• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.152-161
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• 2023

Modern people live a life connected with the real world and the virtual world by relying on the new media of enterprises and social consumption led by innovative technologies. In this environment, virtual influencers actively communicate with consumers and build relationships through social media, which is a new marketing tool that has attracted widespread attention. From a business perspective, it is necessary to have a solid understanding of this phenomenon, and then explore communication strategies to effectively develop virtual influencers. To investigate followers' preference for virtual influencers, this study employs the Q-method, which studies human subjective attributes, an empirical research effort to uncover complex issues in human subjectivity. To determine the factors that trigger people's voluntary and active practice and the preference degree of virtual influencers, the Q method is implemented to examine human subjectivity, thoughts and attitudes. According to the results of this study, virtual influencers are a new group of idols full of vitality. The interviews found that there are still many virtual influencers who do not know about followers, but each type can be clearly understood through the intuitive understanding of the interviewees. Divided out, type 1 one egoideal virtual influencers aim to represent an idealized version of the creator or target audience. Embodies ideal physical characteristics, personality or lifestyle desired by the audience. Type 2 is charismatic and attractive, and has the characteristics of most virtual influencers. It is suggested that it can be developed into a potential type, doing brand cooperation, and content production on social media platforms. Type 3: Game animation, derived from the image of characters in games or comics, with stylized features and energetic personalities, which can be integrated into games or entertainment experiences. Type 4 development potential type is the most successful type among virtual imagers, and it is also the purpose of marketing virtual influencers. It is essential that brand endorsement on social media platforms, integrated marketing, and driving advertising traffic. It is recommended to improve production technology to reduce investment costs.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.132-149
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• 2023

This study aims to analyze Instagram hashtags based on big data to investigate changes in consumer trends and perceptions of vegan fashion, and to derive strategies for revitalizing vegan fashion brands based on derived results. Among social media, Instagram was selected as a collection channel, and Instagram hashtags for 'Vegan Fashion' were collected from July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021. After conducting semantic network analysis with the Ucinet 6 program based on the collected data, the CONCOR analysis on vegan fashion showed the following four clusters: 'Veganism practiced with fashion', 'Bag type of vegan fashion brand', 'Sharing vegan fashion', and 'Diversification of eco-friendly products'. Analysis results showed that the Instagram hashtag for vegan fashion confirmed the MZ generation's increased interest in vegan fashion and their thoughts to recommend and share frequently used items or brand products to people around them. CONCOR analysis of vegan fashion brands showed the following four groups: 'Differentiating the material of vegan bags', 'Eco-friendly products of vegan fashion brands', 'Interest in vegan shoes', and 'Donation campaign of vegan fashion brands'. CONCOR analysis on Meaningout showed the following four clusters: 'MZ Generation's Meaningout Start-up', 'Recommendation Platform for Skin Products', 'Value Consumption Trend for Eco-friendly Clothing', and 'Interest in Eco-friendly Packaging'. The results of this study on vegan fashion, a practical eco-friendly movement that can require changes in social responsibility and perception as issues that directly affect animals, the environment, and humans, are expected to provide basic data to help domestic vegan fashion brands develop marketing strategies.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.37-42
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• 2022

An influence analysis on multiple steam generator tube rupture (mSGTR) followed by an unmitigated station blackout is performed to compare the plant responses according to the number of ruptured u-tubes under the assumption of a total of 10 ruptured u-tubes. In all calculation cases, the transient behaviour of major thermal-hydraulic parameters, such as the discharge flow rate through the ruptured u-tubes, reactor header pressure, and void fraction in the fuel channels is found to be overall similar to that of the base case having a single SG with 10 u-tubes ruptured. Additionally, as the conditions of low-flow coolant with high void fraction in the broken loop continued, causing the degradation of decay heat removal, the peak cladding temperature (PCT) would be expected to exceed the limit criteria for ensuring nuclear fuel integrity. However, despite the same total number of ruptured u-tubes, because of the different connection configuration between the SG and pressurizer, a difference is foud in time between the pressurizer low-level signal and reactor header low-pressure signal, affecting the time to trip the reactor and to reach the PCT limit. The present study is expected to provide the technical basis for the accident management strategy for mSGTR transient conditions of CANDU-6 plants.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.185-197
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• 2012

