Ayşe Başak Topaler

Topaler, Ayşe Başak

Name Variants

Ayse Basak, Topaler
AYŞE BAŞAK TOPALER
TOPALER, AYŞE BAŞAK
T., Ayse Basak
Topaler, A. B.
Topaler, AYŞE BAŞAK
A. Topaler
Topaler,Ayse Basak
T.,Ayse Basak
Topaler, A.
A. B. Topaler
Topaler, Ayşe Başak
Topaler,A.B.
Topaler, Ayse Basak
Ayşe Başak TOPALER
TOPALER, Ayşe Başak
Ayşe Başak Topaler
T., Ayşe Başak
Topaler, Başak
Topaler, Başak
Topaler, Basak
Topaler,B.
Topaler, B.
Topaler, Başak+

Job Title

Dr. Öğr. Üyesi

Email Address

basak.topaler@khas.edu.tr

ORCID ID

0000-0002-4553-0131

Scopus Author ID

36338123700

Full item page

Scholarly Output

10

Articles

9

Citation Count

0

Supervised Theses

0 Scholarly Output Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10

Citation Count: 3
Positioning new identities for appeal: Configurations of optimal distinctiveness amid ancestral identities
(SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2021) Topaler, Başak; Koçak, Özgecan; Usdiken, Behlül
The theory of strategic balance argues that organizations that are neither too similar to nor too distinct from their rivals will be best positioned to meet competing demands for legitimacy and competition. This is because a similar identity to other organizations signals conformity, thus generating legitimacy, while adopting a distinctive identity through differentiation provides competitive advantage. Recent studies have noted that various combinations of conformity and differentiation tactics can achieve "optimal distinctiveness," which, depending on the particular competitive landscape, may be low, moderate, or high. This study disentangles the effect of distinctiveness in a landscape from the effects of conformity to and differentiation from ancestral identities that serve as templates for new identities. Taking a configurational approach, we explore whether distinctiveness, proximity to an ancestral identity, hybridization of multiple ancestral identities, and vertical or horizontal differentiation are necessary or sufficient, alone or in combination, to generate appeal for new identities.
Citation Count: 0
Diffusion of Pure and Hybrid Forms of a Practice: Language of Instruction in Turkish Universities, 1983-2014
(Wiley Periodicals, Inc, 2020) Topaler, Başak; Üsdiken, Behlül
It is well recognized in the literature that practice variation is an integral part of diffusion processes. What remains less explored is the emergence of distinct forms of a novel practice and the interdependencies in their diffusion. In this study, we make a distinction between the pure version of a practice and ensuing hybrid variants and investigate how diffusion processes unfold for these alternative practice forms. Our empirical investigation in the Turkish higher education field demonstrates that hybrid practice forms became viable alternatives to the pure version of instruction in English and diffused in an interdependent manner. Further, diffusion of pure and hybrid forms was uneven across private and public universities. Our study contributes to the diffusion and practice variety literature as we establish that multiple versions of a practice that diffuse concurrently in a field may be building on or hampering each other, and they may diffuse in fragmented ways across different sub-populations.
Citation Count: 1
Judgments of Capability and Conformity as Distinct Forms of Social Judgments, and the Way They Interact To Shape Evaluator Decisions
(Wiley, 2020) Topaler, Başak; Küp, Eyuep Tolunay
Objective Social judgments are evaluators' opinions about the social properties of a set of actors. Different types of judgments rendered by the evaluators and potential interactions between them may have major consequences for the actors who are evaluated. In this article, we distinguish between judgments of capability and conformity, and examine their concurrent and interdependent effects on evaluator impressions. Methods We investigate these dynamics in the context of authors competing for the best paper award at the Academy of Management (AoM) conference. Results Findings of our empirical analyses demonstrate interdependent effects of capability and conformity judgments on the committee members' decisions. We demonstrate that evaluators expect greater conformity to their ideal template from more capable actors who have greater potential to contribute to these ideals. Conclusion Our study advances the literature on social judgments by showing that congruence (or incongruence) among distinct types of judgment shape evaluators' decisions, beyond their independent effects.
Citation Count: 0
The Status Granted To Organizational Identity Characteristics: an Application of the Best-Worst Method and Regression Analysis
(Springer, 2022) Topaler, B.; Çavdaroğlu, N.A.
According to the traditional conceptualization in management literature, organizations gain status through demonstrations of superior performance. Criticizing this narrow focus on “achieved” status, this study identifies the status value ascribed to organizations within socially constructed systems of norms and values. Utilizing concepts offered by institutional research in organization theory, we propose historical legacy, endorsement, and prominence in the field as sources of ascribed status for organizational identity characteristics. The Turkish higher education field constitutes the empirical setting of our research. We conducted interviews with key stakeholders in this field (i.e., students, academicians, managers in industry, and high school counselors) to elicit the organizational characteristics they perceive as relevant for defining university identity. The status value ascribed to these identity characteristics was documented via surveys with separate samples of these four stakeholder groups using a relatively new but widely recognized MCDM method, the best-worst method (BWM). Our findings provide evidence for the view that institutions have a broad influence on social hierarchy systems, yet with some nuances. We discuss theoretical implications for the research on status in markets and practical implications for higher education institutions. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Citation Count: 0
