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ICU nurses' ethical attitudes about DNR (중환자실 간호사들의 DNR에 대한 윤리적 태도)

  • Yu, Eun-Yeong;Yang, Yu-Jeong
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.16 no.4
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    • pp.2691-2703
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    • 2015
  • This research aims to provide basic materials for assisting DNR patient cares by understanding ICU nurses' awareness and ethical attitude regarding DNR. A total of 154 results were analyzed which were collected from Aug. 1st to Sep. 5th in 2014 by surveying nurses working in ICU (from 1 advanced general hospital in G metropolitan city and other general hospitals of more than 700 beds in Cheolla provinces). (1) For the decision attitudes of DNR, there were both consent and objection. Consent for the patient's opinion of rejecting further treatment and life extension despite of bad prognosis. And objection for no conducting DNR in the case of the patient's wish, treatment requested by the guardian, and CPR for the patient who has no chance. (2) Objection for artificial respirator and other treatment requested by the patient's family and the entrance of guardians into ICU. Consent for the passive use of artificial respirator by the doctor and the decrease of basic care to stabilize patients physically and mentally. No specific opinion for treatment not following aseptic techniques. Objection for frequent reports to primary care physician requested by the family. (3) Acknowledging less interest by the doctor, while supporting the health care team in the case of the guardian's complaint, objection for the DNR decision mede by the primary care physician. Objection for the DNR decision by the guideline. Objection or neutrality for straightforward explanation to the patient of bad prognosis. Objection for straightforward explanation of the patient's status (even near to death) to the patient him/herself or the guardian. In conclusion, the subject of DNR is the patient and the patient's opinion should be fully reflected. The conflict arising from the scope of medical practice and decision processes should be minimized. The standard and guideline for DNR decision is required for the ethical decision making for the patient along with agreements based on full explanations.

Middle School Home Economics Teachers' Performance Conditions of Self Supervision Related to the Home Economics (중학교 가정과 교사의 교과 관련 자기장학에 대한 수행 실태)

  • Nam, Yun-Jin;Chae, Jung-Hyun
    • Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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    • v.19 no.2
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    • pp.61-75
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    • 2007
  • The method used in this descriptive study is the survey. The purpose of the study is to investigate performances of middle school home economics(HE) teachers regarding the HE subject. Respondents in this study were 177 HE teachers. Questionnaires from HE teachers were collected through e-mails. With the operation of the SPSS/Win (ver10.1) program, the analyses such as mean, standard deviation, frequencies, percents, t-test and ANOVA are done to see the relations between the related variables. The results of this study were as follows. First, the middle school HE teachers performed well above the standards in terms of planning, execution, and evaluation about self supervision related to HE. Second, the HE teachers collected materials for instruction by using literary (books) survey, Internet and mass media. They mainly focused on improving ways of "teaching and learning" and deepening the studies related to contents of textbooks. Third, the HE teachers used various ways to improve self supervision in the following order: mass media, literary (books) survey, participation in societies for researches, meetings, various training and field trip More than half of the middle school HE teachers proceeded to graduate schools, joined meetings for researches and had experiences of taking classes in private institutes. They also made a field trip once or twice a year and depended much on TV programs and education broadcasting programs as ways of improving their performances related to self supervision. While they were actively sharing information with their peer group, they made little effort at analyzing and evaluating their classes and utilizing expert group for their classes. The main problems as to self supervision were that only the half of the HE teachers responded that they were performing self supervision related to their classes well above the standards and the area where they heavily focused on has been "teaching and learning" and "the studies related to contents of textbooks". Therefore, to motivate incentives of the HE teachers for self supervision, meetings for researches should be activated and various training programs should be developed. In addition, government should give administrative and institutional support through a publication of books introducing detailed ways of self supervision and an establishment of centers and institutions for supporting self supervision.

