• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.559-575
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• 2014

Individual investors are increasingly flocking to message boards to seek, clarify, and exchange information. Businesses like Seekingalpha.com and business magazines like Fortune are evaluating, synthesizing, and reporting the comments made on message boards or blogs. In March of 2012, Yahoo! Finance Message Boards recorded 45 million unique visitors per month followed by AOL Money and Finance (19.8 million), and Google Finance (1.6 million) [McIntyre, 2012]. Previous studies in the finance literature suggest that online communities often provide more accurate information than analyst forecasts [Bagnoli et al., 1999; Clarkson et al., 2006]. Some studies empirically show that the volume of posts in online communities have a positive relationship with market activities (e.g., trading volumes) [Antweiler and Frank, 2004; Bagnoli et al., 1999; Das and Chen, 2007; Tumarkin and Whitelaw, 2001]. The findings indicate that information in online communities does impact investors' investment decisions and trading behaviors. However, research explicating the correlation between information on online communities and stock market activities (e.g., trading volume) is still evolving. Thus, it is important to ask whether a volume of posts on online communities influences trading volumes and whether trading volumes also influence these communities. Online stock message boards offer two different types of information, which can be explained using an economic and a psychological perspective. From a purely economic perspective, one would expect that stock message boards would have a beneficial effect, since they provide timely information at a much lower cost [Bagnoli et al., 1999; Clarkson et al., 2006; Birchler and Butler, 2007]. This indicates that information in stock message boards may provide valuable information investors can use to predict stock market activities and thus may use to make better investment decisions. On the other hand, psychological studies have shown that stock message boards may not necessarily make investors more informed. The related literature argues that confirmation bias causes investors to seek other investors with the same opinions on these stock message boards [Chen and Gu, 2009; Park et al., 2013]. For example, investors may want to share their painful investment experiences with others on stock message boards and are relieved to find they are not alone. In this case, the information on these stock message boards mainly reflects past experience or past information and not valuable and predictable information for market activities. This study thus investigates the two roles of stock message boards-providing valuable information to make future investment decisions or sharing past experiences that reflect mainly investors' painful or boastful stories. If stock message boards do provide valuable information for stock investment decisions, then investors will use this information and thereby influence stock market activities (e.g., trading volume). On the contrary, if investors made investment decisions and visit stock message boards later, they will mainly share their past experiences with others. In this case, past activities in the stock market will influence the stock message boards. These arguments indicate that there is a correlation between information posted on stock message boards and stock market activities. The previous literature has examined the impact of stock sentiments or the number of posts on stock market activities (e.g., trading volume, volatility, stock prices). However, the studies related to stock sentiments found it difficult to obtain significant results. It is not easy to identify useful information among the millions of posts, many of which can be just noise. As a result, the overall sentiments of stock message boards often carry little information for future stock movements [Das and Chen, 2001; Antweiler and Frank, 2004]. This study notes that as a dependent variable, trading volume is more reliable for capturing the effect of stock message board activities. The finance literature argues that trading volume is an indicator of stock price movements [Das et al., 2005; Das and Chen, 2007]. In this regard, this study investigates the correlation between a number of posts (information on stock message boards) and trading volume (stock market activity). We collected about 100,000 messages of 40 companies at KOSPI (Korea Composite Stock Price Index) from Paxnet, the most popular Korean online stock message board. The messages we collected were divided into in-trading and after-trading hours to examine the correlation between the numbers of posts and trading volumes in detail. Also we collected the volume of the stock of the 40 companies. The vector regression analysis and the granger causality test, 3SLS analysis were performed on our panel data sets. We found that the number of posts on online stock message boards is positively related to prior stock trade volume. Also, we found that the impact of the number of posts on stock trading volumes is not statistically significant. Also, we empirically showed the correlation between stock trading volumes and the number of posts on stock message boards. The results of this study contribute to the IS and finance literature in that we identified online stock message board's two roles. Also, this study suggests that stock trading managers should carefully monitor information on stock message boards to understand stock market activities in advance.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.237-255
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• 2011

This empirical study is focused on practical application of Range-Based Volatility which is estimated by opening, high, low, closing price of overall asset. Especially proper forecasting period is what I want to know. There is four useful Range-Based Volatility(RV) such as Parkinson(1980; PK), Garman and Klass(1980; GK) Rogers and Satchell(1991; RS), Yang and Zhang(2008; YZ). So, four RV of KOPSI 200 index during 2000.5.22-2009.9.18 was used for empirical test. The emprirical result as follows. First, the best RV which shows the best forecasting performance is PK volatility among PK, GK, RS, YZ volatility. According to estimating period forcasting performance of RV shows delicate difference. PK has better performance in the period with financial crisis of sub-prime mortgage loan. if not, RS is better. Second, almost result shows better performance on forecasting volatility without sub-prime mortgage loan period. so we can say that forecasting performance is lower when historical volatiltiy is comparatively high. Finally, I find that longer estimating period in AR(1) and MA(1) model can reduce forecasting error. More interesting point is that the result shows rapid decrease form 60 days to 90 days and there is no more after 90 days. So, if we forecast the volatility using Range-Based volaility it is better to estimate with 90 trading period or over 90 days.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.123-139
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• 2011

