In this article the relationship between store image, store satisfaction and store loyalty is examined. A distinction is made between true store loyalty and spurious store loyalty and manifest and latent satisfaction with the store. We hypothesise that the positive relationship between manifest store satisfaction and store loyalty is stronger than the positive relationship between latent store satisfaction and store loyalty. Furthermore, we hypothesise a direct as well as an indirect effect through satisfaction of store image on store loyalty. Second, the relationship between store image and store loyalty is mediated by store satisfaction. We do not find evidence for a direct effect of store image on store loyalty.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -Given the dramatic technology-led changes that continue to take place in the marketplace, researchers and practitioners alike are keen to understand the emergence and implications of online brand communities (OBCs). The purpose of this paper is to explore OBCs from both consumer and company perspectives. Design/methodology/approach -The study provides a synthesis of the extant OBC literature to further our understanding of OBCs, and also puts forth future priorities for OBC research. Findings -A conceptual framework is provided that extends our understanding of OBCs and consumer engagement. Four key OBC dimensions (brand orientation, internet-use, funding and governance) are identified and three antecedents (brand-related, social and functional) are proposed of consumer-OBC engagement. Originality/value -This study is the first to explore key dimensions of OBCs, and the differing but related perspectives of the consumers and organizations involved.

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This article investigates how image, perceived service quality and satisfaction determine loyalty in a retail bank setting at the global construct level, as well as the level of construct dimensions. At the global level the results of a large-scale empirical study reveal that image is indirectly related to bank loyalty via perceived quality. In turn, service quality is both directly and indirectly related to bank loyalty via satisfaction. The latter has a direct effect on bank loyalty. At the level of the dimensions underlying aforementioned constructs, it becomes clear that reliability (a quality dimension) and position in the market (an image dimension) are relatively important drivers of retail bank loyalty.

In recent research on service quality it has been argued that the relationship between perceived service quality and service loyalty is an issue which requires conceptual and empirical elaboration through replication and extension of current knowledge. Focuses on the refinement of a scale for measuring service loyalty dimensions and the relationships between dimensions of service quality and these service loyalty dimensions. The results of an empirical study of a large sample of customers from four different service industries suggest that four dimensions of service loyalty can be identified: purchase intentions, word-of-mouth communication; price sensitivity; and complaining behaviour. Further analysis yields an intricate pattern of service quality-service loyalty relationships at the level of the individual dimensions with notable differences across industries.