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An Analysis of the Imported Consumer Goods Distribution Sector of Korea: From a Vertical Structure Viewpoint (수입소비재(輸入消費財) 유통구조(流通構造)의 효율화(效率化) 방안(方案))

  • Nam, Il-chong
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.3-33
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    • 1991
  • Since the early 1980's, the Korean government has gradually been widening the Korean market to foreign consumer goods. This, combined with the increased purchasing power of the Korean consumers resulting from the continued economic growth of the country, has sparked a spectacular influx of foreign consumer goods into Korea, ranging from BMW's to chopsticks. Import of foreign consumer goods amounted to more than 6 billion dollars in 1989 and is continuing to grow at a rapid rate. The increased import of foreign consumer goods doubtlessly improved the overall welfare of the Korean consumers by providing them with a wider range of options to choose from, by lowering the prices of some of the consumer goods domestically produced, and also by forcing the producers of some Korean goods to face competition with better foreign goods, thus giving them an incentive to raise the quality of their products. However, it is agreed by most economists that this increase in general welfare has been much smaller than what they had expected at the outset. Consumer prices of most imported consumer goods are easily double the import price, and in some cases, more than treble the import prices. Further, there has not been a noticeable drop in the prices of domestically produced consumer goods. Much of the blame has been attributed to the distribution sector of Korea. The objective of this paper is to analyze the imported consumer goods distribution sector of Korea, focusing on the possible sources of the poor performance of that sector, and to make policy suggestions that could potentially increase the welfare. This paper differs from all the previous research by others on this subject in that it analyzes the imported consumer goods distribution sector of Korea as a vertical structure. The distribution sector of an imported consumer good is a vertical structure since it consists of an international market, an import stage, and domestic wholesale and retail markets, in that order vertically. Our study naturally includes the analysis of the vertical restraints as well as the analysis of the industrial organization of each horizontal stage in the vertical structure. Each horizontal component of the imported consumer goods distribution sector is basically a monopolistically competitive market differentiated by characteristics of goods and by the locations and the services of firms. Further, restrictive dealership and resale price maintenance are found to be widely in use. Our main findings are the follwing; First, most consumer goods are imported monopolistically or oligopolistically through restrictive dealership contracts between foreign producers and domestic importers. Such restrictive dealership gives importers market power in the domestic market and explains many of the large discrepancies betwen the consumer prices and the import prices of many goods. Korean anti - trust law does not cover the issues arising from the market power of an importer resulting from a restrictive dealership contract. Second, some major producers of Korean goods are also importers of foreign goods that are substitutes of their products. The import of substitutes by major domestic producers is anti - competitive because it tends to raise the prices of both domestic goods and foreign goods, and also because it reduces the incentive of the domestic producers to raise the quality of their products. Third, wholesalers and retailers widely use resale price maintenance as a price fixing mechanism, and while this is against the anti- trust law, it seldom gets noticed. Fourth, the high level of rents of real estate for commercial use works as an entry barrier to the distribution sector and results in reduced competition by the firms in that sector. Finally, there are information problems. Consumers have inferior information to firms about the quality of a foreign consumer good that they have not tried before. Such information asymmetry often enables firms to raise prices. In addition, information asymmetry between importers frequently delays the import of cheaper substitutes. In order to alleviate the problems indentified above, we suggest the following policy changes. The government should strengthen the anti - trust law and its enforcement to regulate restrictive import contracts, import of competing goods by major domestic producers, and RPM by wholesalers and retailers that is aimed at price fixing. In addition, the government should loosen its tight real estate policy to encourage investment in the distribution sector. Finally, we suggest that the import price revelation policy that has been in use for some items since 1990 be expanded to most imported consumer goods that are introduced for the first time to give consumer better information and be used only for the period of time needed to inform sufficient number of consumers.

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The lesson From Korean War (한국전쟁의 교훈과 대비 -병력수(兵力數) 및 부대수(部隊數)를 중심으로-)