This paper researches the value of domestic telecommunication bundle products. Customers evaluate each telecommunication products differently according to their attributes. The attributes affecting the customer value of telecommunication bundling can be categorized in 3 ones as follows; corporate image, service feature, and service price. Also authors analyze the difference of importancy that customers consider when they evaluate each products, and propose the optimal scenario for bundling. In conclusion, other two companies A, C excluding B should invest more resources into the portion that strengthen the attributes of company image, and service feature to upgrade their 'corporate image', and 'service feature'. According to 6-scenarios analysis on the bundle products, the QPS expansion of company A was the most advantageous position, but if companies B, C expand DPS made use of their strengths, they can prevent from decreasing additivity rapidly with sequential scenario. The above results show that one company may have equable power in each area, but if another company having strengths in special areas makes up for its weakness and differentiates gradually it can contribute to strengthen its competitiveness. This contributed much more theoretical and practical than the existing researches. Supposing that additivity index evaluated by consumers can be changed by efforts of companies, this scenario planning is the result of study showing that the investment and publicity of each company have to be considered as its characteristic of each product at the same time.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.95-101
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• 2015

Purpose - This study provides evidence of the impact of the mandatory adoption of Korean equivalents to International Financial Reporting Standards (K-IFRS) on accounting quality. K-IFRS uses fair value as a basis of measurement and is characterized by principle-based standards. These characteristics can lead to a decrease in conservatism. Therefore, this study aims to examine whether or not there is a change in the level of conservatism before and after the enforcement of K-IFRS (2007~2014). By comparing 2007 through 2008 and 2013 through 2014 (excluding 2009 to 2012), we test "the temporary adjustment phenomenon" and document an overall decline in the degree of conservatism after the adoption of K-IFRS. Research design, data, and methodology - Our sample is comprised of data of all listed Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) manufacturing distribution companies in Korea from 2007 to 2014, which yields the pooled sample of 4,412 (panel A) and 1,915 (panel B) firm-year observations for hypotheses 1 and 2. In line with recent literature, we adopt the Givoly and Hayn (2000) model, which recomputes the non-operating accruals, excluding two components that are most likely to capture the effect of restructuring activities: special items and gains or losses from discontinued operations. In addition, we also use these variables: SIZE, LEV, INV_CYCLE, ROA, OWN, and FOR. Results - Our sample period spans 2007 to 2014. This offers evidence on the effect of the mandatory adoption of IFRS on conservatism. Our findings can be summarized as follows. First, in panel A, for mandatory K-IFRS adoption (2011), we do not find any significant evidence of conservatism. We can guess that the "temporary adjustment phenomenon" is the reason that we do not find significant evidence of conservatism. Second, we investigate panel B from 2009 to 2012. We document an overall decline in the degree of conservatism after the adoption of K-IFRS. We can assume that these results are due to "the temporary adjustment phenomenon." Conclusions - This study finds that conservatism significantly decreased after IFRS adoption. In particular, this study makes the initial effort to elucidate "the temporary adjustment phenomenon" to analyze the effect of K-IFRS on conservative accounting. We argue that K-IFRS are conceptually conservative but that inappropriate application of the conservatism principles is likely to prevent financial reporting from reaching the level of conservatism targeted by the IASB. Overall, this paper contributes to the literature on IFRS and can be useful to capital market supervisors who are monitoring the trends of the firms implementing K-IFRS. Additionally, our results inform stakeholders of the potentially negative effect of the greater flexibility permitted by IFRS and/or lack of appropriate enforcement on key dimensions of accounting quality. This has important implications for Korean regulators and standard setters as they review the cost and benefits of IFRS. Our study also sheds light on the importance of the institutional environment in achieving the targeted objectives for improving financial reporting quality.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.47-57
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• 2015

