• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-27
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• 2011

In an attempt to cope with widespread, dynamic, and accelerating changes in both internal and external business environments, companies often utilize information technologies such as SCM(Supply Chain Management). To date, SCM research has mainly focused on the effects of dynamic factors on SCM success and emphasized adoption strategies and critical success factors. Consequently, the effects of more static factors such as interdependency between SCM partners have been largely ignored. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the effects of both dynamic and static factors on SCM performance by controlling for information quality and partnership quality. The five factors examined in this study include innovative ness, mutual dependency, quality of information, partnership quality, and SCM performance. All factors were examined from the perspective of part suppliers, except the mutual dependency which was examined from two aspects: supplier's dependency on customer and customer's dependency on supplier. Data was collected through five hundred survey questionnaires distributed to the part supplier companies that have implemented SCM systems for at least one year. As a result, a total of 170 valid responses were obtained. A structural equation research model was fitted using SAS 9.1.3 and SMART-PLS 2.0. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. First, innovativeness positively affected SCM information quality. SCM partnership quality, and ultimately SCM performance. The path coefficient between innovativeness and information quality was 0.387, with a t-value of 3.528. Innovativeness also had a positively direct effect on partnership quality. The path coefficient was 0.351 with a t-value of 3.366. The total effect of innovativeness on partnership quality was significant, although its indirect effect on partnership quality by altering information quality was negligible. The total indirect effect of innovativeness on SCM performance by affecting information quality and partnership quality was significant with a p-value of 0.014. Innovativeness played an important role in determining SCM performance. Second, mutual dependency showed no significant effect on SCM information quality. This result contradicts the earlier assertion that the more dependent two companies are, the more accurate and timely the information they exchange ought to be. This study showed that this may not be the case; a partner may provide information of poor quality even when it is strongly dependent on the other. Mutual dependency showed significant effect on partnership quality. However, when the mutual dependency perceived by suppliers was divided into two parts, one being a supplier's dependency on its customer company and the other being a customer's dependency on the supplier, the latter showed a significant impact on the perceived SCM partnership quality. This result indicates that a customer company can hardly improve the partnership quality perceived by suppliers by making them more dependent. It improves only when the suppliers perceive that their partners, typically having more bargaining power, are more dependent on them. The overall effect of mutual dependency of any kind on SCM performance, however, was not significant. Although mutual dependency has been mentioned as an important static factor influencing almost every aspect of cooperation on a supply chain, its influences may not be as significant as it was initially perceived to be. Third, the correlation between information quality and partnership quality was 0.448 with a p-value of less than 0.001. Information quality had a path coefficient of 0.256 to partnership quality with a t-value of 2.940. The quality of information exchanged between partners may have an impact on their partnership quality. Fourth, information quality also had a significant impact on SCM performance with a path coefficient of 0.325 with a t-value of 3.611. In this study, SCM performance was divided into four categories: product quality, cost saving, service quality, and order fulfillment. Information quality has Significant impacts on product quality, cost saving and service quality, but not on order fulfillment. Fifth, partnership quality, as expected, had a significant impact on SCM performance. The path coefficient was 0.403 with a t-value of 3.539. Partnership quality, like information quality, had positive impacts on product quality, cost saving and service quality, but showed no impact on order fulfillment. It seemed that order fulfillment is the hardest category of performance that SCM can satisfy. One major limitation of this study is that it surveyed only the suppliers. To better understand the dual aspects of SCM, it is important to survey both suppliers and the assemblers, especially in pairs. This research, to our best knowledge, was the first attempt to study the level of dependency between the two groups by measuring the dual aspects of SCM and studying mutual dependency from the categories of suppliers and assemblers each.. In the future, a more comprehensive and precise measurement of SCM characteristics needs to be achieved by examining from both the supplier's and assembler's perspectives.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.195-221
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• 2009

