February 18, Ruben Fernandez Fuertes

Recent Seminars
Date: 18 February 2026, Wednesday Time: 10.30 – 11.30 Place: MA-330 "Monetary Policy Shocks: A New Hope — Large Language Models and Central Bank Communication” by Ruben Fernandez Fuertes Bocconi University Abstract  I develop a multi-agent LLM framework that processes Federal Reserve communications to construct narrative monetary policy surprises. By analyzing Beige Books and Minutes released before each FOMC meeting, the system generates conditional expectations that yield less noisy surprises than market-based measures. These surprises produce theoretically consistent impulse responses where contractionary shocks generate persistent disinflationary effects, and enable profitable yield curve trading strategies that outperform alternatives. By directly extracting expectations rather than cleaning surprises ex post, this approach demonstrates how multi-agent LLMs can implement narrative identification at scale without contamination in high-frequency measure. Bio Rubén Fernández-Fuertes is a financial…
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A Joyful Birthday Celebration at Bilkent FBA 🎂

A Joyful Birthday Celebration at Bilkent FBA 🎂

News & Events
On February 11, we celebrated the birthdays of our January & February-born colleagues at Bilkent University – Faculty of Business Administration. It was a pleasure to come together, share joyful moments, and celebrate the wonderful people who contribute so much to our academic community every day. Wishing all our colleagues a year filled with happiness, good health, and continued success! 🥳✨
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January 28, Marius Van Dijke

Recent Seminars
Date: 28 January 2026, Wednesday Time: 10.30 – 11.30 Place: MA-330 "Why Do I Do What I Do? How Searching for Meaning at Work Can Facilitate the Spread of Unethical Conduct Through Organizations" by Marius Van Dijke RSM Abstract  Existing work has explained the trickling down of unethical leader behavior through organizations in terms of social learning or social exchange processes. We identify a key limitation of these explanations and propose a novel process to explain the trickling down of unethical leader behavior. We build on Baumeister’s (1991) account of meaning, which depicts it as a system of mental connections between objects and events. We propose that strongly (vs. weakly) searching for meaning at work strengthens trickle-down effects of unethical leadership from higher-level managers, via lower-level managers to employees. We…
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January 19, Alireza Golmohammadi

Recent Seminars
Date: 19 January 2026, Monday Time: 10.30 – 11.30 Place: MA-330 " Digital Solutions to the Obesity Crisis: Evaluating the Impact of Online Grocery Delivery Services " by Alireza Golmohammadi Belk College of Business Abstract  Despite extensive efforts in developed nations to combat obesity, rates continue to rise, particularly in the U.S., with low-income populations being disproportionately affected. This study examines the potential of third-party online grocery delivery services (OGDS) to mitigate obesity. Utilizing a staggered difference-in-differences approach, we analyze the impact of OGDS’s entry on obesity rates. Our findings reveal that OGDS entry is associated with a significant reduction in obesity rates, averaging -.64%, which translates to an annual medical cost saving of $2.91 billion. However, the positive impact of OGDS entry is less pronounced in low-income areas, indicating…
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Bilkent EMBA Leaders’ Talks Series – Haluk Dortluoğlu, CEO of File Market

Bilkent EMBA Leaders’ Talks Series – Haluk Dortluoğlu, CEO of File Market

News & Events
On Friday, January 9, we were delighted to host Mr. Haluk Dortluoğlu, CEO of File Market, as part of the Bilkent EMBA Leaders’ Talks series. Set in the inspiring atmosphere of the İhsan and Ayser Doğramacı Science, Culture and Arts Center, the event brought our EMBA community together for an inspiring conversation on the retail sector, as well as Mr. Dortluoğlu’s leadership vision. The evening continued with a lively Q&A session, followed by a networking cocktail that created a warm and engaging atmosphere for further exchange of ideas. We sincerely thank Mr. Haluk Dortluoğlu for sharing his valuable insights and all our colleagues who contributed to the organization of this memorable event. At Bilkent EMBA, we remain committed to connecting our participants with distinguished leaders from the business world.
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Poster Presentations for MAN 495 – Business Capstone Project

