• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.25-53
• /
• 2011

This study probes the effect of loyalty program on the customer retention based on the real transaction data(n=2,892) acquired from education service industry. We try to figure out the outcomes of reward program through more than 1 year-long data gathered and analyzed according to quasi-experimental design(i.e., before and after design). We adopt this kinds of research scheme in regard that previous studies measured the effect of loyalty program by dividing the customers into two group(i.e., members vs. non-members) after the firms or stores had started the program. We believe that it might not avoid the self-selection bias. The research questions of this study could be explained such as: First, most research said that the loyalty programs could increase the customer loyalty and contribute to the sustainable growth of company. But there are little confirmation that this promotional tool could be justified in terms of financial perspective. Thus, we are interested in both the retention rate and financial outcomes caused by the introduction of loyalty programs. Second, reward programs target mainly current customer. Especially CRM(customer relationship management) said that it is more profitable for company to build positive relationship with current customer instead of pursuing new customer. And it claims that reward program is excellent means to achieve this goal. For this purpose, we check in this study whether there is a interaction effect between loyalty program and customer type in retaining customer. Third, it is said that dis-satisfied customers are more likely to leave the company than satisfied customers. While, Bolton, Kannan and Bramlett(2000) claimed that reward program could contribute to minimize the effect of negative service by building emotional link with customer, it is not empirically confirmed. This point of view explained that the loyalty programs might work as exit barrier to current customer. Thus, this study tries to identify whether there is a interaction effect between loyalty program and service experience in keeping customer. To achieve this purpose, this study adopt both Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard model. The research outcomes show that the average retention period is 179 days before introducing loyalty program but it is increased to 227 days after reward is given to the customers. Since this difference is statistically significant, it could be said that H1 is supported. In addition, the contribution margin coming from increased transaction period is bigger than the cost for administering loyalty programs. To address other research questions, we probe the interaction effect between loyalty program and other factors(i.e., customer type and service experience) affecting it. The analysis of Cox proportional hazard model said that the current customer is more likely to engage in building relationship with company compared to new customer. In addition, retention rate of satisfied customer is significantly increased in relation to dis-satisfied customer. Interestingly, the transaction period of dis-satisfied customer is notably increased after introducing loyalty programs. Thus, it could be said that H2, H3, and H4 are also supported. In summary, we found that the loyalty programs have values as a promotional tool in forming positive relationship with customer and building exit barrier.

• Korea Trade Review
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.217-242
• /
• 2023

This study aims to analyze the factors influencing the logistics demand of inland ports along the Yangtze River and predict future port logistics demand based on these factors. The logistics demand prediction using system dynamics techniques was conducted for a total of six ports, including Chongqing and Yibin ports in the upper reaches, Jingzhou and Wuhan ports in the middle reaches, and Nanjing and Suzhou ports in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The logistics demand for all ports showed an increasing trend in the mid-term prediction until 2026. The logistics demand of Chongqing port was mainly influenced by the scale of the hinterland economy, while Yibin port appeared to heavily rely on the level of port automation. In the case of the upper and middle reach ports, logistics demand increased as the energy consumption of the hinterland increased and the air pollution situation worsened. The logistics demand of the middle reach ports was greatly influenced by the hinterland infrastructure, while the lower reach ports were sensitive to changes in the urban construction area. According to the sensitivity analysis, the logistics demand of ports relying on large cities was relatively stable against the increase and decrease of influential factors, while ports with smaller hinterland city scales reacted sensitively to changes in influential factors. Therefore, a strategy should be established to strengthen policy support for Chongqing port as the core port of the upper Yangtze River and have surrounding ports play a supporting role for Chongqing port. The upper reach ports need to play a supporting role for Chongqing port and consider measures to enhance connections with middle and lower reach ports and promote the port industry. The development strategy for inland ports along the Yangtze River suggests the establishment of direct routes and expansion of the transportation network for South Korean ports and stakeholders. It can suggest expanding the hinterland network and building an efficient transportation system linked with the logistics hub. Through cooperation, logistics efficiency can be enhanced in both regions, which will contribute to strengthening the international position and competitiveness of each port.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.91-110
• /
• 2024

