Control of Embryonic Gene Expression and Epigenetics

Preimplantation embryo development follows a series of critical events. Remarkable epigenetic modifications and reprogramming of gene expression occur to activate the embryonic genome. In the early stages of preimplantation embryo development, maternal mRNAs direct embryonic development. Throughout early embryonic development, a differential methylation pattern is maintained although some show stage‐specific changes. Recent studies have shown that differential demethylation process results in differential parental gene expression in the early developing embryos that may have an impact on the correct development. In the recent years, noncoding RNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) and short of mRNAs and therefore their role in preimplantation development has gained significance

Chromosomal Abnormalities in Preimplantation Embryos and Detection Strategies in PGD and PGS

Structural and numerical chromosomal abnormalities are common in early developing embryos, and these abnormalities may cause spontaneous abortions and implantation failure. The reproductive risk of carriers with structural chromosomal abnormalities depends on the breakpoint positions, the segregation patterns and the sex of the carrier. These carriers have a lower chance of producing normal or balanced gametes due to abnormal segregation of chromosomes at meiosis leading to repeated spontaneous abortions and infertility. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is offered to couples who have already been diagnosed with a single gene disorder or a chromosome imbalance to select an embryo free from the mutation or an embryo with a balanced karyotype prior to implantation and pregnancy. PGS is applied to patients experiencing repeated implantation failures or spontaneous abortions with normal karyotypes. Translocations are the most common type of structural chromosome rearrangement. Both reciprocal and Robertsonian translocations are phenotypically normal. PGD for translocations was initially performed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) at cleavage stage embryos. However, with the recent developments, many centers have opted for the use of array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays and next generation sequencing (NGS)

Importance-Performance Gap Analysis of the University Brand Equity Dimensions

This study examines the gaps between the importance students place on brand equity dimensions and their perceptions of how well their university performs on each dimension. It also assesses if the brand equity dimensions differ based on student demographics including gender, class level, and their living arrangement. Data were collected from a university in the Midwestern U.S. from undergraduate students. The findings reveal significant gaps between the importance and performance perceptions of students, and that females, students living on campus, and freshman require specia

Examining the Relationships Between Branding Factors and Likelihood of Recommending: Determinants of Net Promoter Score

The study identifies the branding factors related to Net Promoter Score (NPS) that would predict the likelihood of recommending the two strategic business units of the company--convenience store and fuel. It investigates customer perceptions of branding factors of a convenience store/fuel station corporate chain and the relationships among them. The data were collected from the members of the company’s loyalty program. The results reveal that the company has been performing well in branding factors, where the loyalty program is perceived the highest, followed by friendly employees, likelihood to recommend fuel, satisfaction with fuel, and helpful employees. The correlation and regression analyses show that repeat purchase, satisfaction, mindshare, emotional bond are significant predictors of recommending the convenience store and fuel station. The purchase frequency is positively related to NPS. Based on the findings, the study offers effective strategies for building a strong brand

Understanding Student Perceptions of their Personal Branding in Higher Education

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Examining the Use of Social Media in Building a Student Personal Brand and the Impact of Demographics

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Examining the Use of Social Media in Building a Student Personal Brand and the Impact of Demographics

Personal branding has recently gained interest as employer requirements and recruitment practices have been transformed with advancements in technology. Social media platforms have made personal branding efforts both easy and challenging. Prior research pointed out that college students and graduates entering the job market need to understand the importance of current technology tools and utilize them in building their personal brand and searching for jobs. However, empirical research on the topic is very limited. To respond to this void, this study examines students’ perceptions of their efforts for building their personal brands using social media. Data were collected using an online survey at two universities in the U.S. The findings reveal that students’ perceptions of their efforts in building their personal brands differ by their use of social media platforms and demographics. Practical implications are discussed

Investigating Consumer Perceptions of Purchase Shares for Private-Label Brands and Demographics: A Study of the Great Value Brand

