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Recent Progress in Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Research : A Review of Papers Published in the Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering in 2015 (설비공학회 분야의 최근 연구 동향 : 2015년 학회지 논문에 대한 종합적 고찰)

  • Lee, Dae-Young;Kim, Sa Ryang;Kim, Hyun-Jung;Kim, Dong-Seon;Park, Jun-Seok;Ihm, Pyeong Chan
    • Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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    • v.28 no.6
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    • pp.256-268
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    • 2016
  • This article reviews the papers published in the Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering during 2015. It is intended to understand the status of current research in the areas of heating, cooling, ventilation, sanitation, and indoor environments of buildings and plant facilities. Conclusions are as follows. (1) The research works on the thermal and fluid engineering were carried out in the areas of flow, heat and mass transfer, cooling and heating, and air-conditioning, the renewable energy system and the flow inside building rooms. Research issues dealing with air-conditioning machines and fire and exhausting smoke were reduced. CFD seems to be spreading to more research areas. (2) Research works on heat transfer area were carried out in the categories of heat transfer characteristics, pool boiling and condensing heat transfer and industrial heat exchangers. Researches on heat transfer characteristics included the economic analysis of GHG emission, micro channel heat exchanger, effect of rib angle on thermal performance, the airside performance of fin-and-tube heat exchangers, theoretical analysis of a rotary heat exchanger, heat exchanger in a cryogenic environment, the performance of a cross-flow-type, indirect evaporative cooler made of paper/plastic film. In the area of pool boiling and condensing, the bubble jet loop heat pipe was studied. In the area of industrial heat exchangers, researches were performed on fin-tube heat exchanger, KSTAR PFC and vacuum vessel at baking phase, the performance of small-sized dehumidification rotor, design of gas-injection port of an asymmetric scroll compressor, effect of slot discharge-angle change on exhaust efficiency of range hood system with air curtain. (3) In the field of refrigeration, various studies were carried in the categories of refrigeration cycle, alternative refrigeration/energy system, system control. In the refrigeration cycle category, a cold-climate heat pump system, $CO_2$ cascade systems, ejector cycles and a PCM-based continuous heating system were investigated. In the alternative refrigeration/energy system category, a polymer adsorption heat pump, an alcohol absorption heat pump and a desiccant-based hybrid refrigeration system were investigated. In the system control category, turbo-refrigerator capacity controls and an absorption chiller fault diagnostics were investigated. (4) In building mechanical system research fields, eighteen studies were reported for achieving effective design of the mechanical systems, and also for maximizing the energy efficiency of buildings. The topics of the studies included energy performance, HVAC system, ventilation, and renewable energies, piping in the buildings. Proposed designs, performance tests using numerical methods and experiments provide useful information and key data which can improve the energy efficiency of the buildings. (5) The field of architectural environment was mostly focused on indoor environment and building energy. The main researches of indoor environment were related to the user and location awareness technology applied dimming lighting control system, the lighting performance evaluation for light-shelves, the improvement evaluation of air quality through analysis of ventilation efficiency and the evaluation of airtightness of sliding and LS window systems. The subjects of building energy were worked on the energy saving estimation of existing buildings, the developing model to predict heating energy usage in domestic city area and the performance evaluation of cooling applied with economizer control. The studies were also performed related to the experimental measurement of weight variation and thermal conductivity in polyurethane foam, the development of flame spread prevention system for sandwich panels, the utilization of heat from waste-incineration facility in large-scale horticultural facilities.

On the 'realization' meaning of possibility expressions - '-ul swu iss-' and its counterparts in Japanese and Chinese - (가능 표현의 실현 용법에 대하여 - '-을 수 있-' 및 일본어·중국어의 대응 표현을 중심으로 -)