In this study, we compared and analyzed the influence of self-leadership on innovative behavior and the mediating effect of job satisfaction among R&D practitioners in manufacturing and information communication technology (ICT) industries. To accomplish this, we conducted an online survey using random sampling methods and collected data from 209 respondents. We employed exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and mediation analysis using SPSS 20.0 software to analyze the data and to compare differences between the manufacturing and ICT sectors. The research findings are as follows: Firstly, both in manufacturing and ICT sectors, self-leadership showed significant positive correlations with job satisfaction and innovative behavior. Secondly, in the analysis of the impact of self-leadership on innovative behavior, in the manufacturing sector, only natural reward strategy and constructive thought strategy showed significant positive effects, while in the ICT sector, behavioral-oriented strategy, natural reward strategy, and constructive thought strategy all showed significant positive effects. Thirdly, in the analysis of the impact of self-leadership on job satisfaction, in the manufacturing sector, only natural reward strategy and constructive thought strategy showed significant positive effects, while in the ICT sector, behavioral-oriented strategy and natural reward strategy showed significant positive effects. Fourthly, in the analysis of the impact of job satisfaction on innovative behavior, significant positive effects were observed in both manufacturing and ICT sectors, with manufacturing sector having relatively greater impact than ICT sector. Lastly, the results of the analysis on the mediating effect of job satisfaction indicate that in the manufacturing sector, only a constructive thinking strategy significantly influences, showing partial mediating effects. However, in the ICT sector, no mediating effects of job satisfaction were observed for any sub-factors of self-leadership. These research findings highlight differences in the mechanisms of action of self-leadership on innovative behavior and its mediating effects between the manufacturing and ICT sectors. Furthermore, the results suggest the importance of improving organizational strategies and culture towards promoting leadership, job design, and job satisfaction, considering the characteristics of each industry and research and development organization.

• Journal of Distribution Research
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.95-115
• /
• 2011

Food service is the major part of franchise business in Korea, accounting for 69.9% of the brands in the market. As the food service industry becomes mature, many franchisees have struggled to survive in the market. In general, consumers have higher levels of expectation toward service quality of franchised outlets compared that of (non-franchised) independent ones. They also tend to believe that franchisees deliver standardized service at the uniform food price, regardless of their locations. Such beliefs seem to be important reasons that consumers prefer franchised outlets to independent ones. Nevertheless, few studies examined the impact of qualify features of franchisees on customer satisfaction so far. To this end, this study examined the characteristics of various quality features of franchisees in the food service industry, regarding their relationship with customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The quality perception of heavy-users was also compared with that of light-users in order to find insights for developing differentiated marketing strategy for the two segments. Customer satisfaction has been understood as a one-dimensional construct while there are recent studies that insist two-dimensional nature of the construct. In this regard, Kano et al. (1984) suggested to categorize quality features of a product or service into five types, based on their relation to customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction: Must-be quality, Attractive quality, One-dimensional quality, Indifferent quality, and Reverse quality. According to the Kano model, customers are more dissatisfied when Must-be quality(M) are not fulfilled, but their satisfaction does not arise above neutral no matter how fully the quality fulfilled. In comparison, customers are more satisfied with a full provision of Attactive quality(A) but manage to accept its dysfunction. One-dimensional quality(O) results in satisfaction when fulfilled and dissatisfaction when not fulfilled. For Indifferent quality(I), its presence or absence influences neither customer satisfaction nor dissatisfaction. Lastly, Reverse quality(R) refers to the features whose high degree of achievement results in customer dissatisfaction rather than satisfaction. Meanwhile, the basic guidelines of the Kano model have a limitation in that the quality type of each feature is simply determined by calculating the mode statistics. In order to overcome such limitation, the relative importance of each feature on customer satisfaction (Better value; b) and dissatisfaction (Worse value; w) were calculated following the formulas below (Timko, 1993). The Better value indicates how much customer satisfaction is increased by providing the quality feature in question. In contrast, the Worse value indicates how much customer dissatisfaction is decreased by providing the quality feature. Better = (A + O)/(A+O+M+I) Worse = (O+M)/(A+O+M+I)(-1) An on-line survey was performed in order to understand the nature of quality features of franchisees in the food service industry by applying the Kano Model. A total of twenty quality features (refer to the Table 2) were identified as the result of literature review in franchise business and a pre-test with fifty college students in Seoul. The potential respondents of our main survey was limited to the customers who have visited more than two restaurants/stores of the same franchise brand. Survey invitation e-mails were sent out to the panels of a market research company and a total of 257 responses were used for analysis. Following the guidelines of Kano model, each of the twenty quality features was classified into one of the five types based on customers' responses to a set of questions: "(1) how do you feel if the following quality feature is fulfilled in the franchise restaurant that you visit," and "(2) how do you feel if the following quality feature is not fulfilled in the franchise restaurant that you visit." The analyses revealed that customers' dissatisfaction with franchisees is commonly associated with the poor level of cleanliness of the store (w=-0.872), kindness of the staffs(w=-0.890), conveniences such as parking lot and restroom(w=-0.669), and expertise of the staffs(w=-0.492). Such quality features were categorized as Must-be quality in this study. While standardization or uniformity across franchisees has been emphasized in franchise business, this study found that consumers are interested only in uniformity of price across franchisees(w=-0.608), but not interested in standardizations of menu items, interior designs, customer service procedures, and food tastes. Customers appeared to be more satisfied when the franchise brand has promotional events such as giveaways(b=0.767), good accessibility(b=0.699), customer loyalty programs(b=0.659), award winning history(b=0.641), and outlets in the overseas market(b=0.506). The results are summarized in a matrix form in Table 1. Better(b) and Worse(w) index indicate relative importance of each quality feature on customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction, respectively. Meanwhile, there were differences in perceiving the quality features between light users and heavy users of any specific franchise brand in the food service industry. Expertise of the staffs was labeled as Must-be quality for heavy users but Indifferent quality for light users. Light users seemed indifferent to overseas expansion of the brand and offering new menu items on a regular basis, while heavy users appeared to perceive them as Attractive quality. Such difference may come from their different levels of involvement when they eat out. The results are shown in Table 2. The findings of this study help practitioners understand the quality features they need to focus on to strengthen the competitive power in the food service market. Above all, removing the factors that cause customer dissatisfaction seems to be the most critical for franchisees. To retain loyal customers of the franchise brand, it is also recommended for franchisor to invest resources in the development of new menu items as well as training programs for the staffs. Lastly, if resources allow, promotional events, loyalty programs, overseas expansion, award-winning history can be considered as tools for attracting more customers to the business.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.39-43
• /
• 2017

