• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.93-101
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• 2016

Purpose - As more consumers pursue high quality products at reasonable prices, Korean retail companies are increasing investment in expanding their outlet stores. Despite the growing importance of the outlet business, there has been very little empirical research on consumers' outlet shopping behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between consumers' perceived product value (performance quality, value for money, and social value) of outlet stores and overall shopping satisfaction and the effect of shopping satisfaction on outlet store loyalty. Research design, data and methodology - The authors developed a structural model in which performance quality, value for money, and social value of products are proposed to affect overall outlet shopping satisfaction, thus increasing customer loyalty. To analyze the research model, data were collected from 88 shoppers at suburban outlets. SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0 were utilized to test the hypotheses. The unidimensionality of each construct was supported from the results of the reliability test with Cronbach's α and confirmatory factor analyses. Correlation analysis was performed and the results warranted the nomological validity of the measures. The fit statistics of the overall model analysis demonstrated an acceptable fit(X²(₁₆₁)=171.651, p=.000; X²/df=1.546; GFI=.821, NFI=.879, TLI=.942, CFI=.953, RMR=.035, RMSEA=.079). Results - The findings are as follows. First, consumers' perceived value of product performance quality had a significant positive effect on overall outlet shopping satisfaction. Consumers, who evaluate performance quality of the product more positively, tend to express stronger satisfaction and happiness about outlet shopping experience. Second, consumers' perceived social value of outlet products influenced their overall satisfaction significantly. Consumers who believe that products of outlet stores enhance self-concepts are more likely to satisfy with outlet shopping experience. However, consumers' perception of outlet products on value for money was not found to significantly influence overall shopping satisfaction. Finally, overall shopping satisfaction had a significant and positive influence on loyalty. Conclusions - While outlet retailers have traditionally focused on promoting competitively priced merchandise, the results of this study suggest that customers' overall satisfaction with outlet shopping is influenced more by the non-price-related product values. In the context of an outlet shopping environment, performance quality and social value of the products were found to be more critical predictors of customer overall satisfaction. Therefore, it would not be efficient for outlet retailers to highlight economic value of their merchandise. Instead, they need to investigate the performance quality of the products regularly and try to deliver quality guaranteed goods to enhance customer satisfaction. Also, outlet retailers should differentiate their businesses by carrying more unique and prestigious brands and emphasize higher social value and symbolic meanings of their products. As competition among outlet retailers are getting fierce, retail companies need to focus on strengthening customer loyalty with a long-term perspective. With a deeper understanding of the relationship between consumers' perceived product values and shopping satisfaction, outlet retailers will be able to develop customer loyalty strategies effectively and to achieve competitive advantage.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.61-86
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• 2002

The number of people who perform their banking business on Internet has been increasing drastically during the recent period and the trend still continues. Banks and other types of financial institutions are now competing intensely with each other in attracting customers to this new innovative banking service. The marketers in charge of formulating and implementing the strategies for this new banking business need to understand the behavioral factors as well as the technical factors in order to succeed in attracting more customers to this new service. products. A deep understanding as to why and how the customers are adopting the new service developed on information technology is a prerequisite for a successful marketing effort. The purpose of this dissertation is to find out what factors are playing important roles in the customers'decision related to the adoption of the Internet banking services. The focus of the research is threefold. First. by testing the hypotheses proposed by the Technology Adoption Model, a well-known theory in the IT-related behavioral science, an analysis was made as to which factors are more important in affecting the attitudes and adoption of the Internet banking on the part of customers. Secondly, an analysis was made as to whether the three criteria of the Technographics- -the attitude toward new technology, level of income, and the motivational factor- -are useful as the criteria for segmenting the Korean users of the online banking. Thirdly, an analysis was made as to whether each customer group segmented by the criteria of the Technographics reveal a differential decision process and thus requires a differential approach strategywise.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.83-91
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• 2015

