• Advances in Energy Research
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.147-163
• /
• 2013

The world faces several issues of energy crisis and environmental deterioration due to over-dependence on single source of which is fossil fuel. Though, fuel is needed as ingredients for industrial development and growth of any country, however the fossil fuel which is a major source of energy for this purpose has always been terrifying thus the need for alternative and renewable energy sources. The search for alternative energy sources resulted into the acceptance of a biofuel as a reliable alternative energy source. This work presents the study of optimization of process of transesterification of vegetable oil to biodiesel using NaOH as catalyst. A $2^4$ factorial design method was employed to investigate the influence of ratio of oil to methanol, temperature, NaOH concentration, and transesterification time on the yield of biodiesel from vegetable oil. Low and high levels of the key factors considered were 4:1 and 6:1 mole ratio, 30 and $60^{\circ}C$ temperatures, 0.5 and 1.0 wt% catalyst concentration, and 30 and 60 min reaction time. Results obtained revealed that oil to methanol molar ratio of 6:1, tranesetrification temperature of $60^{\circ}C$, catalyst concentration of 1.0wt % and reaction time of 30 min are the best operating conditions for the optimum yield of biofuel from vegetable oil, with optimum yield of 95.8%. Results obtained on the characterizzation of the produced biodiesel indicate that the specific gravity, cloud point, flash point, sulphur content, viscosity, diesel index, centane number, acid value, free glycerine, total glycerine and total recovery are 0.8899, 4, 13, 0.0087%, 4.83, 25, 54.6. 0.228mgKOH/g, 0.018, 0.23% and 96% respectively. Results also indicate that the qualities of the biodiesel tested for are in conformity with the set standard. A model equation was developed based on the results obtained using a statistical tool. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of data shows that mole ratio of ground nut oil to methanol and transesterification time have the most pronounced effect on the biodiesel yield with contributions of 55.06% and 9.22% respectively. It can be inferred from the results various conducted that vegetable oil locally produced from groundnut oil can be utilized as a feedstock for biodiesel production.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.111-116
• /
• 2016

Purpose - A lot of preceeding studies have focused on the pains that might be felt in spending money, that is an important role in getting psychological safety. Money and social resources can be all for consumers, and they are likely to form a substituting relationship with one another. Being motivated by the idea that spending money for others can come with joy if one's objective is accomplished by social support, this paper aimed to explore the mediating role of the perceived money importance and gratitude in the relationship between social support and pleasure in spending for other-gift. Research Design, Data, and Methodology - In this empirical study, the experimental group is expected to receive social support while the control group is composed of those who are usually indulged in reminiscences of their sweethearts. From the college students, 160 experiment participants were selected and 80 participants of them were assigned to control group as well as to experimental group respectively at random. Empirical study for each of the two groups was performed respectively by means of questionnaire survey. Experimental group data and control group data were combined together to be used for testing hypotheses. Linear structural equation model in Amos was used to verify the hypotheses, and Bootstrap was also used to examine whether there were the mediating roles of the perceived money importance and gratitude or not. Results - From the empirical study, following conclusions could be drawn: First, social support of others makes one perceive the importance of money less; Second, social support of others makes one perceive gratitude to others; Third, less perceived importance of money and gratitude to others can make one feel pleasure in spending for other-gift; and Fourth, less perceived importance of money and gratitude to others can partially mediate the effect of social support from others on the pleasure in spending for other-gift. Conclusions - The outcomes of this study might offer theoretic and managerial implications as follow: Even though many hitherto studies have asserted that spending money usually comes with pains, this study discovered that social support might reduce perceived the importance of money but make others feel gratitude and, thus, one would feel joy in spending money to buy gift for others, and made a contribution to the progress of the theory of pleasure in spending for other-gift. This paper also made contributions toward the development of emotion marketing theory by showing that the effect of social support on the pleasure in spending for other-gift could be partially mediated by the perceived the importance of money and gratitude to others. Based on the above conclusions, it may be affirmed that marketers should help consumers perceive the importance of money less, and help feel gratitude to others by pointing up the support of others to consumers in an attempt to accelerate spending for other-gift.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.93-103
• /
• 2015

