• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.51-89
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• 2007

INTRODUCTION Due to the high broadband internet penetration rate and its group-oriented culture, various types of online communities operate in Korea. This study use 'Uses and Gratification Approach, and argue that members' usage-needs satisfaction with brand community is an important factor for promoting community commitment. Based on previous studies identifying the effect of brand image on consumers' responses to various marketing stimuli, this study hypothesizes that brand image can be a moderate variable affecting the relationship between usage-needs satisfaction with brand community and members' commitment to brand community. This study analyzes the influence of usage-needs satisfaction on brand community commitment and how apparel brand image affects the relationships between usage-needs satisfactions and community commitments. The hypotheses of this study are proposed as follows. H1-3: The usage-needs satisfaction of apparel brand community (interest, transaction, relationship needs) influences emotional (H1), continuous (H2), and normative (H3) commitments to apparel brand communities. H4-6: Apparel brand image has a moderating effect on the relationship between usage-needs satisfaction and emotional (H4), continuous (H5), and normative (H6) commitments to apparel brand communities. METHODS Brand communities founded by non-company affiliates were excluded and emphasis was placed instead on communities created by apparel brand companies. Among casual apparel brands registered in 6 Korean portal sites in August 2003, a total of 9 casual apparel brand online communities were chosen, depending on the level of community activity and apparel brand image. Data from 317 community members were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis, moderated regression analysis, ANOVA, and scheffe test. Among 317 respondents answered an online html-type questionnaire, 80.5% were between 16 to 25 years old. There were a total of 150 respondents from apparel brand communities(n=3) recording higher-than-average brand image scores (Mean > 3.75) and a total of 162 respondents from apparel brand communities(n=6) recording lower-than-average brand image scores(Mean < 3.75). In this study, brand community commitment was measured by a 5-point Likert scale: emotional, continuous and normative commitment. The degree of usage-needs satisfaction (interest, transaction, relationship needs) was measured on a 5-point Likert scale. The level of brand image was measured by a 5-point Likert scale: strength, favorability, and uniqueness of brand associations. RESULTS In the results of exploratory factor analysis, the three usage-needs satisfactions with brand community were classified as interest, transaction, and relationship needs. Brand community commitment was also divided into the multi-dimensional factors: emotional, continuous, and normative commitments. The regression analysis (using a stepwise method) was used to test the influence of 3 independent variables (interest-needs satisfaction, transaction-needs, and relationship-needs satisfactions) on the 3 dependent variables (emotional, continuous and normative commitments). The three types of usage-needs satisfactions are positively associated with the three types of commitments to apparel brand communities. Therefore, hypothesis 1, 2, and 3 were significantly supported. Moderating effects of apparel brand image on the relationship between usage-needs satisfaction and brand community commitments were tested by moderated regression analysis. The statistics result showed that the influence of transaction-needs on emotional commitment was significantly moderated by apparel brand image. In addition, apparel brand image had moderating effects on the relationship between relationship-needs satisfaction and emotional, continuous and normative commitments to apparel brand communities. However, there were not significant moderate effects of apparel brand image on the relationships between interest-needs satisfaction and 3 types of commitments (emotional, continuous and normative commitments) to apparel brand communities. In addition, the influences of transaction-needs satisfaction on 2 types of commitments (continuous and normative commitments) were not significantly moderated by apparel brand image. Therefore, hypothesis 4, 5 and 6 were partially supported. To explain the moderating effects of apparel brand image, four cross-tabulated groups were made by averages of usage-needs satisfaction (interest-needs satisfaction avg. M=3.09, transaction-needs satisfaction avg. M=3.46, relationship-needs satisfaction M=1.62) and the average apparel brand image (M=3.75). The average scores of commitments in each classified group are presented in Tables and Figures. There were significant differences among four groups. As can be seen from the results of scheffe test on the tables, emotional commitment in community group with high brand image was higher than one in community group with low brand image when transaction-needs satisfaction was high. However, when transaction-needs satisfaction was low, there was not any difference between the community group with high brand image and community group with low brand image regarding emotional commitment to apparel brand communities. It means that emotional commitment didn't increase significantly without high satisfaction of transaction-needs, despite the high apparel brand image. In addition, when apparel brand image was low, increase in transaction-needs did not lead to the increase in emotional commitment. Therefore, the significant relationship between transaction-needs satisfaction and emotional commitment was found in only brand communities with high apparel brand image, and the moderating effect of apparel brand image on this relationship between two variables was found in the communities with high satisfaction of transaction-needs only. Statistics results showed that the level of emotional commitment is related to the satisfaction level of transaction-needs, while overall response is related to the level of apparel brand image. We also found that the role of apparel brand image as a moderating factor was limited by the level of transaction-needs satisfaction. In addition, relationship-needs satisfaction brought significant increase in emotional commitment in both community groups (high and low levels of brand image), and the effect of apparel brand image on emotional commitment was significant in both community groups (high and low levels of relationship-needs satisfaction). Especially, the effect of brand image was greater when the level of relationship-needs satisfaction was high. in contrast, increase in emotional commitment responding to increase in relationship-needs satisfaction was greater when apparel brand image is high. The significant influences of relationship-needs satisfaction on community commitments (continuous and normative commitments) were found regardless of apparel brand image(in both community groups with low and high brand image). However, the effects of apparel brand image on continuous and normative commitments were found in only community group with high satisfaction level of relationship-needs. In the case of communities with low satisfaction levels of relationship needs, apparel brand image marginally increases continuous and normative commitments. Therefore, we could not find the moderating effect of apparel brand image on the relationship between relationship-needs satisfaction and continuous and normative commitments in community groups with low satisfaction levels of relationship needs, CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS From the results of this study, we draw several conclusions; First, the increases in usage-needs satisfactions through apparel brand communities result in the increases in commitments to apparel brand communities, wheres the degrees of such relationship depends on the level of apparel brand image. That is, apparel brand image is a moderating factor strengthening the relationship between usage-needs satisfaction and commitment to apparel brand communities. In addition, the effect of apparel brand image differs, depending on the level and types of community usage-needs satisfactions. Therefore, marketers of apparel brand companies must determine the appropriate usage-needs, depending on the type of commitment they wish to increase and the level of their apparel brand image, to promote member's commitments to apparel brand communities. Especially, relationship-needs satisfaction was very important factor for increasing emotional, continuous and normative commitments to communities. However the level of relationship-needs satisfaction was lower than interest-needs and transaction-needs. satisfaction. According to previous study on apparel brand communities, relationship-need satisfaction was strongly related to member's intention of participation in their communities. Therefore, marketers need to develope various strategies in order to increase the relationship- needs as well as interest and transaction needs. In addition, despite continuous commitment was higher than emotional and normative commitments, all types of commitments to apparel brand communities had scores lower than 3.0 that was mid point in 5-point scale. A Korean study reported that the level of members' commitment to apparel brand community influenced customers' identification with a brand and brand purchasing behavior. Therefore, marketers should try to increase members' usage-needs satisfaction and apparel brand image as the necessary conditions for bringing about community commitments. Second, marketers should understand that they should keep in mind that increasing the level of community usage needs (transaction and relationship) is most effective in raising commitment when the level of apparel brand image is high, and that increasing usage needs (transaction needs) satisfaction in communities with low brand image might not be as effective as anticipated. Therefore, apparel companies with desirable brand image such as luxury designer goods firms need to create formal online brand communities (as opposed to informal communities with rudimentary online contents) to satisfy transaction and relationship needs systematically. It will create brand equity through consumers' increased emotional, continuous and normative commitments. Even though apparel brand is very famous, emotional commitment to apparel brand communities cannot be easily increased without transaction-needs satisfaction. Therefore famous fashion brand companies should focus on developing various marketing strategies to increase transaction-needs satisfaction.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.339-345
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• 2014

