When nonlinear dynamical systems are coupled, depending on the intrinsic dynamics and the manner in which the coupling is organized, a host of novel phenomena can arise. In this context, an important emergent phenomenon is the complete suppression of oscillations, formally termed amplitude death (AD). Oscillations of the entire system cease as a consequence of the interaction, leading to stationary behavior. The fixed points that the coupling stabilizes can be the otherwise unstable fixed points of the uncoupled system or can correspond to novel stationary points. Such behaviour is of relevance in areas ranging from laser physics to the dynamics of biological systems. In this review we discuss the characteristics of the different coupling strategies and scenarios that lead to AD in a variety of different situations, and draw attention to several open issues and challenging problems for further study.

We study coupled dynamical systems wherein the influence of one system on the other is cumulative: coupling signals are integrated over a time interval τ. A major consequence of integrative coupling is that amplitude death occurs over a wider range and in a single region in parameter space. For coupled limit cycle oscillators (the Landau-Stuart model) we obtain an analytic estimate for the boundary of this region while for coupled chaotic Lorenz oscillators numerical results are presented. For given τ we find that there is a critical coupling strength at which the frequency of oscillations changes discontinuously.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of in-store private label marketing to impact the attitude of consumers towards private label brands (PLBs) by influencing consumers' perceived quality variations between the PLBs and national brands.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on “Cue utilisation theory” and focusses on how retailers can influence consumers' perception of quality variations by providing them in-store marketing cues. Data was collected through the mall intercept method in New Delhi, India. Data analysis was done using AMOS 25 and the PROCESS SPSS macro.FindingsThis study establishes the effect of in-store private label marketing in improving consumers' quality perception of PLBs vis-à-vis national brands and thereby leading to a positive attitude towards PLBs. Further, the national brand promotions attitude is found to moderate the relationship between private label marketing and attitude towards PLBs. However, contrary to the authors' expectations, it has a positive effect on this relationship. The study found an insignificant moderation influence of price consciousness.Originality/valueThis study complements existing literature on “Cue utilisation theory” by demonstrating the importance of in-store private label marketing in improving consumers' attitudes towards PLBs. It also extends to fill some gaps in the literature by studying the direct, mediating and moderating relationship among in-store private label marketing, perceived quality variations, price consciousness, national brand promotion attitude and attitude towards PLBs, especially in an emerging market such as India.

No abstract