Purpose - This study plans to adopt a more sophisticated approach toward service recognition by customers in general supermarkets in order to revise the service quality measurement methods that suit the context of Korean distribution channels. In particular, in general supermarkets, where much of the shopping process is in the form of self-service, there is high reliance on the service recognized by the consumers; therefore, it is highly likely that consumers would make their purchasing decisions based on their recognition of service quality or guarantees. It also utilized service quality elements of a basic level in the KD-SQS development model in order to indicate that the quality recognized by consumers impacts their loyalty to the stores with financial value and abstract value. Research design, data, and methodology - The study suggested a theoretical model comprising 13 hypotheses on relations between theoretic variables, and conducted surveys with consumers using discount stores in Seoul and Gyunggi Metropolitan area in order to verify the hypotheses, while using SPSS 20.0, AMOS 21.0 as the verification program. The survey sheets used amounted to 332, and a structural equation model was used to analyze the reliability and validity of constituent elements and to verify the suggested hypothesis. Therefore, this study analyzes the interrelations between service quality and guarantee factors in the distribution channel and their relations with the loyalty to stores as a dependent variable. Results - First, the results of the hypotheses tests helped identify the relations between service quality, service guarantees, service value, and customer loyalty, providing an opportunity to define the relations between constituent elements. In particular, service convenience in service quality has no impact on financial values. Further, stores' service policy had no impact on abstract values. Service recognition by service convenience has an impact on abstract values such as good image, comfort, and usability, while mileage systems promote financial values for consumers. In order to improve consumer values in service quality and values, general supermarkets should improve their service convenience, membership, and mileage programs using various strategies. Conclusion - In order to improve consumer values in service quality and values, general supermarkets should improve their service convenience, membership, and mileage programs using various strategies. Further, as service guarantee systems have a significant and direct impact on customer loyalty, rather than customer value recognition, service guarantees should be used to encourage customers to re-visit the stores. Finally, this study applied the findings of preceding studies in terms of service quality measurement; it had limitations in referencing preceding studies in a comprehensive manner. It also had limits in expanding upon various preceding studies because it was difficult to apply new measurement tools due to the lack of service quality measurement tools for general supermarkets. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct more studies on service quality to measure service quality and develop measurement tools by incorporating various industry characteristics.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
• /
• v.10 no.10
• /
• pp.35-44
• /
• 2019

Purpose - This study focuses on the continuance intention of O2O fresh agricultural products e-commerce. By literature review, this paper looks through the classical theories which are often applied to study use behavior and continuance intention on the electronic commerce area. Ultimately based on the expectancy theory, Technology acceptance model, success model as well as trust model, a model of the continuance intention of fresh products O2O electronic commerce application is established. Research design, data, and methodology - Among users Chinese consumers have been chosen who have use experience as the research objects. From October 2, 2018 to November 2, 2018, 685 questionnaires in total were collected by the online release and collection. Expect for the negative questionnaires, the remaining 650 pieces of data are statistically analyzed. The collected data were firstly be analyzed by SPSS Ver. 25 on its frequency, reliability and exploratory factors. Then AMOS Ver. 25 is applied to the Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Discriminant Validity and hypothesis testing of the Structural Equation Modeling. Finally, the following research conclusions could be obtained from the hypothesis testing. Results - Firstly, in the extended IS model, quality factor for hypothesis testing, service quality, information quality and delivery quality have obviously present positive influences on satisfaction respectively. Secondly, in the hypothesis testing part of ECM-ISC model and UTAUT model, all hypotheses have presented accepted results. Especially from expectation confirmation to usefulness perception, the influence factor achieves 12.603, In the hypothesis of continuance intention, the influence factor of social influence on continuance intention is 7.748 and also it is the most remarkable one. Conclusions - The results show that the service quality of O2O fresh agricultural products e-commerce has the greatest impact on satisfaction, while the perceived usefulness of consumers has the most significant impact on O2O fresh agricultural products for sustainable use intention. This thesis makes up for the blank of O2O fresh food e-commerce for sustainable use intentions, and provides a theoretical basis for consumers' sustainable use behavior, and practical enlightenment for the sustainable development of O2O fresh agricultural products e-commerce.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.41-51
• /
• 2020

Purpose: Fast food franchise companies are trying a variety of innovative services to increase their competitiveness in response to changes in population composition in the fast food market and rapid changes in consumption trends due to technological development. From this point of view, franchise companies that have focused on offline store operations are providing O2O (offline to online) service as a core service for customer convenience. This new attempt is a strategy to increase loyalty by applying an interaction method based on understanding the characteristics of new generation consumers. However, existing studies are focused on the relationship between O2O service and acceptance, so very little is known about how O2O service affects customer loyalty. Therefore, this study examines the impacts of customer involvement and relative advantages of fast food O2O service on customer brand engagement (cognitive and affective engagement) and store loyalty for MZ(Millennials - Z) generations. Research design, data, and methodology: In order to achieve the purposes of this research, several hypotheses were developed. The data were collected from 247 questionnaires in their 16-30s and were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS 3.0 program. Measurement model analysis was carried out to assess convergent and discriminant validity. Also, common method bias was tested using the values of VIF (variance inflation factor). The hypotheses was tested using structural equation modeling. Result: First, involvement has a positive effect on cognitive and affective engagement. Second, relative advantages have has a positive effect on cognitive and affective engagement. Third, cognitive influences affective engagement. Finally, both cognitive and affective engagement affect store loyalty, but affective engagement has a stronger effect on store loyalty than cognitive engagement. Conclusions: In the process of consumer-brand interaction, it was confirmed that store loyalty was influenced by cognitive and affective engagement sequentially. However, the results show that affective engagement has a relatively stronger on store loyalty than cognitive engagement. Therefore, it is necessary to establish an O2O service strategy to maintain long-term loyal customers by inducing cognitive participation with high-involved consumer, as well as affective interaction, in order to obtain new customers and increase customer loyalty.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.47-57
• /
• 2022

