The aim of this research is to explore the association between brand personality traits and sonic logos. The brand personality traits that are incorporated into this research are Responsibility, Activity, Aggressiveness, Simplicity and Emotionality. These traits constitute one of the two building blocks for this research. The other building block consists of the sonic logo, but more specifically, variations in mode and tempo. Because the research was exploratory in nature, a qualitative research strategy was deemed appropriate. Additionally, in order to explore the association between the two building blocks, one sonic logo was created in four versions where the mode and tempo shifted in different combinations. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted where the sonic logos were played. To find associations and patterns in the empirical material, coding inspired from grounded theory were used. To conclude, the first sonic logo version shows associations to the Activity and Emotionality dimensions. The second sonic logo version shows associations to the Responsibility, Aggressiveness and Activity dimensions. The third sonic logo version shows associations to the Activity, Simplicity and Emotionality dimensions. Lastly, the fourth sonic logo version shows associations to the Responsibility, Aggressiveness and Emotionality dimensions.

This doctoral dissertation investigates the impact of incidental aesthetics on consumer perceptions. The author refers to incidental aesthetics in two dimensions. One is in the aesthetic properties of product context that is not directly related to its functional performance. And second is in the aesthetic attributes found in unexpected sources defined as ordinary objects, places, and people. Drawing on theories from aesthetics, psychology, and consumer behavior, this dissertation examines in two manuscripts how and why incidental aesthetics influence consumer evaluations. The first paper, 'Welded Together: How Responses to Incidental, Nondiagnostic Sensory Context (Mis)Guide Simultaneous Product Evaluations,' studies how evaluations of incidental aesthetics from a sensory experience with nondiagnostic product contextual cues are merged with the evaluations of the target product. The second paper, 'Consumer Attentiveness to Beauty in the Ordinary,' examines an understudied dimension of beauty. The construct of attentiveness to beauty in the ordinary is defined as the degree to which individuals mindfully identify and formulate an aesthetic judgment of common visual elements and integrate this mindset into their daily experiences. The authors develop a four-item Attentiveness to Beauty in the Ordinary Scale to measure the construct. Using a mixed-methods approach, combining a series of laboratory experiments and field studies from a diverse sample of consumers (Npaper1 = 49,435; Npaper2 = 2,051), the authors show in the first paper that unappealing (appealing) incidental sensory experiences lead to lower (higher) product evaluations, including perceived quality and purchase intention. The effect emerges when the incidental evaluation pertains to a dimension closely related to the product dimension being evaluated. In the second paper, the findings provide evidence of validity and reliability of the Attentiveness to Beauty in the Ordinary Scale, situate the scale in a network of related constructs such as appreciation of beauty, engagement with beauty, dispositional awe, voluntary simplicity, materialism, mindfulness, and subjective happiness, and demonstrate the predictive value of the scale for consumer perceptions and behavior. Specifically, people high (vs. low) in ordinary beauty attentiveness are less discriminating in aesthetic evaluations of ordinary elements, find higher product quality in naturally-aesthetic packaging, are less persuaded by endorsers' attractiveness, and are more likely to buy imperfect produce. This dissertation contributes to the literature on aesthetics and sensory marketing by revealing that aesthetic experiences that are not intentionally designed or not expected but naturally occur in consumption environments have a significant impact on consumer evaluations. The results have practical implications for marketers and designers, who can leverage the power of incidental aesthetics in marketing strategies to enhance product perceptions. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation explores, across two papers, how natural aesthetic qualities found in things, people, places, or in product contexts, referred to as incidental aesthetics, can influence our perceptions and evaluations of products. In the first paper, the authors find a novel effect in which consumers "merge" aesthetic evaluations of incidental product context that do not affect the functionality of the product (e.g., bad/good music on headphones) with product evaluations they make at the same time (e.g., bad/good quality headphones). This effect occurs because people spontaneously mix the evaluation of the context (e.g., music sound) with the evaluation of a closely related product attribute (e.g., sound quality). In the second paper, the authors define attentiveness to beauty in the ordinary as a disposition that some people have of being more open to finding beauty when it is not expected (i.e., incidental aesthetics) and therefore seeing beauty more frequently in everyday situations than other people. The authors create a scale to measure this individual disposition and find that 1) people with high (vs. low) attentiveness to ordinary beauty see less of a difference in the beauty of elements high and low in aesthetics, 2) find higher product quality in naturally-aesthetic packaging, 3) are less persuaded by the attractiveness of an endorser in an advertisement, and 4) are more likely to buy aesthetically imperfect produce. Adding to existing research, the findings of both papers provide new insights into the impact of incidental aesthetics in consumption settings. Surprisingly, even when aesthetic experiences are not intentionally designed or expected to be found, they can still play a significant role in shaping consumer behavior. These findings have practical implications for marketers, who should consider the incidental aesthetics of their products and contexts to create a more positive experience for consumers, leading to higher product perceptions. Overall, this research suggests that the power of aesthetics in influencing behavior extends beyond what consumers consciously perceive or expect to find.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die term "volkspoesie" is reeds in die agtiende eeu deur Johann Gottfried Herder gebruik. Dit kom steeds in Europese tale soos Nederlands en Dui ts voor en word oak in Afrikaans gebruik. Belangstelling in die genre word in twee verskillende vakgebiede aangetref: die volkskunde en die letterkunde. Volkspoesie is poesie wat deur 'n individu geskep word, maar soveel aanklank vind by die "gewone publiek" dat hulle dit as 11volksbesit 11 aanvaar en mondel ing oordra. Die oorspronklike skepper raak dus vergete, die kunswerk bestaan anoniem voort en variante ontstaan. Volkspoesie het verskeie verskyningsvorme soos die volkslied( jie), die ballade, rympies en raaisels. Eiesoortige kenmerke is: spontaneiteit, eenvoud, die irrasionele. Alhoewel volkspoesie oor "landsgrense11 heen kan swerf, is bepaalde vorme daarvan dikwels streekgebonde. Nieteenstaande sy bevraagtekening van die term in die vyftigerjare het N.P. van Wyk Louw dit ook self gebruik. Sy gedigreeks 11 Klipwerk uit Nuwe verse (1954) het 'n nuwe belangstelling in volkspoesie gewek. Later het hy die reeks bestempel as 'n "soort volkspoesie wat hy doelbewus wou skep: volksversagtige" gedigte, gebind aan die digter se jeugwereld. D.J. Opperman het in sy proefskrif van 1953 ook ender meer 'n belangstelling in volkspoesie geopenbaar en in 1962 gewys op die volkse in moderne Afrikaanse digkuns. Sy laaste digbundel, Kamas uit 'n bamboesstok ( 1979), word as 'n volksboek met volkspoesie-eienskappe aangebied. Die vorm en eienskappe van volkspoesie vind neerslag in beide Van Wyk Louw en Opperman se werk. Aanvanklik skryf Van Wyk Louw heelwat volksversagtige gedigte en later gebruik hy ook volksballade-eienskappe in sy ballades. Ook in Tristia (1962) kom eienskappe van volksliedjies en rympies voor. Opperman verwerk meermale bestaande volksliedjies en -rympies in sy poesie en gebruik dit betekenisverruimend as verwysingsveld. Die twee digters se belangstelling in volkspoesie het gelei tot 'n verdere ontginning van die "volkse" vers in Afrikaans, onder andere deur digters soos Boerneef, Adam Small en Breyten Breytenbach. Volkskundige navorsing deur P.W. Grobbelaar en andere het in die moderne tyd ook die aandag op hierdie onderwerp gevestig. In die tagtigerjare is mondelinge Afrikaanse poesie selfs deur swartmense in hulle politieke stryd gebruik! / The term "folk-poetry" had already been used by Johann Gottfried Herder in the eighteenth century. It has ever since prevailed in European languages such as Dutch and German and is also found in Afrikaans. Interest in this genre occurs in two different fields of study: folklore and literature. "Folk-poetry" is poetry created by the individual and accepted by the "general public" to a large extent. Therefore it is acknowledged as common property and passed on by word of mouth. The original creator is thus forgotten, the work of art prevails anonymously and different versions come into being. "Folkpoetry" appears in a variety of forms: the folk-song( s), the ballad, rhymes and riddles. Particular characteristics are: spontaneousness, simplicity, the irrational. Although "folkpoetry" may cross "national borders", some forms are often regional. Despite his questioning the term in the fifties, N.P. van Wyk Louw used it himself. His poetry series "Klipwerk" from Nuwe verse (1954) gave rise to a new interest in ''folk-poetry". He afterwards labelled the series as "a kind of folk-poetry" which he deliberately wanted to create: "folksy" poems, relating to the world of the poet's youth. In his 1953 thesis D.J. Opperman also showed amongst others an interest in "folk-poetry" and in 1962 