Purpose Thyroglobulin (Tg) is a biologic marker of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), produced by normal thyroid tissue or thyroid cancer tissue. Therefore, the Tg values of DTC patients is the most specific indicator for judging whether recurrence occur or whether the remaining thyroid cancer is present. Thyroid cancer is currently the most common cancer in Korea, of which 90% is differentiated thyroid cancer. The number of patients with thyroid disease of this application also increased, and an accurate and prompt results are required. However, the incubation time of the Tg commonly takes about 24 hours in our hospital, and the result reporting time is delayed, and We could not satisfied with the requirements of clinical departments and patients. In order to fulfill these requirements, experiments were conducted by shortening the incubation time between company B's Kit currently in use and company C's Kit used in other hospitals. Through these experiments, we could perform the correlation with the original method and shortening method, and could find the optimum reaction time to satisfy the needs of the departments and the patients, and we will improve the competitiveness with the EIA examination. Materials and Methods In September 2016, we tested 65 patients company B's kit and company C's kit by three incubation ways. First method $37^{\circ}C$ shaking 2hr/2hr, Second method RT shaking 3hr/2hr, Third method 1hr/1hr shaking at $37^{\circ}C$. Fourth method RT shaking 3hr method which is the original method of Company C's Kit. Fifth method, the incubation time was shortened under room temperature shaking 2hr, Sixth method $37^{\circ}C$ shaking 2hr. And we performed and compared the correlation and coefficient of each methods. Results As a result of performing shortening method on company B currently in use, when comparing the Original method of company B kit, First method $37^{\circ}C$ shaking 2hr/2hr was less than Tg 1.0 ng/mL and the ratio of $R^2=0.5906$, above 1.0 ng/mL In the value, $R^2=0.9597$. Second method RT shaking 3hr/2hr was $R^2=0.7262$ less than value of 1.0 ng/mL, $R^2=0.9566$ above than value of 1.0 ng/mL. Third method $37^{\circ}C$ shaking 1hr/1hr was $R^2=0.7728$ less than value of 1.0 ng/mL, $R^2=0.8904$ above than value of 1.0 ng/mL. Forth, Company C's The original method, RT shaking 3hr was $R^2=0.7542$ less than value of 1.0 ng/mL, and $R^2=0.9711$ above than value of 1.0 ng/mL. Fifth method RT shaking 2hr was $R^2=0.5477$ less than value of 1.0 ng/mL, $R^2=0.9231$ above than value of 1.0 ng/mL. Sixth method $37^{\circ}C$ shaking 2hr showed $R^2=0.2848$ less than value of 1.0 ng/mL, $R^2=0.9028$ above than value of 1.0 ng/mL. Conclusion Samples with both values of 1.0 ng/mL or higher in both of the six methods showed relatively high correlation, but the correlation was relatively low less than value of 1.0 ng/mL. Especially, the $37^{\circ}C$ shaking 2hr method of company C showed a sharp fluctuation from the low concentration value of 1.0 ng/mL or less. Therefore, we are planning to continuously test the time, equipment, incubation temperature and so on for the room temperature shaking 2hr method and $37^{\circ}C$ shaking 1hr/1hr of company C which showed a relatively high correlation. After that, we can search for an appropriate shortening method through additional experiments such as recovery test, dilution test, sensitivity test, and provide more accurate and prompt results to the department of medical treatment, It is competitive with EIA test.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.271-276
• /
• 2002

