• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
• /
• v.38
• /
• pp.193-211
• /
• 1998

Without a solid marketing system in placed, the fashion industry cannot flourish on out-standing design or technology alone. Even though the significance of collecting and analyzing information, merchandising, and retail distribution is recognized, these functions are not firmly rooted or prevalent in our industry. In contrast, Italy which possesses similar demographic traits such as the lack of natural resources and other physical factors has succeed-ed in globalizing its fashion market by responding swiftly and exercising flexiblity to its constantly changing consumer demand. This in turn has earned Italy the competitive edge in the global fashion arena. Italy's unique management skills and operation know-how, along with successful market strategies come into play in bringing competitiveness to Italy's fashion market. Firstly, smaller companies with ability to adopt swiftly to the ever changing market. Secondly, fashion friendly social environment. Thirdly, niche marketing through highly specialized system and differentiation. Fourthly, timeless innovation through intense corporate competition. Lastly, establishment of foundations to support the industry through diverse networking. The alone building blocks have formed a basis for erecting an unparalleled market with a reputation for excellence in design and quality in the global fashion world. This study has examined how Italy's fashion industry has evolved from an underdeveloped textile business into a cutting edge fashion in-dustry. Italy's unique business processes and practices were studied to come up with a collection and merchandising ideas in a niche market. By selecting this venue we are able to continuously grow and develop in a market with diverse consumer needs. To analyze the Italian fashion market, data from 3 institutions were utilized, namely, CIT-ER which has provided consumer trends and sales analysis, SITA,a data service provided statistics from the textile and apparel businesses, and NBI has also furnished valuable data. Italian consumer preference, buying behavior, consumer profile, retail channels and other related data from the above institutions has formed a backbone for market segmentation and target markets, and as a result, we were able to zero in on the type of consumer, produce, pricing and retail channels for our womenswear. Going forward the direction is to elevate product image and pretige, and create syn-ergy between related industries, and at the same note, in order to develop internationally recognized brands such as Max Mara and Benetton. Certain elements such as the specialization of the fashion industry, alon-g with fashion-related data base and systems support, and most importantly experts with acute fashion sense and capacity to analyze pertinent data are in need. I firmly believe that we can achieve Italy's level in the fashion market with support from the government and unrelenting effort within the industry itself, and hope that this report can prove to be useful.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.17
• /
• pp.7981-7986
• /
• 2015

Background: As coverage of public insurance is not sufficient to cover diagnosis or treatment of cancer, having private health insurance is important to prepare for unexpected expenses of cancer. The purpose of this study was to assess factors associated with having private cancer insurance, considering gender among the socio-demographic factors and health behavior. Materials and Methods: We used data from the 2011 Korea Health Panel, which included 10,871 participants aged 20 years and older. Socio-demographics, health behavior, and perceived cancer risk were the independent variables and having private cancer insurance was the dependent variable. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with having private cancer insurance. Results: The variables relating to middle age, higher education, higher household income, married men, and the perceived cancer risk groups of 1-10% and 11-30% were significantly associated with having private cancer insurance. Additionally, females who had private non-cancer health insurance were positively associated with the dependent variables (OR=1.36; 95% CI=1.17-1.57). Education, smoking status, exercise, and perceived cancer risk possibility were significantly associated with having private cancer insurance only among women. The men lowered the overall percentages of those having private cancer insurance (OR=0.53, 95% CI=0.45-0.63). Conclusions: We found that there were significant differences between men and women who had private cancer insurance. Women with private cancer insurance are more likely to follow precautionary health behavior than men. This could be interpreted as resulting from masculine ideologies. It is important to make males recognize the seriousness of the cancer risk. In general, household income was highly associated with private cancer insurance. These results reveal an inequity among the buyers of private cancer insurance in terms of economic status level, education level, and health condition.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.266-279
• /
• 2014