pointed out the "folksy" identity in contemporary Afrikaans poetry. His last anthology, Kamas uit 'n bamboesstok (1979), is presented as a folk book with "folk-poetry" characteristics. The form and characteristics of "folk-poetry" are embedded in both Van Wyk Louw's and Opperman's work. Initially Van Wyk Louw wrote quite a number of "folksy" poems and afterwards also used folk-ballad characteristics in the ballads he wrote. Characteristics of folk-songs and rhymes also occur in Tristia (1962). Opperman adapts existing folk-songs and rhymes in his poetry and uses it as framework to broaden the meaning. These two poets' interest in "folk-poetry" resulted in further exploration of the "folksy" verse in Afrikaans, among others by poets like Boerneef, Adam Small and Breyten Breytenbach. Folk research by P.W. Grobbelaar and others focused attention on this subject. In the eighties even blacks used oral Afrikaans poetry in their political struggle! / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / D. Lit. et Phil. (Afrikaans)

Nous entendons, dans ce mémoire, préciser le sens d'actus essendi par l’analyse de l’emploi du terme par Thomas d’Aquin. Bien que la notion d’acte d’être soit sousjacente à nombre de développements philosophiques et théologiques de l’Aquinate, elle n’est considérée pour elle-même dans aucun texte du corpus thomasien. En exposant le cadre théorique des onze unités textuelles dans lesquelles on retrouve nommément l’expression, nous explicitons les distinctions qu’opère Thomas entre l’acte d’être et les notions ontologiques corrélatives (étant, quiddité, être du jugement prédicatif et être commun). Si « actus essendi » désigne en premier lieu un principe constitutif de l’étant, il peut encore désigner le terme abstrait correspondant à cette perfection de l’étant. L’acte d’être est ainsi ce par quoi l’étant est étant; il est cependant, au plan ontologique, propre à chaque étant singulier tandis que, au plan conceptuel, le même terme exprime ce qui est commun à tous les étants. Une traduction des extraits du Scriptum super Sententiis, des Quæstiones de quolibet, de la Summa Theologiæ, des Quæstiones disputatæ De potentia, de l’Expositio libri De hebdomadibus et de la Expositio libri Metaphysicæ a été produite pour les fins de cette étude. / In this paper, we intend to precise the meaning of actus essendi by analyzing how Thomas Aquinas uses this term. If the notion of the act of being underlies a number of Aquinas’ philosophical and theological developments, it is not treated in itself in any of his writings. By exposing the theoretical framework of the eleven textual units in which the expression namely appears, we explicate how he distinguishes between the act of being and the correlative ontological notions (the being, the essence, the predicamental judgment being and common being). If « actus essendi » first designates a constitutive principle of being, it can also designate the corresponding abstract term of this perfection of being. The act of being is that by which being is being; however, it belongs, at the ontological level, to each particular being whereas at the conceptual level, the same term expresses that which is common to all beings. Extracts of the following texts have been translated in French for this purpose: Scriptum super Sententiis, Quæstiones de quolibet, Summa Theologiæ, Quæstiones disputatæ De potentia, Expositio libri De hebdomadibus and the Sententia libri Metaphysicæ.

The diploma thesis introduces critically selected theoretical concepts that try to describe characteristics of children's and youth literature (further: LPDM). It focuses on approx. last thirty years of foreign research in LPDM. Firstly, the attention is paid to theories analyzing LPDM for specific qualities of appropriate texts. Then, the thesis presents theories which primarily describe LPDM on the base of specific context: the context in which the works emerged and are (expertly and non-expertly) received. Finally, the diploma thesis concerns with the potential benefit of presented theories but also with their problematic parts. By that it tries to offer new tools of productive analysis and interpretation of LPDM to Czech discourse of literary science.

My art consists of the repetition of patterns, shapes, numbers, text, and found objects that communicate concepts in language, science, and math as art. My work addresses aesthetic and formal aspects of the art itself and embraces the process and experience of creating. I use repetition of lines and shapes to create a complex mass of infinite amounts of shapes, which create what I regard as a peaceful gathering of energy. These patterns can be freely interpreted as the co-dependency between everything in existence, which contributes to the changing balance of life. Similar to my patterns, my sculptures fuse several layers of found objects to form a larger structure with the intention of creating a new meaning and life of those objects. The wide variety of subject matter in my artwork stems from a continuous and honest investigation into our constantly changing world.

