Brand loyalty consists of a consumer's commitment to repurchase or otherwise continue using a given brand and is demonstrated by repeated buying of a product or service, or other positive behaviors such as word of mouth advocacy. Standard models of the emergence of brand loyalty consider the behavior of autonomous individuals who are essentially reacting to the objective attributes of the brand...

As the increasing internationalization of higher education creates competition among the universities, many institutions are making use of social media communities to attract and retain students. We surveyed 215 users of the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Facebook page to investigate how it influences their identification with the university community and the university brand. We furthe...

The massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) phenomenon has generated significant interest on the part of consumers and software publishers. Despite considerable efforts to improve the technological quality (e.g., graphics, networking) of the games, lit tle effort has been directed toward understanding the motivation that leads to successful and continued use of MMORPGs. The prim...

The purpose of this paper is to develop detailed insight into loyalty among football fans of Hibernian FC, moving beyond typologies to a more socially grounded approach. Issues explored included patterns of consumption, distinctions between fan groups and antecedents of loyalty. The origins and development of the club are evaluated and consumer fanaticism, football fan loyalty, consumption beha...

Individuals of various ages may react in different ways when they are upset with their social partners. This study examines age group differences in descriptions of behavioral reactions to interpersonal tensions. Participants ages 13 to 99 (84 men, 100 women) described interpersonal tensions that occurred with close and problematic social network members. Descriptions were coded with Rusbult's ...

Avatar-equipped e-commerce is an information technology-driven business model in cyberspace. It is one of the most successful online venues developed in Korea. This research explores the process of developing customer loyalty regarding the use of Avatar in online communities and the possibility of the effective use of Avatar in electronic business development. In particular, five different soci...

Obligation is displayed toward rules or requirements of formalized roles stemming from membership in society, whereas loyalty is shown to persons and is founded upon communal commitment to them. Loyalties entail obligations, but the converse does not necessarily hold. While one may have obligations toward everyone, it is neither conceptually nor psychologically possible to be loyal to all perso...

This study attempts to examine the antecedents and outcomes of e-trust in online auctions. Antecedents, technical and social bonds, and outcomes of e-trust were chosen in order to apply the concepts of relationship marketing to electronic commerce and to further develop this conceptual model in the context of online auctions by incorporating these factors into one model. A case has been made th...

Social virtual worlds (SVWs) are an emerging phenomenon in terms of numbers of users as well as business environments. When it comes to the economic viability of SVWs, keeping existing customers active, i.e. customer loyalty, is a sine qua non. In this paper we investigate customer loyalty with two key variables: continuous use intention and purchase intention. We apply the expanded expectation...