• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.1022-1028
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• 2005

The objectives of this study were to evaluate and compare the environmental load of two different concentrate feed supply systems to the Japanese domestic livestock industry using the Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) method. The current system was defined as that requiring 11.469 million tons of corn imported from the US by sea transport and supplied as concentrate feed to the Japanese domestic livestock industry. The new system proposed by Kaku et al. in 2004 was defined as where 802,830 tons of US imported corn would not be planted in US and would be replaced by barley planted in 278 thousand ha of Japanese domestic land left fallow for the past year. In this case, 909,000 tons of domestic harvest barley would have been supplied as concentrate feed to the Japanese domestic livestock industry in 2000. The activities taken into account within the two system boundaries were three stages: concentrate feed production, feed transportation and gas emission from the soil by chemical fertilizer. Finished compost was regarded as organic fertilizer and was put instead of chemical fertilizers within the system boundary. Adoption of this new concentrate feed supply system by the Japanese domestic livestock industry could reduce 78,462 tons $CO_2$-equivalents of global warming potential, 347 tons $SO_2$-equivalents of acidification potential, 54 tons $PO_4$-equivalents of eutrophication potential and 0.842 million GJ as energy consumption below 2,000 levels. This LCA study comparing two Japanese domestic livestock concentrate feed supply systems showed that the stage of feed transport contributed most to global warming and the stage of emission from the soil contributed most to acidification and eutrophication. The Japanese domestic livestock industry could participate in emissions trading with $CO_2$-equivalents reduced by shifting from some imported US corn as a concentrate feed to domestic barley planted in land left fallow. In that case the Japanese government could launch emissions trading in accordance with Kyoto Protocol in the future.

• Journal of Korea Society of Digital Industry and Information Management
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.57-76
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• 2023

This study analyzes the factors and effects on the users' intention to switch from contact center-oriented to AI chatbot-oriented customer services by combining Push-Pull-Mooring Model and provides insights for companies considering the adoption of AI chatbots. To test the model, we surveyed users with experience using chatbots at least once across different age groups. Finally, we analyzed 176 cases for the analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics and SmartPLS 4.0. The results of hypotheses testing rejected the hypotheses for variables of inconsistent quality and low availability of push factors and low switching cost of mooring factor while accepting the hypotheses for the tardy response of push factors and all pull factors. Therefore, these findings provide important implications for researchers and practitioners who wish to conduct research or adopt AI chatbots. In conclusion, users do not feel inconvenienced by the contact center-oriented service but also perceive high trust and convenience with AI chatbot-oriented service. However, despite low switching costs, users consider chatbots a complementary tool rather than an alternative. So, companies adopting AI chatbots should consider what features the users expect from AI chatbots and facilitate these features when implementing AI chatbots.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.85-102
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to present the direction of the safety manual in the food service industry kitchen. The accident rate in food industry kitchens is around 87.2%, it meaning nearly 9 workers have accident among 10, considered to be very high. The most common accident is a knife cut wound (84.7%). And burns caused by hot water and oil (74.4%), then shown slip and falls (28.1%). The degree of fulfillment of kitchen safety awareness and safe environment varied based on gender, in which male are considered more likely to suffer from accidents than women. The level of safety perception varies between workers at different career points. Workers with 1~3 years of experience suffer the highest rate of accident, while workers with 7~10 years and more of experience are believed to be at lower risk of accident. Restaurant type did not exhibit a significant influence on accidents cases, although differences in the adoption of personal safety, even partially, were discovered, at significance of 0.01 < 0.027 < $0.05^*$. Based on these results, this paper has suggested preventive safety management validation model the food service industry based on kitchen management and incident management, and presented steps necessary.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.30 no.12 s.159
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• pp.1697-1707
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• 2006