  • Yoon, Il-Young
    • Journal of National Security and Military Science
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    • s.8
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    • pp.49-168
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    • 2010
  • Just before the Korean War, the total number of the North Korean troops was 198,380, while that of the ROK(Republic of Korea) army troops 105,752. That is, the total number of the ROK army troops at that time was 53.3% of the total number of the North Korean army. As of December 2008, the total number of the North Korean troops is estimated to be 1,190,000, while that of the ROK troops is 655,000, so the ROK army maintains 55.04% of the total number of the North Korean troops. If the ROK army continues to reduce its troops according to [Military Reform Plan 2020], the total number of its troops will be 517,000 m 2020. If North Korea maintains the current status(l,190,000 troops), the number of the ROK troops will be 43.4% of the North Korean army. In terms of units, just before the Korean War, the number of the ROK army divisions and regiments was 80% and 44.8% of North Korean army. As of December 2008, North Korea maintains 86 divisions and 69 regiments. Compared to the North Korean army, the ROK army maintains 46 Divisions (53.4% of North Korean army) and 15 regiments (21.3% of North Korean army). If the ROK army continue to reduce the military units according to [Military Reform Plan 2020], the number of ROK army divisions will be 28(13 Active Division, 4 Mobilization Divisions and 11 Local Reserve Divisions), while that of the North Korean army will be 86 in 2020. In that case, the number of divisions of the ROK army will be 32.5% of North Korean army. During the Korean war, North Korea suddenly invaded the Republic of Korea and occupied its capital 3 days after the war began. At that time, the ROK army maintained 80% of army divisions, compared to the North Korean army. The lesson to be learned from this is that, if the ROK army is forced to disperse its divisions because of the simultaneous invasion of North Korea and attack of guerrillas in home front areas, the Republic of Korea can be in a serious military danger, even though it maintains 80% of military divisions of North Korea. If the ROK army promotes the plans in [Military Reform Plan 2020], the number of military units of the ROK army will be 32.5% of that of the North Korean army. This ratio is 2.4 times lower than that of the time when the Korean war began, and in this case, 90% of total military power should be placed in the DMZ area. If 90% of military power is placed in the DMZ area, few troops will be left for the defense of home front. In addition, if the ROK army continues to reduce the troops, it can allow North Korea to have asymmetrical superiority in military force and it will eventually exert negative influence on the stability and peace of the Korean peninsular. On the other hand, it should be reminded that, during the Korean War, the Republic of Korea was attacked by North Korea, though it kept 53.3% of troops, compared to North Korea. It should also be reminded that, as of 2008, the ROK army is defending its territory with the troops 55.04% of North Korea. Moreover, the national defense is assisted by 25,120 troops of the US Forces in Korea. In case the total number of the ROK troops falls below 43.4% of the North Korean army, it may cause social unrest about the national security and may lead North Korea's misjudgement. Besides, according to Lanchester strategy, the party with weaker military power (60% compared to the party with stronger military power) has the 4.1% of winning possibility. Therefore, if we consider the fact that the total number of the ROK army troops is 55.04% of that of the North Korean army, the winning possibility of the ROK army is not higher than 4.1%. If the total number of ROK troops is reduced to 43.4% of that of North Korea, the winning possibility will be lower and the military operations will be in critically difficult situation. [Military Reform Plan 2020] rums at the reduction of troops and units of the ground forces under the policy of 'select few'. However, the problem is that the financial support to achieve this goal is not secured. Therefore, the promotion of [Military Reform Plan 2020] may cause the weakening of military defence power in 2020. Some advanced countries such as Japan, UK, Germany, and France have promoted the policy of 'select few'. However, what is to be noted is that the national security situation of those countries is much different from that of Korea. With the collapse of the Soviet Unions and European communist countries, the military threat of those European advanced countries has almost disappeared. In addition, the threats those advanced countries are facing are not wars in national level, but terrorism in international level. To cope with the threats like terrorism, large scaled army trops would not be necessary. So those advanced European countries can promote the policy of 'select few'. In line with this, those European countries put their focuses on the development of military sections that deal with non-military operations and protection from unspecified enemies. That is, those countries are promoting the policy of 'select few', because they found that the policy is suitable for their national security environment. Moreover, since they are pursuing common interest under the European Union(EU) and they can form an allied force under NATO, it is natural that they are pursing the 'select few' policy. At present, NATO maintains the larger number of troops(2,446,000) than Russia(l,027,000) to prepare for the potential threat of Russia. The situation of japan is also much different from that of Korea. As a country composed of islands, its prime military focus is put on the maritime defense. Accordingly, the development of ground force is given secondary focus. The japanese government promotes the policy to develop technology-concentrated small size navy and air-forces, instead of maintaining large-scaled ground force. In addition, because of the 'Peace Constitution' that was enacted just after the end of World War II, japan cannot maintain troops more than 240,000. With the limited number of troops (240,000), japan has no choice but to promote the policy of 'select few'. However, the situation of Korea is much different from the situations of those countries. The Republic of Korea is facing the threat of the North Korean