A coarse-grained Monte Carlo approach to diffusion processes in metallic nanoparticles

A kinetic Monte Carlo approach on a coarse-grained lattice is developed for the simulation of surface diffusion processes of Ni, Pd and Au structures with diameters in the range of a few nanometers. Intensity information obtained via standard two-dimensional transmission electron microscopy imaging techniques is used to create three-dimensional structure models as input for a cellular automaton. A series of update rules based on reaction kinetics is defined to allow for a stepwise evolution in time with the aim to simulate surface diffusion phenomena such as Rayleigh breakup and surface wetting. The material flow, in our case represented by the hopping of discrete portions of metal on a given grid, is driven by the attempt to minimize the surface energy, which can be achieved by maximizing the number of filled neighbor cells

Drivers of Agglomeration Effects in Retailing – the Shopping Mall Tenant’s Perspective

Retail and service enterprises seek benefits and synergies from locating their stores within retail agglomerations, such as shopping streets and malls. The aim of this paper is to identify the main drivers of such synergetic or ‘agglomeration effects’ for tenants. A literature review reveals four sets of drivers that are related to the location, the tenant mix, the marketing, and the management of an agglomeration. Based on a survey of 217 managers representing stores that are located in five regional and four supra-regional shopping malls, we demonstrate that location-related drivers including geographical location, accessibility, and parking conditions have a the highest impact on agglomeration effects in terms of the economic success of tenants. The results were consistent amongst different types of tenants differentiated by store size, customer footfall, industry affiliation, and perceived role within the respective mall (as footfall taker or generator within the network)

Das Einkaufszentrum als Agglomerationsklasse - begriffliche Diskussion und empirische Evaluierung von Agglomerationseffekten. [The Shopping Mall as an Agglomeration Format – conceptual discussion and empirical evaluation]

This book chapter is the outcome of an interdisciplinary research project (law and retail research) on the generic nature and economies of shopping malls. The starting point of consideration was that there is legal uncertainty how the tenancy relationship in malls, i.e. rent vs. lease, should be considered in lease/rental contracts. The answer to this question has considerable consequences on the rights and liabilities of the owner/landlord of shopping malls and the shop owners regarding e.g. right to cancel, time limitations of the contract etc.. From the retail research point of view the question arises if shop owners just pay the rent/lease in shopping malls for the provided space or is there an add-on value they benefit from being located in a ‘retail agglomerations’. The article provide in-depth conceptual insights into the different use of the term shopping mall compared to other agglomeration formats, e.g. shopping streets or other kinds of shopping centres. Furthermore, it is shown that a mall is ‘more than the sum of its parts’ based on the evaluation of so called agglomeration effects. The existence and impact of such benefits for both tenants and customers are investigated based on three extensive empirical studies and the analysis of secondary data

Das Einkaufszentrum als Agglomerationsklasse - begriffliche Diskussion und empirische Evaluierung von Agglomerationseffekten [The Shopping Mall as an Agglomeration Format – conceptual discussion and empirical evaluation]

This book chapter is the outcome of an interdisciplinary research project (law and retail research) on the generic nature and economies of shopping malls. The starting point of consideration was that there is legal uncertainty how the tenancy relationship in malls, i.e. rent vs. lease, should be considered in lease/rental contracts. The answer to this question has considerable consequences on the rights and liabilities of the owner/landlord of shopping malls and the shop owners regarding e.g. right to cancel, time limitations of the contract etc.. From the retail research point of view the question arises if shop owners just pay the rent/lease in shopping malls for the provided space or is there an add-on value they benefit from being located in a ‘retail agglomerations’. The article provide in-depth conceptual insights into the different use of the term shopping mall compared to other agglomeration formats, e.g. shopping streets or other kinds of shopping centres. Furthermore, it is shown that a mall is ‘more than the sum of its parts’ based on the evaluation of so called agglomeration effects. The existence and impact of such benefits for both tenants and customers are investigated based on three extensive empirical studies and the analysis of secondary data

The Drivers of Consumer Value in the ECR Category Management Model

This paper critically evaluates the proposed structure and contents of a frequently discussed Category Management (CM) model in the Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) context. Based on this we present an extensive empirical study where the data from a survey of 202 household representatives are merged with their actual purchasing data taken from a consumer purchase panel (>30,000 purchase observations). The results from an exploratory factor analysis and subsequent multiple regression analyses show that the investigated CM model needs to be amended by personnel and Point-of-Sale aspects as they affect Consumer Value significantly. Finally, the investigated differences between the drivers of Consumers Value call for including both survey and consumer purchase data and consequently incorporate attitudinal and behavioural aspects into Category Management

Cognitive Age and Grocery Store Patronage by Elderly Shoppers

This paper discusses and evaluates the impact of cognitive (or self-perceived) age on grocery store patronage by elderly shoppers. Cognitive age is seen to be a more accurate reflection of changes related to age and aging than chronological age. Based on self-concept theory, the authors propose that cognitive age moderates the effects of perceptions of store attributes on satisfaction with a store. The hypotheses tests used a sample of 404 supermarket patrons aged 60 and above. The latent construct, cognitive age, was operationalised by six items: feel, look, do, interest, health and think age. The cognitive ages of our respondents proved to be significantly lower than their chronological ages. To evaluate the moderating effects, we applied the product indicator approach using variance-based structural equation modelling. The results show that the impacts of product range, manoeuvrability and atmosphere within the store on satisfaction become significantly stronger with increasing cognitive age. We conclude that cognitive age dimensions influence perceptions and, subsequently, behaviour related to store patronage and thus contribute to the understanding of the growing segment of elderly shoppers