This study focuses on the importance of clothing brands on the purchasing decisions of Generation Y individuals. The research concentrates specifically on university students aged between 17 to 26 years, located in the Vaal Triangle Area. This study aims to determine if this group of Generation Y members are brand conscious in their choices of clothing brands and what influences or motivates them to buy clothing brands. The findings suggest that Generation Y students are brand conscious, in that the right choice of clothing helps them create an image and identity for themselves. Peer and family influences play a crucial role in their choice of brands as it aids in their socialisation process. In addition, advertising is an important variable in communicating brand values and establishing an image for the brand. Celebrities also have an impact on branded clothing as they promote certain attributes such as image, quality and status. However, the results of this study are limited given that the study was only conducted amongst students in the Vaal Triangle area. Furthermore, the research does not follow the individuals over time to see how their brand choices might have changed. In order to maintain Generation Y students’ loyalty, it is recommended that brand managers focus on building an emotional attachment to make their brands special and bring a lasting competitive advantage. In addition, advertising should be used not only to create awareness but also to influence brand image and preference. Generation Y individuals establish their brand preferences at an early age especially during their years of study and, therefore, targeting this consumer group may be rewarding because with careful promotions, marketers can create a group of brand loyal customers for the future. / MCom (Business Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Cette recherche analyse des productions orales en français d’apprenants malaisiens. L’objectif est de proposer une meilleure approche à l’enseignement du passé en cours de français en Malaisie. Pour ce faire, nous analysons l’importance de l’influence translinguistique sur l’apprentissage du passé en français langue étrangère. La base de données est constituée de deux corpus : d’une part des apprenants malaisiens apprenant le français en Malaisie et d’autre part des apprenants anglais. En comparant les deux corpus, nous souhaitons déceler le degré de l’influence translinguistique sur les deux types de population. Nous analysons leurs productions verbales et plus particulièrement l’expression du passé (passé composé / imparfait) et les traces d’influences translinguistiques qui pourraient provenir des langues connues (soit anglais, malais, mandarin pour les malaisiens, soit anglais pour les apprenants anglais) à travers les modalités d’expression du temps et de l’aspect. La comparaison des données, à la lumière de l’analyse des langues connues par les apprenants, montre que statistiquement les apprenants malaisiens sont plus enclins à élider le verbe et à utiliser des formes verbales neutres que les apprenants anglais. L’analyse des deux corpus montre également que les apprenants malaisiens produisent plus d’occurrences verbales non-conformes dues à une confusion entre les différents tiroirs verbaux français que les apprenants anglais dont les occurrences non-conformes découlent en majorité d’une non-conformité morphologique ou grammaticale. Si certaines différences ont en effet été notées, des similarités se dégagent des deux corpus et contribuent à dégager certaines hypothèses concernant l’acquisition du français langue seconde : d’une part, l’ellipse verbale concerne principalement des verbes d’état et d’autre part, l’aspect lexical du verbe influence le choix de l’aspect grammatical. / This study analyses oral productions in French of Malaysian beginner learners. The objective is to offer an improved approach to the teaching of past tenses in French language classes. In order to do so, we analyse the importance of translinguistic influence in past tense learning in French as a second language. The data are made of two corpora : on the first hand, 17 Malaysian learners in Year 10 preparing their IGCSE oral exam which represent 6 hours of recording and on the second hand, 4 English learners preparing their IGCSE oral exam which represent 45 minutes of recording. The Malaysian learners study French in Penang, Malaysia at the Prince of Wales Island International School. The comparison of both corpora leads to underlining the translinguistic influence on each type of population. We pay special attention to oral production and especially the expression of the past (passé compose / imparfait) and traces of translinguistic influence that could derive from the learners’ known languages (English, Mandarin and Malay for the Malaysian corpus and English for the English corpus). The study will also present the expression of time and aspect in each relevant language. The comparison of data, viewed from the known languages perspective, shows that statistically Malaysian learners are more prone to omitting the verb and to using neutral verbal forms than the English learners. The analysis of both corpora also confirms that Malaysian learners produce more non-conform occurrences due to a confusion between different French tenses than the English learners whose non-conform occurrences are mostly due to grammatical or morphological non-conformity. If indeed, major differences were found, certain similarities stick out and allow us to highlight French second language learning hypotheses. Firstly, French second language learners seem to omit state verbs mostly when omitting verbs and secondly, the close link between lexical and grammatical aspect for the learners.