  • Kang, Yeongri;Xu, Cuie;Park, Jinho
    • Cross-Cultural Studies
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    • v.50
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    • pp.313-346
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    • 2018
  • It is noted that generally speaking, the expressing of actualization or non-actualization of events is not the main role of possibility for the utilization of expressions. In spite of this fact, it is possible to see many examples in which possibility expressions represent actual events, and impossibility expressions represent a type of non-actualization in relation to events. This effect can be described as a semantic extension, by which the participant-internal possibility is extended to actualization due to participant-internal factors, and the participant-external possibility is extended to the actualization due to participant-external factors. When the related possibility expressions are used in this extended sense, they express the dynamic evaluative meaning of 'desirability' of the realized event, while it is determined that when the impossibility expressions are used in this extended sense, they are seen to express the evaluative meaning of 'regretfulness' about the non-actualization of the event. In Modern Japanese, it is noted that there are a few expressions of ability and possibility. They can be largely divided into four types of expressions, according to their origins or uses of expression, which are 'ability verbs', affixes '-れる/られる(-reru/rareru)', '-できる(-dekiru)', and '-得る(-eru)'. They can all express participant-internal possibility and participant-external non-deontic possibility. While 'ability verbs', affixes '-れる/られる' and '-できる' can express participant-external deontic possibility, '-得る' cannot. However, '-得る' is the only possible element to designate the event of a epistemic possibility. Also, the four types of expressions have the usage of conveying 'actualization/non-actualization,' as is the case of the Korean language. However in Japanese, in fact adjectives cannot be associated with 'ability verbs' or 'ability affixes.' Thus the expressions of 'regrets' should in that case depend on the use contexts, unlike the expression 'adj+-지 못하다' as noted in Korean. The ability and possibility in Modern Chinese are mainly expressed by means of the four auxiliary verbs '能($n{\acute{e}}ng$)', '会(huì)', '可以(kěyǐ)' and '可能 ($k{\check{e}}n{\acute{e}}ng$)'. '能' and '会' along with '可以' can all convey participant-internal possibility. In this way '能' and '可以' can express participant-external possibility. Only '会' and '可能' can express epistemic possibility. As for 'actualization,' among the four auxiliary verbs, only '能' can represent actualization. Also, among the negatives of the four auxiliary verbs, only '沒能' can represent non-actualization.

Experiments on Flow Characteristics of Asphalt Seal Composite Waterproofing Method for Underground Concrete Structure Exterior Wall Waterproofing (지하 콘크리트 구조물 외벽 방수용 아스팔트 씰재 복합방수 공법의 흘러내림 특성에 관한 실험)

  • Ko, Sang-Ung;Kim, Kyoung-Hoon;Kim, Young-Sam;Shin, Hong-Chul;Kim, Jin-Man
    • Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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    • v.6 no.4
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    • pp.297-303
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    • 2018
  • With the changing trend of the building construction to high rising and large scaling, the underground structure has been increased, and its usage also increased and variety. Hence, to protect the underground structure against underground water, various water proofing methods has been developed. Among the many water proofing methods, the combined water proofing method using both asphalt seal and sheet has been widely used to secure the sufficient performance and decrease the construction failure. However, during the summer period of extremely high temperature conditions, the asphalt sealing materials were separated and leaked into the structure. Therefore, the aim of the research is to provide the quality standard of asphalt sealing material based on the various temperature changes depending on seasons. According to the experimental results, the temperature of the sealing materials applied on the slab was increased up to $54^{\circ}C$ which was $3^{\circ}C$ higher than the structure temperature of $51^{\circ}C$. Based on the melting test for asphalt sealing materials applied on the outside wall of the structure, in the case of water-dispersing typed materials showed significant melting down due to its slow evaporation and low viscosity. Furthermore, from the accelerated test conducted indoor conditions, a solvent-type and water-dispersing typed materials showed significant melting down due to their low viscosity and melting point in ambient conditions. Based on these results, viscosity and melting point are found as the important factors on asphalt sealing materials' quality, and it is necessary to designate the quantitative level of the viscosity and melting point for quality control.

A Study of Quality Improvement Methods of Archival Contents Service - With as the Central Figure of Cases among Korea and England and Japan - (기록정보콘텐츠의 품질향상 방안 연구 - 한국·영국·일본의 사례비교를 중심으로 -)