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Utility-Based Video Adaptation in MPEG-21 for Universal Multimedia Access (UMA를 위한 유틸리티 기반 MPEG-21 비디오 적응)

  • 김재곤;김형명;강경옥;김진웅
    • Journal of Broadcast Engineering
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    • v.8 no.4
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    • pp.325-338
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    • 2003
  • Video adaptation in response to dynamic resource conditions and user preferences is required as a key technology to enable universal multimedia access (UMA) through heterogeneous networks by a multitude of devices In a seamless way. Although many adaptation techniques exist, selections of appropriate adaptations among multiple choices that would satisfy given constraints are often ad hoc. To provide a systematic solution, we present a general conceptual framework to model video entity, adaptation, resource, utility, and relations among them. It allows for formulation of various adaptation problems as resource-constrained utility maximization. We apply the framework to a practical case of dynamic bit rate adaptation of MPEG-4 video streams by employing combination of frame dropping and DCT coefficient dropping. Furthermore, we present a descriptor, which has been accepted as a part of MPEG-21 Digital Item Adaptation (DIA), for supporting terminal and network quality of service (QoS) in an interoperable manner. Experiments are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the presented framework using the descriptor.

The Opposition and Disputation between Pelagius and Augustine -Focused on Free-will- (아우구스티누스와 펠라기우스의 대립과 논쟁 - 자유의지를 중심으로 -)

  • Kim, Young-jin
    • Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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    • v.137
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    • pp.81-108
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    • 2016
  • In Medieval and Christian history, disputation between Augustine and Pelagius originated from different perspectives regarding the free-will of humans and the grace of God. This debate has continued throughout the Middle-Ages and the Reformation to date. In this regard, the purpose of this article is to investigate the implication of opposition and disputation between Augustine and Pelagius on today's society. Overemphasis on human capacity and free-will leads to humanism, while the arguments supporting the grace of God can encourage evasion of the ethical obligations of humans. Augustine and Pelagius had opposing views on this subject. Pelagius emerged in the Roman Empire, emphasizing the ethical responsibility of humans with free-will. On the other hand, Augustine argued that human nature and free-will had been damaged. With a pessimistic outlook on human capacity, he emphasized the grace of God. Shocked by the self-indulgence and ethical negligence of the Church of Rome which was the center of Christian nations at that time, Pelagius strongly urged Christians of the Roman Church to take moral responsibility. However, the theology of Augustine justified the status quo of the Roman Church while Pelagius focused on the necessity of an ethical life of humans based on free-will. Viewing Pelagius' strict moralism as a humanist view that emphasizes human capacity and action, Augustine showed strong opposition to such a view and instead emphasized God's grace. Pelagius was condemned as a heretic as his belief in free-will did not follow Augustine's Doctrine of Grace. However, Pelagianism penetrated Christian history and still poses a threat to Christianity to date. Societal corruption and depravity is still prevalent in today's society as it was in the time of Pelagius. South Korea for instance is exposed to serious moral corruption and a lack of social responsibility as shown in the sinking of the MV Sewol in April 2014. For those reasons, Christian society emphasizes Christian ethics and requires an honest leader who will set an example of Christian life. In this light, I want to examine the implications of disputation between Augustine and Pelagius on today's society.

A Study on the Entrepreneurial Orientation and the Performance of Startups: The Mediating Effects of Technological Orientation and Social Capital (스타트업의 기업가지향성과 성과에 관한 연구: 기술지향성과 사회적 자본의 매개효과)

  • Lee, Eun A;Seo, Joung Hae;Shim, Yun Soo
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.14 no.2
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    • pp.47-59
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    • 2019
  • Various studies have been carried out on the subject of entrepreneurship, which is required to create new businesses and organizations during the early process of startups based on innovative technologies and ideas. At the same time, the concept of organizational entrepreneurial orientation, which explains how to manage enterprises in the process of pioneering new products and markets, is drawing more and more attention for the purpose of continuously creating and maintaining a competitive edge of startups. This study focused on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and startup performance and the role of technological orientation and social capital. An empirical research was conducted on 144 different startup companies residing in startup supporting institutions. To evaluate the suitability of the research model, a PLS-based structural equation model was used. The research results are as follows: First, the entrepreneurial orientation of startups was found to have a positive effect on startup performance. Second, it was shown that entrepreneurial orientation had a positive effect on all three dimensions of social capital and technological orientation. Third, it has been shown that technological orientation and the cognitive dimension of social capital mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and startup performance. Through this, it was confirmed that entrepreneurial orientation directly affects startup performance, and it even influences the growth of startups by increasing technological superiority and social capital which is inherent in the network. Also, the research identified the need for additional research on the relationship between the strengthening of technological orientation and strategical orientation in startups. This study is expected to expand the discussion about social capital in the field of startup related research by affirming the role and importance of the cognitive system embedded in the network as well as the connectivity of networks, which has been already emphasized in previous startup related studies. Finally, the results of this study were reflected to present new practical implications.

