• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.980-990
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• 2008

This study tested how impulse buying behavior for apparel was related to hedonic consumption and impulse buying tendencies and emotion in the context of shopping. A total of 290 self-administered questionnaires were obtained from college students during scheduled classes. A structural equation model using a correlation matrix with maximum likelihood was estimated for examining the relationships among consumer tendencies of hedonic consumption and impulse buying, positive emotion, and impulse buying behaviors by LISREL 8.53. Findings showed that impulse buying behaviors for apparel could be classified into planned, reminded, and fashion-oriented impulse buying typologies. Hedonic consumption and impulse buying tendencies had significant effects on positive emotion. Positive emotion had a significant effect on planned, reminded, and fashion-oriented impulse buying for apparel. This study suggests that positive emotion plays an important role in determining impulse buying behaviors relevant to hedonic and impulse buying tendencies. Managerial implications for apparel retailers are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.1045-1061
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• 2016

This study clarifies differences in attitudes toward the Omni-Channel service (Pintech service, Beacon service, and Click and Collect service) and fashion consumption behavior among four clusters grouped by level of technology readiness. An online survey was conducted; 572 individuals between 20 and 30 years of age were collected, but only 539 were used. Factor analysis, cluster analysis, descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and frequency analysis were adopted to analyze data using SPSS 20.0. The results are as follows. Technology readiness was divided into four factors: optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and insecurity. Participants were divided into four groups according to four sub-factors of technology readiness: brave adopters, optimistic laggards, indifferent adopters, and critical adopters. These groups showed significant differences in attitudes toward the Omni-Channel service and fashion consumption behavior. Critical adopters and brave adopters recognized the value of the Omni-Channel service and had more positive attitudes toward it than other groups. Critical adopters also better perceived the risk of service with new technology that showed higher fashion innovativeness and monthly consumption of fashion products than other groups. We inferred that the indifferent adopters did not use the Omni-Channel service or services offered by fashion retailers as much as other groups because indifferent adopters were less interested in both the Omni-Channel service and fashion consumption behavior than other groups. Optimistic laggards viewed the Omni-Channel service optimistically, despite perceptions of high risks to accompanying it and a low intent to use it. The results of this study assisted in the formation of a theoretical framework of consumer behavior associated with the Omni-Channel, which is an emerging issue in research related to distribution. The results can help fashion industries that operate consumer-oriented marketing based on Omni-Channel strategies.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.950-960
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• 2013

The purpose of this research is to provide accurate information of household washers and detergents for consumers, so that help the producers who make washing machine and detergent to get basic material and also help consumers to choose washing machine. Experiment was proceed with two type of washers to compare energy consumption, washing performance, rinsing effectiveness further, damage caused by entanglement of laundry and fabric was assessed. Detergent P and T were used to compare the performance related to differences of ingredients of detergent. Soiled fabrics of EMPA 108 set were used to evaluate performance of washing by different types of contamination. A summary of experimental results are : First, for the consumption of water, drum-type washer consumed 53% less than pulsator-type washer. On the other hand, the washing time was almost similar for both these machines, but pulsator-type washer showed shorter progress, implying that power saving was more efficient in this case. Second, the drum-type washer showed better performance for contamination with all types of detergent, but the pulsator-type washer showed better rinsing performance. Third, the drum-type washer performed less data of tangle level and fabric damage. Fourth, detergent "P" exhibited better washing performance than did detergent "T", regardless of the type of soil. And with no limit of detergent variety, water-soluble protein soil showed high removal rate, liposoluble soil especially pigment was hardly removed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.924-937
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• 2015