Army that aims at keeping a large-scale military force. In addition, the countries surrounding Korea are also super powers containing strong military forces. Therefore, to cope with the actual threat of present and unspecified threat of future, the importance of maintaining a carefully calculated large-scale military force cannot be denied. Furthermore, when considering the fact that Korea is in a peninsular, the Republic of Korea must take it into consideration the tradition of continental countries' to maintain large-scale military powers. Since the Korean War, the ROK army has developed the technology-force combined military system, maintaining proper number of troops and units and pursuing 'select few' policy at the same time. This has been promoted with the consideration of military situation in the Koran peninsular and the cooperation of ROK-US combined forces. This kind of unique military system that cannot be found in other countries can be said to be an insightful one for the preparation for the actual threat of North Korea and the conflicts between continental countries and maritime countries. In addition, this kind of technology-force combined military system has enabled us to keep peace in Korea. Therefore, it would be desirable to maintain this technology-force combined military system until the reunification of the Korean peninsular. Furthermore, it is to be pointed out that blindly following the 'select few' policy of advanced countries is not a good option, because it is ignoring the military strategic situation of the Korean peninsular. If the Republic of Korea pursues the reduction of troops and units radically without consideration of the threat of North Korea and surrounding countries, it could be a significant strategic mistake. In addition, the ROK army should keep an eye on the fact the European advanced countries and Japan that are not facing direct military threats are spending more defense expenditures than Korea. If the ROK army reduces military power without proper alternatives, it would exert a negative effect on the stable economic development of Korea and peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsular. Therefore, the desirable option would be to focus on the development of quality of forces, maintaining proper size and number of troops and units under the technology-force combined military system. The tableau above shows that the advanced countries like the UK, Germany, Italy, and Austria spend more defense expenditure per person than the Republic of Korea, although they do not face actual military threats, and that they keep achieving better economic progress than the countries that spend less defense expenditure. Therefore, it would be necessary to adopt the merits of the defense systems of those advanced countries. As we have examined, it would be desirable to maintain the current size and number of troops and units, to promote 'select few' policy with increased defense expenditure, and to strengthen the technology-force combined military system. On the basis of firm national security, the Republic of Korea can develop efficient policies for reunification and prosperity, and jump into the status of advanced countries. Therefore, the plans to reduce troops and units in [Military Reform Plan 2020] should be reexamined. If it is difficult for the ROK army to maintain its size of 655,000 troops because of low birth rate, the plans to establish the prompt mobilization force or to adopt drafting system should be considered for the maintenance of proper number of troops and units. From now on, the Republic of Korean government should develop plans to keep peace as well as to prepare unexpected changes in the Korean peninsular. For the achievement of these missions, some options can be considered. The first one is to maintain the same size of military troops and units as North Korea. The second one is to maintain the same level of military power as North Korea in terms of military force index. The third one is to maintain the same level of military power as North Korea, with the combination of the prompt mobilization force and the troops in active service under the system of technology-force combined military system. At present, it would be not possible for the ROK army to maintain such a large-size military force as North Korea (1,190,000 troops and 86 units). So it would be rational to maintain almost the same level of military force as North Korea with the combination of the troops on the active list and the prompt mobilization forces. In other words, with the combination of the troops in active service (60%) and the prompt mobilization force (40%), the ROK army should develop the strategies to harmonize technology and forces. The Korean government should also be prepared for the strategic flexibility of USFK, the possibility of American policy change about the location of foreign army, radical unexpected changes in North Korea, the emergence of potential threat, surrounding countries' demand for Korean force for the maintenance of regional stability, and demand for international cooperation against terrorism. For this, it is necessary to develop new approaches toward the proper number and size of troops and units. For instance, to prepare for radical unexpected political or military changes in North Korea, the Republic of Korea should have plans to protect a large number of refugees, to control arms and people, to maintain social security, and to keep orders in North Korea. From the experiences of other countries, it is estimated that 115,000 to 230,000 troops, plus ten thousands of police are required to stabilize the North Korean society, in the case radical unexpected military or political change happens in North Korea. In addition, if the Republic of Korea should perform the release of hostages, control of mass destruction weapons, and suppress the internal wars in North Korea, it should send 460,000 troops to North Korea. Moreover, if the Republic of Korea wants to stop the attack of North Korea and flow of refugees in DMZ area, at least 600,000 troops would be required. In sum, even if the ROK army maintains 600,000 troops, it may need additional 460,000 troops to prepare for unexpected radical changes in North Korea. For this, it is necessary to establish the prompt mobilization force whose size and number are almost the same as the troops in active service. In case the ROK army keeps 650,000 troops, the proper number of the prompt mobilization force would be 460,000 to 500,000.

