• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.86-100
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• 2019

This study analyzed the characteristics of vegan fashion produced by H&M and ZARA with respect to materials, design, development, production, and marketing to create social value. The results of this study are significant because they can be used as a reference to develop a vegan fashion market. Regarding the research method, this study assessed the concept and status of veganism through a literature review and examined vegan fashion case studies by analyzing official websites and media content. The study's scope covers the period from 2005, when H&M was the first SPA brand to create a vegan product line, until 2019. The characteristics of Global SPA's vegan fashion were as follows. Regarding materials, alternative materials were developed and an expanded use of organic materials was implemented. Regarding design, development was achieved through design collaboration and upcycling. In terms of production, an animal welfare policy was adopted and a sustainable supply chain was established. Marketing employed a campaign aimed at encouraging increased consumer participation. The findings regarding the social value of H&M and Zara's vegan fashion were as follows. First, a cyclical economy was realized through circular recycling in the entire process of resource selection, production, and waste disposal. Second, because product consumption indicated the importance of ethical consumption and sustainable consumer participation, corporate financial activities were created based on shared values to accomplish the social outcome. Third, collaborations with luxury brands or vegan fashion designers built a collaborative ecosystem in which vegan fashions were released and consumer participation campaigns were implemented.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2018

Purpose - With the worldwide aging problem and the development of globalization, customers prefer to seek affordable medical services with the higher quality overseas. This new trend has urged some destination countries to improve their services for the more competitive advantages over other countries. Literature research indicate that medical quality and cost may be the key factors influencing global patients' decisions. In the international environment, however, medical tourism destinations are selected due to cultural similarity between the hosting country and the customers' own country. The more similarity perceived between the two countries leads foreign patients to choose the considering country as the destination for medical tourism. However, little research has been conducted on this topic. Thus, we empirically investigate how cultural similarity influences Chinese medical customers' choice of the destinations. We also consider the factors related to medical competency and travel attribute which might affect customers' decisions along with some moderating roles of disease types. Research design, data, and methodology - We proposed a research model in order to confirm the relations among different variables of cultural similarity, medical competency, travel attractiveness, disease types, and destination choice. The questionnaire survey is processed in the more economically developed regions of China such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu. Conditional logit regression is applied to analyze the data of 881. Results - Results indicate that cultural similarity is the important predictor of Chinese customers' decision to select a medical country. However, the effects of cultural similarity vary according to the disease types. We also find that medical competency and travel attractiveness influence their decisions with the moderating role of disease types. Conclusions - Cultural similarity is the important factor that influences Chinese potential medical tourists' decisions to select a destination. Marketing managers should consider the effects of cultural similarity when developing strategies for attracting Chinese medical tourists. Since medical competency and travel attractiveness are still the critical key elements for them to evaluate the destination countries, it is necessary to continuously improve medical service quality and facilities. The results also recommend that medical managers should sharpen their marketing strategies by segmenting Chinese potential customers in terms of disease types.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.35-56
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• 2013

The era of globalization provides us with both opportunities and threats. The success of a multinational corporation depends largely on its ability to adapt itself to new market environment. We believe that understanding and implementing multicultural PR strategy can be a key to the multinational corporations' success in foreign markets. We argue in this paper that even a global iconic company such as Google needs to focus on how to understand local consumers' needs and preferences before formulating and implementing PR strategy. Having a global hit product or service is not sufficient enough to be successful in some foreign markets. It is especially more evident in the industries where companies deal with individual consumers, and perceptions and sentiments play a large role in their purchase decisions. The objective of this research is to find out the relationship between multicultural PR strategy and business performance. Therefore, our main hypothesis is; better implementation of multicultural PR strategy by a multinational corporation will result in higher performance in the foreign markets. To prove the relationship between multicultural PR strategy and performance, we designed a framework that uses Rudan's (2004) five rules for multicultural PR strategy. It is a contribution to the business academics as there are very few studies that directly focus on and analyze the multicultural aspects of a multinational company's PR strategy. Through our research, we found strong evidence that there is a positive relationship between the level and effectiveness of a company's multicultural PR strategy and its performance in the foreign markets. This offers some meaningful implications to the managers of the multinational corporations and those who are considering going into a foreign market for the first time. We also suggested a way of measuring the implementation of multicultural PR strategy. By applying five rules for multicultural PR strategy to Google's PR activities, it allowed us to convert qualitative information into quantitative data. This kind of tool can be helpful for multinational corporations that want to evaluate their own PR activities.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.7-26
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• 2012

