• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.141-173
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• 2007

The study examines how the environmental factors of store influence service brand personality and repurchase intention in the service environment. The service industry has been experiencing the intensified competition with the industry's continuous growth and the influence from rapid technological advancement. Under the circumstances, it has become ever more important for the brand competitiveness to be distinctively recognized against competition. A brand needs to be distinguished and differentiated from competing companies because they are all engaged in the similar environment of the service industry. The differentiation of brand achievement has become increasingly important to highlight certain brand functions to include emotional, self-expressive, and symbolic functions since the importance of such functions has been further emphasized in promoting consumption activities. That is the recent role of brand personality that has been emphasized in the service industry. In other words, customers now freely and actively express their personalities or egos in consumption activities, taking an important role in construction of a brand asset. Hence, the study suggests that it is necessary to disperse the recognition and acknowledgement that the maintenance of the existing customers contributes more to boost repurchase intention when it is compared to the efforts to create new customers, particularly in the service industry. Meanwhile, the store itself can offer a unique environment that may influence the consumer's purchase decision. Consumers interact with store environments in the process of,virtually, all household purchase they make (Sarel 1981). Thus, store environments may encourage customers to purchase. The roles that store environments play are to provide informational cues to customers about the store and goods and communicate messages to stimulate consumers' emotions. The store environments differentiate the store from competing stores and build a unique service brand personality. However, the existing studies related to brand in the service industry mostly concentrated on the relationship between the quality of service and customer satisfaction, and they are mostly generalized while the connective studies focused on brand personality. Such approaches show limitations and are insufficient to investigate on the relationship between store environment and brand personality in the service industry. Accordingly, the study intends to identify the level of contribution to the establishment of brand personality made by the store's physical environments that influence on the specific brand characteristics depending on the type of service. The study also intends to identify what kind of relationships with brand personality exists with brand personality while being influenced by store environments. In addition, the study intends to make meaningful suggestions to better direct marketing efforts by identifying whether a brand personality makes a positive influence to induce an intention for repurchase. For this study, the service industry is classified into four categories based on to the characteristics of service: experimental-emotional service, emotional -credible service, credible-functional service, and functional-experimental service. The type of business with the most frequent customer contact is determined for each service type and the enterprise with the highest brand value in each service sector based on the report made by the Korea Management Association. They are designated as the representative of each category. The selected representatives are a fast-food store (experimental-emotional service), a cinema house (emotional-credible service), a bank (credible-functional service), and discount store (functional-experimental service). The survey was conducted for the four selected brands to represent each service category among consumers who are experienced users of the designated stores in Seoul Metropolitan City and Gyeonggi province via written questionnaires in order to verify the suggested assumptions in the study. In particular, the survey adopted 15 scales, which represent each characteristic factor, among the 42 unique characteristics developed by Jennifer Aaker(1997) to assess the brand personality of each service brand. SPSS for Windows Release 12.0 and LISREL were used in the analysis of data verification. The methodology of the structural equation model was used for the study and the pivotal findings are as follows. 1) The environmental factors ware classified as design factors, ambient factors, and social factors. Therefore, the validity of measurement scale of Baker et al. (1994) was proved. 2) The service brand personalities were subdivided as sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness, which makes the use of the brand personality scales by Jennifer Aaker(1997) appropriate in the service industry as well. 3) One-way ANOVA analysis on the scales of store environment and service brand personality showed that there exist statistically significant differences in each service category. For example, the social factors were highest in discount stores, while the ambient factors and design factors were highest in fast-food stores. The discount stores were highest in the sincerity and excitement, while the highest point for banks was in the competence and ruggedness, and the highest point for fast-food stores was in the sophistication, The consumers will make a different respond to the physical environment of stores and service brand personality that are inherent to the corresponding service interface. Hence, the customers will make a different decision-making when dealing with different service categories. In this aspect, the relationships of variables in the proposed hypothesis appear to work in a different way depending on the exposed service category. 4) The store environment factors influenced on service brand personalities differently by category of service. The factors of store's physical environment are transferred to a brand and were verified to strengthen service brand personalities. In particular, the level of influence on the service brand personality by physical environment differs depending on service category or dimension, which indicates that there is a need to apply a different style of management to a different service category or dimension. It signifies that there needs to be a brand strategy established in order to positively influence the relationship with consumers by utilizing an appropriate brand personality factor depending on different characteristics by service category or dimension. 5) The service brand personalities influenced on the repurchase intention. Especially, the largest influence was made in the sophistication dimension of service brand personality scale; the unique and characteristically appropriate arrangement of physical environment will make customers stay in the service environment for a long time and will lead to give a positive influence on the repurchase intention. 6) The store environment factors influenced on the repurchase intention. Particularly, the largest influence was made on the social factors of store environment. The most intriguing finding is that the service factor among all other environment factors gives the biggest influence to the repurchase intention in most of all service types except fast-food stores. Such result indicates that the customers pay attention to how much the employees try to provide a quality service when they make an evaluation on the service brand. At the same time, it also indicates that the personal factor is directly transmitted to the construction of brand personality. The employees' attitude and behavior are the determinants to establish a service brand personality in the process of enhancing service interface. Hence, there should be a reinforced search for a method to efficiently manage the service staff who has a direct contact with customers in order to make an affirmative improvement of the customers' brand evaluation at the service interface. The findings suggest several managerial implications. 1) Results from the empirical study indicated that store environment factors have a strong positive impact on a service brand personality. To increase customers' repurchase intention of a service brand, the management is required to effectively manage store environment factors and create a friendly brand personality based on the corresponding service environment. 2) Mangers and researchers must understand and recognize that the store environment elements are important marketing tools, and that brand personality influences on consumers' repurchase intention. Based on such result of the study, a service brand could be utilized as an efficient measure to achieve a differentiation by enforcing the elements that are most influential among all other store environments for each service category. Therefore, brand personality established involving various store environments will further reinforce the relationship with customers through the elevated brand identification of which utilization to induce repurchase decision can be used as an entry barrier. 3) The study identified the store environment as a component of service brand personality for the store's effective communication with consumers. For this, all communication channels should be maintained with consistency and an integrated marketing communication should be executed to efficiently approach to a larger number of customers. Mangers and researchers must find strategies for aligning decisions about store environment elements with the retailers' marketing and store personality objectives. All ambient, design, and social factors need to be orchestrated so that consumers can take an appropriate store personality. In this study, the induced results from the previous studies were extended to the service industry so as to identify the customers' decision making process that leads to repurchase intention and a result similar to those of the previous studies. The findings suggested several theoretical and managerial implications. However, the situation that only one service brand served as the subject of analysis for each service category, and the situation that correlations among store environment elements were not identified, as well as the problem of representation in selection of samples should be considered and supplemented in the future when further studies are conducted. In addition, various antecedents and consequences of brand personality must be looked at in the aspect of the service environment for further research.

