Touch Points Research Articles

Strategy Analysis of Health Care Products Advertising for the Aged: Optimization Suggestions Based on Appeal Presentation and Advertising Elements

With the increase in the elderly population, the advertising strategy of healthcare products for older people needs to be systematically analyzed and optimized. Through literature review, this study adopted the advertisements targeting the elderly of three famous Chinese health products brands as cases, analyzing the typical strategies of current advertising practices based on the expression of appeals including rational and perceptual appealing and advertising elements related to social power, then offering suggestions on needs, advertising content and media mix. The results showed that as the basis of perceptual appeal, rational appealing contained product information and health problems. Product information focused on communication at the core benefit level, while the description of health problems promoted purchasing behavior through negative reinforcement. Perceptual appeal mostly adopted the framing of family affection with the appeal objects were simultaneously the elderly and their children. Advertising elements were related to legitimate, reward, and referent power, corresponding to the use of uniform image, incentive enticement and upward social comparison related to the idealized self-image of the elderly. Recommendations involved broadening the appealing technique corresponding to alternative types and higher levels of needs, attempting heuristics including humor and celebrity endorsements, and considering social media-related touching points. This study provided mechanism clarification and theoretical support for health communication and advertising practice.

Decisions, decisions, decisions: an exploration of factors affecting the decision-making of ‘Uni Connect’ students, when choosing higher education study

ABSTRACT This paper investigates influences on the decision-making process, during the consideration of applying to university, for UK further education college students from a widening participation background (Uni Connect). Much previous research has explored the international student recruitment market, however, there is relatively little literature concerning UK home student recruitment, particularly related to widening participation groups. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight, second-year, level 3 vocational students, during their final year of college study. Findings suggest that Uni Connect students seek multiple sources of information and engage with a multitude of touch points, with the context of these interactions playing a significant role in influencing university choice. The exhibition of predominately rational rather than emotive behaviours and the use of multiple touch points, suggests that Uni Connect students take an iterative approach to their decision-making. The decision-making process appears to be individualised, with no equivocal or homogenic pattern emerging.

Exploring social influence effect on mobile marketing behaviors of young consumers in the USA and Mexico

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of social influence and value-driven mobile marketing activities on consumers’ acceptance of mobile marketing offers. Design/methodology/approach The method used is survey questionnaire. A proposed model was tested by using structural model analysis and data gathered from 356 Mexico consumers and 346 US consumers. Findings The study shows the number of peers and providing information are the main predictor variables of consumer acceptance of mobile marketing offers in both countries. These results suggest that social value factors are important variables for explaining consumers’ responses to mobile marketing offers across two countries characterized by dissimilar macro-environmental conditions. Research limitations/implications The study’s overall implication about standardization vs adaptation is that social value messages can be standardized across countries. However, the marketing tools and touch points required to communicate any message appeal must be adapted across countries. One limitation in this study is the use of a convenience sample of undergraduate college students. This study did not control for different types of mobile phones and the screen sizes of mobile phones. Practical implications The overall implication of standardization vs adaptation from the study results is that social value messages can be standardized across countries. However, the marketing tools and touch points required to communicate any message appeal must be adapted across countries. Originality/value Unlike previous studies where the emphasis is to explicate the effect of value-oriented mobile activity, this study examines the combined effect of social influence and value-driven mobile activities on acceptance of mobile marketing.

Relative Stability Analysis of Multi-Loop Low Dropout Regulators Using a Sub-Loop Superposition Method

Circuit designers favor open-loop stability analysis, which finds a breaking point in phase margin (PM) simulation. However, the conventional open-loop based method may not suit a multi-loop system that has multiple potential breaking points. It is unclear which breaking point is correct, or whether a correct breaking point exists. In this work, we first define “relative stability” from the worst stable sub-system of the original closed-loop system, and use it as a “reference”. Then, we examine and discuss the limitations of the conventional open-loop based method for a multi-loop system. The conventional method only indicates the “absolute stability” if the system has no common touching point. Subsequently, we propose a Sub-loop Superposition method for such a system, analyzing the “relative stability” in an open-loop way. We use the proposed method in two multi-loop low dropout regulators. The obtained PMs match the “reference”, verifying the effectiveness of the proposed method.

