• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

Network externalities are essentially dynamic in that the value consumers feel about a product is affected by the size of the existing customer base that uses that product. However, existing studies on network externalities analyzed the effects of network externalities in a static way, not dynamic. In this study, unlike previous studies, the impact of network externalities on price competition in a vertically differentiated market is dynamically analyzed. To this end, a two-period duopoly game model was used to reflect the dynamic aspects of network externalities. Based on the game model, the Nash equilibria for price, sales volume, and revenue were derived and numerically analyzed. The results can be summarized as follows. First, if high-end product has strong market power, the high-end product vendor takes almost all benefits of the network externality. Second, when high-end product has strong market power, the low-end product will take over most of the initial sales volume increase. Third, when market power of high-end product is not strong, it can be seen that the effects of network externalities on the high and low-end products are generally proportional to the difference in quality. Lastly, if there exists a strong network externality, it is shown that the presence of low-end product can be more profitable for high-end product vendor. In other words, high-end product vendor has incentive to disclose some technologies for the market entrance of low-end product, even if it has exclusive rights to the technologies. In that case, however, it is shown that the difference in quality should be maintained significantly.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.192-203
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• 2016

Uganda is a country blessed with the biggest number of mountain Gorillas in the whole world. These animals contribute at least 12% in revenue generation to the Tourism sector through tracking by both local and foreign tourists who pay for the tracking permits. However, Gorilla tracking is also a big challenge even in the presence of highly skilled and well-trained game rangers. Development and implementation of a secure Computer and Mobile based Gorilla Tracking (GT) system that uses GIS and GPS technologies would be the most ideal technology to use. Therefore, this study aimed to find out the critical factors that would affect the Behavioral Intention of the would-be users to successfully decide to use such GIS/GPS-GT system. We used the existing UTAUT model to integrate six factors such as Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Employee Peer Influence, Facilitating Conditions, Behavioral Intention and System Use. However, Infrastructure Availability and Non-Technical Facilitating Conditions were added to reflect Ugandan ICT context. This amended UTAUT model was used to carry out the survey. The questionnaire was emailed to 220 government employees in the fields of ICT, Tour and Travel, Environmental Groups officials and Farmers who garden near the game reserves. A total of 133 were obtained fully completed, whereas 127 were deemed usable thus yielding a response rate of 58%. The analysis results show that except for non-technical facilitating conditions, effort expectancy, peer influence, performance expectancy and infrastructure availability positively affects behavioral Intention to use GIS/GPS-GT. This indicates that people in Uganda don't bother about regulations and rules in regard to using information system. As long as the system does what they want it to, anything else does not matter. As an employee in an organization is told to use a system by their supervisor, they have no objection to otherwise they risk losing their job. This implies that, supervisors have a great responsibility in the process of developing, implementing and using the system in Uganda.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2018

This study is an interaction design study which can improve the usability of random item boxes that are used as in - game contents in Korean mobile games. Currently, Korean mobile game sales continue to rise. Sales of random item boxes are the main reason for the increase in sales. Problems with the use of random item boxes have been continuously raised, and legal regulations are currently in place. When using random item boxes, the user can not know the exact percentage information. There is a concern that this expresses gambling. In this context, we have studied interaction design to improve the usability of random item boxes, and conducted user online surveys and in - depth interviews to provide users with a better game experience. As a result, it is shown that providing percentage information intuitively when using random item boxes can enhance user experience. Through this study, it is expected that interaction design research will be actively conducted to provide a better user experience when using random item boxes.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.41-59
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• 2005

Mobile games have emerged as the most innovative entertainment technology adding new revenue streams, taking advantage of the potential of wireless consumer applications and service offerings. Mobile games, like any other types of computer game, offer a unique value for users in providing an exciting digital experience in virtual worlds. Players can become empowered through the development of new characters and strategies within games to achieve rewarding successes against the computers and other players. In this paper, we attempt to investigate the factors influencing the usage and acceptance of the mobile games in Korea, based on the extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model(TAM). Based on data collected from survey, we show that perceived usefulness is the major determinant for users to play mobile games. Two factors, including perceived enjoyment and self-expressiveness, are empirically shown to determine perceived usefulness. In addition, perceived ease of use, rewards, operational quality of device, and design/story have been showed to significantly and directly affect perceived enjoyment. It was also confirmed that self-efficacy and operational quality of device are the antecedents of perceived ease of use. Based upon the statistical results, some useful guidelines for game development and market penetration strategies are also provided.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.147-156
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• 2009