This study was performed to develop a rapid immuno-assay kit, by using a specific antigen to detect Hanwoo brand meat. We selected a synthetic antigen specific to our target antibody, named BIO-TAG (Tyr-D-Ala-Phe), by utilizing a computer-based analysis and literature review. BIO-TAG tagged with adjuvant was subcutaneously injected in sheep and Hanwoo. The serum and meat juice of the immunized or non-immunized animal were then analyzed, to measure the titer of antibody by ELISA and Western blot. The amount of antibodies against the BIO-TAG increased (p<0.05) in serum by vaccination. Furthermore, meat juice from the immunized Hanwoo showed greater (p<0.05) antibody titer, compared with those from non-immunized groups. To optimze the dilution factor, we performed dot-ELISA, with various combination levels of BIO-TAG. Results from dot-ELISA showed that 2 mg/mL BIO-TAG was sufficient to distinguish the immunized meat from non-immunized groups. These results support our hypothesis that simple immunization of Hanwoo generates a sufficient amount of antibodies to be detectable in the meat juice by means of the immune-assay. Therefore, specific Hanwoo brand meat can be more precisely identified by our rapid diagnostic kit. This technology can deter possible fraud of counterfeit meat brands in the Korean domestic market with ease and rapidity; and offers a new tool that guarantees consumers high quality Hanwoo brand beef.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.8
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• pp.17-29
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• 2014