This study surveyed the recognition and credibility of infant's organic cotton apparel and examined the current quality of children's organic cotton clothes available in the market. This study contributes to improve fabric certification programs and safety standards by understanding customer opinions and actual quality. A customer survey revealed that customers believe that organic cotton products should not include chemicals such as pesticides, fluorescent whitening agents and chemical colors; in addition, customers have high expectations for safety as well as worries about the products' validity. Children's underwear was the most purchased item category among organic cotton products. Current organic cotton certification programs are voluntary with multiple organizations that provide various certification standards. A total of 34.2% of children's organic cotton clothes sold at online and offline stores were not certified, and 10.5% had invalid certification information. This may substantially lower the credibility of organic cotton products and requires immediate change. Examination of organic cotton products showed that products do not meet customer expectations for quality and safety: 3 out of 8 products used accessories (buttons and wappens) that include harmful chemicals such as lead, phthalate and formaldehyde, 6 products used fluorescent whitening agents, and 4 products used other fabrics such as rayon, polyurethane and polyester. GOTS mark is the most recognized organic certification, but it still allows the usage of fluorescent whitening agents, which indicates a gap between customer opinions and actual certification standards. Managing national-level mandatory certification programs like food and setting quality standards that meets customer expectations are required to enhance the credibility of organic cotton products.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.170-183
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• 2017

The rapid growth of digital consumption has significantly changed the shopping behavior of consumers. The consumption paradigm is changing; subsequently, an omni-channel has been introduced that empowers consumers to interact with firms through a myriad of touch points in multiple channels. This study is to understand the perceptions and behavioral characteristics of consumers in the purchase process (e.g., information search and purchase phase). A qualitative method was adopted for this study and data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 omni-channel consumers. The results of this study were as follows. At the information search stage, consistency was the most important consideration for consumers who also wanted to retain channel-specific benefits. Consumers also searched for differentiated information among distribution channels. At the purchase stage, participants choose a shopping channel according to shopping values. They utilized newly introduced services (e.g., "online purchase, offline pick-up", FinTech) that combine retail channels. Our findings provide significance in managing omni-channel services. First, it is recommended that fashion retailers provide seamlessly integrated experience to consumer and adopt a consumer-centered channel choice strategy. Second, fashion retailers must maintain a constant attitude toward shopping experience to fashion, such as shopping enjoyment and exclusiveness.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.485-495
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• 2013

As rural life has shifted with the long term changes in the internal and external conditions of rural communities, this study aims to investigate the living conditions and life satisfaction of rural women. 70 questionnaires in health, clothing, food, shelter, economic conditions and child-rearing fields were used for a survey of 393 rural women from five rural areas in the northern region of Gyeongsangbuk-Do. Statistical techniques of frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, ANOVA, t-test and regression analysis were employed through 'SPSS Statistics 21'. Participants were divided into 3 groups, with Group A with income less than 15 million won, Group B with income of at least 15 million won and less than 30 million won, and Group C with at least 30 million won. For the life satisfaction and health conditions, Group C showed higher scores than Group A. The food security status of rural women in the research area was worse than that in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and food consumption by Group C was higher than that of Group A and Group B. For the satisfaction of kitchen, bathroom facilities and heating system, the income of 15 million won seemed to be the divisive value where richer groups were more satisfied. Job satisfaction seemed more related with the income amount rather than with the job itself. The parenting efficacy and child-rearing satisfaction were higher for Group C than for Group A. Determinants of life satisfaction turned out to be health conditions, heat susceptibility, fruit consumption, kitchen unit satisfaction, job satisfaction and parenting efficacy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.26-40
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• 2016

