The purpose of this study was to explore how a consumer's brand loyalty will be affected by a celebrity he/she adores, as the celebrity begins to cooperate with a competitive brand. The methods of this research have been done through qualitative research, and the interviews were conducted in a semi-structured way. The results showed that in a scenario where the respondents' favourite celebrity endorses competitive brands, some consumers will overlook marketing activities from the celebrity that advises them to purchase substitute (competitive) brands. The results showed that some respondents would purchase substitute (competitive) brands and that some would not. However, in most cases the respondent would not last over time as they would go back to the original brand, while others would only stay for as long as the celebrities are in collaboration with the competitive brand. Lastly, in terms of brand loyalty, unexpected findings were found of the research, that the respondent’s loyalty can be negatively influenced if a celebrity’s expertise and its product category are incompatible.

Customer loyalty is considered to be critically important to growth, profitability and sustainability. It has received much attention by practitioner and managers. However, some important variables about the different types of loyalty have remained unclear. While businesses look towards adopting various strategies to help them grow and succeed in the marketplace, a number of key business orientations have emerged. Each of these orientations has claimed to increase both profitability and customer loyalty for an organization. This research has examined both of these factors, as well as their inter-relationships. The research was conducted in a two part study, based on a sequential triangulation approach. The first study focused on finding out the differences between two of the highest types of loyalties, attitudinal and emotional. The study, based on 40 interviews with customers from three different companies, across two cultural settings (Asian and European), has led to the emergence of key differentiating factors. The second study focused on the relationships between business orientations and customer loyalty. This study was based on six case studies of best practice firms. The study found a positive link between business orientations and loyalty. Moreover, a set of critical success factors were identified that would enable companies to implement effective loyalty management systems. Based on both of these two studies, a loyalty management model has been presented. The model helps to improve our understanding of loyalty, and would be of use to managers who would want to develop and manage customer loyalty in an organisation. / University of East London

Titel: Kundlojalitet inom e-handeln Nivå: C-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Filip Forslund & Mattias Wikström Handledare: Jens Eklinder Frick Datum: Januari 2016 Syfte: Syftet med studien är att belysa hur företag inom e-handeln arbetar med de attitydmässiga dimensionerna kognitiv, affektiv och konativ kundlojalitet. Metod: I studien användes en kvalitativ metod vilket ansågs lämpligt för att få en djupare förståelse kring syftet med arbetet. I studien genomfördes elva semistrukturerade intervjuer med personer som arbetar i ledande positioner med marknadsfrågor på e-handelsföretag för att förstå hur deras företag arbetar med kundlojalitet utifrån vår teoretiska referensram. Vi har haft en hermeneutisk utgångspunkt i arbetet för att förstå och tolka det insamlade materialet. I analysen använde vi våra teoretiska teman och analyserade dessa för att försöka hitta empiriska teman genom en kvalitativ dataanalys. Resultat & slutsats: Denna studie visar hur företag inom e-handeln arbetar med kognitiv, affektiv och konativ kundlojalitet. Utifrån de teoretiska teman vi tagit fram har vi fått en uppfattning om vilka faktorer som anses väsentliga i företagens dagliga arbete för att skapa kundlojalitet. Detta resulterade i ett flertal empiriska teman som visar vilka dessa faktorer är och hur de används. Förslag till vidare forskning: Eftersom detta är en studie utifrån ett företagsperspektiv kan vidare forskning vara att kontakta kunder till e-handelsföretag och undersöka de empiriska teman, som tagits fram i denna studie, i ett kundperspektiv och ta reda på om dessa teman är relevanta faktorer även ur det perspektivet. Detta är något som skulle kunna ge ehandelsföretagen mer input i deras arbete med att skapa lojala kunder. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studiens teoretiska bidrag är att den ger en ny förståelse för kognitiv, affektiv och konativ kundlojalitet utifrån tidigare forskning med fokus på e-handelsföretagens arbete med kundlojalitet. Det praktiska bidraget är de olika teman vi fann i både teorin och empirin som företagen kan ha användning av i sitt arbete med att skapa lojalitet hos sina kunder. Nyckelord: Kundlojalitet, kognitiv lojalitet, affektiv lojalitet, konativ lojalitet, e-handel / Title: Customer loyalty in e-commerce Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Authors: Filip Forslund & Mattias Wikström Supervisor: Jens Eklinder Frick Date: January 2016 Aim: The purpose of this study is to enlighten how companies in e-commerce works with the attitudinal dimensions cognitive, affective and conative customer loyalty. Method: The study used a qualitative approach, which was considered appropriate to get a deeper understanding about the purpose of the thesis. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with people working in executive positions with market issues in e-commerce companies to understand how their business works with customer loyalty based on our theoretical framework. We have had a hermeneutical approach in efforts to understand and make a deeper interpretation from the collected data. In the analysis, we used our theoretical themes and analyzed them to try to find empirical themes through a qualitative data analysis. Result & Conclusions: This study shows how companies in e-commerce works with cognitive, affective and conative customer loyalty. We have received an idea of the factors that are considered essential in the business daily work to create customer loyalty, based on the theoretical themes we have developed. This resulted in a number of empirical themes that shows which these factors are and how they are used. Suggestions for future research: Since this is a study from a business perspective, further research could be to contact customers to e-commerce companies and examine the empirical themes in a customer perspective and find out if these themes are relevant factors even from that perspective. This is something that would give companies in e-commerce more input in their efforts to create loyal customers. Contribution of the thesis: The theoretical contribution is that it provides a new understanding of cognitive, affective and conative customer loyalty based on previous research with a focus on e-commerce companies' work with customer loyalty. The practical contribution is the different themes we found in both theoretical and empirical data that companies could use in their work to create loyalty among their customers. Key words: Customer loyalty, Cognitive loyalty, Affective loyalty, Conative loyalty, Ecommerce

