• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.27-57
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• 2008

Many consumers enjoy the challenge of purchasing a brand that matches well with their own values and personalities (for example, Ko et al., 2008; Ko et al., 2006). Therefore, the personalities of consumers can impact on the final selection of a brand and its brand personality in two ways: first, the consumers may incline to purchase a brand or a product that reflects their own personalities; second, consumers tend to choose a company that has similar brand personalities to those brands that are being promoted. Therefore, the objectives of this study are following: 1. Is there any empirical relationship between a consumer's personality and the personality of a brand that he or she chooses? 2. Can a corporate brand be differentiated by the brand personality? In short, consumers are more likely to hold favorable attitudes towards those brands that match their own personality and will most probably purchase those brands matching well with their personality. For example, Matzler et al. (2006) found that extraversion and openness were positively related to hedonic product value; and that the personality traits directly (openness) and indirectly (extraversion, via hedonic value) influenced brand effects, which in turn droved attitudinal and purchase loyalty. Based on the above discussion, the following hypotheses are proposed: Hypothesis 1: the personality of a consumer is related to the brand personality of a product/corporate that he/she purchases. Kuksov (2007) and Wernerfelt (1990) argued that brands as a symbolic language allowed consumers to communicate their types to each other and postulated that consumers had a certain value of communicating their types to each other. Therefore, how brand meanings are established, and how a firm communicate with consumers about the meanings of the brand are interesting topics for research (for example, Escalas and Bettman, 2005; McCracken, 1989; Moon, 2007). Hence, the following hypothesis is proposed: Hypothesis 2: A corporate brand identity is differentiated by the brand personality. And there are significant differences among companies. A questionnaire was developed for collecting empirical measures of the Big-Five personality traits and brand personality variables. A survey was conducted to the online access panel members through the Internet during December 2007 in Korea. In total, 500 respondents completed the questionnaire, and considered as useable. Personality constructs were measured using the Five-factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) scale and a total of 30 items were actually utilized. Brand personality was measured using the five-dimension scale developed by Aaker (1997). A total of 17 items were actually utilized. The seven-point Likert-type scale was the format of responses, for example, from 1 indicating strongly disagreed to 7 for strongly agreed. The Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) was used for an empirical testing of the model, and the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) was applied to estimate numerical values for the components in the model. To diagnose the presence of distribution problems in the data and to gauge their effects on the parameter estimates, bootstapping method was used. The results of the hypothesis-1 test empirically show that there exit certain causality relationship between a consumer's personality and the brand personality of the consumer's choice. Thus, the consumer's personality has an impact on consumer's final selection of a brand that has a brand personality matches well with their own personalities. In other words, the consumers are inclined to purchase a brand that reflects their own personalities and tend to choose a company that has similar brand personalities to those of the brand being promoted. The results of this study further suggest that certain dimensions of the brand personality cause consumers to have preference to certain (corporate) brands. For example, the conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion of the consumer personality have positively related to a selection of "ruggedness" characteristics of the brand personality. Consumers who possess that personality dimension seek for matching with certain brand personality dimensions. Results of the hypothesis-2 test show that the average "ruggedness" attributes of the brand personality differ significantly among Korean automobile manufacturers. However, the result of ANOVA also indicates that there are no significant differences in the mean values among manufacturers for the "sophistication," "excitement," "competence" and "sincerity" attributes of the corporate brand personality. The tight link between what a firm is and its corporate brand means that there is far less room for marketing communications than there is with products and brands. Consequently, successful corporate brand strategies must position the organization within the boundaries of what is acceptable, while at the same time differentiating the organization from its competitors.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.215-222
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• 2015

In this work, we performed a proof-of-concept experiment for phase-contrast x-ray imaging (PCXI) based on a single antiscatter grid and a polychromatic x-ray source. We established a table-top setup which consists of a focused-linear grid having a strip density of 200 lines/inch, a microfocus x-ray tube having a focal-spot size of about $5{\mu}m$, and a CMOS-type flat-panel detector having a pixel size of $48{\mu}m$. By using our prototype PCXI system and the Fourier demodulation technique, we successfully obtained attenuation, scattering, and differential phase-contrast images of improved visibility from the raw images of several selected samples at x-ray tube conditions of $90kV_p$ and 0.1 mAs. Further, fusion image (e.g., the attenuation+the scattering) may have an advantage in displaying details of the sample's structures that are not clearly visible in the conventional attenuation image. Our experimental results indicate that single-grid-based approach seems a useful method for PCXI with great simplicity and minimal requirements on the setup alignment.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.605-619
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• 2014