Over the past several decades, private-label brands have emerged to have a strong presence on retailer shelves around the world, being especially prevalent in Europe (Queck 2009) and also becoming increasingly common in the United States (Gerlock 2013). For both retailers and consumers, the reasons behind the success of private-label brands are quite compelling. For retailers, private-label brands offer better margins than national manufacturer brands, greater negotiating power with manufacturer brands, and higher customer loyalty for the retailer (Ailawadi, Pauwels, & Steenkamp 2008). For consumers, these brands offer high quality at very competitive pricing relative to national manufacturer brands. The value benefit became more apparent with the recent economic downturn and recession, and as a consequence, consumers increased purchases of private-label brands (U.S. Grocery Shoppers 2012). Interestingly enough, consumers are continuing to purchase private-label brands even as the economy has begun to recover (U.S. Grocery Shoppers 2012). Given the importance of the topic, it is imperative to understand how various consumer demographic characteristics may influence the preference and purchase proneness of private-label brands. While a few findings from prior research provide insight, questions still exist about the nature of private-label brand shoppers and the impact of their demographic characteristics on private-label proneness and purchase behaviors. The main goal of this study is to examine the proportion or percent of consumers’ grocery and household spending captured by private-label brands and to determine if this purchase behavior is impacted by consumer demographics. It is expected that consumers who purchase more private-label brands would have more favorable perceptions of quality and value, and be more likely to exhibit higher levels of loyalty for the private-label brands. Therefore, the study examines: (1) the proportion or percent (purchase share) of consumers’ monthly purchases for (a) private-label brands and (b) the Great Value brand of products offered by Wal-Mart; (2) if consumer demographic characteristics influence the purchase shares of (a) the Great Value brand of products and (b) private-label brands in general; and (3) if consumer perceptions of risk, quality, and value, and degree of loyalty differ by their purchase behavior (share) of the Great Value brand, as measured by the proportion of their spending for the Great Value brand. In order to accomplish the objectives of this study, the survey questions used deal with (a) consumers’ purchase shares of private-label brands in general and Great Value branded products in particular, (b) consumer demographic characteristics, and (c) consumers’ perceptions of the Great Value brand in relation to risk, quality, and value, and degree of loyalty. The survey also included demographics questions of gender, age, income, family size, and education. Once the survey questions were developed, we conducted a series of pretests in order to fine-tune and purify them, which provided useful input for improving the survey items and in establishing face validity of the constructs. The finalized survey instrument was administered online to potential Wal-Mart shoppers and purchasers of Great Value products in the U.S. market. Following the procedure used by Bitner, Booms, and Tetreault (1990), an email invitation was sent by undergraduate students to a convenience sample of purchasers of Great Value products. We obtained a total of 367 usable surveys. The results show that 91.6% of the 367 respondents shop at Walmart, and that 82.0% (278) of these individuals are purchasers of the Great Value brand. This finding indicates that private-label brands are becoming an important share of consumers’ grocery and household goods purchases, but it seems the Great Value brand is not doing as well as the private-label brand category overall. The other findings are that: (1) the respondents are regular shoppers of the Great Value brand and also regularly purchase private-label brands at retailers other than Wal-Mart, indicating that private-label brands are becoming an important share of consumers’ grocery and household goods purchases; (2) the consumer demographics of gender, age, family size, education and income did not have any significant effect on consumer purchase behavior for either Great Value or private-label brands in general; (3) consumer perceptions of quality, value, and risk, and degree of loyalty are impacted significantly by consumers’ purchase behavior of the Great Value brand, as measured by Great Value brand share of consumers’ monthly grocery and household good purchases. The findings have important implications for Wal-Mart’s management of the Great Value brand, as well as for the management of other private-label brands

Examining Private-Label Brand Equity Dimensions: Do Brand Equity Dimensions Differ for Different PLBs of the Same Store?

