Theory of due repurchase : gaining more from using less : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Marketing at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

The aim of the thesis is to enhance the current knowledge on repurchase behaviour and provide a model that enables marketing practitioners to ‘gain more from using less’ through reallocating their resources and investing more in underutilised customer data. This is because producing the desired customer response using the least costly marketing actions is the key to success in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace. Although models predicting repurchase behaviour in non-contractual settings exist, their predictive and explanatory performances are poor. None of these existing models considers the roles of purchase quantity (PQ) and homogeneity of interpurchase times (IPTs) in predicting repurchase behaviour. Hence, Theory of Due Repurchase is developed in this thesis and suggests that the customer’s next purchase is highly expected under three repurchase conditions, which are that the customer is 1) a frequent shopper; 2) has upward-trending PQs; and 3) has homogeneous IPTs. These three variables are not only expected to be strong predictors of repurchase behaviour, but also correctly classify more customers than existing behavioural models, including recency, frequency and monetary value (RFM). Using a transaction dataset available in the literature, six studies were conducted to empirically test the Theory of Due Repurchase, examine its predictive accuracy and replicate the findings. The results support all of the hypotheses, developed as part of the conceptual model, and replicate the findings. Theory of Due Repurchase correctly classifies over 88% of customers across four samples, improving the current level of accuracy in predicting repurchase behaviour by approximately 19 percentage points. The thesis provides a number of academic and managerial insights on effective targeting

The Effect of Land Cover on the Air and Surface Urban Heat Island of a Desert Oasis

Cities often experience a distinct climate compared to the surrounding area characterized by differences in air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and amount of precipitation. Thus far, research on the urban heat island (UHI) effect has focused on cool temperate, Mediterranean and tropical climatic regions, whereas less attention has been given to the study of arid regions where the daytime surface temperature can be extremely high. This study concerns the Al Ahsa oasis, Saudi Arabia, which is a rapidly developing urban centre in an arid region. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of land cover on the urban and sub-urban environment using ground data and multi-scale and multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery. Land surface temperatures derived from satellite thermal imagery are compared with observations from ground-based fixed and mobile temperature and relative humidity logging stations for periods in February and July. Thermal radiometers from different sensors, Landsat 7 ETM+ and MODIS, were used to measure the outgoing radiation budget at specific locations within the urban landscape. Fieldwork was undertaken contemporary with satellite overpasses to measure the diurnal air temperatures and relative humidity across different land cover types including agriculture, urban, water, exposed rock surfaces, sabkha and sand dunes. These data provide the most complete experiment so far conducted to test and refine models of the thermal radiation budget of the arid zone at the sub-city scale. The findings of this study have emphasized the effectiveness of combining the two methods, ground and satellite data, to investigate the relationship between land cover and UHI intensity. Results reveal a significant relationship between UHI spatial distribution and land cover using the two methods: mobile traverses and remote sensing. The UHI intensity is higher during the summer than the winter and at night-time than in the day. The highest UHI intensity, (10.5 °C), is located over the two major cities in the oasis (Al Hufuf and Al Mubarraz) while the lowest temperatures (- 6.4 °C below UHI), are recorded in the small villages and vegetated areas during summer at night. The outcome of this thesis will help future urban development and planning projects and provide a framework for implementing rules and regulations by local government agencies for a sustainable urban development approach

Generalized Dynamic Inversion Based Aircraft LateraL Control

This paper illustrates how the Generalized Dynamic inversion (GDI) is used to control aircraft lateral motion. To implement the GDI control law, the yaw channel constraint dynamics are first constructed and then inverted using Moore-Penrose Generalized Inverse (MPGI). Consequently, the auxiliary component of this control law is affine in a null control vector, which is designed to guarantee asymptotic aircraft stability. Asignificant benefit of GDI  control law is the additional design flexibility afforded by its two independent control actions. Extensive simulations have been conducted to prove the efficacy of the proposed method

Effects of mist fractions on heat transfer characteristics in a rotating roughened cooling passage

