  We compare two different possibilities to include meson-loop corrections in
the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model: a strict 1/N_c-expansion in next-to-leading order
and a non-perturbative scheme corresponding to a one-meson-loop approximation
to the effective action. Both schemes are consistent with chiral symmetry, in
particular with the Goldstone theorem and the Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner relation.
The numerical part at zero temperature focuses on the pion and the rho-meson
sector. For the latter the meson-loop-corrections are crucial in order to
include the dominant rho -> pipi-decay channel, while the standard Hartree +
RPA approximation only contains unphysical qqbar-decay channels. We find that
m_\pi, f_\pi, <qbar q> and quantities related to the rho-meson self-energy can
be described reasonably with one parameter set in the 1/N_c-expansion scheme,
whereas we did not succeed to obtain such a fit in the non-perturbative scheme.
We also investigate the temperature dependence of the quark condensate. Here we
find consistency with chiral perturbation theory to lowest order. Similarities
and differences of both schemes are discussed.