Caffe Bene, one of the most notable coffeehouse chain brands in Republic of Korea, gives us some thought-provoking issues in terms of sustainable success. Despite harsh competition among various coffeehouse brands, Caffe Bene has been accomplished astonishing outcomes in domestic market and now ranked 2^nd place in sales among the global coffeehouse franchise in 2010 and 2011. These achievements were possible mainly because Caffe Bene adopted distinctive shop design, maintained aggressive marketing strategy, developed new menu, and combined the unique Korean culture with ordinary concept of café to make its place attractive. However, since Korean coffeehouse market is getting saturated and consumers are becoming savvy about coffee, Caffe Bene needs to find a new solution to overcome growth stagnation. Besides, many experts pointed out that irrational increase in the number of stores might hurt its business in the aspect of managing distribution channel and providing consistent services. Also, customers of Caffe Bene have shown that it has to complement its critical weaknesses: inferior coffee taste and relatively high price for a cup of coffee. Especially, some people view that the company is shifting its high rental fee, interior cost and PPL marketing cost to consumers by charging high price for coffee. To get over the problems, Caffe Bene is currently using C/S Consumer Management System though experts are questioning about the efficacy because of the conflict between purpose of the system and the headquarters' plan. Present CEO Kim also announced that the company will complete its logistics system in the latter half of 2012 to provide stores with more high quality coffee beans to improve taste of coffee. Thus, in this case, we describe how Caffe Bene succeeded in Korean market and enumerate its key success factors. Also, we specify the long-term goals of Caffe Bene and introduce the current policies and strategies to show how the company is working on to achieve its ultimate goal. By reading and analyzing this business case, students could get useful insights regarding franchise management and think about issues on competing in a saturated market. Also, it would be worthwhile to generate creative solutions for the problems that Caffe Bene is now facing to broaden the practical perspective.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.5-12
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• 2010

The retail business of drugstore was introduced to Korea for the first time 10 years ago. Since Olive Young introduced a retail store in the name of drugstore in 1999 for the first time in Korea, new distribution channel combining drugstore, cosmetic products and dairy products, etc has been made. At initial stage, the new distribution channel grew up slowly because of low specialty and economic stagnation. However, the three big distribution channels, that is to say, Olive Young (CJ), Watsons (GS) and W Store (Kolon Well Care), etc, were established to produce new distribution system following large-scaled discount stores as well as convenience stores. The purpose of the study is to investigate ways making Korean style drugstore be new retail business in addition to traditional markets, department stores, E-Mart and other general super markets and to examine problems preventing the drugstore from being promoted and to find out solutions. The speciality retailers that is called a category killer attacking department stores as well as marts is expanding market quickly. New consumption trend that gives priority to wellbeing is being expanded in accordance with high level of standards of living life: The drugstore is thought to be new alternative of distribution because it keeps special products. Young ladies who are main customers of drugstores respond to the trend sensitively to have more buying power that is thought to be promising. And, consumers' desire has become concrete and special. This is because consumers want not only convenient shopping but also special shopping system that is current trend. These days, so called Multi-shop and Total shop and other special shops have been recently opened. Special multi-shop has been concentrated on fashion product and miscellaneous goods so far: Health total wellbeing shop shall be popular in accordance with wellbeing trends. Drugstores can play an important role. Drugstores were opened for the first time ten years ago. In particular, Olive Young succeeded in going into the black after making efforts for a long time by many persons. Drugstores could succeed in the business owing to many persons in the past as well as customers who liked drugstores. However, drugstores once lost ways and recorded poor business results. The three drugstores, that is to say, Olive Young, Watsons making efforts to go into the black and W-Store pursuing traditional drugstore shall compete each other and make effort to satisfy customers' desire. In that way, the three drugstores can be assured of present business as well as future business. The consumers' demand trend has become special at sub-division so that drugstores that can satisfy the demand can succeed in the business. Large businesses may be more interested in the 4th generation retail business to produce good income and to have bright future. Drugstore business and market are likely to expand and develop owing to large business' participation in drugstore business. Drugstores expanded shop at Seoul and Gyeonggi-do until middle of 2000. Drugstore business at station sphere in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do that have high ratio of temporary population has low customer loyalty to have limitation on continuous growth. Since 2009, drugstores have opened new shops at local towns: From the year of 2010, drugstores need to establish multiple shop strategy by accelerating business speed and to allow customers to drop in the shop anywhere in the nation and to enter consumers' life deeply, so that they can strengthen business base definitely. Drugstores need to have price competitiveness to have multiple shop opening strategy and to satisfy consumers and to supply high quality services that is future subject to solve. And, Olive Young and Watsons that are Korean style drugstore need to keep system in order and to strengthen substance as Korean style drugstore and to expand marketing, so that they can get business outcome within 5 years that was done 10 years before and they become the 4th generation retail business. The study had difficulties at collecting material from the three drugstore because of poor cooperation. And, the author had great difficulty at collecting statistical material that was made in disorder. Further effort is needed considering such problems.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.57-79
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• 2016

