• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.245-276
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• 2008

Brand equity is one of the most important concepts in business practice as well as in academic research. Successful brands can allow marketers to gain competitive advantage (Lassar et al.,1995), including the opportunity for successful extensions, resilience against competitors' promotional pressures, and the ability to create barriers to competitive entry (Farquhar, 1989). Branding plays a special role in service firms because strong brands increase trust in intangible products (Berry, 2000), enabling customers to better visualize and understand them. They reduce customers' perceived monetary, social, and safety risks in buying services, which are obstacles to evaluating a service correctly before purchase. Also, a high level of brand equity increases consumer satisfaction, repurchasing intent, and degree of loyalty. Brand equity can be considered as a mixture that includes both financial assets and relationships. Actually, brand equity can be viewed as the value added to the product (Keller, 1993), or the perceived value of the product in consumers' minds. Mahajan et al. (1990) claim that customer-based brand equity can be measured by the level of consumers' perceptions. Several researchers discuss brand equity based on two dimensions: consumer perception and consumer behavior. Aaker (1991) suggests measuring brand equity through price premium, loyalty, perceived quality, and brand associations. Viewing brand equity as the consumer's behavior toward a brand, Keller (1993) proposes similar dimensions: brand awareness and brand knowledge. Thus, past studies tend to identify brand equity as a multidimensional construct consisted of brand loyalty, brand awareness, brand knowledge, customer satisfaction, perceived equity, brand associations, and other proprietary assets (Aaker, 1991, 1996; Blackston, 1995; Cobb-Walgren et al., 1995; Na, 1995). Other studies tend to regard brand equity and other brand assets, such as brand knowledge, brand awareness, brand image, brand loyalty, perceived quality, and so on, as independent but related constructs (Keller, 1993; Kirmani and Zeithaml, 1993). Walters(1978) defined information search as, "A psychological or physical action a consumer takes in order to acquire information about a product or store." But, each consumer has different methods for informationsearch. There are two methods of information search, internal and external search. Internal search is, "Search of information already saved in the memory of the individual consumer"(Engel, Blackwell, 1982) which is, "memory of a previous purchase experience or information from a previous search."(Beales, Mazis, Salop, and Staelin, 1981). External search is "A completely voluntary decision made in order to obtain new information"(Engel & Blackwell, 1982) which is, "Actions of a consumer to acquire necessary information by such methods as intentionally exposing oneself to advertisements, taking to friends or family or visiting a store."(Beales, Mazis, Salop, and Staelin, 1981). There are many sources for consumers' information search including advertisement sources such as the internet, radio, television, newspapers and magazines, information supplied by businesses such as sales people, packaging and in-store information, consumer sources such as family, friends and colleagues, and mass media sources such as consumer protection agencies, government agencies and mass media sources. Understanding consumers' purchasing behavior is a key factor of a firm to attract and retain customers and improving the firm's prospects for survival and growth, and enhancing shareholder's value. Therefore, marketers should understand consumer as individual and market segment. One theory of consumer behavior supports the belief that individuals are rational. Individuals think and move through stages when making a purchase decision. This means that rational thinkers have led to the identification of a consumer buying decision process. This decision process with its different levels of involvement and influencing factors has been widely accepted and is fundamental to the understanding purchase intention represent to what consumers think they will buy. Brand equity is not only companies but also very important asset more than product itself. This paper studies brand equity model and influencing factors including information process such as information searching and information resources in the fashion market in Asia and Europe. Information searching and information resources are influencing brand knowledge that influences consumers purchase decision. Nine research hypotheses are drawn to test the relationships among antecedents of brand equity and purchase intention and relationships among brand knowledge, brand value, brand attitude, and brand loyalty. H1. Information searching influences brand knowledge positively. H2. Information sources influence brand knowledge positively. H3. Brand knowledge influences brand attitude. H4. Brand knowledge influences brand value. H5. Brand attitude influences brand loyalty. H6. Brand attitude influences brand value. H7. Brand loyalty influences purchase intention. H8. Brand value influence purchase intention. H9. There will be the same research model in Asia and Europe. We performed structural equation model analysis in order to test hypotheses suggested in this study. The model fitting index of the research model in Asia was $X^2$=195.19(p=0.0), NFI=0.90, NNFI=0.87, CFI=0.90, GFI=0.90, RMR=0.083, AGFI=0.85, which means the model fitting of the model is good enough. In Europe, it was $X^2$=133.25(p=0.0), NFI=0.81, NNFI=0.85, CFI=0.89, GFI=0.90, RMR=0.073, AGFI=0.85, which means the model fitting of the model is good enough. From the test results, hypotheses were accepted. All of these hypotheses except one are supported. In Europe, information search is not an antecedent of brand knowledge. This means that sales of global fashion brands like jeans in Europe are not expanding as rapidly as in Asian markets such as China, Japan, and South Korea. Young consumers in European countries are not more brand and fashion conscious than their counter partners in Asia. The results have theoretical, practical meaning and contributions. In the fashion jeans industry, relatively few studies examining the viability of cross-national brand equity has been studied. This study provides insight on building global brand equity and suggests information process elements like information search and information resources are working differently in Asia and Europe for fashion jean market.

