Part 1. Chapter 1. Introduction: the Man and his work. The intellectual life of Russia at the turn of the century was marked by a lively interest in religious questions, and, in some circles, a cautious rapprochement between the intelligentsia and the Orthodox Church. Vladimir Lossky was born into an academic environment which looked more sympathetically upon traditional Christianity than had previously been usual: and the fact of his being brought up in a household both academic and (articulately and critically) Christian tends to set him apart from the religious thinkers of his father's generation (Bulgakov, Berdyaev, and others) who had discovered, or rediscovered, Orthodox faith in adult life adter experiencing disillusion with radicalism or Idealism, or both. Lossky's first major theological essay was, in fact, directed against the ethos of Russian 'religious philosophy', especially its preoccupation with the Wisdom of God (Sophia) as a cosmic principle. In this, as in later works, he pleads for a theology rooted in the historical experience of the Church and free from philosophical systems. His commitment to the 'historical experience' of the Church is reflected in his lifelong allegiance to the Patriarchate of Moscow as the only canonically authoritative Russian ecclesial body. His thinking on the relation between Church and culture was clarified in his experiences in the Second War, which also brought him into close association with several Catholic theologians. It was in this context that he first attempted a synthetic presentation of Orthodox dogma in his best-known work, the 'Essai sur la théologie mystique de l'Eglise d'Orient'. In the post-war period he continued his professional work as a mediaevalist at the Sorbonne, but continued to write on theological questions, developing, in particular, a distinctive approach to the concept of the human person and to the catholicity of the Church. He was much involved in ecumenical gatherings in France and England, and, in Paris, up to the time of his death, assisted in the training of clergy for the Patriarchal jurisdiction (though his hopes for the development of a western-rite group were frustrated). Chapter 2: The debate with Bulgakov. Superficially, Lossky's theology has much in common with that of Sergei Bulgakov, especially in their attitudes to tradition and catholicity, and Lossky's hostility to Bulgakov is surprising. However, a brief examination of Bulgakov's thought reveals its extensive dependence upon the notion of 'Sophia', the Divine Wisdom, as an all-embracing cosmic reality, both divine and human - a notion which Lossky rejects absolutely as deterministic, destructive of a proper sense of both divine and human freedom. He also condemns Bulgakov's Christology: the idea of 'Godmanhood', fundamental to Bulgakov's theology, jeopardises the reality of Christ's humanity, and tends to reduce the Incarnation to a manifestation of cosmic process. The basic theme of Lossky's critique is that Bulgakov's system, in Christology, ecclesiology, and Trinitarian theology, is dominated by metaphysical presuppositions incompatible with orthodox belief: it is insufficiently apophatic, too preoccupied with concepts. Lossky's own theology shows a marked and conscious reaction away from this kind of conceptualism. Chapter 3. The Via Negativa. The 'negative way' is not, for Lossky, merely a dialectical step in theology, a 'corrective' to affirmative theology: it is the essential ground of all theology. Theology beings in personal encounter with a personal God, an encounter which cannot be expressed in concepts; negative theology, which declines to speak of God in concepts, most closely reflects this basic reality. It is the μετάνοια, the conversion and self-sacrifice, of the intellect. The Greek patristic language about meeting God in 'darkness' is simply a 'dogmatic metaphor' for this experience, complementing, not contradicting the imagery of 'light': darkness and light together here represent the experience of transcending the sphere of the intellect. The history of early Christian spirituality shows a gradual movement towards a via media between intellectualism and agnosticism, a position which allows for both the absolute incomprehensibility of God in seipso, and His accessibility to man. This via media is expressed most fully by Gregory Palamas, but is anticipated by the Cappadocians, pseudo-Dionysius, and Maximus. It envisages God 'transcending His transcendence, expressing His unknowable 'essence' in His 'energies', His manifestation in the world. God's self-transcendence calls forth man's 'ecstacy'. The personal encounter of man with God is a mutual movement of self-giving: man is nearest to God and so most fully God-like in this movement. And since God is always fully personal, man is therefore most personal in the act of self-renunciation: negative theology alone is adequately 'personalist'. Chapter 4. Imago Trinitatis. Man is in the image of God because he is personal: he cannot be reduced to his 'nature', to what is