It is a rising trend that the number of users using one of the social media channels, the Social Network Service, so called the SNS, is getting increased. As per to this social trend, more companies have interest in this networking platform and start to invest their funds in it. It has received much attention as a tool spreading and expanding the message that a company wants to deliver to its customers and has been recognized as an important channel in terms of the relationship marketing with them. The environment of media that is radically changing these days makes possible for companies to approach their customers in various ways. Particularly, the social network service, which has been developed rapidly, provides the environment that customers can freely talk about products. For companies, it also works as a channel that gives customized information to customers. To succeed in the online environment, companies need to not only build the relationship between companies and customers but focus on the relationship between customers as well. In response to the online environment with the continuous development of technology, companies have tirelessly made the novel marketing strategy. Especially, as the one-to-one marketing to customers become available, it is more important for companies to maintain the relationship marketing with their customers. Among many SNS, Facebook, which many companies use as a communication channel, provides a fan page service for each company that supports its business. Facebook fan page is the platform that the event, information and announcement can be shared with customers using texts, videos, and pictures. Companies open their own fan pages in order to inform their companies and businesses. Such page functions as the websites of companies and has a characteristic of their brand communities such as blogs as well. As Facebook has become the major communication medium with customers, companies recognize its importance as the effective marketing channel, but they still need to investigate their business performances by using Facebook. Although there are infinite potentials in Facebook fan page that even has a function as a community between users, which other platforms do not, it is incomplete to regard companies' Facebook fan pages as communities and analyze them. In this study, it explores the relationship among customers through the network of the Facebook fan page users. The previous studies on a company's Facebook fan page were focused on finding out the effective operational direction by analyzing the use state of the company. However, in this study, it draws out the structural variable of the network, which customer committment can be measured by applying the social network analysis methodology and investigates the influence of the structural characteristics of network on the business performance of companies in an empirical way. Through each company's Facebook fan page, the network of users who engaged in the communication with each company is exploited and it is the one-mode undirected binary network that respectively regards users and the relationship of them in terms of their marketing activities as the node and link. In this network, it draws out the structural variable of network that can explain the customer commitment, who pressed "like," made comments and shared the Facebook marketing message, of each company by calculating density, global clustering coefficient, mean geodesic distance, diameter. By exploiting companies' historical performance such as net income and Tobin's Q indicator as the result variables, this study investigates influence on companies' business performances. For this purpose, it collects the network data on the subjects of 54 companies among KOSPI-listed companies, which have posted more than 100 articles on their Facebook fan pages during the data collection period. Then it draws out the network indicator of each company. The indicator related to companies' performances is calculated, based on the posted value on DART website of the Financial Supervisory Service. From the academic perspective, this study suggests a new approach through the social network analysis methodology to researchers who attempt to study the business-purpose utilization of the social media channel. From the practical perspective, this study proposes the more substantive marketing performance measurements to companies performing marketing activities through the social media and it is expected that it will bring a foundation of establishing smart business strategies by using the network indicators.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.41-51
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• 2013

The tidal creek dependent mass transport characteristic in Gyeong-Gi Bay (west coast of Korea) was studied using field measured data and numerical model. Gyeong-Gi Bay consists of 3 main tidal channels and contains a well-developed vast tidal flat. This region is famous for its large tidal difference and strong current. We aim to study the effect of tidal creek in the tidal flat on the mass exchange between the estuary and the ocean. For numerical application, the application of unstructured grid feature is essential, since the tidal creek has complicated shape and form. For this purpose, the FVCOM is applied to the study area and simulation is performed for 2 different cases. In case A, geographic characteristics of the tidal creek is ignored in the numerical grid and in case B, the tidal creek are constructed using unstructured grid. And these 2 cases are compared with the field measured cross-channel mass transport data. The cross-channel mass transport at the Yeomha waterway mouth and Incheon harbor was measured in June, 9~10 (Spring tide) and 17~18 (Neap tide), 2009. CTD casting and ADCP cross-channel transect was conducted 13 times in one tidal cycle. The observation data analysis results showed that mass transport has characteristic of the ebb dominance Line 1 (Yeomha waterway mouth), on the other hand, a flood dominant characteristic is shown in Line 2 (Incheon harbor front). By comparing the numerical model (case A & B) with observation data, we found that the case B results show much better agreement with measurement data than case A. It is showed that the geographic feature of tidal creek should be considered in grid design of numerical model in order to understand the mass transport characteristics over large tidal flat area.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.35 no.4A
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• pp.332-340
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• 2010

