• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.209-237
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• 2012

1. Research Purpose Consumers rely on various clues to evaluate their decision to patronize a retail store, and store brand is one of them (Dodds 1991; Grewal et al. 1998). As consumers find ever increasing variety of contact points connecting them to specific store, the value of experiential shopping as a means of increasing store's brand equity warrants greater attention from scholars of retail management. Retail shopping values are credited for creating not only cognitive experiences like brand knowledge but also emotional experiences such as shopping pleasure and pride (Schmitt 1999). This may be because today's consumers place emphasis on emotional values associated with shopping pleasure, lifestyle brought to life, brand relationship, and store atmosphere more than utilitarian values such as product quality and price. Many previous literature found this to be true (Ahn and Lee 2011; Mathwick et al. 2001). This brings forth important research issues and questions regarding the roles of shopping experiential values and brand equity with regard to consumer's retail patronage choice. However, despite this importance, research on this area remains quite inadequate (Hwang 2010). For this reason, this study aims to verify the relationships among experiential shopping values, retail store brand equity and tries to link that with customer loyalty by surveying large-scale discount store shoppers in Korea and China. 2. Research Contents In order to carry out the research objective, this study conducted comprehensive literature survey on previous literature by discussing major findings and implications with regard to shopping values and retail brand equity and store loyalty. For data collection, researcher employed survey-based research method where data were collected in two major cities of Korea (Seoul) and China (Bejing) and sampling frame was based on patrons of large discount stores in both countries. Specific research questions raised in this study are as follows; RQ1: How do Korean and Chinese consumers differently perceive of shopping values regarding shopping at large-sclae discount stores? RQ2: Are there differences in consumers' emotional consumption propensities? RQ3: Do Korean and Chinese consumers display different perceptions of brand equity towards large-scale discount stores? RQ4: Are there differences in relationships between shopping values and brand equity for Korean and Chinese consumers? For statistical analysis, SPSS17.0, AMOS17.0 and SmartPLS were employed. 3. Research Results The data collected through face-to-face survey conducted in Seoul and Bejing revealed appropriate data validity and reliability as a result of exploratory/confirmatory factor analysis and reliability tests, andh SEM model yielding satisfactory model fitness. The result of the study may be summarized by three main points. First, as a result of testing differences in consumption dispositions, Chinese consumers showed higher scores in aesthetic and symbolic dispositions, whereas Korean consumers scored higher in hedonic disposition. Second, testing on perceptions toward brand equity of large discount stores showed that Korean consumers exhibited more positive perceptions of brand awareness and brand image than Chinese counterparts. Third, the result of exploratory factor analysis on the experiential shopping values revealed different factors for each country. On Korean side, consumer interest value, aesthetic value, and hedonic value were prominent, whereas on Chinese side, hedonic value, aesthetic value, consumer interest value, and service excellence value were found salient. 4. Research Implications While many previous studies on inter-country differences in retailing area mainly focused on cultural dispositions or orientations to explain the differences, this study sets itself apart by specifically targeting individual consumer's shopping values from an experiential viewpoint. The study result provides important theoretical as well as practical implications for large-scale discount store, especially the impotance of fully exploring the linkage between shopping values and brand equity, which has significant influence on loyalty. Therefore, the specific implications deriving from the result shed some important insights upon the consumption values based on shopping experiences and brand equity. The differences found in store shoppers between the two countries may also provide useful insights for Korean and Chinese retailers who plan to expand their operations globally. Related strategic implications derived from this study is the importance of localizing retail strategy which is based on the differences found in experiential shopping values between the two country groups. Especially the finding that Chinese consumers value consumer interest and service excellence, whereas Koreans place importance on hedonic or aesthetic values indicates the need to differentiate the consumer's psychographical profiles when it comes to expanding retail operations globally. Particularly important will be to pursue price-orienated strategy in China in consideration of the high emphasis on consumer interests and service excellence, but to emphasize the symbolic aspects of brand equity in Korea by maximizing the brand equity associated with aesthetic values and hedonic orientations. 5. Recommendations This study focused on generic retail branded discount stores in both countries, thus making it difficult to tease out store-specific strategies based on specific retail brands. Future studies may benefit fro employing actual brand names in survey questionnaire to verify relationship between shopping values and brand-based store strategy. As with other studies of this nature, this study needs to strengthen the result's generalizability by selecting respondents from a wider spectrum of respondents.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.75-85
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• 2000