This paper investigates the effects of the mist fractions on heat transfer characteristics applied on a rotating U-channel with inclined ribs at an angle of 45°. This study has been conducted on five different mist percentages from 1 to 5 with a 1% increment at each step, and all of the cases have been investigated for Reynolds number values of 5000, 10000, 25000 and 40000. The numerical results obtained from the application of RNG k-ε turbulence model with enhanced-wall function were in good agreement with the experimental data of the smooth and ribbed channels both with and without mist addition. Results also demonstrated a 300% increase in the flow temperature difference and a noticeable increase in Nusselt number at each bend region and at the downstream of the leading edge around 25% and 110% respectively, at high mist fraction (5%); when compared with the case where only air was used. With %5 mist addition, the convective efficiency also reaches approximately 69%

Jordan ?-Centralizers of Prime and Semiprime Rings

The purpose of this paper is to prove the following result: Let R be a 2-torsion free ring and T: R?R an additive mapping such that T is left (right) Jordan ?-centralizers on R. Then T is a left (right) ?-centralizer of R, if one of the following conditions hold (i) R is a semiprime ring has a commutator which is not a zero divisor . (ii) R is a non commutative prime ring . (iii) R is a commutative semiprime ring, where ? be surjective endomorphism of R . It is also proved that if T(x?y)=T(x)??(y)=?(x)?T(y) for all x, y ? R and ?-centralizers of R coincide under same condition and ?(Z(R)) = Z(R)

On Higher N-Derivation Of Prime Rings

The main purpose of this work is to introduce the concept of higher N-derivation and study this concept into 2-torsion free prime ring we proved that:Let R be a prime ring of char. 2, U be a Jordan ideal of R and be a higher N-derivation of R, then , for all u U , r R , n N

Canonical Generalized Inversion Form of Kane’s Equations of Motion for Constrained Mechanical Systems

The canonical generalized inversion dynamical equations of motion for ideally constrained discrete mechanical systems are introduced in the framework of Kane’s method. The canonical equations of motion employ the acceleration form of constraints and the Moore-Penrose generalized inversion-based Greville formula for general solutions of linear systems of algebraic equations. Moreover, the canonical equations of motion are explicit and nonminimal (full order) in the acceleration variables, and their derivation is made without appealing to the principle of virtual work or to Lagrange multipliers. The geometry of constrained motion is revealed by the canonical equations of motion in a clear and intuitive manner by partitioning the canonical accelerations’ column matrix into two portions: a portion that drives the mechanical system to abide by the constraints and a portion that generates the momentum balance dynamics of the mechanical system. Some geometrical perspectives of the canonical equations of motion are illustrated via vectorial geometric visualization, which leads to verifying the Gauss’ principle of least constraints and its Udwadia-Kalaba interpretation

COMPETENCY MODEL ASSESSMENT: PARTICIPANTS REACTIONS IN A UAE OIL COMPANY

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that make the competency model effective from the perspective of the trainees in an oil company in the United Arab Emirates. Identifying this factors will of help to other sectors as they implement similar programs. Competency based programs could help to upgrade the skills of UAE nationals and give them a better chance of employment; at present employers perceive UAE nationals negatively, as lacking skills. Design/Methodology/Approach: The reaction level of the Kirkpatrick evaluation is used in this study. A model is created to study the relationship between the competency model design, work environment variables and the perceive effectiveness of the competency model. Next, a questionnaire is used to measure the perceptions of the trainees in an oil company who are still undergoing or have completed competency-based model. Quantitative methodology is used in this study, as structural equation modeling is utilized to analyze the collected data. Findings: The factors that contribute to the effectiveness of competency-based model are the competency model design, i.e. the competency model goal, the relevance of the content and material to the trainees’ job, the assessment of the trainees’ competencies and the little or no coaching that they receive. Limitations: This study was conducted in one oil company and among 375 trainees only. For this reason the results cannot be generalized to other context where a similar program is implemented. The variables that are beyond the control of the company, such as the trainees’ characteristics and peer support from the work environment, were outside the scope of this study. Originality/Value: This research will help to close the gap that previous studies have indicated in the application of competency models, their evaluation and their effectiveness. It will add value to the effort of the National Qualification Authority in Abu Dhabi, by providing increased understanding of the factors that make the competency model effective. Such models could then be implemented across different sectors in the UAE to develop the intended competency levels of UAE nationals across various fields of work