Poster Presentations for MAN 495 – Business Capstone Project

Course Based Events
MAN senior students successfully delivered their poster presentations for MAN 495 – Business Capstone Project, which is taught by Ceren Aydoğmuş, on December 24, 2025. In the first phase of the course, student teams conducted field studies at companies, working directly on real business problems identified by these organizations. Each team was required to clearly define, describe, analyze, and critically examine the assigned problems using relevant management and business frameworks. In the second phase, the teams developed feasible, context-specific, and actionable solution proposals and presented their recommendations through poster presentations. This capstone experience enabled students to integrate theory and practice, strengthen their analytical and problem-solving skills, and gain valuable hands-on exposure to real-world business challenges.
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Welcome 2026!

Welcome 2026!

News & Events
The Bilkent University Faculty of Business Administration organized a warm Welcome 2026 event on December 18 with the contributions of its academic staff, administrative staff, and graduate students. Kürşat Aydoğan, Rector of Bilkent University, and Orhan Aytür, Provost of Bilkent University, were also in attendance. Wishing our Bilkent FBA family a joyful, healthy, and inspiring year ahead.May 2026 bring new beginnings, shared successes, and many moments to celebrate together!
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January 7 – Utku Ay

Recent Seminars
Date: 07 January 2026, Wednesday Time:10.30 – 11.30 Place: MA-330 “Inclusive Exclusion: When Market Expansion Reinforces Exclusion” by Utku Ay University of Arizona Abstract  Firms often seek growth through inclusion, extending their brands to new consumer groups. Yet these initiatives frequently reproduce exclusionary structures rather than dismantle them. This study introduces inclusive exclusion, an empirically derived and theoretically grounded construct that explains how inclusionary marketing strategies can perform inclusion while sustaining exclusionary order. Drawing on an ethnographic investigation of football in Turkey, we identify three mechanisms of market participation that structure consumer inclusion and exclusion: consumer role assignment, consumption pathways, and infrastructural support. Inclusion emerges under conditions of role alignment, coherent pathways, and strong infrastructural support, which foster legitimate market participation. Conversely, when firms invite new consumers, but these mechanisms…
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December 24 – Evrim de Groot

Recent Seminars
Date: 24 December 2025, Wednesday Time: 10.30 – 11.30 Place: MA-330 “Victimhood as a Currency: Observing Abusive Consumption Mobilizes Support for Misused Objects and Brands" by Evrim de Groot Glion Institute Abstract  Consumers typically buy bulk for their cost-saving benefits. Drawing on costly signaling theory, we argue that such commitments, however, serve as subtle unintentional signals of status. Although consumers buy bulk for cost saving purposes, observers consistently perceive bulk purchasers (long-term subscribers, clubhouse shoppers, loyalty card holders) as higher in status not only because they appear to possess greater financial resources, but also because they are seen as respected customers. Consequently, such customers are afforded a way of costly signaling where the risk of being labeled a show-off is minimized due to the low-cost disguise. Hence, bulk purchases essentially come…
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December 23 – David Faro

Recent Seminars
Date: 23 December 2025, Tuesday Time: 13.30 – 14.30 Place: MA-330 "Time-Left Versus Future-Age: How Framing Life and Healthy Life Expectancy Shapes Perceived Time and Health Decisions" by David Faro London Business School Abstract  Statistics and predictions about life expectancy and healthy life expectancy feature on across a wide range of consumer-facing platforms, from retirement planning tools to health-tracking apps, wellness products, and insurance calculators. These are typically presented in future-age frame (e.g., ‘As a 50-year-old, you are expected to live until the age of 84’) or in time-left frame (e.g., ‘As a 50-year-old, you are expected to live for another 34 years’). Across seven online studies (N = 4103) and one field experiment (N = 14,422), we show that the time-left frame makes total life expectancy and healthy life…
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