common, repeatable and conceptualisable. He is more than an individual of a species; and this constitutes him in the image of God's trinitarian life, in which individuality is perfectly transcended in full communion. The Church, in which man realises his capacity for communion can also be called imago Trinitatis: it is a plurality of persons, each called and sanctified in a unique manner by the Spirit, sharing one nature, the humanity which Christ has restored and 'deified'. This 'trinitarian' life is what is designated by the term 'catholicity', the existence of the whole in the part. Lossky's method in discussing the theology of personality is resolutely Christocentric: the impossibility of interpreting ὑπόστᾰσις as 'individual' is established by an appeal to the inadmissibility of so interpreting it in Christology. Lossky's appeal to the Fathers in support of this thesis is, however, problematic: his concern to include the body in the imago Dei, and his understanding of ὑπόστᾰσις both lack a clear and consistent patristic foundation. Although he does genuinely build upon certain Greek patristic ideas, he is, as a 'personalist', essentially and inevitably - a -post-Augustinian'. The ambiguity of the patristic evidence raises the serious question of how far Lossky is justified in criticising Western theology (as he does) according to alledgedly patristic criteria. Chapter 5: The debate with the West (i). Lossky presupposes the unity of Christian theology; if one doctrinal topic is infected with error, the whole theological system is poisoned. In the West, it is the doctrine of the double procession of the Spirit, the filioque, which is the basic error: it suggests that the Spirit is somehow less personal than the Son, rejects the patristic idea that the Father is the sole source of 'cause' of the other persons, and so makes the unity of the Trinity reside not in the person of the Father but in a super-personal 'essence', that which is common to Father and Son. Western theology opts for a divine essence, in place of the living God of revelation: it is as much in thrall to philosophy as Bulgakov's system. Consequently, it is consistently impersonalist, not only in Trinitarian theology, but in its ecclesiology, its doctrine of grace, and its ascetical theology. Protestantism is as much conditioned as Catholicism by the basic assumption implicit in the filioque that real communion, sharing (in some sense) of substance, is impossible between God and man, because both are encapsulated in their 'essences'. Historically, Lossky's critique is often inaccurate and unjust; but he makes a good case, nonetheless, for the dominance, in much of Western theology, of conceptualism and impersonalism. There is little to correspond to Lossky's profound apophoticism and 'kenotic' idea of personality.

Magister Artium - MA / As a minister who is deeply involved in Christian counselling I am constantly reminded just how many problems marriages are facing today. There is no question that the failure of this fundamental relationship has unquantifiable devastating results in the lives of couples, their children, and society as a whole. The more one works with people one realises that many couples in relationships are just hurting individuals in search of happiness and wholeness. Marriage provides the perfect relationship with elaborate promises and expectations of love and warmth, where all needs and dreams are to be met by the husband or wife. Sadly, however, as substantiated by divorce statistics, too many couples find this sacred space intended for love and fulfilment become the most vulnerable, unsafe space. As a minister searching for a systematic process to unravel this mystery of failed or failing marriages, I discovered a psycho-social model for therapy, called Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT), which not only produced excellent counselling results, but also seemed compatible with more theological approaches to couples therapy. IRT unravels for me the “why” and gives me a quantifiable aspect to my work which helps me grasp conceptually that which I instinctively have discovered and known theologically. I have embarked on this research, firstly, to understand the problem and the extent thereof facing our society; secondly to identify the strengths and shortcomings in Pastoral Care theory and praxis (such as the recurring problem of a realistic and workable Biblical counselling model for pastors), and thirdly to investigate the feasibility whether and how the Imago Relationship Theory could be integrated in Pastoral Care praxis. The intention was, and remains, that after I have done this research to make it available, in appropriate format, to help pastors in assisting couples to avoid pitfalls in their marriages. In turn, it is hoped that this new found perspective would also benefit the pastor and his wife, since many pastors find their marriages also under strain. Every pastor who works with the lives of congregants understands the volatility of relationships. This understanding has