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Study of The Area of Nursing Need by the Family Developmental Stage (가족발달단계에 따른 간호요구영역에 관한 연구)

  • 최부옥
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.7 no.2
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    • pp.43-59
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    • 1977
  • The Community Health Service considers the family as a service unit and places the emphasis of its service on the health problems and the nursing needs of the family rather than the individual. From the conceptual point of view that tile community health service is both health maintenance and health promotion of the family, the community health nurse should have a knowledge of the growth and development of the family and be responsible for the comprehensive support of normal family development. The community health nurse often is in a position to make a real contribution to normal family development. In order to investigate the relationship between the areas of nursing need and family development, the following objectives were established 1. To discover the general characteristics of the study population by the stage of family development. 2. To discover specific nursing needs in relation to the family developmental stage, and to determine the intensity of the nursing needs and the ability of the family to cope with these needs. 3. To discover overall family health nursing problems in relation to the family developmental stage and determine the intensity of the nursing need and the problem solving ability of family. Definitions : The family developmental stages as classified by Dually were used stage 1. Married couples(without children) stage 2. Childbearing Families (oldest child birth to 30 months of age) stage 3. Families with preschool children (oldest child 2½-to 6 years) stage 4. Families with schoolchildren (oldest child 6 to 13 years). stage 5. Families with teenagers (oldest child 13 to 20 years) stage 6. Families as launching centers (first child gone to last child′s leaving home). stage 7. Middle- aged parents (empty nest to retirement) stage 8. Aging family member (retirement to death of both spouses) The areas of nursing need were defined as those used in the study, "A Comprehensive Study about Health and Nursing Need and a Social Diagram of the Community", by tile Nursing research Institute and Center for population. and Family Planning, July 1974. The study population defiled and selected were 260 nuclear families ill two myron of Kang Hwa Island. Percent, mean value and F- test were utilized in tile statistical analysis of the study result. Findings : 1. General characteristics of the study population by tile family developmental stage ; 1)The study population was distributed by the family developmental stage as follows : stage 1 : 3 families stage 2 : 13 families stage 3 : 24 families stage 4 : 41 families stage 5 : 50 families stage 6 : 106 families stage 7 : 13 families stage 8 : 10 families 2) Most families had 4 or 5 members except for those in stage, 1, 7, and 8. 3) The parents′ present age was older in the higher developmental stage and their age at marriage was also younger in the higher developmental stages. 4) The educational level of parents was primarily less than elementary school irrespective of the developmental stage. 5) More than half of parents′ occupations were listed as laborers irrespective of the developmental stage, 6) More than half of the parents were atheists irrespective of the developmental stage. 7) The higher the developmental stage(from stage 2 to stage 6 ), the wider the distribution of children′s ages. 8) More than half of the families were of middle or lower socio-economic level. 2. Problems in specific areas of nursing need by family developmental stage, the intensity of nursing need and the problem solving ability of the family : 1) As a whole, many problems, irrespective of the developmental stage, occurred in tile areas of Housing and Sanitation, Eating Patterns, Housekeeping, Preventive Measures and Dental care. Problems occurring ill particular stages included the following ; stage 1 : Prevention of Accident stage 2 : Preventive Vaccination, Family Planning. stage 3 : Preventive Vaccination, Maternal Health, Family Planning, Health of Infant and Preschooler. stage 4, 5 : Preventive Vaccination, Family Planning, Health of School Children. stage 6 : Preventive Vaccination, Health of School Children. 2) The intensity of the nursing need in the area of Acute and Chronic Diseases was generally of moderate degree or above irrespective of the developmental stages except for stage 1. Other areas of need listed as moderate or above were found in the following stages: stage 1 : Maternal Health stage 3 . Horsing and Sanitation, Prevention of Accident. stage 4 . Housing and Sanitation. stage 5 : Housing and Sanitation, Diagnostic and Medical Care. stage 6 : Diagnostic and Medical care stage 7 : Diagnostic and Medical Care, Housekeeping. stage 8 : Housing and Sanitation, Prevention of Accident, Diagnostic and Medical Care, Dental Care, Eating Patterns, Housekeeping. 3) Areas of need with moderate problem solving ability or less were as follows : stage 1 : Diagnostic and Medical Care, Maternal Health. stage 2 : Prevention of Accident, Acute and Chronic Disease, Dental Care. stage 3 : Housing and Sanitation, Acute and Chronic Disease, Diagnostic and Medical Care, Preventive Measure, Dental Care, Maternal Health, Health of Infant and preschooler, Eating Patterns. stage 4 : Housing and Sanitation, Prevention of Accident, Diagnostic and Medical Care, Preventive Measure, Dental Care, Maternal Health, Health of New Born, Health of Infant and Preschooler, Health of school Children, Eating Patterns, Housekeeping. stage 5 . Housing and Sanitation, Prevention of Accident, Acute and Chronic Disease, Diagnostic and Medical Care, Preventive Measure, Dental Care, Preventive Vaccination, Maternal Health, Eating Patterns. stage 7, 8 : Housing and Sanitation, Prevention of Accident, Acute and Chronic Disease, Diagnostic and Medical Care, Preventive Measures, Dental Care, Preventive Vaccination, Eating Patterns , Housekeeping. Problem occurrence, the degree of nursing need and the degree of problem solving ability 1 nursing need areas for the family as a whole were as follows : 1) The higher the stages(except stage 1 ), the lower the rate of problem occurrence. 2) The higher the stage becomes, the lower the intensity of the nursing need becomes. 3) The higher the stages (except stages 7 and 8), the higher. the problem solving ability. Conclusions ; 1) When the nursing care plan for the family is drawn up, depending upon the stage of family development, higher priority should be give to nursing need areas ① at which problems were shown to occur ② where the nursing need is shown to be above moderate degree and ③ where the problem solving ability was shown to be of moderate degree. 2) The priority of the nursing service should be Placed ① not on those families in the high developmental stage but on those families in the low developmental stage ② and on those areas of need shown in stages 7 and 8 where the degree nursing need was high and the ability to cope low.

