• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.188-198
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• 2010

This study attempts to examine the influence that negative WOM (NWOM) has in an online context. It specifically focuses on the impact of the service failure description and the perceived intention of the communication provider on consumer evaluations of firm competence, attitude toward the firm, positive word of mouth and behavioral intentions. Studies of communication persuasiveness focus on "who says what; to whom; in which channel; with what effect (Chiu 2007)." In this research study, we examine electronic web posting, particularly focusing on two aspects of "what": the level of service failure communicated and perceived intention of the individual posting. It stands to reason electronic NWOM that appears to be trying to damage a product’s or firm's reputation will be viewed as more biased and will thus be considered as less credible. According to attribution theory, people search for the causes of events especially those that are negative and unexpected (Weiner 2006). Hennig-Thurau and Walsh (2003) state "since the reader has only limited knowledge and trust of the author of an online articulation the quality of the contribution could be expected to serve as a potent moderator of the articulation-behavior relationship. We therefore posit the following hypotheses: H1. Subjects exposed to electronic NWOM describing a high level of service failure will provide lower scores on measures of (a) firm competence, (b) attitude toward the firm, (c) positive word of mouth, and (d) behavioral intention than will subjects exposed to electronic NWOM describing a low level of service failure. H2. Subjects exposed to electronic NWOM with a warning intent will provide lower scores on measures of (a) firm competence, (b) attitude toward the firm, (c) positive word of mouth, and (d) behavioral intention than will subjects exposed to electronic NWOM with a vengeful intent. H3. Level of service failure in electronic NWOM will interact with the perceived intention of the electronic NWOM, such that there will be a decrease in mean response on measures of (a) firm competence, (b) attitude toward the firm, (c) positive word of mouth, and (d) behavioral intention from electronic NWOM with a warning intent to a vengeful intent. The main study involved a2 (service failure severity) x2 (NWOM with warning versus vengeful intent) factorial experiment. Stimuli were presented to subjects online using a mock online web posting. The scenario described a service failure associated with non-acceptance of a gift card in a brick-and-mortar retail establishment. A national sample was recruited through an online research firm. A total of 113 subjects participated in the study. A total of 104 surveys were analyzed. The scenario was perceived to be realistic with 92.3% giving the scenario a greater than average response. Manipulations were satisfactory. Measures were pre-tested and validated. Items were analyzed and found reliable and valid. MANOVA results found the multivariate interaction was not significant, allowing our interpretation to proceed to the main effects. Significant main effects were found for post intent and service failure severity. The post intent main effect was attributable to attitude toward the firm, positive word of mouth and behavioral intention. The service failure severity main effect was attributable to all four dependent variables: firm competence, attitude toward the firm, positive word of mouth and behavioral intention. Specifically, firm competence for electronic NWOM describing high severity of service failure was lower than electronic NWOM describing low severity of service failure. Attitude toward the firm for electronic NWOM describing high severity of service failure was lower than electronic NWOM describing low severity of service failure. Positive word of mouth for electronic NWOM describing high severity of service failure was lower than electronic NWOM describing low severity of service failure. Behavioral intention for electronic NWOM describing high severity of service failure was lower for electronic NWOM describing low severity of service failure. Therefore, H1a, H1b, H1c and H1d were all supported. In addition, attitude toward the firm for electronic NWOM with a warning intent was lower than electronic NWOM with a vengeful intent. Positive word of mouth for electronic NWOM with a warning intent was lower than electronic NWOM with a vengeful intent. Behavioral intention for electronic NWOM with a warning intent was lower than electronic NWOM with a vengeful intent. Thus, H2b, H2c and H2d were supported. However, H2a was not supported though results were in the hypothesized direction. Otherwise, there was no significant multivariate service failure severity by post intent interaction, nor was there a significant univariate service failure severity by post intent interaction for any of the three hypothesized variables. Thus, H3 was not supported for any of the four hypothesized variables. This study has research and managerial implications. The findings of this study support prior research that service failure severity impacts consumer perceptions, attitude, positive word of mouth and behavioral intentions (Weun et al. 2004). Of further relevance, this response is evidenced in the online context, suggesting the need for firms to engage in serious focused service recovery efforts. With respect to perceived intention of electronic NWOM, the findings support prior research suggesting reader's attributions of the intentions of a source influence the strength of its impact on perceptions, attitude, positive word of mouth and behavioral intentions. The implication for managers suggests while consumers do find online communications to be credible and influential, not all communications are weighted the same. A benefit of electronic WOM, even when it may be potentially damaging, is it can be monitored for potential problems and additionally offers the possibility of redress.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.3-16
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• 2017