Purpose - The use of corporate social activities to implement the concept of corporate social responsibility enhances brand equity and attitude, and strengthens economic competitiveness. In areas such as mobile communications, companies take the responsibility of protecting customers and enhance the quality of the mobile communication service, helping to make an effort to obey the regulations of the public trade order and fair trade agreement, enabling a healthy society through communication with elderly living alone or youths without parents, and enhancing marketing strategies. Research design, data, and methodology - To test the hypothesis, a survey was conducted. The surveyed population includes people who use the big three mobile communication services. The survey was conducted from October 4th to October 14th, 2013. A total of 500 survey questionnaires were circulated and 483 were collected; out of these, 32 were excluded due to missing or incomprehensible information. The data was analyzed with SPSS 18.0 via frequency analysis, trust analysis, search factor analysis, relationship analysis, confirmation factor analysis using AMOS 18.0, and structural equation model analysis. Results - Research on corporate social responsibility has been frequently conducted recently. Companies are perceived as social constituents satisfying the social desires of people in addition to customer needs. Further, companies are returning profits to society to satisfy community needs, because there is greater emphasis on the social responsibilities of companies. Companies' social responsibilities should include marketing strategies and the identification of customer needs. This study shows that social service activities influence brand value, which influences customer attitudes; therefore, social service activities indirectly influence customer attitudes. In order to increase customers' purchasing intention, it is essential to improve brand image via social services and provide a distinctive quality of service. Conclusions - This research has used the purposive selection method in the empirical analysis to identify the effect of social services on brand value and customer attitude. Therefore, this study revealed that businesses, whose ultimate objective is to improve customers' purchasing intention, should promote their brand equity through corporate social responsibility activities and offer a distinct service quality. Limitations in the progress of research were found and future indications to overcome these limitations are suggested as follows. First, survey responders had a limited understanding of social responsibilities; therefore, this concept needs to be explained to people first. Second, the research was done on people who live in Daejeon; thus, it is not representative of the entire country. The research has to be repeated with people in other cities. Third, there is a limitation in the study because the purposive selection method was used on Daejeon customers. In the future, a more precise selection of the population is needed. Fourth, Daejeon has unique geographical and size characteristics. Thus, customers in Seoul and other areas may display different characteristics and research on them may reveal different findings. Therefore, again, this study has to be repeated in other areas.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.58-71
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• 1999