We present a methodology for modeling and solving the transit frequency design problem with variable demand. The problem is described as a bi-level model based on a non-cooperative Stackelberg game. The upper-level operator problem is formulated as a non-linear optimization model to minimize net cost, which includes operating cost, travel cost and revenue, with fleet size and frequency constraints. The lower-level user problem is formulated as a capacity-constrained stochastic user equilibrium assignment model with variable demand, considering transfer delay between transit lines. An efficient algorithm is also presented for solving the proposed model. The upper-level model is solved by a gradient projection method, and the lower-level model is solved by an existing iterative balancing method. An application of the proposed model and algorithm is presented using a small test network. The results of this application show that the proposed algorithm converges well to an optimal point. The methodology of this study is expected to contribute to form a theoretical basis for diagnosing the problems of current transit systems and for improving its operational efficiency to increase the demand as well as the level of service.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.132-141
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• 2022

We look at the rocket life stages of NaverZ's metaverse platform scaling and investigate the ignition and scale-up stage of its metaverse platform brand, Zepeto based on the Rocket Model (RM). The results are derived as follows: Firstly, NaverZ shows the event strategy by collaborating with K-pops, the piggybacking strategy by utilizing other SNSs, and the VIP strategy by investing in game and entertainment content genres in the 'attract' function. In the second 'match' function, based on the matching rule of Zepeto, the users can generate their own characters and "World" with Zepeto Studio. However, for strengthening the matching quality, NaverZ is investing in the artificial intelligence (AI) based companies consistently. In the 'connect' function, NaverZ's maximization of the positive interaction is possible by inducing feed activities in Zepeto & other SNSs and by uploading attractive content for viral effects in the ignition. For facilitating this, NaverZ expands the scale to other continents like Southeast Asia and Middle East with the localization strategy inclusive investment. Lastly, in the 'transact' function, based on three monetization experiments like Coin & ZEM, user generated content (UGC) fee, and advertising revenue in the ignition, NaverZ starts to invest in NFT platforms and abroad blockchain companies.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.35 no.6B
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• pp.908-920
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• 2010

In recent years, mobile phone market is saturated in number of user term. Associated service providers struggle to provide various mobile services such as Internet, e-commerce, game, music etc. to increase ARPU (average revenue per user) instead. In this study we explore the factors which affect price tabs of mobile communication. As a conceptual foundation, this study introduces user factors-users' propensity to use mobile phones-as independent variables and mobile service functions as mediating variables. The research model was phones-as independent variables and mobile service functions as mediating variables. The research model was tested with data from Web-based survey of 1,500 mobile users and analyzed by structural equation modeling (SEM). Our results suggest that user factors impact the usage of mobile service functions and mobile service functions for information and convenience are positively related to price tabs of mobile communication. Implications for mobile service providers and policy makers are discussed.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.271-284
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• 2020

Good reviews that Half-Life: Alyx received created a turning point for the vitalization of the VR market with an uncertain future due to the absence of a revenue model together with the increased sales of VR equipment. Based on previous studies, this study categorized the characteristics of VR games according to graphs, first-person system, interface, controller, interaction technology, sound and stories. The analysis results show that the seven elements corresponded with "interactions" and "virtual images," which represent the completion level of games as part of VR components, and were connected to one another, which led to the proposal of an upper-rank concept "presence" to put them together. "Immersiveness," which represents users' emotions as part of VR components, was analyzed with the immersion theory to assign tasks of proper difficulty level for users' abilities. In the research process, the Delphi technique and FGI were administered to a panel of 15 experts to ensure objectivity. Finally, "presence" and "immersiveness" are characteristics in proportion to each other and can be valid concepts in future analysis of VR games as well as Half-Life: Alyx, which led to the proposal a new concept framework called 'presence effects' by combining the two words.