3D Finger Rotation Estimation from Fingerprint Images

Various touch-based interaction techniques have been developed to make interactions on mobile devices more effective, efficient, and intuitive. Finger orientation, especially, has attracted a lot of attentions since it intuitively brings three additional degrees of freedom (DOF) compared with two-dimensional (2D) touching points. The mapping of finger orientation can be classified as being either absolute or relative, suitable for different interaction applications. However, only absolute orientation has been explored in prior works. The relative angles can be calculated based on two estimated absolute orientations, although, a higher accuracy is expected by predicting relative rotation from input images directly. Consequently, in this paper, we propose to estimate complete 3D relative finger angles based on two fingerprint images, which incorporate more information with a higher image resolution than capacitive images. For algorithm training and evaluation, we constructed a dataset consisting of fingerprint images and their corresponding ground truth 3D relative finger rotation angles. Experimental results on this dataset revealed that our method outperforms previous approaches with absolute finger angle models. Further, extensive experiments were conducted to explore the impact of image resolutions, finger types, and rotation ranges on performance. A user study was also conducted to examine the efficiency and precision using 3D relative finger orientation in 3D object rotation task.

Understanding the Effects of Movement Direction on 2D Touch Pointing Tasks

HCI researchers have long recognized the significant effects of movement direction on human performance, and this factor has been carefully addressed to benefit user interface design. According to our previous study (2012), the weights of the two target dimensions, width W and height H, in the extended index of difficulty (ID) for 2D pointing tasks are asymmetric and appear to vary periodically based on movement direction (θ), following a cosine function. However, this periodic effect of movement direction is uncertain for direct 2D touch pointing tasks, and a thorough understanding of the effects of movement direction on direct pointing tasks, such as on touch input surfaces, is still lacking. In this paper, we conducted two experiments on a 24-inch touch screen, with tilted and horizontal orientations respectively, to confirm the periodic effect in the context of direct pointing and illustrate its variations across different pointing tasks. At the same time, we propose a quantification formula to measure the real differences in task difficulty caused by the direction factor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to do so. Using this formula, the ID values in different directions can be unified to the same scale and compared, providing a new perspective for understanding and evaluating human performance in different interaction environments.

Modeling the significance of advertising values on online impulse buying behavior

Growth in online impulsive buying and digital advertising have drawn the attention of researchers in developed countries, but it is still in its early stages, especially in China. China is positioned to overtake the world as the nation with the highest volume of online purchases owing to a variety of growth-related variables, including impulsive purchases. Surprisingly, there is a deficiency in the holistic understanding of Chinese customers in different age groups regarding the links between advertising value and online impulsive buying behavior. Thus, to advance the line of research, this study intends to determine the connection between advertising value and online impulse buying behavior along with the indirect connection between the urge to buy impulsively and moderation of anxiety. To achieve this objective, data were obtained from 1422 online consumers. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. The results confirm that informativeness, credibility, creativity, entertainment, integration, and the urge to buy online significantly and consequently urge to buy online positively influence online impulsive buying among Chinese consumers. Surprisingly, this interaction was statistically insignificant. Furthermore, the proposed moderator, customer anxiety, also showed no moderating impact on the urge to buy online impulsively and online impulsive buying behavior. The mediation result suggests that urge to buy impulsively significantly mediates the relationship between informativeness, credibility, creativity, entertainment, and integration with online impulse buying behavior, except for interaction and online impulse buying behavior. These findings contribute theoretically by adding new information about Chinese motivational factors for impulsive buying. Empirically, it adds value to marketers, advertisers, and online retailers by considering informativeness, creativity, entertainment, integration, and the urge to buy online while communicating with Chinese consumers at all customer touch points.

