Search Results (25)

Sustainability in the agri-food sector has become a cornerstone of global efforts to combat climate change, ensure food security through climate-smart agriculture, and strengthen economic resilience. Sustainability reporting within agri-food systems has gained increasing regulatory significance with the introduction of mandatory frameworks such as the Turkish Sustainability Reporting Standards (TSRSs). This article searches for the sustainability reports of agri-business firms listed in BIST in Turkey. Although TSRS reporting is not yet mandatory for the agribusiness sector, this study examines the first TSRS-aligned sustainability reports published by eight agri-food companies, excluding the retail sector. The analysis assesses how effectively these reports address sector-specific environmental and social challenges defined in the GRI 13 Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fishing Sector Standard and their alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using a structured content analysis approach, disclosure patterns were examined at both thematic and company levels. The findings indicate that TSRS-aligned reports place strong emphasis on environmental and climate-related disclosures, particularly emissions, climate adaptation and resilience, water management, and waste. In contrast, agro-ecological and land-based impacts—such as soil health, pesticide use, and ecosystem conversion—are weakly addressed. Economic disclosures are predominantly framed around climate-related financial risks and supply chain traceability, while social reporting focuses mainly on occupational health and safety, employment practices, and food safety, with limited attention to labor and equity issues across the broader value chain. Company-level results reveal marked heterogeneity, with internationally active firms demonstrating deeper alignment with GRI 13 requirements. From an SDG alignment perspective, high levels of coverage are observed across all companies for SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). By contrast, SDGs critical to agro-ecological integrity and social equity—namely SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 15 (Life on Land)—are weakly represented or entirely absent. Overall, the results suggest that while TSRS-aligned reporting enhances transparency in climate-related domains, it achieves only selective alignment with the SDG agenda. This underscores the need for a stronger integration of sector-specific sustainability priorities into mandatory sustainability reporting frameworks. Full article

Background/Objectives: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli is a critical One Health challenge, with rising resistance in both humans and animals. The present study aimed to compare antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of E. coli isolates from hospitalized patients and food-producing animals in Satu Mare, a county located in northwestern Romania. Methods: Between 2022–2023, 701 samples were collected, leading to 571 non-duplicate E. coli isolates (420 human, 151 animal). Human strains were recovered from 21 hospital departments and originated from feces, urine, blood, sputum, ear secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, purulent wound secretions, and puncture fluids. Animal isolates were obtained from ceca collected at local slaughterhouses serving farms in north-west Romania, including samples from turkeys, broilers, and pigs. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed against eight antimicrobials (amikacin, ampicillin, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefepime, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim) using standardized methods. Resistance classification followed international definitions of MDR. Statistical associations between host species and resistance were assessed with chi-square tests. Results: Resistance levels were consistently higher in E. coli strains isolated from animals compared with those from humans (p < 0.05). Among human isolates, resistance to ampicillin (41.9%), ciprofloxacin (41.4%), and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (45.7%) approached, but did not exceed 50%. In contrast, E. coli strains recovered from animals showed markedly higher resistance, exceeding 50% for ampicillin (78.8%), ciprofloxacin (65.6%), and cefotaxime (55.0%). Amikacin retained full activity against all animal isolates, whereas 2.8% of human strains were resistant. Overall, multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 70.0% of E. coli isolates from humans and 79.7% from animals, with the highest resistance burden in pig-derived isolates. Conclusions: The study underscores the veterinary sector as a key contributor to the maintenance and spread of MDR E. coli. Even in clinically healthy animals, resistance levels exceeded those observed in human isolates. These findings emphasize the need for coordinated One Health monitoring and stricter antimicrobial use policies in livestock to reduce transmission risks across human and animal populations. Full article

This study investigates the influence of technostress (Tech) on the well-being (WB) of employees in manufacturing sectors employing Industry 4.0 in Turkey, examining the effect of work exhaustion (WE) as a mediator in the association between technostress and well-being. How digital leadership (Dg) moderates these relationships is analyzed and discussed accordingly. This article also presents strategies for digital leaders to mitigate employees’ technostress in the digital transformation era and discusses their positive role. Using the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) framework and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, data were gathered from 329 workers employed at three manufacturing firms located in Istanbul. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test this study’s hypothesis. The results indicate that increased technostress notably reduces employee well-being, primarily because it heightens work exhaustion. Moreover, robust digital leadership effectively lessens these negative impacts, underscoring its value in managing technological stress. This research explains the importance of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3) for better health and well-being practices in workplaces. It suggests practical implications for organizations, including developing digital leadership skills, routinely assessing technostress, and applying targeted actions to sustain employee health during digital shifts. Full article

