• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.685-698
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• 2023

This study aimed to identify binge-eating behavior and food addiction in Korean population and to determine their associations with obesity, eating behaviors, mental health and cognitive characteristics. We collected clinical questionnaire scores related to eating problems (e.g. binge eating, food addiction, food cravings), mental health (e.g. depression), and cognitive functions (e.g. impulsivity, emotion regulation) in 257 Korean adults in the normal and the obese weight ranges. Binge-eating and food addiction were most frequent in obese women (binge-eating: 46.6%, food addiction: 29.3%) when we divided the participants into 4 groups depending on gender and obesity status. The independence test using the data with propensity score matching confirmed that binge-eating and food addiction were more prevalent in obese individuals. Finally, we constructed the logistic regression models using forward selection method to evaluate the influence of various clinical questionnaire scores on binge-eating and food addiction respectively. Binge-eating was significantly associated with the clinical scales of eating disorders, food craving, state anxiety, and emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal) as well as food addiction. Food addiction demonstrated the significant effect of food craving, binge-eating, the interaction of obesity and age, and years of education. In conclusion, we found that binge-eating and food addiction are much more frequent in females and obese individuals. Both binge-eating and food addiction commonly involved eating problems (e.g. food craving), but there was difference in mental health and cognitive risk factors. Therefore, it is required to distinguish food addiction from binge-eating and investigate intrinsic and environmental risk factors for each pathology.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.145-162
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• 2023

Asset management is a complex and difficult field that requires insight into numerous variables and even human psychology. Thus, it has traditionally been the domain of professionals, and these services have been expensive to obtain. Changes are taking place in these markets, and the driving force is the digital revolution, so-called the fourth industrial revolution. Among them, the Robo-Advisor service using artificial intelligence technology is the highlight. The reason is that it is possible to popularize investment advisory services with convenient accessibility and low cost. This study aims to clarify what factors are critically important when selecting robo-advisors for service users and providers in Korea, and what perception differences exist in the selection factors between user and provider groups. The framework of the study was based on the marketing mix 4C model, and the design and analysis of the model used Delphi survey and AHP. Through the study design, 4 main criteria and 15 sub-criteria were derived, and the findings of the study are as follows. First, the importance of the four main criteria was in the order of customer needs > customer convenience > customer cost > customer communication for both groups. Second, looking at the 15 sub-criteria, it was found that investment purpose coverage, investment propensity coverage, fee level and accessibility factors were the most important. Third, when comparing between groups, the user group found that the fee level and accessibility factors were the most important, and the provider group recognized the investment purpose coverage and investment propensity coverage factors as important. This study derived useful implications in practice. First, when designing for the spread of the robo-advisor service, the basis for constructing a user-oriented system was prepared by considering the priority of importance according to the weight difference between the four main criteria and the 15 sub-criteria. In addition, the difference in priority of each sub-criteria shown in the group comparison and the cause of the sub-criteria with large weight differences were identified. In addition, it was suggested that it is very important to form a consensus to resolve the difference in perception of factors between those in charge of strategy and marketing and system development within the provider group. Academically, it is meaningful in that it is an early study that presented various perspectives and perspectives by deriving a number of robo-advisor selection factors. Through the findings of this study, it is expected that a successful user-oriented robo-advisor system can be built and spread in Korea to help users.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.249-260
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• 2024

Background: The Republic of Korea's aging population escalates medical and long-term care costs. While prior research has suggested that long-term care might reduce these costs, these studies had limitations in their subjects and duration, making it difficult to generalize the results. This study aims to evaluate cost changes between the long-term care group and the general older adults group after addressing these limitations. Methods: A cohort was derived from the 2015 national population using stratified sampling. Subsequently, 15,114 individuals (7,557 in each group) were identified through 1:1 propensity score matching. The study employed a difference-in-differences analysis to explore variances in medical costs and long-term care benefits post-utilization of long-term care services. Results: Compared to the general older adults group, the long-term care group experienced a reduction in monthly per capita total medical costs by 56,459 Korean won (KRW). Although costs at tertiary and general hospitals increased, those related to long-term care hospitals decreased by 90,687 KRW. Including long-term care benefits, overall expenditures increased by 948,038 KRW. Conclusion: The analysis reveals that the long-term care group faces higher medical costs in acute care than the general older adults group, emphasizing a greater need for medical services within this group. To meet the increasing medical demands of the long-term care group, a collaborative strategy linking community resources, healthcare, and long-term care facilities is imperative. Additionally, developing and implementing preventive health habit management strategies for middle-aged and older adults is essential to diminish the future requirement for long-term care.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.599-612
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• 2008