Influence diagrams (ID) are graphical frameworks for decision making in stochastic situations with mathematical models embedded in them. The goal of an optimal algorithm for an ID is to find a strategy that would maximize the expected utility. We will explain a few algorithms for influence diagrams in this thesis. There exists an obvious temporal ordering among decisions in an ID; and any information used in the past will always be available in the future: these two properties are respectively called the “regularity” and “noforgetting” assumptions. A limited memory influence diagram (LIMID) does not follow these two properties. The existing state-of-art depthirst-branch-and-bound (DFBnB) algorithm for solving influence diagrams does not scale very well due to the exponential increase of nodes proportional to the depth of the search (or total stages in the ID). In this paper, we propose and implement an algorithm that combines two widely used methods, depth first branch-andbound search (DFBnB) and value iteration with incremental pruning, for solving IDs and POMDPs, respectively. We describe an algorithm to convert the strategy tree to a strategy graph. Experiments show the effectiveness of these approaches. Algorithms for solving traditional influence diagrams are not easily generalized to solve LIMIDs, however, and only recently have exact algorithms for solving LIMIDs been developed. In this thesis, we provide an exact algorithm for solving LIMIDs that is based on branch-and-bound search. Our approach is related to the approach of solving an influence diagram by converting it to an equivalent decision tree, with the difference that the LIMID is converted to a much smaller decision graph that can be searched more efficiently.

In the current climate in which it seems like popular media determines normality, it is not surprising to find that reality television, especially programs geared towards elective cosmetic surgery, are correlated with the decision making processes associated with actually pursuing cosmetic surgery. Research suggests that attitudes towards cosmetic surgery have changed dramatically due to the public's exposure to reality makeover shows; these shows have increased the popularity of such procedures and have highlighted and implied that cosmetic surgery is associated with little pain and risk. In this study, I sought to determine if attitudes toward cosmetic surgery vary as a function of ethnicity and gender, as well as examine the influence of the media on openness to pursuing cosmetic surgery. Examining how others view those who pursue elective cosmetic surgery and the variables associated with those who obtain cosmetic surgery will shed light on the processes associated with the decision to pursue the procedures.

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This dissertation developed a comprehensive model conceptualizing the factors affecting children's choice of influence strategy and relative influence in family consumption decisions. In particular, the model asserted that antecedent variables (i.e., family variables, individual characteristics of children, individual characteristics of parents, and parent-child interdependence) affect both directly and indirectly children's choice of influence strategy and relative influence. Process variables (i.e., family socialization and power structure) mediate the effects of the antecedent variables. In addition, effects of family socialization and power structure on children's choice of influence strategy and subsequent relative influence vary with the product type, decision stage, and subdecision. Finally, children's relative influence is also dependent on their choice of influence strategy. An empirical study was advanced to partially test the model. Specifically, relationships among family socialization, power structure, children's choice of influence strategy, and their relative influence were empirically examined. A field experimental interaction procedure was designed for data collection from parent/child dyads. Multiple regressions were conducted to analyze the data. Results showed moderate support to the hypothesized relationships. However, most links in the testing model presented significant results. It appears that the integration of consumer socialization theory and power relational theory provides better explanation to children's influence behavior than either theory does individually. / Ph. D.

This treatise examines the auditory culture of the political campaign through the theoretical hubs of magic, affect and noise. It examines the ways in which sound is used in campaigns and how those sounds affect listeners who are participating. The data for this project was collected though ethnographic work with various Democratic organizations in Austin, TX from 2006-2008. / text

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