been built over long periods of time with them and he has witnessed how their lives have morphed under pressure due to problems that at times have been overwhelming. Sadly some of the pain is self-inflicted or has been inflicted upon them. As one delves into this subject matter one becomes aware of just how inadequately equipped some pastors really are and how important it is to equip them to effectively help others. I chose to examine Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT), knowing its efficacy, and wondered how this would fit into a Pneumatological counselling model. Various practical theologians (such as DJ Louw and JJ Rebel) have recently been discovering Pneumatology – the reflection on the work of the Holy Spirit, through whom the work of God the Father and God the Son is being applied and appropriated in the person, in the congregation, and in the fullness of life in the world – as the framework for practical theology, especially Pastoral Care. I thus deliberately explored Pneumatology as such a theological Sitz im Leben for reflecting on IRT integrated into a Biblical model for counselling. I needed an affective therapeutic model which would could be integrated, and enhance the biblical framework in counselling. Furthermore this therapeutic mechanism needed to be subservient to attain the greatest goal of God and that is to serve and help transform humankind created in His Image. I conducted a systematic literature review of IRT and relevant theological insights from Pastoral Care theory. This investigation is to establish the viability of an integration of IRT into a Pneumatological Pastoral Care theory and praxis to be used as a Pastoral Tool for ministers dealing with the crisis of broken marriages. It was surprising to see how well IRT fits into the theological framework and can enhance an already effective psychological therapy process.

Multidisciplinary contemporary discourse involving science, philosophy and theology has explored themes of creation and human identity. Contemporary critiques of anthropocentricism stem from such discourse. The understanding of human beings as ‘spirited bodies’ rather than embodied spirits, arises from a non-reductionist physicalist standpoint. This is the point of departure for this thesis. The study attempts to explore the understanding of human beings as ‘spirited bodies’ from a non-reductionist physicalist view and as a metaphor for ‘fresh’ perspectives and insights that could potentially inform and/or shape a theologically grounded earth-keeping ethos on a different premise from the traditional dualistic hierarchical viewpoint. Methodologically, this study attempts to reflect a unitary approach to knowledge. The study views the subject through three prisms. Firstly it takes a retrospective look to account for perspectives that have shaped hierarchical views of creation based on a dualistic principle that in turn have shaped the human power-dominion relationship with the rest of creation that is deemed to have led to the devastating eco-crisis the world faces today. Secondly, it considers a non-reductionist physicalist viewpoint that has challenged dualistic anthropological views of being in favour of the conception of human beings as ‘spirited bodies’ and which places human beings in a continuum with the rest creation. Thirdly, it picks up on Moltmann’s Trinitarian and pneumatological views of creation which orient the theological framework anchored on the community and communion within the triune relationship. Human solidarity with the rest of creation is then posited as the nexus that converges the strands of these different perspectives. The juxtaposition of the Genesis 1 creation story with Zambian cosmogony constitutes ‘case studies’ that illustrate how the fresh perspectives on creation and human identity open up an ‘interpretive space’ that could locate human beings in a continuum with the rest of creation and offer insight for an alternative earth-keeping ethos. Human solidarity with the rest of creation thus critiques traditional western dualistic and hierarchical conceptions of creation on one hand, and serves as an orienting concept for the ‘fresh’ earth-keeping ethos this study proposes on the other. / Dissertation (MA Theol)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / unrestricted