The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementation is increasing and CSR activity has become a core activity for firms. The increase on CSR activity expenditures also increases the need for strategic. When firms implement CSR strategically, firms need to consider consumers' perspectives toward CSR. This research investigated how Korean fashion companies integrate consumers' CSR expectations into CSR implementation. Through a qualitative study, we researched a firm's consideration of consumers which are reflected in detailed procedures of CSR implementation. We conducted in-depth interviews with executives and managers in charge of CSR and found the following results. First, motivations for CSR implementation were both strategic and moral along with consumers who play a crucial role in CSR motivation. Second, firms conducted various strategic CSR activities differentiating themselves using a specific resource. Third, self-CSR evaluation was not active and structured. Few companies were collecting consumer responses to CSR activities. Last, executives and managers have difficulties to perform CSR activities due to gaps between ethical consumption consciousness and the ethical consumption behavior, measurement of CSR effect, and lack of understanding of strategic CSR. The results of our study show that firm's consideration of consumers is insufficient despite executives and managers who strongly agree with the need for strategic CSR.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.185-198
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to obtain information necessary for the development of patient clothes that can reduce physical fatigue of caregivers by quantitatively measuring the muscle load and fatigue. The patient clothes used in this study can be broken down into three types: A type (back center zipper open suit), B type (top-to bottom separated patient clothes), and C type (front zipper open suit). The EMG measurement sites are as follows: hand muscle (brachioradialis), upper arm (biceps, triceps), shoulder (anterior deltoid, medial deltoid, posterior deltoid, upper trapezius), and waist (erector spinae); additionally, the EMG signals were measured. Through this experiment, muscle load, muscle energy consumption, and muscle fatigue generation tendency were analyzed. The results of the study revealed that the C type patient clothes required the most strength in the muscles of the shoulders, upper arms, hands, and back when being put on and taken off compared to other patient clothes. The A type clothes required a relatively large force in opening the zipper. In terms of muscle energy consumption, B type generally called for more strength when it came to the zip-up and putarmsup motions. With regard to the cover the body and put legs/hips up motions, C type used the highest amount of muscle energy, whereas A type used relatively little energy. In terms of the occurrence of muscle fatigue during the putting on and taking off of the patient's clothing, there was a difference in the area and degree of muscle fatigue in the A, B, and C types, and there was also a tendency for muscle fatigue to occur when performing repetitive movements.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.89-105
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• 2020

This study aimed at analyzing the clothing management units of technology and home economics textbooks in terms of their contents related to Education for Sustainable Development(ESD). The inquisitive tendency of the textbooks was also examined adopting the modified Romey's method, because it is known as an important factor in increasing student's class participation in sustainable clothing management and inducing practical behavior. First, the learning contents of clothing management unit were analyzed according to the social/political/cultural, environmental, and economic perspectives of ESD. As a result, ESD contents from social/political/cultural perspectives (safety, and health and food), environmental perspectives (natural resources, energy, and environmental problem), and the economic perspectives (sustainable production and consumption) were identified, with a heavy focus on environmental perspective. Secondly, Romey's inquisitive content analysis method was modified to analyze texts, pictures/charts, and learning activities of the clothing management unit. In all textbooks, facts and definitions were the dominant types of contents, which means less opportunities for development of inquiry ability. In conclusion, the ESD contents of the clothing management unit are inclined to the environmental perspective, and it is necessary that textbook development would need to be balanced between three perspectives. Also, future textbook authors will need to improve the inquisitive tendency of the textbooks to encourage student participation in class and induce practical application in real life.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.1956-1964
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• 2009

Understanding ethical fashion consumers in Korea is essential for the expansion of the ethical fashion market. This study analyzed ethical consumers in Korea in an examination of the factors that influence ethical purchase behavior and attitudes. The differences between ethical fashion consumers and non-ethical fashion consumers were investigated using eight variables (perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE), self-direction, benevolence, universalism, social responsibility, perceived behavioral control, face saving, and group conformity). Data were collected by means of a questionnaire through both on-line and off-line surveys from April 20 to June 7, 2009. Only the respondents knowledgeable of ethical products or ethical consumption were asked to complete the questionnaire. A total of 494 samples were used for analyses. Using independent samples t-test, the differences in each variable between two groups were examined. There were significant differences between ethical fashion consumers and non-ethical fashion consumers in attitudes toward ethical consumption behavior, behavioral intention, PCE, self-direction, universalism, social responsibility, and face saving variables. The factors influencing attitude and behavior intention were investigated by step-wise regression analyses. For ethical fashion consumers, the attitudes to ethical consumption behavior were largely influenced by PCE and benevolence. Social responsibility was the most predictable variable in guiding behavioral intention. Behavioral intention was also influenced by benevolence and attitude. Group conformity was found to be negatively correlated with behavioral intention. The findings of this study provide significant guidance for marketers of ethical fashion products. This study is the start of ethical fashion consumer research in Korea and can develop into variable subfields in the future.