• Korea Science and Art Forum
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.205-217
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• 2019

This study began with the focusing the growth of importance of cultural marketing and its successes by applying to branding in a phase in which the cultural production era has arrived after the industrial production era. This study aimed to reveal the effect of cultural marketing, which are used as marketing strategy in the tourism field, on brand attitude and awareness. Therefore, this study tried to investigate the brand equity and attitude in accordance with the cultural marketing factors by survey Chinese tourists visiting Korea. The result and contents of the study are as follows. First, it was confirmed that the research question on the possibility of market segmentation in accordance with cultural marketing factors; the market segments were classified as Cluster 1 general involvement perceived group, Cluster 2 high involvement perceived group, Cluster3 middle involvement perceived group. Second, it revealed significant differences on brand attitude among the segments; Cluster 2 showed high brand attitude and Cluster 3 showed average level on brand attitude. Third, it found a statistically significant differences in the perception of brand equity including perceived quality, brand awareness and brand image of tourism destination. In conclusion, this study was able to identify market segments in accordance with cultural marketing factors of tourism destination and revealed significant differences in the segments by brand attitude and brand equity. This could provide practical implication that various cultural marketing activities to generate positive results on brand equity and brand attitude and cultural marketing strategies is also needed to increase foreign tourists' awareness of these cultural marketing activities.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.93-106
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• 2019

This study is purposed to make sure of the Effects of Hotel Brand Equity on Enterprise Trust and Customer Citizenship Behavior. For this study, the effects of Hotel Brand Equity on Enterprise, the effects of Hotel Brand Equity on Customer Citizenship Behavior and the effects of Enterprise Trust on Customer Citizenship Behavior were analyzed statically by the method of multiple regression analysis. Hotel Brand Equity consists of 3 elements(Perceived Service Quality, Brand Image, Brand Awareness), Enterprise Trust is made of 2 elements(Enterprise Ability, Enterprise Sincerity) and Customer Citizenship Behavior has 2 element(Guest Preference, Guest Helping). As a result, three things have been found. First, Perceived Service Quality has a positive influence on both of Enterprise Trust and Customer Citizenship Behavior which means that Perceived Service Quality is the most essential element for hotel marketing performance. Second, Brand Image has a positive influence partly on Enterprise Trust, that is, only on Enterprise Ability, not Enterprise Sincerity and also on both Guest Preference and Guest Helping whereas Brand Awareness has a positive influence on both of Enterprise Ability and Sincerity but it has no influence on Customer Citizenship Behavior. Third, Enterprise Sincerity has a positive influence on both of two elements in Customer Citizenship Behavior whereas Enterprise Ability has a positive influence on only Guest Helping.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.365-372
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• 2009