In existing models in optimization, the crisp data improve has been used in the objective or constraints to derive the optimal solution, Besides, the subjective environments are eliminated because the complex and uncertain circumstances were regarded as Probable ambiguity, In other words those optimal solutions in the existing models could be the complete satisfactory solutions to the objective functions in the Process of application for industrial engineering methods to minimize risks of decision-making. As a result of those, decision-makers in location Problems couldn't face appropriately with the variation of demand as well as other variables and couldn't Provide the chance of wide selection because of the insufficient information. So under the circumstance. it has been to develop the model for the location and size decision problems of logistics facility in the use of the fuzzy theory in the intention of making the most reasonable decision in the Point of subjective view under ambiguous circumstances, in the foundation of the existing decision-making problems which must satisfy the constraints to optimize the objective function in strictly given conditions in this study. Introducing the Process used in this study after the establishment of a general mixed integer Programming(MIP) model based upon the result of existing studies to decide the location and size simultaneously, a fuzzy mixed integer Programming(FMIP) model has been developed in the use of fuzzy theory. And the general linear Programming software, LINDO 6.01 has been used to simulate, to evaluate the developed model with the examples and to judge of the appropriateness and adaptability of the model(FMIP) in the real world.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.1-15
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• 2016

Startups in Korea are experiencing for themselves the laws of survival through competition in the local and international market, and are performing active business movements based on these. Korea's economic growth rate is 2.6% due to the slump in the domestic demand and reduced exports brought by the MERSC incident in 2015. The Korea Development Institute has estimated the economic growth rate in 2016 to be around 3.0%. South Korea's economy is facing the crisis of low-growth solidification due to the decrease in economic growth, and it is forecasted that growth without employment and polarization will worsen. Startups in the high-tech industrial generation of a particular field wherein the market environment is rapidly changing must maintain a competitive advantage with the capabilities and functions exclusive to them. It is very important that they maintain a competitive edge by utilizing the capabilities exclusive to startup companies. Likewise, the accumulation of resources is also crucial in determining the success of a startup business. In a poor local startup ecosystem, majority of the startup companies are performing their business activities while striving for survival, rather than success. About 80% are struggling to survive and are failing to overcome the "Death Valley" faced 3-5 years after establishing the company. Since majority of the startups fail to achieve results during the initial stages of foundation, the importance of research on business activities and achievement during the early stages of establishment is being raised. In accordance to this, this research has performed an actual analysis on how the activities of startups during their preparation phase and early stages affect their achievements. A survey was done on the CEOs or executives (people in a position to make decisions) of local small and medium-sized enterprises that are considered start-ups, and 203 valid data were collected and analyzed. Results showed that the discoveries and utilized activities necessary for the businesses of startups have a significant impact on their achievement through the entrepreneur resources and external partners' cooperation; additionally, the related implications were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.1271-1278
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was the improvement of satisfaction for school foodservice customers through analysis of the importance and performance of school foodservice quality and the understanding what factors affected customer's loyalty. The questionnaire was distributed to three hundred students at five high schools in Busan. Students evaluated the factors of importance and performance, the order of importance was sanitation> food> service and then, the order of performance was sanitation> service> food. Gap analysis resulted 4.39 for importance factors and 2.51 for performance factors; importance scores were higher than performance scores at all areas (p<0.01) and the sanitation factor gap was the biggest gap compared to all others. Each factor's analysis resulted that the gap analysis order was taste> balance of main & sub side dish> diversity of food in food area, quick react to customer complaint> reflection of customer proposal and recommendation> provide better service than competitor in service area, sanitation of food> cleanness of tableware> cleanness of container in sanitation area. The average score of customer's loyalty was 1.66 and female' score was significantly higher than male (p<0.001). Food, service and sanitation had a significant correlation to customer's loyalty than service (p<0.01), food (p<0.05), and sanitation (p<0.05) affected customer's loyalty significantly. So, intensive control is needed in the sanitation area which had the highest gap analysis result between importance and performance in food service. Especially, service factor was very important in explaining customer's loyalty, so service improvement through training is needed to improve student's satisfaction.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.157-175
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• 2016

