Purpose Financial literacy has a strong influence on financial well-being, and it is a concept especially important for college students who start to develop their financial habits. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between financial literacy, money attitudes and time preferences among Turkish university students. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 1,443 university students from 14 campuses in Turkey. Structural equation modeling methodology is employed to test the hypotheses. Findings The results suggest that students with higher financial knowledge scores have more favorable financial attitudes and exhibit more desirable financial behaviors. It is also demonstrated that financial attitude is positively related to financial behavior. Furthermore, a significant and negative relationship between the affective dimension of the money ethic construct and financial behavior is found. In contrast, the relationship between the behavioral dimension of money ethic and financial behavior is positive. It is further demonstrated that a present orientation leads to more negative financial attitudes. Originality/value This study will reveal the interrelationships among dimensions of financial literacy, money ethics and time preferences in an emerging economy with a relatively little experience with formal financial systems and unstable macroeconomic conditions.

The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement on firm financial performance in a developing country, Turkey, and to analyze the moderating role of ownership concentration in the CSR–financial performance relationship. The sample consists of non-financial public firms listed on the Borsa Istanbul (BIST)-100 index and covers the period between 2014 and 2018. Empirical results using an instrumental variable approach show that corporate social responsibility has a positive relationship with financial performance. Furthermore, findings indicate that this relationship is negatively moderated by ownership concentration even when endogeneity is controlled for.

Abstract:The objective of this study is to investigate the factors affecting firm competitiveness in an emerging market-Turkey. In the paper, competitiveness is proxied by a firm's financial performance. The empirical analysis is based on firms listed on Borsa Istanbul and covers the period between 2005 and 2014. Results from a firm-level panel data model indicate that return on assets is positively related to firm size, international sales, liquidity and growth, and negatively related to leverage and R&D expenditures. On the other hand, gross profit margin is positively related to size and international sales, and negatively related to leverage and R&D expenditures. Finally, results show that Tobin's Q ratio is higher for firms with higher levels of debt and higher liquidity levels.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing financial behaviors among college students in Turkey. Data was obtained from a nationwide survey of 1539 students (748 women, 791 men; M age = 22.01 yr., SD = 2.44) and three financial behaviors were analyzed: paying bills on time, having a budget in place, and saving for the future. Logistic regression results showed that students who are more financially literate are more likely to exhibit the three positive financial behaviors. Parental teaching of finance and positive attitudes towards money were also found to be significant predictors of positive financial behaviors. A significant difference between male and female students was only observed for budgeting behavior and male students were found to be less likely to have a budget in place to control their finances. Finance courses taken in college or high school and work experience were positively related to saving behavior, but unrelated to timely payment or budgeting. Finally, students' class rank was not found to be significantly related to any of the financial behaviors. Policy implications are provided.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between dividends and family involvement as well as corporate governance characteristics among Turkish public firms. Design/methodology/approach Using panel data on Turkish firms listed on the Borsa Istanbul 100 index for 2006–2014, three models are estimated. For the first two models, where the dependent variables are the dividend payout ratio and dividend yield, respectively, tobit regressions are run. The last model, which employs a dividend dummy as the dependent variable, is estimated with logistic regression. Findings There is a positive and concave relationship between family ownership and dividends. The existence of a family chairman reduces dividends. There is a positive association between board size and dividends and this relationship is weaker for firms with higher levels of family ownership. Finally, the ratio of independent directors on the board is negatively associated with dividends. Practical implications The findings imply that firms with substantial family ownership and active family participation in management are more likely to send a negative signal to minority shareholders by paying lower dividends. In addition, minority shareholders should pay attention to the board structure of firms in which they invest. Originality/value This study is one of the few to analyze the nonlinear relationship between family ownership and dividend payments as well as the role of family management in a developing country. Second, it investigates the role of board characteristics in explaining dividend payment decisions.

This study focuses on the relationship between firm performance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) of firms listed on Borsa Istanbul during the period of 2009-2011. We use content analysis of annual reports/websites of Turkish firms for any socially responsible activities. We find a negative relationship between CSR and financial performance, meaning that firms which disclose more information about CSR initiatives in their annual reports have a lower return on assets. After controlling for debt and size of the firms, we further find that while highly levered firms are less profitable, larger firms have higher profits. Finally, we do not find any significant relationships between research and development expenditures and financial performance. JEL Classification:

Abstract:The

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of corporate diversification on firm value in a sample of nine emerging markets including Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey. For the purpose of this study, a company is classified as diversified when it is operating in two or more lines of business defined by the two-digit SIC codes. Design/methodology/approach – Employing panel data from 1,568 companies for the period 2005-2010, this paper estimates both a fixed effects model and a dynamic generalized method of moments model. Data are collected both at company level and segment level within each firm. Findings – Overall, analysis results suggest that, for the period from 2005 to 2010, diversified firms in emerging markets are valued more compared to single-segment firms operating in similar industries, providing support for diversification premium. Originality/value – The effect of diversification on company value in emerging markets is an important managerial and public policy concern. Although the literature on developed country diversified firms is rich, only a few studies have examined diversification-value relationship in the context of developing countries. Furthermore, most previous research on the value effects of corporate diversification in emerging markets has taken the form of case studies within countries and concentrated on the 1990s. This paper tries to fill these gaps by using a larger sample and more recent data and methodology.