• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.267-277
• /
• 2021

To evaluate hepatoprotective effects, the antioxidant capacities of matcha green tea extract (Camellia sinenesis) were compared to those of green leaf tea and the anti-inflammatory activities in HepG2 cells were investigated. Evaluation of the total phenolic and total flavonoid content, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, and inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation indicated that the aqueous extract of matcha green tea presented significant catechin content and antioxidant capacity compared to those of green leaf tea. In addition, the extract had considerable inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and advanced glycation end-products. The matcha green tea extract significantly increased cell viability and reduced reactive oxygen species in H₂O₂- and high-glucose-treated HepG2 cells. Furthermore, in response to oleic acid-induced HepG2 cell injury, treatment with matcha green tea aqueous extract inhibited lipid accumulation and regulated the expression of inflammatory proteins such as p-JNK, p-Akt, p-GSK-3β, caspase-3, COX-2, iNOS, and TNF-α. Matcha green tea could be used as a functional material to ameliorate hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammation.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.55-69
• /
• 2021

For the national economic development, the participation of women in the social and economic activities is crucial. The popularization of start-ups, digital transformation, and WEconomy trends have lowered the barriers to opportunities for women to start a business and provide an environment in which women can grow faster. This paper examines the significance and process of success of women entrepreneurs and the characteristics of innovation strategies and achievements by linking the recently changing business environment of a company, factors influencing the success of women entrepreneurship, and innovation activities. To this end, four companies' cases were analyzed in the fields of distribution/service and consumer products/services, which are areas of large investment among female startups. The result shows that women entrepreneurs recognize the meaning of success as creating and continuing to create a 'corporate value through establishing a trust relationship with customers' within the 'balance between personal life and work.' In terms of the business ecosystem, women entrepreneurs strive for 'business activities based on the win-win growth of consumers, producers and sellers' for success, and rather 'focus on the process with a problem-solving approach' rather than achieving performance-oriented goals. Also through excellent power of observation, flexibility, and execution power, women entrepreneurs conduct business by adapting to changing trends. In terms of innovation activities, the innovation strategy of women-led companies puts priority on 'creating the value customers want' and focuses on innovation in the 'customer-centric business model' rather than technological innovation. As such, women-led companies show several differentiated characteristics, which enable them to create corporate value and achieve sustainable growth. The barriers to challenges and opportunities for women to start a business have been lowered, and an ecosystem has been created for female startups to grow. But why are there still so few women entrepreneurs, and the answer to where we need to close these gaps is ultimately a close analysis and investigation of the field. We must present milestones for growth steps through the accumulation of case studies of women startups that have exited. In addition, women can stand as economic agents only when the policy targets are subdivided and specific approaches to child-rearing and childcare for women entrepreneurs must be taken. This paper expects to serve as basic data for follow-up studies and become the basis of research for women entrepreneurs to grow as economic agents.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.38 no.6_1
• /
• pp.1285-1300
• /
• 2022

Turbidity, the measure of the cloudiness of water, is used as an important index for water quality management. The turbidity can vary greatly in small river systems, which affects water quality in national rivers. Therefore, the generation of high-resolution spatial information on turbidity is very important. In this study, a turbidity retrieval model using the Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-3 and -3A (KOMPSAT-3/3A) images was developed for high-resolution turbidity mapping of Han River system based on eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm. To this end, the top of atmosphere (TOA) spectral reflectance was calculated from a total of 24 KOMPSAT-3/3A images and 150 Landsat-8 images. The Landsat-8 TOA spectral reflectance was cross-calibrated to the KOMPSAT-3/3A bands. The turbidity measured by the National Water Quality Monitoring Network was used as a reference dataset, and as input variables, the TOA spectral reflectance at the locations of in situ turbidity measurement, the spectral indices (the normalized difference vegetation index, normalized difference water index, and normalized difference turbidity index), and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived atmospheric products(the atmospheric optical thickness, water vapor, and ozone) were used. Furthermore, by analyzing the KOMPSAT-3/3A TOA spectral reflectance of different turbidities, a new spectral index, new normalized difference turbidity index (nNDTI), was proposed, and it was added as an input variable to the turbidity retrieval model. The XGBoost model showed excellent performance for the retrieval of turbidity with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.70 NTU and a normalized RMSE (NRMSE) of 14.70% compared to in situ turbidity, in which the nNDTI proposed in this study was used as the most important variable. The developed turbidity retrieval model was applied to the KOMPSAT-3/3A images to map high-resolution river turbidity, and it was possible to analyze the spatiotemporal variations of turbidity. Through this study, we could confirm that the KOMPSAT-3/3A images are very useful for retrieving high-resolution and accurate spatial information on the river turbidity.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.21-27
• /
• 2020