Cette thèse analyse les incidences des avancées d’une rationalité technoscientifique sur les définitions classiques de l’humain. Elle discerne, dans sa présentation de ce phénomène, le lien entre la technoscience, la cybernétique et le posthumanisme qui en découle. Elle souligne les mutations et projets de remodèlement de l’humain qui traversent cette rationalité technoscientifique et son paradigme informationnel cybernéticien. Cette rationalité technoscientifique, polémique aux ontologies dites conservatrices, soutenant une vision amorale de la RDTS (Recherche & Développement technoscientifique), accouche d’un posthumanisme – en rapport difficile avec le corps – qui bouscule les définitions classiques de l’humain judéo-chrétien, dont l’anthropologie théologique évangélique. Traitant, dans une première grande section de trois chapitres, de la rationalité technoscientifique et de ses visions de l’humain, la thèse permet la mise en exergue des enjeux principaux se dégageant des nouveaux questionnements des anthropologies classiques soumises aux pressions de la RDTS. Dans la deuxième partie, encore de trois chapitres, qui porte sur l’anthropologie évangélique, la thèse situe les Évangéliques historiquement et doctrinalement, pour mieux relever les éléments identitaires du mouvement et les grandes déterminations théologiques à l’intérieur desquels se déploie cette anthropologie. La présentation de cette dernière se décline à partir des différentes compréhensions du motif anthropologique évangélique par excellence, l’imago Dei et le concept de l’unicité de l’humain dont les fondements semblent de plus en plus fragiles à la lumière des conclusions des recherches en paléontologie et en cognition animale. Si plusieurs défis importants sont posés à l’anthropologie évangélique, la thèse, se limitant à une critique évangélique de la rationalité technoscientifique et des réponses évangéliques à cette dernière, analyse une question essentielle pour la pensée évangélique, celle de l’humain homo ii faber et l’anthropotechnie, versus le remodèlement de l’humain autour des interrogations posthumanistes sur le corps et la question du salut. Cette thèse apporte une contribution 1) sur le plan de la synthèse qu’elle présente de l’anthropologie évangélique, 2) de la compréhension de l’identité évangélique, sa singularité et sa diversité, et 3) des manières dont une théologie évangélique peut entrer en dialogue avec la raison technoscientifique. Elle lève le voile sur l’utilisation tous azimuts du concept de l’imago Dei et de son insuffisance, à lui seul, pour apprécier les véritables enjeux du débat avec la rationalité technoscientique. Elle insinue que ce motif doit être analysé en conjonction avec la christologie dans l’approfondissement du Logos incarné, pour en mieux apprécier l'étendue. Ce n'est que dans ce lien qu’ont pu être trouvés des éléments capables d'articuler ce qui est en germe dans l'imago Dei et suggérer une définition de l’humain capable de prendre en considération les défis d’une rationalité technoscientifique et de son posthumanisme. / This thesis analyzes the impact of proposals by a technoscientific rationality (or RDTS) on the classical definitions of what is human. It discerns in its presentation of the phenomenon the link between technoscience, cybernetics and post-humanism which has developed from them. Then there are the mutations and projects to remodel humans which arise with RDTS and its cybernetic informational paradigm. Technoscience, with its polemics against any ontology considered conservative, supports an amoral vision of RDTS and produces a posthumanism with its difficult relation to the human body. It also disrupts classical Judaeo-Christian definitions of what is human, among which we find evangelical theological anthropology. This thesis is divided into two sections of three chapters each. The first section examines RDTS and its vision of what is human. The principal issues which recent questioning of classical anthropology has produced, arising from the pressure of RDTS developments, are examined. Then the second section of three chapters will present evangelical anthropology, beginning with the historical and doctrinal context of evangelicalism. The elements of evangelical identity are explained along with the primary theological concepts which surround this anthropology. A variety of evangelical positions will be presented, related to the imago Dei and the concept of unicity of the human. While this concept is crucial for evangelicals, it is highly contested by recent research in paleontology and animal cognition. After examining the important new challenges facing evangelical anthropology, this thesis will concentrate on existing evangelical critiques of RDTS and posthumanism and iv refining them. Then an essential question for evangelicals will be examined: the homo faber and anthropotechnie versus the remodelling of the human involved in posthumanist questioning of the body and of salvation. Three contributions emerge from this thesis: 1) a synthesis of evangelical anthropology, 2) an understanding of evangelical identity in its distinctiveness and in its diversity and 3) an identification of necessary factors for evangelical theology to employ in a dialogue with RDTS. The difficulty of using the imago Dei in all direction is demonstrated along with a denial that this concept alone can address all the serious issues RDTS raises. Rather this motif needs to be combined with Christology and particularly the incarnation of the Logos to widen the treatment of the subject. It is only with that link that necessary elements contained in the imago Dei can be articulated and a definition for the human can be made which can address the challenges of RDTS and its posthumanism.