The purposes of the study are to segment the American family restaurant market based on relational benefits and to compare each group's demographics, dining characteristics, relationship quality(consumer identification, switching costs, satisfaction, commitment), and relational outcomes(positive word-of-mouth intentions and share of purchases). 510 responses were collected from American family restaurant customers and analyzed using frequency analysis, EFA, reliability test, cluster analysis, MANOVA, discriminant analysis, chi-square test, and ANOVA. The results of the study found three different types of relational benefits: confidence, special treatment, and social benefits. The results of cluster analysis identified three market segments, namely, high relational benefits consumers, medium relational benefits consumers, and low relational benefits consumers. The three groups were different in terms of age(p<0.05) and level of education(p<0.05). In addition, high relational benefits consumers showed a higher level of relationship frequency(p<0.001), relationship quality(p<0.001), and relational outcomes(p<0.001), followed by medium and low relational benefits consumers. Overall, the results indicated that family restaurants need to deliver excellent relational benefits to customers in order to achieve desired relationship quality and relational outcomes. Managerial implications were provided.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.1-24
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Engel coefficient, Angel coefficient and Schwabe index influencing Household head's life satisfaction. For this study, the data from the 8th analysis of the 2013 Korea Welfare Panel Survey conducted by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs were used. For the sample, 903 male Household heads with children under the age of 18, were selected. For statistical analysis, SPSS program (Ver. 21.0) was used. And for statistical methods, frequency and percentile, mean and standard deviation, Pearson's correlation, one way analysis of variance, Duncan's multiple range tests, multiple regression analysis were used. The findings are as follows. First, as a results of analyzing the food costs, education costs and housing costs depending on Income Quintile, the food costs and education costs in the 5th Income Quintile compared with other Income Quintile, were highest. Also, the highest housing cost was in the 2nd Income Quintile, while the least housing cost was in the 1st Income Quintile. Second, by analyzing the differences of Engel coefficient, Angel coefficient and Schwabe index according to Income Quintile, the results show that Engel coefficient and Schwabe index decreases as Income Quintile increases, and Angel coefficient increases as Income Quintile becomes higher. Third, the level of HH's life satisfaction according to Income Quintile, 1st Income Quintile, 2nd Income Quintile, 4th Income Quintile, 3rd Income Quintile, 5th Income Quintile in order, increased. Fourth, as the result of analyzing the influence of Variables related to household and demographics about Engel coefficient, Angel coefficient and Schwabe index, it was shown that the variables effecting Engel coefficient, Angel coefficient, and Schwabe index are age, occupations, Number of workers, House ownership, Income Quintile. Fifth, As a result of analyzing the Variables effecting life satisfaction, especially while Schwabe index is not that significant, Engel coefficient and Angel coefficient are shown to have a significant influence. Therefore, the influence of Food costs and education costs can be confirmed.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.1-24
• /
• 2007

With the development of information technology (IT), various information systems (IS) such as Web-based systems and mobile systems have appeared utilizing different technologies. However, recent studies on IS use and user satisfaction rarely account for technological differences among IS and environmental characteristics where IS are intended to be used. The purpose of this research is to investigate the determinants of the use of Web-based ticketing systems for cultural activities and to empirically validate their relationships. Environmental psychology suggests that human beings respond to external stimuli from environments with their emotions, and their emotional states influence human actions, e.g., IS use in this research. Applying environmental psychology to the use of Web-based systems in the culture and entertainment industry, we propose that web site characteristics first influence a user's internal state of mind (i.e., flow) and then the flow state influences the IS use. Studies related to the state of flow collectively affirm the key role played by the flow construct in shaping individual attitudes and behaviors toward IS. Users' flow states are captured by their shopping enjoyment, perceived behavioral control, and the level of concentration on the IS use. Referring to social presence theory, we have included such web site characteristics as content quality, context of web site, and community quality. In our research model, a second order construct is utilized to represent web site quality, because flow theory suggests that holistic experiences with web-based systems (rather than individual characteristics of the web site) are important in explaining the IS use. Further, we have included trust as another important factor influencing the IS use since business transactions on the web encompass higher uncertainty comparing to offline transactions. In order to test our hypotheses, we have conducted an online survey which results in 1,141 valid responses in the final sample. The data were collected from respondents who have experiences in Internet ticketing systems. Although it was a convenient sample, the sample represents a wide variety of user demographics. Validity and reliability of the research instrument were tested and research hypotheses were examined using PLS Graph 3.0. The results indicate that web site characteristics significantly influence the level of user concentration, user's enjoyment in shopping, and perceived behavioral control. Further, the use of Internet ticketing systems is influenced by users' flow states and trust in the web channel. User satisfaction is turned out to be affected by the use of Internet ticketing systems. Unlike extant research on the relationship between web site characteristics and its use, our study has found that, in the culture and entertainment industry, the impact of web site characteristics on IS use is mediated by a user's flow state. This finding has a practical implication that web site design should include as many features that enhance shopping enjoyment and concentration. Other practical implications of these findings and future research implications are also discussed.

