Purpose - This study identified internationalization factors forKorean SMEs and explored factor differences between AEO and non-AEO authorized companies. Research design, data, and methodology - The study was designed to assess internationalization factors for AEO authorization in Korea through a questionnaire survey and an empirical analysis. The questionnaires were conducted for AEO and Non-AEO authorized companies that were undergoing AEO authorization. The study was conducted through e-mail and AEO manager education classes. Ninety-five questionnaires were collected. We employed the exploratory factor analysis methodology to derive internationalization factors for KoreanSMEs, and explored the factor differences between AEO and Non-AEO authorized companies. Results - AEO authorized companies outperformed Non-AEO authorized companies in R&D and technology. This indicated that AEO authorized companies were recognized as reliable and safe companies by the Korea Customs Service and other Customs services in trade facilitation and customs clearance processes. Conclusions - This study has some implications for AEO authorization and internationalization processes, and involved the empirical analysis of SMEs and the exploratory factor analysis in the internationalization process.

Purpose - This study reveals antecedent factors to help develop expressway rest areas in which employees were exposed to inferior environments, using Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Theory. Research design, data, and methodology - The survey was conducted on 148 expressway rest area employees in Gyeonggi-do. After excluding questionnaires with invalid responses, 141 questionnaires were analyzed. Results - The sub-factors of job characteristics had a positive influence on the organizational commitment of employees, and organizational commitment had a positive influence on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Further, the results of mediation effects showed that organizational commitment and self-leadership were partially mediated. Finally, the results of the moderation effect of self-leadership showed that self-leadership was thought to be vital to let members endeavor to promote the competitiveness of expressway rest areas. Conclusions - The expressway rest area company needed to design jobs to let employees be self-motivated, productive, positive, responsible, and aspirational; job redesign, including job enrichment and job enlargement can be considerably helpful for affirmative influence.

Purpose - This study aims to explore the effects of social responsibility activities and business ethics practices on corporate trust and loyalty in the context of a large retail distribution business. Research design, data, and methodology - The data collected was analyzed using PASW Statistics 18.0. In order to verify the demographic characteristics, frequency analysis was conducted on the data. Results - The results of the study were as follows. First, social responsibility activities had a significant effect on corporate trust. Second, both corporate social responsibility activities and business ethics practices had significant effects on loyalty. Third, corporate trust had a significant effect on loyalty. Fourth, corporate social responsibility activities and consumer protection activities had a partial mediation effect, while environmental protection activities and social contribution activities had complete mediation effects. Conclusions - This study clarified and explained the factors of corporate social responsibility activities and business ethics practices that customers value, and analyzed the influence of these factors on corporate trust and loyalty.

Purpose - This study reviews changes in the automobile export-import structure between Japan and USA through a trade related index, and focuses on analyzing comparative advantage based on time-series analysis of statistical data (2000, 2005, and 2012) by using the trade intensity index (TII), revealed comparative advantage index (RCA), and trade specialization index (TSI). Research design, data, and methodology - Japan and USA have mutually complementary economic phase characteristics. Therefore, this study aimed to understand each country's trade structure, to strengthen Japan-USA economic cooperation and aimed to examine trade drawbacks to analyze causes affecting trade and ways to improve it to facilitate its expansion. Results - These two economies have immense complementary potential and, further, significantly greater profits are assured from trade between them, as compared to any other integrated regional economic community. Conclusion - Economic cooperation between these two powers can provide opportunities for industry technology cooperation through partnerships against the backdrop of accelerating competition among industries, by identifying opportunities to secure stable resource suppliers and enlarge the export market.

Purpose - This study aims to explore the success of Lotte Mart in the global market, as well as examining the factors related to its entry methods. Research design, data, and methodology - This study analyzed the differences between Lotte Mart and E-mart in terms of their market entry methods, based on references and secondary data. This study is based on qualitative research that analyzes actual cases. Based on the results, this study analyzed and discussed actual cases based on references and secondary data, including newspaper interviews on Lotte Mart. Results - Lotte Mart succeeded in adapting to local markets it did this by ensuring the use of both mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and greenfield methods. In contrast, E-mart utilized only greenfield methods. Conclusions - The findings of this study may not be generalized to all industries, as only Lotte Mart was examined using the case analysis method. Therefore, the successful market entry modes of various companies should be explored in terms of FDI.

