• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.908-912
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• 2005

Construction Cost Indices are values for measuring fluctuations in direct construction costs which include material costs, labor costs, and equipment costs for construction operations. In Korea, Korea Institute of Construction Technology (KICT) has been assessing and announcing these indices since January, 2004. The main goals of this paper are to look over the calculation process for those indices and then present the trend in construction costs according to the types of facilities with the past construction cost index data. Also, this paper traces the origin of the occurrence of significant changes on those indices through the further analysis of the trend. In addition, this paper shows the practicality of the indices and the way how to put them to practical use. An alternative estimate method using the indices is suggested for compensating the changes of construction costs caused by price fluctuations.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.77-98
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• 2022

This paper empirically verifies that the types of capital adjustment costs serve as an important mechanism in relation to investment decision-making after confirming that the investment dispersion of Korean firms is pro-cyclical and can affect business cycles. Specifically, it is found through empirical methods using corporate financial data that capital adjustment costs generally assumed to take a quadratic form in macroeconomics are asymmetric and irreversible in the Korean economy. In particular, capital adjustment costs are empirically proven to cause investment dispersion to expand given that the substitution effect of the marginal value to the marginal cost for one unit of investment in the inter-temporal investment decision is affected by that cost with regard to the resale of owned equipment assets, as opposed to new investments in equipment assets. We ultimately show, albeit indirectly, that investment dispersion can affect business cycles as capital adjustment costs influences investment decisions. What is implied is that the capital adjustment cost is not merely an exogenously deep parameter that fits the dynamics of business cycles in a macroeconomic model but could instead be a policy variable that can be endogenized through government policies.

• Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.159-174
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• 2016

In order to apply the concept of switching costs to the library context, this study aims to identify library users' perceived switching costs, develop and validate a measurement scale for switching costs. A survey involving 210 university students was performed in order to examine the influence of switching costs on the affective commitment and behavioral commitment. Library users' perceived switching costs refer to the procedural and relational costs involved in switching from one library to another. The results of this study show that two types of switching costs as well as library service satisfaction have positive influences on affective commitment, which in turn affects behavioral commitment. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3767-3772
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• 2012

Objective: We estimated the total medical costs incurred during the 5 years following a cancer diagnosis and annual medical use status for the six most prevalent cancers in Korea. Methods: From January 1 to December 31, 2006, new patients registered with the six most prevalent cancers (stomach, liver, lung, breast, colon, and thyroid) were randomly selected from the Korea Central Cancer Registry, with 30% of patients being drawn from each cancer group. For the selected patients, cost data were generated using National Health Insurance claims data from the time of cancer diagnosis in 2006 to December 31, 2010. The total number of patients selected was 28,509. Five-year total medical costs by tumor site and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) stage at the time of diagnosis, and annual total medical costs from diagnosis, were estimated. All costs were calculated as per-patient net costs. Results: Mean 5-year net costs per patient varied widely, from $5,647 for thyroid cancer to $20,217 for lung cancer. Advanced stage at diagnosis was associated with a 1.8-2.5-fold higher total cost, and the total medical cost was highest during the first year following diagnosis and decreased by the third or fourth year. Conclusions: The costs of cancer care were substantial and varied by tumor site, annual phase, and stage at diagnosis. This indicates the need for increased prevention, earlier diagnosis, and new therapies that may assist in reducing medical costs.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.116-143
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• 2000

Considerable attention has been devoted in the accounting literature to identify the factors that cause or drive the costs of overhead activities. This paper extends recent cost driver research to the health care provider. In various case studies, it has been suggested that overhead costs are driven by volume and complexity variables. This paper investigates the significance of these variables in determining hospital overhead costs, how they are structurally related and how the cost impacts of these variables can be estimated in practice. This paper analyzes the determinants of hospital costs using the sample of South Korea hospitals for seven year during the period 1952－1997. The paper focuses on the extent to which hospital overhead costs depend on complexity, efficiency in addition to depending on more conventional volume based measures of hospital activity. The results of regression analysis suggest that volume and complexity factors positively and significantly affect overhead costs in the hospital industry. The results show that the complexity-related cost drivers strongly affected on the overhead costs in tile health care provider industry more than manufacturing industry which is mainly affected by volume-related cost drivers. That means each Industry may have different cost structures. Therefore it Is Important to find their proper cost structures and cost drivers and use them. Futhermore identification of overhead or indirect cost drivers is likely to be particularly useful in heath care. The identification of cost drivers can be of benefit to all health care stakeholders because these facilitates more efficient management of the national resources devoted to health care. While this study has documented that the level of service complexity is a significant determinant of hospital overhead costs, caution should be exercised in interpreting this as supportive of the cost accounting procedures associated with ABC. It is an open question whether even a well-designed ABC system will provide suitable proxies for marginal costs for decision making purposes.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.91-99
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• 2013

PURPOSES : This study aims at proposing the methodology for benefit evaluations in pavement maintenance methods and timings using KoPMS(Korean Pavement Management System) software which was developed for efficient pavement management. METHODS : This study classified pavement sections into 4 clusters considering AADT(Annual Average Daily Traffic) and ESAL(Equivalent Single-Axle Load) using cluster analysis and used the deterioration models in each cluster. Increased user costs due to pavement deterioration as time goes by and agent costs for maintenance were estimated. Based on deterioration model and KoPMS software, Methodology for benefit evaluation was proposed in pavement maintenance methods and with/without implementation using real pavement section data. RESULTS : This study verified that considering agent costs only would be constrained to decide pavement maintenance methods and timings, and ascertained that decision making with agent and user costs would be effective. In addition, this study revealed that pavement maintenance methods and timings can be affected by AADT and ESAL and frequent pavement maintenances can be more efficient for benefits in pavement sections with more AADT and ESAL. Also this study found that user costs would be more affected to decision making than agent costs. Moreover, Delay of conducting pavement maintenance caused increased vehicle operating costs and environmental costs because of poor conditions of pavements. CONCLUSIONS : This study proposed LCCA and benefit estimation methodology of pavement with considering agent and user costs. The results of this study can be used for baseline data of efficient pavement asset management.

• Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.398-406
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• 2018

Background: Hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin < 3.5 g/dL) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, costs associated with hypoalbuminemia remain unknown. This study investigated the effect of serum albumin on direct treatment costs, length of stay (LOS), and readmissions for primary and revision THA and TKA patients. Methods: All adult patients at a single institution undergoing primary or revision THA or TKA between January 2014 and December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were stratified by preoperative serum albumin level. The primary outcome was total direct costs at index hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included LOS and readmission within 30 days. Multivariable regressions were utilized to adjust for demographics and comorbidities. Results: Of 3,785 patients, 114 (3.0%) had hypoalbuminemia. After adjustment, hypoalbuminemia was associated with a 16.2% increase in costs (${\beta}=0.162$; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.112 to 0.213; p < 0.001), representing an average cost increase of $3,383 (95% CI, $2,281 to $4,485) relative to costs for serum albumin > 4.5 g/dL. The increased total costs were significantly higher in revision ($4,322, p = 0.034) than in primary ($3,446, p < 0.001) procedures. In adjusted regression, each 1.0 g/dL increase in serum albumin yielded a 6.6% reduction in costs (${\beta}=-0.066$; 95% CI, -0.090 to -0.042]; p < 0.001), for average savings of $1,282 (95% CI, $759 to $1,806) per unit albumin. Adjusted regressions demonstrated that a 1-point increase in serum albumin reduced readmissions by 53% (odds ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.31-0.73; p = 0.001) and LOS by 0.6 days (${\beta}=-0.60$; 95% CI, -0.76 to -0.44; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Hypoalbuminemia is associated with increased total direct costs, LOS, and readmissions following primary and revision THA and TKA. Future efforts to predict and address total costs should take into consideration the patient's preoperative serum albumin levels.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.45-72
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• 2019

Purpose - This study examines the mediating effect of switching costs (economic risk costs and setup costs) on the relationships of country image with product attitude and product attachment. Switching-cost effects for the Korean Wave, which are insufficiently addressed in the literature, were investigated using the country image of Korea as a proxy for the Korean Wave. Moreover, this study examined the economic effects of the Korean Wave and the negative effect of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) deployment on these economic effects. Design/methodology - A total of 302 Chinese consumers were surveyed using a questionnaire. Because this was an exploratory study and was not based on a classical model, the PLS-SEM method was employed to test the stability of the model and its hypotheses. Findings - Switching costs had mediating effects on the relationships of country image with product attitude and product attachment. The switching-cost effects for the Korean Wave were verified. However, neither the economic image nor cultural image of Korea had significant effects on the economic risk costs. Moreover, the economic image of Korea had no significant effect on the set-up costs. Originality/value - This study broadened the understanding of the relationships among country image, switching costs, product attitude, and product attachment and advanced the knowledge of relevant theories. The results contribute theoretically to the literature on switching-cost effects for the Korean Wave. The results confirmed the negative effect of THAAD deployment on the economic effects of the Korean Wave. In the rapidly developing international environment, these research results could serve as theoretical reference guidelines for suppliers when developing marketing strategies.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.23-34
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• 2018

Due to a waste of energy in korea, about 525,000 which are 75 percent of total buildings are at least 15 years old buildings that need remodeling. There are two current remodeling systems. One is a remodeling system to reduce a waste of resources from the reconstruction. The other is a green-remodeling system aimed to energy savings and reducing environmental costs. This study is to analyze quantitatively these current systems with respect to the cost-benefit caused by the life cycle and suggests the political and institutional implications through the interpretation of the results. For a quantitative analysis, we analyzed reducing maintenance costs and rent benefits with simulation by using opportunity costs, construction costs, plan costs and supervision costs as expense variables and using the reduced floor area ratio, institutional incentives, energy, water resources and certified emission reduction(CER) as benefit variables. As a result of the empirical study, the green-modeling was more beneficial in the field of environment such as the energy savings, however, the final benefits of remodeling which has no green building certification costs but more floor area ratio incentives were more economical. The green-remodeling system focused on reducing environmental costs and energy savings needs a equatable institutional incentive system.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.290-295
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• 2021

This paper analyzed the relationship between corporate debt financing and interest costs using micro firm-level data. We also analyzed the differences in this relationship by the year of 2008 financial crisis. We did not find a negative relationship between corporate interest costs and debt financing. Prior to the 2008 financial crisis, we found a negative relationship between corporate interest costs and debt financing. However, following the 2008 financial crisis, we found a positive relationship between corporate interest costs and debt financing. The impacts of the decrease in corporate interest costs on the increase in corporate debt financing are not significant in the Korean economy. After the 2008 financial crisis, the decrease in corporate interest costs is followed by a decrease in corporate debt financing.