The success story of E-mart fascinated many academics and practitioners alike. Though E-mart began as a nameless discount store in Chang-dong, Seoul in 1993, it has transformed itself into a leading distribution company and one of the most powerful brands in Korea. Surprisingly, it achieved the great success against the two crises it met: the national economic crisis and the invasion of the global giant Walmart. The main objective of this case study is to formally examine how E-mart overcame the two crises. More specifically, this case study highlights the ways with which E-mart turned those difficulties into opportunities for growth. In our examination of the E-mart case, we could clearly see E-mart's competence and spirit that allowed it to turn crises into advantageous opportunities. E-mart attracted the customers who wanted value-oriented consumption by its positioning as the "Lowest price discount store", when consumer sentiment was frozen under the economic crisis. Furthermore, when a large-scale foreign discount store like Walmart entered the Korea market, E-mart built its core competencies as the 'Korean style discount store'. These ingenious positioning and efforts resulted in E-mart taking over their archrival, Walmart, and forced the global Goliath to exit the Korean market. The case of E-mart's effective crisis management teaches many important lessons and a few core lessons that apply to many companies. One such lesson is the importance of positioning which enabled E-mart to turn crises into opportunities. Granted, the strategy of positioning as the 'Korean style discount store', or 'Lowest price discount store' was possible due to overall support with cost reduction, development and management of their own system, an apprentice educate system, etc. based on an excellent selection of location of the store and efficient distribution systems. Still, the positioning strategy of E-mart was truly ground breaking in distancing itself from its competitors. The lessons from E-mart will help those companies currently in a stagnant situation or a crisis to turn their obstacles into great success.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.31-52
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• 2023

The government's various support policies have helped Korea's SMEs and startups to grow from the beginning to the end, from domestic companies to exporters. In particular, direct business support policies such as financial support, R&D projects, and export support have been effective in helping a large number of entrepreneurs and startup companies to establish themselves in the market and have achieved tangible results every year since the establishment of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. As such, the government is making significant efforts to create and promote various types of support policies and to help companies utilize them in their business. However, this study aims to analyze the factors that affect the satisfaction of government policies and the achievement of managerial performance from the companies' perspective and to suggest the purpose of government support policies and the direction companies should take. Specifically, this study categorizes entrepreneurial self-efficacy into marketing, innovation, management, risk-taking, and financial management, using the relationship model of self-efficacy and collective efficacy to ultimately lead to practical results for SMEs and startups support policies. It uses perceived firm efficacy as a variable to reveal the influence relationship. In addition, the direct and mediating effects of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and policy satisfaction on managerial performance were analyzed to determine what SMEs and startups support policies should do. The results showed that, first, among the five components of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, innovation, and risk-taking efficacy positively affected perceived firm efficacy. Second, the specific components of entrepreneurial self-efficacy, marketing, and financial management efficacy positively influenced policy satisfaction. Third, we found that perceived firm efficacy positively influenced policy satisfaction and managerial performance, which are factors of SMEs and startups' policy performance. Specifically, perceived firm efficacy positively influenced policy satisfaction managerial performance. Fourth, we found that policy satisfaction positively influenced managerial performance.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.47-58
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• 2009

The marketing environment has become competitive to an extent that requires firms to target their products at markets that span national boundaries. However, competitive clout cannot be achieved in global consumer markets unless firms thoroughly understand and adequately respond to the core values and needs of those consumers. Brand equity is one of the most important assets to a company. Especially in sportswear markets, brand equity is the crucial value added to a product by its brand name. Factors such as country of origin also influence customer's attitude towards brand equity. Therefore, this paper discusses the relationship between country of origin effect and brand equity, and how they influence consumers' loyalty for respective brands. This paper focused on the sports shoes market, because it is an increasing area of opportunity for world manufacturers. The objectives of this study were the following. (1) Test the effect of country of origin on brand equity. (2) Test how brand equity influences consumers' brand loyalty. (3) Find whether there are differences in the effects of country of origin and brand equity among the three countries. (4) Find whether there are differences in the effects of country of origin and brand equity among the different lifestyles. Based on the review of literature results, the hypotheses are concluded as the following: H1-a: Country image has positive influence on country of origin. H1-b: Product perception has positive influence on country of origin. H2-a: Perceived quality has positive effect on brand equity. H2-b: Perceived price has positive effect on brand equity. H3: Country of origin has positive effect on brand equity. H4: Brand equity has a positive impact on brand loyalty. Research model was constructed (see Fig. 1). After data analysis, the following results were concluded: sports shoes purchase behavior showed significant differences among Korean, Chinese, and American consumers for favorite brand, purchased brand, purchased place, information usage, and favorite sports games. The results of this study also extend the research of the relationship among country of origin, brand equity and brand loyalty to the sports shoes market. Brand equity was proven to have a significant relationship with brand loyalty for all countries. The factors which can influence brand equity are different for different countries. The third finding of this paper is that we identified different three lifestyles, adventurer, follower, and laggard, for Korean, Chinese and American consumers. Without the nationality boundary, seeing the emergence of a new group of consumers who have similar preferences and buy similar brands is more important. All of the consumers consider brand equity to keep their brand loyalty. Perceived price is the only factor which can influence brand equity for adventurers; brand is more important for them. The laggards were not influenced by any factor. All of the factors expect perceived price are important for the followers. Marketing managers should consider brand equity when introducing their brand into a new market. Also localization is the basic strategy that all the sports shoes companies should understand. But as a global brand, understanding the same characteristics for each country is more important to build global strategy.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.73-83
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• 2016

