Brand image co-creation and individual identity extension in online environments: a Facebook investigation

In this thesis I investigate the extent to which companies can build a more communal environment out of their fan pages while also evaluating the corresponding brand value that may come from having such a communal environment. My research is comprised in three articles: in the first article, I describe how the brand image is created or augmented in the fan page environment, therefore providing demonstrable evidence of value creation. In the second article, I describe how individuals use fan page semiotic elements to communicate their identities. Finally, in the third article, I describe the possible communal characteristics of a fan page and the conditions that enable it to evolve to the virtual brand community concept. As a result, I will contribute to the marketing literature on the use of Facebook for communicating brand identity, on the co-creation of the brand image in social media context, and on the conceptual definition of fan pages as a communal environment.

Illegitimate identity in the middle of an ideological crisis and tensions in the consumption network: a study on why plus-size fashion brands are illegitimate fashion elements

O presente trabalho explora as causas pelas quais o campo da moda plus size carece de legitimidade com as consumidoras plus size. Eu explorei o assunto em três artigos. No primeiro, eu estudo o processo de legitimação de um novo mercado emergente, o mercado da moda plus size brasileira e os desafios para sua a institucionalização. Eu conduzi dezessete entrevistas com consumidoras plus size, uma netnografia em quatro blogs de moda plus size brasileiros e analisei de maneira semiótica um site que vende roupas de moda plus size. Meus resultados indicam que, apesar de ter atores legítimos que promovem essas marcas de moda plus size, o campo da moda plus size ainda é percebido como uma versão vergonhosa do campo da moda. Defendo aqui que o fato de uma das lógicas de campo da moda plus size ser estigma, acaba afetando os projetos identitários das consumidoras de maneira depreciativa, de forma elas não se envolvem em práticas de capital cultural que ocorrem dentro do campo da moda plus size. No segundo artigo, eu conduzi uma introspecção genealógica em que eu pesquisei questões de identidade. Como uma mulher (que se assume ) plus size, eu imaginei que seria relevante para olhar para dentro de mim mesma, a fim de explorar a forma como a minha identidade liga-se com a rede semiótica-material que me rodeia em termos de moda, alimentos e outros elementos. Meus dados vieram tanto de técnicas de introspecção simultâneas, quanto retrospectivas. Em termos teóricos, eu usei a ideia de ―assemblages‖ e eu foquei minha análise tanto nos aspectos materiais da minha rede de consumo, quanto na estabilidade da rede. As consequências da minha assemblage estão ligadas a uma gestão de qualidade total da minha identidade, tanto online como off-line, refletidas em práticas de consumo que se conectam à ideia de uma lógica de consumo bulímica em que o consumo de alimentos e gestão corpo estão interligadas. Por fim, no meu terceiro artigo, eu explorei o conceito de identidade a partir do consumo da moda feminina plus size. Foram feitas catorze entrevistas fenomenológicas, cujos dados foram analisados a partir de uma perspectiva hermenêutica. Três categorias temáticas emergiram da análise de dados: a construção da identidade por meio da moda, elementos de identidade plus size e estratégias criativas para lidar com a falta de produtos para mulheres plus size no varejo. Entre os principais resultados, destacam-se a forma como o termo plus size atua como estigma, influenciando projetos de identidade das consumidoras, o papel do varejo no processo de estigmatização e a saga épica de compras, que envolve um "mercado negro", com a participação de vendedores. Eu concluo discutindo o papel da identidade na instabilidade do campo da moda plus size.

The price of threat: the role of identity-safe marketplaces in predicting intergroup price sensitivity

In field experiments with subjects living either inside or outside Brazilian slums (n=955), we show that consumers living in slums are less price sensitive, in opposition with recent price sensitivity research. Comparing slum and non-slum dwellers, we found that negatively stereotyped consumers (e.g. slum dwellers) were more likely to pay higher amounts for friendlier customer service when facing social identity threats (SITs) in marketplaces such as banks. The mechanism which makes them less price sensitive is related to the perception of how other people evaluate their social groups, and we argue that they pay more because they are seeking identity-safe commercial relationships. This work, besides extending the literature in SITs, presents a perspective for the exchange between economics and psychology on price sensitivity, showing that consumers living in slums are willing to pay more to avoid possibly social identity threating experiences.

