• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.25-51
• /
• 2012

Researches about the relationship between SST(Self Service Technology) and TRI(Technology Readiness Index) have been carried out after TRI was developed by Parasuraman and his colleagues(2000). We hypothesize Consumer Readiness can also influence consumer's motivation, attitude, and intent to use SST. Currently, there has been no research on this subject. In this study, we investigated the relationship between TR, Consumer Readiness and SST Core Attitudinal Model which Dabholkar & Bagozzi(1994) proposed. The researchers also investigated moderating effects of consumer traits and situational factors to verify the acceptance of such forms of service delivery by all kinds of consumers and under different situational contexts. Self consciousness, the need for interaction with an employee, and the technology anxiety were used as consumer trait variables. Perceived waiting time and perceived crowding were used as situational variables. 380 questionnaires were distributed to a sample group of people in their 20's and 30's, and the data were analyzed with structural equation model using AMOS 18.0 program. All of Cronbach's alpha values representing reliabilities were satisfactory. The values of Composite Reliability(CR) and Average Variance Extracted(AVE) also showed the above criteria, thus providing evidence of convergent validity. To confirm discriminant validity among the constructs, confirmatory factor analysis and correlations among all the variables were examined. The results were satisfactory. The results of this study are summarized as follows. 1. Optimism and innovativeness of TR partially influenced the motivation to use SST. People who tend to be optimistic use SST because of ease of use and fun. The innovative however, usually use SST due to its performance. However, consumer readiness of role clarity, ability and self-efficacy influence all the components of motivation to use SST, ease of use, performance and fun. The relative effect of consumer readiness on the motivation to use SST was much stronger and more significant than that of TR. No other previous studies have examined the effects of Consumer Readiness on SST usage motivation, attitude and intention. It is academically meaningful that the researchers verified that Consumer Readiness is the important precedent construct influencing the self service technology core Attitudinal Model. Our findings suggest that marketers should consider fun and ease of use attributes to promote the use of self service technology. In addition, the SST usage frequency will rise rapidly when role clarity, ability, and self-efficacy which anybody can easily handle SST is assured. If the SST usage rate is increased, waiting times for customers could be decreased. Shorter waiting time could lead to higher customer satisfaction. It may also result in making a long-term profit owing to the reduced number of employees. Thus, presentation of using SST by employees or videos showing how to use it will promote the usage attitude and intent. 2. In SST core attitudinal model, performance and fun factors among SST usage motivation affected attitudes of using SST. The attitude of using SST highly influenced intent to use SST. This result is consistent with previous researches that dealt with the relationship between motivation, attitude and intention. Expectation of using SST could result in good performance just like the effect of ordering menu to service employees and to have fun since fun during its use could promote more SST usage rate. 3. In the relationship among motivation, attitude and intent in SST core attitudinal model, the moderating effect of consumer traits(self-consciousness, need for interaction with service employees and technology anxiety) and situational factors(perceived crowding and perceived waiting time) were tested. The results also supported the hypothesized moderating effects except perceived crowding. The highly self-conscious tended to form attitudes to use SST because of its fun compared to those who were less self-conscious because of its performance. People who had a high need for interaction with service employees tended to use SST for its performance. This result indicates that if ordering results are assured, SST is easily accessible to even consumers who have a high need for interaction with a service employee. When SST is easy to use, attitudes strengthen intent among people who had a high level of anxiety of technology. People who had low technology anxiety formed attitudes to use SST because of its performance. Service firms must ensure their self service technology is designed to be easy to use for those who have a high level of technology anxiety. Shorter perceived waiting times strengthened the attitude to use self service technology because of its fun. If the fun aspect is assured, people willing to use self service technology even perceive waiting time to be shorter than it actually is. Greater perceived waiting times form higher level of intent to use self service technology than those of shorter perceived waiting times. This implies that people view self service technology as a faster alternative to ordering service employees. The fun aspect of self service technology will attract a higher rate of usage for self service technology. 4. It has been proven that ease of use, performance and fun aspects are very important factors in motivation to form attitudes and intent to use self service technology regardless of the amount of perceived waiting time, self-consciousness, need for interaction with service employees, and technology anxiety. Service firms must consider these motivation aspects(ease of use, performance and fun)strongly in their promotion to use self service technology. Ease of use, assuring absolute performance compared to interaction with service employees', and adding a fun aspect will positively strengthen consumers' attitudes and intent to use self service technology. Summarizing the moderating effects, fun is the most valuable factor triggering SST usage attitude and intention. Therefore, designing self service technology to be fun will be the key to its success. This study focused on the touch screen self service technology in fast food restaurant. Although it has its limits due to the fact that it is hard to generalize the results to any other self service technology, the conceptual framework of this study can be applied to future research of any other service site.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.189-213
• /
• 1980

