors such as trust, perceived risk, and self-confidence, which can act as barriers to online purchasing. Electronic Word of Mouth(e-WOM) has seemingly been shown to help reduce these barriers and increase purchase intentions. This study examines the effect of trust, perceived risk, and self-confidence on online purchase intentions and the moderating role of receiving Electronic Word of Mouth (E-WOM). The study hypothesizes that trust and self-confidence will have a positive effect on online purchase intentions, however perceived risk will have a negative effect on online purchase intentions, and that E-WOM receiving will moderate this effect An online survey questionnaire was designed to investigate trust, perceived risk, self-confidence, and attitudes towards receiving e-WOM related to online purchases. This was distributed to an online sample of consumers, mostly located in Famagusta, among Eastern Mediterranean University(EMU) students, and the rest were taken from youth in Kuwait to gather the necessary data. Later, the data were analyzed using the PLS-SEM Model to test the hypothesis, and it was found that Trust and Self-confidence do not affect online purchase intentions, but Perceived Risk does. It was also observed that e-WOM moderated only the effects of Trust on Online Purchase Intentions, while it had no effect on Perceived Risk and Self-Confidence. In the last chapter, while concluding the study, a discussion about the managerial implications, limitations of the study, and recommendations for future researchers are included in detail. Keywords: Online Purchase Intentions, Electronic Word of Mouth (E-WOM), Trust, Perceived Risk, Self-Confidence, E-Commerce, Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU).Item type:Item, Volatility Spillovers among Leading Cryptocurrencies Energy and Technology Companies(Eastern Mediterranean University, 2024) Alamaren, Amro Saleem; Gökmenoğlu, Korhan K. (Supervisor)This study investigates volatility spillovers and network connectedness among four cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, and BNB coin), stock prices of four energy (Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Nextera Energy) and four mega-technology companies (Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon) in the US. To this aim daily data from November 15, 2017 to October 28, 2022 was analyzed using Diebold and Yilmaz (2012) and Baruník and Křehlík (2018) approaches. Diebold and Yilmaz (2012) indicator demonstrates a 54% total volatility spillover, on average, for the whole sample. In addition, obtained findings from the Baruník and Křehlík (2018) approach indicate that the total volatility spillovers for the short-term (1–4 days), medium-term (4–10 days), and long-term (10 days) are 47.81%, 41.82%, and 45.17%, respectively. Evidence on COVID-19 reveals that the pandemic has amplified volatility spillovers, thus strengthening risk transfer and contagion across markets. Moreover, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Apple, and Microsoft are net volatility transmitters, while Tether, BNB, Exxon Mobil, Nextera Energy, Alphabet, and Amazon are net receivers. Besides, short-term volatility spillovers outweigh medium- and long-term spillovers. In contrast to short-term dynamics, longer term patterns display superior hedging efficiency. This empirical finding, taken together with the fact that there is a very limited time for precautions that can be taken for hedging purposes, suggests that investors should be especially careful about the short-term repercussion. According to the net-pairwise directional spillovers Alphabet and Amazon are the highest shock transmitters to other companies. The implications of these findings for both investors and policymakers are discussed in the conclusion section. Keywords: Volatility Spillovers, Connectedness Network, Cryptocurrency, Energy Companies, Technology Companies.Item type:Item, Empirical Investigation of How Communication in VR Affects User Experience for Gen Z(Eastern Mediterranean University, 2024) Barakat, Mousa Mohammad Mousa; Nevzat, Raziye (Supervisor)This study was conducted to shed light on the user experience in communication within virtual worlds. Specifically, the study examines how user experience is affected by communication in VR. The study has delved into Extended Reality (XR), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) definitions and differentiations to provide a comprehensive understanding. Additionally, the historical context of games and applications that have facilitated communication in VR was explored. Furthermore, the research has reviewed previous studies and articles investigating the user experience in communication through traditional channels such as Messenger, Skype, E-mail, and WhatsApp. Qualitative methodologies were implemented in the study, using semi-structured interviews and analyzing the answers to find patterns within the answers of the participants that led to creating codes which were used to answer the research questions. Finding suggests that implementing virtual environment applications in communication has a significant positive relationship and effect on user experience for Gen Z. The model of Communication in VR Affects User Experience for Gen Z hopes to expand on the VR communication literature. Moreover, directions for future research activities are presented. Keywords: virtual reality, user experience, communication, immersiveItem type:Item, Blending Type Bernstein and 𝝍-Bernstein-Kantorovich Operators(Eastern Mediterranean University, 2024) Baytunç, Erdem; Aktuğlu, Hüseyin (Supervisor)In this thesis, blending type Bernstein operators L with parameters α and s are investigated. Despite previous research, the Lototsky matrices that produce these operators have not been discovered. By examining these matrices, insights into their role in operator generation are obtained. It is shown that these operators satisfy the Korovkin theorem, and the rate of convergence of the operators is analyzed. Additionally, it is proven that these operators preserve monotonicity and convexity properties. Finally, various functions f (υ) are selected, and how well the operators L approximate these functions are investigated. Moreover, blending type Bernstein-Kantorovich operators depending on ψ are η introduced. Our analysis shows that the approximation results of these operators are better than the classical case for the entire closed interval [0,1]. Furthermore, the convergence rates of the defined operators are investigated and it is proven that they preserve the properties of monotonicity and convexity. Our findings are supported by graphical and numerical examples. Keywords: Bernstein Operators, Bernstein-Kantorovich Operators, Korovkin Theorem, Rate of Convergence, Shape Preserving PropertiesItem type:Item, The Impact of Renewable Energy, Globalization, and The Rule of Law on Japan’s Ecological Imprint and Its Implications.(Eastern Mediterranean University, 2024) Damak, Obadiah Ibrahim; Güngör, Hasan (Supervisor)The implementation of environmental rules often lags behind practice, and there is currently a lack of data to help understand and bridge this gap. It is in this context, this thesis explores the impact of renewable energy, globalization and the rule of law on Japan’s ecological imprint and its implications. Chapter three examined the effect of globalization, economic growth, and energy consumption on Japan's ecological imprint using annual time series data from 1990 to 2021. The research used Granger causality tests, autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS). Empirical data shows globalization and non-renewable energy consumption positively impact Japan's ecological imprint, whereas long-run renewable energy usage and gross domestic product (GDP) have inverse effects. The short-run outcome reveals a direct correlation between GDP and ecological imprint but a negative correlation between globalization, renewable energy usage and non-renewable energy usage on the ecological imprint. Chapter four explored the ecological footprint in Japan, and it lacks substantial research on its ecological footprint, which illustrates the environmental impact of its adherence to the rule of law, regulatory quality, globalization, research and development and trade openness. To this end, the study examined the relationship between rule of law, regulatory quality, research and development, globalization and trade openness in Japan using dataset spanning between 1990–2021. The study employed the Autoregressive Distributed Lag and Granger causality and diagnostics tests to test the stability of the variables. Based on the outcomes of the Autoregressive Distributed Lag method (i) the rule of law and trade openness dampens ecological footprint (ii) Regulatory quality and globalization upsurges ecological footprint in the long run. (iii) Research and development improved the quality of ecological footprint in the short-run. The Granger Causality test shows that there is unidirectional relationship between rule of law, regulatory quality, globalization, trade openness and ecological footprint which means that ecological footprint granger causes all the explanatory variables investigated. The results emphasize how crucial it is for decision-makers to execute policies in a well-coordinated manner in order to halt Japan's notable environmental degradation. Keywords: Ecological Imprint, Energy Consumption, Globalization and Rule of Law