Background: Campylobacter spp. are leading foodborne pathogens, with increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) posing a critical public health threat. While broiler chickens have been widely studied, turkeys represent an underexplored reservoir. The present study investigates Campylobacter spp. in turkeys, focusing on isolation frequency, resistance, and virulence within the context of One Health. Methods: A total of 182 cecal samples were collected from slaughtered turkeys in Romania. Isolation and identification of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli followed ISO 10272-1:2017 guidelines. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted via broth microdilution, and molecular analyses using PCR targeted species identification, resistance determinants, and virulence-associated genes. Results: Campylobacter spp. were detected in 75.8% of samples, with C. jejuni and C. coli accounting for 54.3% and 45.7%, respectively. High resistance rates were observed to ciprofloxacin (89.9%) and tetracycline (85.5%), with moderate resistance to erythromycin and ertapenem. No resistance was found to gentamicin or chloramphenicol. Genotypic analyses confirmed the presence of resistance genes (e.g., tetO, gyrA—Thr-86-Ile mutation, ermB, cmeB) and widespread virulence genes (flaA, cadF, cdtAB, ciaB), supporting phenotypic results. Conclusions: The survey highlights turkeys as a significant but neglected source of resistant and virulent Campylobacter spp., with implications for food safety and public health. The convergence of AMR and virulence aspects calls for integrated surveillance and control strategies across veterinary and human health sectors, supporting the One Health strategy. Full article

Enteric diseases represent one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in poultry production, especially in turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), significantly affecting the profitability of the sector. Turkey enteric complex (PEC) is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by diarrhea, stunting, poor feed conversion, and increased mortality in young turkeys. Its aetiologia includes multiple avian enteric viruses, including astrovirus, rotavirus, reovirus, parvovirus, adenovirus, and coronavirus, which can act singly or in co-infection, increasing clinical severity. This study performs a systematic review of the literature on these viruses and a meta-analysis of their prevalence in different regions of the world. Phylogenetic analyses were used to assess the genetic diversity of the main viruses and their geographical distribution. The results show a wide regional and genetic variability, which underlines the need for continuous epidemiological surveillance. Health and production implications are discussed, proposing control strategies based on biosecurity, targeted vaccination, and optimized nutrition. These findings highlight the importance of integrated management to mitigate the impact of CSF in poultry. Full article

Background: The global spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains one of the greatest challenges of our time, necessitating collaboration among professionals in both the animal and public health sectors. One bacterial species that is developing AMR is Clostridium perfringens. It causes serious bacterial infections and continues to cause significant economic losses in the poultry industry. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of commensal C. perfringens strains isolated from large-scale turkey flocks in Hungary using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination. We complemented our research with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis to detect the major and minor toxin genes that are characteristic of the species and to explore the potential associations between gene presence and antimicrobial resistance profiles. Results: A total of 146 commensal isolates were examined. Sensitivity to penicillin was reduced, with only 44.5% of isolates remaining susceptible, whereas 87.7% of isolates were sensitive to amoxicillin. The PCR results revealed that all isolates carried the alpha major toxin gene, 23.9% harbored the beta major toxin gene, 15.8% the beta2 minor toxin gene, 3.4% the NetB minor toxin gene, and 2.7% the epsilon major toxin gene. No statistically significant associations were observed between the presence of toxin genes and the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolates; the MIC values showed no correlation with the presence of toxin-producing genes. Conclusions: Clostridium perfringens isolates retained susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics, which remain the primary choice for treatment. Regular monitoring can aid in establishing temporal trends. Future studies should include larger sample sizes and employ next-generation sequencing to further investigate multidrug-resistant strains. Full article

