The foremost argument of this research is that self concept is of fundamental influence in the choices consumers make when purchasing luxury clothing brands. The objective of this research was to determine the relationships between self concept and the experience, attachment and loyalty that consumers have towards brands. The research further sought to confirm the role that identity theory plays in brand consumption. Sixty-nine respondents were surveyed via an electronic tool to understand how they view the role that self concept plays in the experiences they encounter with clothing brands. Experts were also interviewed to gain deeper insights into brands and the importance that communication and branding strategies play in developing brands for consumption. Ttests and bivariate regression was performed in order to determine relationships amongst the constructs. The findings show that consumers place a relatively high importance on the brand experience and self concept constructs. Marketing and advertising companies have an enormous responsibility to ensure that the right messages are communicated to consumers in order to give consumer a positive brand experience. A robust brand strategy and Communications strategy plays a pivotal role in successful delivery of the essence and image of luxury brands. Identity and self concept theory are central to understanding consumer behaviour and consumption decisions. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This investigation examined the relationship of the self-concept of children with cleft lip and palate to the self-concept of non-cleft children. Fifty cleft lip and palate children between the ages of eight and 18 were individually matched by age, sex and race with 50 non-cleft children. Each child was given the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Children with clefts, regardless of sex, reported significantly lower global self-concept than non-cleft subjects (p < .005). Further significant differences between cleft and non-cleft subjects were found in five of six cluster scores. These included: behavior (p < .05), school status (p < .05), popularity (p < .05), happiness and satisfaction (p < .001), and physical attributes and appearance (p < .001). A significant effect (p < .01), was found on the popularity score, with cleft males feeling less popular than their non-cleft peers. A significant effect was also found on the anxiety score, with cleft females reporting significantly more anxiety (p < .01) than their non-cleft peers. A questionnaire was completed by the parents of the cleft and non-cleft subjects evaluating their child's relationship with family, peers and progress in school. In general, parents of both groups reported positive ratings of their child's social interactions. Parents of cleft. . subjects reported more negative responses than the parents of non-cleft subjects concerning the teasing the child experiences because of his/her facial appearance (p < .05) and the effect that the child's facial appearance had on progress in school (p < .05).

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The current study investigated the relationship between racial identity and academic achievement of biracial high school students and whether academic self-concept mediated the relationship. Data from the National Institute of Child Health and Development- Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development was examined. A structural equation model with two groups was used to assess if academic self-concept is a mediator for the relationship between racial identity and academic achievement. Results suggest that academic self-concept in Math or English did not mediate the relationship between racial identity and scores on the WJ-R Passage Comprehension and Applied Problems subtest for both groups of biracial high school students. In addition, racial identity did not have a significant effect for both groups of biracial students on academic self-concept in English and Math. The insignificant findings from the current study highlight that race and ethnicity do not impact Black and White biracial high school students or Latin and White biracial high school students’ educational success and this information should be applied by educators, parents, and families as they help biracial children navigate through their educational experience.

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