Purpose: Recently, it is common to see cases where an amount similar to the cost of a meal is spent on dessert, or an amount greater than the cost of a meal is spent on dessert. The generation MZ is showing a tendency of 'value consumption' by consuming values and beliefs in consideration of the recent impact on society and the environment. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effect of dessert cafe quality and eco-friendly behavior on customer trust and loyalty targeting the generation MZ who have visited desert cafés. This study examined the mediating role of customer trust in the relationships between desert café quality, eco-friendly behavior and customer loyalty, and also the moderating effect of and eco-friendly behavior on customer trust and customer loyalty. Research design, data, and methodology: To achieve purposes of this study, 229 data were collected from respondents who visited desert café and analyzed using measurement model (reliability test and correlation analysis), Fornell-Larcker Criterion and Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) assessment, and structural equation model (PLS-SEM) with SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS 3.3.7. Results: The research results are as follows. First, desert cafes' quality positively influenced customer trust but did not customer loyalty. Second, desert cafes' eco-friendly behavior positively influenced customer trust and customer loyalty. Fourth, the interaction term of dessert cafe quality and eco-friendly behavior did not influence customer trust and customer loyalty. Conclusions: This study emphasized the necessity of service quality and eco-friendly behavior of dessert cafes by examining the relationship between the quality of dessert cafes and eco-friendly behaviors, customer trust and loyalty. It also found the importance of the role of trust in securing loyal customers. In order to secure and retain loyal customers, the owners of dessert cafes should make effortsto improve the quality of the cafes' products and services so that customers can feel a sense of trust, and actively publicize that they are practicing eco-friendly management. As a result of this study, it is intended to provide practical implications for the management of dessert cafes by understand ing the effects of product and service quality and eco-friendly behaviors of companies to bakery industry workers and start-ups.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.35-46
• /
• 2022

Purpose: With the rapid changes in the technical development and the trend of consumption trend, the convenience store industry is facing an unprecedented competitive situation in the consumption environment where the boundary between online and offline is broken due to the stagnation of offline distribution channels and the spread of online shopping. The biggest innovation strategy of the major convenience store brands in recent years are introducing the O2O (Online to Offline) platform and presenting new products and services beyond the boundaries of online and offline to transform themselves into Omni Channel stores. The study is designed to analyze the effect of innovativeness of convenience store as a stimulus in O2O platform which customers perceive on store loyalty, the final response to external stimuli, through customer engagement with convenience store brands. Specifically, the innovativeness of convenience stores was divided into types of core activities in corporate marketing and focused on innovations in services, products(proposals), promotions and experiences. Research design, data, and methodology: Various hypotheses have been developed to achieve this research purpose. The data were collected from 1,128 questionnaires the age between 15 and 60 who had experience using retail store apps and delivery apps and were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS 3.3.7 program. Measurement model analysis was carried out to assess convergent and discriminant validity. Also, common method bias was tested using the values of VIF (variance inflation factor). The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling with SmartPLS 3.3.7 program. Results: First, service innovation has a positive effect on cognitive engagement. Second, product, promotion and experience innovation have a positive effect on cognitive and affective engagement. Third, cognitive influences affective engagement. Finally, both cognitive and affective engagement affect store loyalty, but affective engagement has a stronger effect on store loyalty than cognitive engagement. Conclusions: All four types of innovation and cognitive engagement have a positive effect on emotional engagement, which has a stronger effect on store loyalty than cognitive engagement. Thus, while innovation can build loyalty through emotional engagement, innovation strategies must be designed and pursued with caution in terms of impact through cognitive engagement may not achieve the planned goals.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.27-39
• /
• 2018