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Economics and Ground Cover Growth Characteristics of a New Method of Shallow Soil Artificial Foundation Planting (저토심 인공지반 녹화공법의 경제성 및 도입 가능한 지피식물의 생육특성)

  • Choi, Jin-Woo;Kim, Hag-Kee;Lee, Kyong-Jae;Kang, Hyun-Kyung
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.37 no.5
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    • pp.98-108
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    • 2009
  • The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of limited methods, economics and breeding appropriateness of native and imported ground cover plants in the methodology of a shallow soil rooftop garden. The new shallow soil rooftop gardening method uses a total of 13cm in soil thickness, including 4.5cm of top soil on a 7.5cm rock-wool-mat stacked onto a 1cm roll-type-draining plate. The total construction cost for each method of soil level within the design price standard for SEDUM BLOCK is 89,433won/$m^2$, and for DAKU is 92,550won/$m^2$. By comparing those two methods, the construction cost of the shallow soil artificial foundation methodology is 45,000won/$m^2$; this shows the new method is 50% less expensive than the existing method of shallow soil rooftop gardening. The experiment was executed on the rooftop of the Korean National Housing Corporation to ensure validity of the shallow soil artificial foundation planting, and the sample plants which were imported and grown now in native covering. A list investigating the growing plants was made of the cover rate in each plant class, both while alive and the dry plant weight. The native ground cover plants, Sedum kamtschaticum, Sedum middendorffianum, Allium senescens, Sedum sarmentosum, Aquilegia buergariana, and Caryopteris incana increased the cover rate, live weight and dry weight in the shallow soil artificial foundation method. Among the imported cover plants, Sedum sprium and Sedum reflexum, the cover rate increased and growth conditions improved. However, some species needed weed maintenance. After examination with the less expensive shallow soil artificial foundation method and growth analysis, it was found that rooftop gardens are a low-cost option and the growth of plants is great. This result shows the new method can contribute to the proliferation of rooftop gardens in urban settings.

Changes in Feed Value, Forage Productivity, and Grazing Intensity at Native Pasture Grazed by Growing Korean Native Female Goat(Capra hircus coreanae) (육성 암컷 흑염소 방목 야초지에서 사료가치, 사초 건물 수량 및 방목 강도의 계절별 변화에 관한 연구)

  • Yun, Yeong Sik;Seong, Hye Jin;Zhang, Qi Man;Chung, Sang Uk;Lee, Ga Eul;Park, Jae Hyun;Jang, Se Young;Lee, Jin wook;Kim, Kwan woo;Moon, Sang Ho
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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    • v.38 no.2
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    • pp.120-125
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    • 2018
  • The study was conducted to determine effects on forage productivity, feed value, grazing intensity and livestock productivity in growing Korean native female goat grazing in native pasture. Its with average initial body weight of $14.10{\pm}3.6kg$ and an average age of 4 months were used in this study. Dry matter content of native pasture was the highest at $33.48{\pm}2.56%$ in June, and the content was significantly increased from spring to autumn (p<0.05). Crude protein was maintained between 11% and 12% on average. Nutrient content was maintained at a certain level in native pasture, but there were differences due to the different types of wild grasses produced in each season. The productivity of forage crops increased from June, but decreased after August and showed a characteristic of grassland where productivity decreased rapidly in spring and autumn. The average grazing intensity are 39 head/ha. Black goat average daily gain was 80.2g/d. The stable weight gain in grazing is that the nutrient requirement of the black goat was met by supplementing the concentrated feed during grazing. study, can be expected that the productivity of livestock can be increased through the proper feeding of supplementary feed and maintenance of grazing intensity.

