Muhammed Fatih Aydemir

Cultural distance (CD) is of central importance to fields such as international business, cross-cultural management, and global strategy. However, its measurement remains controversial. There are significant debates, in particular, surrounding the Kogut and Singh Index (KSI), which is based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions and is widely used in literature to measure CD. This study uses Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods as an alternative way to calculate CD. Specifically, the CD between Türkiye and its main export partners was assessed using both the KSI and MCDM methods. The LOPCOW method was used for criterion weighting, and the MARCOS, MABAC, and EDAS methods were used for ranking alternatives. According to the LOPCOW method, the criteria were ranked by weight as follows: indulgence, long-term orientation, power distance, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism. According to the KSI and MARCOS, MABAC, and EDAS methods, Spain was the country with the least CD from Türkiye, and the Netherlands was the country with the greatest distance. Furthermore, a significant, high-level relationship was observed between the KSI and MCDM methods, confirming the importance of the KSI method in CD calculations.

Türkiye ranks third in the world in natural honey production, after China and India, but it lags significantly behind in exports. Therefore, increasing Türkiye's natural honey exports is of great importance. To achieve this, honey exporters in Türkiye need to operate in multiple markets and prioritize these markets. In this regard, the aim of this study is to identify, classify, and evaluate priority markets for Türkiye's natural honey exports. For this purpose, the LODECI method was used as the objective criterion weighting method, and the CoCoSo method was used to rank countries as priority markets. The current study analysed 18 markets and 7 criteria to determine priority markets, which were then classified into three groups. As a result of the study, when determining Türkiye's priority market for honey exports using the LODECI method, the two criteria with the highest weights were the annual increase in import unit value between 2020 and 2024 and the annual increase in import volume between 2020 and 2024. In the analysis that determined priority markets using the CoCoSo method, taking criterion weightings into account, seven countries were identified as high-priority markets for Türkiye's natural honey exports. The priority markets included the United States of America, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

The aquaculture sector is a vital source of nutritious and healthy food for populations worldwide, generating employment opportunities and driving economic growth through domestic and international trade. This study aims to analyze the comparative advantages of China, Norway, and Türkiye in foreign trade within the aquaculture sector from 2013 to 2023. The data obtained from TurkStat and Trade Map databases were analyzed using the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index and product mapping methods. The analysis revealed that China and Norway exhibited a comparative advantage in many aquaculture products, particularly raw aquaculture, and were net exporters. Norway experienced an increase in competitiveness during the study period, while China's competitiveness decreased. Türkiye’s competitiveness in aquaculture lags behind that of China and Norway. While Türkiye has a competitive advantage in primary aquaculture trade, it is disadvantaged in processed aquaculture trade. Türkiye has a significant competitive advantage in the trade of chilled seafood and aquatic invertebrates, excluding crustaceans and molluscs, within the scope of primary aquaculture products. Additionally, the competitive advantages that each of these three countries has in different aquaculture products indicates that they could benefit from trading aquaculture products with each other.

Sıvılaştırılmış doğal gaz (LNG), son yıllarda küresel enerji ticaretinde önemli bir yer edinmiştir. LNG, doğal gazın sıvı hale getirilerek taşınabilirliğinin artırılması sayesinde, özellikle uzak mesafelerdeki ülkelere enerji tedariki sağlamak için kritik bir seçenek haline gelmiştir. Ülkeler açısından, LNG'nin ekonomik, güvenli ve sürdürülebilir bir enerji kaynağı olarak önemi giderek artmaktadır. Hem gelişmiş hem de gelişmekte olan ülkeler, LNG'yi enerji güvenliğini artırmak, ithalat bağımlılığını azaltmak ve çevresel hedeflere ulaşmak için stratejik bir araç olarak kullanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda yapılan bu araştırma, LNG ihracatındaki ülke kümelenmelerinin anlaşılmasının, küresel enerji dinamiklerini daha iyi kavrayabilmek için hayati bir katkı sağladığını ortaya koymaktadır. LNG ticaretine dair yapılan bu analizler, ülkelerin birbirleriyle olan ticaret ilişkilerini, enerji arz güvenliğini ve ekonomik etkileşimlerini derinlemesine incelemek adına önemli bir literatür boşluğunu doldurmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, yapılan analizler, Avustralya ve ABD’nin LNG ihracatında benzersiz bir konumda olduklarını göstermektedir. Bu bulgular, politika yapıcılarına LNG’nin uluslararası enerji pazarındaki stratejik rolünü daha iyi anlayarak, ihracat stratejilerinde çeşitlilik ve yerel enerji kaynaklarının değerlendirilmesi yönünde önerilerde bulunabilirler. Ayrıca, LNG ticaretinin daha sürdürülebilir hale getirilmesi adına çevresel ve ekonomik düzenlemelerin güçlendirilmesi gerektiği söylenebilir.