Antimicrobial Fe2O3-CuO-P2O5 glasses

Glasses with high antimicrobial efficacy were developed in the Fe2O3-CuO-P2O5 ternary system to mitigate fomite-mediated transmission of infectious diseases in high-risk settings such as hospitals, daycares, and nursing homes. Binary CuO-P2O5 glasses were not durable enough for use as high touch point articles, so Fe2O3 was added to the compositions to increase the chemical durability. The amount of Cu leachate decreased by at least 3 orders of magnitude when Fe2O3 was increased from 0 to 13.1 mol%. At the highest Fe2O3 contents and corresponding highest durability, the glass was no longer able to pass a test of antimicrobial efficacy with < 3 log kill compared to > 5 log kill for all other compositions. Ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations showed increasing bridging oxygen species at the expense of non-bridging oxygen species with the increase in Fe2O3 content, showing that the glasses exhibited increased chemical durability because they were more interconnected and structurally bound. Experimental results with glasses at fixed CuO and decreasing Fe2O3 confirmed that Fe2O3 content (not CuO) controlled the Cu release rate and, thus, the antimicrobial efficacy of the glasses. The significance of the oxidation state of the leached Cu was overwhelmed by the importance of the amount of Cu leachate.

Sustainability factors affecting caregivers' toy preferences: An evaluation of e‐commerce best sellers in Turkey

AbstractToys make a considerable clutter in homes over time unless managed responsibly. Given the ease of buying anything these days, especially toys, due to the rise of online shopping (Richards et al., 2020), toy piles can grow quickly. Current literature on the sustainability of toys is based on physical touch points, such as material, design, assembly, or transport, and suggested methods to enhance sustainability performance up to the “before‐use” phase. Our study focuses on how consumers address the issue of sustainability in toys, from the moment they intend to buy a toy to the time they terminate the toys' use, with a focus on green purchase behavior. We used data from a survey to depict 220 Turkish caregivers' perceptions of sustainability with snowball sampling to build an analytic hierarchy process system. The aim was to understand caregivers' approaches to toy sustainability factors in general and to interpret their motivations for green purchase activity. Among the eight sustainability criteria explicitly set for toys, child development‐related factors dominated durability, while price was found to be ineffective. This study of six best‐selling toys for 3–6‐year‐olds on a shopping site revealed that long‐term use is crucial for sustainability in toys. We observed that digital platforms are insufficient to convey the sustainability features of products, and thus propose a concept that evaluates the sustainability performance of toys and advises the consumer about the sustainability potential of the toys on the sales site.

An Analysis on Current Fashions, Complexities &amp; Prospects for India in E-Commerce

Electronic commerce is the abbreviation for e-commerce. It is the method of performing digital marketing electronically. E-commerce has increased in popularity in recent years as a rapid &amp; simple way to exchange goods &amp; regional &amp; worldwide services. India will become a flourishing platform for e-commerce economic figures; nation's e-commerce retail business increased by 66 percent in 2015-2016. Based on secondary data, the work focuses on conceptual research along with an exploratory &amp; descriptive orientation. This article defines e-commerce, the distinctions between conventional commerce &amp; electronic commerce. It also highlights various e-commerce current fashion &amp; complexities, as well as the critical prospects &amp; growth factors required for e-commerce in India. The commercial environment in which information for acquiring, selling &amp; transferring items &amp; services is transferred electronically is referred to as electronic commerce. E-commerce enables firms to remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, giving customers access at any time of day or night. E-commerce is less expensive. E-commerce eliminates mistakes by decreasing data processing &amp; yields more outcomes from fewer resources. Businesses can utilise e-commerce to share information &amp; simplify numerous operations that are now performed manually. E-commerce is increasingly becoming recognised as a cost-effective means for conducting critical activities with partners &amp; suppliers, like a buying, transfer of knowledge, payment systems, stock control, and other business functions. E-commerce is a type of internet company. is about using digital information to understand each customer's &amp; partner's desires &amp; preferences in order to produce goods &amp; services for them, &amp; then providing products &amp; services as quickly as possible. Electronic commerce is being used through many firms for Online banking and billing, secure information sharing, value chain trading, and company shopping are all examples of direct marketing, selling, and customer service. The study's goal is to discover &amp; address a consumer pain issue. Inadequate understanding &amp; information regarding rights creates legal confusion. Rise in awareness among the customers regarding the burden of vendors' offerings &amp; better rates. Cashless transmission to attract clients &amp; increase web traffic while eliminating documentation &amp; administrative effort. Commerce has expanded to encompass the processing of buy transitions, transactions relating to money &amp; transfer on the internet. In 2014, the e-commerce market saw remarkable development. Rapid technological adoption, as evidenced by the enhanced usage of electronic devices like smartphones &amp; tablets, as well as accessibility via bandwidth &amp; &amp; other means, drove growth, resulting in an increased online consumer base. The emergence of domestic competitors like Flipkart &amp; Snapdeal, as well as the massive investor interest in these companies, demonstrated the market's enormous potential. The advent of Amazon &amp; Alibaba are e-commerce powerhouses, is likely to increase competition. Each of these multinational corporations have considerable financial resources &amp; the endurance to propel the Indian ecommerce sector ahead. Furthermore, their extensive subject expertise &amp; best practises gained from worldwide experience provide them an advantage. To compete with multinational organisations, Indian enterprises recognise this &amp; want to maintain their aim on growing merchants &amp; selection on their platforms, as well as innovation at numerous customer touch point sellers &amp; selection on their platforms, experimenting on various consumer contact points, &amp; delivering smooth &amp; speedy delivery services. Competition is predicted to intensify as these e-Commerce companies try new strategies to attract clients &amp; increase web traffic.