Brand equity of a tourist destination play a significant role in selecting a tourist destination because it is highly associated with its competitiveness. Nevertheless, a few research related to brand equity of a tourist destination has been conducted. Therefore, this study particularly focuses on the conceptualization work and deriving elements of brand equity of a tourist destination. One of the major research findings is that brand equity of a tourist destination comprises four elements including brand name awareness, perceived quality, brand associations and brand loyalty. In particular, brand loyalty turns out to be affected by other elements of brand equity, which verifies the hierarchy of effect among the elements of brand equity.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.1-24
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• 2010

As the Internet is explosively growing and the market is rapidly globalized, many entrepreneurs have been given an impetus to take on the function of the intermediation between providers and customers. Organizations performing the mediating roles in the cyberspace are termed 'cybermediary' and often called 'Openmarket' as a kind of transactional cybermediary in Korea. Despite sustainable growth of Openmarket, customer complaints and damages are increasing because of absence of recovery standards after a service failure. Therefore, it is important that a service provider converts dissatisfied customers to advocates for the growth of the Openmarket. This study aims to examine the role of recovery of the service failures for the Openmarket by proposing a relationship between complaint handling and continuance based on the equity theory. From the empirical results, we found that interactional equity had significant effects on both overall service satisfaction and recovery satisfaction, while procedural equity significantly influenced only recovery satisfaction. Recovery satisfaction also had an impact on overall service satisfaction and each satisfaction factor was positively related to continuance intention.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.85-95
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to empirically verify the influence of certain variables on the psychological well-being of married men and women and to provide a basis for promoting the quality of life. The subjects of this study were 366 married men and women in Busan. The data was obtained through administering a self-reported questionnaire. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS/WIN 10.0 and included frequencies, means, standard deviation, Chronbach'a, $$\chi$^2$, t-test, and regression analysis. The major results of this study were as follows: First, the scores for degree of income propriety, fate control orientation and material orientation of married men was higher than those of married women. The scores for degree of stress recognition and perceived equity showed no significant difference between men and women. The score for psychological well-being of married men and women was relatively low. The score of psychological well-being of married women(2.94) was higher than that of married men(2.67). Second, variables that affect the psychological well-being of married men were degree of income propriety(p>.001), degree of perceived stress(p>.001), fate control orientation(p>.001) and material orientation(p>.001). Variables that affect psychological well-being of married women were degree of income propriety(p>.001), degree of perceived stress (p>.001), fate control orientation(p>.001) and perceived equity(p>.01). The variable of perceived equity didn't affect psychological well-being of married men. The variable of material orientation didn't affect the psychological well-being of married women. Third, the influence level of the degree of income propriety of married men and women was the highest among the variables.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.85-90
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• 2015

Purpose - Global trends play a part to change the structure of the fashion industry. In particular, companies attempting to conduct innovative marketing centering on such products as SPA brands are growing into global companies. SPA stands for "Specialty Store Retailer of Private Label Apparel", meaning its activities are fully integrated from manufacturing through sales, including material procurement design, product, distribution, inventory management, and final sales. For this reason, more understanding of individual corporate profitability is very sensitive to consumer's attitudinal changes. The effects that corporate marketing activities on customer lifetime value through brand attitude were analyzed based on a structural equation model. Rust suggested value equity, brand equity, and relationship equity as customer equity driver. The study examines Chinese consumer because China is the fastest growing fashion market in the world. Research design, data, and methodology - The survey targeted Chinese college student age 20s. Only respondents who had purchased SPA brands in the past year were included for this research. A total of 303, except for 47 missing data of 350 distributed questionnaires were included in this research. The questionnaire is consists of six part to measure value, brand, relationship equity, attitude toward brand, purchase intention and demographic characteristics. This research conducted exploratory factor analysis and reliability test. To verify research hypotheses, structural equation model test was conducted. As for customer equity, diversified models in consideration of the scope of acquisition data, a method of collection of data, influencing factor, and predictability were suggested based on a net present value model. However, the history of customer equity study is relatively short, and sufficient empirical analyses have not been conducted, so more integrated analysis is required. In this study, the concept of driver suggested by Rust was applied to figure out the effects that consumer's attitude has on customer equity. The customer equity driver suggested by them consists of brand equity, value equity, and relationship equity. Results - This study reveals that value equity and brand equity have a positive influence on relationship equity. And, relationship equity has a positive influence on purchase intention through brand attitude. However, value equity and brand equity do not influence on brand attitude. Conclusion - The results of this research generated following implications. First, SPA brands need to take advantage of their value equity such as perceived low price and up-to-date fashion style to attract Chinese young consumer. Second, strong brand equity promises dominants position in the competitive market. As Chinese fashion market grows rapidly, SPA brands can consider branding strategy such as flagship store and celebrity marketing enhancing brand image. Third, the core concept of customer equity strategy is to maintain a relationship with their expecting and existing customers. The relationship equity is built by brand equity and value equity. When SPA brands serves product and service meet with individual customers, customers have intimacy to the brands.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.15-24
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• 2020

