No description available.

Through my study and observation of American jewelry house Tiffany, I could notice how the iconic little blue box contains not only jewellery but also the brand’s myth. The function of the Tiffany box, goes beyond what we normally associate with packaging as wrapping of a product. Therefore, I question what is the function of packaging in commercial culture. Tiffany’s little blue box not only is the container of jewellery but also of the whole Tiffany brand identity and myth. This brand’s myth is basically illusion. It legitimizes the story by itself. It’s the wholeness. It does not bring up any question, instead, we enjoy the fantasy it generates. To achieve one’s dreams of beauty, self-distinction and love, seems more possible by buying a piece of the brand’s myth. Visual language is commonly used to communicate a myth, since the sensual and artistic language is a persuasive tool when narrating desires and dreams. In this sense, Cindy Sherman’s collaboration with Mac and Marc Jacobs is a good example, which broadens the idea of the so-called ‘aestheticization in commercial culture’. The visual expression of brand myth, was displayed and it has developed into package in the present days. Nowadays, customers are "educated" by commercials to perceive the package as the symbol of brand myth. Packaging is regarded as being as significant as the actual substance of commercial products. Even more so, packaging has become more significant than the actual content. It is more important for brand companies that their customers remember where the product is from, than what it actually is. Since brand packaging has a strong connection with brand jewelleries, the shape of packaging is used as a symbolic language. Norman Weber’s work, ‘jewellery houses’, represents, in this sense, an evident example. Moreover, packaging and jewellery shapes have been used as a symbol of commercial culture; an example of this is evident in Jeff Koons’ works ‘blue diamond’ and ‘hanging heart’. Based on this notion, I combine jewellery and packaging in my work in order to make my own statement about the relationship between packaging and jewellery in commercial culture. I previously stated that packaging related to brand myth, has been growing to the extent that it became more relevant than the actual content in the context of commercial jewellery culture. With my artistic statement about packaging, I am at shaping a critical discussion on the overwhelming illusion of consumption related to brand myth in commercial culture. Keyword: Commercial culture, Aestheticization, Tiffany, Brand fantasy, Visual language, Packaging, identity, Alienation

La présente recherche a pour objectif d'étudier l'effet exercé par les traits de personnalité sur le sentiment d'obligation des employés à respecter les accords de secret. Le concept de traits de personnalité appelé noyau d'évaluation de soi (Core self evaluation ou CSE) est composé de quatre principaux traits qui sont l'estime de soi, l'auto efficacité, la stabilité émotionnelle et le locus de contrôle. Ces traits de personnalité sont mis en relation avec les trois dimensions de l'engagement organisationnel à savoir l'engagement affectif, normatif et de continuité. L'obligation de respecter les accords de secret fait référence à la dimension de continuité de l'engagement mais également à la dimension normative de l'engagement. Le but principal de cette recherche est de faire progresser les connaissances académiques dans ce domaine. La recherche repose sur une démarche hypothético-déductive. Les hypothèses ont été testées sur un échantillon de 115 employés d'une filiale canadienne de technologie. La méthode de collecte des données est un questionnaire et la technique d'analyse de celle-ci est la méthode des moindres carrés ordinaires. Le test de 'student' a été appliqué pour apprécier la significativité individuelle des variables. Les résultats montrent que le locus de contrôle interne et l'auto efficacité généralisée influencent le sentiment d'obligation des employés à protéger le secret commercial tandis que l'estime de soi et la stabilité émotionnelle ne semblent a priori avoir aucune incidence. La perception de la compatibilité entre l'employé et l'organisation (Perceived Organizational Fit) et l'obligation des employeurs sont les variables de contrôle les plus importantes car, elles sont significatives dans quasiment tous les modèles. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Accords de secret, noyau d'évaluation de soi, traits de personnalité, propriété intellectuelle, engagement, obligation des employeurs, locus de contrôle, estime de soi, auto efficacité généralisée, stabilité émotionnelle

This paper uses a two-regime vector error-correction with a single cointegrating vector and a threshold in the error-correction term introduced by Hansen and Seo(2002). We propose a SupLM test for the presence of a threshold. We derive the asymptotic distribution and show how to simulate asymptotic critical region. Applying our methods to the 90-days and 180-days Commercial Paper rate, we find that there are an apparent threshold effect and inconsistent behaviors in the long-run equilibrium process.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.

Inaug.-diss.--Göttingen. / Lebenslauf. "Literaturverzeichnis": p. 7-9.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-94).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wyoming, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Mar. 8, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 160-166).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-51).