Ce travail porte sur la synthèse et l’évaluation de systèmes pi-conjugués en tant matériaux actifs pour des dispositifs opto(électroniques). Un premier chapitre décrit une série d’oligothiophènes cruciformes et leur évaluation dans des dispositifs électrochromes. Le second chapitre décrit la synthèse d’accepteurs moléculaires à base de benzodithiophène et l’analyse de leur potentialités comme matériaux accepteurs dans des cellules solaires organiques. La plus large part du travail porte sur l’analyse des relations structure-propriétés d’une série de petites molécules push-pull comportant un groupe donneur triphénylamine (TPA) relié à un groupe accepteur par un espaceur thiényl. Une première étape a consisté à remplacer l’un des cycles phényles de la TPA par des groupes aromatiques tels que p-fluorophényle, anthryle et naphtyle. Ces modifications ont peu d’influence sur les propriétés électroniques de la molécule mais induisent de large variations des propriétés de transport de charge et de conversion photovoltaïque des matériaux correspondants. Au cours d’une seconde étape l’un des groupes phényles de la TPA a été remplacé par des chaînes alkyle, perfluoroalkyle et oligo(oxyethylene). Les résultats de diffraction X, spectroscopie d’absorption et de fluorescence, génération de second harmonique et électrochimie démontrent que certaines de ces molécules présentent des propriétés d’émission contrôlées par agrégation tandis que les matériaux correspondants se réorganisent spontanément à l’état solide sous forme d’agrégats H ou J dotés de propriétés de transport de charges et de conversion photovoltaïque fortement améliorées et de propriétés d’absorption, d’émission et de génération de second harmonique mécaniquement modulables. / This work deals with the design, synthesis and evaluation of molecular pi-conjugated systems as active materials for (opto)electronics devices. A short first chapter describes three X-shaped oligothiophenes, thecharacterization of their structure and properties and a first evaluation of their performances in electrochromic devices. The second chapter describes the synthesis of molecular acceptors based on a benzodithiophene and the analysis of their potentialities when combined with molecular donors in organic solar cells.The major part of the work is focused on the analysis of structure-properties relationships of a series of smallpush-pull molecules involving di- or tri-arylamine donorblocks linked to an acceptor group by a thienyl bridge. In a first step, a phenyl ring of triphenylamine (TPA) is replaced by p-fluorophenyl, anthryl and naphtyl groups.Optical and electrochemical results show that substitution has little effect at the molecular level but can markedly affect solid-state properties with in particular an improvement of charge-transport and short-circuit current density of solar cells based on these donor materials.In a second step, a phenyl ring of TPA is replaced by alkyl, perfluoroalkyl and oligo(oxyethylene) chains. Results of X-ray diffraction, absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies, second harmonic generation, and electrochemistry demonstrate that some of these molecules under go aggregation controlled photoluminescence emission wave length while the corresponding materials spontaneous lyre organize in the solid-state to form either H or Jaggregates with enhanced charge mobility, photovoltaic conversion efficiency and mechanically-induced chromism, fluorochromism and NLO-chromism.

