From Brand Loyalty to E-Loyalty: a Conceptual Framework

The concept of brand loyalty has been extensively discussed in traditional marketing literature with main emphasis on two different dimensions: behavioral and attitudinal loyalty. Oliver (1997) has extended a conceptual framework of brand loyalty that includes the full spectrum of brand loyalty based on a hierarchy of effects model with cognitive, affective, conative (behavioral intent) and action (repeat purchase behavior) dimensions. The concept of e-loyalty extends the traditional brand loyalty concept to on-line consumer behavior. Although the underlying theoretical foundations of traditional brand loyalty and the newly defined phenomena of e-loyalty are generally similar there are unique aspects of its manifestation in Internet based marketing and buyer behavior. Schultz and Bailey (2000) describe customer/brand loyalty in cyberspace as an evolution from traditional product driven – marketer controlled concept towards a distribution driven – consumer controlled and technology facilitated concept. E-loyalty also has several parallels to the “store loyalty” concept (Corstjens and Lal, 2000) such as building repeat store visiting behavior over and above the purchase of established brand name items in the store. As extensively discussed in Schefter and Reichheld (2000) e-loyalty is all about quality, customer support, on-time delivery, compelling product presentations, convenient and reasonably priced shipping and handling, and clear and trustworthy privacy policies. This paper presents an integrated framework of e-loyalty (see figure below) and its underlying drivers in terms of (a) Website & Technology (b) Customer Service & Logistics (c) Trust & Security (d) Product & Price and (e) Brand Building Activities. The nature of these factors in building customer loyalty are discussed with examples of current practices. Managerial and future research implications from the proposed framework are also presented

VIDQUEST - A UNIQUE E-LEARNING SOLUTION

Education in our world today has undergone a massive shift due to COVID-19. There hasbeen a noticeable shift in the places where students learn, which affects how they learn and theirunderstanding of difficult content. A large field which has adopted this transition to virtuallearning environments is Computer Science. Here we have seen that traditional methods ofteaching and learning have struggled to translate to online platforms. To respond to thesechallenges, my capstone project was to create VidQuest, a dynamic learning solution to helpstudents comprehend content better in an online learning world.This solution is designed to build effective online learning experiences to make computerscience accessible to everyone. Looking back on completed research and pedagogical theorybased on computer science education, VidQuest aims to introduce a new solution. Our goal withVidQuest is to bridge the gap between our traditional learning environments and our new e-learning world. VidQuest creates a learning environment for individual students and uniquelearning styles by integrating video content, forum pages, and playlist content. VidQuest has arange of multimedia content: videos of lectures, examples, and code walkthroughs; forum pageswith question-and-answer functionality to allow students to engage better; and worksheets, studyguides, and practice exercises to reinforce learning concepts.Overall, VidQuest starts on the path to build a creative approach to learning computersciences in the online world. VidQuest can potentially revolutionize the way students engagewith course materials, collaborate with peers, and inspire others to take this goal even further

The Simon and Simon-Mars Tensors for Stationary Einstein-Maxwell Fields

Modulo conventional scale factors, the Simon and Simon-Mars tensors are defined for stationary vacuum spacetimes so that their equality follows from the Bianchi identities of the second kind. In the nonvacuum case one can absorb additional source terms into a redefinition of the Simon tensor so that this equality is maintained. Among the electrovacuum class of solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations, the expression for the Simon tensor in the Kerr-Newman-Taub-NUT spacetime in terms of the Ernst potential is formally the same as in the vacuum case (modulo a scale factor), and its vanishing guarantees the simultaneous alignment of the principal null directions of the Weyl tensor, the Papapetrou field associated with the timelike Killing vector field, the electromagnetic field of the spacetime and even the Killing-Yano tensor.Comment: 12 pages, Latex IOP article class, no figure

Three-dimensional modeling of the human eye based on magnetic resonance imaging

PURPOSE. A methodology for noninvasively characterizing the three-dimensional (3-D) shape of the complete human eye is not currently available for research into ocular diseases that have a structural substrate, such as myopia. A novel application of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition and analysis technique is presented that, for the first time, allows the 3-D shape of the eye to be investigated fully. METHODS. The technique involves the acquisition of a T2-weighted MRI, which is optimized to reveal the fluid-filled chambers of the eye. Automatic segmentation and meshing algorithms generate a 3-D surface model, which can be shaded with morphologic parameters such as distance from the posterior corneal pole and deviation from sphericity. Full details of the method are illustrated with data from 14 eyes of seven individuals. The spatial accuracy of the calculated models is demonstrated by comparing the MRI-derived axial lengths with values measured in the same eyes using interferometry. RESULTS. The color-coded eye models showed substantial variation in the absolute size of the 14 eyes. Variations in the sphericity of the eyes were also evident, with some appearing approximately spherical whereas others were clearly oblate and one was slightly prolate. Nasal-temporal asymmetries were noted in some subjects. CONCLUSIONS. The MRI acquisition and analysis technique allows a novel way of examining 3-D ocular shape. The ability to stratify and analyze eye shape, ocular volume, and sphericity will further extend the understanding of which specific biometric parameters predispose emmetropic children subsequently to develop myopia. Copyright © Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

