The research question addressed by this thesis is: To what degree the results of the statistical analysis will corroborate the main theoretical assumptions of the proposed theoretical model of new authentic transformatory cultural tourism experience as transmodern phenomenon of equality of two Cartesian levels of reality, material (objective authenticity) and experiential (constructive authenticity) in informing the intrapersonal existential authenticity as outcome transformatory tourist experience. The main reason for undertaking this study is to resolve the evident crisis of postmodern authenticity discourse arising from a failure of postmodern theoretical framework to integrate three social authenticity theories into a coherent authenticity discourse. The research design adopted in the study is theory-testing theory-building paradigm which incorporates both deductive and inductive logic and was applied in three successive phases. In the first phase the new theoretical model of transformatory cultural tourism experience was proposed, underpinned by transmodern flat ontology and philosophy of the Speculative Realism. In the second phase the main theoretical assumptions of equal contribution of objective and constructive authenticity as independent variables in informing the transformatory experience as dependent variable were empirically tested by standard multiple regression analysis. In the last deductive phase the results of all empirical tests were inferred onto initial theoretical assumptions of the original model and new modified model of transformatory cultural tourism experience has been proposed with an addition of two newly identified transmodern experiential constructs, epistemological and ontological authenticity. For a primary data collection the instrument was a self-administered questionnaire and the sampling strategy was a non-probability sampling. The data was collected during the period 01st and 18 April 2011 at two sites, Constitution Hill and Hector Peterson Memorial in Johannesburg. The sample size from two sites was N=406. The scales of measurements were already developed in the earlier questionnaire and the confirmatory factor analysis was used to confirm the variables contained in each factor, namely objective and constructive authenticity as independent variables and transformatory experience as the dependent variable. The results of a standard multiple regression analysis confirmed the importance of the model as independent variables explained 30.7% of the variances (R2=.307) in the model. An unexpected result was that objective authenticity explained 34.5% of the variance in the model (β = .345) which is significantly higher than 30.5% of variance explained by constructive authenticity (β = .305). The results of standard multiple regression analysis confirmed the main theoretical assumption of the model of equality of material and experiential levels of Cartesian duality in informing the new transformatory experience regarded as a transmodern phenomenon. The standard, stepwise and hierarchical multiple regression tests were further conducted to establish if any moderating variables should be added into the original model containing two independent variables. The tests included five demographic variables (gender, place of residence, connection with culture, and two items of education (pre-tertiary education and Bachelors degree) and none of the variables explained a level of variability which warranted their inclusion into the model. Consequently, the results of the retests of the model did not change its initial conceptualisation. Finally, the t-test and Mann-Whitney U tests identified a significant difference between the two groups in the level of authenticity of their experience derived from two sites. A group having stronger inclination for authenticity is identified as Cultural Creatives, who are known as the forerunners of transmodernism. Based on the results of all statistical tests the final model was modified to reflect the important theoretical findings pertaining to two new types of transmodern authenticity. Epistemological authenticity denotes combined effects of objective and constructive authenticity in feeding the ontological authenticity of transformatory experience. The ontological authenticity is further identified as a confirmation of authentic-self which is required by Cultural Creatives. With proposition of new modified model the theory-testing theory-building research design came to its conclusion. The importance of research findings presented in this study lies not only in resolving the current crises of authenticity discourse in tourism but in the proposed New theoretical and conceptual model of transformatory cultural tourism experience underpinned by objective ·and constructive authenticity which will open a whole new field in tourism research arising from new transmodern experiential paradigm. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Tradicinės dailidystės bei medinio paveldo apsaugos klausimų nagrinėjimą įgalino XX a. septintojo dešimtmečio paveldosaugos krizė, kada refleksyvios paveldo apsaugos istorijos studijos bei postmodernizmo idėjos padėjo išsilaisvinti iš moderniojo paminklų kulto. Praktiniame lygmenyje buvo nusivilta modernia paveldotvarkos praktika. Cheminių medžiagų bei pramoninių produktų naudojimas nepateisino paveldotvarkos lūkesčių, todėl pradėta ieškoti išeities kelių iš modernaus tradicijos ir technologijos supriešinimo. Į paveldosaugos diskursą buvo įvesta istorinės sociokultūrinės aplinkos sąvoka, o paveldo koncepcija suvokta santykyje su aplinkos, kraštovaizdžio, atlikimo technikos autentiškumu. Šiuolaikinė paveldosaugos samprata rėmėsi atsigręžimu į tradicines praktikas, kurios turėjo užtikrinti istorinį tęstinumą. Vis plačiau diskutuotas alternatyvusis - proceso autentiškumo išsaugojimo, kelias, įteisinantis kūrybinę paveldo recepciją. Vienas iš pirmųjų darbo tikslų, buvo išsiaiškinti postmoderniosios paveldosaugos impulsus bei ištakas, komparatyvistiniu metodu nustatyti jos santykį su moderniąją paveldosauga bei tradiciniais reliktų apsaugos būdais. Atlikus istorinę rekonstrukciją, reziumuota, jog kūrybinis paveldo įsisavinimo kelias buvo būdingas nuo Antikos iki moderniosios paveldosaugos susiformavimo. Istorinio tęstinumo nutrūkimas didžiąją dalimi buvo sąlygotas modernizacijos reiškinių: industrializacijos bei urbanizacijos. Ilgiau tradicinė dailidystė gyvavo Lietuvoje, kurią... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The research on protection of traditional carpentry techniques and wooden heritage was enabled by the crisis of heritage protection in the 7th decade of XX century, when reflexive studies on heritage protection and postmodern ideas helped to disengage from modern cult of monuments. The disillusion with modern praxis of heritage protection was felt even in the practical sphere. The use of chemical materials and industrial products belied the expectancy, so the search for the means of recourse from the modern contraposition of tradition and technology was started. The notion of historical socio-cultural setting was introduced into the discourse of heritage protection, while the concept of heritage was perceived in relation to authenticity in environment, landscape and workmanship. Contemporary conception of heritage protection has already been based on the turn to traditional praxis, which ensured historical continuity. The alternative way – protection of process authenticity, which enabled creative reception of heritage, was presented. One of the main aims of the study was to examine the impulses of postmodern heritage protection, to measure its relation to modern and traditional protection of the relicts in the comparative manner. Historical reconstruction revealed that from the antiquity to the development of modern heritage protection reception of heritage was rather performed in the creative way. Historical discontinuity was conditioned by phenomenon of modernization... [to full text]