The purposes of this study were to investigate the differences inbrand identification ability, opinions on purchasing imported casual wears and purchase behaviors among the high school students grouped by the attitudes toward imported casula wears. Data were obtained from 452 high school students in Seoul by using self-administered questionnaires. Chi-Square Analysis and ANOVA by SAS statistical package were used for data analysis. The subject with favorable toward imported casual wears suggested higher price levels as appropriate price levels of jeans, were more positive about purchasing imported causal wears than the less favorable. Those with more favorable attitudes tended to purchase at individual stores and to have more experiences in purchasing imported brands, spent higher amount of monthly clothing expenditures, searched information mostly through the conversation with peers, and indicated design as the most important evaluative criteria used when purchase clothing. Most of the high school students relied on their parents as the sources of allowances to purchased clothing.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2023

Social networking is gaining speed and has grown indispensable as technology develops. As a result, social media, particularly Facebook, Instagram, and influencer marketing, are replacing conventional marketing trends. The top 15 search terms for Mongolian women between the ages of 18 and 34 in 2019 on Facebook were cosmetics and shopping. Companies use social media, the main tool of social media, to promote their products while simultaneously increasing productivity at a minimal cost. In Mongolia, finding out about cosmetic brand products on social media is rather usual. The impact of social media influencers on the purchasing of cosmetic brands must thus be researched. We aimed to find out the relationship between attractiveness, authenticity, communication ability, and influence, which are characteristics of beauty influencers, on product purchase intention and identification between consumers and followers (information acceptance, purchase intention). Communication ability and influence appeared to have a statistically significant positive (+) effect on identification. On the other hand, attractiveness, communication ability, and influence all showed a statistically significant positive (+) effect on information acceptance. Identification and information acceptance has s significant positive effect on purchase intention.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.349-359
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• 2017

The objective of this study is to review the safety and health information displayed on containers of humidifier disinfectants (HD). We summarized not only general characteristics related to the marketing and manufacturing of HD, such as the duration sold and the name of the company, but also the safety and health information, such as identification of disinfectants, recommended use volume, and precautions. All of this information was reviewed by HD brand. We collected safety and health information from 31 HD brands. We found that companies that sold and manufactured HD brands differ. Two companies were found to sell their HD without permission after 2011 when the health effects caused by HD were widely known. The name of the disinfectants were not identified on the container of HD. The recommended volumes were found not to be based on toxicological evidence and set without consideration of the level of susceptibility of users. Most companies displayed phrases such "this HD is safe for humans, even children" on the front of the container. No inhalation and skin toxicity precautions were provided. In conclusion, most HD did not properly display information related to safety and health to protect the health of HD users. There has been no official investigation to evaluate the risks posed by HD, such as the sales volume by HD, identification of chemical disinfectants, or their concentration, nor have there been actions to control the chemical quality of HD. In addition, government actions to punish the malicious practices of companies that manufactured and sold HD were found to inappropriate.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.69-102
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• 2012

Owing to increased number of luxury brand users, both genuine and counterfeit luxury product consumption continues to increase every year. Luxury brand is defined as use or display of a particular branded products which brings the ownership prestige apart from its functional utility(Grossmand and Shapiro 1988). Some luxury brands have imitations sold in marketplace due to their popularity. These imitations or counterfeits have been jumping on the bandwagon of the upturn in sales of their originals. The purpose of our study is to understand consumer's underlying motives to consume luxury brands, genuine and or counterfeits. To do this, we propose functional theories of attitudes, decision-making styles, and life attitudes to form the determining causes for different consumption choices of luxury brands: genuine brands, counterfeit brands, both genuine and counterfeit brands, and no consumption on luxury brands types. In proposed causal pathways, we examine moderated effects of socio-psychological factors to further investigate if consumer profiles would exert influences in causal relationships. From the existing theories of functional attitudes: value-expressive and social-adjustive attitudes, we developed and introduced a new measure of rationality-consumptive attitude. From the existing eight decision-making characteristics of consumer styles inventory(CSI), three measures of high-quality, hedonic-shopping, and price-shopping styles were primarily applied in the study along with newly introduced measure of 'high-price' being added, which makes four total. Seven life attitude measures of life purpose, life control, will to meaning, goal seeking, future mean to fulfill, life satisfaction, and religiosity were applied. Finally, such socio-psychological measures as age, gender, marital status, income, and age-gap between couples were assumed to function as moderators. With 430 valid study samples, ages from 20s to 50s, with more females(316) than males(114), with average personal possessions of 5 genuine and 9 counterfeit luxury brands, we conducted questionnaire survey. Results indicated that social-adjustive function is totally disappeared in the relationship due to current social trend of widespread consumptions on both genuine and counterfeit brands which in turn, make consumers feel less special on wearing or carrying them unlike in the past. Self-expressive function and rationality-consumptive functions act as strong catalysts for genuine brand consumption and counterfeit brand consumption, respectively. On consumers' decision-making styles, high-price sublation is the most powerful indicator anticipating counterfeit consumption, even more powerful than personal incomes. In life attitude, the overall model fit was not validated, and only life control and life satisfaction are proven to be significant on both genuine and counterfeit product consumptions. Employment of socio-psychological factors in the model improved understanding of users further. Young consumers tend to go for genuine products over counterfeits. Consumers in different income groups; low, medium and high, all significantly consume genuine products for reasons of different decision-making styles. The results indicated that consumers whose personal disposition is predisposed to consume products in the form of reflection of his or her personality, go only for genuine brands for quality reason, while consumers who rationally consume products for its function or usability, go only for counterfeits for high-price sublation reason. Meanwhile, both product users support for high-price orientation who are not well off.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.166-182
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• 2016

