Corporate social responsibility in terms of reputation management: A study on the example of Baykar INC

The purpose of this study is to explain the impact of social responsibility, which is a dimension of reputation management, through a defense industry company. Previous studies have mostly focused on reputation management of local producers, and there is no literature available regarding a company engaged in the defense industry that produces goods for the international market. Therefore, Baykar Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. has been selected for this research. The research has been prepared using mixed methods to broaden its scope and to gain a clearer understanding of the concept of reputation. Through qualitative methods, content analysis has been conducted on the official Twitter account of Baykar A.Ş., and the posts have been scanned using the MAXQDA 2022 program. The most frequently used words have been identified to create a word cloud and frequency table. In the company's posts, the expression "MilliTeknolojiHamlesi" (National Technology Move) has been used the most, aiming to reflect the societal objective of their applications. Additionally, the frequent sharing of the words "BayraktarTb2" and "Akıncı" suggests that the company aims to build brand and product awareness through social media. Foreign news sources have also been analyzed, revealing that Baykar is associated with "BayraktarTb2" and "Turkey." The quantitative section of the research is based on survey data. The population of the study consists of individuals over the age of 18 residing in Afyonkarahisar. A non-random sampling method, convenience sampling, was employed to collect survey responses from 500 participants, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software. The data were evaluated using mean and standard deviation values, as well as factor analysis, Cronbach's Alpha, mean and frequency analysis, Independent t-test, ANOVA test, and correlation analysis. According to the research findings, the dimensions of reputation management and social responsibility vary depending on participants' marital status, generation, occupation, education level, and income. However, no statistically significant differences were found based on participants' gender. From Baykar's perspective, the company effectively utilizes the dimensions of reputation management. Their efforts in corporate social responsibility have also been positively evaluated.