Background: Brands have started paying attention to brand authenticity since consumer demand for authenticity is increasing. Especially Gen Z is constantly seeking for authentic, inclusive, and diverse brands as they are the first generation to choose brands based on authenticity. Especially the LGBTQ community’s representation in advertising is often perceived as inauthentic and superficial. Since Gen Z is not only a big consumer of fast fashion but also the first to include fast fashion as part of their everyday life, the fast fashion industry is required to be more authentic in its use of LGBTQ in advertising. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how Gen Z perceives LGBTQ images in fast fashion advertising and how this impacts brand authenticity. Method: For this study, an exploratory research design with a qualitative approach was applied. Using an abductive approach, existing literature was used as a basis to create the conceptual model of this study. Further, a fictional fast fashion brand including five advertisements were created and presented to twenty informants during semi-structured interviews to gain a more in-depth understanding of the research problem. Conclusion: The study found that Gen Z’s perceptions of LGBTQ images in fast fashion advertising can be classified into three categories: positive, neutral, and negative perceptions. Informants with a positive perception perceived the brand to be authentic whilst informants with a negative perception the opposite. Since informants with a neutral perception sometimes had similar perceptions as the informants with a positive or negative perception, no clear answer on their perception of brand authenticity can be given.

Problem: Corporate social responsibility is said to result in strategic and reputational benefits, however, broadcasting it publicly has been proven to be a delicate matter. While stakeholders expect companies to engage in CSR, they do not appreciate if companies communicate their CSR-activities too loudly. Prior research instead suggests that communicating too extensively could cause skepticism from stakeholders. Purpose: This thesis is set to investigate how companies view and handle the challenge of communicating their good deeds, in the specific context of cross-sector collaborations, and how companies balance the need to increase awareness of their social engagements with the risk of inducing skepticism. Method: Primary data has been collected from semi-structured interviews within six case companies from different industries. Conclusion: Our results show that skepticism per se was not perceived as a problem – one reason could be that most companies chose to avoid communicating extensively. While all companies argued for the importance of doing rather than talking, controversial companies in particular expressed an aversion towards bragging about their collaborations. A difference between controversial and neutral industries could be seen in the way they valued communication. Having the right level of communication, demonstrating authenticity by linking cross-sector collaborations to company characteristics, together with the choice of partners and communicating “through” NPOs were seen as important aspects that could help companies to find the balance.