Projetos de letramento na educação de jovens e adultos: o ensino da escrita em uma perspectiva emancipatória

This ethnographical research-action is included in the Applied Linguistics area and its study object is related to literacy projects (KLEIMAN, 2000), since they bring a new sense to the literacy practices in school and emphasizes the agentive writing character and the role of the discursive genres in the formation of literacy agents who aim at the action and the social change. Considering the emancipatory potential that these didactic organizations have in the civic literacy of those who live in social risk and vulnerability situations our aim in this investigation is: to reflect about the role of the redefinition of the literacy school practices and investigate how the action of teachers and students as literacy agents occur. The specific aims are: to promote literacy events which encourage the writing practice for the action and social change; to comprehend how the identity construction of the literacy student-agent occurs by the reflection of its agency process in the literacy projects; to identify teaching strategies and procedures which enable the development of emancipatory language practices; to investigate the axiological values constructed by the learners in and about the writing work in literacy projects. Our discussion is based on the language conception supported by Bakhtin (BAKHTIN/VOLOSHINOV, 2000; BAKHTIN, 1990, 2003); in literacy studies (KLEIMAN, 1995; BAYNHAM, 1995; BARTON; HAMILTON; IVANIC, 2000, LAZERE, 2005); on critical studies which defend the idea that the texts are ideological instruments able to give power to the individuals (MCLAREN, 1988, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001; FREIRE, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1992, 1996, 2001a, 2001b, 2009; GIROUX, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2003; APPLE, 1989); on the social genre approach inspired by the New Rhetoric (BAZERMAN, 2005, 2006, 2007; MILLER, 1984, 2009). The data were generated between 2006 and 2010 in the Youth and Adult Education (YAE), in public schools in Natal-RN. The research permitted us to deduce, firstly, that the redefinition of the work with discursive genres provide the learner to read and write to act discursively in the social world, earning, thus, empowerment, autonomy and emancipation; secondly, that involving the students in literacy projects goes beyond didactic competence related to specificities and content domain. It is necessary that the teacher is certain about to whom, what, why and how to teach and that he/she gets a reflexive posture, becoming a learner as well; thirdly, that through the literacy practices which were developed, the collaborators of the research have constructed a more conscious and a more critical view in relation to the language and to the world where they live through the social-political writing and they have improved as interventive and politicized citizens

A coleção mossoroense e a construção dos mitos: Dix-Sept Rosado, o herói imolado

This research comprises a study on the values and ideals attributed to Dix-sept Rosado, by the Coleção Mossoroense journal. Local researchers demonstrate how the Coleção Mossoroense constructs an image of Mossoró, forming in the members of the city an identity with the place, a social cohesion or creating one forms to see and to say about the Mossoró city. The Coleção Mossoroense, through Vingt-un Rosado together with its family, established a form of seeing and identifying of the Mossoró s population with the city, just because it associated and it was, at the same time, a movement at the same time social (civic parties for example), political (the domination of the Rosado s family) and cultural (the books and theatrical parties about the city). The conjunction of the Coleção Mossoroense as and with a social movement, cultural and political was capable to establish a social identity, a subjective constituent . With this background, it was possible to make a study of the image attributed to Dix-sept Rosado, by the Coleção Mossoroense, through an analysis of the inherent discourse in the works by Bakhtin (1989) and Bourdieu (2000), of and on Dix-sept Rosado in the Coleção Mossoroense based on. The image of Dix-sept Rosado was constructed by the Coleção Mossoroense after its death, and the responsible for this was Vingt-un Rosado, which was the chief-editor of the Coleção Mossoroense up to 2006, year of its death. The Coleção Mossoroense built an image of Dix-sept Rosado as an enterprising man, progressive and innovator, of great capacity of leadership and oratory (a conductor of the crowds ), popular and charismatic, an honest and dynamic politician. This image made by the Coleção Mossoroense, although when enhancing in surplus the qualities of Dix-sept Rosado have as objective to transmit an image of a heroic personage, it has some relation with the reality. Dix-sept Rosado was a man identified with its locality. This can resemble a regional nationalism. The attitudes of Dix-sept Rosado must be understood inside of a broader social context, of a time marked by the populist politics. Qualities also appreciated and developed inside of a specific historical context and determined both national and locally. The Coleção Mossoroense enhances the qualities of Dix-sept Rosado so that the current politicians of the Rosado s family can establish a link of continuity in its contemporary political practice

The Jacobi identity for Dirac-like brackets

For redundant second-class constraints the Dirac brackets cannot be defined and new brackets must be introduced. We prove here that the Jacobi identity for the new brackets must hold on the surface of the second-class constraints. In order to illustrate our proof we work out explicitly the cases of a fractional spin particle in 2 + 1 dimensions and the original Brink-Schwarz massless superparticle in D = 10 dimensions in a Lorentz-covariant constraints separation.