Analysis on the Difference in Perception Between Policy Providers and Users on the Factors that Activate the Innovation Cluster: Focusing on the Case of Daedeok Innopolis using AHP (혁신클러스터 활성화 요인에 대한 정책공급자와 수요자의 인식차이 분석: 대덕연구개발특구 사례에 대한 AHP 조사를 중심으로)

  • Park, Hwogeun;Bae, Kwanpy
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.105-119
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    • 2021
  • The innovation cluster is formed by cooperation and networking among a number of actors, including companies, universities, research institutes, government and other supporting organizations, but the main subject of innovation in the venture ecosystem, which can be said to be the core of the innovation cluster, is the enterprise. Therefore, enterprises in innovation cluster can be seen as a major user of the innovation cluster policy. In order for the policy to be executed smoothly, policy acceptance is important. However, existing research on policy prioritization tends to be centered on policy providers, so it is necessary to check them from the perspective of policy users. Accordingly, this study conducted discussions from a two-way perspective to establish the correct policy direction through a balanced perspective between a policy provider-centered top-down perspective and a policy user's bottom-up perspective. First, the factors for activating the innovation cluster (three factors in the first level and 14 factors in the second level) were derived through prior research and expert interviews. After that, the importance of the factors for activating the innovation cluster was analyzed using AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) for the policy provider group and the user group in the Daedeok Innopolis, a representative case of innovation cluster policy. As a result of analyzing the importance of the innovation cluster activation factors from the perspectives of policy providers and users, some similarities were also seen, but overall differences in mutual perception were found. It was found that the policy provider group focused on innovation creation factors, while the policy user group viewed innovation creation, clusters, and industrial location factors from a more balanced perspective. This study is meaningful in that it deals with both perspectives in a balanced way by expanding the targets from the existing policy provider-centered research to policy users. In addition, practical contributions exist in the aspect of providing basic data so that policies can be carried out based on corporate needs in fostering innovation clusters.

A Study on the Status of Startups and Their Nurturing Plans: Focusing on Startups in Seongnam City (스타트업 실태 및 육성방안에 관한 연구: 성남시 스타트업을 중심으로)

  • Han, Kyu-Dong;Jeon, Byung-Hoon
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.17 no.5
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    • pp.67-80
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    • 2022
  • This study was conducted to derive policy measures such as fostering and supporting by examining the actual conditions of domestic startups. The subject of this study was the start-ups located in Seongnam-si, where Pangyo Techno Valley, which is the highest-level innovation cluster in Korea and is evaluated as a start-up mecca. Startups were defined as startups under 7 years old based on new technologies such as IT, BT, and CT, and the subjects of the study were selected. This can be seen as a step forward from previous research in that it embodies the concept of a startup that was previously abstract in a quantitatively measurable way. As a result of the analysis, about 94% of startups are distributed in the so-called "Death Valley" growth stage, and startups above scale-up, which means full-scale growth beyond BEP, account for about 6%. appeared to be occupied. He cited the problem of start-up funds as the biggest difficulty in the early stages of startups, and cited the loan evaluation method that prioritizes sales or collateral in raising funds as the biggest problem. In addition, start-ups rated the access to private investment capital such as VC, AC, and angel investors at a low level compared to policy funds, which are public funds. Most startups showed a lot of interest in overseas expansion, and they chose matching overseas investors such as overseas VCs as the biggest support for overseas expansion. The overall competitiveness in the overseas market was 49.6 points, which is less than 50 points out of 100, indicating that the overall competitiveness was somewhat inferior. It was analyzed that public support and investment in overseas sales channels (sales channels, distribution networks, etc.) should be prioritized along with enhancement of technological competitiveness in order for domestic startups to increase their competitiveness in overseas markets as well as in the domestic market.