According to an industry report, a large number of organizations have invested in Organizational Information System(OIS) in the past few years. Several research results indicate that successful investments in OIS lead to productivity enhancement, while failed ones result in undesirable consequences such as financial losses and dissatisfaction among employees. In spite of huge investments, however, many organizations have failed in achieving the hoped-for returns from OIS. Thus, understanding user acceptance, adoption, and usage of new IS(Information Systems) is an important issue for IS practitioners. Indeed, study of the user acceptance of new information system has been one of the most important research topics in the contemporary IS literature. Several theoretical models are tested to examine 'user acceptance' and 'usage behavior' in IS context. While many research models incorporate 'ease of use' or 'usefulness' as important factors in explaining user acceptance, Technology Acceptance Model(TAM) has been one of the most widely applied models in user acceptance and usage behavior. Even in recent IS studies that employ theories of innovation diffusion in the area of IS implementation, a major focus has been on the user's perception of information technologies. In this research, we study 'voluntariness' as an important factor in IS acceptance by users. Voluntariness is defined as "the degree to which the use of the innovation is perceived as being voluntary, or of free will" When examining the diffusion of accepting OIS, a thoughtful consideration should be given to 'perceived voluntariness.' Current article has following research questions: 1) What models are appropriate to explain the success of OIS? and 2) How does the 'voluntariness' affect the success of OIS? In order to answer these questions, a research model is proposed to describe the detailed nature of association among three independent variables (IT usage level, task interdependency, and organizational support), a mediating variable (IS usage), a dependent variable (perceived performance), and a moderating variable(perceived voluntariness). The central claim of this article is that organizations hardly realize expected returns from OIS investments unless perceived voluntariness is effectively managed after operating OIS. As an example of OIS in this study we have selected the Intranet of Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). ROKAF has implemented the Intranet in an attempt to improve communication and coordination within the organization. To test our research model and hypotheses, survey questionnaires were first sent out to 400 Intranet users. With the assistance of ROKAF, Intranet users were initially identified among its members, and subjects were randomly drawn from the pool. 377 survey responses were finally returned. The unit of measurement and analysis in this research is a personal level. Path analysis based on structural equation modeling was used to test research hypotheses. Construct validity represents accordance between the theoretical base concept of constructs and its measurement items. Tests for the reliability and discriminant validity are accepted, thus verifying our survey instrument. In this research, we have proposed a conceptual framework to highlight the importance of perceived voluntariness after organization deploys OIS. The results of our analysis present several key finding. First, all three independent variables (IT usage level, task interdependency, and organizational support) have significant effects on IS usage, which will eventually improve performance. Thus, IS usage plays a mediating role between antecedent variables (IT usage level. task interdependency, and organizational support) and performance improvement. Second, the effect of the task dependency was the highest for IS usage among the three antecedent variables. This is highly plausible since one of the Intranet's major capabilities is to facilitate communication among members within an organization. Accordingly, we conclude that the higher the task dependency, the higher Intranet usage. The effect of user's IT usage level was the second, while the effect of the organizational support was the third. Finally, the perceived voluntariness plays a pivotal role in enhancing perceived performance in personal level after launching the Intranet. Relationships among investigated variables were significantly different between groups with a high level and a low level of voluntariness. The impact of the Intranet usage on the performance was greater in the higher level voluntariness group than in the lower one. For the lower level voluntariness group, the user's IT usage had the highest effect on the Intranet usage among the three antecedent variables. In short, our study suggests that the higher the perceived voluntariness is the more IS usage will be. Perceived voluntariness was found to have a moderating effect on the relationships among user IT usage level, task interdependency, IS usage, and perceived performance, supporting all the hypotheses on the moderating effect. Most of all, user IT usage level has the strongest influence on IS usage, indicating that users with superior IT usage are more likely to enjoy a high level of perceived performance.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.131-154
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• 2013

