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Traditional analytical methods are often time-consuming and require bulky instruments, making their widespread implementation challenging. This paper aims to represent the principal concepts of biosensors as an introduction of this technology to readers and offers a comprehensive understanding of its functions.

The authors provide descriptions of the components, characteristics and advantages of biosensors along with the immobilization methods, followed by a brief discussion.

A biosensor is an analytical device comprising a specific biomolecule and a transducer in conjunction with an output system. The biomolecule recognizes a specific target which leads to a change in physicochemical properties of a system. This biorecognition phenomenon is later converted into a detectable signal by the transducer. Biosensors can essentially serve as rapid and cost-effective devices with excellent sensitivity and specificity for critical purposes in innumerable fields, ranging from scientific research to day-to-day applications.

Here, the authors explain and discuss the approaches and challenges with the aim of leading to an interest in biosensor development and improving their applications.

In recent years, growing concerns about the environment and climate change, poverty problems, growing inequality among societies, and tensions brought about by social injustice have increased the popularity of sustainability, which is considered a multidimensional concept, among scientists, decision-makers, academics, and companies. The perception of these different groups of sustainability issues and the tools they suggest/use for corporate sustainability implementations differ from each other. It can be difficult to look for and understand sustainability tools that are handled with different perspectives in many sources. In this chapter, the tools used in sustainability implementation are discussed with certain classifications – environmental management tools, sustainability reporting, and corporate social performance – and their relations with each other. In short, this study aims to present a holistic perspective to the sustainability (or of corporate sustainability) implementations carried out by companies trying to survive in a dynamic and complex economic environment. Accordingly, the literature was reviewed, and the concept of sustainability was explained, the reasons that push companies to sustainability implementations were evaluated, and sustainability implementations were detailed under environmental management tools, sustainability reporting, and corporate social performance.

Social capital (SC), emerging as a new type of capital with 1980s, is defined as resources such as knowledge, opportunities, power, goodwill, and cooperation, achieved by means of interpersonal relationships. Businesses in possession of these resources will clearly gain an economic competitive advantage. This study was designed to determine how SC affects survival skills of businesses in economic competition. In this study, where qualitative research methods were used, data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 40 micro- and small business owners, most of whom are second and third generations, operating in Antakya Long Bazaar, and three managers in charge of the management of Long Bazaar. Interviews were recorded with a voice recorder and note-taking technique. After transcription of voice recordings, the researchers coded and categorized the raw data and obtained themes and subthemes. Obtained data were analyzed with MAXQDA 20 software. In line with the performed qualitative analysis, responses of owner-managers were categorized in trust, trust promoting mechanisms (establishments, norms, and sanctions), network participation, collective action and cooperation, and learning aspects of SC. Questions on identification of variables and structural characteristics, which are prominent in determination of SC, were addressed to managers in charge of the management of Long Bazaar, thereby revealing the situation pertaining to the general structure.

The purpose of this paper is to encompass the assessment of the effectiveness of the digital library and the value of multidisciplinary databases in terms of user preferences and use frequency by academic ranking.

This paper compares the results of two survey questionnaires carried out in 2002 and 2005. It examines the level of awareness by academic staff of digital library resources along with their use rate and to evaluate the preferences of faculty for specific electronic databases case studies were undertaken by means of separate questionnaires in both years.

Findings were consistent that positive results have been observed in two studies conducted in two years, 2002 and 2005. According to the results of the current survey, increased numbers of the faculty members of Ankara University know about the existence of the digital library. Another result of the survey is that many of the faculty members, although not all, use electronic databases. The most preferred databases have been Web of Science, Science Direct and Ebsco. When use of the electronic databases is analyzed, in respect of faculty rank and level of awareness, associate and assistant professors, assistants are ranked first.

The study presents the first case study in the field in Turkey that compares the current situation of the digital library usage with the initial survey data.