Background: The global spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has prompted the critical importance of regular monitoring. Escherichia coli, a widely distributed facultative anaerobic pathogen, is significant both in terms of the clinical diseases that it causes and as a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance, with notable implications for both animal and public health. Within the poultry industry, the turkey sector is an emerging and internationally significant branch. Methods: Our objective was to assess the antimicrobial resistance profile of commensal Escherichia coli strains isolated from large-scale turkey flocks in Hungary using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination. Results: A total of 470 isolates were analyzed, revealing that 61.5% of the strains were resistant to amoxicillin, while 18.5% were resistant to amoxicillin–clavulanic acid. The resistance observed against enrofloxacin (62.8%) and ceftriaxone (24%) is concerning. Comparison with human resistance data showed a similar resistance rate for amoxicillin and ampicillin, as well as amoxicillin–clavulanic acid and cephalosporins. However, for other active substances, the situation was significantly worse in veterinary medicine. Conclusions: The lower resistance to amoxicillin–clavulanic acid indicates that most strains are β-lactamase producers. Our findings underscore the necessity of regular and comprehensive surveillance, which can establish temporal trends over time. Incorporating data on antibiotic usage into future studies could facilitate the exploration of relevant correlations. Additionally, the next-generation sequencing of multidrug-resistant strains could help elucidate the genetic basis of resistance. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study examines the transformation of Turkey’s hospital sector from 2002 to 2022, focusing on physical capacity, service utilization, and workforce distribution in the public and private sectors. Methods: Longitudinal data from the Ministry of Health were analyzed using trend and breakpoint methods to evaluate hospital beds, qualified beds, intensive care beds, service volumes (outpatient visits, inpatient admissions, surgeries, and hospitalization days), and staffing (physicians, nurses, and midwives). Results: Findings reveal a marked shift in the balance between public and private providers. Due to public regulations effectively controlling resource allocation, the private sector’s share expanded to around one-fourth of the system. Private capacity in total beds rose from 7.53% to 21.00%, outpatient visits from 4.58% to 15.07%, and inpatient admissions from 10.10% to 30.63%. Breakpoint analyses indicate crucial turning points around 2005, 2008, and 2011, when policy changes restricted public capacity but facilitated private investment. Although the public sector’s share in total beds declined, its proportion of qualified and intensive care beds, as well as dialysis machines, increased, suggesting a strategic shift toward complex, high-quality services. Conclusions: Over the past 20 years, Turkey’s hospital sector exemplifies privatization without ownership transfer. Although delayed, private hospital expansion aligned with global neoliberal trends. Policy regulations played a key role in both promoting and limiting sector growth. A constant conflict exists between market-driven resource allocation and public health needs, which must be considered in restructuring efforts alongside private sector motivations. Full article

In parallel with the global landscape, the architecture profession is losing its appeal in Turkey, as evidenced by a decline in school occupancy rates to 79%. Accordingly, the Higher Education System (YÖK) has decreased architecture program quotas by an average of 20%. This study establishes a comprehensive model outlining the key factors influencing these orientations to better understand architecture students’ career paths. This paper investigates how architecture students’ perceptions of the construction industry influence their career choices, particularly their likelihood of staying in the sector. The devised model is empirically validated via data collected from 419 online survey questionnaires. Utilizing SPSS 23 and LISREL 8.8 software, a range of analyses, including frequency, validity, reliability, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling, are conducted. The model posits “intention to stay in the sector (IS)” as a dependent latent variable, affected by independent latent variables like “nature of the profession (NP)”, “prestige (PR)”, “working conditions (WCs)”, “health and stress (HS)”, “salary and benefits (SB)”, “ethical and political processes (EPs)”, “authorities and responsibilities (AR)”, and “conformity to expectations (CE)”. The findings demonstrate that NP, PR, WCs, SB, HS, EPs, AR, and CE significantly influence IS. Particularly, NP and PR substantially impact the preference for the architectural profession and the determination to remain in the sector. In contrast, WCs, HS, SB, and EPs affect IS negatively. This research contributes significantly to the literature on the career intentions of architecture students by presenting a model that captures the factors influencing their career choices. The model is supported by substantial empirical evidence and is based on a comprehensive literature review. Full article