Cette thèse analyse les incidences des avancées d’une rationalité technoscientifique sur les définitions classiques de l’humain. Elle discerne, dans sa présentation de ce phénomène, le lien entre la technoscience, la cybernétique et le posthumanisme qui en découle. Elle souligne les mutations et projets de remodèlement de l’humain qui traversent cette rationalité technoscientifique et son paradigme informationnel cybernéticien. Cette rationalité technoscientifique, polémique aux ontologies dites conservatrices, soutenant une vision amorale de la RDTS (Recherche & Développement technoscientifique), accouche d’un posthumanisme – en rapport difficile avec le corps – qui bouscule les définitions classiques de l’humain judéo-chrétien, dont l’anthropologie théologique évangélique. Traitant, dans une première grande section de trois chapitres, de la rationalité technoscientifique et de ses visions de l’humain, la thèse permet la mise en exergue des enjeux principaux se dégageant des nouveaux questionnements des anthropologies classiques soumises aux pressions de la RDTS. Dans la deuxième partie, encore de trois chapitres, qui porte sur l’anthropologie évangélique, la thèse situe les Évangéliques historiquement et doctrinalement, pour mieux relever les éléments identitaires du mouvement et les grandes déterminations théologiques à l’intérieur desquels se déploie cette anthropologie. La présentation de cette dernière se décline à partir des différentes compréhensions du motif anthropologique évangélique par excellence, l’imago Dei et le concept de l’unicité de l’humain dont les fondements semblent de plus en plus fragiles à la lumière des conclusions des recherches en paléontologie et en cognition animale. Si plusieurs défis importants sont posés à l’anthropologie évangélique, la thèse, se limitant à une critique évangélique de la rationalité technoscientifique et des réponses évangéliques à cette dernière, analyse une question essentielle pour la pensée évangélique, celle de l’humain homo ii faber et l’anthropotechnie, versus le remodèlement de l’humain autour des interrogations posthumanistes sur le corps et la question du salut. Cette thèse apporte une contribution 1) sur le plan de la synthèse qu’elle présente de l’anthropologie évangélique, 2) de la compréhension de l’identité évangélique, sa singularité et sa diversité, et 3) des manières dont une théologie évangélique peut entrer en dialogue avec la raison technoscientifique. Elle lève le voile sur l’utilisation tous azimuts du concept de l’imago Dei et de son insuffisance, à lui seul, pour apprécier les véritables enjeux du débat avec la rationalité technoscientique. Elle insinue que ce motif doit être analysé en conjonction avec la christologie dans l’approfondissement du Logos incarné, pour en mieux apprécier l'étendue. Ce n'est que dans ce lien qu’ont pu être trouvés des éléments capables d'articuler ce qui est en germe dans l'imago Dei et suggérer une définition de l’humain capable de prendre en considération les défis d’une rationalité technoscientifique et de son posthumanisme. / This thesis analyzes the impact of proposals by a technoscientific rationality (or RDTS) on the classical definitions of what is human. It discerns in its presentation of the phenomenon the link between technoscience, cybernetics and post-humanism which has developed from them. Then there are the mutations and projects to remodel humans which arise with RDTS and its cybernetic informational paradigm. Technoscience, with its polemics against any ontology considered conservative, supports an amoral vision of RDTS and produces a posthumanism with its difficult relation to the human body. It also disrupts classical Judaeo-Christian definitions of what is human, among which we find evangelical theological anthropology. This thesis is divided into two sections of three chapters each. The first section examines RDTS and its vision of what is human. The principal issues which recent questioning of classical anthropology has produced, arising from the pressure of RDTS developments, are examined. Then the second section of three chapters will present evangelical anthropology, beginning with the historical and doctrinal context of evangelicalism. The elements of evangelical identity are explained along with the primary theological concepts which surround this anthropology. A variety of evangelical positions will be presented, related to the imago Dei and the concept of unicity of the human. While this concept is crucial for evangelicals, it is highly contested by recent research in paleontology and animal