Purpose - Despite the structural irrationality of multi-level transportation and the oil price rise, the domestic freight transportation market continues to grow, mirroring the rise in e-commerce and resultant increase in courier services and freight volumes. Several studies on courier services have been conducted. However, few studies or statistics have been published regarding regular freight services although they have played a role in the freight service market. The present study identifies the characteristics of regular freight service users to seek competitiveness enhancement measures specific to regular freight services. Research design, data, and methodology - IPA is a comparative analysis of the relative importance of and satisfaction with each attribute simultaneously. This study used IPA because it facilitates the process of analyzing importance and performance, deriving implications and a visual understanding of results. To enhance the competitiveness of regular freight services, this study surveyed its current users regarding the importance of the regular freight service factors. A total of 200 copies of a questionnaire were circulated and 190 copies were returned. In addition to demographics, respondents answered questions about the importance of and satisfaction with services on a 5-point Likert scale. Excluding 3 inappropriate copies, 187 out of 190 copies were analyzed. PASW Statistics 18 was used for statistical analysis. A total of 20 question items were selected for the service factors presented in the questionnaire based on the 1st pilot survey and previous studies. Results - According to the IPA performed to compare the importance of and satisfaction with service factors, both importance and satisfaction are high in the 1st quadrant, which involves the economic advantage of using regular freight services, quick arrival at destinations, weight freight handling, and less time constraints on freight receipt/dispatch. This area requires continuous management. Satisfaction is higher than importance in the 2nd quadrant, which involves the adequacy of freight, cost savings over ordinary courier services, notification on freight arrival, and freight tracking information. This area requires intensive investment and management. Satisfaction is lower than importance in the 3rd quadrant, involving the credit card payment system, courier delivery service, distance to freight handling sites, easy access to freight handling sites, and prompt problem solving. This area requires further intensive management. Both importance and satisfaction are low in the 4th quadrant, involving the availability of collection service, storage space at freight handling sites, kindness of collection/delivery staff, kindness of outlet staff, and easy delivery checks. This area is a set of variables should be excluded from priority control targets. Conclusions - Based on the IPA, service factors that need priority controls because of high importance and low satisfaction include the credit card payment system, delivery service, distance to freight handling sites, easy access to freight handling sites, and prompt problem solving. The findings need to be applied to future marketing strategies for regular freight services and for developing competitiveness enhancement programs.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.8
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• pp.5-15
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• 2014

Purpose - The method of TV home shopping is a kind of retail method that provides the viewer with information about products and, further, sells the products to consumers through the media of television. The domestic home-shopping industry has been expanding since 1995, and there are six companies in this arena as of 2012. In this study, we evaluate the management efficiency of TV home-shopping companies and provide suggestions for improving efficiency, using the DEA (data envelopment analysis) model. Hence, we expect to contribute to the progress of the companies' efficiency and the development of the TV home-shopping industry, where deepening competition is inevitable because it is experiencing the maturing market stage in its life cycle. Research design, data, and methodology - Efficiency is the ratio of the quantity of input to the quantity of output of a product or service. It is necessary to estimate aggregate inputs and aggregate outputs, which are calculated by applying a weighting to a number of input and output factors, to measure the efficiency. The DEA model is divided into the CCR model and the BCC model. The CCR model is a basic model that assumed constant returns to scale (CRS), and the BCC model extends the CCR model to accommodate technologies exhibiting variable returns to scale (VRS), and concerns only the technical efficiency without considering the efficiency of returns to scale. In this study, we consider six companies each year from 2008 to 2012 as a DMU (Decision Making Unit) and analyze the differences in efficiency for each company in each year. Furthermore, we evaluate the operating characteristics of TV home-shopping companies, using three models, in accordance with the overall performance, profitability, and marketability of the business. Results - The result of the analysis, using DEA models, shows that Hyundai Home Shopping (2009, 2010, 2011), GS Home Shopping (2011), NS Home Shopping (2011) and CJ O Shopping (2012) possess MPSS (most productive scale size), with a score 1.0 in CCR, BCC, and scale efficiency. Particularly, Hyundai Home Shopping is shown to be the most efficient in terms of overall business performance, marketability, and profitability. The overall efficiency of the home shopping industry has displayed an increasing trend since 2008, even though it decreased marginally in 2012; further, we can observe that home shopping companies operate with increasing efficiency with the passage of time. Conclusions - Home shopping companies have focused on market expansion rather than profits, as they displayed better efficiency in marketability than increase in profitability during the period 2008-2012. In addition, the main reason for the increased efficiency in the home shopping industry is the market expansion through the revenue increase of each home shopping company. This study can be used as a reference when home shopping companies attempt to devise future strategies, as it suggests efficiency benchmarks and development levels for each home shopping company.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.99-110
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• 2018