This article reviews the papers published in the Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering during 2013. It is intended to understand the status of current research in the areas of heating, cooling, ventilation, sanitation, and indoor environments of buildings and plant facilities. Conclusions are as follows. (1) The research works on the thermal and fluid engineering have been reviewed as groups of fluid machinery, pipes and relative parts including orifices, dampers and ducts, fuel cells and power plants, cooling and air-conditioning, heat and mass transfer, two phase flow, and the flow around buildings and structures. Research issues dealing with home appliances, flows around buildings, nuclear power plant, and manufacturing processes are newly added in thermal and fluid engineering research area. (2) Research works on heat transfer area have been reviewed in the categories of heat transfer characteristics, pool boiling and condensing heat transfer and industrial heat exchangers. Researches on heat transfer characteristics included the results for general analytical model for desiccant wheels, the effects of water absorption on the thermal conductivity of insulation materials, thermal properties of Octadecane/xGnP shape-stabilized phase change materials and $CO_2$ and $CO_2$-Hydrate mixture, effect of ground source heat pump system, the heat flux meter location for the performance test of a refrigerator vacuum insulation panel, a parallel flow evaporator for a heat pump dryer, the condensation risk assessment of vacuum multi-layer glass and triple glass, optimization of a forced convection type PCM refrigeration module, surface temperature sensor using fluorescent nanoporous thin film. In the area of pool boiling and condensing heat transfer, researches on ammonia inside horizontal smooth small tube, R1234yf on various enhanced surfaces, HFC32/HFC152a on a plain surface, spray cooling up to critical heat flux on a low-fin enhanced surface were actively carried out. In the area of industrial heat exchangers, researches on a fin tube type adsorber, the mass-transfer kinetics of a fin-tube-type adsorption bed, fin-and-tube heat exchangers having sine wave fins and oval tubes, louvered fin heat exchanger were performed. (3) In the field of refrigeration, studies are categorized into three groups namely refrigeration cycle, refrigerant and modeling and control. In the category of refrigeration cycle, studies were focused on the enhancement or optimization of experimental or commercial systems including a R410a VRF(Various Refrigerant Flow) heat pump, a R134a 2-stage screw heat pump and a R134a double-heat source automotive air-conditioner system. In the category of refrigerant, studies were carried out for the application of alternative refrigerants or refrigeration technologies including $CO_2$ water heaters, a R1234yf automotive air-conditioner, a R436b water cooler and a thermoelectric refrigerator. In the category of modeling and control, theoretical and experimental studies were carried out to predict the performance of various thermal and control systems including the long-term energy analysis of a geo-thermal heat pump system coupled to cast-in-place energy piles, the dynamic simulation of a water heater-coupled hybrid heat pump and the numerical simulation of an integral optimum regulating controller for a system heat pump. (4) In building mechanical system research fields, twenty one studies were conducted to achieve effective design of the mechanical systems, and also to maximize the energy efficiency of buildings. The topics of the studies included heating and cooling, HVAC system, ventilation, and renewable energies in the buildings. Proposed designs, performance tests using numerical methods and experiments provide useful information and key data which can improve the energy efficiency of the buildings. (5) The field of architectural environment is mostly focused on indoor environment and building energy. The main researches of indoor environment are related to infiltration, ventilation, leak flow and airtightness performance in residential building. The subjects of building energy are worked on energy saving, operation method and optimum operation of building energy systems. The remained studies are related to the special facility such as cleanroom, internet data center and biosafety laboratory. water supply and drain system, defining standard input variables of BIM (Building Information Modeling) for facility management system, estimating capability and providing operation guidelines of subway station as shelter for refuge and evaluation of pollutant emissions from furniture-like products.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.63-73
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• 2009

Recently, the use of lightweight panels in building structures has been increasing. Of the various lightweight panel types, styrofoam sandwich panels are inexpensive and are excellent in terms of their insulation capacity and their constructability. However, sandwich panels that include organic material are quite vulnerable to fire, and thus can numerous casualties in the event of a fire due to the lack of time to vacate and their emission of poisonous gas. On the other hand, lightweight foamed concrete is excellent, both in terms of its insulation ability and its fire resistance, due to its Inner pores. The properties of lightweight concrete is influenced by foaming agent type. Accordingly, this study investigates the insulation properties by foaming agent type, to evaluate the possibility of using light-weight foamed concrete instead of styrene foam. Our research found thatnon-heating zone temperature of lightweight foamed concrete using AP (Aluminum Powder) and FP (animal protein foaming agent) are lower than that of light-weight foamed concrete using AES (alkyl ether lactic acid ester). Lightweight foamed concrete using AES and FP satisfied fire performance requirements of two hours at a foam ratio 50, 100. Lightweight foamed concrete using AP satisfied fire performance requirements of two hours at AP ratio 0.1, 0.15. The insulation properties were better in closed pore foamed concrete by made AP, FP than with open pore foamed concrete made using AES.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.87-115
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• 2012