Shared Identity Schemas Shape Incumbent Responses To New Entrants
(INFORMS Inst.for Operations Res.and the Management Sciences, 2023) Koçak,Ö.; Topaler,B.
An outstanding question in research on competitive strategy is what determines the strength and type of strategic response that incumbents deploy against new entrants. We argue that strategists’ assessment of threat from new entrants and their choice of strategic reactions depend on the shared identity schema in their field. Position of new entrants across identity categories indicate whether they pose a competitive threat within the same identity-based niche or outside it and whether they threaten to erode the incumbent’s category’s social value relative to other categories. Potential reactions to these threats can also be classified according to whether they protect or enhance the value that incumbents create and capture through their membership in their identity category. Matching identity-relevant strategic actions to the type of threat that new entries pose, we argue that incumbents (1) employ identity-deepening tactics in response to competition in their identity-based niche; (2) use identity-extending tactics in response to competition outside their niche; (3) respond to categorical identity threats by affirming their identities; and (4) are less likely to respond to either competitive or identity threats that originate from new entrants that do not clearly fit in the shared identity schema. We find support for our predictions in analyses using data on the population of Turkish universities over a 30-year period. We discuss theoretical implications for ecological and socio-cognitive studies of markets and practical implications for predicting patterns of strategic interaction and disruptive potential of new entrants. Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s)
Citation Count: 0
Shared Identity Schemas Shape Incumbent Responses To New Entrants
(Informs, 2022) Kocak, Ozgecan; Topaler, Basak
An outstanding question in research on competitive strategy is what determines the strength and type of strategic response that incumbents deploy against new entrants. We argue that strategists' assessment of threat from new entrants and their choice of strategic reactions depend on the shared identity schema in their field. Position of new entrants across identity categories indicate whether they pose a competitive threat within the same identity based niche or outside it and whether they threaten to erode the incumbent's category's social value relative to other categories. Potential reactions to these threats can also be classified according to whether they protect or enhance the value that incumbents create and capture through their membership in their identity category. Matching identity-relevant strategic actions to the type of threat that new entries pose, we argue that incumbents (1) employ identity-deepening tactics in response to competition in their identity-based niche; (2) use identity-extending tactics in response to competition outside their niche; (3) respond to categorical identity threats by affirming their identities; and (4) are less likely to respond to either competitive or identity threats that originate from new entrants that do not clearly fit in the shared identity schema. We find support for our predictions in analyses using data on the population of Turkish universities over a 30-year period. We discuss theoretical implications for ecological and socio-cognitive studies of markets and practical implications for predicting patterns of strategic interaction and disruptive potential of new entrants.
Citation Count: 0
Gelişmekte Olan Bir Ekonomide Yeni Girişimlerin Hayatta Kalması ve Erken Dönem Başarısını Etkileyen Unsurların Niteliksel Karşılaştırmalı Analiz Yöntemiyle İncelenmesi
(2023) Topaler, Başak
Bu çalışmanın amacı, gelişmekte olan bir ekonomide faaliyet gösteren yeni girişimlerin hayatta kalması ve erken dönem başarısını etkileyen unsurların incelenmesidir. Söz konusu olgunun teorik karmaşıklığı ve gelişmekte olan ülke ekonomilerindeki dinamiklerine ilişkin yönlendirici öncül çalışmaların eksikliği göz önüne alınarak keşifsel bir araştırma tasarlanmıştır. Hayatta kalma ve başarı üzerinde etkili olabilecek çevresel, örgütsel ve kuruculara ilişkin bir faktör seti önerilerek bunlar arasındaki ilişkiler niteliksel karşılaştırmalı analiz (QCA) yöntemi kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın görgül ortamı Türkiye yeni girişim (startup) ekosistemidir. Bulgular, farklı düzeylerdeki unsurlar arasındaki karmaşık etkileşimlerin yeni girişimlerin hayatta kalması ve başarısında (erken dönemde birleşme/satın alma) etkili olabileceğine işaret etmektedir. Çevresel, örgütsel ve kuruculara ilişkin özelliklerin farklı kombinasyonları bu iki sonuca ulaşmada alternatif yollar sağlayabilmektedir. Hayatta kalma yerel yetkinliklerin etkin kullanımı ile mümkün olabilse de erken dönemde birleşme/satın alma gibi bir başarı yakalayabilmek daha ziyade global yetkinliklere sahip olmakla ilişkilidir.