Purpose - This study focuses on "large-scale marts," which is a typical discount-based retail channel (hereinafter, DRC), and provides practical managerial implications by applying the KD-SQS service quality factor based on customers' experiential perspective by developing and applying existing service measures. Research design, data, and methodology - The research subjects include adults who have experienced "large-scale marts." The research involved SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 19.0 packages; path analysis is used to analyze structural relationships. Results - First, physical aspects, human interaction, and additional convenience aspects of service quality have statistically significant influence on service value. Second, physical aspects, human interaction, and policy have statistically influence on store loyalty. Third, service value influences store loyalty. Fourth, service guarantee adjusts the relationship between service quality, service value, and store loyalty in terms of human interaction and policy. Conclusion - Among service quality measures, improving service value through personal service needs to be prioritized, while we need to develop different methods for the service guarantee system to effectively influence service value and store loyalty.

Purpose - This study analyzes topics discussed in the International Journal of Consumer Studies through a content analysis, to reveal the impact of cross-cultural management in consumer research. Research Design, Data, and Methodology - The International Journal of Consumer Studies has the highest impact factor among international consumer journals, and was chosen for research. This study investigated 712 articles, covering a ten-year period. Results - A total of 82 articles were found to be related to cross-cultural management, out of 712 articles. This shows a need for improvement in the area of cross-cultural management, and implies that the discipline of cross-cultural management will continue to have a significant impact on consumer studies. Conclusions - While content analyses have been conducted in the area of consumer research in the past, a comparative content analysis in the International Journal of Consumer Studies is unprecedented. This study offers insights on the comparative analysis of general articles and articles related to cross-cultural management, which will be useful reference points for future global markets and fields in distribution and consumer research.

Purpose - Based on the existing retail policy literature, this study aims to compare Korea with foreign countries, to propose better ideas for the Korean retail market. Research design, data, and methodology - It is necessary to analyze the existing retail regulations after categorizing them into several groups, depending on why governments have regulated retailers and the background for the retail policy. Results - Given that Korean retail regulations have focused on protecting conventional markets, comparing the retail policy objectives of South Korea and foreign countries is difficult. Conclusions - It is necessary examine how to protect independent stores, irrespective of store locations across the country. Rather than limiting the distance between traditional markets and the projected locations suggested by large retailers, various factors such as store size limit, opening and closing times, below-cost selling, land use planning, and competition tests are needed to protect small stores. Further, centralized authority for store operations should be delegated to local governments, to tackle the aggressive expansion of retail giants. To protect independent stores, political background is among the most important factors.

Purpose - This study aims to show that consignments can enable supply chain collaboration, based on the review of selected studies, and aims to investigate its potential to be a better collaboration program, through an analytical comparison with other collaboration initiatives. Research design, data, and methodology - This study uses a literature review on selected studies that researched consignments. In addition, based on the proposed framework, the current consignment process and other well-known collaboration programs are analyzed in terms of three key collaboration aspects. Results - Most studies employ simple research in terms of their purpose and methodology. An analysis with the proposed framework indicates the potential of consignments to foster supply chain collaboration. Conclusions - Based on the literature review, this study suggests that future research needs to aim for diverse research goals and conduct sophisticated research on consignments. An analysis with the proposed framework shows that consignments would be more effective for supply chain collaboration if active information sharing and joint decision-making are implemented.

Purpose - This study attempts to examine the new concept of mobile internet users' lifestyles through empirical analyses based on the i-VALS concept study that had classified the VALS program, among others, aiming at internet users. Research design, data, and methodology - A total of 300 questionnaire copies were distributed, of which 273 were collected; only 244 were used for the empirical study after excluding some inappropriate or unusable ones. To analyze the data collected, the SPSS/WIN 19.0 statistical package was used, and the lifestyles of mobile internet users were reclassified after analyzing the reliability and validity of the responses. Results - The study involved the empirical analyses of the new concept of the mobile internet users' lifestyles based on the i-VALS concept study, of which the subjects were internet users. Conclusion - It is possible to provide enterprises with more systematic and objective fundamental data based on the characteristics of mobile internet users' lifestyles, to help enterprises with their establishment of market segmentation strategies for promoting mobile shopping in the future.