An Analysis of the Differences in Management Performance by Business Categories from the Perspective of Small Business Systematization (영세 소상공인 조직화에 대한 직능업종별 차이분석과 경영성과)

  • Suh, Geun-Ha;Seo, Mi-Ok;Yoon, Sung-Wook
    • Journal of Distribution Science
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.111-122
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    • 2011
  • The purpose of this study is to survey the successful cases of small and medium Business Systematization Cognition by examining their entrepreneurial characteristics and analysing the factors affecting their success. To that end, previous studies on the association types of small businesses were studied. A research model was developed, and research hypotheses for an empirical analysis were established upon it. Suh et al. (2010) insist on the importance of Small Business Systematization in Korea but also show that small business performance is suffering: they are too small to stand alone. That is why association is so crucial for them: they must stand together. Unfortunately, association is difficult, as they have few specific links and little motivation. Even in franchising networks, association tends to be initiated by big franchisers, not small ones. In that sense, association among small businesses is crucial for their long-term survival. With this in mind, this study examines how they think and feel about the issue of 'Industrial Classification', how important Industrial Classification is to their business success, and what kinds of problems it raises in the markets. This study seeks the different cognitions among the association types of small businesses from the perspectives of participation motivation, systematization expectation, policy demand level, and management performance. We assume that different industrial classification types of small businesses will have different cognitions concerning these factors. There are four basic industrial classification types of small businesses: retail sales, restaurant, service, and manufacturing. To date, most of the studies in this area have focused on collecting data on the external environments of small businesses or performing statistical analyses on their status. In this study, we surveyed 4 market areas in Busan, Masan, and Changwon in Korea, where business associations consist of merchants, shop owners, and traders. We surveyed 330 shops and merchants by sending a questionnaire or visiting. Finally, 268 questionnaires were collected and used for the analysis. An ANOVA, T-test, and regression analyses were conducted to test the research hypotheses. The results demonstrate that there are differences in cognition depending upon the industrial classification type. Restaurants generally have a higher cognition concerning job offer problems and a lower cognition concerning their competitiveness. Restaurants also depend more on systematization expectation than do the other industrial classification types. On the policy demand level, restaurants have a higher cognition. This study identifies several factors that are contributing to management performance through differences in cognition that depend upon association type: systematization expectation and policy demand level have positive effects on management performance; participation motivation has a negative effect on management performance. We confirm also that the image factors of different cognitions are linked to an awareness of the value of systematization and that these factors show sequential and continual patterns in the course of generating performances. In conclusion, this study carries significant implications in its classifying of small businesses into the four different associational types (retail sales, restaurant, services, and manufacturing). We believe our study to be the first one to conduct an empirical survey in this subject area. More studies in this area will likely use our research frameworks. The data show that regionally based industrial classification associations such as those in rural cities or less developed areas tend to suffer more problems than those in urban areas. Moreover, restaurants suffer more problems than the norm. Most of the problems raised in this study concern the act of 'associating itself'. Most associations have serious difficulties in associating. On the other hand, the area where they have the least policy demand is that of service types. This study contributes to the argument that associating, rather than financial assistance or management consulting, promotes the start-up and managerial performance of small businesses. This study also has some limitations. The main limitation is the number of questionnaires. We could not survey all the industrial classification types across the country because of budget and time limitations. If we had, we could have produced many more useful results and enhanced the precision of our analysis. The history of systemization is very short and the number of industrial classification associations is relatively low in Korea. We should keep in mind, though, that this is very crucial to systemization entrepreneurs starting their businesses, as it can heavily affect their chances of success. Being strongly associated with each other might be critical to the business success of industrial classification members. Thus, the government needs to put more effort and resources into supporting the drive of industrial classification members to become more strongly associated.

