TY  - JOUR
TT  - EXPLORING COMPETITIVE GAPS TO CREATE A “TURKISH” LOCAL SEARCH ENGINE
AU  - Dirsehan, Taskin
AU  - Ulutan, Meltem
AU  - Karabacak, Alperen
PY  - 2017
DA  - June
DO  - 10.17261/Pressacademia.2017.474
JF  - Research Journal of Business and Management
JO  - RJBM
PB  - Suat TEKER
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 2148-6689
SP  - 185
EP  - 193
VL  - 4
IS  - 2
KW  - Information technology
KW  - search engines
KW  - brand image measurement
KW  - qualitative research
N2  - Purpose- In today’sworld, organizations, brands and even countries compete in an information-richglobal market in which the main competitive factor is technology. One of thebusiness models that came with the development of technology is an Internetportal including several features such as search engines. Within this context,the present study aims to explore the gaps that can create competitiveadvantages for a new local search engine in Turkey that will be established inthe global marketplace and to determine how to position a local search enginebrand in today’s information market. Methodology-To carry out this study, 20 people who use both Google and Yandex wereinterviewed in accordance with the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique(ZMET) steps. 20 collages were prepared for each participant based on thepictures collected by them to represent the brands’ image in their minds; thesecollages were interpreted by the researchers using the universal metaphorsproposed by Professor Zaltman. Findings- The collagesand the interviews were discussed in line with the following metaphors: container,resource, control, balance and connection. The research findings help us tounderstand the images about Google and Yandex embedded in users’ minds.According to the participants, Google has a good and simple design, so the userdoes not have to spend time learning about the portal to use it. Anotherimportant point is international recognition. People trust Internet portalsthat are internationally accepted as valid. The ability to translate todifferent languages may help an Internet portal be considered moreinternational and gain a larger market share worldwide. In addition, it isimportant to provide a lot of resources, for doing so helps searches be morecredible. A good and successful Internet portal should focus on privacy. Userswant to feel safe, especially on the Internet, so a good protection systemwould gain users’ trust. Conclusion- The originalcontribution of this research is that people who use these search engines notonly see them as search engines but also perceive them as an intelligentfriend, a tempting home or even a universe full of information. According tothe research findings, Turkey would be able to create a competitive advantageby investing in a local Internet portal rather than focusing only on searchengines.
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UR  - https://doi.org/10.17261/Pressacademia.2017.474
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/373934
ER  -