• Journal of Communications and Networks
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.975-988
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• 2016

Large access providers (ISPs) are seeking for new types of business agreements and pricing models to manage network costs and monetize better the provision of last-mile services. A typical paradigm of such new pricing norms is the proliferation of paid peering deals between ISPs and content providers (CPs), while on top of this, some ISPs are already experimenting with usage-based tariffs, usually through data-plans, instead of the typical fixed-based charging. In this work we define as common platform, the infrastructure in which a single ISP transacts with several CPs through peering agreements. In this context, we examine whether, and under which market conditions, the profitability of the involved stakeholders improves when the establishment of this platform is accompanied by a monetary compensation from the CPs to the ISP (paid peering), v.s. a scenario where their deal is a typical settlement-free one. In both cases, we assume that the ISP implements a usage-based access pricing scheme, implying that end-users will pay more for higher transaction rates with the CPs. Our framework captures some of the most important details of the current market, such as the various business models adopted by the CPs, the end-users' evaluation towards the ISP's and CPs' level of investments and the traffic rates per transaction for the offered services. By analysing the equilibrium derived by a leader-follower game, it turns out (among other practical takeaways) that whether or not the profitability of a CP improves, it highly depends on whether its business model is to sell content, or if it obtains its revenue from advertisements. Finally, we extract that consumer surplus is considerably higher under paid peering, which in turn implies improved levels of social welfare.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.119-138
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• 2016

Since the Industrial Revolution, which made the mass production and mass distribution of standardized goods possible, machine-made (manufactured) products have accounted for the majority of the market. However, in recent years, the phenomenon of purchasing even more expensive handmade products has become a noticeable trend as consumers have started to acknowledge the value of handmade products, such as the craftsman's commitment, belief in their quality and scarcity, and the sense of self-esteem from having them,. Consumer interest in these handmade products has shown explosive growth and has been coupled with the recent development of three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies. Etsy.com is the world's largest online handmade platform. It is no different from any other online platform; it provides an online market where buyers and sellers virtually meet to share information and transact business. However, Etsy.com is different in that shops within this platform only deal with handmade products in a variety of categories, ranging from jewelry to toys. Since its establishment in 2005, despite being limited to handmade products, Etsy.com has enjoyed rapid growth in membership, transaction volume, and revenue. Most recently in April 2015, it raised funds through an initial public offering (IPO) of more than 1.8 billion USD, which demonstrates the huge potential of online handmade platforms. After the success of Etsy.com, various types of online handmade platforms such as Handmade at Amazon, ArtFire, DaWanda, and Craft is ART have emerged and are now competing with each other, at the same time, which has increased the size of the market. According to Deloitte's 2015 holiday survey on which types of gifts the respondents plan to buy during the holiday season, about 16% of U.S. consumers chose "homemade or craft items (e.g., Etsy purchase)," which was the same rate as those for the computer game and shoes categories. This indicates that consumer interests in online handmade platforms will continue to rise in the future. However, this high interest in the market for handmade products and their platforms has not yet led to academic research. Most extant studies have only focused on machine-made products and intelligent services for them. This indicates a lack of studies on handmade products and their intelligent services on virtual platforms. Therefore, this study used signaling theory and prior research on the effects of sellers' characteristics on their performance (e.g., total sales and price premiums) in the buyer-seller relationship to identify the key influencing e-Image factors (e.g., reputation, size, information sharing, and length of relationship). Then, their impacts on the performance of shops within the online handmade platform were empirically examined; the dataset was collected from Etsy.com through the application of web harvesting technology. The results from the structural equation modeling revealed that the reputation, size, and information sharing have significant effects on the total sales, while the reputation and length of relationship influence price premiums. This study extended the online platform research into online handmade platform research by identifying key influencing e-Image factors on within-platform shop's total sales and price premiums based on signaling theory and then performed a statistical investigation. These findings are expected to be a stepping stone for future studies on intelligent online handmade services as well as handmade products themselves. Furthermore, the findings of the study provide online handmade platform operators with practical guidelines on how to implement intelligent online handmade services. They should also help shop managers build their marketing strategies in a more specific and effective manner by suggesting key influencing e-Image factors. The results of this study should contribute to the vitalization of intelligent online handmade services by providing clues on how to maximize within-platform shops' total sales and price premiums.