Aquaculture Recycling Effluent from a Pond System Treating Animal Excreta Ecologically (축산폐수 처리 연못시스템의 처리수 재활용 양어)

  • Yang, Hong-Mo
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.339-344
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    • 2000
  • Utilization of animal excreta in aquaculture can have potentials of high fish production and low maintenance costs for fish farming and it can reduce water pollution caused by animal waste disposal. Integration of wastewater treatment pond system with aquaculture has been utilized in many countries. Ecologically balanced pond ecosystem is formed through the stabilization of wastes, the growth of aquatic plants, and the cultivation of fish. The most appropriate fish for rearing in these ponds are those which can feed directly on phytoplankton, especially algae. Carp were introduced into a tertiary pond - water depth of 2.2 m, water surface area of $130\;m^2$, volume of $148\;m^3$ - of a pond system treating milk cow excreta. The carp production was $125g{\cdot}m^{-2}year^{-1}$ which falls into upper range of $18\;-\;137g{\cdot}m^{-2}year^{-1}$ of treated sewage-fed carp farming of other countries. Average $BOD_5$ and T-N of the pond was 19.8 and $21.0\;mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ respectively, and the ecological environment of it was suitable for growth of carp. Several carp of 100g were introduced in August into a secondary pond of the treatment system, whose average $BOD_5$ and T-N was 27.9 and $30.8\;mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ respectively. They were died within one week, which may be attributed to the depletion of dissolved oxygen at dawn. Effluents from primary treatment can be used in fish pond with dilution and those from secondary treatment can be directly funnelled into it. Waste stabilization pond treating animal excreta can be utilized for fish rearing when its water quality maintains secondary treatment level.

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Using the METHONTOLOGY Approach to a Graduation Screen Ontology Development: An Experiential Investigation of the METHONTOLOGY Framework

  • Park, Jin-Soo;Sung, Ki-Moon;Moon, Se-Won
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.125-155
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    • 2010
  • Ontologies have been adopted in various business and scientific communities as a key component of the Semantic Web. Despite the increasing importance of ontologies, ontology developers still perceive construction tasks as a challenge. A clearly defined and well-structured methodology can reduce the time required to develop an ontology and increase the probability of success of a project. However, no reliable knowledge-engineering methodology for ontology development currently exists; every methodology has been tailored toward the development of a particular ontology. In this study, we developed a Graduation Screen Ontology (GSO). The graduation screen domain was chosen for the several reasons. First, the graduation screen process is a complicated task requiring a complex reasoning process. Second, GSO may be reused for other universities because the graduation screen process is similar for most universities. Finally, GSO can be built within a given period because the size of the selected domain is reasonable. No standard ontology development methodology exists; thus, one of the existing ontology development methodologies had to be chosen. The most important considerations for selecting the ontology development methodology of GSO included whether it can be applied to a new domain; whether it covers a broader set of development tasks; and whether it gives sufficient explanation of each development task. We evaluated various ontology development methodologies based on the evaluation framework proposed by G$\acute{o}$mez-P$\acute{e}$rez et al. We concluded that METHONTOLOGY was the most applicable to the building of GSO for this study. METHONTOLOGY was derived from the experience of developing Chemical Ontology at the Polytechnic University of Madrid by Fern$\acute{a}$ndez-L$\acute{o}$pez et al. and is regarded as the most mature ontology development methodology. METHONTOLOGY describes a very detailed approach for building an ontology under a centralized development environment at the conceptual level. This methodology consists of three broad processes, with each process containing specific sub-processes: management (scheduling, control, and quality assurance); development (specification, conceptualization, formalization, implementation, and maintenance); and support process (knowledge acquisition, evaluation, documentation, configuration management, and integration). An ontology development language and ontology development tool for GSO construction also had to be selected. We adopted OWL-DL as the ontology development language. OWL was selected because of its computational quality of consistency in checking and classification, which is crucial in developing coherent and useful ontological models for very complex domains. In addition, Protege-OWL was chosen for an ontology development tool because it is supported by METHONTOLOGY and is widely used because of its platform-independent characteristics. Based on the GSO development experience of the researchers, some issues relating to the METHONTOLOGY, OWL-DL, and Prot$\acute{e}$g$\acute{e}$-OWL were identified. We focused on presenting drawbacks of METHONTOLOGY and discussing how each weakness could be addressed. First, METHONTOLOGY insists that domain experts who do not have ontology construction experience can easily build ontologies. However, it is still difficult for these domain experts to develop a sophisticated ontology, especially if they have insufficient background knowledge related to the ontology. Second, METHONTOLOGY does not include a development stage called the "feasibility study." This pre-development stage helps developers ensure not only that a planned ontology is necessary and sufficiently valuable to begin an ontology building project, but also to determine whether the project will be successful. Third, METHONTOLOGY excludes an explanation on the use and integration of existing ontologies. If an additional stage for considering reuse is introduced, developers might share benefits of reuse. Fourth, METHONTOLOGY fails to address the importance of collaboration. This methodology needs to explain the allocation of specific tasks to different developer groups, and how to combine these tasks once specific given jobs are completed. Fifth, METHONTOLOGY fails to suggest the methods and techniques applied in the conceptualization stage sufficiently. Introducing methods of concept extraction from multiple informal sources or methods of identifying relations may enhance the quality of ontologies. Sixth, METHONTOLOGY does not provide an evaluation process to confirm whether WebODE perfectly transforms a conceptual ontology into a formal ontology. It also does not guarantee whether the outcomes of the conceptualization stage are completely reflected in the implementation stage. Seventh, METHONTOLOGY needs to add criteria for user evaluation of the actual use of the constructed ontology under user environments. Eighth, although METHONTOLOGY allows continual knowledge acquisition while working on the ontology development process, consistent updates can be difficult for developers. Ninth, METHONTOLOGY demands that developers complete various documents during the conceptualization stage; thus, it can be considered a heavy methodology. Adopting an agile methodology will result in reinforcing active communication among developers and reducing the burden of documentation completion. Finally, this study concludes with contributions and practical implications. No previous research has addressed issues related to METHONTOLOGY from empirical experiences; this study is an initial attempt. In addition, several lessons learned from the development experience are discussed. This study also affords some insights for ontology methodology researchers who want to design a more advanced ontology development methodology.