Under the market economy of capitalism, several limitations reveal the inequity and redistribution problem of wealth, inefficiency of over-manufacturing and over-consumption, pollution of the natural environment, and the constraint of human liberty and dignity. The new challenge of symbiotic relationships that encourage individual corporations coincides with the need to practice social responsibility and share values to overcome these limitations. Social economy and the social enterprises that simultaneously pursue the making of corporate private profits and the realization of social values have been suggested and disseminated as alternative social value creators. Furthermore, the concept of a sharing economy, which refers to the sharing of things rather than owning them, is growing traction as a new paradigm of capitalism. However, these efforts of social enterprises have fallen short against the conflicts between private profit and social values. This study deals with the case of a start-up social corporation, "Purun Bike Sharing Inc.," which is based on a regional sharing economy business model about bike rental services that use Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This corporation pursues harmonic management to achieve a balance between private profit and social value. Its corporate mission is to achieve sharing, coexistence, and contribution for public welfare. This mission is a possible idea for use in the local community network as a core key for sustainable social enterprises. The model can also be an alternative approach to overcome the structural friction in the social corporation. This study considers the case of Purun Bike Sharing as a sustainable way to practice a sharing economy business model based on a regional cooperation network, which can be combined with social value, and to apply ICT to a sharing economy system. It also examines the definition and current state of social enterprises and the sharing economy, and the cases of the sharing economy business model for the review of prior research.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.507-517
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• 2018

The probability of T/S cargo volume to decrease is the most notable problem associated with inappropriate mix of terminal operators in Busan port. Other problems include, the deterioration of the national carriers' competitiveness from non-operation of own terminal, excessively high proportion of financial operators in the engagement of operation which may result in their passiveness in timely investment, additional cost burden to carriers' in the handling inter-terminal T/S cargo transportation and inefficiency in terminal operation by the multiplicity of operators proved to be same recognized as so through the analysis. Therefore, in order to provide solutions for the problems and to strengthen Busan port's competitiveness, this research suggests the restructuring of operators mix as follows. To achieve sustainable growth of T/S cargo, global carriers' participation in terminal operation should be of utmost priority. To enhance the operational efficiency, the operators should be integrated. Similarly, the integration of operators will play a key role in verifying that national carriers' own terminal operation is an important factor in raising its competence. Finally, BPA's active engagement in the entire operation of port is also critical in public-oriented operation of the port. Whereas in the interactive analysis by taking the merits of Busan port into consideraion, global carrier's participation in operation, integration of operators and BPA's engagement in operation proved to contribute to the increase of T/S cargo and strengthening of operational efficiencies of Busan port.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.167-185
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• 2019

As most G-20 countries expect medical spending to grow rapidly over the next few decades, the burden of healthcare costs continues to grow globally due to an increase in the elderly population and chronic illnesses, and the ongoing quality improvement of health care services. However, under the rapidly changing technological environment of healthcare and IT convergence, the problem may become even bigger if not properly recognized and not properly prepared. In the context of the paradigm shift and the increasing problem of the medical field, complex responses in technical, institutional and business aspects are urgently needed. The key is to derive a business model that is appropriate for businesses that integrate IT in the medical field. With the arrival of the era of the 4th industrial revolution, new technologies such as Internet of Things have been applied to eHealthcare, and the need for new business models has emerged.In the e-healthcare of the Internet era, it became a traditional firm-based business model. However, due to the characteristics of dynamics and complexity of things Internet in the Internet of things, A business ecosystem-based approach is needed. In this paper, we present and analyze the major success factors of the ecosystem based on the 3 - layer structure of the e - healthcare business ecosystem as a result of research on e - healthcare business ecosystem based on emerging technology such as Internet of things. The three-layer business ecosystem was defined as (1) Infrastructure Layer, (2) Character Layer, and (3) Stakeholder Layer. As the key success factors for the eHealthCare business ecosystem, the following four factors are suggested: (1) introduction of the iHealthcare concept, (2) expansion of the business ecosystem, (3) business ecosystem change process innovation, and (4) business ecosystem leadership innovation.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.175-186
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• 2019