cognition. After examining the important new challenges facing evangelical anthropology, this thesis will concentrate on existing evangelical critiques of RDTS and posthumanism and iv refining them. Then an essential question for evangelicals will be examined: the homo faber and anthropotechnie versus the remodelling of the human involved in posthumanist questioning of the body and of salvation. Three contributions emerge from this thesis: 1) a synthesis of evangelical anthropology, 2) an understanding of evangelical identity in its distinctiveness and in its diversity and 3) an identification of necessary factors for evangelical theology to employ in a dialogue with RDTS. The difficulty of using the imago Dei in all direction is demonstrated along with a denial that this concept alone can address all the serious issues RDTS raises. Rather this motif needs to be combined with Christology and particularly the incarnation of the Logos to widen the treatment of the subject. It is only with that link that necessary elements contained in the imago Dei can be articulated and a definition for the human can be made which can address the challenges of RDTS and its posthumanism.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:12:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 OsvaldoFAF_DISSERT.pdf: 585143 bytes, checksum: 436ac6c5f30018a45e6dfb3634cd8fae (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-23 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / This work deals with the way how the three themes of traditional metaphysics, namely, God, man, and the world, are rethought through the philosophical speculation of German cardinal Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464). Due to the comprehensiveness of this subject, our dissertation had as a starting point and constant reference the book that the philosopher wrote in 1450, Idiota. De mente, the second written work that makes up the series of the Idiota (Idiotae libri), whose discussion is developed around the theme of the human mind. From the dialogue of the mind we have built our reflection on some issues and theoretical foundations presented in Idiota. De sapientia and De docta ignorantia, extending it to little more than that. According to Nicholas of Cusa, the human mind, in its creative character in the image of the divine mind, transcends the purely functional considerations commonly assigned to it, that is, those that regard its cognitive nature and epistemological role. In addition to these aspects, Cusanus understands the humana mens as a point of articulation of two other main themes of his metaphysics: God and the world. In this context, through the concepts of complicatioexplicatio and imago, as well as with the intercession between the themes of man as imago Dei and the reason of the microcosm, we present here an introduction to Cusan metaphysics / O presente trabalho versa sobre como os tr?s temas centrais da metaf?sica tradicional, a saber, Deus, o homem e o mundo, s?o repensados pela especula??o filos?fica do cardeal alem?o Nicolau de Cusa (1401-1464). Devido ? abrang?ncia dessa tem?tica, nossa disserta??o teve como ponto de partida e referencial constante o livro que o fil?sofo escreveu em 1450, Idiota. De mente, segundo escrito que comp?e a s?rie de di?logos do Idiota (Idiotae libri), e cuja discuss?o se desenvolve em torno ao tema da mente humana. A partir do di?logo De mente n?s constru?mos a nossa reflex?o tomando algumas quest?es e fundamenta??es te?ricas apresentadas no Idiota. De sapientia e no De docta ignorantia, estendendo-a a pouco mais que isso. De acordo com Nicolau de Cusa, a mente humana, em seu car?ter criativo ? imagem da mente divina, transcende as considera??es puramente funcionais que geralmente lhe s?o atribu?das, isto ?, no que se refere ? sua natureza cognitiva e ao seu papel epistemol?gico. Para al?m desses aspectos, o Cusano entende a humana mens como um ponto de articula??o dos outros dois temas que protagonizam a sua metaf?sica: Deus e o mundo. Neste contexto, atrav?s dos conceitos de complicatio-explicatio e imago, bem como da intercess?o entre o tema do homem imago Dei e o motivo do microcosmo, n?s apresentamos aqui uma introdu??o ? filosofia cusana