Relentless advances in information technology are constantly transforming market dynamics of the retail industry. RFID is an emerging innovative technology that can reduce labor costs, improve inventory control and increase sales by effective business processes. Apparel retailers need to recognize the benefits of RFID and identify critical success factors. By focusing on apparel retailers, this study attempts (1) to identify the reality of RFID associated with benefits; and (2) to prospect the implementation of RFID in apparel retailing. We conducted a focus group interview with selected six panels who were experts of retail industry in the United States to obtain data regarding RFID attributes. Content analysis was used to generate related excerpts and classify 31 attributes of RFID benefits from the meaningful 173 responses. For experience of RFID, retailers were familiar with RFID technology and expressed the belief that RFID basically would support an existing retail system for speed to markets. However, retailers addressed the level of experience with RFID technology that they were still in the early adoption stage among few innovative companies. The content analysis identified five dimensions of RFID benefits for apparel retailing: Visibility and Velocity, Revenue Enhancement, Customer Service, Security, and Employee Productivity. This result lends support to the belief that RFID has a significant potential to streamline supply chain management, store operation and customer service for apparel retailing. This study provides intellectual and managerial implications far practitioners and researchers by postulating the effective use of RFID in the apparel retail industry.

• Informatization Policy
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.40-61
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• 2023

The adoption of smart factories and smart manufacturing as strategies to enhance competitiveness and stimulate growth in the manufacturing sector is vital for a country's future competitiveness and industrial transformation. The government has consistently pursued smart manufacturing innovation policies starting with the Manufacturing Innovation 3.0 strategy in the Ministry of Industry. This study aims to identify policy areas for smart factories and smart manufacturing based on technical standards. Analyzing policy areas at the current stage where the establishment and support of domestic standards aligning with international technical standards are required is crucial. By prioritizing smart manufacturing process areas within the industry, policymakers can make well-informed decisions to advance smart manufacturing without blindly following international standardization in already well-established areas. To achieve this, the study utilizes a hierarchical analysis method including expert interviews and importance-performance analysis for the five major process areas. The findings underscore the importance of proactive participation in standardization for emerging technologies, such as data and security, instead of solely focusing on areas with extensive international standardization. Additionally, policymakers need to consider carbon emissions, energy costs, and global environmental challenges to address international trends in export and digital trade effectively.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.143-163
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• 2023

This study aims to analyze the impact of ESG activities on the corporate performance of logistics companies in Korea. To achieve this, the study examines the factors influencing the adoption and implementation of ESG activities, assesses the extent to which ESG activities enhance corporate trust and image, and empirically analyzes the effect of ESG implementation on the corporate performance of logistics companies. An online survey was conducted using Google Forms for Korean logistics companies, and a total of 463 data sets were utilized for PLS structural equation analysis using the SmartPLS 4.0 software tools. The findings of the study are as follows: Firstly, external pressure, specifically government pressure, significantly influences environmental responsibility activities, while investor pressure significantly affects social responsibility activities and governance responsibility activities. Additionally, internal management pressures significantly impact environmental responsibility activities, and employees have a significant influence on all ESG responsibility activities. Secondly, environmental responsibility activities positively affect corporate image, whereas social and governance responsibility activities influence trust and corporate image. Thirdly, trust and corporate image demonstrate significant effects on both financial and non-financial performance. Fourthly, trust significantly mediates the relationship between social responsibility, governance responsibility, and non-financial performance, while image mediates the connection between ESG responsibility and both financial and non-financial performance. The contribution of this study lies in providing practical insights for logistics companies to actively promote ESG activities, thereby establishing a reputation for being environmentally, socially, and governance responsible and gaining customer trust. By doing so, this study aims to raise awareness of the importance of ESG activities in the logistics industry and help companies recognize their significance for sustainable management

• Industry Promotion Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.21-33
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of strategic human resource management perceived by members of SMEs on organizational performance and innovation behavior. In addition, the mediator effect of innovation behavior of organizational members on the relationship between strategic human resource management and organizational performance was verified using the statistical program SPSS 21.0 program. First, the hypothesis 1, strategic human resource management (adoption and compensation, job design, training and career management, participation in decision-making) was adopted by showing positive impact on the positive impact on organizational performance. Second, hypothesis 2, strategic human resource management (recruitment and compensation, job design, training and career management, participation in decision-making) was adopted after demonstrating statistically significant influence on innovation behavior. Third, the innovation behavior perceived by Hypothesis 3 organizational members showed a positive influence on organizational performance. Hypothesis 3 was therefore adopted. Fourth, as a result of verifying the mediating effect of innovation behavior in the relationship between hypothesis 4, strategic human resource management and organizational performance, innovation behavior was analyzed to be partially mediated. In other words, strategic human resource management of organizational members has a direct impact on organizational performance, but it can show a higher positive impact on organizational performance through innovation actions in its performance.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.61-95
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• 2007