  • Yang, In-Ho
    • The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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    • no.23
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    • pp.87-139
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    • 2010
  • Unlike in the past, a new paradigm has been presented which the use of records is much more important than the preservation of those in the present. It will be necessary for users to signalizes the value of records and to make themselves easily accessible to records in order that records should be more effectively used. To meet the needs of the times, it is the very 'Contents' that starts to attract public attention. National Archives in England produces and provides contents utilizing multi-media by using digital technology on various sorts of archives which England has. In addition to England, Asian Historical Records center in Japan in Japan makes Archival Contents Service reflecting users' needs and continues to update the latest contents. What is more, National Archives of Korea has recently promoted the introduction of digital archive by the change of archival paradigm in records management, and it is giving an impetus to the development of contents in the digital archive. In fact, it is crucial to keep as many contents as possible and to give service to public, but it will not be possible to get positive response from public and to offer much higher level of archival information service until the quality of contents is highly improved. Accordingly, this manuscript analyzed the feature and type of contents which National Archives of Korea provides with cases of both TNA in England and Asian Historical Records center in Japan, each of which has different characteristics. Also, it dealt with several methods of the usage of contents in those organizations. Furthermore, this study explained what kind of contents and feedback are given to users. Moreover, it divided the components of contents of three institutions as mentioned into three by information provided and evaluated the quality of contents by establishing the details of contents. In addition, there were implications for archives with regard to reference for building contents.

Winter Indoor Thermal Environment Status of Nursery Rooms in Workplace Daycare Centers in Jeju Island (제주지역 직장어린이집 보육실의 겨울철 실내온열환경 실태)

  • Kim, Bong-Ae;Ko, Youn-Suk
    • Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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    • v.33 no.12
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    • pp.81-90
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    • 2017
  • This study was conducted to investigate the thermal environment status of nursery rooms in workplace daycare centers in Jeju and propose measures to improve their indoor physical thermal environment. For this purpose, measurements were performed in the winter indoor physical environment of 51 nursery rooms in 11 workplace daycare centers and a psychological evaluation survey on the thermal environment of nursery rooms was conducted for 70 nursery teachers. The investigation was carried out over 11 days in January 2017. The results are as follow. The average indoor temperature of the nursery rooms was $21.3^{\circ}C$($18.7-23.8^{\circ}C$) and the indoor temperatures of 47 nursery rooms (92.9%) were higher than the environmental hygiene management standard for domestic school facilities ($18-20^{\circ}C$). The average relative humidity was 33.9% (16.4-56.0%), and 37 nursery rooms (86.3%) showed a lower average relative humidity than the standard (40-70%). The average absolute humidity was $9.1g/m^3$ ($4.7-13.6g/m^3$), which was lower than the standard for preventing influenza ($10g/m^3$). When the indoor temperature and humidity of the nursery rooms were compared with international standards, it was found that 85% or more of the 51 nursery rooms maintained appropriate indoor temperatures, but 40-50% of the nursery rooms maintained a low humidity condition. Therefore, they need to pay attention to maintaining the appropriate humidity of the nursery room to keep the children healthy. The average indoor temperature of the nursery rooms showed a weak negative correlation with the average relative humidity. The indoor temperature had a significant effect on the relative humidity: a higher indoor temperature resulted in lower relative humidity. Regarding the fluctuations in the average indoor temperature of the nursery rooms during the day, in daycare centers that used floor heating, the indoor temperature gradually increased form the morning to the afternoon and tended to decrease during lunch time and the morning and afternoon snack times, due to ventilation. The daycare centers that used both floor heating and ceiling-type air conditioners showed a higher indoor temperature and greater fluctuations in temperature compared to the daycare centers that used floor heating only. In the survey results, the average value of the whole body thermal sensation was 3.0 (neutral): 32 respondents (62.7%) answered, "Neutral", Which was the largest number, followed by 21 respondents (30%) who answered, "Slightly hot" and 17 respondents (24.2%) who answered, "Slightly cold." Twenty-nine respondents answered, "Slightly dry," which was the largest number, followed by 28 respondents (54.9%) who answered, "Neutral" and 10 respondents (19.6%) who answered, "Dry." The total number of respondents who answered, "Slightly dry" or "Dry" was large at 39 (56.4%), which suggests the need for indoor environment management to prevent a low-humidity environment. To summarize the above results about the thermal environment of nursery rooms, as the indoor temperature increased, the relative humidity decreased. This suggests the effect of room temperature on the indoor relative humidity; however, frequent ventilations also greatly decrease the relative humidity. Therefore, the ventilation method and the usage of air conditioning systems need to be re-examined.