Abstract This study examines the phenomenon of corporate brand co-creation in the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in business-to-business (B2B) markets. The aim of this study is to better understand how external stakeholders co-create a corporate brand—brand image and identity—and what characterises these brand co-creative stakeholder relationships. Branding is regarded as a social and interactive process in which the company and its stakeholders are both considered active participants. In addition to the corporate branding literature, this study builds on industrial network theory, service-dominant logic and organisational identity theory. The empirical contribution of the study is conducted using qualitative interview and case study methods to analyse the phenomenon longitudinally and from a multi-stakeholder perspective. The primary empirical data are generated through interviews of B2B SME experts and the case company’s management, employees and key partners during the period 2010–2013. Narrative approach is employed in the data generation and analysis. The study shows that corporate branding is a holistic process that is influenced by various stakeholders. In particular, the key partners can be actively involved in co-creating a company’s corporate brand. External stakeholders are involved in corporate branding through interactions with the company and other stakeholders. The study identifies a number of co-creative actions performed by external stakeholders that influence the corporate brand image, either directly or indirectly. The study also shows that stakeholder cooperation, interaction and dialogue are central in corporate brand identity development, as they help companies to understand and adapt to the competitive environment and to define the corporate brand’s unique and central features in relation to it. At the relationship level, corporate brand co-creative stakeholder relationships are characterised by dependency and mutuality. The significance of various stakeholder relationships in branding, however, varies across situations, at different stages of the company’s lifecycle and at the relationship portfolio level; they can be understood as context-dependent, evolving and dynamic. Managers can use the findings of this study to identify the key stakeholders that are central in co-creating corporate brands and to employ their resources and integrate their activities to strengthen the corporate brand. / Tiivistelmä Tämä väitöskirja tutkii yritysbrändin yhteisluomista yritystenvälisillä markkinoilla (B2B) toimivien pk-yritysten kontekstissa. Tutkimus pyrkii ymmärtämään miten yrityksen ulkoiset sidosryhmät osallistuvat yritysbrändin – brändi-imagon ja -identiteetin – luomiseen ja mikä on luonteenomaista yritysbrändiä yhteisluoville sidosryhmäsuhteille. Brändäystä tarkastellaan sosiaalisena ja vuorovaikutteisena prosessina jossa yritys ja sen eri sidosryhmät nähdään aktiivisina toimijoina. Tutkimus nojaa brändikirjallisuuden lisäksi verkostoteoriaan, palvelulähtöiseen ajatteluun sekä organisaatioidentiteetti-teoriaan. Tutkimuksen empiirinen osuus toteutettiin laadullisena haastattelu- ja tapaustutkimuksena jossa ilmiötä tarkasteltiin eri sidosryhmien näkökulmasta sekä pitkittäisesti. Tutkimuksen ensisijainen empiirinen aineisto kerättiin haastattelemalla B2B pk-yritystoiminnan asiantuntijoita sekä tapausyrityksen johtoa, henkilöstöä ja avainyhteistyökumppaneita vuosina 2010–2013. Aineiston keruussa ja analyysissa on käytetty narratiivista lähestymistapaa. Tutkimus osoittaa että yritysbrändäys on kokonaisvaltainen prosessi johon vaikuttaa yrityksen lisäksi myös sen eri sidosryhmät. Erityisesti avainyhteistyökumppanit voivat olla aktiivisesti mukana luomassa yrityksen brändiä. Yrityksen ulkoiset sidosryhmät osallistuvat yritysbrändin luomiseen vuorovaikutuksessa yrityksen sekä muiden sidosryhmien kanssa. Tutkimuksessa tunnistetaan useita ulkoisten sidosryhmien brändiä yhteisluovia toimintoja, jotka vaikuttavat yritysbrändi-imagoon joko suoraan tai epäsuorasti. Tutkimus osoittaa lisäksi, että yhteistyö, vuorovaikutus ja dialogi sidosryhmien kanssa ovat keskeisessä roolissa yritysbrändi-identiteetin kehittymisessä, sillä ne auttavat yritystä ymmärtämään sen kilpailuympäristöä, sopeutumaan sen vaatimuksiin sekä määrittelemään brändin keskeiset erottuvuustekijät suhteessa siihen. Tutkimuksen perusteella yritysbrändiä yhteisluoville sidosryhmäsuhteille on suhdetasolla ominaista riippuvuus ja vastavuoroisuus. Eri sidosryhmäsuhteiden merkitys yritysbrändin kannalta vaihtelee eri tilanteissa sekä yrityksen eri elämänvaiheissa. Suhdeportfoliotasolla brändiä yhteisluovia sidosryhmäsuhteita voidaankin luonnehtia kontekstisidonnaisiksi, muuttuviksi ja dynaamisiksi. Tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää yritysbrändäyksen kannalta keskeisten sidosryhmien tunnistamisessa sekä niiden resurssien hyödyntämisessä ja toimintojen integroimisessa brändäyksessä.