Today, communication trend of financial brand has changed fast with more foreign financial brand's introduction, emerging financial brands through the openness. With the trend of changing, companies are introducing various marketing methods to differentiate its brand image. And color marketing becomes an important tool for the differentiation. However, except a few brands, brand color which expresses management character of a company is different from the customer's preferred color which is based on investors' investment tendency. This may be related to the brand Image which is final goal of communication. Therefore, this study suggests effective communication method between company and customers by analyzing preferred color of customers by their investment tendency and comparison analysis security firms' color marketing strategy. As a result, it was found that Roland Barthes symbolic meaning of colors is different from the symbolic meaning of the groups of investor tendency. For example, I assumed that aggressive investors preferred strong color like red or orange, but the survey result was far from my assumption. I hope this study can be a good foundation for logical and scientific marketing in communication between security companies and customers in more open market with introduction to the Capital Market Consolidation Act.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.215-232
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• 2016

As the development of service marketing, research on service failure has gained more and more attention. This research aims to explore factors influencing the service failure severity perception, focus on consumers' internal propensity, ZOT(zone of tolerance) about service and comparison with other consumers in service failure situation. According to study results, it revealed that past experience satisfaction has negative effect on the zone of tolerance about service failure. Company image also has negative effect on the ZOT about service failure. While service importance has negative effect on the ZOT about service failure, it has positive effect on the perceive service failure severity. The ZOT about service failure has negative effect on perceived serviced failure severity. In contrast, social comparison perception level has no effect on perceived service failure severity, and negative affectivity also has no effect on that. In Conclusion, five hypothesis are accepted among seven hypothesis. This study gives important point to researchers and service providers in the service industry. For researchers, the result will be helpful them to further develop service failure and recovery framework. For service providers, the results will suggest specific guidelines for recovering the service failure. They can place emphasis on the serious point, so they can get a effective performance from the recovery strategy.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.313-327
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• 2020

Purpose: Nodal downstaging after preoperative therapy for gastric cancer has been shown to impart excellent prognosis, but this has not been validated in a national cohort. The role of neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NACR) in nodal downstaging remains unclear when compared with that of neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone (NAC). Furthermore, it is unknown whether the prognostic implications of nodal downstaging differ by preoperative regimen. Materials and Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, overall survival (OS) duration was compared among natural N0 (cN0/ypN0), downstaged N0 (cN+/ypN0), and nodepositive (ypN+) gastric cancer patients treated with NACR or NAC. Factors associated with nodal downstaging were examined in a propensity score-matched cohort of cN+ patients, matched 1:1 by receipt of NACR or NAC. Results: Of 7,426 patients (natural N0 [n=1,858, 25.4%], downstaged N0 [n=1,813, 24.4%], node-positive [n=3,755, 50.4%]), 58.2% received NACR, and 41.9% received NAC. The median OS durations of downstaged N0 (5.1 years) and natural N0 (5.6 years) patients were similar to one another and longer than that of node-positive patients (2.1 years) (P<0.001). In the matched cohort of cN+ patients, more recent diagnosis (2010-2015 vs. 2004-2009) (odds ratio [OR], 2.57; P<0.001) and NACR (OR, 2.02; P<0.001) were independently associated with nodal downstaging. The 5-year OS rate of downstaged N0 patients was significantly lower after NACR (46.4%) than after NAC (57.7%) (P=0.003). Conclusions: Downstaged N0 patients have the same prognosis as natural N0 patients. Nodal downstaging occurred more frequently after NACR; however, the survival benefit of nodal downstaging after NACR may be less than that when such is achieved by NAC.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.10 no.9
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• pp.239-251
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• 2012

This study aims to seek the policies and the plans for the successful small business start-up through an exploratory study about the factors affecting the success rate of small business start-up. To measure the performance of the start-up business(sales revenue, net profit, and outcome expectancy), the characteristics of founders (experience, psychological characteristics) and the preparation of small business start-up were measured as independent variables and the self-efficacy was measured as a parameter. 427 small business owners were targeted and structured self-administered questionnaires were collected from them. For the data process, a multiple regression analysis by SPSS 18.0 was conducted. The findings demonstrated the experience in the same business, the need for achievement, the risk-taking propensity, the preparation period for business start-up had a significant effect on self-efficacy, and experience of failure and the ratio of net worth had a significant effect on sales revenue and net profit, and the locus of control had a significant effect on outcome expectancy through the self-efficacy, a parameter. It was also noted the self-efficacy of small business owners and the business performance varied depending on the characteristics of them and the preparation process of the business start-up. Based on the those findings, the theoretical and practical implications were discussed and the suggestions about the limits of the study, future policies and studies were made.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.49-69
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• 2009