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A Study on the Architecture of the Original Nine-Story Wooden Pagoda at Hwangnyongsa Temple (황룡사 창건 구층목탑 단상)

  • Lee, Ju-heun
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.52 no.2
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    • pp.196-219
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    • 2019
  • According to the Samguk Yusa, the nine-story wooden pagoda at Hwangnyongsa Temple was built by a Baekje artisan named Abiji in 645. Until the temple was burnt down completely during the Mongol invasion of Korea in 1238, it was the greatest symbol of the spiritual culture of the Korean people at that time and played an important role in the development of Buddhist thought in the country for about 700 years. At present, the only remaining features of Hwangnyongsa Temple, which is now in ruins, are the pagoda's stylobate and several foundation stones. In the past, many researchers made diverse inferences concerning the restoration of the original structure and the overall architecture of the wooden pagoda at Hwangnyongsa Temple, based on written records and excavation data. However, this information, together with the remaining external structure of the pagoda site and the assumption that it was a simple wooden structure, actually suggest that it was a rectangular-shaped nine-story pagoda. It is assumed that such ideas were suggested at a time when there was a lack of relevant data and limited knowledge on the subject, as well as insufficient information about the technical lineage of the wooden pagoda at Hwangnyongsa Temple; therefore, these ideas should be revised in respect of the discovery of new data and an improved level of awareness about the structural features of large ancient Buddhist pagodas. This study focused on the necessity of raising awareness of the lineage and structure of the wooden pagoda at Hwangnyongsa Temple and gaining a broader understanding of the structural system of ancient Buddhist pagodas in East Asia. The study is based on a reanalysis of data about the site of the wooden pagoda obtained through research on the restoration of Hwangnyongsa Temple, which has been ongoing since 2005. It is estimated that the wooden pagoda underwent at least two large-scale repairs between the Unified Silla and Goryeo periods, during which the size of the stylobate and the floor plan were changed and, accordingly, the upper structure was modified to a significant degree. Judging by the features discovered during excavation and investigation, traces relating to the nine-story wooden pagoda built during the Three Kingdoms Period include the earth on which the stylobate was built and the central pillar's supporting stone, which had been reinstalled using the rammed earth technique, as well as other foundation stones and stylobate stone materials that most probably date back to the ninth century or earlier. It seems that the foundation stones and stylobate stone materials were new when the reliquaries were enshrined again in the pagoda after the Unified Silla period, so the first story and upper structure would have been of a markedly different size to those of the original wooden pagoda. In addition, during the Goryeo period, these foundation stones were rearranged, and the cover stone was newly installed; therefore, the pagoda would seem to have undergone significant changes in size and structure compared to previous periods. Consequently, the actual structure of the original wooden pagoda at Hwangnyongsa Temple should be understood in terms of the changes in large Buddhist pagodas built in East Asia at that time, and the technical lineage should start with the large Buddhist pagodas of the Baekje dynasty, which were influenced by the Northern dynasty of China. Furthermore, based on the archeological data obtained from the analysis of the images of the nine-story rock-carved pagoda depicted on the Rock-carved Buddhas in Tapgok Valley at Namsan Mountain in Gyeongju, and the gilt-bronze rail fragments excavated from the lecture hall at the site of Hwangnyongsa Temple, the wooden pagoda would appear to have originally been an octagonal nine-story pagoda with a dual structure, rather than a simple rectangular wooden structure.

The Effect of Mutual Trust on Relational Performance in Supplier-Buyer Relationships for Business Services Transactions (재상업복무교역중적매매관계중상호신임대관계적효적영향(在商业服务交易中的买卖关系中相互信任对关系绩效的影响))