In this paper, we deal with multi-user diversity scheduling methods that transmit simultaneously signals from multiple users using superposition coding multiplexing. These methods can make various scheduling methods be obtained, according to strategies for user selection priority from the first user to the first-following users, strategies for per-user power allocation, and resulting combining strategies. For the first user selection, we consider three strategies such as 1) higher priority for a user with a better channel state, 2) following the proportional fair scheduling (PFS) priority, 3) higher priority for a user with a lower average serving rate. For selection of the first-following users, we consider the identical strategies for the first user selection. However, in the second strategy, we can decide user priorities according to the original PFS ordering, or only once an additional user for power allocation according to the PFS criterion by considering a residual power and inter-user interference. In the strategies for power allocation, we consider two strategies as follows. In the first strategy, it allocates a power to provide a permissible per-user maximum rate. In the second strategy, it allocates a power to provide a required per-user minimum rate, and then it reallocates the residual power to respective users with a rate greater than the required minimum and less than the permissible maximum. We consider three directions for scheduling such as maximizing the sum rate, maximizing the fairness, and maximizing the sum rate while maintaining the PFS fairness. We select the max CIR, max-min fair, and PF scheduling methods as their corresponding reference methods [1 and references therein], and then we choose candidate scheduling methods which performances are similar to or better than those of the corresponding reference methods in terms of the sum rate or the fairness while being better than their corresponding performances in terms of the alternative metric (fairness or sum rate). Through computer simulations, we evaluate the sum rate and Jain’s fairness index (JFI) performances of various scheduling methods according to the number of users.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.17-26
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• 2010