Development and Evaluation of a Stage Matched Exercise Intervention Program for Elders - Application of the Tran Theoretical Model - (노인 운동행위 변화단계별 중재프로그램의 개발 및 평가 - 범이론적 모형의 적용 -)

  • Kwon, Yeun-Jung
    • Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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    • v.13 no.2
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    • pp.205-215
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    • 2002
  • Objectives: This study was designed to develop and evaluate a stage matched exercise intervention program to effectively increase exercise behaviors in urban elders. Methods: The study included three phases: preliminary descriptive data collection, program development, and program evaluation. The data for the preliminary descriptive phase were collected between May and June 2001. The study participants were 89 urban elders who responded a questionnaire that included general characteristics, exercise related experiences, stage, and process of change in exercise behaviors. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, $x^2$-test, and content analysis. Development of the program was based on the preliminary data. and a literature review, and was guided by the tran theoretical model. It consisted of strategies to facilitate the process of changes used in each stage. Evaluation of the program was achieved from October to December 2001, using a case study method, in which eight urban female elders participated. Interviews were conducted on a weekly basis in the form of either an individual interview, or group discussion. Each elder subject received education in accordance with the program strategies and education materials. In the case that a subject's stage of change moved into another one, the scores for the process of change were re-measured. The data were analyzed using the content analysis technique. Results: The results were as follows: 1. Elders who participated in the preliminary data collection phase were over 75 years of age, and the majority of them were women. They had a higher educational level, and fewer number of illnesses than the subjects in other studies. Their stage of change was divided into pre-contemplation and maintenance. The social liberation scores were the highest across all stages of change. There was no difference between men and women on scores for processes of change in each stage. 2. The stage matched exercise intervention program that was developed in this study consisted of one counseling type program and three distinguished educational booklet materials. 3. The results of the case studies are as follows: 1) The study participants were 8 women between 75 and 87 years of age. At the first interviews, all of them were in the pre-contemplation stage. All of them reached the action stage before the 7th week. The scores for processes of change that were the focus in each stage increased more than the scores for other processes of change. During the early stages of change, experimental processes increased more than behavioral processes. However. this pattern was reversed during later stages of change. 2) Characteristics of the subjects in each stage were identical as presented at the tran theoretical model. The intervention strategies were effective in the transition occurred in any stage. 3) Barriers for exercise included unwillingness to exercise, fatigue, shortness of breath, and pain. Ways to overcome these barriers were 'learning an alternative exercise method that can be done at home', 'self-promising/ exercise-promising', and 'use of cues to exercise'. 4) The factors that affected the application of the program were consideration of age and personal preference in selecting an exercise pattern, individualized intervention, and use of education materials appropriate to elders. Women over 80 years of age preferred muscle strengthening and stretching exercise, because they can be easily done at home. They also preferred individualized interventions, materials that were easy to read, and education contents appropriate for elders. Conclusion: In conclusion, the stage matched exercise intervention program that considered the characteristics of the elders was effective to facilitate exercise behaviors of the elders.