New internet technologies have created a revolutionary new platform which allows consumers to make decision about product price and quality quickly and provides information about themselves through the transcript of online reviews. By expressing their feelings toward products or services on virtual opinion platforms, users extend their influence into cyberspace as electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). Existing research indicates that an impact of eWOM on the consumer decision process is influential. For both academic researchers and practitioners, investigating this phenomenon of information sharing in online website is essential given the increasing number of consumers using them as sources of purchase decisions. It is worthwhile to examine the extent to which opinion seekers are willing to accept and adopt online reviews and which factors encourage adoption. Discerning the most motivating aspects of information adoption in particular, could help electronic marketers better promote their brand and presence on the internet. The objectives of this study are to investigate how online WOM influences a persons' purchase decision by discovering which factors encourage information adoption. Especially focused on the self-efficacy, this research investigates how self-efficacy affects on information usefulness and adoption of online information. Although people are exposed to same review or comment about product or service, some accept the reviews while others do not. We notice that accepting online reviews mainly depends on the person's preference or personal characteristics. This study empirically examines this issue by using cognitive dissonance theory. Specifically, in the movie industry, we address few questions-is always positive WOM generating positive effect? What if the movie isn't the person's favorite genre? What if the person who is very self-assertive so doesn't take other's opinion easily? In these cases of cognitive dissonance, is always WOM generating same result? While many studies have focused on one direct of WOM which indicates positive (or negative) informative reviews or comments generate positive (or negative) results and more (or less) profits, this study investigates not only directional properties of WOM but also how people change their opinion towards product or service positive to negative, negative to positive through the online WOM. An experiment was conducted quantitatively by using a sample of 168 users who have experience within the online movie review site, 'Naver Movie'. Users were required to complete a survey regarding reviews and comments taken from the real movie page. The data reflected user's perceptions of online WOM information that determined users' adoption level. Analysis results provide empirical support for the proposed theoretical perspective. When user can't agree with the opinion of online WOM information, in other words, when cognitive dissonance between online WOM information and users' preference occurs, perceived self-efficacy significantly decreases customers' perception of usefulness. And this perception of usefulness plays an important role in determining users' intention to adopt online WOM information. Most of researches have been concentrated on characteristics of online WOM itself such as quality or vividness of information, credibility of source and direction of online WOM, etc. for describing effect of online WOM, but our results suggest that users' personal character (e.g., self-efficacy) plays decisive role for acceptance of online WOM information. Higher self-efficacy means lower possibility to accept the information that represents counter opinion because of cognitive dissonance, whereas the people that have lower self-efficacy are willing to accept the online WOM information as true and refer to purchase decision. This study suggests a model for understanding role of direction of online WOM information. Also, our result implicates the importance of online review supervision and personalized information service by confirming switching opinion negative to positive is more difficult than positive to negative through the online WOM information. This implication would help marketers to manage online reviews of their products or services.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2011

Prior to the introduction of the CRM, we need to analyze the characteristics and the situations of the company, and should establish a clear vision of the CRM. And each company should identify elements and technologies for introducing the most suitable CRM for them, and optimize them, with long-term perspective. In addition, it requires the implementation strategy which integrates the existing company's routine marketing activities with the concept of the CRM. According to the implementation strategy, the company should improve the business process which is the most effective in investment step by step, and the information system strategy, which develops system investment gradually, should harmonize with it. First, we recognized that raising the company value is important by maximizing customer lifetime value (LTV) by understanding customer needs, and achieving the company's goal through customer satisfaction. Second, we understood that adopting the CRM should be accompanied by changes in the structure, business process and customer contact channels, and it can be successfully integrated with business when it gets proper understandings and attentions of the management. Third, the reality is that there are few cases of successful implementation of domestic companies, and some companies that successfully implement the system mean nothing but implement the solution for developing the CRM. Therefore, it needs to be observed for the long haul, and it seems that we need to approach more systematically to implementation cases for each industry about implementation of the CRM. Fourth, the CRM is no longer the preserve of major companies, and it is the time that medium and small sized enterprises also need it. Taking lesson from Switzerland's small size store merchants who successfully adopt right size of the CRM for their business, for domestic medium and small sized enterprises, the necessity to develop business through developing the CRM models which fit their situations and maintaining relationships with customers has been grown. Fifth, for adopting the CRM business processes, changing or converting the CRM system to the model which fits the company's situation is important rather than applying the advanced company's CRM system model. In other words, the CRM solution which can maximize their own strength by developing the CRM program that makes the most of features and characteristics of the company should be adopted.

• Journal of KIISE:Software and Applications
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.909-918
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• 2010

To analyze the national competitiveness of Korea leads to the conclusion that global high-tech enterprises have been playing leading and pulling roles in making Korea in line with advanced countries even though the country is lacking in various natural resources. The characteristics of these companies above are as follows; Firstly, these enterprises continue to accumulate core technologies and know-how with highly competent human resources and well-organized management. Secondly, they are well structured and equipped with information technology infrastructures which are, for example, ERP, SCM, CRM, and PLM. Among them PLM is considered to be the principal core information technology infra in manufacturing industry. The urgent task of manufacturing industry recently is to develop new products to accept various needs of consumers, and to launch the products in time to market, which requires the manufactures to be equipped with product development infra and system to upgrade product fulfillment and mass production system in a short period. The introduction of PLM System is a solution of core strategy as a manufacturer for collaboration, global development, reengineering of manufacturing system, the innovation and efficiency of manufacturing process, and product quality improvement. The purpose of this study is to analyze the success factors of introducing PLM System and its practicing effectiveness. And the results of empirical study are as follows; (1) Technical success factors positively impact system quality and user satisfaction, (2) Organizational success factors positively impact system quality, but does not impact user satisfaction, (3) Environmental success factors positively impact system quality and user satisfaction, (4) System quality positively impacts user satisfaction, (5) User satisfaction positively impacts the effectiveness of implementing PLM systems, but system quality does not impact it.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.217-244
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• 2008

