The failure of cosmological perturbation theory in the new ekpyrotic and cyclic ekpyrotic scenarios

Cosmological perturbation theory fails in the new ekpyrotic and cyclic ekpyrotic scenarios, before the scale factor of the Universe reaches zero. As a result, a recently-proposed recipe for evolving the curvature perturbation through the bounce in these scenarios cannot be justified.Comment: 10 pages. v2: Logic of the demonstration of non-linearity stated more explicitely. Remarks on non-singular bounces removed for inclusion in a later paper. v3: As accepted by Phys Lett B v4: Comment on the paper of Banks and Fischler removed following its withdrawal; more precise abstrac

BRAND LOYALTY & LOYALTY OF BRANDS: A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP

Brand loyalty has become a truism in trademark discourse. Consumers tend to formulate their purchasing decisions by the power of consumption-momentum. That is to say they buy what they have already bought in the past and opt for the brands that they have already had a positive experience with. Experienced consumers manifest devotion to their preferred brands. This is the essence of Brand Loyalty. But should this Brand Loyalty be reciprocated by the brand owner? Is there such loyalty by the brand towards the consumer? Should the brand owner sustain the quality of products covered by his brand? Even more so, should he maintain any other defining attribute of the product (or service) marketed under his brand? And are such demands from the brand owner still of relevance in an age of expanding outsourcing? This paper explains why all of these questions should be answered in the affirmative. This paper argues that just as there is Brand Loyalty, there is (or, at least, there should be) Loyalty of the Brand. My assertion is that Loyalty of the Brand constitutes a morally sound concept which is inherently compatible with the general philosophy underlying trademarks and brands, and which rests firmly on numerous legally accepted disciplines and doctrines that form the backbone of commercial-contractual law. Loyalty of the Brand, thus, constitutes the counterbalance to Brand Loyalty, and should exist on par; not only as a legal phenomenon but as a practical one as well. It is, in the context of brand-consumer relationship, the other side of the same coin.&nbsp

The Effects of Power and Assurance of No Future Transgressions on Post-Transgression Responses

The primary aim of this Dissertation was to investigate the effect of power on victims’ decision to seek revenge against, or hold a grudge against, or forgive the transgressor following a transgression. The secondary aim of this Dissertation was to examine one potential boundary condition as well as potential mechanisms that underlie these effects. Guided by the approach/inhibition theory of power (Keltner et al., 2003), it was hypothesized that power would have a differential effect on post-transgression responses. As predicted, Study 1 showed that power had a positive effect on revenge and a negative effect on grudge. Also as predicted, Study 2 showed that approach motivation was one mechanism underlying the power-revenge relation and inhibition motivation was one mechanism underlying the power-grudge relation. In both studies, power did not have an effect on forgiveness. In addition, Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated the moderating role of assurance of no future transgression on the relation between power and post-transgression responses. Under conditions of assurance, powerful and powerless victims were less likely to seek revenge and hold a grudge, respectively, and were more likely to forgive. Finally and contrary to the prediction, results from Study 4 showed that there was no evidence for the mediational role of victims’ ‘lack of a need to teach the transgressor a lesson’ and ‘safety’ on the moderation between power and assurance on post-transgression responses. Possible explanations of these results and limitations of this research are discussed