• Review of Culture and Economy
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.21-50
• /
• 2017

The rise of Hallyu (Korean Wave) has generated a treasury of historiographic and cultural inquiries into the phenomenal success of South Korea's media entertainment industry. Whereas the majority of such studies focus on TV dramas and popular music, there is a medium, or rather a hybrid sub-genre within the medium category of short films, that must be reexamined and thus appreciated as the archetypal predecessor of popular Hallyu contents: music videos. The rapidly changing social, political, and economic climate in the mid- to late 1990s called for content that would grasp the attention of a younger, increasingly mobile population with diversified interests and routines that no longer guaranteed fixed-time viewership. Meanwhile, the advent of cable TV channels and high-speed internet service ensured greater temporal and infrastructural accessibility. The media entertainment industry's response to the new opportunities and challenges arising from these sudden growths in the scale, range, connectivity, and mobility of consumer demographics was synergetic cross-sector collaboration in the form of dramatized blockbuster music videos, which combined two popular and lucrative genres: trendy dramas and ballad music. In this essay, by relocating Hallyu's archetypal medium/genre, I claim that increasing upward and sideways mobility across sectors not only inspired new production but also reconfigured the very concept, form, and impact of media-driven cultural imaginary in South Korea.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.171-179
• /
• 2020

Purpose: In Korea, seasonal influenza is an important respiratory illness afflicting children every year. We aimed to investigate the childhood epidemiology in Jeju during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons. Methods: Children aged <13 years, who were tested for influenza at the Jeju National University Hospital during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 influenza seasons, were included. Demographics and the influenza test results were retrospectively reviewed from their medical records. Results: This study included 5,219 cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) (2017-2018: n=2,279; 2018-2019: n=2,940). The mean age of the eligible children was 2.85±2.79 years, and the most common age among ILI patients in each season was 1 year group. There were 902 (17.3%, 902/5,219) confirmed influenza cases during the 2 seasons. The rate of influenza confirmed by rapid influenza diagnostic test or polymerase chain reaction among ILI patients in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons was 10.4% (236/2,279) and 10.3% (303/2,940) for influenza A, and 9.1% (208/2,279) and 5.3% (155/2,940) for influenza B, respectively. The mean age of influenza-confirmed cases was 4.09 years and 5.05 years in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons, respectively (P<0.05). Weekly distribution of influenza was similar to that of ILI in the clinical sentinel surveillance system in both seasons. Conclusion: The difference in the influenza epidemic trend and age-group distribution between the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons was distinct in Jeju. Steady epidemiological studies on influenza in Jeju are needed for comparison with other regions of Korea.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.21-35
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study was to empirically verify the effects of spousal bereavement and complicated grief level on death anxiety of the elderly. The sample consisted of 1,998 adults who were aged 65 or older. Dependent variable was measured with the Death Anxiety Scale-Korean version (DAS-K). Independent variable was measured with both spousal bereavement and the Inventory of Complicated Grief-Korean version (ICG-K). Multiple regression analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0, adjusting for demographics, psycho-social and health variables. The results indicated that death anxiety level was lower among the bereaved with normal grief (p<.01) than non-bereaved. In contrast, death anxiety level was higher among the bereaved with complicated grief than non-bereaved (p<.01). The study result suggests that the most risky factor for death anxiety is complicated grief rather than the bereavement. Although the bereavement can be a universal experience, the severity and duration of symptoms after the bereavement may not be general. The unhealed emotional and physical pain after the bereavement stimulates death anxiety, and senior citizens who suffer from complicated grief often fail to integrate the bereavement and loss into reality, therefore, may not accept the death phenomenon itself. Anxiety and fear of death can emerge when they cannot acknowledge the bereavement. To manage complex sorrows and mitigate death anxiety, intervention programs should be provided to increase adaptability to the bereavement.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.19-42
• /
• 2012