With the development and proliferation of three-dimensional(3D) printers, consumers in modern society can now print products of what they want three-dimensionally at home. However, consumers themselves would have to produce digital design maps that are compatible with 3D printers and to set up the optimum printing quality and temperature, as well as to pay for maintenance and repair of 3D printers and to respond to any possible lawsuits related to intellectual property right about designs in order to make possible consumer-tailored manufacturing through 3D printing. However, in reality, since it is very difficult for consumers to respond to these issues, it is necessary to develop services that perform 3D printing on behalf of consumers in the desired direction. Motivated by this objective, this study investigated user experiences on Shapeways(www.shapeways.com), which is a global online 3D printing product and sales companies, from many viewpoints in order to obtain insight into 3D printing services and modes which were preferred by consumers. The study result showed that quantitative evaluations on usability, search process, price adequacy, re-visit intention, diversity of design, and satisfaction of design was scored low overall. Furthermore, this study acquired insight about consumer-tailored 3D printing services through constructive suggestions on multi-language support, openness of manufacturing process, simultaneous operation of online and offline sites, design-oriented consumer-tailored manufacturing service, services that ensure delivery safety and product durability, and surface finishing services. This study is expected to provide a wide range of opinions not only on 3D printing service platform development but also on related industry and research.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.8
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• pp.105-113
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• 2021

Due to the recent coronavirus outbreak, many universities in Korea have started to implement remote education. Accordingly, the Ministry of Education has stated its plans to continuously encourage and maintain remote learning as the future innovation model for education and suggested the need for a diverse range of remote learning models. However, studies on the development of practical learning models have not been carried out actively until now. Particularly, there are not many case studies in the field of design, especially regarding mobile website development. As means to improve the newly designed practice environment, this study therefore proposes the "modoo" project that offers domain creation and online marketing services. As a result of this study, the researcher suggests the use of a mixed(blending) teaching method and realized that the effectiveness of education multiplies when project-based learning and flipped learning is combined appropriately. The research methodology was divided into two big sections, education content and operations, and the effect was evaluated using the course evaluations. The study results confirmed that the applicability will increase given that learning satisfaction levels increased by more than 5% compared to face-to-face learning.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.537-553
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• 2015

Recently, some fashion retailers have initiated sustainable actions in the form of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to address consumers' social concerns. This study intends to combine the concept of CSR motivation attributions with brand extension literature in order to examine how consumers' trust of a parent brand affects their CSR motivation attributions and ultimately their attitudes towards parent-brand CSR activities and sustainable extension lines. A self-administered online survey was conducted using scenarios describing a fast fashion retailer introducing a sustainable line. Data from 303 female U.S. consumers, aged between 18 and 34 years, were used for the statistical analysis. Data analyses were conducted using SPSS 21.0 for descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and regression analysis. The results revealed that all hypotheses were supported. The findings show that consumers' trust of a parent brand has an indirect impact on positive attitudes towards the parent brand's CSR activities as well as the sustainable extension product line, mediating positive evaluations of the brand's social CSR motivations. In addition, this study suggests consumers' prior trust of the parent brand is a variable that affects consumers' evaluation of CSR motivation sincerity. Marketing suggestions and thoughts based on the findings of this study were provided.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.109-124
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• 2018