1. Aiming at supply of basic informations on tree species siting and forest fertilization by understanding of soil properties that are demanded by each tree species through studies of forest soil's morphological, physical and chemical properties in relation to tree growth in our country, the necessary data have been collected in the last 10 years, are quantified according to quantification theory and are analyzed in accordance with multi-variate analysis. 2. Test species, larch and the Korean white pine, are plantable in extensive areas from mid to north in the temperate zone and are the two most recommended reforestation tree species in Korea. However, their respective site demands are not known and they have been in confusion or considered demanding the same site during reforestation. When the Korean white pine is planted in larch sites, it has shown relatively good growth. But, when larch is planted in the Korean white pine site it can be hardly said that the larch growth is good. To understand on such a difference soil factors have been studied so as to see how the soil's morphological, physical and chemical factors affect tree growth helped with the electronic computer. 3. All the stands examined are man-made mature forests. From 294 larch plots and 259 white pine plots dominant trees are cut as samples and through stem analysis site index is determined. For each site index soil profiles are made in the related forest-land for analysis. Soil samples are taken from each profile horizon and forest-land productivity classification tables are worked out through physical and chemical analysis of the soil samples for each tree species for the study of relationships between physical, chemical and the combined physical/chemical properties of soil and tree growth. 4. In the study of relationships between physical properties of soil and tree growth it is found out that larch growth is influenced by the following factors in the order of deposit form, soil depth, soil moisture, altitude, relief, soil type, depth of A-horizon, soil consistency content of organic matter soil texture bed rock gravel content aspect and slope. For the Korean white pine the influencing factors' order is soil type, soil consistency bed rock aspect depth of A-horizon soil moisture altitude relief deposit form soil depth soil texture gravel content and slope. 5. In the study of relationships between chemical properties of soil and tree growth it is found out that larch growth is influenced by the following factors in the order of base saturation organic matter CaO C/N ratio, effective $P_2O_5$ PH.exchangeable $K_2O$ T-N MgO C E C Total Base and Na. For the Korean white pine the influencing factors' order is effective $P_2O_5$ Total Base T-N Na C/N ratio PH CaO base saturation organic matter exchangeable $K_2O$ C E C and MgO. 6. In the study of relationships between the combined physical and chemical properties of soil and tree growth it is found out that larch growth is influenced by the following factors in the order of soil depth deposit form soil moisture PH relief soil type altitude T-N soil consistency effective $P_2O_5$ soil texture depth of A-horizon Total Base exchangeable $K_2O$ and base saturation. For the Korean white pine the influencing factors' order is soil type soil consistency aspect effective $P_2O_5$ depth of A-horizon exchangeable $K_2O$ soil moisture Total Base altitude soil depth base saturation relief T-N C/N ratio and deposit from. 7. In the multiple regression of forest soil's physical properties larch's correlation coefficient is 0.9272 and for the Korean white pine it is 0.8996. With chemical properties larch has 0.7474 and the Korean white pine has 0.7365. So, the soil's physical properties are found out more closely related with tree growth than chemical properties. However, this seems due to inadequate expression of soil's chemical factors and it is proved that the chemical properties are not less important than the physical properties. In the multiple regression of the combined physical and chemical properties consisting of important morphological and physical factors as well as chemical factors of forest soils larch's multiple correlation coefficient is found out to be 0.9434 and for the Korean white pine it is 0.9103 leading to the highest correlation. 8. As shown in the partial correlation coefficients larch needs deeper soil depth than the Korean white pine and in the deposit form colluvial and creeping soils are demanded by the larch. Adequately moist to too moist should be soil moisture and PH should be from 5.5 to 6.1 for the larch. Demands of T-N soil texture and soil nutrients are higher for the larch than the Korean white pine. Thus, soil depth, deposit form, relief soil moisture PH N altitude and soil texture are good indicators for species sitings with larch and the Korean white pine while soil type and soil consistency are indicative only limitedly of species sitings due to their wide variation as plantation environments. For larch siting soil depth deposit form relief soil moisture PH soil type N and soil texture are indicators of good growth and for Korean white pine they are soil type soil consistency effective $P_2O_5$ and exchangeable $K_2O$, which is demanded more by the Korean white pine than larch generally. 9. Physical properties of soil has been known as affecting tree growth to greatest extent so far. However, as a result of this study it is proved through computer analysis that chemical properties of soil are not less important factors for tree growth than chemical properties and site demands for larch and the Korean white pine that have been uncertain So far could be clarified.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.230-236
• /
• 2006

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the application of compost on the availability of micronutrients in lettuce. Micronutrient contents of manure-based composts containing various other source materials were investigated. Total and extractable contents of micronutrients in the composts were analysed. Pots containing soil of relatively low micronutrient levels were treated with 1,000 and $2,000kg\;10a^{-1}$ of compost and used to grow lettuce plants under greenhouse conditions. Fresh and dry weights of lettuce and micronutrient uptake were determined after harvest. Manure-based composts of various other source materials contained very different amounts of total and extractable micronutrients. Total contents of B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo and Zn were in the range of 26-42, 27-160, 4,300-9,500, 290-790, 0-0.5 and $140-420mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. The contents of 0.1 N HCl extractable B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn were 23-32, 1.3-2.6, <1, 7-32 and 0.5-5% of total content, respectively. Contents of micronutrients extractable in DTPA solution were generally higher than those extractable in 0.1 N HCl. It was found that the fresh and dry matter productions of the plants were significantly higher in the compost treatment of $2,000kg\;10a^{-1}$. Lettuce grown in soil treated 1,000 and $2,000kg\;10a^{-1}$ of manure-based compost contained higher levels of B, Cu, Mo and Zn than lettuce grown without compost application. However, contents of Fe and Mn in lettuce were relatively lower in the compost treatments. In the compost treatments the proportions of micronutrients in soil and plant were all in the optimum ranges and below the toxicity levels. The results obtained allow us to establish that commercial composts could be used as soil amendment for plastic film house crop production with sufficient supply of micronutrients.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.60 no.3
• /
• pp.318-332
• /
• 2015