Türkiye ile Vietnam, özellikle son yıllarda, küresel ticarette daha fazla söz sahibi olan gelişmekte ülkelerin başında yer almaktadır. Bu ülkelerin uluslararası ticaretteki karşılaştırmalı üstünlüklerini ele almak oldukça önemlidir. Çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye ile Vietnam’ın ihracat benzerliğini ve iki ülke arasındaki karşılaştırmalı üstünlüğünün olduğu ürün gruplarını ortaya koymaktır. Bu amaçla 2001-2023 döneminin ele alındığı çalışmada, iki ülkenin 97 ürün grubundaki rekabet avantajları karşılaştırmalı olarak analiz edilmiştir. Çalışmada, Türkiye ile Vietnam arasındaki ihracat benzerliğinin genel olarak arttığı ve birbirine rakip ülkeler haline geldiği anlaşılmıştır. Türkiye’nin karşılaştırmalı üstünlüğünün en yüksek olduğu ürün grubu “Kara Taşıtı, Traktör, Bisiklet Aksam Parça” olurken, Vietnam’ın karşılaştırmalı üstünlüğünün en yüksek olduğu ürün grubu “Elektrikli Makina Cihaz Aksam” olmuştur. Benzer şekilde, Türkiye’nin Vietnam karşısındaki en fazla karşılaştırmalı avantaja sahip olduğu ürün grubu “Kara Taşıtı, Traktör, Bisiklet Aksam Parça”, en fazla dezavantaja sahip olduğu ürün grubu ise “Elektrikli Makina Cihaz Aksam” olmuştur. Öte yandan, iki ülkenin en çok rekabet ettiği ürün grupları arasında “Sert Kabuklu Meyveler”, “Örme Giyim Eşyası” ve “Örülmemiş Giyim Eşyası” yer almıştır. Ancak bu ürün gruplarında Türkiye’nin Vietnam karşısındaki karşılaştırmalı avantajı azalmış, Vietnam daha rekabetçi hale gelmiştir.

Citrus fruits account for one-third of Türkiye's fresh fruit and vegetable exports and are of great economic importance due to their wide range of uses. The objective of this study is to ascertain the citrus sub-products with the highest and lowest economic contribution to Türkiye's foreign trade for the period 2015-2024 using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. The LOPCOW method was used to weight the criteria, while the WASPAS method was used to rank the alternatives. According to the ten-year average results, the following criteria were used to determine the ranking (from highest to lowest): production quantity and import value, export quantity, export value, and import quantity. When considered on an individual basis, production quantity has been the most significant criterion from 2018 to the present. Based on the ten-year average, the ranking of citrus fruits with the highest economic contribution to foreign trade (from highest to lowest) was as follows: lemon, mandarin, orange, and grapefruit. Notably, there have been substantial shifts in the ranking over recent years, with oranges assuming the leading position in 2024. In order to increase the economic contribution of citrus fruits to foreign trade, it is necessary to increase production quantity while decreasing import value. To achieve this, the citrus production season should be spread throughout the year, storage infrastructure should be improved, market diversity should be prioritized, and the production of value-added and processed products should be increased.