  • Noh, Jeon-Pyo
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.32-43
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    • 2009
  • Trust has been studied extensively in psychology, economics, and sociology, and its importance has been emphasized not only in marketing, but also in business disciplines in general. Unlike past relationships between suppliers and buyers, which take considerable advantage of private networks and may involve unethical business practices, partnerships between suppliers and buyers are at the core of success for industrial marketing amid intense global competition in the 21st century. A high level of mutual cooperation occurs through an exchange relationship based on trust, which brings long-term benefits, competitive enhancements, and transaction cost reductions, among other benefits, for both buyers and suppliers. In spite of the important role of trust, existing studies in buy-supply situations overlook the role of trust and do not systematically analyze the effect of trust on relational performance. Consequently, an in-depth study that determines the relation of trust to the relational performance between buyers and suppliers of business services is absolutely needed. Business services in this study, which include those supporting the manufacturing industry, are drawing attention as the economic growth engine for the next generation. The Korean government has selected business services as a strategic area for the development of manufacturing sectors. Since the demands for opening business services markets are becoming fiercer, the competitiveness of the business service industry must be promoted now more than ever. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the mutual trust between buyers and suppliers on relational performance. Specifically, this study proposed a theoretical model of trust-relational performance in the transactions of business services and empirically tested the hypotheses delineated from the framework. The study suggests strategic implications based on research findings. Empirical data were collected via multiple methods, including via telephone, mail, and in-person interviews. Sample companies were knowledge-based companies supplying and purchasing business services in Korea. The present study collected data on a dyadic basis. Each pair of sample companies includes a buying company and its corresponding supplying company. Mutual trust was traced for each pair of companies. This study proposes a model of trust-relational performance of buying-supplying for business services. The model consists of trust and its antecedents and consequences. The trust of buyers is classified into trust toward the supplying company and trust toward salespersons. Viewing trust both at the individual level and the organizational level is based on the research of Doney and Cannon (1997). Normally, buyers are the subject of trust, but this study supposes that suppliers are the subjects. Hence, it uniquely focused on the bilateral perspective of perceived risk. In other words, suppliers, like buyers, are the subject of trust since transactions are normally bilateral. From this point of view, suppliers' trust in buyers is as important as buyers' trust in suppliers. The suppliers' trust is influenced by the extent to which it trusts the buying companies and the buyers. This classification of trust using an individual level and an organization level is based on the suggestion of Doney and Cannon (1997). Trust affects the process of supplier selection, which works in a bilateral manner. Suppliers are actively involved in the supplier selection process, working very closely with buyers. In addition, the process is affected by the extent to which each party trusts its partners. The selection process consists of certain steps: recognition, information search, supplier selection, and performance evaluation. As a result of the process, both buyers and suppliers evaluate the performance and take corrective actions on the basis of such outcomes as tangible, intangible, and/or side effects. The measurement of trust used for the present study was developed on the basis of the studies of Mayer, Davis and Schoorman (1995) and Mayer and Davis (1999). Based on their recommendations, the three dimensions of trust used for the study include ability, benevolence, and integrity. The original questions were adjusted to the context of the transactions of business services. For example, a question such as "He/she has professional capabilities" has been changed to "The salesperson showed professional capabilities while we talked about our products." The measurement used for this study differs from those used in previous studies (Rotter 1967; Sullivan and Peterson 1982; Dwyer and Oh 1987). The measurements of the antecedents and consequences of trust used for this study were developed on the basis of Doney and Cannon (1997). The original questions were adjusted to the context of transactions in business services. In particular, questions were developed for both buyers and suppliers to address the following factors: reputation (integrity, customer care, good-will), market standing (company size, market share, positioning in the industry), willingness to customize (product, process, delivery), information sharing (proprietary information, private information), willingness to maintain relationships, perceived professionalism, authority empowerment, buyer-seller similarity, and contact frequency. As a consequential variable of trust, relational performance was measured. Relational performance is classified into tangible effects, intangible effects, and side effects. Tangible effects include financial performance; intangible effects include improvements in relations, network developing, and