Consumers' overall satisfaction on a specific library use is inferred to be primarily accrued from their performance perception and use satisfaction on the library information service system as recent information technology is being rapidly improved and more libraries are being equipped with advanced information technologies. However, prior research has been conducted only on general library service quality and visitors' satisfaction, leaving the important aspects of visitors' library use and information performance perception. Thus, the objectives of this research are to examine the effect of library use patterns such as general visit for book reading and more professional information search, coupled with service quality, on the library users' performance perception on the information system that in turn, affects library use satisfaction on the same information system. More specifically, this study examines whether library visitors perceive differenltly the information system performance according to their library use patterns such that professional library users may have less positive on information system service due to their higher expectation or more positive perception on it due to variety of information uses and positive judgment on advanced information system. Next, three dimensions of service quality, consisting of interaction, outcome, and physical evidence quality in visitors' library use situations, are hypothesized to affect performance perception on library information system. Thirdly, the performance perception on library information system is hypothesized to influence the system use satisfaction while these two constructs are to affect visitors' overall satisfaction. we develop the following research model in accordance with the above theoretical reasoning. All variables used in this study(General Use Patterns, Professional Use Patterns, Interaction Quality, Outcome Quality, Physical Evidence Quality, Information Performance Perception, Information Use Satisfaction, Overall Satisfaction) were defined operationally based on the underlying prior studies. A survey was conducted with prepared questionnaires to about 400 visitors of a specific university library. Among them, 353 proper questionnaires were finally used for the analyses. Two-step approach was used to test the hypotheses. First, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to guarantee the validity and reliability of variables. The results showed that all variables had not only convergent and discriminant validity, but also reliability. Then, research model was examined with a structural equation using LISREL 8.30 version. The fitness of the research model was found to be within the acceptable level. The findings of this study are as follows. The professional library use pattern was found to affect the users' performance perception on the library information system while the general library use pattern was not. Second, three dimensions of service quality (interaction, outcome, physical evidence) were found to influence the information system performance respectively while none of them was not to information use satisfaction. Third, library users' performance perception on the information system operation was found to affect the information system use satisfaction, both of which also influence users' overall satisfaction of the library. The findings of this study suggest that contemporary libraries strengthen their advanced information system operation in a way of user orientation and more importantly maximize their visitors' utilization of information system, accompanying proper material and various program development. This study conceptualized the new constructs of library users' performance perception on the information system and information use satisfaction which could better explain library users' overall satisfaction. Thus, furture study related with library service could utilize the constructs of information system performance and satisfaction as well as the variety of library use patterns in the users' viewpoints.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.249-269
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• 2020

Recently, as the online market has matured, it is facing many problems to prevent the growth. The most common problem is the homogenization of online products, which fails to increase the number of customers any more. Moreover, although the portion of the online market has increased significantly, it now becomes essential to expand offline for further development. In response, many online firms have recently sought to expand their businesses and marketing channels by securing offline spaces that can complement the limitations of online platforms, on top of their existing advantages of online channels. Based on their competitive advantage in terms of analyzing large volumes of customer data utilizing information technologies (e.g., big data and artificial intelligence), they are reinforcing their offline influence as well through this online for offline (O4O) business model. On the other hand, most of the existing research has primarily focused on online to offline (O2O) business model, and there is still a lack of research on O4O business models, which have been actively attempted in various industrial fields in recent years. Since a few of O4O-related studies have been conducted only in an experience marketing setting following a case study method, it is critical to conduct an empirical study on O4O selection attributes and their impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Therefore, focusing on China's representative O4O business model, 'Fresh Hema,' this study attempts to identify some key selection attributes specialized for O4O services from the customers' viewpoint and examine the impact of these attributes on customer satisfaction and loyalty. The results of the structural equation modeling (SEM) with 300 O4O (Fresh Hema) experienced customers, reveal that, out of seven O4O selection attributes, four (mobile app quality, mobile payment, product quality, and store facilities) have an impact on customer satisfaction, which also leads to customer loyalty (reuse intention, recommendation intention, and brand attachment). This study would help managers in an O4O area well adapt to rapidly changing customer needs and provide them with some guidelines for enhancing both customer satisfaction and loyalty by allocating more resources to more significant selection attributes, rather than less significant ones.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.105-112
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• 2009