• 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.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.142-159
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• 2023

As the core technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution are introduced into luxury hotels, they are taking off as cultural and experiential spaces that provide new products and services to hotel users and new experiences. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of hotel users' perception of the experience of using technological amenity services on their trust and satisfaction, focusing on luxury hotels as smart hotel to identify the essential factors of smart hotels that can lead to continuous competitive advantage and improvements in the future. In addition, the study aimed to find an effective hotel marketing strategy and plan to satisfaction the smart hotel by maximizing customer satisfaction. To verify the research hypothesis, a survey was conducted targeting hotel users with experience using technological amenities in smart hotels within the last two years. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that all hypotheses were adopted except for the relationship between personification, intention to use technical amenities, and perceived performance expectations and satisfaction with smart hotels. Based on these research results, this paper presents theoretical and practical implications. Smart hotels are rapidly changing by introducing various smart technologies. Therefore, it will be meaningful data for securing a sustainable competitive advantage and establishing differentiated hotel management and marketing strategies.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.65-79
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• 2015

Objectives The aim of this study is to identify the satisfaction of Korean medicine treatment by traffic accident. Methods This study was carried out 103 cases of traffic accident patients which had been treatment in Dongshin university Korean medicine hospital and Chung-Yeon Korean medicine hospital from June, 2014 to September, 2014. The survey used by preceding articles was accepted for assessment of the satisfaction degree of patients in this study. All data were coded by SPSS v18.0 and analyzed by descriptive maneuver, x2-test, T-test and correlation. Results According to the survey, 93.2% of patients included this study were hospitalized in the Korean medical hospital within 2 weeks from TA and 90.3% were satisfied with the current medical service. The answer that Korean medicine is superior to western medicine for TA treatment was the main reason for selecting Korean medical hospital. 46.6% of patients satisfied Acupuncture treatment and 29.1% of patients satisfied Korean physical treatment. There were no differences in the satisfaction degree with sex, age, education and occupation. The satisfaction degree of the current Korean medical service was significantly correlated with doctor's service, use the procedure and reuse intention. Conclusions We could see that the satisfaction of Korean medicine treatment is relatively high. The continuous and repetitive research is needed in order to improve the quality of Korean medicine hospital service and the satisfaction of patients by traffic accident.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.343-348
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• 2022