Purpose - Previous studies have not paid attention to global self-corporate brand congruity and affective approach from the viewpoint of global self. This study explored an inducement of gratitude that, under the circumstance of corporate association, consumers feel toward corporate's responsible activities, pride related to corporate's ability, and global self congruity. Current researches also have examined positive behavior effects of global self-corporate brand congruity and the feelings on corporate products. Research design, data, and methodology - This research theoretically reviewed that corporate ability and social responsibility association would influence global self-corporate brand congruity, that corporate ability association could induce consumers' sense of pride, and that social responsibility association might induce gratitude. This study, furthermore, examined theoretically whether global self-corporate brand congruity, pride and gratitude could make consumers behave positively toward corporate products, and developed hypotheses. For the empirical analysis with the questionnaires, 231 employees and common people completed the questionnaires, and structural equation model of AMOS 18.0 was used. Results - From the empirical analysis, the outcomes are as followings. First, corporate ability association makes consumers feel proud. Second, corporate social responsible association makes consumers feel grateful. Third, both corporate ability association and social responsibility association let consumers be aware of global self-corporate brand congruity. Fourth, being conscious of each of pride, gratitude and global self-corporate brand congruity prompts consumers to behave positively toward corporate products. Fifth, mediation effects of pride and the congruity in the roles of corporate ability association on the positive behavior, and those of gratitude and the congruity in the roles of corporate social responsible association on the positive behavior are identified. Conclusions - Based on the results, it can be said that a marketing manager should endeavor to make consumers associate the corporate ability and social responsibility. However, the degree of consumers' feelings such as pride and gratitude can differ according to their cultural backgrounds. It is, therefore, needed to be explored by the types of feelings that can be caused more from the difference in cultural backgrounds by corporate association, and to be investigated differently and positively with behavioral effects on the corporate's products between the types.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.8
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• pp.341-373
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• 2001

Firms are confronting the age of an infinite competition. In order to respond to the rapidly changing business environment and make a success and survival in the international and domestic securities market, firms must take a consideration on the stockholders value-oriented philosophy which has greatly contributed not only to the maximization of corporate profits but also to the stability of financial markets. To pursue stockholders value-oriented philosophy, a firm should build strong relationship with investors by providing exact information of firm's state, financial statement, management policy. Stockholders value-oriented philosophy contributes to long-term growth and development of the firm as well as efficient equity financing and friendship with stockholder. IR is the key factor to attain successful implementation of company's objective. It should be equipped with the most suitable organization and qualified man-power for IR activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between IR and relationship marketing management. Strategic implications of this study are as follows: First, This study provides a new explanations of IR activities in Relationship Marketing Management. Second, IR activities were key determinants of Trust and Commitment. That means the more a firm does IR activities, the more Trust and Commitment a firm has for their investors. Third, The variables of trust and commitment are highly related to marketing and financial success. IR have a positive effect on a company total value and its cost of capital relative to that of the overall market.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.197-215
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• 2023

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 risk perception on the operational activities and performance of incubator tenant companies during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. The primary variables considered for the operational activities of incubator tenant companies include financial management, research and development, marketing, and downsizing. Financial and non-financial performance are the key variables for business performance. The research findings indicate that COVID-19 risk perception has a significant impact only on downsizing, but it does not significantly affect financial management, research and development, or marketing. Additionally, COVID-19 risk perception has a significantly negative impact on both financial and non-financial performance. Financial management and marketing significantly influence financial performance, while research and development and downsizing do not seem to have a significant impact on financial performance. Conversely, research and development, as well as marketing activities, significantly impact non-financial performance, while financial management and downsizing lack a significant influence on non-financial performance. Finally, when examining incubator tenant companies categorized into early-stage, leap-stage, and growth-stage companies, it was observed that only marketing activities have a common and significant impact on non-financial performance across all three types of companies.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.1-20
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• 2022

Researchers are making contradictory claims through the concept of superstars and long tails about how the development of IT technology affects demand distribution. Unlike previous studies that focused on changes in demand from a macro point of view, this study explored whether the relationship between a company's marketing activities and consumer response differs depending on the product location (i.e., superstar vs. long tail) from a micro point of view. Based on the marketing mix framework, hypotheses were developed based on the relevant literature. In the case of empirical analysis, 2,835 daily data from 63 Korean films were tested using the quantile regression method. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the influence of marketing mix factors on sales varies depending on the location of the product. Specifically, the appeal breadth of the film and the effect of owned media are enhanced in superstar products, and the effect of acquisition media in long-tail products is enhanced and the negative effects of competition are mitigated. Unlike previous studies that focused on macroscopic changes in demand distribution, this study suggested marketing activities suitable for practitioners through microscopic analysis.