Purpose - Recently, the mobile application field has been receiving astronomical attention from the past few years due to the growing number of mobile app downloads and withal due to the revenues being engendered. Especially delivery apps by mobile service market is experiencing rapid growth and competition is intensifying. Therefore, delivery apps' choice attributes has become important as a strategy for survival of franchise firms. Based on previous studies, this research proposed the theoretical framework about the structural relationships among customer satisfaction, trust and revisit intention on delivery apps' choice attributes. Research design, data, and methodology - This study examines the structural relationship between choice attributes of using the delivery app, satisfaction, trust, and revisit intention. More specifically, this study has been examined from the perspective of Generation Y who is enjoying electronic commerce and shopping with mobile phone. In this model, choice attributes of delivery app consists of three sub-dimensions such as service quality, system quality, interaction quality. So as to test the purposes of this study, research model and hypotheses were developed. After excluding 24 invalid respondent questionnaires, 201 valid questionnaires were coded and analyzed using frequency, confirmatory factor analysis, correlations analysis, and structural equation modeling with SPSS 21 and SmartPLS 3.0. Result - The results of the study are as follows. First, service quality and interaction quality had positive effects on satisfaction, and interaction quality had positive effects on trust, but system quality did not have a significant effect on both satisfaction and trust. Second, satisfaction had positive effects on both trust and revisit intention. Third, trust had positive effects on revisit intention. Conclusions - The implications of this study are following as: From the theoretical perspective, this study confirms the effect of delivery apps' choice attributes on satisfaction, trust, and revisit intention. In addition, it is significant that we examined the influence of choice attributes of delivery apps on their attitudes and behaviors of Generation Y familiar with mobile environment. Through this study, we hypothesized that the attributes of service quality and interaction quality of delivery apps have a significant effect on customer satisfaction, and this can be expected to provide meaningful implications for the development of franchise restaurant industry. To encourage continuous repurchase through customer satisfaction, franchise companies need to establish various strategic alliances with delivery app companies and new growth engines by providing diverse and high-quality services to customers in the smart age.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.31-43
• /
• 2018

Purpose - This study examines the role of foodservice franchisee's perceived justice(distributive, procedural, and interactional) in developing long-term orientation to franchisor and investigate the mediating role of cohesiveness and relationship satisfaction in the relationship between franchisee's perceived justice and long-term orientation to franchisor. Research design, data, and methodology - We collected data from managers and owners in foodservice franchisees located in Seoul, Korea. Among a total of 500 questionnaires, 500 questionnaires were returned. After excluding 36 invalid respondent questionnaires, 496 valid questionnaires(response rate of 99.2%) were analyzed using frequency, confirmatory factor analysis, correlations analysis, and structural equation modeling with SPSS 21 and SmartPLS 3.0. Result - The findings of this study are as follows: First, distributive justice and interactional justice had positive effects on cohesiveness, but procedural justice did not. Second, distributive justice and interactional justice had positive effects on relationship satisfaction, but procedural justice did not. Third, cohesiveness and relationship satisfaction had positive effects on franchisee's long-term orientation to franchisor. Conclusions - The implications of this study are as follows. First, this study found that procedural justice can create a high cohesiveness and identification of franchisee and also maintain a cooperative relationship with the franchisor. Second, this findings suggest that the perceived distributional and interactional justice can improve the satisfaction with the franchisor and thus positively influence the intention to maintain the relationship and the intention to recontract. Third, the results of this study indicate that the cohesiveness of franchisees can play a pivotal role to improve their satisfaction with the franchisor and pursue mutual development by continuously maintaining stable business relationship with franchisor. The findings of this study are subject to at least three limitations. First, the research subject is limited to the food service franchise shops in Seoul area, so the sample was not nationally representative of the franchise stores. Second, the perceived fairness is measured only from the point of view of the franchisee, and this study has a limitation to examine the difference between the perceived franchisee's and franchisor's justice. Third, Future research needs to identify more closely the relationships between perceived fairness and long-term orientation by gathering specific quantitative data such as the renewal rate and the business performance.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.182-190
• /
• 2005

The fiber Raman amplifier(FRA) is a distinctly advantageous technology. Due to its wider, flexible gain bandwidth, and intrinsically lower noise characteristics, FRA has become an indispensable technology of today. Various FRA modeling methods, with different levels of convergence speed and accuracy, have been proposed in order to gain valuable insights for the FRA dynamics and optimum design before real implementation. Still, all these approaches share the common platform of coupled ordinary differential equations(ODE) for the Raman equation set that must be solved along the long length of fiber propagation axis. The ODE platform has classically set the bar for achievable convergence speed, resulting exhaustive calculation efforts. In this work, we propose an alternative, highly efficient framework for FRA analysis. In treating the Raman gain as the perturbation factor in an adiabatic process, we achieved implementation of the algorithm by deriving a recursive relation for the integrals of power inside fiber with the effective length and by constructing a matrix formalism for the solution of the given FRA problem. Finally, by adiabatically turning on the Raman process in the fiber as increasing the order of iterations, the FRA solution can be obtained along the iteration axis for the whole length of fiber rather than along the fiber propagation axis, enabling faster convergence speed, at the equivalent accuracy achievable with the methods based on coupled ODEs. Performance comparison in all co-, counter-, bi-directionally pumped multi-channel FRA shows more than 102 times faster with the convergence speed of the Average power method at the same level of accuracy(relative deviation < 0.03dB).