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship among narcissism, usage motives, usage behaviors, satisfaction with and continuance intention to use fashion social media. Research design, data, methodology - A questionnaire survey was used to collect data after conducting a pilot test. Based on the reliability test of the preliminary questionnaire used for the pilot test, the questionnaire was revised. The final questionnaires were administered to 238 fashion social media users and 216 were used for the data analysis. To assess the validity of these measures, exploratory factor analysis and the confirmatory factor analysis were performed. Structural equation modeling analysis were employed for data analysis. Results - Five factors of the usage motivation of fashion social media were extracted: information-seeking, relationship-seeking, practicality-seeking, enjoyment-seeking and self-expression motives. The statistical analysis confirmed the influence of the narcissism tendency on all of the usage motives of fashion social media, three of the fashion social media usage motives influencing information diffusion behavior, and the influence of the information diffusion behavior on users' satisfaction and continuance intention to use fashion social media. Narcissism exerted the highest influences on self-expression motive followed by information-seeking, enjoyment-seeking, relationship-seeking and practicality-seeking motives in order. Factors affecting fashion information diffusion behaviors are practicality-seeking motive, self-expression motive, and relationship-seeking motive. The greater the diffusion of information, the higher the satisfaction with using fashion social media. The consumers with higher satisfaction intended to use fashion social media and share information more frequently. Conclusions - The results indicate that narcissism is an important factor in fashion social media usage motivation. The main motives for narcissistic people to spread information is for the practical purpose at the most, and then to express their personality and style, and to build relationship with others. The satisfaction through active information sharing behaviors seems to play a key role to lead high continuance intention of fashion social media. These implies that marketing strategies to satisfy consumers' narcissism and motives to use social media, and to stimulate the information diffusion behaviors can be used to meet their needs for higher satisfaction with fashion social media.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.345-353
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• 2018

Hibernation is regarded as a physiological and behavioral adaptation that permits the survival of animals such as bats during seasonal periods of energy shortage. This study investigated the hibernation period of Plecotus ognevi in the temperate climate zone and the relationship between the thermal preference and hibernating process of bats. We hypothesized that the hibernation period of bats is closely related to the external temperature and temperature preference of bat species in the temperate region. To verify this hypothesis, we surveyed the distribution of the P. ognevi population in South Korea, and the temperature preference and the characteristics of hibernacula of P. ognevi. We predict that hibernation in the bat will begin when the external temperature drops below the thermal preference of the species and will leave from hibernation when the external temperature is higher than the thermal preference. P. ognevi hibernated in roosts maintained in low temperature ambient conditions with $-3.5{\sim}7.5^{\circ}C$). The body temperatures (averaged $3.01{\pm}1.30^{\circ}C$, ranged $0.1{\sim}7.8^{\circ}C$) of hibernating bats were closely related to the rock surface temperatures rather than the ambient temperatures. The bats began to hibernate in late November and final arousals occurred in mid-March, so that the total length of the hibernation was 115~120 days. The period of hibernation was strongly influenced by fluctuations in the external mean temperature. This study suggests that the onset and termination of P. ognevi hibernation is due to the interaction between the temperature of the hibernacula and that of the external environment and is based on the thermal preference of the bats. The study also suggests that the hibernation strategy such as thermal preference and hibernation periods of this species affect to distribution as bat species adapting to a severely climate.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.57-74
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• 2021

Purpose: Before COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese mid/low-priced hotel industry has been steadily growing in recent years, and internal and external competition has been intensifying. Under these circumstances, this study started with a strategic objective to increase the quality of service, thus enabling customer satisfaction and revisit intention. For enhancing the competitiveness of Chinese mid/low-priced hotel business, we plan to establish a model using SERVQUAL, O2O platform, and identify their relationship through empirical analyses. Research design, data and methodology: Through the consideration of the existing literature, this study intended to identify the characteristics of service quality in Chinese mid/low-priced hotels and to consider their impact on customer satisfaction and revisit intention. We also wanted to examine the moderating effect of the O2O platform between the characteristics of service quality and customer satisfaction. A survey was carried out on customers using mid/low-priced hotels in China and empirical analyses were conducted using regression analyses. Results: First, in the hypothesis of service qualities' effects on customer satisfaction were identified with significant positive effects. Second, in the hypothesis of service qualities' effects on revisit intention, "tangibles, reliability, and empathy" have shown significant positive. Third, in the verification of the moderating effect of the O2O platform, there were "positive partial moderating effects" between service qualities and customer satisfaction. Finally, the effect of customer satisfaction on revisit intention was positive significant. Conclusions: In order to satisfy their customers, improvements in service quality should be made first. In addition, customer satisfaction had a positive impact on revisit intention. In order to revitalize Chinese mid/low-priced hotels, differentiation strategy is also needed for specialized customers such as college students, and basically, efforts should be made to optimize the O2O platform. O2O platforms should establish optimal platform construction strategies based on the customer's perspective. After all, in the case of Chinese mid/low-priced hotels, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of the latest hardware infrastructure and O2O platform of software infrastructure, and to improve customers' advanced online and offline experiences. Finally, regarding the hypothesis that was rejected among service qualities' characteristics, we tried to discuss the reason and find the implications of these.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.507-524
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• 2022