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A Study on the Improvement of Laws Related to the Safety Management of Children's Play Facilities (어린이놀이시설 안전관리법규의 개선방향)

  • Lee, Sang-Suk
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.37 no.2
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    • pp.47-61
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    • 2009
  • The purpose of this study was to understand the laws related to the safety management of children's play facilities(LRSMCPF) including the "Safety Supervision Law of Children's Play Facilities(SSLCPF)" and the "Quality Management and Industrial Products Safety Management Law(QMIPSAL)", in order to analyze the problems by 4 phases-development of products, landscape design, landscape construction and maintenance considering landscape project procedure-and to propose a revision of the laws. The results are as follows: 1. The various LRSMCPF, SSLCPF and QMIPSAL, as basic laws for the safety management of children's play facilities, were insufficient regarding the features of children's play facilities and play spaces, which are both comparatively varied and complex. 2. In development of products, the one-year duration of safety certification based on QMIPSAL was too short and the procedure for safety certification were redundant in both products and plants inspection, and export and import product inspection. 3. The field inspection of construction sites based on SSLCPF was repeated with quality control and a consultation of rules based on "Construction Technology Management Law". 4. There are not enough safety inspection organizations regarding children's play facilities to meet the demand of safety certification, safety inspection, and safety education in the near future. 5. For children's play safety, the establishment of a general safety management system for children's play connected with the phases is needed to ensure safe play equipment, to construct safe playgrounds, and to manage play facilities. The criteria, regulations, and procedure regarding safety certification and safety inspection of play facilities must be revised efficiently and standardized to a global level as well. To improve the system and contents of safety certification and inspection, authorization of safety inspection organizations based on landscape architecture is needed. Further study will be required to concretely analyze in detail the laws, enforcement decrees and rules, and ordinances that consider the practical experience of professional landscape architects, inspectors, and lawyers.

An Impact of Startup Business Performance by Entrepreneurs' Perceived Importance, Satisfaction, and Level of Meeting to Expectation over Government Startup Business Aid Programs (창업가가 인식한 정부창업지원사업 중요도와 만족도 및 기대충족도가 창업기업의 경영성과에 미치는 영향)

  • Lee, Young Ju;Yang, Youngseok
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.31-41
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    • 2018
  • The purpose of this study is to look at the difference between the importance and the satisfaction with respect to government startup aid programs perceived by entrepreneurs to improve the effectiveness of government startup aid policy and verify the causal relationship between startup aid project and business performance. In this respect, this study aims to look at the impact of entrepreneurs' perceived satisfaction over government startup aid programs on startup business performance. Major study findings from this study are as follows. First, as a result of testing statistical significance of the difference between importance and satisfaction in startup education, facility/space, consulting, or fund support field, respectively in start-up assistance project, it appeared that there was a significant difference in all fields. In addition, fund support was the field that showed the biggest difference between importance and satisfaction. Second, the results of IPA (importance-performance analysis), which displays relative importance and performance of start-up assistance project on four quadrants so that entrepreneurs can evaluate which start-up assistance projects they think important and which projects they are satisfied with by themselves are as follows. Let us summarize the distribution of start-up assistance project on four quadrants in the first place. Facility/space support project is distributed in the 1st quadrant that requires ongoing maintenance; start-up funding program in the 2nd quadrant that requires concentrated improvement; consulting support project in the 3rd quadrant that requires limited use at low priority; and start-up education support project in the boundary between the 3rd quadrant that requires limited use and the 4th quadrant that requires rejection against unnecessary items. Third, the results from multiple regression analysis to identify the impact of satisfaction with government startup aid programs over business performance are as follows. As a result of analyzing the influence relationship between government startup aid program and financial performance, it appeared that satisfaction with facility/space had a positive (+) impact on financial performance. This suggests that the higher the satisfaction with facility/space, the higher the financial performance. As a result of analyzing the influence relationship between start-up assistance project and non-financial performance, it appeared that satisfaction with startup education had a positive (+) impact on non-financial performance. This suggests that the higher the satisfaction with startup education, the higher the non-financial performance.