The maize production in South-eastern Asian countries showed a continuous increase with increasing poultry-livestock from the beginning of the 1990s to early 2010. Also the need for a new variety development of each contries was increased rapidly in the same period. Single-Cross hybrid varieties have been developed and supplied from 2001 instead of multi-cross maize varieties since 1992 in Indonesia. In Cambodia, CP group is mainly manufacturing feeds with most of the forage maize from farmers who are growing its seeds from the company. Cambodian main cultivars are varieties of multinational corporations such as DK8868 from Monsanto, NK6326, NK7328 from Syngenta and CP333 from CP group including local business company. Vietnam is the main maze importing country in South-Eastern Asia which had imported 13 times scale of amount compared to exports in average from 1990 to 2011. Vietnamese government has developed a range of varieties for improving their efficiency in production, such as the LVN-10 with political investments. Their production has been reached to 80% of the total. According to the 2012 MIFAFF (Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) data in Korea, domestic edible maize cultivation area was approximately 15,000ha. It showed 74,399 tons of production, 3.8% of food self-sufficiency in maize and around 0.9% of grain self-sufficiency rate. The consumption of grain is mostly rely on imports in Korea. To overcome the limit of the domestic seed market and increase maize self-sufficiency, the need to develop maze varieties for world-class is increasing at present through analyzing the market trend and prospect of the seed industry in South-eastern Asia.

• Information Systems Review
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.39-69
• /
• 2013

Business value of information technology has been the biggest interest of all such as practitioners and scholars for decades. Information technology is considered as the driving force or success factor of firm agility. The general assumption is that organizations making considerable efforts in IT investment are more agile than the organizations that are not. However, IT that should help the strategies of the firm that can hinder business or impede agility of the firm occasionally. In other words, it is still unknown if IT helps the agility of the firm or bothers it. Therefore, we note that contrary aspects of IT such as promotion and hindrance of firm agility have been observed frequently and theorize the relationships between them. In other words, we propose a rationale that firms should need to develop superior firm-wide IT capability to manage IT resources successfully in order to realize agility. Thus, this paper theorizes two IT capabilities, including technical IT capability and managerial IT capability as key factors impacting firm agility and firm performance. Further, we operationalize firm agility into two sub-types, including operational adjustment agility and market capitalizing agility. The data from 171 firms was analyzed using PLS approach. The results showed that technical IT capability has positive impact on firm agility and managerial IT capability had positive moderating effects between technical IT capability and firm agility. In addition, it was identified that top management championship positively moderates between agility and firm performance. Finally, it was indicated that firm agility was a very important causal variable of firm performance. Our study provides more exquisite and practical empirical evidences in the relationship between IT capability and firm agility by proposing applicable solution although IT has some contradicting effects on firm agility. Our findings suggest many useful implications to agility related researches in relatively primitive stage and working level officers in organizations.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.63-77
• /
• 2018

In the rapidly to change global market in recent years, as the era of merging and integrating industries and the evolution of technology have come to an era in which everything can not be solved as a single company, it is evolving into competition for the enterprise network rather than the competition for the enterprise unit. In a competitive business environment, it is necessary to provide not only for the efforts as an individual companies but also the mutual development efforts to enhance output through the innovation activities based on the interrelationship with the business partners. In spite of the recent efforts and research through core competencies and innovation activities, some of business activities were unable to achieve enough progress in business performance and this study mainly focused to improve business performance for those companies. This study targeted CEOs and Directors who participates in "manufacturing performance innovation partnership project" carried by The foundation of Large, SMEs, Agriculture, Fisheries cooperation Korea and studied the influences of innovation activities to the core competencies and business performance. Detailed variables in this study were extracted from the previous research and used for verification. The study is designed to determine the influence of individual innovation activities to the core competencies and business performance. Innovation activities as a parameter, the relationship between core competencies and business performance was examined. In the examination of the innovation activities as a meditated effect, those activities carried by SMEs (Collaboration in Technology, Manufacturing, and Management innovations with Large Scale Business) through partnership in manufacturing innovation is significantly related business performance. Therefore, the result reveals that the individual SMEs are having own limitation in the achievement of significant progress in business performance with their own capabilities, and using the innovation activities act as catalyst through the collaboration with large scale businesses would result significant progress in business performance. Mutual effort in collaborative innovation activities between large scale businesses and SMEs is one of the most critical issues in recent years in Korea and the main focus of this study is to provide analysis which demonstrates where the SMEs are required to focus in their innovation activities.