With the proliferation of electronic commerce, online transactions have become a norm. Its enormous potential, however, can be truly realized if consumers feel comfortable facing invisible sellers over the Internet, a virtual business channel. Trust has been identified as a key component in many e-Commerce studies. The purpose of this study is to find out which factors play a major role in building buyer trust and how the build-up trust affects buyer's purchase intention in online used car transactions. Based on the information asymmetry, TAM (Technology Acceptance Model), and the trust theory, our research model includes factors such as a buyer's propensity-to-trust, institutional characteristics (inspection and warranty policy), word-of-mouth referral, perceived size, and perceived benefits as independent variables. The model also includes trust as a mediate variable, purchase intention as a dependent variable, and perceived quality risk as a moderate variable. The research model is tested by analyzing 448 sample data gathered from used car websites. The result shows that the trust has significant effects on the online purchase intention, and institutional characteristics have been identified as one of the most significant factors for trust building in used car websites. For those who perceive quality risk high, actual purchasing behavior occurs only when they have trust on the used car websites, indicating that trust plays a vital role as a mediate variable. This study suggests that buyer trust on the used car websites is important to increase buyer's online purchase behavior.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.85-100
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• 2017

The Delivery Companies are Facing the Difficulty in their Delivery Services due to the Continuously Increasing Delivery Demand and Insufficient Supply of Delivery Persons to Satisfy the Demand. In Such Circumstances, the Delivery Companies have been Implementing the CSV Service by Introducing the Senior Parcel Delivery Service Creating Jobs for Senior Citizens. This Paper Investigated the Impact of the Quality of Senior Parcel Delivery Service, CSV Activities, and Individual Characteristic Factors of Consumers on the Customers' Confidence and Intention to Use the Delivery Service of Delivery Companies. For the Empirical Analysis, the Online/Offline Questionnaire Survey was Executed with the Individuals who used the Delivery Service and 216 Samples were Finally Selected for Empirical Analysis. In Accordance with the Analysis Results, the Speed, the Quality of Senior Parcel Delivery Service, had Significant Impact on the Customers' Confidence, but Safety had no Significant Impact on it. Next, the Sincerity of CSV Activity by Senior Parcel Delivery Service Companies Showed the Significant Impact on the Customers' Confidence. However, the Adequacy of CSV Activity had No Significant Impact on the Customers' Confidence. Furthermore, the Consumption Value and Ethical Consumption Propensity, the Individual Features of Consumers, Demonstrated the Significant Impact on the Customers' Confidence and also on the Customers' Confidence on and their Intention to use Senior Parcel Delivery Service Companies.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.230-241
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• 2018

Purpose: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols for gastric cancer patients have shown improved outcomes in Asia. However, data on gastric cancer ERAS (GCERAS) programs in the United States are sparse. The purpose of this study was to compare perioperative outcomes before and after implementation of an GC-ERAS protocol at a National Comprehensive Cancer Center in the United States. Materials and Methods: We reviewed medical records of patients surgically treated for gastric cancer with curative intent from January 2012 to October 2016 and compared the GC-ERAS group (November 1, 2015-October 1, 2016) with the historical control (HC) group (January 1, 2012-October 31, 2015). Propensity score matching was used to adjust for age, sex, number of comorbidities, body mass index, stage of disease, and distal versus total gastrectomy. Results: Of a total of 95 identified patients, matching analysis resulted in 20 and 40 patients in the GC-ERAS and HC groups, respectively. Lower rates of nasogastric tube (35% vs. 100%, P<0.001) and intraabdominal drain placement (25% vs. 85%, P<0.001), faster advancement of diet (P<0.001), and shorter length of hospital stay (5.5 vs. 7.8 days, P=0.01) were observed in the GC-ERAS group than in the HC group. The GC-ERAS group showed a trend toward increased use of minimally invasive surgery (P=0.06). There were similar complication and 30-day readmission rates between the two groups (P=0.57 and P=0.66, respectively). Conclusions: The implementation of a GC-ERAS protocol significantly improved perioperative outcomes in a western cancer center. This finding warrants further prospective investigation.