internal employee satisfaction; side effects include those not included either in the tangible or intangible effects. Three hundred fifty pairs of companies were contacted, and one hundred five pairs of companies responded. After deleting five company pairs because of incomplete responses, one hundred five pairs of companies were used for data analysis. The response ratio of the companies used for data analysis is 30% (105/350), which is above the average response ratio in industrial marketing research. As for the characteristics of the respondent companies, the majority of the companies operate service businesses for both buyers (85.4%) and suppliers (81.8%). The majority of buyers (76%) deal with consumer goods, while the majority of suppliers (70%) deal with industrial goods. This may imply that buyers process the incoming material, parts, and components to produce the finished consumer goods. As indicated by their report of the length of acquaintance with their partners, suppliers appear to have longer business relationships than do buyers. Hypothesis 1 tested the effects of buyer-supplier characteristics on trust. The salesperson's professionalism (t=2.070, p<0.05) and authority empowerment (t=2.328, p<0.05) positively affected buyers' trust toward suppliers. On the other hand, authority empowerment (t=2.192, p<0.05) positively affected supplier trust toward buyers. For both buyers and suppliers, the degree of authority empowerment plays a crucial role in the maintenance of their trust in each other. Hypothesis 2 tested the effects of buyerseller relational characteristics on trust. Buyers tend to trust suppliers, as suppliers make every effort to contact buyers (t=2.212, p<0.05). This tendency has also been shown to be much stronger for suppliers (t=2.591, p<0.01). On the other hand suppliers trust buyers because suppliers perceive buyers as being similar to themselves (t=2.702, p<0.01). This finding confirmed the results of Crosby, Evans, and Cowles (1990), which reported that suppliers and buyers build relationships through regular meetings, either for business or personal matters. Hypothesis 3 tested the effects of trust on perceived risk. It has been found that for both suppliers and buyers the lower is the trust, the higher is the perceived risk (t=-6.621, p<0.01 for buyers; t=-2.437, p<0.05). Interestingly, this tendency has been shown to be much stronger for buyers than for suppliers. One possible explanation for this higher level of perceived risk is that buyers normally perceive higher risks than do suppliers in transactions involving business services. For this reason, it is necessary for suppliers to implement risk reduction strategies for buyers. Hypothesis 4 tested the effects of trust on information searching. It has been found that for both suppliers and buyers, contrary to expectation, trust depends on their partner's reputation (t=2.929, p<0.01 for buyers; t=2.711, p<0.05 for suppliers). This finding shows that suppliers with good reputations tend to be trusted. Prior experience did not show any significant relationship with trust for either buyers or suppliers. Hypothesis 5 tested the effects of trust on supplier/buyer selection. Unlike buyers, suppliers tend to trust buyers when they think that previous transactions with buyers were important (t=2.913 p<0.01). However, this study did not show any significant relationship between source loyalty and the trust of buyers in suppliers. Hypothesis 6 tested the effects of trust on relational performances. For buyers and suppliers, financial performance reportedly improved when they trusted their partners (t=2.301, p<0.05 for buyers; t=3.692, p<0.01 for suppliers). It is interesting that this tendency was much stronger for suppliers than it was for buyers. Similarly, competitiveness was reported to improve when buyers and suppliers trusted their partners (t=3.563, p<0.01 for buyers; t=3.042, p<0.01 for suppliers). For suppliers, efficiency and productivity were reportedly improved when they trusted buyers (t=2.673, p<0.01). Other performance indices showed insignificant relationships with trust. The findings of this study have some strategic implications. First and most importantly, trust-based transactions are beneficial for both suppliers and buyers. As verified in the study, financial performance can be improved through efforts to build and maintain mutual trust. Similarly, competitiveness can be increased through the same kinds of effort. Second, trust-based transactions can facilitate the reduction of perceived risks inherent in the purchasing situation. This finding has implications for both suppliers and buyers. It is generally believed that buyers perceive higher risks in a highly involved purchasing situation. To reduce risks, previous studies have recommended that suppliers devise risk-reducing tactics. Moving beyond these recommendations, the present study uniquely focused on the bilateral perspective of perceived risk. In other words, suppliers are also susceptible to perceived risks, especially when they supply services that require very technical and sophisticated manipulations and maintenance. Consequently, buyers and suppliers must solve problems together in close collaboration. Hence, mutual trust plays a crucial role in the problem-solving process. Third, as found in this study, the more authority a salesperson has, the more he or she can be trusted. This finding is very important with regard to tactics. Building trust is a long-term assignment; however, when mutual trust has not been developed, suppliers can overcome the problems they encounter by empowering a salesperson with the authority to make certain decisions. This finding applies to suppliers as well.

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