• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.37-52
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• 2017

Purpose - This study explores the influence of franchisors' supports on franchisees financial performance, overall satisfaction and intention to remain. Research design, data, and methodology - Given the exploratory design of the investigation, purposive sampling technique was used to select twenty-six (26) franchisees as key informants for this study. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted leading to generation of rich qualitative data on the phenomenon of support services in the Nigeria franchise system. Results - Results indicate that at both the initial and growing stages, training and management service supports have marked influence on franchisees business outcomes. However, findings revealed that at the initial stage, the impact of training is greatest but this impact subsequently declines as franchisees master the nuances of the business. Management services on the other hand maintains a constant relevance through all stages of franchisees business. Conclusions - Three key conclusions were drawn from the findings of this study. First, the quality of initial and ongoing supports have consequences for the long-term health of franchisees and franchisors' businesses. Second, poor management of franchisees' expectations and perception of supports could damage franchise partnerships. Third, franchisees form their expectation of supports largely from the nature of initial supports provided by the franchisors.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.149-160
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explain the role transition process to nurse case managers (NCMs) for Medical-aid beneficiaries in Korea. Methods: Fourteen NCMs were interviewed regarding their experiences of becoming proficient in the new role of case manger. Data were analyzed through the application of grounded theory. Results: 'Taking root in a barren land' was the core category explaining the role transition process of NCMs. They engaged in four stages: launching, trial and error, proficiency, and wait-and-see stages. NCMs showed not only fear but also passion for case management practice. Despite their passion and effort, NCMs went through a period of trial and error. After becoming skilled, NCMs went through a stage of wait-and-see often because of job insecurity related to temporary position or few opportunities for promotion. Factors influencing NCMs' role transition process included their understanding of client characteristics, belief in case management, and support from their colleagues and families. Conclusion: NCMs experience many challenges in the process of becoming proficient NCMs. To help with their role transition, there is a need for education programs, preceptorship programs, research on their roles and functions, and regulation for securing NCMs' employment and career stability.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.473-480
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• 2010

This study examined the different meal duration expectations and dining characteristics of customers each stage of service (order, cook, check), and investigated the impact of perceived meal duration on customers' satisfaction. The procedures consisted of four phases. During the first phase, the different meal duration expectations and dining characteristics of customers of an Italian restaurant in Seoul were examined by survey at each stage of service. The second phase investigated the impact of perceived meal duration on customer' satisfaction. The third phase compared perceived meal duration and actual meal duration. The last phase suggested appropriate meal duration for maximization of customer' satisfaction. We also examined the effects of meal time (lunch or dinner) on meal duration preferences. Customer satisfaction was decreased with longer perceived meal duration for the order and check stages and too short perceived meal duration for the cook stage. To determine appropriate meal duration for each service stage, the relationship between perceived and actual meal durations was examined. This study confirms that customers dining at restaurants preferred a longer cook time and that a shorter meal duration at dinner decreased satisfaction ratings more when compared to lunch.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.61-79
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to study the relative weights of Quality Scorecard (QSC) which was developed for a new quality concept, called Open Quality, in the era of Industry 4.0. Open Quality aims to ensure quality responsibility by accurately measuring the quality level and sharing the quality data with stakeholders. Methods: To analyze the importance of QSC, a survey study was conducted based on 10 types of industry. The relative weights of QSC measures are investigated by both the industry types and the organizational life cycle. Further, the relative importance of QSC was analyzed according to the organization's lifecycle. By dividing the aspects with respect to the result data, application method for QSC is further provided. Results: The result indicates that there are significant differences among Korean companies in terms of the level of Industry revolution stages. Among ten industry types, manufacturing and finance sectors show the highest importance of QSC. QSC measures are also considered more importance in growth stage of the maturity cycle than generator and decline stages. Conclusion: When QSC is adopted for Open Quality, its relative weights must be considered to cope with the unique characteristics of industrial types. Besides, QSC's contribution may vary according to the level of maturity of the target company.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2007.03a
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• pp.662-671
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• 2007

Since variety of construction projects with their individual specifications could be handled through different procurement systems, selection of the most appropriate project delivery system is a vital step towards more efficient project execution. The appropriate selection of project delivery system may also ensure more competent management of the project. Its impacts are not only limited to the first stages of the project, as it could also influence pre-construction, construction and operational phases of the project. Among different approaches exerted for this purpose, none has taken uncertainty into account, despite the fact that during first stages of the project most of the selection factors are still uncertain and not clearly defined. This paper, hence, aims to provide a fuzzy insight into the project delivery system selection. Through this approach more tangible model of the evaluation process may be presented. Proposed fuzzy method is indeed a multi criteria decision making model, based on the group of criteria, assigned for the evaluation procedure. A case study is also conducted, based on the opinion of an invented group of the experts.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.213-216
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• 2015

Despite the significant increase of Korean contractors in the international construction market, many SMCCs (Small & Medium Construction Companies) have suffered in the global financial crisis, and some of them have been kicked out of the international market after experiencing huge losses on projects. SMCCs face obstacles in the international market, such as an insufficient ability to gather information and inappropriate management of associated risks, which lead to difficulties in establishing effective business strategies. In other words, making immature decisions without an effective business strategy may cause not only the failure of one project but also the bankruptcy of the SMCC. To overcome this, the research presented herein aims to propose a decision support system for SMCCs, which would screen projects and make a go/no-go decision at the early stages of international projects. The proposed system comprises a double axis: (1) a profit prediction model, which evaluates 10 project properties using an objective methodology based on a historical project performance database and roughly suggests expected profit rate, and (2) a feasibility assessment model, which evaluates 17 project environment factors in a subjective and quantitative methodology based on experience and supervision. Finally, a web-based system is established to enhance the practical usability, which is expected to be a good reference for inexperienced SMCCs to make proper decisions and establish effective business strategies.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 1997

