• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.11 no.12
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• pp.51-62
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• 2013

Purpose - A pre-study on service quality-based customer value is conducted with the path structure (perceived value of service quality→customer satisfaction→behavior intention) based on the hierarchical model of service quality including interaction and outcome quality, physical environment quality and the SERVQUAL model of process quality, namely, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. In addition, customer value in the service industry is studied by dividing into the two-way structure of utilitarian and emotional values. This study classifies customer values of family restaurants through the customer value model based on the 4×4 matrix needs system of Jeon and Kim (2009). It illustrates the path structure of customer value→customer satisfaction→behavior intention targeting college students in order to generalize the customer value system of family restaurants. Research design, data, and methodology - This study established seven hypotheses based on the relationship between each type of customer value (food quality, convenience, social, emotional, interior quality, service encounter, and purchasing) and customer satisfaction, and the relationship between customer satisfaction and behavior intention. The study data were collected from students in the Department of Business and Tourism at Kimpo University. In all, 294 survey papers were returned of the 300 distributed: 253 pieces were used in the final analysis excluding 41 with insufficient and less effective answers. For statistical analysis, the statistics software package SPSS 15.0 was used. Results - The results of the analysis are as follows: first, the customer values of family restaurants are classified by seven customer values: goods quality value, emotional value, convenience value, social value, purchasing value, service encounter value, and inner quality value. Second, emotional value, purchasing value, service encounter value, and inner quality value had positive impact on customer satisfaction. In particular, purchasing value through being included in functional value was not classified in the previous study; however, this study could classify and generalize this value in a new way. Finally, customer satisfaction had a positive impact on behavior intention. This showed that college students had behavior intention - repurchase intention and word-of-mouth - because they could be content with the food items on the menu and the service provided by employees. Conclusions - The main points based on the above-mentioned results are as follows. This study with college students as study subjects could be classified into four dimensions, namely, generic value, usage value, purchasing value, and physical value and seven sub-dimensions on customer values of family restaurants based on a 4×4 matrix needs system. Then, to confirm its generalization, the path structure of customer value→customer satisfaction→behavior intention was verified. While existing pre-studies used simplified values by classifying restaurant values largely as utilitarian value and hedonic value, this study classified various forms of customer value, and that customer value especially could be expanded by adding purchasing value. As a result, it is shown that marketers need to diversify their customer services because this study proved that customer values can be classified in various ways based on customer needs.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.105-124
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• 2016

This study conducts an empirical analysis to show the effect of social influence and cloud service system quality on the continuous use of cloud service. In particular, this study focuses on the control effects of collectivism in South Korea and China. The research model is designed based on the technology acceptance model and SERVQUAL service quality model of PZB. The factors that influence the cloud service customers in China and South Korea are also analyzed. This study has several practical implications for consideration by South Korean cloud service vendors who plan to enter the cloud service industry in China.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.269-277
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• 2010