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to investigate the explanatory power of the Pecking-order theory (the cost of financing increases with asymmetric information) among Korean retail firms from the perspective of debt capacity. According to the Pecking-order theory, a firm's first preference is to use internal funds for its capital needs, its next preference is the issuance of debt, and its last preference is the issuance of equity; this is due to the information asymmetry problem between existing shareholders and investors. However, prior empirical studies, such as Lemmon and Zender (2010), argue that the entire sample test for the Pecking-order theory could be misleading due to the different levels of debt issuance capability of each of the individual firms; in fact, they confirm that the explanatory power of the Pecking-order theory improves after taking into account the differences in debt capacity of the U.S. firms they examined. This paper implements a case study approach among Korean retail firms to examine the relationship between debt capacity and the explanatory power of the Pecking-order theory in Korea. Research design, data, and methodology - This study uses the sample of public retail firms on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) from the time period of 1990 to 2013. We gather related financial and accounting statements from the financial information firm WISEfn. Credit rating information is provided by the Korea Investor Service. We employ the models of Lemmon and Zender (2010) and Son and Kim (2013) to measure a firm's debt capacity. Their logit models use the rating dummy variable as a dependent variable and incorporate other firm characteristics as independent variables to estimate debt capacity. To test the Pecking-order theory, we adopt variants of the financing deficit model of Shyam-Sunder and Myers (1999). In the test of the Pecking-order theory, we consider all of the changes in total debt obligations, current debt obligations, and long-term debt obligations. Results - Our main contribution to the literature is our confirmation of the predicted relationship between debt capacity and the explanatory power of the Pecking-order theory among Korean retail firms. The coefficients on financing deficits become greater as a firm's debt capacity improves. This is consistent with the results of Lemmon and Zender (2010). The coefficients on the square of the financing deficits are also negative for the firms in the largest debt capacity group, which is also consistent with the predictions in prior literature. Conclusions - This study takes a case study approach by examining Korean retail firms. We confirm that the Pecking-order theory explains the capital structure of retail firms more appropriately, after taking into account the debt capacity of each firm. This result suggests the importance of debt capacity consideration in the testing of the Pecking-order theory. Our result also implies that there has been a potential underestimation of the explanatory power of the Pecking-order theory in existing studies.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.37-45
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• 2015

Purpose - This paper's aim is to investigate whether or not gross profitability explains the cross-sectional variation of the stock returns in the Korean stock market. Gross profitability is an alternative profitability measure proposed by Novy-Marx in 2013 to predict cross-sectional variation of stock returns in the US. He shows that the gross profitability adds explanatory power to the Fama-French 3 factor model. Interestingly, gross profitability is negatively correlated with the book-to-market ratio. By confirming the gross profitability premium in the Korean stock market, we may provide some implications regarding the well-known value premium. In addition, our empirical results may provide opportunities for the fund distribution industry to promote brand new styles of funds. Research design, data, and methodology - For our empirical analysis, we collect monthly market prices of all the companies listed on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) of the Korea Exchanges (KRX). Our sample period covers July1994 to December2014. The data from the company financial statementsare provided by the financial information company WISEfn. First, using Fama-Macbeth cross-sectional regression, we investigate the relation between gross profitability and stock return performance. For robustness in analyzing the performance of the gross profitability strategy, we consider value weighted portfolio returns as well as equally weighted portfolio returns. Next, using Fama-French 3 factor models, we examine whether or not the gross profitability strategy generates excess returns when firmsize and the book-to-market ratio are controlled. Finally, we analyze the effect of firm size and the book-to-market ratio on the gross profitability strategy. Results - First, through the Fama-MacBeth cross-sectional regression, we show that gross profitability has almost the same explanatory power as the book-to-market ratio in explaining the cross-sectional variation of the Korean stock market. Second, we find evidence that gross profitability is a statistically significant variable for explaining cross-sectional stock returns when the size and the value effect are controlled. Third, we show that gross profitability, which is positively correlated with stock returns and firm size, is negatively correlated with the book-to-market ratio. From the perspective of portfolio management, our results imply that since the gross profitability strategy is a distinctive growth strategy, value strategies can be improved by hedging with the gross profitability strategy. Conclusions - Our empirical results confirm the existence of a gross profitability premium in the Korean stock market. From the perspective of the fund distribution industry, the gross profitability portfolio is worthy of attention. Since the value strategy portfolio returns are negatively correlated with the gross profitability strategy portfolio returns, by mixing both portfolios, investors could be better off without additional risk. However, the profitable firms are dissimilar from the value firms (high book-to-market ratio firms); therefore, an alternative factor model including gross profitability may help us understand the economic implications of the well-known anomalies such as value premium, momentum, and low volatility. We reserve these topics for future research.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.202-210
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• 2016