The purpose of this study was to discover the impact of ballroom dancing on the marital relationship. In order to do this the researcher first conducted a literature review on numerous aspects such as the marital relationship, movement therapy, the history of dancing, ballroom dancing and different theoretical approaches to marriage counseling. From the literature and personal experience, the researcher developed four hypotheses. To possibly answer these hypotheses and discover what the impact is of ballroom dancing on the marital relationship, the researcher utilized a qualitative research methodology. A sample size of three couples were randomly chosen to participate in the research study. Ethics and issues of validity and reliability were addressed throughout the research process. In-depth interviews were conducted with all three participating couples and from these interviews four different themes emerged. Four categories were then developed from the information obtained from the interviews as well as from the literature review. The research results indicated that the participating couples felt that through ballroom dancing they acquired improved communication in that it occurred more frequently and was more in-depth. The participants were of the opinion that their intimacy levels had enhanced. They related having more physical contact with one another, feeling early courtship emotions again and reinstating the importance of the marital relationship for them and their extended families. The couples seemed to develop strategies for conflict management as they went through the process of learning to dance. In the early stages of their dancing the couples recounted incidences of arguing however they all seemed to progressively make conscious decisions to ulitise strategies for conflict management which they found effective. Negotiation, investment and cooperation appeared to be essential tools for the couples to succeed in dancing. Added to this the couples seemed to be of the opinion that they became more competent in these behaviours as they progressed with their dancing. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

This study explores the phenomenon of serial murder from the perspective of narrative psychology. Using a case study approach and a grounded theory analytical process this qualitative study utilised the narrative concept of the imago to explore the motivation and development of those who commit serial murder in South Africa. The aim is increase our theoretical understanding of serial murder in directions that support offender profiling. Semi-structured interviews with two South African men who committed serial murder were undertaken and analysed alongside archival data. Their imagoes formed the focus of the analysis. This analysis included a consideration of how the individual’s motivations and developmental patterns were reflected in their crime scenes. This study demonstrated that imagoes play a significant role in the motives for offending, and development of offence behaviours, in men who commit serial murder. The imagoes help create motives; then embody these motives by encouraging and justifying certain types of behaviour in the individual. Interactions between imagoes were particularly significant in this regard. The dominant imago associated with the individual’s self was also associated with the development of a behavioural template for offending, and was thus especially significant in embodying motive. The development of offending was further encouraged by the separation between imagoes involved in offending and those that are not. However differences between the case studies were also observed, such as the extent to which imagoes develop in interaction with others and the roles played by their imagoes in the developmental narrative of their offending. These findings shed novel theoretical light on the study of serial murder in South Africa. It suggests directions for research into the role of narrative and culture in offending, and for the study of the imago as an embodied mode of interpersonal interaction. It also offers opportunities for research aiming to support offender profiling, and proposes a possible synthesis of competing conceptions of serial murder. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

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