Purpose: The ultimate purpose of this research is to analyze the influence of direct service experience on brand equity components and continuance intention by focusing on cultural marketing at airport, as a huge market place. Design/methodology: This study examines how the cultural contact experience of an airport's cultural marketing activities affect the brand equity components, as well as how these factors affect the continuance intention. A questionnaire survey is conducted for airport users and a total of 313 copies of the questionnaire are analyzed using a structural equation. Results: The results demonstrate that cultural contact service has a positive effect on brand awareness, brand meaning, and perceived value, and all factors of brand equity components have a positive effect on continuance intention. In addition, MTE also has a significant effect on continuance intention. Conclusions/implications: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the cultural contact and brand attachment of tourists experiencing airport cultural marketing services on the composition factors of airport brand equity. The results of this study can be used not only as basic data to help establish a cultural marketing strategy at an airport, but also as to aid establishing and implementing a long-term marketing strategy for the sustainable growth of an airport.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.89-108
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• 2021

The value of culture receives the attention of the world in order to solve urban problems and revitalize cities. Cultural city policies are implemented in Korea and EU to revitalize cities by utilizing cultural values. Although the cultural city policy is effective for urban regeneration, it has not been verified whether it has a positive effect in terms of urban identity and customer-based city brand. This study investigated whether cultural and artistic infrastructure and cultural artistry, which are resources of a cultural city, have a positive effect on urban identity, and whether urban identity affects the brand recognition and the perceived quality of a city. For this study, questionnaires were collected from 208 people residing in Seoul, and empirical analysis was conducted on 206 copies of them, excluding 2 copies of insincere answers. The infrastructure and cultural artistry of cultural and artistic resources showed significant results in the positive relationship between the cultural specificity of urban identity, social system and growth potential. Cultural specificity of urban identity also showed a significant positive effect on city brand equity. In the case of the social system and growth potential of urban identity, there was a significant positive effect on perceived quality, but insignificant results were found in the relationship with brand awareness. Through the results of this study, practical implications can be drawn for cultural city policy implementation and city brand management.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.293-303
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• 2018

This paper aimed to research the brand personality, brand equity, and brand value of Taobao and Jindong (JD) as well as the difference between the two brands. Chinese consumers receive the questionnaire survey in groups. A total of 321 questionnaires were distributed, of which, 162 for Taobao and 159 for JD. The findings, first, determine the brand personalities of Taobao(sincerity, sophistication, competence and excitement) and JD(competence, sophistication, and excitement). Second, find the influential relationship between brand personality and brand equity. For Taobao, the sincerity of personality has a positive impact on brand loyalty, image and perceived quality. The competence impact on brand loyalty, awareness, and image. The sophistication impact on brand image and perceived quality. Competence and sophistication of the JD personality impact on the brand equity. Excitement of JD impact on the perceived quality. Third, the brand loyalty and perceived quality of Taobao have a positive influence on the brand value; and brand loyalty, image, and perceived quality of JD have a positive influence on the brand value. In the future research, the findings of the research provide a theory basis for the brand management, and can take more consideration into the relations among other variables in the context of online shopping environment.