In this study, we revealed the location environment and community structural characteristics after extensively investigating Korea's warm-temperate island areas and categorizing vegetation through TWINSPAN analysis. Based on it, this study aims to suggest the direction of the vegetation restoration plan for warm-temperate forests by deriving a restoration strategy for each vegetation type. The vegetation types were clearly divided into eight types, and communities I through IV were good evergreen broad-leaved forests dominated by Machilus thunbergii and Castanopsis sieboldii. On the other hand, communities V through VIII were Pinus thunbergii forest, deciduous broad-leaved forest, and artificial forest, and retrogressive succession vegetation in the warm-temperate areas. The environmental factors derived from the DCA analysis were altitude (average temperature of the coldest month) and distance from the coastline (salt tolerance). The distribution pattern of warm-temperate forests has been categorized into M. thunbergii, C. sieboldii and Cyclobalanopsis spp. forest types according to the two environmental factors. It is reasonable to apply the three vegetation types as restoration target vegetation considering the location environment of the restoration target site. In communities V through VIII, P. thunbergiiand deciduous broad-leaved formed a canopy layer, and evergreen broad-leaved species with strong seed expansion frequently appeared in the ground layer, raising the possibility of vegetation succession as evergreen broad-leaved forests. The devastated land where forests have disappeared in the island areas is narrow, but vegetation such as P. thunbergii and deciduous broad-leaved forests, which have become a retrogressive succession, forms a large area. The restoration strategy of renewing this area into evergreen, broad-leaved forests should be more effective in realizing carbon neutrality and promoting biodiversity.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.234-243
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• 2022

In Korea, hail damage occurs every year, and in the case of agriculture, it causes severe field crop and cultivation facility losses. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a hail information service system customized for Korea's primary production and crop-growing areas to minimize hail damage. However, the observation of hail is relatively more difficult than that of other meteorological variables, and the available data are also spatially and temporally variable. A hail information service system was developed to understand the temporal and spatial distribution of hail occurrence. As part of this, a hail observation database was established that integrated the observation data from Korea Meteorological Administration with the information from newspaper reports. Furthermore, a hail risk map was produced based on this database. The risk map presented the nationwide distribution and characteristics of hail showers from 1970 to 2018, and the northeastern region of South Korea was found to be relatively dangerous. Overall, hail occurred nationwide, especially in the northeast and some inland areas (Gangwon, Gyeongbuk, and Chungbuk province) and in winter, mainly on the north coast and some inland areas as graupel (small and soft hail). Analyzing the time of day, frequency, and hailstone size of hail shower occurrences by region revealed that the incidence of large hail stones (e.g., 10 cm at Damyang-gun) has increased in recent years and that showers occurred mainly in the afternoon when the updraft was well formed. By integrating multidisciplinary data, the temporal and spatial gap in hail data could be supplemented. The hail risk map produced in this study will be helpful for the selection of suitable crops and growth management strategies under the changing climate conditions.

• Journal of Digital Policy
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.9-15
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• 2022

The World Economic Forum has included Water-Energy-Food among the three major risk groups in the world, and Water-Energy-Food is related to the development strategies of countries and the lives of their citizens. This study calculates the combined Water-Energy-Food use efficiency in China for 2011-2020 based on the SBM-Malmquist index. The results show that the overall combined Water-Energy-Food efficiency in China is low, but shows an upward trend. There is a clear variability in the combined Water-Energy-Food utilization efficiency in China, with an overall geographic distribution pattern of East > Middle > West. Only Beijing and Shanghai have reached the real above effective nationwide, and all other provinces have inefficiency between input and output. The Malmquist index of integrated Water-Energy-Food utilization efficiency is 1.136, with an up ward trend, and technical efficiency and technological progress lead the improvement of integrated Water-Energy-Food utilization efficiency in China at the sametime. The Water-Energy-Food issue should be raised to a strategic level as soon as possible, and policy support should be provided for its development. Each region should establish a cross-regional coordinating body to formulate targeted measures according to the province's food production and water distribution, so as to promote economic transformation from sloppy development to green development as soon as possible.