As fashion and distribution companies have increasingly turned to implementing marketing activities that use omni-channel strategies, it is imperative to explore consumer-oriented evaluations of omni-channel shopping for fashion products. Through contributing to the growing research flow of consumer behavior within omni-channel contexts, the current study explores consumer motivations for omni-channel fashion shopping and their impacts on the decision-making stages of fashion products. The authors first performed in-depth interviews with six Korean consumers and confirmed the four types of consumer motivation for omni-channel shopping, and how decision-making processes react to fashion companies' omni- channel marketing strategies. These findings were used to set survey items for the main study. Based on the results and findings of previous literature, an online survey was conducted with 300 participants who had actual experience with omni-channel shopping for fashion products. The statistic results from the survey revealed the following: First, the in-depth interviews allowed the authors to confirm four factors of omni-channel shopping motivation (ubiquity, efficiency, convenience, and impulsiveness). Second, the survey showed the authors that among the four factors of omni-channel shopping orientation, impulsiveness had the greatest effect on consumer behaviors at the preand on-purchase stages, while the ubiquity factor had the greatest effect at the post-purchase stage. As such, the study empirically tested the omni-channel-specific factors of shopping orientation and motivation. In addition, it showed the effect of omni-channel marketing on various stages of the decision- making process and the study's limitations and implications were discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1523-1537
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• 2018

The AI speaker is a simple operation that provides users with useful functions such as music playback, online search, and so the AI speaker market is growing at a very fast pace. However, AI speakers always wait for the user's voice, which can cause serious problems such as eavesdropping and personal information exposure if exposed to security threats. Therefore, in order to provide overall improved security of all AI speakers, it is necessary to identify potential security threats and analyze them systematically. In this paper, security threat modeling is performed by selecting four products with high market share. Data Flow Diagram, STRIDE and LINDDUN Threat modeling was used to derive a systematic and objective checklist for vulnerability checks. Finally, we proposed a method to improve the security of AI speaker by comparing the vulnerability analysis results and the vulnerability of each product.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.51-63
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• 2021

Recently, virtual communication has become a standard tool due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Likewise online communication is emerging as an essential competency. In this study, we aimed to develop a comprehensive and systematic digital literacy measurement tool reflecting the changes and needs of society. Construct variables were drawn by characterizing existing digital literacy measurement tools. Thirty-four items corresponding to the concept of each variable were developed. The developed measurement tool was then evaluated in the form of surveys from university students belonging to the digital native generation, and the reliability and validity were performed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The digital literacy measurement tool contained five sub-factors and twenty-five questions. In addition, hierarchical regression analysis was performed to verify the predictive validity of digital literacy sub-factors. Based on these findings, the implication of future research is discussed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2022

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the filtration efficiency, inhalation resistance, and liquid resistance of commercial reusable masks in comparison to the performance of KF-AD masks (reference masks). Methods: Thirty-six masks were purchased from an online market. Filtration efficiency and inhalation resistance were determined in the same manner as in MFDS certification testing, respectively using TIL/IL & Filter Test 1300S (SFP Services, UK) and Breathing Resistance Analyzer DA2001 (Lambda Ray, South Korea). Results: Most of the filtration efficiencies found for the 19 masks were far lower than the test standard for KF-certified masks. Four masks met KF94 and three masks even met KF80. Most inhalation resistances were also much lower than the standard, with many almost one-half of the standard. In addition, all the masks except KF-AD masks did not pass the liquid resistance test. Conclusions: Although most of the filtration efficiency performance results found in this study for the reusable masks, which emerged as an alternative, were lower than the standard for health masks, multi-use masks can be used with a replacement filter inserted.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.143-153
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• 2024

This study aims to analyze both the current utilization of e-learning in the scuba diving education sector and the possible improvements by using Delphi analysis. The study administered three rounds of Delphi surveys with 25 specialists, including business executives and educational leaders from scuba diving centers and resorts affiliated with organizations that conduct scuba diving education through e-learning. The comparative analysis of the state of e-learning utilization and factors for improvement revealed significant insights. In terms of expected benefits, the analysis highlighted an increase in user convenience, temporal flexibility in learning activities, and easy access to products. However, it identified major issues such as the simplistic mandatory exams, inadequate professional depth in the feedback provided, and a lack of bidirectional communication between learners and instructors. Recommendations for improvements included enhancing communication through various online communities, conducting mandatory exams offline, and developing a variety of content. Conducting regular program quality evaluations, integrating with various diving communities, and assigning dedicated tutors were deemed crucial factors for future development.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.208-218
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• 2010