In this paper, the study model, which presents the patterns of how the changing mechanisms are adopted to the changing stages of smoking cessation, was developed by modifying the integrative model of Prochaska et al. (1983) with including seven changing mechanisms which were identified by Oh and Kim(1996). Then the developed study model was exploratively tested with 155 University student between 20 and 29 years of age as subjects. According to the study results. among the five mechanisms. which are significant in explaining the differences between stages. DUNCAN post-comparison showed that the least applied ones were Stimulus Control, Self Determinism, Cognitive Restructuring in the precomplation stage, and Reinforcement and Dramatic Relief. in the relapsed stage. In the comtemplation stage. it was observed that Dramatic Relief is used most frequently and that the other two mechanisms, Information Management and Cognitive Restructuring, showed different results from those inferred in the study hypothesis. In the case of Information Management, it was excluded from the analysis it was not included in explaining significant difference among changing stages, but Cognitive Reconstruction turns out to be a more frequently used mechanism in the action stage rather than in the comtemplation stage. Helping Relationship was also excluded in the post-comparison analysis since it was not included in explaining significant difference among changing stages and Reinforcement was a more frequently used mechanisms in the comtemplation stage. Stimulus Control turns out to be the connecting mechanism which was most frequently used in both the contemplation and action stages. Self Determination was most frequently used in the action stage rather than in both the comtemplation stage and action stage, differing from the presumption of the model. Lastly, subjects in the relapsed stage were utilizing Stimulus Control and Self Determination at the same level as subjects in the precontemplation stage. and the utilization of both Reinformcement and Dramatic Relief was lower than that of the precomtemplation stage, that is, at the lowest level. Only Cognitive Restructuring was used of the same level as the comtemplation stage. The relapsed stage in this study did not represent the preparation for action stage as presumed in the model of Prochaska et. al. (1983) but did show a pattern similar to the initial stage of smoking cessation. However, since this interpretation about the relapser was based on only a small number of relapsers(n=5), this conclusion may not be reliable.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.19-46
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• 2000

Today, knowledge is considered the most strategically important resource. As research in knowledge management advances, it ought to review and categorize the already published literatures on knowledge management in the area of business strategy, accounting/finance, human resource management and management information technology. To identify the knowledge management research trend, we analyze 168 articles published in prominent academic journal during last two decades. This paper develops three stages model for knowledge management research: observation, initiation and evolution stage. Also, we classify the given researches according to the three criteria of contents, related academic area and applied research method.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.85-105
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• 2021

In this study, a case study was conducted on Advanced Nano Products Co.,Ltd, a company that was established in 2000 and has the core technology to produce and commercialize nano materials and ultrafine nano powders based on nano technology. Deviating from the general case study, a case study analysis frame was set based on the theory of technology management and industry-university cooperation theory, and cases were analyzed. In this case study, Advanced Nano Products Co.,Ltd. was analyzed from two analytical perspectives: the establishment of a Management Of Technology system within the company and the Industry-Academic Cooperation activity. Based on this theoretical-based analysis framework, company visit interviews and related data research and analysis were conducted. As a result of the study of the case company, it was possible to derive how the technology management and industry-university cooperation affect the growth stage of the company as follows. First, the strategic use of technology management is an important factor in strengthening the competitive advantage and core competencies of venture companies, and for survival and growth of startups in the early stages. Second, strategic use of technology management and patents and establishment of a patent management system are a part of business strategy and play a pivotal role in corporate performance. Third, the human and material infrastructure of universities affects the growth of companies in the early stage of start-up, and the high utilization of industry-university cooperation promotes the growth of companies. Fourth, continuous industry-academic cooperation activities in the growth and maturity stages of a company's growth stage are the basis for activating external exchanges and building networks. Lastly, technology management and industry-university cooperation were found to be growth factors for each growth stage of a company. In order for a company to develop continuously from the start-up to the growth and maturity stages, it is necessary to establish a technology management system from the beginning and promote strategic technology management activities. In addition, it can be said that it is important to carry out various industry-academic cooperation activities outside the company. As a result of the case analysis, it was found that Advanced Nano Products Co.,Ltd, which performed these two major activities well, overcame the crisis step by step and continued to grow until now. This study shows how the use of technology management and industry-academic cooperation creates value in each growth stage of technology-based venture companies. In addition, its active use will play a big role in the growth of other venture companies. The results of this case study can be a valid reference for growth research of technology start-up venture companies and related field application and utilization.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.208-218
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• 2014

The growth of disaster/accident damage costs and related industries has increased the necessity of scientific and objective performance analysis for fire suppression and disaster management R&D projects. Most of R&D performance are both academic and public performance according to fire suppression and disaster management R&D projects during the period of 2004 to 2011. This research identified characteristics of performance types by research project teams and research development stages. The research outcome shows the usefulness of relevant performance objective settings by project teams, the evaluation of scientific technology fields, and proper research teams in research team selection process, considering research outcome characteristics by both research teams and research development stages. In addition, this research reveals the applicability of research outcomes to research performance management. This research suggests further studies for evaluation process and methods for including fire suppression and disaster management characteristics to the evaluation process.