Switching determinants in subscription service markets : banking and electricity in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree Master of Business Studies at Massey University, New Zealand

This study examines the important role switching costs play in consumer loyalty to service providers. Banking and residential electricity consumers were studied in New Zealand using the framework developed by Burnham, Frels & Mahajan (2003). An attempt was made to replicate their measurement model using Burnham et al.'s eight first order constructs. An acceptable fit to the data was achieved, however, their instrument's scale items did not load as predicted indicating limited convergent and discriminant validity. In replicating Burnham et al.'s three factor second order model, of their three factors - procedural, financial and relational - only relational costs proved significant in influencing a consumer's intention to stay with their current service provider. A relationship between satisfaction with a service and a greater intention to stay with that service was confirmed. Possible explanations for the poor performance of the Burnham et al. structural model might be that their measurement model violates some basic rules for scale development. The lack of validity of some scales leads to speculation that the significant results reported by Burnham et al. were the result of fortuitous fit to their USA data. The value of a theory is in its general applicability to situations outside its original context. While the Burnham et al. (2003) theory may have been intuitively sound, this attempt to operationalise their model was hindered by a measurement instrument which lacked convergence, discriminance and reliability. The Burnham et al. model demonstrated in this replication an adequate fit to the data, but goodness-of-fit alone does not indicate a structurally sound model. It also requires validity. The findings of this thesis are that their model may require modification to some scales before it will be universally useful. Keywords: Customer retention, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, switching costs, loyalty, satisfaction, switching, defection, subscription markets, services

Late antiquity and the antiquarian

Arnaldo Momigliano, the most influential modern student of antiquarianism, advanced the view that there was a late antique antiquarianism, but also lamented the absence of study of the history of antiquarianism in this period. Part of the challenge, however, has been to define the object of such a study. Rather than "finding" antiquarianism in late antiquity as Momigliano did, this article argues that a history that offers explicit analogies between late antique evidence and the avowed antiquarianism of early modern Europe allows a more self-conscious and critical history of late antique engagement with the past. The article offers three examples of this form of analysis, comparing practices of statue collecting in Renaissance Rome and the late RomanWest, learned treatises on the Roman army by Vegetius and Justus Lipsius, and feelings of attachment to a local past as a modern antiquarian stereotype and in a pair of letters to and from Augustine of Hippo

Neuroimaging as a selection tool and endpoint in preclinical and clinical trials

Standard imaging in acute stroke enables the exclusion of non-stroke structural CNS lesions and cerebral haemorrhage from clinical and pre-clinical ischaemic stroke trials. In this review, the potential benefit of imaging (e.g., angiography and penumbral imaging) as a translational tool for trial recruitment and the use of imaging endpoints are discussed for both clinical and pre-clinical stroke research. The addition of advanced imaging to identify a “responder” population leads to reduced sample size for any given effect size in phase 2 trials and is a potentially cost-efficient means of testing interventions. In pre-clinical studies, technical failures (failed or incomplete vessel occlusion, cerebral haemorrhage) can be excluded early and continuous multimodal imaging of the animal from stroke onset is feasible. Pre- and post-intervention repeat scans provide real time assessment of the intervention over the first 4–6 h. Negative aspects of advanced imaging in animal studies include increased time under general anaesthesia, and, as in clinical studies, a delay in starting the intervention. In clinical phase 3 trial designs, the negative aspects of advanced imaging in patient selection include higher exclusion rates, slower recruitment, overestimated effect size and longer acquisition times. Imaging may identify biological effects with smaller sample size and at earlier time points, compared to standard clinical assessments, and can be adjusted for baseline parameters. Mechanistic insights can be obtained. Pre-clinically, multimodal imaging can non-invasively generate data on a range of parameters, allowing the animal to be recovered for subsequent behavioural testing and/or the brain taken for further molecular or histological analysis