This study intended to verify the impact of non-verbal communication of servers in the service industry on the affective path among customer's positive emotion, self-identification, and loyalty(behavioral and attitudinal loyalty). The data of 397 customers of typical fast food restaurants in Busan and Gyeongsangbuk-do area were analyzed with SPSS and AMOS, and the hypotheses were verified through structural equation model after frequency analysis, as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. According to the empirical analysis, all three components of server non-verbal communication in the service industry, body language, pseudo language, and body appearance, in respective order, had positive (+) influences on the positive emotion of customers. In addition, customer emotion had a positive (+) influence on brand self-identification. Finally, self-identification had a positive (+) influence on behavior loyalty and attitudinal loyalty. This study suggested practical implications and logical implications in the course of developing emotional loyalty for restaurant companies.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.46 no.7
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• pp.35-45
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• 2008

For the highly involved and emotional product, such as cosmetic product, the consumer focuses on the information about the symbolic meaning of a product. As a continuum, cosmetic advertising frequently requires a celebrity and/or cue since it provides identification between customer and cosmetic. Although many studies have examined the effectiveness of the congruence between brand image and self-image, there are little research regarding the congruence between advertising image and self image. The objective of this study is to examine the attitudinal effectiveness of the congruence between cosmetic advertising image and self-image. For the experiment, 2(ad type: rational vs emotional) factorial designs were performed. A total of 240 undergraduate female students participated in the experiment. The results of the study are as follows. First, the congruence had a significantly positive influence on advertising attitude, but not on brand attitude. Second, the type of cosmetic advertising caused differences in attitudinal persuasiveness affected by the congruence.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.148-155
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• 2010

After the first-ever international espresso coffee shop Starbucks Korea opened its first branch near Ewha University in Korea, positioning of divers foreign cultures among us and changes of life style due to the gross income growth have leaded to the growth of the number of needs for espresso coffee shops and, therefore, international espresso shops have been launching their shops in Korea. While the foreign shops have been holding most of the domestic market share, domestic espresso coffee shops like Hollys and Angel-In-Us have been penetrating the market with differentiated marketing strategies that a espresso coffee shop is no longer considered as just a shop, but a cultural product to Korean. Along with the recent changes, customers have started to laying emphasis on interior and each of the domestic coffee shops has been changing its interior designs by establishing own brand identification. Base on the Starbucks' success case, the domestic coffee shops have been adopting emotional marketing which would stimulate and arouse customers' emotions. The purpose of this study is to present systematic data which would be applied in an espresso coffee shop planning by researching applied emotional design elements of the domestic coffee shops interior designs in depth and finding their characteristics.