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to determine effects of ridging systems and plastic film mulch types on growth, yield, and profitability of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in spring cropping using paddy field and to suggest profitable ridging system and plastic mulch type.METHODS AND RESULTS: Two potato cultivars ('Goun', and 'Atlantic') were grown at paddy field located in Gangneung in spring. For treatments, ridging systems were one-row ridge (OR) and two-row ridge (TR). Mulch types were no-mulch (NM), black plastic film mulch (BPM), and transparent plastic film mulch (TPM). Emergence of sprout was affected by the mulch types and the fastest level was shown at TPM treatment. Accumulative soil temperature during sprouting was 16.2℃ higher at TR than at OR and also higher at TPM than at BPM or NM. Stem length was not affected by ridging systems or mulch types. Leaf area index (LAI) was influenced by mulch types, while not by ridging systems. The highest LAI was shown at TR with TPM and OR of BPM. There was no significant difference in specific gravity or dry matter rate by ridging systems and mulch types. Tuber yield was significantly influenced by ridging systems and mulch types. Mean tuber weight was heavier at OR treatment than at TR and also the heaviest at TPM among mulch types. The highest marketable yield was found at OR with BPM. Based on marketable tuber yield and market price, the highest income ratio in two cultivars was found at OR with BPM and it was 20~82% higher than the ratio at TR with TPM.CONCLUSION: In spring potato cropping using paddy field, OR with BPM is better for high yield and is more profitable for farmer's income than the conventional cultivation method, TR with TPM.

• The Korean Journal of Financial Management
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.235-261
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• 2003

We examine the relationship between the trading activities of Korea Stock Price Index (KOSPI) 200 futures contract and its underlying stock market volatility for about six years from May 1996 when the futures contract was introduced. The trading activities of the futures contracts are proxied by the volume and open interest, which are divided into expected and unexpected portions by using the previous data. The daily, intradilay, and overnight cash volatility is estimated by the GJR-GARCH model. We find a positive contemporaneous relationship between the intradaily stock market volatility and the unexpected futures volume while the relationship between the volatility and expected futures volume is weakly negative or non-existent. We also find that the unexpected futures volume strongly causes intradaily cash volatility. On the other hand, the overnight cash volatility causes the unexpected futures volume. The impulse responses between these variables are all positive. The result implies that during a trading time futures trading tends to increase the cash volatility while the unexpected overnight changes in cash volatility tends to increase the futures trading activities. We, however, find no association between the cash volatility and futures maturities.

• The Korean Journal of Financial Management
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.181-200
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• 2003

Comovement of international stock market prices has been lately a major controversy in the global stock market. This paper explores whether the common trend has really existed among the US, Japan and Korea's stock markets using the econometric techniques such as VAR, VECM as applied. Pair of indices from the exchange market and the over-the-counter market in each country has been tested, and the exchange market only has been turned out that the common trend existed. The dynamic analyses using the Granger causality test, impulse response function, and the forecast error decomposition have followed to show that the US stock market has played some important role in the Korea and Japan's market in the exchange as well as in the OTC market. The results of the paper imply that the more careful investigation with respect to the co-integration may be necessary in the global market integration studies.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.560-569
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate the annual differences in food habits and dietary attitudes of new female college students enrolled in the department of food and nutrition for 6 years by questionnaire. The results were as follows: age, height, weight and body mass index(BMI) were no significant annual differences over study period. The average ratios of underweight, normal weight and above overweight groups classified by the BMI standard were 19.4%, 64.4% and 16.2%, respectively. There were no significant annual differences in the scores of food habits and dietary attitudes. The intake of milk showed the lowest scores among all the food habit items and the same annual tendencies for 6 years. Among food groups items, the mean intake scores of milk(p<0.01), fats and oils(p<0.001) and vegetables(p<0.05) differed significantly by year. Specifically, the intake scores of milk and vegetables decreased gradually throughout the study period and were significantly lower in 2008 than in 2003. Among dietary habits, the mean intake scores of sweets were significantly lower in 2003 and 2007 than in other years(p<0.001), and the mean intake scores of instant frozen foods were significantly higher in 2006 than during other years(p<0.05). The sum of health related items in 2007 was significantly lower than those during other years, and this was likely due to the lowest scores both of eating-out and alcohol intake in 2007 than in other years. Among dietary attitudes, the mean score of item 'Price of food is more important than nutrition.' was significantly lower in 2005(p<0.05). Food habit scores showed significantly positive correlation with dietary habits(r=0.733, p<0.01), food groups related habits(r=0.720, p<0.01), lifestyle related disease related habits(r=0.518, p<0.01), health related habits(r=0.422, p<0.01). Food habits and dietary attitudes showed highly significantly positive linear correlations each other(r=0.426, p<0.01). Dietary habits and food groups related habits showed highly significantly positive linear correlations(r=0.366, p<0.01). These results showed the same annual tendency with respect to food habit and dietary attitudes in newly enrolled college female students for 6 years. It is expected that food habit and dietary attitudes will be improved if systemic and proficient nutrition education is provided during their college period.