The aim of this study is to broaden existing theories on self-leadership in response to unprecedented challenges and job demands in the emerging economy of the 21st century. The Austrian marketing sector is used as an illustrative example for gaining a more nuanced conception of leaders’ understanding and enactment of self-leadership within a creative environment. The approximation with grounded theory allowed gauging the gap in scientific research with respect to studying self-leadership within organisational settings, as suggested by other scholars. Perceptions on the current work environment and implications for business dealings and leadership at a broader level are disclosed firstly. The study then approximates the concept of self-leadership, underlining some of the dominant notions thereto, as may also be found in prominent research and proposing a conceptualized model for the multiplex relationship of viewing oneself as a starting point in leading others. Possible elements thereto are subsumed into the rubrics of behavioural, emotional and cognitive strategies, continuous learning, authentic role modelling and critical reflection, all of which allow leaders to transcend to an external meaning and ultimately inspire self-leadership among their followers. In the near aftermath, selfleadership shows a positive influence on work performance of both leader and followers, on developing creative potential and deriving meaning for oneself. The findings shall serve as a source of inspiration for leaders within their intuitive learning journey of selfleadership and encouraging the same among their followers. Furthermore, this research constitutes the base for future studies that attempt to shed more light onto the practical applicability of self-leadership within a business context.

A comparative examination of the original and reproduction Gone With the Wind costumes at the Harry Ransom Center is at the heart of this study, which proposes to trace the relationship between the analogue original costume, the replica garment, and the digital image reproduction. A discussion of definitions of authenticity and “the original” within such areas as conservation, film studies, and audience perception explores the questions: what is the role of the reproduction, and can it challenge the authority and “aura” of the original? This inquiry illustrates that authenticity is negotiated; it is not always fixed in a clear line ranging from “the real thing” on one side to “the copy” on the other. The study concludes with examining digital image reproductions of costume. The online digital database record can potentially reveal more than a face-to-face encounter with the object in a gallery space, illuminating the biography and history of the garment, changes in curatorial decisions and exhibition practice, and the experience of tactility and embodiment. / text

The objective of the proposed research is the design and fabrication of a novel stand-alone wireless robust system with enhanced hardware-enabled authentication and anti-counterfeiting capabilities. The system consists of two major components; the near-field certificates of authenticity (CoA), which serve as authenticity vouchers of the products they are attached to, and a microcontroller-enabled, low-power and low-cost reader. Small-sized passive physical three-dimensional structures that are composed of extremely cheap conductive and dielectric materials are shown to yield a unique and repeatable RF signature in a small portion of the frequency spectrum when brought in the reactive and radiating near-field regions of an array of miniature antennas. The multidimensional features of these CoAs, or in other words their signature or fingerprint, are cryptographically signed and digitally stored. The contactless signature validation procedure, in which an attempt to associate the near-field signature response of the physical CoA with the digitized signature, is carried out by the reader designed and fabricated. This low-cost reader operates autonomously and in an offline fashion. The feasibility and performance robustness of the system, in terms of accuracy, consistency and speed of capturing of the signatures, is rigorously assessed with a wide array of tests. Moreover, the entropy, or uncertainty, of the signatures generated by the system are empirically quantified and verified to achieve a virtually impossible false alarm. The aforementioned characteristics of the realized authentication system make it applicable to a vast array of physical objects that needs protection against counterfeiters.