Introduction: In these days, a loyalty program is one of the most common marketing mechanisms (Lacey & Sneath, 2006; Nues & Dreze, 2006; Uncles et al., 20003). In recent years, Coalition Loyalty Program is more noticeable as one of progressed forms. In the past, loyalty program was operating independently by single product brand or single retail channel brand. Now, companies using Coalition Loyalty Program share their programs as one single service and companies to participate to this program continue to have benefits from their existing program as well as positive spillover effect from the other participating network companies. Instead of consumers to earn or spend points from single retail channel or brand, consumers will have more opportunities to utilize their points and be able to purchase other participating companies products. Issues that are related to form of loyalty programs are essentially connected with consumers' perceived view on convenience of using its program. This can be a problem for distribution companies' strategic marketing plan. Although Coalition Loyalty Program is popular corporate marketing strategy to most companies, only few researches have been published. However, compared to independent loyalty program, coalition loyalty program operated by third parties of partnership has following conditions: Companies cannot autonomously modify structures of program for individual companies' benefits, and there is no guarantee to operate and to participate its program continuously by signing a contract. Thus, it is important to conduct the study on how coalition loyalty program affects companies' success and its process as much as conducting the study on effects of independent program. This study will complement the lack of coalition loyalty program study. The purpose of this study is to find out how consumer loyalty affects affiliated brands, its cause and mechanism. The past study about loyalty program only provided the variation of performance analysis, but this study will specifically focus on causes of results. In order to do these, this study is designed and to verify three primary objects as following; First, based on opinions of Switching Barriers (Fornell, 1992; Ping, 1993; Jones, et at., 2000) about causes of loyalty of coalition brand, 'brand attractiveness' and 'brand switching cost' are antecedents and causes of change in 'brand loyalty' will be investigated. Second, influence of consumers' perception and attitude prior to joining coalition loyalty program, influence of program in retail brands, brand attractiveness and spillover effect of switching cost after joining coalition program will be verified. Finally, the study will apply 'prior brand preference' as a variable and will provide a relationship between effects of coalition loyalty program and prior preference level. Hypothesis Hypothesis 1. After joining coalition loyalty program, more preferred brand (compared to less preferred brand) will increase influence on brand attractiveness to brand loyalty. Hypothesis 2. After joining coalition loyalty program, less preferred brand (compared to more preferred brand) will increase influence on brand switching cost to brand loyalty. Hypothesis 3. (1)Brand attractiveness and (2)brand switching cost of more preferred brand (before joining the coalition loyalty program) will influence more positive effects from (1)program attractiveness and (2)program switching cost of coalition loyalty program (after joining) than less preferred brand. Hypothesis 4. After joining coalition loyalty program, (1)brand attractiveness and (2)brand switching cost of more preferred brand will receive more positive impacts from (1)program attractiveness and (2)program switching cost of coalition loyalty program than less preferred brand. Hypothesis 5. After joining coalition loyalty program, (1)brand attractiveness and (2)brand switching cost of more preferred brand will receive less impacts from (1)brand attractiveness and (2)brand switching cost of different brands (having different preference level), which joined simultaneously, than less preferred brand. Method : In order to validate hypotheses, this study will apply experimental method throughout virtual scenario of coalition loyalty program if consumers have used or available for the actual brands. The experiment is conducted twice to participants. In a first experiment, the study will provide six coalition brands which are already selected based on prior research. The survey asked each brand attractiveness, switching cost, and loyalty after they choose high preference brand and low preference brand. One hour break was provided prior to the second experiment. In a second experiment, virtual coalition loyalty program "SaveBag" was introduced to participants. Participants were informed that "SaveBag" will be new alliance with six coalition brands from the first experiment. Brand attractiveness and switching cost about coalition program were measured and brand attractiveness and switching cost of high preference brand and low preference brand were measured as same method of first experiment. Limitation and future research This study shows limitations of effects of coalition loyalty program by using virtual scenario instead of actual research. Thus, future study should compare and analyze CLP panel data to provide more in-depth information. In addition, this study only proved the effectiveness of coalition loyalty program. However, there are two types of loyalty program, which are Single and Coalition, and success of coalition loyalty program will be dependent on market brand power and prior customer attitude. Therefore, it will be interesting to compare effects of two programs in the future.