Internet has grown fast and become one of the most important retail channels now. Various types of Internet retailers, hereafter etailers, have been introduced so far and as one type of Internet shopping mall, 'surrogate Internet shopping mall' has been prosperous and attracting consumers in the domestic market. Surrogate Internet shopping mall is a unique type of etailer that globally purchases well-known brand goods that are not imported in the market, completes delivery in the favor of individual buyers, and collects fees for these specific services. The consumers, who are usually interested in purchasing high-end and unique but not eligible brands, have difficulties to purchase these items overseas directly from the retailers or brands in other countries due to worries of payment failure and no address available for their usually domestic only delivery. In Korea, both numbers of surrogate Internet shopping malls and the magnitude of sales have been growing rapidly up to more than 430 active malls and 500 billion Korean won in 2008 since the population of consumers who want this agent shopping service is also expending. This etail business concept is originated from 'surrogate-mediated purchase' and this type of shopping agent has existed in many different forms and also in wide ranges of context level for quite a long time. As marketers face their individual buyers' representatives instead of a direct contact with them in many occasions, the impact of surrogate shoppers on consumer's decision making has been enormously important and many scholars have explored various range of agent's impact on consumer's purchase decisions in marketing and psychology field. However, not much rigorous research in the Internet commerce has been conveyed yet. Moreover, since as one of the shopping agent surrogate Internet shopping malls specifically connect overseas brands or retailers to domestic consumers, one specific character of the mall's, image of surrogate buying country, where surrogate purchases are conducted in, may play an important role to form consumers' attitude and purchase intention toward products. Furthermore it also possibly affects various dimensions of perceived risk in consumer's information processing. However, though tremendous researches have been carried exploring the effects of diverse dimensions of country of origin, related studies in Internet context has been rarely executed. There have been some studies that prove the positive impact of country of origin on consumer's evaluations as one of information clues in product manufacture descriptions, yet studies detecting the relationship between country image of surrogate buying origin and product evaluations rarely undertaken regarding this specific mall type. Thus, the authors have found it well-worth investigating in this specific retail channel and explored systematic relationships among focal constructs and elaborated their different paths. The authors have proven that country image of surrogate buying origin in the mall, where surrogate malls purchase products in and brings them from for buyers, not only has a positive effect on consumers' product evaluations including attitude and purchase intention but also has a negative effect on all three dimensions of perceived risk: product-related risk, shipping-related risk, and post-purchase risk. Specifically among all the perceived risk, product-related risk which is arisen from high uncertainty of product performance is most affected (${\beta}$= -.30) by negative country image of surrogate buying origin, and also shipping-related risk (${\beta}$= -.18) and post-purchase risk (${\beta}$= -.15) get influenced in order. Its direct effects on product attitude (${\beta}$= .10) and purchase intention (${\beta}$= .14) are also secured. Each of perceived risk dimension is proven to have a negative effect on purchase intention through product attitude as a mediator (${\beta}$= -.57: product-related risk ${\rightarrow}$ product attitude; ${\beta}$= -.24: shipping-related risk ${\rightarrow}$ product attitude; ${\beta}$= -.44: post-purchase risk ${\rightarrow}$ product attitude) as well. From the additional analysis, the paths of consumers' information processing are shown to be different based on their levels of product knowledge. While novice consumers with low level of knowledge consider only perceived risk important, expert consumers with high level of knowledge take both the country image, where surrogate services are conducted in, and perceived risk seriously to build their attitudes and formulate decisions toward products more delicately and systematically, which is in line with previous studies. This study suggests several pieces of academic and practical advice. Precisely, country image of surrogate buying origin does affect on consumer's risk perceptions and behavioral consequences. Therefore a careful selection of surrogate buying origin is recommended. Furthermore, reducing consumers' risk level is required to blossom this new type of retail business whether its consumer are novices or experts. Additionally, since consumer take different paths of elaborating information based on their knowledge levels, sophisticated marketing approaches to each group of consumers are required. For novice buyers strong devices for risk mitigation are needed to induce them to form better attitudes and for experts selections of better and advanced countries as surrogate buying origins are advised while endorsement strategy for the site might work as a reliable information clue to all consumers to mitigate the barriers to purchase goods online. The authors have also explained that the study suffers from some limitations, including generalizability. In future studies, tests of and comparisons among different types of etailers with relevant constructs are recommended to broaden the findings.