• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.25-51
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• 2012

Researches about the relationship between SST(Self Service Technology) and TRI(Technology Readiness Index) have been carried out after TRI was developed by Parasuraman and his colleagues(2000). We hypothesize Consumer Readiness can also influence consumer's motivation, attitude, and intent to use SST. Currently, there has been no research on this subject. In this study, we investigated the relationship between TR, Consumer Readiness and SST Core Attitudinal Model which Dabholkar & Bagozzi(1994) proposed. The researchers also investigated moderating effects of consumer traits and situational factors to verify the acceptance of such forms of service delivery by all kinds of consumers and under different situational contexts. Self consciousness, the need for interaction with an employee, and the technology anxiety were used as consumer trait variables. Perceived waiting time and perceived crowding were used as situational variables. 380 questionnaires were distributed to a sample group of people in their 20's and 30's, and the data were analyzed with structural equation model using AMOS 18.0 program. All of Cronbach's alpha values representing reliabilities were satisfactory. The values of Composite Reliability(CR) and Average Variance Extracted(AVE) also showed the above criteria, thus providing evidence of convergent validity. To confirm discriminant validity among the constructs, confirmatory factor analysis and correlations among all the variables were examined. The results were satisfactory. The results of this study are summarized as follows. 1. Optimism and innovativeness of TR partially influenced the motivation to use SST. People who tend to be optimistic use SST because of ease of use and fun. The innovative however, usually use SST due to its performance. However, consumer readiness of role clarity, ability and self-efficacy influence all the components of motivation to use SST, ease of use, performance and fun. The relative effect of consumer readiness on the motivation to use SST was much stronger and more significant than that of TR. No other previous studies have examined the effects of Consumer Readiness on SST usage motivation, attitude and intention. It is academically meaningful that the researchers verified that Consumer Readiness is the important precedent construct influencing the self service technology core Attitudinal Model. Our findings suggest that marketers should consider fun and ease of use attributes to promote the use of self service technology. In addition, the SST usage frequency will rise rapidly when role clarity, ability, and self-efficacy which anybody can easily handle SST is assured. If the SST usage rate is increased, waiting times for customers could be decreased. Shorter waiting time could lead to higher customer satisfaction. It may also result in making a long-term profit owing to the reduced number of employees. Thus, presentation of using SST by employees or videos showing how to use it will promote the usage attitude and intent. 2. In SST core attitudinal model, performance and fun factors among SST usage motivation affected attitudes of using SST. The attitude of using SST highly influenced intent to use SST. This result is consistent with previous researches that dealt with the relationship between motivation, attitude and intention. Expectation of using SST could result in good performance just like the effect of ordering menu to service employees and to have fun since fun during its use could promote more SST usage rate. 3. In the relationship among motivation, attitude and intent in SST core attitudinal model, the moderating effect of consumer traits(self-consciousness, need for interaction with service employees and technology anxiety) and situational factors(perceived crowding and perceived waiting time) were tested. The results also supported the hypothesized moderating effects except perceived crowding. The highly self-conscious tended to form attitudes to use SST because of its fun compared to those who were less self-conscious because of its performance. People who had a high need for interaction with service employees tended to use SST for its performance. This result indicates that if ordering results are assured, SST is easily accessible to even consumers who have a high need for interaction with a service employee. When SST is easy to use, attitudes strengthen intent among people who had a high level of anxiety of technology. People who had low technology anxiety formed attitudes to use SST because of its performance. Service firms must ensure their self service technology is designed to be easy to use for those who have a high level of technology anxiety. Shorter perceived waiting times strengthened the attitude to use self service technology because of its fun. If the fun aspect is assured, people willing to use self service technology even perceive waiting time to be shorter than it actually is. Greater perceived waiting times form higher level of intent to use self service technology than those of shorter perceived waiting times. This implies that people view self service technology as a faster alternative to ordering service employees. The fun aspect of self service technology will attract a higher rate of usage for self service technology. 4. It has been proven that ease of use, performance and fun aspects are very important factors in motivation to form attitudes and intent to use self service technology regardless of the amount of perceived waiting time, self-consciousness, need for interaction with service employees, and technology anxiety. Service firms must consider these motivation aspects(ease of use, performance and fun)strongly in their promotion to use self service technology. Ease of use, assuring absolute performance compared to interaction with service employees', and adding a fun aspect will positively strengthen consumers' attitudes and intent to use self service technology. Summarizing the moderating effects, fun is the most valuable factor triggering SST usage attitude and intention. Therefore, designing self service technology to be fun will be the key to its success. This study focused on the touch screen self service technology in fast food restaurant. Although it has its limits due to the fact that it is hard to generalize the results to any other self service technology, the conceptual framework of this study can be applied to future research of any other service site.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.100-106
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• 2006