This study has attempted to facilitate various new technologies related to indoor containers and develop a desirable planting environment after investigating the growth (including root growth) of shade-tolerant landscape plants under slit processing, a natural indoor ventilation system. The following results were found: In terms of the shoot growth of Fatsia japonica in a slit container, no distinctive difference was observed in comparison with the control group. However, growth was good when the container 250mm tall or taller. Therefore, it was verified that optical soil depth is more important than slit processing in shoot growth of Fatsia japonica. In Fatsia japonica root length was observed as follows: Control 2(250mm) > Slit 2(250mm) > Control 1(195mm) > Slit 3(360mm) > Control 3(360mm) > Slit 1(195mm). The largest growth was observed in Control 2(250mm), which had no slit processing. In term of root width, this was lower than the initial value in all groups, which means that the root grew vertically, not horizontally. In terms of plant height of Ophiopogon japonicus, a gradual increase was observed in the control group that had no slit processing. No significant growth was detected in the slit system, however. In terms of shoot number, slit containers were generally higher than the control group. In terms of fresh and dry weights, on the contrary, slit containers were mostly lower than the control group. In Ophiopogon japonicus, root length was observed as follows: Slit 2(250mm) > Slit 1(195mm) > Control 2(250mm) > Control 3(360mm) > Slit 3(360mm) > Control 1(195mm). In Ardisia japonica, slit containers were mostly greater than control group in terms of plant height. The greatest plant height was observed at Slit 2(250mm) instead of Slit 1(195mm) and Slit 3(360mm). Except for plant height and shoot number, however, no significant shoot and root growth was observed. Root length was observed as follows: Slit 2(250mm) > Slit 3(360mm) > Control 3(360mm) > Slit 1(195mm) > Control 2(250mm) > Control 1(195mm). Therefore, root length in slit containers was mostly greater than in the control group. The width of root, however, declined in general.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.751-755
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• 2005

Carbon dioxide, included in the flue gas from the combustion of fossil fuel, was known as a representative green house gas and various removal and utilization technologies of it has been studied for the prevention of global warming. This study was performed as an effort to find out a method to reuse carbon dioxide separated from flue gas by magnetite powder. Magnetite powder was synthesized using various oxidizers and alkalinity controlled aqueous solutions of $FeSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ and NaOH at 50, 80, 90, $100^{\circ}C$ and analyzed by XRD and SEM. The analysis results showed that magnetite powder synthesized at higher alkalinity and temperature had crystalline spinel and cubic structure. The reduction by hydrogen and the oxidation by carbon dioxide of synthesized powder were studied by TGA. The results showed that magnetite powder synthesized at low alkalinity and temperature was non-cubical amorphous but crystalline and cubical at high alkalinity and temperature. Comparing magnetite powders synthesized using oxidants(air and oxygen) and nitrogen, magnetite powder using more oxygen containing oxidant synthesized more crystalline magnetite powder. The experimental results of redox reaction of the synthesized magnetite powder showed that the reduction by hydrogen and the oxidation by carbon dioxide were seldom observed below $400^{\circ}C$ and observed well at $500^{\circ}C$. Magnetite powder synthesized at $100^{\circ}C$ and alkalinity(molal concentration ratio of $FeSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ to NaOH) of 2.0 using $O_2$ showed the highest reduction of 27.15 wt％ and oxidation of 26.73 wt％, especially at reaction temperature of $500^{\circ}C$.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartD
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• v.13D no.7 s.110
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• pp.985-996
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• 2006

As the internet technologies develop, the geographic information system environment is changing to the web-based service. Since geospatial information of the existing Web-GIS services were developed independently, there is no interoperability to support diverse map formats. In spite of the same geospatial information object it can be used for various proposes that is duplicated in GIS separately. It needs intelligent strategies for optimal replica selection, which is identification of replication geospatial information objects. And for management of replication objects, OMG, GLOBE and GRID computing suggested related frameworks. But these researches are not thorough going enough in case of geospatial information object. This paper presents a model of location service, which is supported for optimal selection among replication and management of replication objects. It is consist of tree main services. The first is binding service which can save names and properties of object defined by users according to service offers and enable clients to search them on the service of offers. The second is location service which can manage location information with contact records. And obtains performance information by the Load Sharing Facility on system independently with contact address. The third is intelligent selection service which can obtain basic/performance information from the binding service/location service and provide both faster access and better performance characteristics by rules as intelligent model based on rough sets. For the validity of location service model, this research presents the processes of location service execution with Graphic User Interface.