This thesis is an interpretation of Paul's citation of Genesis and Deuteronomy in Gal 3.8-10. The promise to Abraham to bless all nations and the curse of the covenant are sun/eyed in the Jewish scripture. We argue that blessing for the nations is an important part of God's covenant purpose for Abraham's descendants from the start and that the curse is consistently connected with the motifs of failure to do all the law and of the abandonment of the Lord for other gods. This thesis then identifies and analyzes the various strands of the postbiblical Jewish literature that cite the promise of blessing for the nations and the curse of the covenant. An interpretation of Gal 3.8-10 is argued, in which the importance for Paul's argument of blessing for the nations and the curse on those who are disloyal to the Lord is stressed. Paul's call to preach the gospel to the gentiles and his defense of the truth of the gospel provide the context for the connection between the gospel and the promise to Abraham of blessing for the nations in Gal 3.8, a blessing which has always been God's purpose for Abraham's descendants. The interpretation of Gal 3.10 then builds on this insight. Those who are of works of the law are identified as the troublemakers who have preached another gospel to the Galatians and thereby they have been disloyal to God and his purpose for Abraham's descendants. Paul cites Deut 27.26 to support this assertion that they have been disloyal to God and therefore are under the curse. This interpretation of Gal 3.8-10 is supported by other traces of the same perspective on the gospel and the curse in Galatians.

The aims of the thesis are two-fold. The first aim is to evaluate the antecedents which influence loyalty to Tesco and Tesco Clubcard, contending that customer loyalty is influenced by factors of both a social and marketing nature. The second aim is to assess the nature and type of loyalty exhibited by Tesco customers towards Tesco and Tesco Clubcard. These two aims derive from the research question ‘What are the antecedents of loyalty exhibited by Tesco customers towards Tesco and Tesco Clubcard?’ and are integrated in the research hypotheses to be addressed in the research: H1 satisfaction, trust, commitment, emotional attachment and passion are influential in a customer’s loyalty towards Tesco and Tesco Clubcard, was supported; H2 older females are the demographic group most likely to be loyal to Tesco and Tesco Clubcard, was supported; H3 Tesco customers exhibit ‘incentivised’ loyalty towards Tesco Clubcard, was not supported. The context to this research is that loyalty to grocery retailers is argued to be based on satisfaction, trust and commitment, with loyalty programmes playing an ‘incentivising’ role in customer loyalty. Using 600 questionnaires conducted at 2 Tesco formats, Tesco Extra and Dundee Riverside Extra in Dundee, Scotland with Tesco customers and 20 interviews at the homes of female Tesco customers aged 51 and over, the research drew a number of conclusions. The first conclusion from the research is that there are significant positive relationships between all the tested antecedents (satisfaction, trust, commitment, recommendation, emotional attachment and passion) and loyalty, indicating a level of respondent loyalty which has a ‘social’ dimension to it. However, customer loyalty towards Tesco and Tesco Clubcard is not particularly ‘social’ in nature, it was premised on the antecedents of happiness/satisfaction, trust and to a lesser extent commitment with grocery shopping viewed as a practical activity and different from a social relationship. The second conclusion was that Tesco customers were spuriously loyal to Tesco and Tesco Clubcard, loyal because of convenience and to a lesser extent incentives. By convenience the research revealed Tesco’s ability to create an environment which encouraged customers to rely on their convenient store location and accessible opening hours, operating a near monopoly with its 8 stores across all retail formats in convenient locations in Dundee and Broughty Ferry and the ease in which customers can use Tesco Clubcard and the lack of effort required to access offers. The third conclusion was that Tesco customers were more loyal to Tesco than Tesco Clubcard with the majority of interviewees referring to Tesco and Tesco Clubcard being ‘one entity’. This underlines the perceived limited capacity of Tesco Clubcard to increase frequency to or spend in store and the importance of the peculiarities of Tesco as a grocery retailer in Dundee. By peculiarities this research referred to Tesco’s retail dominance in Dundee in terms of market share, number and location of stores, the staff employed, it’s varied online and offline ‘grocery package’ and its use of the media to remind customers that they are attempting to build a relationship, almost social in nature with their customers, a fact acknowledged by a number of interviewees. The fourth conclusion was that females, particularly those aged 51 and over were the most loyal to Tesco and Tesco Clubcard, argued to be because it was in their nature to invest time and effort into maintaining relationships and friendships which translated into their shopping behaviour. The final conclusion was in terms of the characteristics of a Tesco customer most likely to be loyal, someone who always used Tesco, driving past other grocery retailers to patronise a Tesco store, would recommend Tesco to others, had a family member employed or previously employed by Tesco, owned and always used their Tesco Clubcard, preferred Tesco as a grocery retailer and would not switch their current loyalty from Tesco, frequented the store 1-3 times a week and were aged between 58 and 63. These conclusions contribute to existing research in the areas of customer loyalty and loyalty programmes in three parts. First, this study consolidates and takes research forward in the areas of loyalty programmes, customer loyalty and the role of age and gender in customer loyalty. Second, the research identifies the peculiarities of Tesco in Dundee and the capacity of these peculiarities to engender convenient loyalty among customers. Finally, as one of only a handful of studies on Tesco and Tesco Clubcard the results should prove useful to academics and practitioners alike given the high levels of interest into why Tesco and Tesco Clubcard are so successful in the UK grocery retail sector.