Analysis of Planted Trees to Improve the Landscape and Naturalness of Seoul Forest (서울숲의 경관과 자연성 증진을 위한 식재수종의 현황분석)

  • Park, Ji-Young
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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    • v.41 no.2
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    • pp.19-25
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    • 2023
  • This study aimed to analyze the current status of planted trees in Seoul Forest and propose improvement plans to improve the naturalness in the park. A comprehensive survey of the trees in the park was conducted, and the data gathered was used to build a list of planting trees suitable for an urban park. The analysis of the characteristics of landscape trees in Seoul Forest by type was about the presence or absence of leaves, and they were classified into deciduous trees, evergreen trees, deciduous shrubs, and evergreen shrubs, and herbaceous plants such as groundcover plants separately classified. The study found that Seoul Forest had 57 species of native and naturalized trees, with 27 deciduous trees, 35 deciduous shrubs, 15 evergreen trees, and 98 evergreen shrubs. The park also had 472 species of herbaceous plants, totaling 320,000. The majority of planted trees in Seoul Forest were native species, comprising 59% of the total planted trees, while naturalized species made up 41%. Furthermore, the ratio of deciduous trees to evergreen trees was 81% to 19%, with deciduous trees being the dominant species. The evergreen trees showed a similar trend, with a total of 23 species, including 15 native and 8 foreign species, accounting for 65% of native species. In addition, the study identified six common deciduous shrubs, including Forsythia koreana, orbaria sorbifolia var. stellipila, Deutzia parviflora, Rhododendron lateritium, and Spiraea prunifolia var. simpliciflora, which are frequently planted in areas with abundant water. The study also revealed that among the 10 evergreen shrub species, 9 were native and 1 was foreign. The study aimed to classify the species planted in Seoul Forest into native and foreign species and to provide a data-driven plan to encourage the planting of native species. This study offers valuable insights into planting planning and design for urban parks, which is essential for enhancing naturalness, as most studies have primarily focused on usage patterns and satisfaction in urban parks. By promoting the planting of native species, the naturalness of Seoul Forest can be improved.

A Study on the Effect of Chinese Consumers' Attachment toward Korean Hallyu Stars on the Authenticity and Trust of Korean Cosmetic Brands (중국소비자의 한류스타에 대한 애착이 한국 화장품 브랜드 진정성 및 신뢰에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구)

  • Jeong, Gap-Yeon;Lee, Su-Hee
    • Korea Trade Review
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    • v.41 no.4
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    • pp.185-219
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    • 2016
  • The Chinese cosmetics market is rapidly expanding, but various problems have also emerged, including exaggerated advertisement, lack of accurate information on product usage and the emergence of imitation products. For this reason, cosmetics companies have been making efforts to convince Chinese consumers of their brand authenticity and trust. In particular, Korean cosmetics firms have been using Hallyu stars who are largely popular among Chinese consumers as a means to raise their brand authenticity and trust. The aim of this study was to view Hallyu stars as human brands in the Chinese cosmetics market and verify whether the Chinese consumers' attachment toward Korean celebrities help the consumers perceive the authenticity of the brands advertised by the stars, and whether such brand authenticity affects the Chinese consumers' trust in Korean cosmetics brands. Furthermore, based on the fact that brand authenticity is defined and classified differently according to the type of product, this study observed the authenticity of Korean cosmetics brands from the aspect of product, employee and company based on previous research conducted on cosmetics brand authenticity. To this end, this study surveyed Chinese consumers for a month by using a representative survey website (http://www.sojump.com) that actively shares information related to cosmetics. A total of 394 surveys were used in the empirical analysis. The results of empirical analysis indicated that Chinese consumers' attachment toward Hallyu stars spreads to the Korean cosmetics brands advertised by the celebrities to have a positive effect on the brand authenticity perceived by Chinese consumers, including the authenticity of product, employee and company. Results also showed that the authenticity of Korean cosmetics brands, including product, employee and company, affected Chinese consumers' trust in the brands. The results of this study can provide implications regarding advertising or marketing strategies using Hallyu stars that can be utilized by Korean cosmetics companies to improve brand authenticity and reliability perceived by Chinese consumers in the Chinese cosmetics market, where brand authenticity and reliability are important.