Efforts have been made to introduce the climate smart agriculture (CSA) for adaptation to future climate conditions, which would require collection and management of site specific meteorological data. The objectives of this study were to identify requirements for construction of agricultural meteorology information service system (AMISS) using technologies that lead to the fourth industrial revolution, e.g., internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and cloud computing. The IoT sensors that require low cost and low operating current would be useful to organize wireless sensor network (WSN) for collection and analysis of weather measurement data, which would help assessment of productivity for an agricultural ecosystem. It would be recommended to extend the spatial extent of the WSN to a rural community, which would benefit a greater number of farms. It is preferred to create the big data for agricultural meteorology in order to produce and evaluate the site specific data in rural areas. The digital climate map can be improved using artificial intelligence such as deep neural networks. Furthermore, cloud computing and fog computing would help reduce costs and enhance the user experience of the AMISS. In addition, it would be advantageous to combine environmental data and farm management data, e.g., price data for the produce of interest. It would also be needed to develop a mobile application whose user interface could meet the needs of stakeholders. These fourth industrial revolution technologies would facilitate the development of the AMISS and wide application of the CSA.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.27-40
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• 2024

This study empirically derives the factors affecting the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) of venture firms in Korea from the perspective of Slack Resource Theory and the company's growth strategy, and provides implications for future expansion of venture firm's CSR activities. In Korea, venture firms have grown into important players in the national economy since the late 1990s through social contributions such as economic value creation, job creation, and technological development. As venture companies grow in status, positive relationships with stakeholders and responsibility for environmental and social values are required. Now, CSR is becoming an important strategic choice for SMEs and venture firms. However, until now, CSR-related academic research has mainly focused on large or listed corporations, and there is not much research on SMEs or venture firms. In particular, research on the factors that lead venture companies to make important business decisions of participating in CSR activities is not there yet. This study applied logistic multiple regression analysis using the '2023 Survey on Venture Firms' conducted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. As a result of this study, operating profit, which is an available resources of venture companies, and government support, which is a potential resource, have a positive impact on venture firms's CSR activities. Also, business relationships with large corporations and expectation for future cooperation also have a positive impact on CSR activities as the determinants. On the other hand, it was analyzed that in venture firms where ownership and management are not separated, the higher the CEO's shareholding ratio, the more negatively it affects CSR activities. This study contributes academically as the first empirical study on the determinants of CSR activities of venture firms in Korea and provides implications that government policy support and collaboration between large corporations and venture firms are important in order to expand CSR activities of venture firms.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.45-63
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• 2024

The success of a company in the market is linked to the value it delivers to its customers. However, that value is not always constant. As the environment changes, so do customer experiences and requirements, and eventually the value they seek also evolves. Thus, a timely, clear, and effective value proposition, along with the associated benefits, becomes the functional, psychological, and economic foundation of a business. Therefore, the customer value proposition is crucial in terms of Product-Market Fit (PMF), establishing competitive differentiation, and delivering consistent messaging. Despite this, the most widely known and utilized model related to the Customer Value Proposition (CVP) in general businesses is the Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) by Osterwalder and Pigneur. Apart from that, there are only a few other models used by scholars and experts. In this paper, I selected the VPC model, which is widely used by business practitioners globally, and two other major CVP models well-known to experts. I conducted a detailed analysis of these models and derived the essential elements and key features of a customer value proposition. These were then combined with the Lean Startup methodology, which is frequently used for innovation today, to design an integrated CVP model that startups can easily utilize. The framework proposed in this study is a comprehensive CVP model that incorporates the strengths, weaknesses, characteristics, and commonalities of the three existing CVP models. It is designed to flexibly adapt depending on the business direction or strategic characteristics of the company by comprehensively considering all circumstances of the entire company or a specific product/service. Additionally, it systematically manages the contents of customers' wants & needs, strategic focus, and growth horizons, even after application. The Integrative-Lean CVP Model, designed for easy use by startups, is expected to help them with limited funding and marketing capabilities identify value proposition elements for timely PMF, fostering the creation of a new startup ecosystem.