Versatile Digital GHz Phase Lock for External Cavity Diode Lasers

We present a versatile, inexpensive and simple optical phase lock for applications in atomic physics experiments. Thanks to all-digital phase detection and implementation of beat frequency pre-scaling, the apparatus requires no microwave-range reference input, and permits phase locking at frequency differences ranging from sub-MHz to 7 GHz (and with minor extension, to 12 GHz). The locking range thus covers ground state hyperfine splittings of all alkali metals, which makes this system a universal tool for many experiments on coherent interaction between light and atoms.Comment: 4.5 pages, 5 figures v3: fixed error in schematic: R10 connects to other end of C

A Monolithic Filter Cavity for Experiments in Quantum Optics

By applying a high-reflectivity dielectric coating on both sides of a commercial plano-convex lens, we produce a stable monolithic Fabry-Perot cavity suitable for use as a narrow band filter in quantum optics experiments. The resonant frequency is selected by means of thermal expansion. Owing to the long term mechanical stability, no optical locking techniques are required. We characterize the cavity performance as an optical filter, obtaining a 45 dB suppression of unwanted modes while maintaining a transmission of 60%.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Linking livestock production to human health - creating sustainability through farming

The main dietary risk factors associated with the early onset of the non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer) would seem to be the over-consumption of dietary lipids and the under-consumption of dietary micronutrients. Consumer preference for lower fat, higher protein diets and for less saturated and more polyunsaturated fat has been around for a number of years. However, more recent clinical studies have indicated benefi cial (anti-infl ammatory) effects of increasing the omega-3: omega- 6 ratio of dietary PUFA and potential anti-cancer and -heart disease effects of increasing consumption of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). These factors are considered in relation to the fatty acid composition of milk and meat derived from organic systems. Animal products are also important sources of several micronutrients and recent information of the health benefi ts of increasing dietary selenium and iron are considered in relation to promoting organic animal products to the health-conscious consumer

Seeing more than we can know: Visual attention and category activation

Extending existing work on the conditional automaticity of category activation, the present research investigated the extent to which category activation is moderated by the resolution of visual attention. As visual attention gates access to material in semantic memory, so too should it regulate the activation of social categories when triggering verbal labels are encountered. Accordingly, only when triggering stimuli fall within the spotlight of attention did we expect category activation to occur. The results of two studies supported this prediction. We consider the implications of our findings for recent treatments of category automaticity

Requirements for long-life operation of inert gas hollow cathodes: Preliminary report

An experimental investigation was initiated to establish conditioning procedures for reliable hollow cathode operation via the characterization of critical parameters in a representative cathode test facility. From vacuum pumpdown rates, it was found that approximately 1.5 hours were required to achieve pressure levels within 5 percent of the lowest attainable pressure for this facility, depending on the purge conditions. The facility atmosphere was determined by a residual gas analyzer to be composed of primarily air and water vapor. The effects of vacuum pumping and inert gas purging were evaluated. A maximum effective leakage rate of 2.0 x 10(exp -3)sccm was observed and its probable causes were examined. An extended test of a 0.64 cm diameter Mo-Re hollow cathode was successfully completed. This test ran for 504 hours at an emission current of 23.0 amperes and a xenon flow rate of 6.1 sccm. Discharge voltage rose continuously from 15 to 21 volts over the course of the test. The temperature of the cathode body during the test was relatively stable at 1160 C. Post-test examination revealed ion-bombardment texturing of the orifice plate to be the only detectable sign of wear on the hollow cathode

Laser interferometric measurement of ion electrode shape and charge exchange erosion

A projected fringe profilometry system was applied to surface contour measurements of an accelerator electrode from an ion thrustor. The system permitted noncontact, nondestructive evaluation of the fine and gross structure of the electrode. A 3-D surface map of a dished electrode was generated without altering the electrode surface. The same system was used to examine charge exchange erosion pits near the periphery of the electrode to determine the depth, location, and volume of material lost. This electro-optical measurement system allowed rapid, nondestructive, digital data acquisition coupled with automated computer data processing. In addition, variable sensitivity allowed both coarse and fine measurements of objects having various surface finishes