Private-label brands (PLB) today are a well-established facet in many product categories worldwide, and as such have increasingly captured the attention of researchers. Even so, the consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) of PLBs (PL-CBBE) has remained largely unexplored (Cuneo et al 2012). To help fll this void, this study examines the CBBE and its underlying dimensions of two different product category PLBs (Great Value, Equate) of the same retailer (Wal-Mart)

Perceptions of Service Profession-Status Stereotyping: Comparisons of Turkish and American Millennials

Employment opportunities in the service industry have created jobs for both genders and raises the question about how these jobs are influenced and evaluated regarding occupational stereotyping based on prestige and gender (Gottfredson, 1981). For example, Oswald (2003) found that high prestige male occupations were rated significantly higher than high prestige female occupations. Likewise, low prestige male occupations were rated significantly higher than low prestige female occupations, which is indicative of occupational status stereotyping. A relatively small number of studies have been carried out after new service occupations were created from advancements in technology and demographic changes (Belt et al., 2002). Moreover, occupational stereotypes are considered dynamic and malleable since they emerge from role-bound activities (Diekman and Eagly, 2000). These trends and changes in the service sector may have impacted the perception of occupational status stereotyping. Therefore, more research is needed. A study by Pinar, Wilder, Filipek, and Karaatli (2016) showed that millennials perceived some services as low status and others as high status, which provided some evidence of service occupation status stereotyping. Given that millennials will comprise nearly 75% percent of the workforce by 2025 (Bentley University, 2013), their perceptions of service status stereotypes could have important implications for businesses regarding employment and service quality. Lipton, O’Connor, Terry, and Bellamy (1991) defined occupational stereotyping as a preconceived attitude about an occupation, about people who were employed in that occupation, and about one’s own suitability for that occupation. Prior studies have provided support for the existence of stereotypes for different jobs (e.g., McLean and Kalin, 1994; Moloto et al., 2014; Oswald, 2003) and showed that some traits were deemed more suitable than for others (Arkkelin and O’Connor, 1992). In addition, McLean and Kalin (1994) offered support for the existence of occupational stereotypes, such that these stereotypes were similarly shared among men and women. Other studies have also confirmed the existence of occupational stereotyping based on prestige and gender associated with certain types of service occupations (Glick, Wilk and Perrault, 1995; Etaugh and Hoehn, 1995; Kulik, 1998; Pinar, Schiffel, Strasser, and Stück, 2013). This study intends to examine millennials’ perceptions of service occupation status stereotyping in Turkey and the United States. The underlying reason is that young consumers perceptions may be different from those of previous generations. The specific research objectives were to: a) Investigate whether service profession status stereotyping existed among millennials, b) Determine whether significant differences existed in millennials’ perceptions of status stereotyping by gender within each country, c) Investigate whether service status stereotyping among millennials significantly differed by gender and across cultures. In order to accomplish the research objectives, a survey instrument was designed to include a list of common service occupations in the US and Turkey. The survey included seventeen occupations. Pretesting of the survey provided useful input that confirmed status classifications and improved the wording and understanding of survey questions. This activity helped to establish the face validity of the constructs (Churchill and Iacobucci, 2005). Demographic questions were also included. The final survey was administered using convenience sampling, which produced 462 usable surveys, of which 44% (203) were from the U.S. and 56% (259) were from Turkey. About 52% of the respondents were female and 48% were male. The average age of respondents was 22. The results of this study provided insights about service occupational stereotyping among millennials in Turkey and the US. Specifically, the study showed the existence of service profession status stereotypes. The findings indicated service profession status stereotypes exist were consistent with prior research (e.g., Belt et al., 2002; Corxton et al., 1989; Glick, 1995; Moloto et al., 2014; Oswald, 2003; Pinar et al., 2016, 2013). These results were somewhat surprising because millennials are known to be the most diverse and inclusive generation (Dakus, 2013; Smith and Turner, 2015). Companies may use these findings to attract the right employees, especially for low status professions. However, the results and conclusions must be put in the context of the limitations of the study and directions for future research