This thesis explores ways in which T. S. Eliot, when he wrote his most autobiographical poetic work<em> Four Quartets</em>, might have been influenced by Thoreaus famously autobiographical prose work <em>Walden</em>, written nearly a century earlier<em>.</em> Much evidence suggests that Eliot knew of the earlier writer and his work. Not only did Eliot assign <em>Walden</em> as suggested reading in a course he taught, but as time went on Eliot also admitted that he was influenced by the New England literary tradition. Reading <em>Four Quartets</em> in light of <em>Walden</em> and its context not only helps a reader understand the connections between the two works, it also gives a reader a better understanding of <em>Four Quartets</em>' fundamental meanings. Although Eliot in <em>Four Quartets</em> adds another layer of his spiritual goals beyond those expressed in <em>Walden</em>, he expresses his religio-philosophical quest for Incarnational "still point[s] of the turning world" (<em>Burnt Norton</em> 62) using autobiographical aspects and poetic tropes that are in many ways strikingly similar to the expressions also present in <em>Walden</em>. </p> <p>The chapters of this thesis unfold these concepts. My Introduction highlights some of the key connections. Chapter One sets the stage for the discussion of the Incarnation by explaining how <em>Four Quartets</em>' spiritual round-trip journey from England to America is grounded in real world places and experiences. This chapter also explains how this guardedly autobiographical re-collection of an almost-real journey includes a response to Eliots personal history and to his literary ancestors, including Thoreau<em>.</em> In Chapter Two, I unpack the similarities and differences between many of the religio-philosophical questions asked in the two works, focusing in on Eliots and Thoreau's complex handlings of such themes as simplicity versus complexity, Incarnation, stillness versus activity, and the difficulty of achieving spiritual goals. Finally, these religio-philosophical questions are incarnated in very similar poetic devices and tropes within both works; in Chapter Three, I describe the most important of these. The "still point of the turning world" (Eliot, <em>Burnt Norton</em> 62) and the "mathematical point" (Thoreau, <em>Walden</em> 1.100) are rich metaphors that form the heart of this chapter.</p>

Sustainability is a buzzword covering a variety of fields and subjects. For the purposes of my research sustainability is “the ability to keep going over the long haul. As a value, it refers to giving equal weight in your decisions to the future as well as the present” (Gilman 1). The sustainability movement refers to activists, educators and researchers who are dedicated to finding high quality ways of living in the world that are environmentally benign for all who are now living as well future generations to come (Gilman 1). This research focuses on three women who engage in voluntary simplicity— “simplicity that is voluntary-consciously chosen, deliberate, and intentional- [and] supports a higher quality of life” (Elgin 4). The complexity of the subject of sustainability is why I chose to narrow my focus to such a worldview and because much of my educational background is in Gender and Women’s Studies I specifically focus on women. Feminist ethnographic methods of participant observation are utilized as well as rhetorical analysis. I examine the attentive roles that have afforded these women the ability to form intimate social as well as ecological relations in their community. The observations are recorded in a narrative form and contribute to the growing knowledge base of sustainability as well as resilience studies. The lack of sustainable practices on a large scale in our country affects every citizen who lives here through environmental problems like climate change and peak oil. The narrative form allows the research I have collected to maintain an accessible language which is important in reaching a greater audience beyond that of academia. The narrative shows easy, manageable sustainable choices and changes that can be applied at the micro as well as macro level. These choices and changes are not exhaustive or all inclusive; rather they are suggestions for those who are interested in joining the sustainability movement.

This thesis explores ways in which T. S. Eliot, when he wrote his most autobiographical poetic work<em> Four Quartets</em>, might have been influenced by Thoreaus famously autobiographical prose work <em>Walden</em>, written nearly a century earlier<em>.</em> Much evidence suggests that Eliot knew of the earlier writer and his work. Not only did Eliot assign <em>Walden</em> as suggested reading in a course he taught, but as time went on Eliot also admitted that he was influenced by the New England literary tradition. Reading <em>Four Quartets</em> in light of <em>Walden</em> and its context not only helps a reader understand the connections between the two works, it also gives a reader a better understanding of <em>Four Quartets</em>' fundamental meanings. Although Eliot in <em>Four Quartets</em> adds another layer of his spiritual goals beyond those expressed in <em>Walden</em>, he expresses his religio-philosophical quest for Incarnational "still point[s] of the turning world" (<em>Burnt Norton</em> 62) using autobiographical aspects and poetic tropes that are in many ways strikingly similar to the expressions also present in <em>Walden</em>. </p> <p>The chapters of this thesis unfold these concepts. My Introduction highlights some of the key connections. Chapter One sets the stage for the discussion of the Incarnation by explaining how <em>Four Quartets</em>' spiritual round-trip journey from England to America is grounded in real world places and experiences. This chapter also explains how this guardedly autobiographical re-collection of an almost-real journey includes a response to Eliots personal history and to his literary ancestors, including Thoreau<em>.</em> In Chapter Two, I unpack the similarities and differences between many of the religio-philosophical questions asked in the two works, focusing in on Eliots and Thoreau's complex handlings of such themes as simplicity versus complexity, Incarnation, stillness versus activity, and the difficulty of achieving spiritual goals. Finally, these religio-philosophical questions are incarnated in very similar poetic devices and tropes within both works; in Chapter Three, I describe the most important of these. The "still point of the turning world" (Eliot, <em>Burnt Norton</em> 62) and the "mathematical point" (Thoreau, <em>Walden</em> 1.100) are rich metaphors that form the heart of this chapter.</p>