Rock’n’roll has specific aesthetic — a set of invisible rules that each young rock musician accepts as a given. If one examines the history of rock’n’roll starting from 1950s, one will notice that there was a clear division in rock that separates the rock’n’roll of 1950s from rock of the second half of the 1960s and beyond—the rock that we know today. This thesis investigates how the visual aesthetic of rock’n’roll evolved from its origins in the 1950s blues tradition, how it was formed in the second half of the 1960s, and how it was modified in the first half of the 1970s. In particular, it focuses on the role played by the British band Rolling Stones as mediators between the 1950s early rock aesthetics rooted in the blues tradition and the Beats’ ideology and the subsequent generations of American rockers who emerged in the 1970s, such as the band New York Dolls. The final section of the thesis investigates how the New York Dolls adopted and transmitted the aesthetics of authenticity pioneered by the Stones to the new wave of punk and grunge bands. Although the thesis considers the music produced within this milieu, its primary focus is on the visual presentation and promotion of the new aesthetic through stage performances, publicity and the medium of television.

Kan ett värdskap som är kommersiellt även vara genuint välkomnande och kan man idag på allvar vinna fördelar på en konkurrensutsatt marknad utan att erbjuda ett genuint värdskap? Bakgrunden till detta arbete är det etableringsprojektet med titeln: "Värdskap och ledarskapsom berör – ett konkurrensmedel?" som finansierades av KK-stiftelsen (Stiftelsen för Kunskap och Kompetens) år 2010. Representanter från besöksnäringen på lokal, regional och nationell nivå möttes på två välrenommerade landsortshotell för att lägga grunden till ett större gemensamt forskningsprojekt. Inga ytterligare medel tilldelades dock projektet varför delar av det stora materialet från studien nu redovisas i denna c-uppsats. I projektet användes Teori U som både teoretisk utgångspunkt och processmetod. Syftet för uppsatsen handlar för det första om att undersöka metodens användbarhet i att främja branschens egen förståelse för vad ett gott värdskap är. För det andra handlar det om att undersöka hur man kan frigöra implicit kunskap och samskapa nya insikter om ett gott värdskap samt hur dessa i så fall kan kopplas till praktiken. I studien genomfördes två workshops, på två hotell med olika deltagare. Workshoparna, som filmades, varade ett dygn (från lunch till lunch). Ur det empiriska materialet utmejslades fem teman för ett värdskap som berör: ledarskap, passion, mod, självinsikt och grundläggandevärderingar. I bägge workshops talade man om att det i branschen behövs ett paradigmskifte från kunskapssamhälle till relationssamhälle. Deltagarna uttryckte att de upplever en avsaknad av kunskap om immateriella känslomässiga värden, om vad som sker i själva mötet. Resultatet pekar på att vi behöver undersöka vad som händer om vi utbildar i det som gör oss mer närvarande, autentiska och medvetna. Skulle det kunna vara ett sätt att skapa innovation i bemötande? / KK-stiftelsen Etableringsprojekt beviljat 2010 "Värdskap och ledarskap som berör- ett konkurrensmedel?"

This dissertation focuses on the concept of authenticity and its implications for our projects of self-creation, particularly those involving the use of "enhancement technologies" (such as stimulant drugs, "mood brighteners", or brain stimulation). After an introduction to the concept of authenticity and the enhancement debate in the first part of the thesis, part 2 considers the main analyses of authenticity in the contemporary philosophical literature. It begins with those emphasizing self-creation, and shows that, despite their merits, such views cannot adequately deal with certain types of cases, which require a third option, “true self” accounts, emphasizing self-discovery. However, it is argued that in their existing versions, accounts of this third sort are also unsatisfactory. Part 3 of the thesis proposes a new account of the "true self" sort, intended to improve upon existing ones. Common problematic assumptions about the concept of the true self are critiqued, after which a new analysis of that concept is presented, based on seven different conditions. Two specific definitions of authenticity, respectively emphasizing self-expression and the preservation of one's true self, are provided, and its relation to various associated notions, such as integrity or sincerity, are examined. Finally, part 4 looks at the implications of the previous parts for the enhancement debate. In particular, it discusses the prospect of technologically enhancing our personality and mood dispositions. Do such interventions always threaten our authenticity, as some worry? A negative answer is provided to that question. Various potential pitfalls hinted at by the inauthenticity worry are discussed and acknowledged. It is, however, argued that such enhancements could still in principle be used in a fully authentic manner, and that they have the potential to bring about genuine improvements in our mood but also to our moral capacities and our affective rationality more generally.