Previous studies have shown that the most important factor affecting customer loyalty in the service industry is service quality. However, on the subject of whether service quality has a direct or indirect effect on customer loyalty, scholars' views apparently vary. Some studies suggest that service quality has a direct and fundamental influence on customer loyalty (Bai and Liu, 2002). However, others have shown that service quality not only directly affects customer loyalty, it also has an indirect impact on customer loyalty by influencing customer satisfaction and perceived value (Cronin, Brady, and Hult, 2000). Currently, there are few domestic articles that specifically address the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty in the mobile communication industry. Moreover, research has studied customer loyalty as a whole variable, rather than breaking it down further into multiple dimensions. Based on this analysis, this paper summarizes previous study results, establishes an effect mechanism model among service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in the mobile communication industry, and presents a statistical test on model assumptions by using customer investigation data from Heilongjiang Mobile Company. It provides theoretical guidance for mobile service management based on the discussion of the hypothesis test results. For data collection, the sample comprised mobile users in Harbin city, and the survey was taken by random sampling. Out of a total of 300 questionnaires, 276 (92.9%) were recovered. After excluding invalid questionnaires, 249 remained, for an effective rate of 82.6 percent for the study. Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ coefficient was adapted to assess the scale reliability, and validity testing was conducted on the questionnaire from three aspects: content validity, construct validity. and convergent validity. The study tested for goodness of fit mainly from the absolute and relative fit indexes. From the hypothesis testing results, overall, four assumptions have not been supported. The ultimate affective relationship of service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty is demonstrated in Figure 2. On the whole, the service quality of the communication industry not only has a direct positive significant effect on customer loyalty, it also has an indirect positive significant effect on customer loyalty through service quality; the affective mechanism and extent of customer loyalty are different, and are influenced by each dimension of service quality. This study used the questionnaires of existing literature from home and abroad and tested them in empirical research, with all questions adapted to seven-point Likert scales. With the SERVQUAL scale of Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988), or PZB, as a reference point, service quality was divided into five dimensions-tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy-and the questions were simplified down to nineteen. The measurement of customer satisfaction was based mainly on Fornell (1992) and Wang and Han (2003), ending up with four questions. Based on the study’s three indicators of price tolerance, first choice, and complaint reaction were used to measure attitudinal loyalty, while repurchase intention, recommendation, and reputation measured behavioral loyalty. The collection and collation of literature data produced a model of the relationship among service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in mobile communications, and China Mobile in the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang province was used for conducting an empirical test of the model and obtaining some useful conclusions. First, service quality in mobile communication is formed by the five factors mentioned earlier: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. On the basis of PZB SERVQUAL, the study designed a measurement scale of service quality for the mobile communications industry, and obtained these five factors through exploratory factor analysis. The factors fit basically with the five elements, indicating the concept of five elements of service quality for the mobile communications industry. Second, service quality in mobile communications has both direct and indirect positive effects on attitudinal loyalty, with the indirect effect being produced through the intermediary variable, customer satisfaction. There are also both direct and indirect positive effects on behavioral loyalty, with the indirect effect produced through two intermediary variables: customer satisfaction and attitudinal loyalty. This shows that better service quality and higher customer satisfaction will activate the attitudinal to service providers more active and show loyalty to service providers much easier. In addition, the effect mechanism of all dimensions of service quality on all dimensions of customer loyalty is different. Third, customer satisfaction plays a significant intermediary role among service quality and attitudinal and behavioral loyalty, indicating that improving service quality can boost customer satisfaction and make it easier for satisfied customers to become loyal customers. Moreover, attitudinal loyalty plays a significant intermediary role between service quality and behavioral loyalty, indicating that only attitudinally and behaviorally loyal customers are truly loyal customers. The research conclusions have some indications for Chinese telecom operators and others to upgrade their service quality. Two limitations to the study are also mentioned. First, all data were collected in the Heilongjiang area, so there might be a common method bias that skews the results. Second, the discussion addresses the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty, setting customer satisfaction as mediator, but does not consider other factors, like customer value and consumer features, This research will be continued in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.29-54
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• 2012

This study aims to grasp what factors affect users' recognition level and expectation level for library service, being offered at the library of Korea National Open University. Also, this study seeks to conduct a survey and analyze whether users' recognition level by library service dimensions has actually influenced the intention and the satisfaction with using the library. For this, it carried out the theoretical approach, which considers domestic and foreign documents on evaluation of quality of library service, and the empirical approach of questionnaire research and analysis. A research model was designed on the basis of LibQUAL+model to achieve the objective of this research. And the group-based difference was confirmed by carrying out verification on research hypothesis. As a result of analysis, the users' current recognition level by library service dimensions of Korea National Open University was indicated to have influence on the whole satisfaction with library and the continuous use intention. The whole satisfaction was indicated to have an effect on continuous use intention. Also, to enhance users' satisfaction level according to the behavioral characteristics of using library, the core elements for improving the library service of Korea National Open University were cited and these include improving the facility of library, implementing smart digital library system for offering remotely academic information, and securing diversity and currency of academic information sources such as printing materials and electronic materials.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.71-81
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• 2013

Purpose - The TOEIC test has been leading the change in the quality and the globalization of companies for about last 30 years. The TOEIC test is taken by about two million people each year and is used as a criterion to select new employees in companies or government offices, for performance ratings, and for overseas posting selections. Universities also use TOEIC test in various ways. Since the TOEIC test is used for the selection of new students for admission, transferring extra credits, scholarships, graduation certification, and admission of international students studying abroad, many universities all over the country provide students with TOEIC study lectures through their own language institutes. Despite the fact, there has been no research on the service quality or even the current situation of these institutes. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the factors that impact TOEIC lecture service quality and analyzes the effect of the expectation related to the education service quality and the result of education on intentional behavior. Research design, data, methodology - Data was collected by administering a survey to current TOEIC students from different university language institutes. The survey questionnaire comprised of a five-point Likert scale. The demographic analysis was conducted using the frequency analysis method and the factor analysis was conducted to verify the validity of questionnaire over any variable. The reliability analysis was conducted to verify the reliability of the results. Besides, multiple regression analysis, regression analysis, and mediated effect verification were also conducted. For education service quality, four different independent variables such as reliability, response, conviction, and sympathy were considered using the SERVQUAL survey model. Based on the research models, the study hypotheses below were formulated in order to recognize an effect relationship between the variables. The four hypotheses are, "the hypothesis on education service quality and TOEIC study result expectation," "the hypothesis on education service quality and behavioral intention," "the hypothesis on study result expectation and behavioral intention," and "the hypothesis on study result expectation and mediated effect." Results - The results are as follows. First, the factors like response, conviction, and sympathy have a positive influence on TOEIC study result expectations. Second, the TOEIC study result expectation has a positive influence on the factors of behavioral intention such as re-sign up, positive word-of-mouth, "loyalty towards school." Third, it was verified that the mediated effect on behavioral intention was influenced by education service quality at university foreign language institute, while the study result expectation has only a partial mediated effect. Conclusions - The implications of this study are summarized as follows: First, it suggests a new research model for the effect of the expectation related to the education service quality and the result of education in the university language institutes on the behavioral intention. Second, it has established a relationship between the education service quality and study result expectation by verifying the mediated effect on them.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.25 no.1 s.94
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• pp.81-91
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• 2007