M.Phil. ( Industrial Psychology) / Orientation: The aim of this study was to frame psychological testing in a specific and clear manner that is grounded in beneficence. This could potentially be used to positively contribute toward the development, control, and use of psychological testing in South Africa. This was attained by looking at psychological testing through a beneficence lens, so that it is grounded beyond the preventative stance of regulation, in beneficence. The principle of beneficence was explained to the participants, who were then encouraged to approach psychological testing from a beneficence perspective. Research purpose: Despite considerable literature existing on the moral principle of beneficence in various contexts, there is restricted research on its association with psychological testing. Hence, this study explored how to ground psychological testing in the moral principle of beneficence, for application in the South African workplace. This was formulated to explore the essence of beneficence as positively contributing to the welfare of others, from which actions were identified to promote understanding in grounding psychological testing in this regard.

Cheng Yuet Yee. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 41-44). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT (ENGLISH) --- p.i / ABSTRACT (CHINESE) --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / LIST OF TABLES --- p.v / INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.3 / Definition of Loyalty Programs --- p.3 / Background of Loyalty Program Research --- p.3 / Structural Elements of Loyalty Programs --- p.5 / Extension of Consumer-Focused Loyalty Program Research --- p.13 / THEORETICAL FRAMWORK --- p.15 / Motivation as a Function of Goal Distance --- p.15 / Goal Mechanism --- p.17 / EXPERIMENT ONE --- p.21 / Overview --- p.21 / Scenarios --- p.21 / Measures --- p.23 / Results --- p.23 / Discussion --- p.24 / EXPERIEMNT TWO --- p.26 / Overview --- p.26 / Results and Discussion --- p.26 / GENERAL DISCUSSION --- p.32 / Summary of Findings --- p.32 / Theoretical Implications --- p.32 / Managerial Implications --- p.36 / Limitations --- p.36 / APPENDIX (Sample Scenarios) --- p.39 / Condition: Early Stage (one stamp) and Unit Value Absent --- p.39 / Condition: Late Stage (eight stamps) and Unit Value Present --- p.40 / REFERENCES --- p.41

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rhode Island, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-148).

With the increased popularity of the Internet, many studies have shown that stores with hifger customer loyalty usually have higher return. It is, therefore, interesting to build brand and store loyalty for Internet-based electronic stores. The customer loyalty on the Internet is called e-loyalty. Although scholars have paid attentions to the factors that may affect e-loyalty, most of them focus on a certain aspect of e-loyalty. There is a need to put together an integrated framework of e-loyalty. In this study, previous literature related to the topic is reviewed to propose a framework of four influential factors. They are web design, customer service, e-trust and brand building. In order to understand whether different kinds of e-stores would affect the power of different factors, the study uses ¡§store type¡¨ as a moderating variable. An empirial study was conducted to test our model. The results show that major factor that impacts e-satisfaction is e-trust. Web design ranked second; customer service and brand building were the third and the forth, respectively. The effects of four influential factors differ for the different types of e-stores, which indicates the moderating effect of stoer types.

Project (M.A.) - Simon Fraser University, 2005. / Project (Dept. of Economics) / Simon Fraser University. Also issued in digital format and available on the World Wide Web.