This study aims to analyze the user experience of unmanned checkout counters perceived by consumers using SNS big data. For this study, blogs, news, intellectuals, cafes, intellectuals (tips), and web documents were analyzed on Naver and Daum, and 'unmanned checkpoints' were used as keywords for data search. The data analysis period was selected as two years from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. For data collection and analysis, frequency and matrix data were extracted through Textom, and network analysis and visualization analysis were conducted using the NetDraw function of the UCINET 6 program. As a result, the perception of the checkout counter was clustered into accessibility, usability, continuous use intention, and others according to the definition of consumers' experience factors. From a supplier's point of view, if unmanned checkpoints spread indiscriminately to solve the problem of raising the minimum wage and shortening working hours, a bigger employment problem will arise from a social point of view. In addition, institutionalization is needed to supply easy and convenient unmanned checkout counters for the elderly and younger generations, children, and foreigners who are not familiar with unmanned calculation.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.51-56
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• 2005

This study investigated the medicines prescribed in dental services in order to provide information and materials on dental clinics and hospitals, for the intention of leading the dental circle to make efforts for voluntary improvement, do adequate prescription, and attempt for bench marking through this unfolding of their tendency in continuous prescription behaviors, and leading the people to have a right recognition on adequate medicine use through this information on their medicine-taking behaviors including antibiotics and injections. From the records of outpatient prescriptions of medicines under health insurance over the period of June 1st to September 31th in 2003 in the 34,226 recuperation institutions, antibiotics and injections were analyzed into administration days, prescription frequency, medicine cost per administration day, the number of medicines per prescription, and the number weight of high priced medicines. The findings were as below: 1. Adminstration days of antibiotics was 90.11% in the dental clinics, which was a decrease than the same quarter and the previous quarter of the previous year. While the prescription frequency of antibiotics was 15.5%, higher than the same quarter and the previous quarter of the previous year. In dental hospitals, administration days and prescription frequency of antibiotics were 71.57% and 21.05%, respectively, a little higher than the previous quarter. Compared to other kind of recuperation institutions, dental clinics and hospitals had higher administration days and lower prescription frequency. 2. For injections, adminstration days and prescription frequency in dental clinics were 0.13% and 0.05%, respectively, which were decreases than the same quarter of the previous year. In dental hospitals, adminstration days and prescription frequency were 1.03% and 0.88%, respectively, a little lower than those of the previous quarter. Compared to other kind of recuperation institutions, dental clinics and hospitals were very lower in injection administration days and injection prescription frequency. 3. The number of prescribed medicines was 2.79 in the dental clinics, which was lower than the same quarter of the previous year but higher than the previous quarter. Dental hospitals put 2.67 numbers of medicines per prescription, an increase than the same quarter of the previous year and the previous quarter. Compared to other kind of recuperation institutions, dental clinics and hospitals put smaller number of medicines per prescription. 4. Medicine cost per administration day was 863 won in the dental clinics, which was an increase than the same quarter of the previous year and in the previous quarter. Compared to other kind of recuperation institutions, dental clinics and hospitals had lower medicine cost per administration day. 5. The number weight of high priced medicines was 46.43% in dental clinics, which was an increase than the previous quarter. In dental hospitals, it was 54.05%, so remarkable an increase than the previous quarter. Compared to other kind of hospitals and clinics, dental clinics and hospitals prescribed larger number of high priced medicines. 6. By districts, the frequency of antibiotics prescriptions was the highest in Kwanju and the lowest in Daejeon. The frequency of injection prescriptions was high in all Youngnam districts as was in the second quarter, while low in all the Metropolitan districts. There was a large variation in the prescription frequency to the districts, as the district of the highest prescription frequency had more than 2 times larger frequency than the district of the lowest frequency. Medicine cost per administration day was the highest in Ulsan but the lowest in the north part of Cholla province. The number of medicines per prescription was the largest in Kyonggi province while the smallest in Cheju-do.