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Analysis of Fish Utilization and Effectiveness of Fishways Installed at Weirs in Large Rivers (대하천 보에 설치된 어도의 어류 이용 현황 및 효과 분석)

  • Jeong-Hui Kim;Sang-Hyeon Park;Seung-Ho Baek;Namjoo Lee;Min-Ho Jang;Ju-Duk Yoon
    • Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.56 no.4
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    • pp.348-362
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    • 2023
  • This study analyzed the monitoring results of fishways at 16 weirs constructed on four large Rivers to provide data helpful for the operation and management of fishways. The average utilization rate of the fishways at the weirs was confirmed to be 64.9%. When comparing the dominant species in the mainstream and fishway monitoring results, differences were observed in 9 weirs (56.3%). This indicated that the species prevalent in the mainstream were not necessarily the ones most frequently using the fishways. The average number of individuals using the fishways per day was 336. When classifying the fish species using the fishway by life type, 92.3% were primary freshwater fish, and migratory species accounted for only 5.6%. Analysis based on the season of fishway usage revealed that an average or higher number of fish species used the fishways from May to October, with the highest number of individual users occurring from June to August. Between May and July, 80% of the fish species using the fishways were in their spawning period, while during other season, less than 40% were species that move during the spawning period. The fishways that showed a significant alignment between the spawning period and the fishway passage period were Rhinogobius brunneus, Leiocassis nitidus, Squalidus chankaensis tsuchigae, Pseudogobio esocinus, Acheilognathus rhombeus, and Pungtungia herzi, in that order. When comparing the fishway monitoring results of the Gangjeong-Goryeong Weir and the Dalseong Weir with the upper part water level of the weir, both the number of fish species and individuals using the fishway showed positive correlations with the upper part water level of the weir. This suggests that a higher water level of the weir increases the inflow discharge within the fishway, leading to increased use by fish (number of individuals in Gangjeong-Goryeong Weir, P<0.001; number of species in Dalseong Weir, P<0.05). This study summarized and analyzed the results of fishway monitoring at 16 weirs built on four large Rivers, considering fishway efficiency, operation and management, monitoring period, and regulation of water level in the upper part of the weir. It is thought that this will help understand the status of fish use in fishways on large River and aid the construction, operation, and management of fishways in the future.

The Impacts of Need for Cognitive Closure, Psychological Wellbeing, and Social Factors on Impulse Purchasing (인지폐합수요(认知闭合需要), 심리건강화사회인소대충동구매적영향(心理健康和社会因素对冲动购买的影响))