To develop a wrapping film, which suppresses the microbial decay through the storage and prolongs the selflife of fruits and vegetables, the antimicrobial packaging films were prepared and applied to the preservation of strtwberries and cucumbers. Low density polyethylene(LDPE) film of 50㎛ thickness was faricated with 1% of Scutellariae baicalensis extract. The LDPE film impregnated with Scutellariae baicalensis extract showed antimicrobial activity on the disk test against Bacillus cereus, Escherchia coli and Fusarium sp.. The antimicrobial film changed the color and light transmittance, but did not affect heat shrinkage, mechanical tensile strength and wattability. Strawberries and cucumbers were separately wrapped with packaging films in the state of closely-adhered packaging as well as modified atmosphere packaging(MAP). The wrapped strawberries and cucumbers were stored for 21 days at 5$\^{C}$ and for 40 days at l0$\^{C}$, respectively. For the packaged strawberries and cucumbers at 5$\^{C}$ and 10$\^{C}$, the LDPE film impregnated with Scutellariae baicalensis extract showed the reduced growth of total aerobic bacteria, molds and yeasts and did not give any negative effect on other quality attributes during storage in comparison with conttrol film without any additive.

• Information Systems Review
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.161-179
• /
• 2009

Nowadays an increasing number of Internet users are running individual websites as Blog or Cyworld. As this type of personal media has a great influence on communication among people, business comes to care about Network Effect, Network Software, and Social Network. For instance, Cyworld created the web service called 'Minihompy' for individual web-logs, and acquired 2.4milion users in 2007. Although many people assumed that the popularity of Minihompy, or Blog would be a passing fad, Cyworld has improved its service, and expanded its Network with various contents. This kind of expansion reflects survival efforts from infinite competitions among ISPs (Internet Service Provider) with focus on enhancing usability to users. However, Cyworld's Network Effect is gradually diminished in these days. Both of low production cost of service vendors and the low searching/conversing costs of users combine to make ISPs hard to keep their market share sustainable. To overcome this lackluster trend, Cyworld has adopted new strategies and try to lock their users in their service. Various efforts to improve the continuance and expansion of Network effect remain unclear and uncertain. If we understand beforehand how a service would improve Network effect, and which service could bring more effect, ISPs can get substantial help in launching their new business strategy. Regardless many diverse ideas to increase their user's duration online ISPs cannot guarantee 'how the new service strategies will end up in profitability. Therefore, this research studies about Network effect of Cyworld's 'Minihompy' using System-Dynamics method which could analyze dynamic relation between users and ISPs. Furthermore, the research aims to predict changes of Network Effect based on the strategy of new service. 'Page View' and 'Duration Time' can be enhanced for the short tenn because they enhance the service functionality. However, these services cannot increase the Network in the long-run. Limitations of this research include that we predict the future merely based on the limited data. We also limit the independent variables over Network Effect only to the following two issues: Increasing the number of users and increasing the Service Functionality. Despite of some limitations, this study perhaps gives some insights to the policy makers or others facing the stiff competition in the network business.