Purpose The purpose of this paper, focusing on the visually impaired and legally blind consumer, is to explore the relationship between the perceived consumer vulnerability on customer satisfaction and the effect of satisfaction on the intention of repurchase and recommendation as the determinants of store loyalty in an apparel store context. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted on 216 visually impaired and legally blind consumers in the province of Manisa, Turkey, concerning their apparel shopping store experiences to examine how the perceived vulnerability influences visually impaired and legally blind consumers’ satisfaction, recommendation and repurchase intentions. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The results of the study revealed that as the visually impaired and legally blind consumers perceive themselves more vulnerable, they become more satisfied with the store, and that the more they are satisfied with the store, the more their intention to recommend that store and purchase intention from that store increases. However, the authors’ investigation showed no significant differences between the consumers who were born blind and who became blind later in their life. Originality/value The paper contributes to the literature by extending the understanding of visually impaired and legally blind consumers’ perceived vulnerability in the brick-and-mortar stores and demonstrates how it is related to satisfaction as a major driver of post-purchase intentions like recommendation and repurchase. It also exhibits the fact that blind consumers – both congenitally blind and subsequently blind – cope with this vulnerability through their own solutions to go on their lives, and they do not perceive themselves as vulnerable, as it is perceived by the able-bodied.

Tüketici kırılganlığı konusu son 25 yılda literatürde işletmeden iktisada, tıp ve psikolojiden bilgisayar bilimlerine, mühendislikten çevre bilimlerine farklı bilim dallarında araştırma konusu edilmiştir. Bu çalışma ile sosyal bilimler alanında yapılan araştırmalar doğrultusunda, tüketici kırılganlığı konusuna dair entelektüel yapı, kavramsal yapı ve yazarlar arasında kurulan iş birlikleri doğrultusunda gelişen sosyal ağ/yapının ortaya konması amaçlanmaktadır. Bibliyometrik analiz kapsamında, Scopus veritabanında 1997-2022 yılları arasında yayımlanmış ve “tüketici kırılganlığı” veya “müşteri kırılganlığı” anahtar kelimelerini başlık, özet veya anahtar kelimelerinde barındıran toplam 207 yayın incelenmiştir. Alandaki en üretken/en etkili yazar ve yayınlar ile kaynakların belirlenmesinin yanında entelektüel yapının ortaya konması için ortak atıf ve kaynakça eşleştirme analizi yapılmış; kavramsal yapı için de ortak kelime analizi ve tüketici kırılganlığının kesiştiği kavramların yıllara göre analizi ortaya konarak alanın bilimsel haritalaması yapılarak alandaki araştırmacılara ışık tutulmuştur.

Uluslararasılaşma günümüz işletmeleri için kaçınılmaz bir olgudur. Globalleşmenin yarattığı küresel rekabet, işletmelerin üretim ve pazarlama faaliyetlerini dünya ölçeğinde planlama zorunluluğunu doğurmuştur. İşletmeler de çeşitli modellerle uluslararasılaşmalarını gerçekleştirmektedirler. Uluslararasılaşma sürecinde, markalaşmayı başarabildikleri ölçüde pazarda kalıcı olma ve yüksek kazanç elde etme olasılıkları artmaktadır. Bu çalışma ile yabancı menşeli şirketlerle sermayeye dayalı kurulan stratejik ortaklıkların "uluslararasılaşmaya" kazandırdığı ivme ve uluslararasılaşmanın "markalaşma sürecinde" yarattığı itici gücün ortaya konması amaçlanmaktadır. Araştırmada, Turquality desteğinden yararlanan İnci Akü'nün, uluslararasılaşma ve markalaşma süreçlerindeki evreleri ve global ortaklarının bu süreçteki etkisi örnek olay yöntemiyle analiz edilmektedir. Araştırma sonucunda, işletmelerin iç ve dış dinamikler doğrultusunda, klasik uluslararasılaşma süreçlerinin dışında, stratejik yabancı ortaklıklar ile karşı tarafın şebeke ağına dahil olarak uluslararasılaşmalarını hızlandırabildiği ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu ortaklık girişimleri hem yönetim ve üretim bilgisinin transferini hem de sahip olunan ağdan yararlanma şansını yerli ortağa tanıdığından dış pazarlara entegrasyonu kolaylaştırmaktadır. Uluslararasılaşma da beraberinde markalaşma ihtiyacını doğurmakta ve süreç üzerinde hızlandırıcı rol oynamaktadır.

Persons with disability have the same rights and freedoms as everyone else, yet they have serious difficulties in gaining meaningful employment. Governments are responsible for ensuring social inclusion, accessibility, and equity for the disabled people in employment, but should also encourage them to establish enterprises which will empower them and contribute to their full economic participation.  Businesses generally target able-bodied consumers, even though disabled people as the untapped market, comprise around 15% of the world’s population. Social Enterprises (SE) prioritize social impact and social inclusion, but still require a profit contribution for the sustainability of the business. An SE providing inclusive and accessible products and services for disabled consumers can be run more successfully by a disabled entrepreneur who can internalize the disabled needs. Therefore, how disabled entrepreneurs are supported in their country will be a critical factor in their success. The research objective of this study is to reveal the supports provided in Turkey for disabled entrepreneurs in an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. The findings show that support for entrepreneurship was available in financing, investment, education, R&D and consultancy provided by the state and NGOs. However, accessible support for disabled people was limited to İŞKUR and KOSGEB. Disabled entrepreneurs whose SE targeted disabled consumers were examined as good practice and it was concluded that such ventures should be encouraged, whilst NGOs, social entrepreneurship platforms and the state should strengthen the awareness and improve the accessibility of the opportunities and support available for disabled entrepreneurs.

Purpose –Technological evolutions have made the products & services almost identical, and experience becomes the key differentiation tool for competition. Especially the service companies design customer journey to create memorable, amusing, and recommendable experiences. AI chatbots help enrich the customer experience and save cost and time with its automated structure. With this study, it’s aimed to discover the determinants of young consumers’ intention to use chatbots in e-shopping comparatively in Turkey and Azerbaijan. Design/methodology/approach –The research model was based on Technology Acceptance Model and U&G Theory. The data gathered via an online questionnaire; 300 responses were analyzed using SEM. Findings:The findings showed that the perceived ease of use didn’t positively affect the perceived usefulness of chatbots in Turkish sample; however, the communication competence positively affects perceived usefulness, and the entertainment positively affects theattitude towards chatbots. For Azerbaijani sample, the research model was wholly confirmed with the causal relationships among all variables. Discussion –This article clarifies underlying motives for usage intention during online shopping of university students living in different countries and provides practical implications about the consumers’ expectancies regarding chatbots during e-shopping. As a gratification factor, entertainment is an important determinant to experience and create a positive attitude towards chatbot. Designing an easy-to-use chatbot is not adequate to encourage the consumers to use chatbot but the chatbot should have the ability to solve not only standard problems but also particular problems faced by the consumers. In online shopping via chatbots consumers’ fears and reservations about privacy concern can be eliminated by offering safer payment options like cash/credit card at the door.