  • Lee, Myong-Han;Schellhase, Ralf;Koo, Dong-Mo;Lee, Mi-Jeong
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.44-56
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    • 2009
  • Impulse purchasing is defined as an immediate purchase with no pre-shopping intentions. Previous studies of impulse buying have focused primarily on factors linked to marketing mix variables, situational factors, and consumer demographics and traits. In previous studies, marketing mix variables such as product category, product type, and atmospheric factors including advertising, coupons, sales events, promotional stimuli at the point of sale, and media format have been used to evaluate product information. Some authors have also focused on situational factors surrounding the consumer. Factors such as the availability of credit card usage, time available, transportability of the products, and the presence and number of shopping companions were found to have a positive impact on impulse buying and/or impulse tendency. Research has also been conducted to evaluate the effects of individual characteristics such as the age, gender, and educational level of the consumer, as well as perceived crowding, stimulation, and the need for touch, on impulse purchasing. In summary, previous studies have found that all products can be purchased impulsively (Vohs and Faber, 2007), that situational factors affect and/or at least facilitate impulse purchasing behavior, and that various individual traits are closely linked to impulse buying. The recent introduction of new distribution channels such as home shopping channels, discount stores, and Internet stores that are open 24 hours a day increases the probability of impulse purchasing. However, previous literature has focused predominantly on situational and marketing variables and thus studies that consider critical consumer characteristics are still lacking. To fill this gap in the literature, the present study builds on this third tradition of research and focuses on individual trait variables, which have rarely been studied. More specifically, the current study investigates whether impulse buying tendency has a positive impact on impulse buying behavior, and evaluates how consumer characteristics such as the need for cognitive closure (NFCC), psychological wellbeing, and susceptibility to interpersonal influences affect the tendency of consumers towards impulse buying. The survey results reveal that while consumer affective impulsivity has a strong positive impact on impulse buying behavior, cognitive impulsivity has no impact on impulse buying behavior. Furthermore, affective impulse buying tendency is driven by sub-components of NFCC such as decisiveness and discomfort with ambiguity, psychological wellbeing constructs such as environmental control and purpose in life, and by normative and informational influences. In addition, cognitive impulse tendency is driven by sub-components of NFCC such as decisiveness, discomfort with ambiguity, and close-mindedness, and the psychological wellbeing constructs of environmental control, as well as normative and informational influences. The present study has significant theoretical implications. First, affective impulsivity has a strong impact on impulse purchase behavior. Previous studies based on affectivity and flow theories proposed that low to moderate levels of impulsivity are driven by reduced self-control or a failure of self-regulatory mechanisms. The present study confirms the above proposition. Second, the present study also contributes to the literature by confirming that impulse buying tendency can be viewed as a two-dimensional concept with both affective and cognitive dimensions, and illustrates that impulse purchase behavior is explained mainly by affective impulsivity, not by cognitive impulsivity. Third, the current study accommodates new constructs such as psychological wellbeing and NFCC as potential influencing factors in the research model, thereby contributing to the existing literature. Fourth, by incorporating multi-dimensional concepts such as psychological wellbeing and NFCC, more diverse aspects of consumer information processing can be evaluated. Fifth, the current study also extends the existing literature by confirming the two competing routes of normative and informational influences. Normative influence occurs when individuals conform to the expectations of others or to enhance his/her self-image. Whereas informational influence occurs when individuals search for information from knowledgeable others or making inferences based upon observations of the behavior of others. The present study shows that these two competing routes of social influence can be attributed to different sources of influence power. The current study also has many practical implications. First, it suggests that people with affective impulsivity may be primary targets to whom companies should pay closer attention. Cultivating a more amenable and mood-elevating shopping environment will appeal to this segment. Second, the present results demonstrate that NFCC is closely related to the cognitive dimension of impulsivity. These people are driven by careless thoughts, not by feelings or excitement. Rational advertising at the point of purchase will attract these customers. Third, people susceptible to normative influences are another potential target market. Retailers and manufacturers could appeal to this segment by advertising their products and/or services as products that can be used to identify with or conform to the expectations of others in the aspiration group. However, retailers should avoid targeting people susceptible to informational influences as a segment market. These people are engaged in an extensive information search relevant to their purchase, and therefore more elaborate, long-term rational advertising messages, which can be internalized into these consumers' thought processes, will appeal to this segment. The current findings should be interpreted with caution for several reasons. The study used a small convenience sample, and only investigated behavior in two dimensions. Accordingly, future studies should incorporate a sample with more diverse characteristics and measure different aspects of behavior. Future studies should also investigate personality traits closely related to affectivity theories. Trait variables such as sensory curiosity, interpersonal curiosity, and atmospheric responsiveness are interesting areas for future investigation.

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How Enduring Product Involvement and Perceived Risk Affect Consumers' Online Merchant Selection Process: The 'Required Trust Level' Perspective (지속적 관여도 및 인지된 위험이 소비자의 온라인 상인선택 프로세스에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 요구신뢰 수준 개념을 중심으로)