The Influence of Direct and Indirect Speech on Mental Representations

Language can be viewed as a set of cues that modulate the comprehender's thought processes. It is a very subtle instrument. For example, the literature suggests that people perceive direct speech (e.g., Joanne said: 'I went out for dinner last night') as more vivid and perceptually engaging than indirect speech (e.g., Joanne said that she went out for dinner last night). But how is this alleged vividness evident in comprehenders' mental representations? We sought to address this question in a series of experiments. Our results do not support the idea that, compared to indirect speech, direct speech enhances the accessibility of information from the communicative or the referential situation during comprehension. Neither do our results support the idea that the hypothesized more vivid experience of direct speech is caused by a switch from the visual to the auditory modality. However, our results do show that direct speech leads to a stronger mental representation of the exact wording of a sentence than does indirect speech. These results show that language has a more subtle influence on memory representations than was previously suggested

Grasping the changes seen in older adults when reaching for objects of varied texture.

Old age is associated with reduced mobility of the hand. To investigate age related decline when reaching-to-lift an object we used sophisticated kinematic apparatus to record reaches carried out by healthy older and younger participants. Three objects of different widths were placed at three different distances, with objects having either a high or low friction surface (i.e. rough or slippery). Older participants showed quantitative differences to their younger counterparts - movements were slower and peak speed did not scale with object distance. There were also qualitative differences with older adults showing a greater propensity to stop the hand and adjust finger position before lifting objects. The older participants particularly struggled to lift wide slippery objects, apparently due to an inability to manipulate their grasp to provide the level of precision necessary to functionally enclose the object. These data shed light on the nature of age related changes in reaching-to-grasp movements and establish a powerful technique for exploring how different product designs will impact on prehensile behavior

Three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging of the phakic crystalline lens during accommodation

To quantify changes in crystalline lens curvature, thickness, equatorial diameter, surface area, and volume during accommodation using a novel two-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) paradigm to generate a complete three-dimensional crystalline lens surface model

Aging brain from a network science perspective: Something to be positive about?

To better understand age differences in brain function and behavior, the current study applied network science to model functional interactions between brain regions. We observed a shift in network topology whereby for older adults subcortical and cerebellar structures overlapping with the Salience network had more connectivity to the rest of the brain, coupled with fragmentation of large-scale cortical networks such as the Default and Fronto-Parietal networks. Additionally, greater integration of the dorsal medial thalamus and red nucleus in the Salience network was associated with greater satisfaction with life for older adults, which is consistent with theoretical predictions of age-related increases in emotion regulation that are thought to help maintain well-being and life satisfaction in late adulthood. In regard to cognitive abilities, greater ventral medial prefrontal cortex coherence with its topological neighbors in the Default Network was associated with faster processing speed. Results suggest that large-scale organizing properties of the brain differ with normal aging, and this perspective may offer novel insight into understanding age-related differences in cognitive function and well-being. © 2013 Voss et al

Multimodal MEG and microstructure-MRI investigations of the human hippocampal scene network

Although several studies have demonstrated that perceptual discrimination of complex scenes relies on an extended hippocampal posteromedial system, we currently have limited insight into the specific functional and structural properties of this system in humans. Here, combining electrophysiological (magnetoencephalography, MEG) and advanced microstructural (multi-shell diffusion MRI, dMRI; quantitative magnetisation transfer, qMT) imaging in healthy human adults (30 female/10 male), we show that both theta power modulation of the hippocampus, and fibre restriction/hindrance (reflecting axon packing/myelination) of the fornix (a major input/output pathway of the hippocampus), were independently related to scene, but not face, perceptual discrimination accuracy. Conversely, microstructural features of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (a long-range occipito-anterotemporal tract) correlated with face, but not scene, perceptual discrimination accuracy. Our results provide new mechanistic insight into the neurocognitive systems underpinning complex scene discrimination, providing novel support for the idea of multiple processing streams within the human medial temporal lobe. In contrast to theories positing segregated cortical areas for perception and memory, the specialized representations of the hippocampus may support both the perception and memory of visual scenes. To investigate, we utilised the unique window into hippocampal electrophysiological activity offered by magnetoencephalography (MEG). We found hippocampal theta activity modulations in the hippocampus and posteromedial cortex during scene, versus face and shape-size, perceptual odd-one-out discrimination, the magnitude of which correlated with scene, but not face or shape-size, discrimination accuracy. Moreover, multimodal white matter imaging revealed that specific microstructural features of the fornix - the major hippocampal output tract - independently predicted scene discrimination performance. Our multimodal MEG-microstructure study provides novel evidence that the hippocampus and connected structures conjointly support online scene processing. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2025 the authors.