Co-branding and brand loyalty: higher education institutions perspective

There are various strategies for creating brands. One of the branding strategies, i.e. the strategy of creating a brand in the minds of consumers, is the brand alliance, or co-branding. Co-branding is a kind of marketing agreement established to combine several brands. The aim of the article is to present the issue of co-branding and to determine the relationship between loyalty to the brand and the strategy of co-branding on the example of universities. The article is based on the analysis of the subject literature and presents the results of the authors’ original study.There are various strategies for creating brands. One of the branding strategies, i.e. the strategy of creating a brand in the minds of consumers, is the brand alliance, or co-branding. Co-branding is a kind of marketing agreement established to combine several brands. The aim of the article is to present the issue of co-branding and to determine the relationship between loyalty to the brand and the strategy of co-branding on the example of universities. The article is based on the analysis of the subject literature and presents the results of the authors’ original study

Symphytocarpus trechisporus (Myxogastrea) in Poland

Symphytocarpus trechisporus (Berk. ex Torrend) Nann.-Bremek. is rare in Poland, known previously from only one locality. Sixty years after the original report, this paper presents two new localities of it in separate regions of Poland. Although S. trechisporus is recorded mostly on Sphagnum sp., the taxon does not seem to be attached to a specific substrate; rather it is associated with acidic habitats

Contribution to knowledge of the mycobiota of "Bory Tucholskie" National Park (Northwestern Poland) : macromycetes of Central European lichen Scots pine forests of the Cladonio-Pinetum Juraszek 1927 type

This paper presents the results of mycological observations of the Cladonio- Pinetum community in the “Bory Tucholskie” National Park in 2018. Active protection treatments have been performed to protect disappearing communities. This study was conducted using the permanent circular plot method, with each plot having an area of approximately 100 m2. Observations were also carried out using the route method outside the plots. Consequently, 71 fungal taxa were found. Among the identified species of macromycetes are Boletopsis grisea, which is on the list of protected fungi, and seven species (Boletopsis grisea, Cortinarius armeniacus, Dacrymyces capitatus, Deconica montana, Entoloma rhodocalix, Tricholoma equestre, and Tricholoma colossus) that are on the red list of macrofungi in Poland

Macromycetes of Central European lichen Scots pine forests of the Cladonio-Pinetum Juraszek 1927 type in the “Bory Tucholskie” National Park (NW Poland)

Between 2014 and 2016, research was carried out in the “Bory Tucholskie” National Park, with the aim to investigate the diversity of species of macrofungi in Cladonio-Pinetum. The studies recorded 140 taxa of macromycetes, of which the majority was basidiomycete (136). The highest number of taxa of fungi (98) was found in 2016, while the lowest (76) was found in the first year of the study (2014). A total of 90 taxa were found in 2015. Among the identified species of macromycetes, Inonotus obliquus is on the list of protected fungi covered by partial legal protection and 23 reported species are on the “Red list of the macrofungi in Poland”, which is concerned with the protection of the habitat of Cladonio-Pinetum

Diverse Stomatal Behaviors Mediating Photosynthetic Acclimation to Low Temperatures in Hordeum vulgare

Photosynthetic acclimation to cold conditions is an important factor influencing freezing tolerance of plants. Photosynthetic enzyme activities increase as part of a photochemical mechanism underlying photosynthetic acclimation to low temperatures. Additionally, a non-photochemical mechanism may be activated to minimize photooxidative damage. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that differences in stomatal conductance in Hordeum vulgare plants with contrasting freezing tolerances induce various strategies for photosynthetic acclimation to cold stress. Different stomatal behaviors during the prehardening step resulted in diverse plant reactions to low-temperature stress. Plants with a relatively low freezing tolerance exhibited decreased stomatal conductance, resulting in decreased photochemical activity, faster induction of the non-photochemical mechanism, and downregulated expression of two Rubisco activase (RcaA) splicing variants. In contrast, plants with a relatively high freezing tolerance that underwent a prehardening step maintained the stomatal conductance at control level and exhibited delayed photochemical activity and RcaA expression decrease, and increased Rubisco activity, which increased net photosynthetic rate. Thus, in barley, the induction of photoinhibition avoidance (i.e., non-photochemical photoacclimation mechanism) is insufficient for an effective cold acclimation. An increase in cold-induced net photosynthetic rate due to open stomata is also necessary