Incheon International Airport (IIAC) has been named "best airport worldwide" according to the AETRA Passenger survey Program that was jointly administered by Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2005. This paper identifies eight dimensions underlying the overall service qualify in passenger terminals. These eight elements were found from literature reviews through relevant documents. The research explains the linkage between the overall satisfaction with IIAC and five services that influence that satisfaction. The five services are the following: service quality of passenger terminals, commercial facility services, easy access by transportation, service quality of the airlines, and contributions to the community by IIAC. The data envelopment analysis (DEA) designed by Cook and Kress (CK Model) was used to maximize the efficiency of commercial facility services, easy access by transportation, service qualify of the airlines, and contributions to the community by IIAC because the model best provided practical plans for a more competitive airport. This paper has three significant results. First, it includes research of passenger terminal-oriented service quality. Second, the author researches service qualify focusing on a three-cornered relation among passengers, airline employees, and IIAC. Third, the paper contains research of service quality focusing on IIAC's employees.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.79-92
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• 2015

Purpose - The aim of this study is to develop an empirical model of the effects of traditional market service quality factors on customer value, relationship quality, and behavior. The specific objectives of the study are as follows: 1) to classify study objects into cultural tourism markets and non-cultural tourism markets as well as to verify the differences in service quality among the two markets and, 2) to present practical service marketing methods that fit with the characteristics of the traditional markets by amending the five quality evaluation items of SERVQUAL (a multiple-item scale for measuring service quality)to suit the characteristics of the traditional markets and establish the relationship among customer value, relationship quality, and behavior intention. Research design, data, and methodology - The study methods of empirical investigation are as follows. First, this study selected for a study object the Suwon Paldalmun Gate Market to represent the cultural tourism market, and general traditional markets to represent the non-cultural tourism market. This study also conducted personal interviews in order to increase the response rate and collected a total of 418 responses between March 18, 2014 and April 05, 2014. The total of 418 responses used for this study excluded 14 responses that had either misleading information or missing values. Results - This study verified the perceived differences of service quality based on traditional market specialization through an independent sample t-test. It appeared that the perceived service quality of the cultural tourism market was generally higher than that of the non-cultural tourism market. This study executed a path analysis in order to examine the effects of service quality factors on customer value, relationship quality, and behavior intention. This study also comprehensively analyzed the specialized market and non-specialized market separately. Although there were some differences among the results, the overall results were uniform. It appeared that convenience, reliability, and empathy, among the service quality factors, exerted meaningful effects on customer value. On the other hand, convenience, reliability, responsiveness, and empathy, excluding the tangibles, exerted meaningful effects on the relationship quality. In addition, it appeared that all service quality factors exerted meaningful effects on the customer value, relationship quality, and behavior intention. Therefore, the study verified that all of the hypotheses formulated in the study were generally adopted. Conclusions - The implication of this study may be classified into academic and practical implication as follows. With respect to the academic implication, it seems that this study is among the early studies to verify the differences between the cultural tourism market and the non-cultural tourism market. The practical implication of this study is that the perceived service quality, such as convenience, reliability, responsiveness, and tangibles, excluding empathy, was higher in the cultural tourism market than in the non-cultural tourism market. This means that customer satisfaction is enhanced by governmental aid such as hardware, software, and information and communications technology.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.35-44
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• 2013