Finite element modeling of the electrical impedance tomography technique driven by machine learning

To create a human-like skin for a robotic application, current touch sensor technologies have a few drawbacks. Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a candidate for this application due to its applicability over complex geometries; nevertheless, it has accuracy concerns. This study employs artificial neural networks (ANNs) to investigate the accuracy and capability of EIT-based touch sensors. A finite element (FE) model is utilized to solve the forward EIT problem while simultaneously determining the system’s comprehensive mechanical response. The FE model is comprised of a polyurethane (PU) foam domain, a conductive spray layer and a set of sixteen electrodes. To replicate the process of touching the sensor body, a punch of varying diameters and touch forces is utilized. The mechanical response of the sensor body is modeled using the hyperfoam material model calibrated through experimental uniaxial and shear test data, while the electric conductivity of the sprayed skin surface is obtained experimentally as function of applied strain. The viscoelastic behavior of the PU foam material is also obtained experimentally. These experimental data were implemented in the FE model through user subroutines to model the mechanical and electrical properties of the sensor in the EIT forward problem. The traditional EIT inverse problem image reconstruction was replaced utilizing ANNs as an alternative to extract mechanics based parameters. The ANNs were created to predict the spatial coordinates of the touch point, and they were proven to be extremely accurate. Using the EIT voltage readings as input, the ANNs were utilized to forecast the system’s mechanical behavior such as contact pressure, contact area, indentation depth, and touching force.

МАРКЕТИНГОВІ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ НА ПРОМИСЛОВИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВАХ

Marketing is the most difficult to manage sphere of activity of the enterprise. Due to various contacts with the market (one way or another), there are numerous touch points and, as a result, as many control requirements. It is advisable that marketing activities are not limited to solving current problems, but will include, for example, projective analysis of information about customers. Therefore, in order to meet the set requirements, management systems must be flexible and multifaceted. Here the problem appears quite clearly: the management system that meets the requirements of the organization can be quite cumbersome and complex. Economic evaluations of the effectiveness of the marketing activity of an industrial enterprise must be carried out on the basis of general methodological approaches to the evaluation of production and a generally accepted system of indicators. In addition, the differences may lie only in the standards of comparison used, without changing the methodology itself and the system of evaluation indicators. The purpose of the article is to determine the current methods of marketing research in industrial markets. Industrial marketing research is a broad field of activity related to the systematic collection, processing and analysis of data in the field of marketing competence of industrial companies. Their goal is not only to identify problems, but also to identify market opportunities related to achieving the desired competitive position in a specific market. Industrial marketing research includes analysis of sales volumes and marketing opportunities, sales forecasting, and determination of market supply and demand curves. Data obtained during market research are used to perform basic management functions, such as planning and controlling the activities of the entire industrial enterprise. Industrial marketing research often involves the search for primary data when definitive research is needed or when supporting data is limited for decision making.