Stress and Anxiety Levels in Pregnant and Post-Partum Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of this study was to analyze stress and anxiety levels experienced by pregnant and post-partum women during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to indicate the social and medical factors that could contribute to stress and anxiety. A total of 210 patients were enrolled in the study. Two well-established test-tools were applied: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The study revealed that the levels of stress and anxiety experienced by the surveyed patients were moderate to high. We demonstrated that women with mental treatment history, those in the first trimester of pregnancy and the ones that are single or in an informal relationship tend to experience higher levels of psychological distress and anxiety. Such factors as age, education, parity, eventful obstetric history, comorbidities, and the number of hospital stays proved to be statistically insignificant in the analysis. Our findings could be used to identify patients at greater risk of experiencing adverse mental effects and to provide them with adequate psychological support. Further multi-center studies are warranted in order to draw final conclusions

Preliminary investigations into the slime moulds (Myxogastria) in the “Bory Tucholskie” National Park

Field investigations into slime moulds were conducted in the “Bory Tucholskie” National Park in 2014. These were preliminary inventory studies, as research into myxogastria had not been conducted previously in this area. A total of 34 taxa (32 species, 2 varieties) belonging to 16 genera were identified. Of them, Stemonitopsis amoena (Nann.-Bremek.) Nann.-Bremek. is a species new to the biota of Poland. The taxon Symphytocarpus flaccidus is on the red list of slime mould rare in Poland. Localities of two species – Cribraria languescens Rex and C. pertenuis Flatau & Schirmer, were recorded in Poland for the second time

Zarządzanie różnorodnością w polskich przedsiębiorstwach– przegląd badań

Cel: Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie stanu oraz możliwych przyszłych kierunków badań nad zarządzaniem różnorodnością w polskich przedsiębiorstwach. Metodyka badań: Autorka wykorzystała analizę danych zastanych. Wnioski: Autorka wykazuje, że choć tematyka zarządzania różnorodnością jest ważna dla badaczy i wciąż aktualna występują także wyraźne luki badawcze. Pewne obszary (np. zarządzanie grupami zróżnicowanymi pod względem wieku czy płci) są preferowane, inne zaś wydają się być zaniedbywane (np. zarządzanie osobami o odmiennej orientacji seksualnej). Badacze mają wyraźną skłonność do wybierania określonej grupy i metodyki badawczej. Wartość artykułu: Autorka dokonała przeglądu istniejących badań nad zarządzaniem różnorodnością w polskich przedsiębiorstwach oraz przedstawiła stan i kierunki możliwych dalszych badań. Artykuł może stać się inspiracją do podjęcia dalszych, pogłębionych badań nad różnorodnością więcej badań w tym obszarze może przynieść ciekawe wyniki z punktu widzenia koncepcji diversity. Uwzględnienie kierunków proponowanych przez autorkę może przyczynić się do wzbogacenia teorii zarządzania różnorodnością, a także dostarczyć praktycznych rekomendacji dla zarządów firm.Aim: The aim of the paper is to present the state and possible future directions of the research on diversity management in Polish firms.Design / Research methods: The author selected 20 state-of-the-art articles in the field of diversity management in Polish firms. Analysis of these articles allowed for identifying a starting point as well as possible directions for future research in this field.Conclusions / findings: The author argues that even though scholars find the issue of diversity management important and still valid, there also exist clear gaps in the research. Some areas (e.g. management of groups diverse in terms of age or gender) are preferred, while others appear to be neglected (e.g. management of people of a different sexual orientation). Scholars clearly tend to choose a specific group and research methodology.Originality / value of the article: The author conducted a review of existing studies on diversity management in Polish companies, and presented the state and directions of possible further research. The paper could inspire others to start further and more in-depth studies on diversity; a greater number of explorations in this area may yield interesting findings from the point of view of the diversity concept. Taking into account the directions proposed by the author may contribute to enriching the theory of management diversity, as well as provide practical recommendations for business managers