PurposeThis study aims to simultaneously examine the interrelated influence of antecedents involved in developing fast-food restaurant customer loyalty. A conceptual model which incorporates service quality attributes, price fairness, customer satisfaction, brand image and trust and the resultant effect on customer loyalty is proposed to better understand how fast-food restaurant customer loyalty can be optimized.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research methodology adopting structural equation modelling was used to understand the interrelatedness and influence of antecedents involved in optimizing fast-food restaurant customer loyalty.FindingsThe findings indicate that service quality attributes (food quality and employee service quality) and price fairness significantly influence customer satisfaction and brand image, while physical environment quality has no significant influence. Additionally, customer satisfaction was found to influence brand trust and customer loyalty, while the brand image does not influence customer satisfaction but does influence brand trust and customer loyalty.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the interrelatedness and influence of antecedents involved in developing fast-food restaurant customer loyalty would enable academics and practitioners to formulate honed marketing and operational strategies to optimize customer loyalty and fast-food restaurant profitability.Originality/valueThis research addresses the paucity of research and marketing gaps regarding the interrelatedness and influence of antecedents involved in optimizing fast-food restaurant customer loyalty in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

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Electroless silver plating baths were modified with different amounts of chloride and bromide, and the effect on the deposition kinetics and the morphology of the resulting silver films was evaluated. The baths were based on silver nitrate and tartrate as the metal source and the reducing agent. Ethylenediamine was used as the complexing agent to suppress silver halide precipitation. With increasing halide concentration, a reduction in the deposition rate and a decreased tendency towards three-dimensional nucleation was found. Bromide affected the plating reaction more strongly than chloride. The deposit morphologies range from coarsegrained, compact particle aggregates over bimodal structures composed of island-like microparticles and smaller particles of varying geometry to shape-controlled films dominated by plates with a triangular or hexagonal shape. The fabrication of silver films of adjustable micro-and nanostructure is relevant for various applications such as heterogeneous catalysis, sensing and plasmonics. As an example for structural tailoring enabled by the outlined reaction system, we created a biomimetic, self-cleaning coating possessing a static contact angle of 165 ± 3° and a tilt angle of < 3°. To this end, a hydrophobic metal surface was designed which exhibits a superimposed roughness on the micrometre and submicron scale. The former was defined by the silver deposition, the latter by consecutive galvanic replacement. To achieve superhydrophobic properties, the metal surface was coated with an alkane thiol self-assembled monolayer.

Surface chemistry and topo-physical properties determine the interactions of biomaterials with their physiological environment. Ferroelectrics hold great promise as the next generation of scaffolds for tissue repair since they feature tunable surface electrical charges, piezoelectricity, and sensing capabilities. We investigate the topography, wettability, chemical stability, and cytotoxicity in salient ferroelectric systems such as (1Àx) (Na 1/2 Bi 1/2 )TiO 3 -xBaTiO 3 , (1Àx) showed the greatest potential leading to a cell viability of (149 AE 30)% and DNA synthesis of (299 AE 85)% in comparison to the reference. Lead leaching from Pb (Zr,Ti)O 3 negatively affected the cultured cells. Wettability and chemical stability are key factors that determine the cytotoxicity of ferroelectrics. These variables have to be considered in the design of novel electroactive scaffolds based on ferroelectric ceramics.