관광해설 유튜브 댓글 분석을 통한 소비자 구매여정 연구

Purpose This study attempted to explain the decision-making process of YouTube tour interpretation by applying the consumer decision journey(CDJ) to the field of tourism research. In addition, it purpose to empirically understand the impact of YouTube tour interpretation on the tourism destination decision-making process as online tourism information during the pandemic, and make theoretical and empirical suggestions accordingly.&#x0D; Methods The impact of YouTube tour interpretation content on CDJ was proposed through literature research, and comments on tour interpretation YouTube contents were used to study the visitor decision-making process of the CDJ model using text mining techniques. Visit Seoul TV, the Seoul Tourism Foundation's official YouTube channel, selected ‘healing tour contents in the room’, and text mining and word cloud analysis conducted.&#x0D; Results As a result, comments were spread each stages on the CDJ of visitors and were most distributed in the active evaluation stage, and the length of the comments was longer as the CDJ progressed. In the word crowd analysis, expression of gratitude in the 1st stage, positive evaluation in the 2nd stage, the 3rd stage of visit intention, and the 4th stage of revisit intention were characterized, and the frequency of audit expression was high over stages 1, 2 and 3. Through this study, among the various touch points of CDJ.&#x0D; Conclusion This study provided practical implications for the need to find ways to lead to the overall management and active evaluation of potential visitors' CDJ and academic implications for using unstructured data and connecting theoretical models among social media research in the tourism field.

Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the Growth of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Zimbabwe

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of Information and Communication Technology on the growth of Microfinance Institutions in Zimbabwe. The study used a sample of thirty (30) MFIs registered with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, with operations in Harare Central Business District. A sequential explanatory research design was adopted with the view of adopting a mixed research approach. Purposive sampling technique was adopted. Data was gathered through interviews which were administered to branch managers of MFIs and questionnaires which were administered to MFI employees. The study revealed that most of the MFIs have partially adopted ICT. The study found out that customers’ lack of knowledge in the use of ICT, higher costs of setting up ICT, customers’ lack of ICT resources, poor network connectivity and ICT related complaints raised by MFI clients are the challenges faced by MFIs in adopting and using technology. The study revealed that adoption and usage of ICT has positively affected the operational growth of MFIs through improving revenue base, customers’ touch points, market share, and outreach to previously inaccessible customers, debt recovery and customers’ contact points. The study revealed that adoption and usage of ICT has positively affected the business efficiencies of MFIs through improvement in speed of execution of transactions, loan processing, communication with clients and business acumen of MFI employees. The study recommends that MFIs should advocate the institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe to introduce banking and finance programmes linked with technology. The study also recommended that there should be collaboration between MFIs, technology companies and higher learning institutions to come up with technology driven products that are accessible and affordable to MFI clients.

Development of human-touch smart armband for tele-haptic communication using a fabric-based soft pneumatic actuator

This study aimed to develop a human-touch smart armband that can transport emotional tactile stimuli to individuals in distant places. To simulate human touch stimuli, a soft pneumatic actuator (SPA) which we refer to in this study as “SPA touch,” of size 7 cm × 7 cm and thickness 0.3 cm was designed using fabric and silicone with nine touch points, which can be individually inflated and allocated within the actuator. The use of thermoplastic polyurethane-coated fabric as a backing material helps obtain one-side inflation toward the skin effectively. By controlling the position and duration time of the inflation of the nine touch points, three basic touch modes (“Touch,” “Double touch,” and “Drag”) and three emotional tactile gestures (“Patting,” “Hugging,” and “Caressing”) were programmed using Python. The evaluation of the operating performance of the basic touch modes and emotional tactile gestures showed that “SPA touch” could properly create and transmit touch stimulation remotely. The human-touch smart armband developed in the process of this study can be used for novel tele-haptic communication with individuals in distant places, such as nursing homes.

