A cross validation of Consumer-Based Brand Equity: driving customer equity in retail brands

The Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) literature has, in recent years, introduced various CBBE models. This study aims to compare the validity of the two prominent CBBE models in the retail industry; those introduced by Yoo and Donthu (2011) and Nam, Ekinci and Whyatt (2011). In order to make this comparison, the study collected data from Turkish (n = 285) and Spanish respondents (n = 236) who had experience with global fashion brands and Private Labels (PL). The findings of the study suggest that Nam et al.'s (2011) CBBE model has better validity than Yoon and Donthu's (2011) model. When brand awareness is included in Nam et al.'s model, the psychometric properties of the model improve and outperform the two models. The study discusses the theoretical contributions and managerial implications of the research

Steady late quaternary slip rate on the Cinarcik section of the North Anatolian fault near Istanbul, Turkey

The distribution of plate motion between multiple fault strands and how this distribution may evolve remain poorly understood, despite the key implications for seismic hazards. The North Anatolian Fault in northwest Turkey is a prime example of a multistranded continental transform. Here we present the first constraints on late Quaternary slip rates on its northern branch across the Cinarcik Basin in the eastern Marmara Sea. We use both deep penetration and high‐resolution multichannel seismic reflection data with a stratigraphic age model to show that a depocenter has persisted near the fault bend responsible for that transform basin. Successively older depocenters have been transported westward by fault motion relative to Eurasia, indicating a uniform right‐lateral slip rate of 18.5 mm/yr over the last 500,000 years, compared to overall GPS rates (23–24 mm/yr). Thus, the northern branch has slipped at a nearly constant rate and has accounted for most of the relative plate motion between Eurasia and Anatolia since ~0.5 Ma

Acoustic evidence for shallow gas accumulations in the sediments of the Eastern Black Sea

The Black Sea contains immense gas accumulations. Exploration of gas accumulations is geologically and economically important because migration of methane in sediments may cause massive slope failures and the methane seeps may indicate deeper hydrocarbon reservoirs. Human activity both in and on the seafloor (oil industry) and natural activity (earthquakes, cyclones) trigger mechanisms for seafloor failure and gas release that may have a local and possibly global environmental impact. Recently, sonar and high-resolution seismic surveys were carried out to obtain information about the effects of gas and gas-filled sediments throughout the Turkish margin of the Eastern Black Sea, and shallow gas was detected on the subbottom profiler records. It continues about 25-65 m below the sea floor and is marked by bright and cloudy spots, sometimes pockmarks and acoustic voids. The lower section of the Turkish shelf is an extensive pockmarked plateau. The pockmarks are seen as circular structures with high backscattering on the sonar records

Slip rate estimation along the western segment of the Main Marmara Fault over the last 405–490 ka by correlating mass transport deposits

[1] High-resolution 3-D seismic data acquired in the Sea of Marmara on the Western High, along the northwestern branch of the North Anatolian Fault (also known as the Main Marmara Fault), shed new light on the evolution of the deformation over the last 500–600 ka. Sedimentary sequences in ponded basins are correlated with glacioeustatic cycles and transitions between marine and low sea/lake environments in the Sea of Marmara. In the 3 × 11 km2 of the 3-D seismic survey, deformation over the last 405–490 ka is localized along the main fault branch and north of it, where N130°–N140° trending normal faults and N40°–N50° folding accommodated strike-slip deformation associated with active argillokinesis. There is some evidence that deformation was more distributed further back in the past, at least over the depth range (<600 m below seafloor) of our survey. A N110° basin and buried ridge system were eventually cut by the presently active fault. The southern part of the basin was then uplifted, while the northern part was folded but continued to subside along the fault. A mass transport deposits complex dated between 405–490 ka shows a lateral displacement of 7.7 ± 0.3 km, corresponding to an estimated slip rate of 15.1–19.7 mm/a. We conclude that this strand of the Main Marmara Fault on the Western High has taken up most of the strike slip motion between the Anatolian and Eurasian plates over the last 405 ka at least

Shallow seismic investigation of the Yangtze River Fault at Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China

Debates on the Yangtze River Fault at Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China have lasted for a long time. In order to clarify the stratigraphy, characteristics and activity of the fault, a large-scale shallow seismic investigation was conducted on the site. It involved 10 onsite field experiments, 5715 m long shallow seismic exploration and five geological drill holes, and consequent data processing and interpretation of the shallow seismic time profiles in combination with one geological profile and a satellite image. It was found that the loose Quaternary strata present good continuity in the area. Four pre-Cenozoic faults present in the bedrock (including the Yangtze River Fault), and two Quaternary faults cut the Quaternary sediments. Therefore, the existence of the Yangtze River Fault is verified, and its activity and characteristics are analyzed in this study