O turismo de base local como um possível indutor de desenvolvimento rural: uma análise da realidade e das potencialidades no distrito de dondo-moçambique

The current debate on rural development focuses on the territorial approach, recognizing the multifunctional character of rural areas. Emphasize the use of endogenous forces, the need of implement policies which valorize local specificities, the participation of social actors in revitalization of rural areas. In this context tourism enters as a means to induce a new dynamic to rural areas, since the activity is regarded as a channel for the upgrading of the natural and cultural resources and the rural way of life. This study focuses on local-based tourism as a promoter of rural development, giving an analysis of the social reality and potential for this tourism in the district of Dondo. In it, is proposed to analyze the potential for development of local-based tourism in the district of Dondo, assessing the extent to which local reality enables the inclusion of the community in the management of local tourism resources. For this, was showed the inclusion of local-based tourism in the current context of rural development, was identified and organized systematically the factors that influence the implementation of local-based tourism in the study area and was verified as far as possible the study area corresponds to the constraints identified, showing how local-based tourism can best been encouraged. Was adopted a qualitative methodological approach to both the procedures and data processing, but also by critical approach, using bibliographical research, semi-structured interviews that fell on the group of public administrators who work in tourism and community leaders. The critical analysis was based on the principles of sustainability o Sachs particular ecological, social, cultural, economic, space, beyond the analysis of political and institutional aspects. The survey results show that the district of Dondo has a potential for implementing a model of tourism development on a local basis, since it is rich in natural and cultural research, benefits from good network accessibility in the context of the market in the region, the population live according to their habits and customs and value their identity. There is also a good cooperation between community members, although not in tourism, a fact which is observed through the lever of community participation in associations, cooperatives, working in areas such as agriculture, fishing, environment, civic education etc. It also has public funding sources to augment or stimulate local investment. Despite obstacles such as inexistence of policies and local plans for tourism development, lack of awareness of tourism, lack of basic infrastructure, as well as equipment and facilities to support tourism, the results shows that these problems can be solved through a public commitment from both government, and community through a joint planning and participation

Identity by descent and candidate gene mapping of Richieri-Costa and Pereira syndrome

The Richieri-Costa-Pereira syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by short stature, Robin sequence, cleft mandible, pre/postaxial anomalies and clubfoot. of 15 families reported with this disorder 14 are from Brazil suggesting a founder effect. We studied 15 families using identity-by-descent as a hypothesis to attempt gene localization We have examined through linkage analysis 497 polymorphicmarkers and also performed direct sequencing of exons for 10 candidate genes selected on the basis of their expression in the developing mandible and limb. No evidence for allele sharing at any locus tested or mutations in candidate genes was found. Additional higher resolution mapping, new families and other candidate genes might improve future chances of gene identification. (C) 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

An old taxonomic dilemma: the identity of the western south Atlantic lebranche mullet (Teleostei: Perciformes: Mugilidae)

The identification of the lebranche mullet in the western south Atlantic has long been problematical. In most recent works either Mugil liza Valenciennes and M. platanus Gunther, 1880 or M. liza and M. cephalus Linnaeus, 1758 were recognized from the region and more rarely the occurrence of only one species has been proposed but without sufficient morphological, biochemical or molecular data to allow the designation of the taxonomically appropriate name. Analysis of meristic and morphometric data taken from samples collected from Venezuela to Argentina, clearly indicates that there is only one species of lebranche mullet in the Caribbean Sea region and the Atlantic coast of South America and that Mugil liza is the appropriate name. The comparison of the combined data from all the samples of M. liza with the data taken from one sample of M. cephalus that originated in the Mediterranean, the possible locality from which type specimens were collected (Eschmeyer and Fricke, 2009), revealed significant differences indicating that they are different species. It is also suggested that individuals from the western north Atlantic identified as M. cephalus might represent a population of M. liza in this region.