Recent Developments in the Methods and Applications of Electrostatic Theory.

ConspectusThe review improves our understanding of how electrostatic interactions in the electrolyte, gas phase, and on surfaces can drive the fragmentation and assembly of particles. This is achieved through the overview of our advanced theoretical and computational modeling toolbox suitable for interpretation of experimental observations and discovery of novel, tunable assemblies and architectures. In the past decade, we have produced a significant, fundamental body of work on the development of comprehensive theories based on a rigorous mathematical foundation. These solutions are capable of accurate predictions of electrostatic interactions between dielectric particles of arbitrary size, anisotropy, composition, and charge, interacting in solvents, ionized medium, and on surfaces. We have applied the developed electrostatic approaches to describe physical and chemical phenomena in dusty plasma and planetary environments, in Coulomb fission and electrospray ionization processes, and in soft matter, including a counterintuitive but widespread attraction between like-charged particles.Despite its long history, the search for accurate methods to provide a deeper understanding of electrostatic interactions remains a subject of significant interest, as manifested by a constant stream of theoretical and experimental publications. While major international effort in this area has focused predominantly on the computational modeling of biocatalytic and biochemical performance, we have expanded the boundaries of accuracy, generality, and applicability of underlying theories. Simple solvation models, often used in calculating the electrostatic component of molecular solvation energy and polarization effects of solvent, rarely go beyond the induced dipole approximation because of computational costs. These approximations are generally adequate at larger separation distances; however, as particles approach the touching point, more advanced charged-induced multipolar descriptions of the electrostatic interactions are required to describe accurately a collective behavior of polarizable neutral and charged particles. At short separations, the electrostatic forces involving polarizable dielectric and conducting particles become nonadditive which necessitates further developments of quantitatively accurate many-body approaches. In applications, the electrostatic response of materials is commonly controlled by externally applied electric fields, an additional complex many-body problem that we have addressed most recently, both theoretically and numerically.This review reports on the most significant results and conclusions underpinning these recent advances in electrostatic theory and its applications. We first discuss the limitations of classical approaches to interpreting electrostatic phenomena in electrolytes and complex plasmas, leading to an extended analytical theory suitable for accurate estimation of the electrostatic forces in a dilute solution of a strong electrolyte. We then introduce the concept and numerical realization of many-body electrostatic theory focusing on its performance in selected experimental cases. These experiments underpin, among other applications, electrostatic self-assembly of two-dimensional lattice structures, melting of ionic colloidal crystals in an external electric field, and coalescence of charged clusters.

The Effect of Overpackaging Solutions in E-Commerce Towards Consumer Preference

The emergence of e-commerce has transformed business models, consumer purchasing behavior, as well as consumer shopping experience. Despite offering many advantages, the rapid growth of e-commerce also brought challenges to the environment. In comparison to the traditional retail system, the logistic system of e-commerce involves more touch points. Due to this, products purchased from e-commerce require additional packaging material to protect products from harm and damages during the distribution process, which leads to the issue of overpackaging. Additionally, many researchers have suggested overpackaging solutions from the perspective of the government, e-commerce enterprises, and consumers. However, the effectiveness of those solutions are still unidentified. To close the gap that previous studies have not explored, this research is conducted to find recommendations for tackling the issue of overpackaging in e-commerce by examining the factors that influence consumer preferences towards e-commerce overpackaging solutions. In conducting the study, the researcher used a quantitative approach with purposive sampling by conducting an online survey to 400 e- commerce users from the age range of 17-26 years old (generation Z), domiciled in Bandung and Jabodetabek area, and have experienced overpackaging in e-commerce. The researcher uses descriptive, statistical, and PLS-SEM to analyze the survey result. The result indicates that Innovating Green Packaging Materials, The Establishment of a Recycling System, Government Policy, and Increasing Awareness Towards the Preservation of the Environment has a positive influence on Consumer Preference, The Establishment of a Recycling System and Consumer Preference is mediated by Government Policy and Increasing Awareness T owards the Preservation of the Environment, and Innovating Green Packaging Materials and Consumer Preference is mediated by Government Policy. The finding of this research will give insight and recommendations for the government, e-commerce enterprises, and consumers in tackling the issue of overpackaging in e-commerce.