The ASF, which originated in Africa and threatens the world, landed in Asia in 2018 in China, and became a stern threat to the security of the Korean Peninsula when North Korea officially reported the ASF to the OIE in May 2019. In 1921, Montgomery, a British veterinary pathologist, made headlines by naming the African swine fever "African Swine Fever," or ASF, a disease caused by a high fatality virus that existed in East Africa. The ASF, which was a pandemic of endemic diseases in Africa, landed in Portgal around 1957 and swept through farms in Lisbon, Portugal. The ASF continued to settle in Spain and Portugal, causing 40 years of damage until the end of the 1990s, and is now in progress after landing on the Italian island of Sardinia in 1978. The virus, which landed in Portiport of Georgia on the Black Sea coast of the Black Sea in 2007, spread to Russia and caused massive damage to China in 2018, then rapidly spread to Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar in May 2019 and spread across the country, causing massive damage to the pork industry and is now in progress. Just three months after confirming the outbreak in North Korea, the outbreak at farms in Paju and Yeoncheon was confirmed on Sept. 16, 2019, leaving South Korea with the stigma of ASF-causing countries, and although the ASF's nationwide expansion has been blocked, it is currently underway in wild boars. If the ongoing ASF in the two Koreas becomes indigenous, it would be a major disaster not only for the pork industry but also for the Korean Peninsula economy. Under the current circumstances, it is impossible to focus only on veterinary areas limited to South Korea, ruling out risk factors from the ASF outbreak. Currently, it is difficult to prevent damage to the pork industry due to the ASF outbreak due to the poor water defense reality in North Korea, and as it is adjacent to China, which has a high risk of developing various epidemic diseases, there is a need for the two Koreas to jointly conduct quarantine and quarantine on the border areas. First of all, I think rapid exchange of information and education on ASF and other diseases is necessary before establishing a joint defense system on the Korean Peninsula. It is important to conduct thorough quarantine and disinfection of ASF-generated areas in North Korea, and areas bordering China and Russia, and jointly conduct thorough quarantine and control of livestock and livestock products in circulation. Cooperation by the South and North Korean water defense industries to prevent the protracted ASF on the Korean Peninsula by all means and methods is essential.

• Korea Trade Review
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.185-219
• /
• 2016

The Chinese cosmetics market is rapidly expanding, but various problems have also emerged, including exaggerated advertisement, lack of accurate information on product usage and the emergence of imitation products. For this reason, cosmetics companies have been making efforts to convince Chinese consumers of their brand authenticity and trust. In particular, Korean cosmetics firms have been using Hallyu stars who are largely popular among Chinese consumers as a means to raise their brand authenticity and trust. The aim of this study was to view Hallyu stars as human brands in the Chinese cosmetics market and verify whether the Chinese consumers' attachment toward Korean celebrities help the consumers perceive the authenticity of the brands advertised by the stars, and whether such brand authenticity affects the Chinese consumers' trust in Korean cosmetics brands. Furthermore, based on the fact that brand authenticity is defined and classified differently according to the type of product, this study observed the authenticity of Korean cosmetics brands from the aspect of product, employee and company based on previous research conducted on cosmetics brand authenticity. To this end, this study surveyed Chinese consumers for a month by using a representative survey website (http://www.sojump.com) that actively shares information related to cosmetics. A total of 394 surveys were used in the empirical analysis. The results of empirical analysis indicated that Chinese consumers' attachment toward Hallyu stars spreads to the Korean cosmetics brands advertised by the celebrities to have a positive effect on the brand authenticity perceived by Chinese consumers, including the authenticity of product, employee and company. Results also showed that the authenticity of Korean cosmetics brands, including product, employee and company, affected Chinese consumers' trust in the brands. The results of this study can provide implications regarding advertising or marketing strategies using Hallyu stars that can be utilized by Korean cosmetics companies to improve brand authenticity and reliability perceived by Chinese consumers in the Chinese cosmetics market, where brand authenticity and reliability are important.

• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.1-22
• /
• 2013

This case focuses on Shanghai Tang, the first truly Chinese luxury brand that appeals to both Westerners and, more recently, to Chinese consumers worldwide. A visionary and wealthy businessman Sir David Tang created this company from scratch in 1994 in Hong Kong. Its story, spanned over almost two decades, has been fascinating. It went from what best a Chinese brand could be in the eyes of Westerners who love the Chinese culture, to a nearly-bankrupted company in 1998, before being acquired by Richemont, the second largest luxury group in the world. Since then, its turnaround has been spectacular with a growing appeal among Chinese luxury consumers who represent the core segment of the luxury industry today. The main objective of this case study is to formally examine how Shanghai Tang overcame its downfall and re-emerged as one the very few well- known Chinese luxury brands. More specifically, this case highlights the ways with which Shanghai Tang made a transitional change from a brand for Westerners who love the Chinese culture, to a brand for both, Westerners who love the Chinese culture and Chinese who love luxury. A close examination reveals that Shanghai Tang has followed the brand identity concept that consists of two major components: functional and emotional. The functional component for developing a luxury brand concerns all product characteristics that will make a product 'luxurious' in the eyes of the consumer, such as premium quality of cachemire from Mongolia, Chinese silk, lacquer, finest leather, porcelain, and jade in the case of Shanghai Tang. The emotional component consists of non-functional symbolic meanings of a brand. The symbolic meaning marks the major difference between a premium and a luxury brand. In the case of Shanghai Tang, its symbolic meaning refers to the Chinese culture and the brand aims to represent the best of Chinese traditions and establish itself as "the ambassador of modern Chinese style". It touches the Chinese heritage and emotions. Shanghai Tang has reinvented the modern Chinese chic by drawing back to the stylish decadence of Shanghai in the 1930s, which was then called the "Paris of the East", and this is where the brand finds inspiration to create its own myth. Once the functional and emotional components assured, Shanghai Tang has gone through a four-stage development to become the first global Chinese luxury brand: introduction, deepening, expansion, and revitalization. Introduction: David Tang discovered a market gap and had a vision to launch the first Chinese luxury brand to the world. The key success drivers for the introduction and management of a Chinese luxury brand are a solid brand identity and, above all, a creative mind, an inspired person. This was David Tang then, and this is now Raphael Le Masne de Chermont, the current Executive Chairman. Shanghai Tang combines Chinese and Western elements, which it finds to be the most sustainable platform for drawing consumers. Deepening: A major objective of the next phase is to become recognized as a luxury brand and a fashion or design authority. For this purpose, Shanghai Tang has cooperated with other well-regarded luxury and lifestyle brands such as Puma and Swarovski. It also expanded its product lines from high-end custom-made garments to music CDs and restaurant. Expansion: After the opening of his first store in Hong Kong in 1994, David Tang went on to open his second store in New York City three years later. However this New York retail operation was a financial disaster. Barely nineteen months after the opening, the store was shut down and quietly relocated to a cheaper location of Madison Avenue. Despite this failure, Shanghai Tang products found numerous followers especially among Western tourists and became "souvenir-like" must-haves. However, despite its strong brand DNA, the brand did not generate enough repeated sales and over the years the company cumulated heavy debts and became unprofitable. Revitalizing: After its purchase by Richemont in 1998, Le Masne de Chermont was appointed to lead the company, reposition the brand and undertake some major strategic changes such as revising the "Shanghai Tang" designs to appeal not only to Westerners but also to Chinese consumers, and to open new stores around the world. Since then, Shanghai Tang has become synonymous to a modern Chinese luxury lifestyle brand.

• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.53-76
• /
• 2005

With rapid technological and market change, new product development (NPD) complexity is a significant issue that organizations continually face in their development projects. There are numerous factors, which cause development projects to become increasingly costly & complex. A product is more likely to be successfully developed and marketed when the complexity inherent in NPD projects is clearly understood and carefully managed. Based upon the previous studies, this study examines the nature and importance of complexity in developing new products and then identifies several issues in managing complexity. Issues considered include: definition of complexity : consequences of complexity; and methods for managing complexity in NPD projects. To achieve high performance in managing complexity in development projects, these issues need to be addressed, for example: A. Complexity inherent in NPD projects is multi-faceted and multidimensional. What factors need to be considered in defining and/or measuring complexity in a development project? For example, is it sufficient if complexity is defined only from a technological perspective, or is it more desirable to consider the entire array of complexity sources which NPD teams with different functions (e.g., marketing, R&D, manufacturing, etc.) face in the development process? Moreover, is it sufficient if complexity is measured only once during a development project, or is it more effective and useful to trace complexity changes over the entire development life cycle? B. Complexity inherent in a project can have negative as well as positive influences on NPD performance. Thus, which complexity impacts are usually considered negative and which are positive? Project complexity also can affect the entire organization. Any complexity could be better assessed in broader and longer perspective. What are some ways in which the long-term impact of complexity on an organization can be assessed and managed? C. Based upon previous studies, several approaches for managing complexity are derived. What are the weaknesses & strengths of each approach? Is there a desirable hierarchy or order among these approaches when more than one approach is used? Are there differences in the outcomes according to industry and product types (incremental or radical)? Answers to these and other questions can help organizations effectively manage the complexity inherent in most development projects. Complexity is worthy of additional attention from researchers and practitioners alike. Large-scale empirical investigations, jointly conducted by researchers and practitioners, will help gain useful insights into understanding and managing complexity. Those organizations that can accurately identify, assess, and manage the complexity inherent in projects are likely to gain important competitive advantages.

• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.95-119
• /
• 2010

Although there have been many studies regarding the inconsistency between consumers' attitudes and behavior, prior research has almost exclusively focused on the relationship between the attitude before behavior and the initial behavior. Relatively little research has been conducted on consumer satisfaction after purchase and post-purchase behavior. This research proposed that the relationship between satisfaction and post-purchase behavior is moderated by consumers' psychological characteristics such as need for cognitive closure(NCC) and temporal self-construal(SC). The need for cognitive closure refers to individuals' desire for a firm answer to a question and an aversion toward ambiguity. We assumed the need for cognitive closure as a major moderating variable because it is judged that the requirement for cognition clearly varies between when a consumer repurchases the same product and seeks a new alternative. Individuals who tend to end cognition due to time constraints or inappropriate conditions may display considerable cognitive impatience or impulsivity and has a higher probability in repurchasing the same product than a consumer without such limitations. They would avoid further consideration for new alternatives and the likelihood of the repurchase for prior alternative would increase. As hypothesized, significant moderating effect of the NCC was confirmed. This result gives a significant implication for a corporate to establish effective marketing strategies. For a corporate or product brand that has been occupying the market after entering the market earlier, it would be effective to maintain need for cognitive closure high in the existing consumers and thereby preventing the consumers from being interested in the new alternatives. On the other hand, new brands that have just entered the market need to lower the potential consumers' need for cognitive closure so that the consumers can be interested in new alternatives. Along with need for cognitive closure, temporal self-construal also turned out to moderate the satisfaction-repurchase. temporal SC reflects the extent to which individuals view themselves either as an individuated entity or in relation to others. Consumers under a temporarily independent SC would repurchase former alternative again according to their prior satisfaction and evaluation. In contrast, consumers in temporal interdependent SC tended to switch to a new alternative because they value interpersonal relationships above anything else and have a tendency to rely heavily on in-group opinions. When they are confronted with additional opinions, it is highly probable that he/she will choose a new product as an alternative. By proving the impact that temporal self-construal has on repurchasing behavior, this study is providing the marketers with new standards for establishing successful promotional strategies. For example, if the buyer and the user is the same for a product, it would be effective for the seller to convince the consumer to make decision subjectively by encouraging temporal independent self-construal. On the contrary, in the case where the purchase is made by an individual but the product is consumed by a group of people. For example, a housewife is more likely to choose the products or brands that her husband or children prefer rather than the ones that she likes by herself. In that case, emphasizing how the whole family can be satisfied and happy about the product would be effective for promoting repurchase.

• Korea Trade Review
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.131-150
• /
• 2023

The purpose of this study was to find a countermeasure to the U.S. import refusals for the Korean healthcare and life sciences industry. To this end, an analysis of trends during the pandemic was conducted using the KITA Border Rejection Database, which includes information on items and types of import refusals. The reason for rejection was also analyzed according to the FDA violation codes. The degree of countermeasure for import refusals was identified by measuring the unit rejection rate (URR). The results of the analysis showed that the major U.S. import refusals for the Korean healthcare and life sciences industry had expanded from contact lenses to COVID-19 diagnostic kits and drugs after the pandemic broke out. The major reasons for import refusals were non-compliance with the Predicate Device and Drugs Act and non-approval by the FDA for products and facilities. On the other hand, the unit rejection rate (URR) of major items in the Korean healthcare and life sciences industry was measured higher than the industry average. The results therefore showed a low level of response to U.S. import refusals. The results of the analysis of reasons for import refusals by item according to FDA violation codes were as follows. First of all, the main violation for contact lenses and COVID-19 diagnostic kits corresponded to misbranding. This was often due to the fact that Korean companies did not provide the relevant notices and information required by the FDA. Many cases also failed to demonstrate a substantial equivalency compared to predicate devices already on the market. On the other hand, applications for new unapproved drugs were not accepted as they had yet to pass relevant regulations that would prove their safety and efficacy. In conclusion, import refusals for the Korean healthcare and life sciences industry were found to be closely related to technical barriers to trade (TBT).

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.183-196
• /
• 2024

This study investigated the protective effect of the aqueous extract of Eucommia ulmoides leaves (AEEL) against high glucose-induced human colon epithelial HT-29 cells. The 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazy (DPPH) radical scavenging activities, ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP), and malondialdehyde (MDA) analyses indicated that AEEL had significant antioxidant activities. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that AEEL increased cell viability against high glucose-, H₂O₂-, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytotoxicity in HT-29 cells. Also, the 2'-7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA) assay indicated that AEEL decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) against high glucose-, H₂O₂-, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytotoxicity in HT-29 cells. AEEL showed inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase and inhibited the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AEEL showed significant positive effects on the viability and titratable acidity of L. brevis. The high-performance liquid chromatogram (HPLC) analysis identified chlorogenic acid and rutin as the major compounds of AEEL. These results suggested that AEEL has the potential to be used as a functional food source to suppress blood glucose levels and protect the gut from high glucose-induced oxidative stress.