Background: The poultry industry is one of the most rapidly growing sectors, producing the highest amount of animal-derived protein per unit time while also being the second-largest consumer of antibiotics. The widespread and accelerating spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) underscores the necessity of regular monitoring studies. Periodic assessments, especially focusing on commensal strains, can serve as indicators of emerging resistance patterns. Methods: This study assesses the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of putative commensal Staphylococcus strains (n = 166) isolated from large-scale turkey flocks in Hungary using minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination. The isolated strains were tested against antibiotics of veterinary and public health importance. The results were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test and the Mann–Whitney U test, as well as t-tests. Additionally, correlation analysis and principal component analysis were performed. Results: Our findings revealed the highest resistance rates to tiamulin (90.4%), doxycycline (79.5%), and enrofloxacin (68.7%). Conclusions: These results reflect the extensive antibiotic use in the poultry sector, which contributes to the widespread presence of antimicrobial resistance. As regular monitoring and the identification of trends can aid in mitigating the spread of resistance, these findings should be complemented by data on antibiotic usage at the surveyed farms in further studies. The observed resistance rate of 18.1% to vancomycin is particularly concerning from a public health perspective, given that comparative human data show only a 0.05% resistance rate. Additionally, for multidrug-resistant strains, next-generation sequencing should be utilized to elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying resistance, particularly in strains exhibiting high levels of resistance to vancomycin, which is of critical importance in human medicine, as well as to the critically important enrofloxacin and the widely used doxycycline and tiamulin. However, the limitations of the study should also be acknowledged, including the relatively small sample size, which is significantly lower than that of available human data, as well as the spatial distribution of the samples. Full article

Respiratory avian viral diseases significantly impact the world poultry sector, leading to notable economic losses. The highly contagious DNA virus, infectious laryngotracheitis virus, and the RNA virus, avian metapneumovirus, are well known for their prevalent effects on avian respiratory systems. The infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), stemming from the Herpesviridae family, manifests as an upper respiratory disease within birds. Characterized by acute respiratory signs, it sporadically emerges worldwide, presenting a persistent threat to poultry health. Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), belonging to the Pneumoviridae family is identified as the cause behind severe rhinotracheitis in turkeys and swollen head syndrome in chickens. This disease can lead to heightened mortality rates, especially when coupled with secondary bacterial infections. This review offers a comprehensive analysis and understanding of the general properties of these specific avian respiratory viruses, control measures, and their global status. Full article

Entrepreneurial orientation significantly influences business financial performance, particularly in global markets, making it pivotal across economies. Developed nations provide a conducive environment for entrepreneurship, supported by educational systems and skill development programs. Conversely, in developing countries, cultural and social disparities create unique challenges, shaping entrepreneurial intentions. Psychological barriers such as risk aversion, fear of failure, and resistance to change hinder potential entrepreneurs, particularly in health science faculties. A study conducted in Turkey aimed to explore these barriers among health science students. Data collected from 788 students revealed that psychological factors explained 72% of entrepreneurial intentions. Regression analysis confirmed the significance of risk avoidance, fear of failure, attitude towards change, and stress avoidance in shaping intentions. Despite these barriers, heightened entrepreneurial intentions among health students were associated with greater success in overcoming obstacles. The findings emphasize the importance of addressing psychological barriers in fostering innovative and entrepreneurial healthcare professionals. By understanding these dynamics, educational institutions, policymakers, and healthcare practitioners can better support the development of an entrepreneurial healthcare workforce. The intersection of healthcare and entrepreneurship presents opportunities for transformative solutions, potentially enhancing patient outcomes and advancing the healthcare sector. Despite challenges, emerging trends suggest a growing interest in leveraging innovation for positive change in healthcare, highlighting the potential for impactful contributions to the industry’s evolution. Full article