On the identity of Hyla strigilata Spix, 1824 (Anura : Hylidae): redescription and neotype designation for a ghost taxon

Recent field work in Atlantic Rain Forest patches in the southern region of the State of Bahia, Brazil, resulted in the discovery of some populations of an unidentified species of the Scinax catharinae group. An extensive literature review, along with the examination of specimens and distribution patterns of all known species of this group, showed that Hyla strigilata Spix, 1824, a long confused species with lost type material, is an available name for the specimens from Bahia. In order to clarify the taxonomic problems surrounding this taxon, the nomenclatural history of Hyla strigilata is reviewed and a neotype is designated, described, and figured. The association of this name to extant populations from southern Bahia and its consequent stabilization is considered important since it is the type species of the genus Ololygon, a name available for the clade of Scinax catharinae. Data on habits, habitat, and geographic distribution are also presented.

Losing identity: structural diversity of transposable elements belonging to different classes in the genome of Anopheles gambiae

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Lobe identity in the Mongolian gerbil prostatic complex: A new rodent model for prostate study

Knowledge of structural and physiological differences among the prostatic lobes (PL) is the basis for development of experimental studies in traditional laboratory rodents. Although Mongolian gerbil reproductive organs have been increasingly investigated, its prostate structure is far from being properly known, and investigations of this organ focused on the ventral lobe (VL). Thus, the present study provides a thorough morphological description of prostatic complex in the male adult gerbil on the basis of topographic, histological, and ultrastructural analysis and ductal branching. Like other rodents, four pairs of PL were observed. However, in contrast to the rat and mouse, the VL is the least voluminous component and the dorsolateral lobe (DLL) is the most prominent and spatially isolated from remaining PL. The occurrence of a dorsal lobe (DL), hidden between bladder and insertion of seminal vesicles, has not been mentioned in previous reports with Mongolian gerbil. Collagenase digestion followed by microdissection revealed that, except for DL, which has a tubularacinar organization, all PL exhibit tubular organization and variable ductal branching. Distinct histological and ultrastructural features such as secretory epithelium, aspect of luminal secretion and stromal organization are reported for each PL and are confirmed by morphometric and stereological methods. Histological sections showed at least three intralobar segments in VL and DL. Ultrastructural analysis evidenced that, although luminal epithelial cells of PL share typical features of exocrine secretory cells, there are striking lobe phenotypical variations. Both merocrine and apocrine pathways are observed in variable rates in all PL, with the predominance of the former in the DLL and the latter in the CG. The morphological observations presented herein point to distinct structural identities for each PL, which probably reflects,specific functional compromise of seminal fluid secretion. These data also point to the gerbil as a good model for investigations concerning the regulation of prostate development and homeostasis, mainly with regard to the dorsal and dorsolateral PL.

On the identity of Pterodectes ralliculae Atyeo and Gaud, 1977 (Astigmata: Proctophyllodidae)

The feather mite Pterodectes ralliculae Atyeo and Gaud, 1977 (Proctophyllodidae: Pterodectinae) is the only proctophyllodid known from rallids (Gruiformes, Rallidae). Based on re-examination of the type material, this mite species is redescribed and transferred to the genus Montesauria Oudemans, 1905, Montesauria ralliculae (Atyeo and Gaud, 1977) comb. nov. This redescription brings details of structures missed in the original description: in both sexes, vertical setae ve are present, setae mG on genu II, gT on tibia II and wa on tarsi I and II are present; in males, the rudimentary epimeral sclerites rEpIIa are present and the female is illustrated for the first time. The transfer of P. ralliculae to Montesauria was also supported by the preliminary phylogenetic hypothesis recently proposed for the subfamily Pterodectinae.

Light-front zero-mode contribution to the Ward Identity

In a covariant gauge we implicitly assume that the Green's function propagates information from one point of the space-time to another, so that the Green's function is responsible for the dynamics of the relativistic particle. In the light front form one would naively expect, that this feature would be preserved. In this manner, the fermionic field propagator can be split into a propagating piece and a non-propagating (contact) term. Since the latter (contact) one does not propagate information; and therefore, supposedly can be discarded with no harm to the field dynamics we wanted to know what would be the impact of dropping it off. To do that, we investigated its role in the Ward identity in the light front. Here we use the terminology Ward identity to identify the limiting case of photon's zero momentum transfer in the vertex from the more general Ward-Takahashi identity with nonzero momentum transfer.