The use of underarm and body care cosmetics with oestrogenic chemical excipients (particularly the parabens) and the hypothesized association with breast cancer incidence, particularly in women. It is noted that the type of cosmetic product is irrelevant (e.g. antiperspirant/deodorant versus body lotion, moisturizers or sprays versus creams) and attention must focus on issues of actual exposure to chemicals through continued dermal application of body care products and the endocrine/hormonal activity and toxicity of the chemicals in the formulations. To evaluate the estrogenic activities of parabens such as ethylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben and isopropylparaben, we used recombinant yeasts containing the human estrogen receptor [Saccharomyces cerevisiae ER+LYS 8127], human breast cancer MCF-7 cell lines and human estrogen receptor ${\alpha}\;and\;{\beta}$. In E-screen assays, isopropylparaben is the most estrogenic paraben, and in ER competition assay, isobutylparaben is the most estrogenic paraben. We evaluated isopropylparaben was most active in the recombinant yeast assay, followed by propylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben and butylparaben. Results from this study demonstrate that parabens are observed in human endocrine system. Therefore, we have shown that the parabens is induced the estrogenic activities similar to $17{\beta}$-estradiol and Bisphenol-A.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.66-80
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• 1977

This research was carried as a part of the basic study, in which the aptitude of theKorean oak varieties as barrels for aging apple fine spirits was investigated, and thefollowing results were obtained. 1. Following was the result of the chemical analysis of the fruits which are now mass-produced and can be used as a substitute for raw materials for wine production. Apple (Malus pumila Miller var. domestica Schneider) : Total sugar. total acid, volatile acid and pectin of Jonathan (Hong-og) were 13.95%, 0.46%, 0.012%, 0.20% respectively. Total sugar, total acid, volatile acid and pectin of Ralls (Koog-kwang) were 13.35%, 0.43%, 0.011%, 0.45% respectively. 2. Because of low yield of apple juice due to cellulose, pectin, hemicellulose which are present besides sugars, acids in apples, the apple juice were treated with xylanase of Aspergillus niger SUAFM-430, cellulase and pectinase of Aspergillus niger SUAFM-6. This treatment increased the yield of apple juice. And the apple juice was sterilized by adding potassium metabisulfite $(K_2S_20_5)$ and Saccharomyces cerevisae var. ellipsoideus Rasse Johannisberg II (SUAFM-1018) as a cultivation yeast, which has a strong fermentation power was used to ferment. The yield of apple wine based on raw material was 86-87%. The amount of ethanol, extract and methanol obtained from Jonathan and Ralls were 13.5%, 5.4%, 0.04-0.05% respectively. 3. Wines were distilled for two times by the pot still method to make fine spirits. The yield of fine spirits from apple wine mash was 86.6%, and the pH of fine spirits from Jonathan and Ralls were 4.1, 4.2 respectively. 4. The oak chips made of inner part or outer part of 24 Korean oak varieties were used to select the barrel for aging fine spirits. Two oak chips (one oak chip: $1{\times}1{\times}5cm$) of the inner part or of the outer part of each oak variety were dipped into 300 ml of fine spirits, which was bottled in 640ml beer bottle, and followed aging. The colors, flavors and tastes of the fine spirits were checked during 6 months. A. As a criterion for the first screening of oak barrels for aging fine spirits, the rate five of color extraction was determined. The oak chips showed good results in their order as follows and the best 5 varieties were selected. Gal-cham: Quercus aliena Blume (Inner part), Gul-cham: Quercus variabilis Blume (Outer part), Gal-chain: Quercus aliena Blume (Outer part), Jol-cham: Quercus serrata Thumb (Inner and Outer part). Sin-gal-cham: Quercus mongolica Fisher (Outer and Inner part) Sang-su-ri: Quercus acutissima Carruthers (Outer and Inner part) B. To find out the influence of aging temperature on aging, apple fine spirits were aged by dipping each oak chip at room temperature $(24-25^{\circ}C)$) and $45^{\circ}C$. Aging at $45^{\circ}C$ gave the best result followed aging at $30^{\circ}C$ and then at room temperature. C. Apple fine spirits was aged for six months by dipping oak chips in Erlenmeyer flasks and was irradiated with U.V light. The U.V irradiation enhanced the aging effect by nearly two times, compared with the aging without U.V irradiation. D. In aging apple fine spirits by dipping two oak chips, it was observed that the extent of the extraction of most components of oak chips were strongly dependent upon the pH of fine spirits. E. Oak chips of five selected oak varieties and a Limousin white oak from France as a control were used. Each apple fine spitits was dipped by two oak chips, and was aged at room temperature $(24-25^{\circ}C)$, $30^{\circ}C$, $45^{\circ}C$, and with the U.V irradiation at room temperature shaking every week. After six months of aging, the panel test of these aged fine spirits (Young Brandy) showed the following result. Young brandy of apples aged at $45^{\circ}C$ by dipping oak chips of Gal-chain was almost as the fine spirits which were aged at room temperature by dipping Limousin white oak chips from France. Young brandy of with U.V. irradiation at room temperature which were aged by dipping oak chips of Gal-chain was a little worse than that from the fine spirits aged at room temperature by dipping Limousin white oak chips from France. And so, Korean oak varieties are thought to be able to be used for aging every apple fine spirit which was here investigated.