Recently concerns have been raised due to the unbalanced supply of crops: the price of crops has been unstable and at one point the price went up so high that the word Agflation(agriculture+ inflation) was coined. Korea, in particular, is a small-sized country and needs to secure the stable supply of crops by investing in the produce importation at a national level. Investment in foreign produce importation is becoming more important as a measure for sufficient supply of crops, limited supply of domestic crops, weakened farming conditions worldwide, as well as recent changes in the use of crops due to the development of bio-fuels, influence of carbon emission on crops, the price increase in crops, and influx of foreign hot money. However, there are many problems with investing in foreign produce importation: lack of support from the government; lack of farming information and technology; difficulty in securing the capital; no immediate pay-off from the investment and insufficient management. Although foreign produce is originally more price-competitive than domestic produce, it loses its competiveness in the process of importation (due to high tariffs) and poor distribution system, which makes it difficult to sell in Korea. Therefore, investment in foreign produce importation is being questioned for feasibility; to make it possible, foreign produce must maintain the price-competitiveness. Especially, harvest of agricultural products depends on natural and geographical conditions of each country and those products have indigenous properties, so distribution system according to import and export of agricultural products should be treated more carefully than that of other industries. Distribution costs are differentiated into each item and include cost of sorting and wrapping, cost of wrapping materials, cost of domestic transport, cost of international transport and cost of clearing customs for import and export. So transporting and storing agricultural products generates considerable costs compared with other products. Also, due to upgrade of dietary life, needs for stability, taste and visible quality toward food including agricultural products are being raised and wrong way of storage causes decomposition of food and loss of freshness, making the storage more difficult than that in room temperature, so storage and transport in distribution of agricultural products needs specialty. In addition, because lack of specialty in distribution and circulation such as storage and wrapping does not solve limit factors in distance, the distribution and circulation has been limited to a form of import and export within short-distant region. Therefore, need for distribution out-sourcing which can satisfy specialty in managing distribution and circulation and it is needed to establish more effective distribution system. However, existing distribution system of agricultural products is exposed to various problems including problems in distribution channel, making distribution and strategy for distribution and those problems are as follows. First, in case of investment in overseas agricultural industry, stable supply of the products is difficult because areas of production are dispersed widely and influenced by outer factors due to including overseas distribution channels. Also, at the aspect of quality, standardization of products is difficult, distribution system is quite complicated and unreasonable due to long distribution channels according to international trade and financial and institutional support is not enough. Especially, there are quite a lot of ineffective factors including multi level distribution process, dramatic gap between production cost and customer's cost, lack of physical distribution facilities and difficulties in storage and transport due to lack of wrapping containers. Besides, because import and export of agricultural products has been manages under the company's own distribution according to transaction contract between manufacturers and exporting company, efficiency is low due to excessive investment in fixed costs and lack of specialty in dealing with agricultural products causes fall of value of products, showing the limit to lose price-competitiveness. Especially, because lack of specialty in distribution and circulation such as storage and wrapping does not solve limit factors in distance, the distribution and circulation has been limited to a form of import and export within short-distant region. Therefore, need for distribution out-sourcing which can satisfy specialty in managing distribution and circulation and it is needed to establish more effective distribution system. Second, among tangible and intangible services which promote the efficiency of the whole distribution, a function building distribution environment which includes distribution information, system for standard and inspection, distribution finance, system for diversification of risks, education and training, distribution administration and tax system is wanted. In general, such a function building distribution environment is difficult to be changed and supplement innovatively because its effect compared with investment does not appear immediately despite of its necessity. Especially, in case of distribution of agricultural products, as a function of collecting and distributing is performed individually through various channels, the importance of distribution information and standardization is getting more focus due to the problem of repetition of work and lack of specialty. Also, efficient management of distribution is quite difficult due to lack of professionals in distribution, so support to professional education is needed. Third, though effort to keep self-sufficiency ratio of staple food, rice is regarded as important at the government level, level of dependency on overseas of others crops is high. Therefore, plan for stable securing food resources aside from staple food is also necessary. Especially, governmental organizations of agricultural products distribution in Korea are production-centered and have unreasonable structure whose function at the aspect of distribution and consumption is quite insufficient. And development of new distribution channels which can deal with changes in distribution environment and they do not achieve actual results of strategy for distribution due to non-positive strategy for price distribution. That is, it implies the possibility that base for supply will become vulnerable because it does not mediate appropriate interests on total distribution channels such as manufacturers, wholesale dealers and vendors by emphasizing consumer protection excessively in the distribution of agricultural products. Therefore, this study examined fundamental concept and actual situation for our investment to overseas agriculture, drew necessities, considerations, problems, etc. of overseas agricultural investment and suggested improvements at the level of distribution for price competitiveness of agricultural products cultivated in overseas under five aspects; government's indirect support, distribution's modernization and distribution information function's strengthening, government's political support for distribution facility, transportation route, load and unloading works' improvement, price competitiveness' securing, professional manpower's cultivation by education and training, etc. Here are some suggestions for foreign produce importation. First, the government should conduct a survey on the current distribution channels and analyze the situation to establish a measure for long-term development plans. By providing each agricultural area with a guideline for planning appropriate production of crops, the government can help farmers be ready for importation, and prevent them from producing same crops all at the same time. Government can sign an MOU with the foreign government and promote the importation so that the development of agricultural resources can be stable and steady. Second, the government can establish a strategy for an effective distribution system by providing farmers and agriculture-related workers with the distribution information such as price, production, demand, market structure and location, feature of each crop, and etc. In order for such distribution system to become feasible, the government needs to reconstruct the current distribution system, designate a public organization for providing distribution information and set the criteria for level of produce quality, trade units, and package units. Third, the government should provide financial support and a policy to seek an efficient distribution channel for foreign produce to be delivered fresh: the government should expand distribution facilities (for selecting, packaging, storing, and processing) and transportation vehicles while modernizing old facilities. There should be another policy to improve the efficiency of unloading, and to lower the cost of distribution. Fourth, it is necessary to enact a new law covering exceptional cases for importing produce in order to maintain the price competitiveness; currently the high tariffs is keeping the imported produce from being distributed domestically. However, the new adjustment should be made carefully within the WTO regulations since it can create a problem from giving preferential tariffs. The government can also simplify the distribution channels in order to reduce the cost in the distribution process. Fifth, the government should educate distributors to raise the efficiency and to modernize the distribution system. It is necessary to develop human resources by educating people regarding the foreign agricultural environment, the produce quality, management skills, and by introducing some successful cases in advanced countries.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.7
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• pp.261-281
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• 2001

As a new environment, the Internet proposes to us the innovative change of our life. With difficulty, we can go after the Internet's potentiality and the growth speed of technology. In the new stream of innovation technology, we can probably feel the fear of tremendous changes, the reverse, also hope to get the opportunity that come out of Internet world. EC(Electronic Commerce) that out of the evolution of Internet technology gets a coporation changes to survive in 21st century. So the corporation must set the strategy to fit a Internet focused society. As one of them, a virtual store is opened on the Internet. Recently, there has been much attention to the Internet shopping mall as a new distribution channel and marketing tool. This study analyzed that the system environment, perceived product risk, easy of order, perceived security risk would have impact on the customer satisfaction in Electronic Commerce. The Purpose of this study is to develope the concept of the determinants of customer satisfaction and to test a theoretical framework that attempts to explain how the perception of satisfaction in Electronic Commerce. The proposed hypotheses were tested internet shopping mall users and the study results show all hypotheses are supported.