  • Hong, Il-Yoo B.;Lee, Jung-Min;Cho, Hwi-Hyung
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.29-52
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    • 2012
  • Consumers differ in the way they make a purchase. An audio mania would willingly make a bold, yet serious, decision to buy a top-of-the-line home theater system, while he is not interested in replacing his two-decade-old shabby car. On the contrary, an automobile enthusiast wouldn't mind spending forty thousand dollars to buy a new Jaguar convertible, yet cares little about his junky component system. It is product involvement that helps us explain such differences among individuals in the purchase style. Product involvement refers to the extent to which a product is perceived to be important to a consumer (Zaichkowsky, 2001). Product involvement is an important factor that strongly influences consumer's purchase decision-making process, and thus has been of prime interest to consumer behavior researchers. Furthermore, researchers found that involvement is closely related to perceived risk (Dholakia, 2001). While abundant research exists addressing how product involvement relates to overall perceived risk, little attention has been paid to the relationship between involvement and different types of perceived risk in an electronic commerce setting. Given that perceived risk can be a substantial barrier to the online purchase (Jarvenpaa, 2000), research addressing such an issue will offer useful implications on what specific types of perceived risk an online firm should focus on mitigating if it is to increase sales to a fullest potential. Meanwhile, past research has focused on such consumer responses as information search and dissemination as a consequence of involvement, neglecting other behavioral responses like online merchant selection. For one example, will a consumer seriously considering the purchase of a pricey Guzzi bag perceive a great degree of risk associated with online buying and therefore choose to buy it from a digital storefront rather than from an online marketplace to mitigate risk? Will a consumer require greater trust on the part of the online merchant when the perceived risk of online buying is rather high? We intend to find answers to these research questions through an empirical study. This paper explores the impact of enduring product involvement and perceived risks on required trust level, and further on online merchant choice. For the purpose of the research, five types or components of perceived risk are taken into consideration, including financial, performance, delivery, psychological, and social risks. A research model has been built around the constructs under consideration, and 12 hypotheses have been developed based on the research model to examine the relationships between enduring involvement and five components of perceived risk, between five components of perceived risk and required trust level, between enduring involvement and required trust level, and finally between required trust level and preference toward an e-tailer. To attain our research objectives, we conducted an empirical analysis consisting of two phases of data collection: a pilot test and main survey. The pilot test was conducted using 25 college students to ensure that the questionnaire items are clear and straightforward. Then the main survey was conducted using 295 college students at a major university for nine days between December 13, 2010 and December 21, 2010. The measures employed to test the model included eight constructs: (1) enduring involvement, (2) financial risk, (3) performance risk, (4) delivery risk, (5) psychological risk, (6) social risk, (7) required trust level, (8) preference toward an e-tailer. The statistical package, SPSS 17.0, was used to test the internal consistency among the items within the individual measures. Based on the Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ coefficients of the individual measure, the reliability of all the variables is supported. Meanwhile, the Amos 18.0 package was employed to perform a confirmatory factor analysis designed to assess the unidimensionality of the measures. The goodness of fit for the measurement model was satisfied. Unidimensionality was tested using convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity. The statistical evidences proved that the three types of validity were all satisfied. Now the structured equation modeling technique was used to analyze the individual paths along the relationships among the research constructs. The results indicated that enduring involvement has significant positive relationships with all the five components of perceived risk, while only performance risk is significantly related to trust level required by consumers for purchase. It can be inferred from the findings that product performance problems are mostly likely to occur when a merchant behaves in an opportunistic manner. Positive relationships were also found between involvement and required trust level and between required trust level and online merchant choice. Enduring involvement is concerned with the pleasure a consumer derives from a product class and/or with the desire for knowledge for the product class, and thus is likely to motivate the consumer to look for ways of mitigating perceived risk by requiring a higher level of trust on the part of the online merchant. Likewise, a consumer requiring a high level of trust on the merchant will choose a digital storefront rather than an e-marketplace, since a digital storefront is believed to be trustworthier than an e-marketplace, as it fulfills orders by itself rather than acting as an intermediary. The findings of the present research provide both academic and practical implications. The first academic implication is that enduring product involvement is a strong motivator of consumer responses, especially the selection of a merchant, in the context of electronic shopping. Secondly, academicians are advised to pay attention to the finding that an individual component or type of perceived risk can be used as an important research construct, since it would allow one to pinpoint the specific types of risk that are influenced by antecedents or that influence consequents. Meanwhile, our research provides implications useful for online merchants (both online storefronts and e-marketplaces). Merchants may develop strategies to attract consumers by managing perceived performance risk involved in purchase decisions, since it was found to have significant positive relationship with the level of trust required by a consumer on the part of the merchant. One way to manage performance risk would be to thoroughly examine the product before shipping to ensure that it has no deficiencies or flaws. Secondly, digital storefronts are advised to focus on symbolic goods (e.g., cars, cell phones, fashion outfits, and handbags) in which consumers are relatively more involved than others, whereas e- marketplaces should put their emphasis on non-symbolic goods (e.g., drinks, books, MP3 players, and bike accessories).

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