Citation Count: 0
Universities Between Revenue and Status: a Typology of Organizational Responses
(Wiley Periodicals, inc, 2023) Topaler, Basak; Kayabasi, Akin
Prior research on behavioral responses to performance has provided limited attention to how different types of performance outcomes interact to affect organizational reactions. Focusing on the pursuit of revenue and status goals by private universities, we offer a typology of organizational responses (i.e., reducing ambitions, compensatory strategies, and complementary use of slack to pursue new opportunities) which are shaped by the set of challenges and capabilities that poor and superior performance in these goal dimensions present. When poor performance in both revenue and status leads to different types of liabilities that together result in a low likelihood of recovery, universities respond by reducing ambitions and diversifying into a lower status market segment, which offers a more promising path to survival. In response to a mixed performance outcome in revenue and status, universities employ compensatory strategies where they make use of the achievement in one goal dimension to repair the damage in the other. Finally, universities expand the scope of activities when they achieve superior performance in both goals, and the resulting slack in revenue and status provides complementary capabilities to pursue new opportunities. These findings extend the early Carnegie proposal and indicate that the portfolio of organizational responses to performance gaps may be broader than previously considered.
Citation Count: 2
Understanding the Relationship Between University Characteristics and Prestige
(EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD, 2021) Topaler, Başak; Ayvaz-Çavdaroğlu, Nur
Purpose Being a prestigious institution depends on gaining respect in the eyes of various stakeholders with diverse expectations. Existing research is silent on how university characteristics affect judgments of prestige and, therefore, presents an incomplete picture of prestige dynamics in higher education. This paper aims to fill this gap in the literature by empirically examining the stakeholders' evaluation of university characteristics in terms of prestige value. Design/methodology/approach The entire population of universities (public and private) in Turkish higher education constitutes the sample of the study. The analytic hierarchy process technique is applied to ascertain how stakeholders prioritize university characteristics in terms of prestige value, and regression analysis is used to determine the effects of these characteristics on university selectivity. Findings The findings suggest a novel conceptual model of university prestige, which establishes its multilayered and fragmented nature. Accordingly, universities may be subject to multiple prestige hierarchies based on universal or context-specific criteria, in the eyes of various stakeholders, and based on different markers of success. Research limitations/implications The empirical analyses are limited to the stakeholder groups that are key to university outcomes in Turkish higher education, and to selectivity in admissions as the only visible marker of success in this context. Originality/value The study enhances existing literature that posits that universities are subject to a single prestige hierarchy based on common metrics of performance. It illustrates the uneven landscape in which university prestige evolves by developing a wider and deeper focus on university characteristics.
Citation Count: 1
The Role of Signals in New Venture Financing in the Context of an Emerging Market: a Configurational Approach
(Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, 2023) Topaler, Basak; Adar, Gulcan
PurposeThis study proposes a portfolio of new venture signals that are likely to attract investors' attention in the context of an emerging market and examines how they work in combination to affect the likelihood of obtaining funding.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use data on early-stage venture capital investments for high-tech start-ups in Turkey. The authors adopt a configurational approach and use fuzzy QCA and regression analysis.FindingsThe findings suggest that financing of new ventures in an emerging economy is shaped by signals of context-specific capabilities that are required to survive and thrive in this market environment alongside and in interaction with signals of general capabilities required for business success. Different combinations of these signals provide equifinal pathways to obtain funding. Furthermore, signals that differ in type and content interact in complex ways to affect investors' decisions.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that entrepreneurs with no prior experience in the emerging market context can increase their chances of obtaining funding by affiliating with a venture development organization. Another promising strategy is to form a founding team that includes members affiliated with a developed country together with members who have emerging market experience. Finally, entrepreneurs may consider combining signals of context-specific capabilities with signals of general capabilities as they work in a complementary way to attract funding.Originality/valueThis study addresses two major shortcomings of the literature on new venture signaling, first, by positing the emerging market context as a unique signaling environment and, second, by demonstrating the value of considering signals as portfolios with potential interdependencies.