Consumer Patronage in Omnichannel Retailing and the Moderating Impact of Culture: A MetaSEM Review

ABSTRACT Omnichannel retailing integrates multiple physical and digital customer touch points to provide a comprehensive experience to customers. Prior research has employed diverse theoretical perspectives to understand the impact of omnichannel integration quality on consumer behaviour in different contexts and produced inconsistent results. Our research portrayed an integrated research model using the SOR framework and used existing empirical findings to investigate the influence of omnichannel integration quality (i.e., channel service configuration and integrated interaction) on consumer patronage (i.e., purchase intention and loyalty). We used a meta-analytic structural equation modelling method to synthesize 41 prior publications, comprising 44 studies, and validate the structural model. We found that omnichannel integration quality positively affects purchase intention and loyalty. Also, consumer experience mediates the effect of omnichannel integration on purchase intention and loyalty. Our study moreover highlights the moderating role of culture on the relationships between omnichannel integration quality and consumer purchase intention. We have discussed the implications for research and practice in detail and highlighted the opportunities for future research.

IndiGo Airlines in India: managing “moments of truth”

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes of this study are as follows:▪ to analyze service attributes that influence customers’ decisions to purchase services;▪ to identify the factors that influence customers’ perceptions of service quality;▪ to identify the “moments of truth” that the service provider (IndiGo) would need to monitor and manage through the service encounter; and▪ to use the Servuction model to analyze the various elements of the service process. Case overview/synopsis In May 2022, the chief executive officer of IndiGo Airlines - India’s largest passenger airline by market share, Ronojoy Dutta, faced flak over the airline staff's handling of a specially abled child travelling with his parents on IndiGo Airlines. The staff member, reacting to the tantrums of the disturbed child, had refused to allow the boy and his parents to board the flight. He had cited the “risk to other passengers” from the boy as the reason for such a refusal (Biswas, 2022). In spite of the boy’s parents being supported by their fellow passengers, the IndiGo staff member refused to relent, and the flight took off without the trio (Firstpost, 2022). The incident goes viral when a fellow flyer shares a Facebook post describing it first-hand and provokes widespread condemnation of the nation's “preferred airline” (IndiGo, 2023) by citizens and politicians on various social media platforms besides Facebook (Gupta, 2022). Dutta initially supports his employee even as he issues a statement expressing his regret at the “unfortunate incident” (Business Standard, 2022a). The regulatory body for aviation in India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, imposes a fine of INR 5 lakh on IndiGo for denying boarding to a specially abled child (Indian Express, 2022). How could an incident like this impact the perception of IndiGo’s service quality? How could Dutta better ensure that IndiGo managed the various touch points with the customer over the entire service encounter – the “moments of truth”? How could he prevent such a fiasco in the future, ensuring that IndiGo remains India’s “preferred airline”? Complexity academic level This case is intended to be taught in an undergraduate or MBA marketing course in a module on service marketing. The case can also form a 90-min module in a service marketing course within an advanced management or executive education program. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CCS 8: Marketing.

Spectral analysis of the Neumann–Poincaré operator on the crescent-shaped domain and touching disks and analysis of plasmon resonance

We consider the Neumann–Poincaré operator on a planar domain enclosed by two touching circular boundaries. This domain, which is a crescent-shaped domain or touching disks, has a cusp at the touching point of two circles. We analyze the operator via the Fourier transform on the boundary circles of the domain. In particular, we define a Hilbert space on which the operator is bounded, self-adjoint. We then obtain the complete spectral resolution of the Neumann–Poincaré operator. On both the crescent-shaped domain and touching disks, the Neumann–Poincaré operator has only absolutely continuous spectrum on the closed interval [−1/2,1/2]. As an application, we analyze the plasmon resonance on the crescent-shaped domain.