Small-and-medium sized enterprises(SMEs) represent quite a large proportion of the industry as a whole in terms of the number of enterprises or employees. However researches on information system so far have focused on large companies, probably because SMEs were not so active in introducing information systems as larger enterprises. SMEs are now increasingly bringing in information systems such as ERP(Enterprise Resource Planning Systems) and some of the companies already entered the stage of ongoing use. Accordingly, researches should deal with the use of information systems by SME s operating under different conditions from large companies. This study examined factors and mechanism inducing faithful appropriation of information systems, in particular integrative systems such as ERP, in view of individuals` active feedback-seeking behavior. There are three factors expected to affect end users` feedback-seeking behavior for faithful appropriation of information systems. They are management support, peer IT champ support, and IT staff support. The main focus of the study is on how these factors affect feedback-seeking behavior and whether the feedback-seeking behavior plays the role of mediator for realizing faithful appropriation of information systems by end users. To examine the research model and the hypotheses, this study employed an empirical method based on a field survey. The survey used measurements mostly employed and verified by previous researches, while some of the measurements had gone through minor modifications for the purpose of the study. The survey respondents are individual employees of SMEs that have been using ERP for one year or longer. To prevent common method bias, Task-Technology Fit items used as the control variable were made to be answered by different respondents. In total, 127 pairs of valid questionnaires were collected and used for the analysis. The PLS(Partial Least Squares) approach to structural equation modeling(PLS-Graph v.3.0) was used as our data analysis strategy because of its ability to model both formative and reflective latent constructs under small-and medium-size samples. The analysis shows Reliability, Construct Validity and Discriminant Validity are appropriate. The path analysis results are as follows; first, the more there is peer IT champ support, the more the end user is likely to show feedback-seeking behavior(path-coefficient=0.230, t=2.28, p<0.05). In other words, if colleagues proficient in information system use recognize the importance of their help, pass on what they have found to be an effective way of using the system or correct others' misuse, ordinary end users will be able to seek feedback on the faithfulness of their appropriation of information system without hesitation, because they know the convenience of getting help. Second, management support encourages ordinary end users to seek more feedback(path-coefficient=0.271, t=3.06, p<0.01) by affecting the end users' perceived value of feedback(path-coefficient=0.401, t=6.01, p<0.01). Management support is far more influential than other factors that when the management of an SME well understands the benefit of ERP, promotes its faithful appropriation and pays attention to employees' satisfaction with the system, employees will make deliberate efforts for faithful appropriation of the system. However, the third factor, IT staff support was found not to be conducive to feedback-seeking behavior from end users(path-coefficient=0.174, t=1.83). This is partly attributable to the fundamental reason that there is little support for end users from IT staff in SMEs. Even when IT staff provides support, end users may find it less important than that from coworkers more familiar with the end users' job. Meanwhile, the more end users seek feedback and attempt to find ways of faithful appropriation of information systems, the more likely the users will be able to deploy the system according to the purpose the system was originally meant for(path-coefficient=0.35, t=2.88, p<0.01). Finally, the mediation effect analysis confirmed the mediation effect of feedback-seeking behavior. By confirming the mediation effect of feedback-seeking behavior, this study draws attention to the importance of feedback-seeking behavior that has long been overlooked in research about information system use. This study also explores the factors that promote feedback-seeking behavior which in result could affect end user`s faithful appropriation of information systems. In addition, this study provides insight about which inducements or resources SMEs should offer to promote individual users' feedback-seeking behavior when formal and sufficient support from IT staff or an outside information system provider is hardly expected. As the study results show, under the business environment of SMEs, help from skilled colleagues and the management plays a critical role. Therefore, SMEs should seriously consider how to utilize skilled peer information system users, while the management should pay keen attention to end users and support them to make the most of information systems.