In the United States (US), olive oil consumption is increasing due to the growing importance of healthy eating, the rising popularity of the Mediterranean diet, and the unique characteristics and taste of olive oil. Mediterranean countries play a particularly significant role in olive oil production and trade. Türkiye, a Mediterranean country, ranks fourth in olive oil production and sixth in exports. The US is the largest global olive oil market importer and the country where Türkiye exports the most olive oil. This study aims to analyze Türkiye’s international competitive advantage in the US olive oil market compared with those of Spain, Italy, Tunisia, Argentina, and Greece. The data utilized in the study encompasses the period from 2015 to 2024 and was obtained from the Trade Map database. The data was analyzed using the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index, the Trade Specialization Index (TSI), and the Export Product Dynamic (EPD) method. The study revealed that Türkiye and other leading countries specialize in exporting olive oil to the US market. It was determined that Türkiye faces a comparative disadvantage in olive oil exports to the US market when compared to its competitors. Tunisia has been identified as Türkiye’s strongest competitor in the US olive oil market. Türkiye has encountered a "lost opportunity" in the US olive oil market. In this regard, although Türkiye has increased its market share in total exports to the US, it has not achieved the same success in olive oil exports. Although Türkiye exports olive oil to the US at lower prices than its competitors, it has not gained a sufficient competitive advantage over these countries. Therefore, to increase its competitive advantage in the US olive oil market, Türkiye needs to focus more on non-price factors and, in this regard, produce and market high-quality, organic, certified, branded products.

Sea bream (Sparus aurata) is being produced and exported more and more with the increasing demand worldwide. Sea bream is a prominent species, especially in Mediterranean aquaculture, and its importance is growing for exporting countries. The increase in sea bream exports and competition necessitates closer monitoring of the performance of exporting countries. In this context, this study aims to evaluate the export performance of the world's top sea bream exporting countries using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques. In the study, CRITIC, SD, and combined methods were used to weight the criteria. The MAIRCA method was used to rank the export performance of the countries. In addition, BORDA counting methods were integrated into these methods, and more precise results were obtained. Thus, the highest weights in criterion weighting are the annual growth rate of exports in the last five years and market concentration. Conversely, net trade had the lowest criterion weight. Greece, Türkiye, and Morocco had the highest performance in sea bream exports, respectively. Cyprus had the lowest performance in sea bream exports. To improve their performance in exporting sea bream, countries must emphasize export growth, increase the value of exports per unit, and focus on exporting to more countries.

Türkiye is the global leader in sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) production and ranks second in exports. While sea bass is Türkiye's most exported fish, it is crucial to enhance this export to provide greater economic value and ensure the sustainability of production and exports. Therefore, exploring alternative markets is essential. This study aims to evaluate, compare, and classify alternative markets with the potential to boost Türkiye's sea bass exports. For this purpose, a relatively new multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method, the Classification Approach of Potential Market Alternatives (CAPMA) technique, was used in the study. The study encompassed a comprehensive analysis of 30 alternative markets, evaluated against five criteria, and categorized into four groups based on their capacity to enhance export volumes. The analysis identified nine countries (Sweden, France, Poland, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Thailand, the United States (US), and Malaysia) with the highest potential to increase Turkish sea bass exports. Six countries (Germany, Denmark, Finland, Singapore, Brazil and Canada) were identified as other countries where export potential is important to ensure country diversification, which is important for Türkiye's sustainable sea bass production and exports.

The rapid expansion of plastic waste trade has intensified environmental pressures, accelerating ecosystem degradation and climate change. We examine the long-term impacts of plastic waste imports and domestic waste production on ecological footprints and greenhouse gas emissions across 20 countries representing 70% of global plastic waste trade and 45% of world GDP. Under the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) framework, we explore nonlinear interactions among economic growth, urbanization, and sustainability goals. Using a panel simultaneous equations approach, we apply Pedroni, Kao, and Westerlund cointegration tests and Fully Modified and Dynamic OLS estimators to address endogeneity and heterogeneity. Robustness checks include alternative environmental indicators and the Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test. Results demonstrate a stable long-run equilibrium: plastic waste imports substantially increase ecological footprints and emissions, while progress on sustainable development goals mitigates some damage. The negative GDP squared coefficient supports the EKC hypothesis, indicating that environmental impacts rise initially with growth but decline once income exceeds a threshold. These findings highlight the need for stronger international regulations, enhanced waste management infrastructures, and circular economy strategies. Focused investment in sustainable technologies and global cooperation is essential to lower environmental costs of plastic waste trade.