Introduction

Welcome to MER 478: Integrated Merchandising Channels blog. My name is Gallayanee Yaoyuneyong. My students call me “Dr. Y". While I was born and grew up in Bangkok, Thailand, I eventually came to the U.S. to further my education. I received a Master’s in Merchandising from Eastern Michigan University, a Master's in Instructional Technology from The University of Southern Mississippi, and a Ph.D. in Product Development from Florida State University. I currently teach Merchandising in the College of Business at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). So far I have worked at USM for 7 years.

Even though I have earned a Ph.D. and now work as a scholar, I still try to further my education. I believe that learning is a part of life. When you stop learning, your life is finished. Therefore, every day for me is a brand new learning day. Furthermore, as an educator, I am interested in equipping my students, not only with skills and knowledge related to merchandising, but also with the competencies necessary for success in any field. In this way, I hope to help my students gain a competitive edge for their futures. This is one of the reasons I teach this class (Integrated Merchandising Channels). 

Currently, I pursue another Master's in Public Relation (PR). It is my hope that I can apply what I have learned from PR to push boundary in Merchandising area both teaching and research. When I have free time, I usually eat, sleep, cook, watch movies, knit, crochet, and play games. My favorite games are Set, Pit, Settlers of Catan, Yahtzee, Tickets to Ride, Pandemic and many more. I don’t like playing computer game much (except for Plants vs Zombies, Kingdom Rush, Catan, and Sudoku on my iPad). Recently, I have become interested in gardening. I like to grow edible plants more than pretty plants. It is my hope that one day I will transform from an amateur to an expert gardener so I can have a lot of food to eat.

Ok, let go back to the class. The purpose of this blog has two folds: 1) to express my opinion and thought toward each chapter of the text book and 2) to provide prompt questions for students to response in their blog. While the journal of this class is not long, I expect it to be a fun one. I hope that my students will not only enjoy the class, but they also learn and will be able to apply concept to their personal and professional world.