A comparative analysis of foreign and domestic managers' profiles in the defense and aviation industry: The case of Turkey

Abstract

This study examines and analyzes foreign and domestic managers’ profiles in the defense and aerospace industry. C-level managers and senior executives of leading defense and aerospace companies abroad are compared with senior executives in Turkey. In addition, short and long term solutions are outlined to address the skills gap that exists in the Turkish defense and aerospace industry, which has become one of the most important sectors in Turkey.

Keywords:

• C-level managers
• defense and aerospace industry
• leadership
• management
• management gap

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Strategy Manager Yesim Neftçi and her team, and Corporate Development Manager Bora Büyük and his team in Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. for their invaluable contributions, suggestions, and comments.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available on the Internet on the companies' websites examine in this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yusuf Yigit

Yusuf Yigit currently holds the position of Corporate Marketing Manager at Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). After receiving his BSc. in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Iowa State University in 2014, he completed an MBA from Sabanci University in 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. His research interests include leadership, teamwork, and marketing strategies.

Tuncay Bayrak

Tuncay Bayrak is Professor of Business Analytics and Information Management at Western New England University. He received a Ph.D. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His research interests include Business Analytics, Business Intelligence, Big Data, Safety-Critical Systems, Applied Statistics, and Multivariate Data Analysis.

Fahrettin Ozturk

Dr. Fahrettin Ozturk is Vice President at Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, Turkey. His undergraduate degree is from Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey, M.Sc. from University of Pittsburgh, PA, and Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.