This study endeavors to prioritize occupational health and safety (OHS) accomplishments across ten forest management directorates in a specified province of Turkey, utilizing multi-criteria decision-making techniques (MCDMT). In a rigorous evaluation across four applied methodologies, the alternative P5 (amount of risk before measures) consistently exhibited superior performance. A notable emphasis of this research lies in the employment of a sophisticated OHS performance model, developed herein, to critically assess the OHS performance within these forest management directorates. In our evaluations, static variables such as land use and land cover, slope, vegetation type, soil characteristics, and distance from highways and human settlements were considered. Similarly, dynamic variables including temperature, wind speed and direction, and humidity were also factored in. Our findings corroborate the substantial ramifications, both tangible and intangible, of workplace accidents, hence underscoring the imperativeness of extensive, inter-industrial research initiatives geared towards effective accident prevention. This research is particularly focused on fortifying accident prevention measures in the arena of occupational health and safety during forest fires—an area with substantial economic and social implications, and of escalating importance in light of the expanding prominence of clean energy sources. Specifics pertaining to the forest fire rate within the studied directorates, as well as the criteria bearing the most and least impact as determined by this study, will be explicated in the full text, accompanied by their corresponding percentage values. Through the employment of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (F-AHP), and the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) method, this study demonstrates the efficacy of MCDMTs in assessing and categorizing OHS performance, hence contributing valuable insights to managers, OHS experts, and future research undertakings. In conclusion, this research concentrates on the formulation of employee-centric occupational health and safety systems, with a specific emphasis on forest fires. The proposed OHS performance index model represents a tool of exceptional potential in the evaluation of performance measurement, while addressing uncertainties across diverse sectors. This underscores the urgency of addressing health and sustainability issues within economic, social, and ecological domains through the rigorous examination and implementation of effective OHS practices. Full article

The loss of biodiversity due to overexploitation is well known, but a review and regulation of species used in the frogs’ legs trade has yet to be accomplished. This problem relates to supply (the capture and trade of wild populations) and demand (the main consumer being the EU). The EU’s responsibility should not be ignored, since unsustainable imports of certain species drives population decline and increases risk of extinction. For most organisms, including frog species in the frogs’ legs trade, commercial international trade remains unregulated, includes species in extinction-threat categories on the IUCN Red List, and is not economically sustainable. With a tradition of frogs’ legs consumption anchored in western EU countries, demand for many species from the principal supplying countries (Indonesia, Vietnam, Turkey, Albania) has resulted in the overexploitation of the regional populations of many species. Unfortunately, legal trade takes place in the midst of numerous uncertainties, including unresolved taxonomic status for many frogs, no database or regulation of trade-relevant species, unknown population status, and no health standards for the animals involved in the trade. In addition, regional overharvest may increase the use of pesticides, there is uncertain but likely spread of disease along the trade chain, and certification schemes for frog farming operations are both not standardised and can lead to exotic invasive species escaping into naïve ecosystems. Mechanisms to help make the international trade in frogs’ legs sustainable are essential, and require international agreement and targeted efforts, ideally financed by the trade sector itself. Full article

Workplace bullying (WB) studies focusing on perpetrators are increasing. Many processes, events, circumstances and individual states are being studied to understand and inhibit what causes some employees to become perpetrators. Using a 24-week diary design and drawing on the Conservation of Resources Theory, we investigated how sleep, physical activity (PA), and being bullied predicted perpetration on a within-level. On a between-level, we controlled for a supervisory position, psychological distress and mental illnesses over 38 employees from Spain and Turkey. Their average age was 38.84 years (SD = 11.75). They were from diverse sectors (15.8% in manufacturing, 15.8% in education, 13.2% in wholesale and retail trade, 13.2% in information and communication, 7.9% in health, 7.9% in other services and 26.3% from other sectors) with diverse professions such as finance manager, psychologist, graphic designer, academic, human resources professional, forensic doctor, IT and Administration head, municipality admin executive, waiter, and sales executives. Data collection was conducted over 24 consecutive work weeks, where only 31 participants were involved in perpetration (final observations = 720). We analyzed the data using multilevel structural equation modeling decomposed into within-and-between-person variance parts. The results indicated that on a within-level, PA as steps taken during the work week and being bullied positively predicted perpetration the same week, while sleep quality did not. By connecting sleep, physical exercise and WB literature, we draw attention to the health condition of perpetrators. Organizations should actively inhibit workplace bullying and be mindful of employees’ physical activities at work or commuting to work. Managers should also be attentive to physical fatigue that employees may feel due to their responsibilities in their private lives and allow employees to rest and recuperate to inhibit negative behaviors at work. Full article