Consumer consumption patterns are shifting rapidly as buyers migrate from offline markets to e-commerce routes, such as shopping channels on TV and internet shopping malls. In the offline markets consumers go shopping, see the shopping items, and choose from them. Recently consumers tend towards buying at shopping sites free from time and place. However, as e-commerce markets continue to expand, customers are complaining that it is becoming a bigger hassle to shop online. In the online shopping, shoppers have very limited information on the products. The delivered products can be different from what they have wanted. This case results to purchase cancellation. Because these things happen frequently, they are likely to refer to the consumer reviews and companies should be concerned about consumer's voice. E-commerce is a very important marketing tool for suppliers. It can recommend products to customers and connect them directly with suppliers with just a click of a button. The recommender system is being studied in various ways. Some of the more prominent ones include recommendation based on best-seller and demographics, contents filtering, and collaborative filtering. However, these systems all share two weaknesses : they cannot recommend products to consumers on a personal level, and they cannot recommend products to new consumers with no buying history. To fix these problems, we can use the information which has been collected from the questionnaires about their demographics and preference ratings. But, consumers feel these questionnaires are a burden and are unlikely to provide correct information. This study investigates combining collaborative filtering with the centrality of social network analysis. This centrality measure provides the information to infer the preference of new consumers from the shopping history of existing and previous ones. While the past researches had focused on the existing consumers with similar shopping patterns, this study tried to improve the accuracy of recommendation with all shopping information, which included not only similar shopping patterns but also dissimilar ones. Data used in this study, Movie Lens' data, was made by Group Lens research Project Team at University of Minnesota to recommend movies with a collaborative filtering technique. This data was built from the questionnaires of 943 respondents which gave the information on the preference ratings on 1,684 movies. Total data of 100,000 was organized by time, with initial data of 50,000 being existing customers and the latter 50,000 being new customers. The proposed recommender system consists of three systems : [+] group recommender system, [-] group recommender system, and integrated recommender system. [+] group recommender system looks at customers with similar buying patterns as 'neighbors', whereas [-] group recommender system looks at customers with opposite buying patterns as 'contraries'. Integrated recommender system uses both of the aforementioned recommender systems to recommend movies that both recommender systems pick. The study of three systems allows us to find the most suitable recommender system that will optimize accuracy and customer satisfaction. Our analysis showed that integrated recommender system is the best solution among the three systems studied, followed by [-] group recommended system and [+] group recommender system. This result conforms to the intuition that the accuracy of recommendation can be improved using all the relevant information. We provided contour maps and graphs to easily compare the accuracy of each recommender system. Although we saw improvement on accuracy with the integrated recommender system, we must remember that this research is based on static data with no live customers. In other words, consumers did not see the movies actually recommended from the system. Also, this recommendation system may not work well with products other than movies. Thus, it is important to note that recommendation systems need particular calibration for specific product/customer types.

• Journal of International Area Studies (JIAS)
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.277-308
• /
• 2010

Since the globalization, many changes are occurring in our society. Multicultural phenonmenon in the society is becoming one of our major concern in the Korean society. Thus, this study is focusing on the multicultural phenomenon that we are facing since the globalization in Korea. No doubt that immigration is a growing force influencing the demographics of Korea. Since the mid-1990s, immigrant children and children from mixed marriage have become the fastest growing and the most extraordinarily diverse segment of Korea's child population. Until the recent past, Korea's major social attention has focused on adult immigrants to the neglect of their offspring, creating a profound gap between the strategic importance of the new second generation and the knowledge about its socioeconomic circumstances. In other words, there is a significant lack of studies on children of migrant, particularly from the Muslim background living in Korea. International marriage has grown rapidly in Korea since the late 1990s, and this phenomenon is especially common in rural farming communities. Most brides come from China, followed by Vietnam and other southeast Asian countries. However, there are certain number of Muslim bride coming to Korea. There are about 100 thousand muslim peoples living in Korean society. Among them 2.92% are Muslim immigrants' intermarriage with the Koreans. As a result, there are growing number of muslim brides and bridegroom settling in Korea, which would eventually create muslim families in growing korean multicultural societies. This study specify its research on the muslim mixed family by focusing on the offsprings of the muslim background. Our research team has created the new term on such research subject by using Koslim. Koslim is a 1.5 and 2^nd generation from the Muslim back ground family living in Korea. Thus, the objective of this study is to examine the awareness and the perception of Koslim by the Korean mainstream people. By doing so, it can analyze the general attitude of Koreans towards the Koslim people. In this sense this study intends to play a groundwork to promote successful coexistence between Korean and Koslim. It is anticipated that this research can lay the basis for Koreans to have more open and tolerant attitude towards our new members of society that is increasing everyday.