Purpose - Until recently, studies on customer values for restaurants recognized two path structures; the SERVQUAL model, that is, service quality? perceived value? customer satisfaction? behavioral intention, and the customer value? customer satisfaction? behavioral intention path that categorizes customer values into functional value and hedonic value. This study, instead, classifies the consumption values of fast-food restaurants based on the consumption value system provided by Sheth, Newman and Gross (1991) and illustrates the new path structure, consumption value? customer satisfaction? behavioral intention, targeting college students for a generalization of the consumption value system of fast-food restaurants. Research design, data, and methodology - This study establishes five hypotheses based on the relationship between each type of consumption value (functional, emotional, social, and epistemic) and customer satisfaction, and the relationship between customer satisfaction and behavioral intention. For this analysis, data was collected by conducting a pre-test and administering a survey to 213 college students who are regular customers at fast-food restaurants in Seoul, Korea. The data collected was then analyzed using SPSS 15.0 and AMOS 6.0 statistical packages. Results - The study showed that: First, the consumption values of fast-food restaurants are classified into the following four categories: functional value, emotional value, social value, and epistemic value while consumption value can be applied to customer value of fast-food restaurants. Second, the functional and epistemic values had a positive impact on customer satisfaction. The resulting satisfaction is attributed to the intrinsic characteristics of fast-food restaurants like the consistent quality of food, reasonable prices, fast service, and unique or new experiences on every visit. On the other hand, emotional and social values did not affect customer satisfaction. The results on emotional value differed from the general studies on restaurants while the results obtained for social value were not consistent with the studies on high-end restaurants. Third, customer satisfaction had a positive impact on behavioral intention. The survey showed that college students reflected behavioral intention - repurchase intention and word-of-mouth - if they were satisfied with the food quality and employee services provided. Simultaneously, it was seen that the impact of functional value on customer satisfaction of fast food restaurant goers was more than that of epistemic value. Conclusions - The consumption values of fast-food restaurant users could be classified into four categories, functional, emotional, social and epistemic values, based on the consumption value system provided by Sheth, Newman and Gross (1991). It proved that the customer values of restaurant goers can be extended to the path structure of consumption value? customer satisfaction? behavioral intention to confirm its generalization. The study also showed that marketing managers need to focus more on the factors that influence functional value as the fast-food restaurant users consider timely services with the consistent quality of food at a reasonable price and at a convenient place more important than the new experiences or uniqueness.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.81-92
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• 2013

Purpose - This study empirically analyzes the effect of improvements in the quality of service management performance of college education on traders' conscious change of business management innovation and diverse sales expertise for a year. The use of traders' conscious changes and sales expertise as variables for the verification of the effects of parameters related to the active trader's traditional education market is a desirable direction. The method of research reflects the quality of education service, management result, traders' conscious changes, and sales expertise to understand the precise essence and definition of teaching quality at merchant colleges through theoretical consideration. Moreover, its impact on traders' conscious changes and sales expertise in empirical analysis acts as an intermediary. Research design, data, methodology - The hypothesis of this study leverages the SPSS statistical program. To gather actual proof, sample survey for theoretical research examined 262 valid papers of the 300 papers written by 10 merchants who graduated from merchant's university. First, using the SERVQUAL model, Parasuraman et al. (1996) indicated that for quality of education service, the configuration of factors is the same as the sympathetic performance, that is, responsiveness and empathy, and traders are aware of these elements. However, our preliminary investigation revealed that traders' university education has been excluded as a component of quality of service in the earlier studies. Moreover, we found that certainty of knowledge, reliability, and sympathy are influenced by challenges and by the changing intentions of merchant consciousness. In addition, our study confirms that improvements in convincing abilities and sales technique have a positive impact. Second, merchants' and traders' expertise are proven to affect business performance. In other words, university education of traders and merchants affects the consciousness of consumers, and changes patterns of sales. Third, the quality of service management education and change in the consciousness has a considerable impact on the trader, thereby maximizing business performance and acting as an intermediary for verification. Fourth, the quality of service management education affects the trader's sales expertise to maximize business performance. Results - To summarize, the quality of college educational services relates to the improvement of business performance and the role of the resulting virtuous cycle. Consequently, we can look for suggestions in the traditional markets, where the Government pays attention to the exterior environmental factors as well as to the changing business environment. However, the most important aspect is the merchant awareness. That is, a merchant should understand the distribution environment. Several competitor and trend analyses should be conducted to meet customers' expectations positively and proactively cope with any challenges related to changes. Further, expertise in sales and marketing skills need to be acquired to improve customer convincing abilities and develop a customer-oriented mindset. Conclusions - According to the changes in consumption trends of business enterprises, new management techniques are required to survive competition by improving traditional markets, which will necessitate more competitive education programs in merchant universities.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.223-248
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• 2009

The purpose of this empirical study is to examine and explore the relationships between three variables; shipping companies' service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Special features of this study could be summarized as following. First, this is empirical study based on market research according to the definition of 'customer' as freight forwarders and actual exporter/importer together contrary to previous studies. Second, to evaluate shipping companies' service quality, 5 components of SERVPERF model was used. Third, to test correlations between 3 variables; service quality, customer satisfactions and customer loyalty, statistical analysis was used with tools of SPSSWIN ver 15.0 and AMOS ver 7.0. For effective study, many thesis have been obtained through literature survey. However, major results were compiled from directly structured questionnaire, which were collected from Korean import/ export companies and freight forwarders.