• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.137-162
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• 2020

As the core task was selected in the 3rd Comprehensive Library Advancement Plan, 'Reinforcement of programs and services to strengthen future citizens' capacity required in the Fourth Industrial Revolution', the customized curation service of the library using artificial intelligence technology has recently been in the spotlight. The purpose of this study is to find out how the customized curation service affects the relationship between the library and the user. As a result, the library curation service was proved to have a statistically significant effect on user satisfaction and reliability. Satisfaction and reliability were also found to have a positive effect on library revisit, word of mouth intention, increased use, and new service intention. The results of this study can be used as basic data for the development and the operation of customized curation services based on user demand surveys, and could further contribute to enhancing the status of public libraries in Korea by mproving the competitiveness of libraries in the future society.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.61-101
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• 2014

This study investigates when and how disagreements in online customer ratings prompt more favorable product evaluations. Among the three metrics of volume, valence, and variance that feature in the research on online customer ratings, volume and valence have exhibited consistently positive patterns in their effects on product sales or evaluations (e.g., Dellarocas, Zhang, and Awad 2007; Liu 2006). Ratings variance, or the degree of disagreement among reviewers, however, has shown rather mixed results, with some studies reporting positive effects on product sales (e.g., Clement, Proppe, and Rott 2007) while others finding negative effects on product evaluations (e.g., Zhu and Zhang 2010). This study aims to resolve these contradictory findings by introducing preference heterogeneity as a possible moderator and causal attribution as a mediator to account for the moderating effect. The main proposition of this study is that when preference heterogeneity is perceived as high, a disagreement in ratings is attributed more to reviewers' different preferences than to unreliable product quality, which in turn prompts better quality evaluations of a product. Because disagreements mostly result from differences in reviewers' tastes or the low reliability of a product's quality (Mizerski 1982; Sen and Lerman 2007), a greater level of attribution to reviewer tastes can mitigate the negative effect of disagreement on product evaluations. Specifically, if consumers infer that reviewers' heterogeneous preferences result in subjectively different experiences and thereby highly diverse ratings, they would not disregard the overall quality of a product. However, if consumers infer that reviewers' preferences are quite homogeneous and thus the low reliability of the product quality contributes to such disagreements, they would discount the overall product quality. Therefore, consumers would respond more favorably to disagreements in ratings when preference heterogeneity is perceived as high rather than low. This study furthermore extends this prediction to the various levels of average ratings. The heuristicsystematic processing model so far indicates that the engagement in effortful systematic processing occurs only when sufficient motivation is present (Hann et al. 2007; Maheswaran and Chaiken 1991; Martin and Davies 1998). One of the key factors affecting this motivation is the aspiration level of the decision maker. Only under conditions that meet or exceed his aspiration level does he tend to engage in systematic processing (Patzelt and Shepherd 2008; Stephanous and Sage 1987). Therefore, systematic causal attribution processing regarding ratings variance is likely more activated when the average rating is high enough to meet the aspiration level than when it is too low to meet it. Considering that the interaction between ratings variance and preference heterogeneity occurs through the mediation of causal attribution, this greater activation of causal attribution in high versus low average ratings would lead to more pronounced interaction between ratings variance and preference heterogeneity in high versus low average ratings. Overall, this study proposes that the interaction between ratings variance and preference heterogeneity is more pronounced when the average rating is high as compared to when it is low. Two laboratory studies lend support to these predictions. Study 1 reveals that participants exposed to a high-preference heterogeneity book title (i.e., a novel) attributed disagreement in ratings more to reviewers' tastes, and thereby more favorably evaluated books with such ratings, compared to those exposed to a low-preference heterogeneity title (i.e., an English listening practice book). Study 2 then extended these findings to the various levels of average ratings and found that this greater preference for disagreement options under high preference heterogeneity is more pronounced when the average rating is high compared to when it is low. This study makes an important theoretical contribution to the online customer ratings literature by showing that preference heterogeneity serves as a key moderator of the effect of ratings variance on product evaluations and that causal attribution acts as a mediator of this moderation effect. A more comprehensive picture of the interplay among ratings variance, preference heterogeneity, and average ratings is also provided by revealing that the interaction between ratings variance and preference heterogeneity varies as a function of the average rating. In addition, this work provides some significant managerial implications for marketers in terms of how they manage word of mouth. Because a lack of consensus creates some uncertainty and anxiety over the given information, consumers experience a psychological burden regarding their choice of a product when ratings show disagreement. The results of this study offer a way to address this problem. By explicitly clarifying that there are many more differences in tastes among reviewers than expected, marketers can allow consumers to speculate that differing tastes of reviewers rather than an uncertain or poor product quality contribute to such conflicts in ratings. Thus, when fierce disagreements are observed in the WOM arena, marketers are advised to communicate to consumers that diverse, rather than uniform, tastes govern reviews and evaluations of products.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.105-130
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• 2008

Consumers of e-learning market differ from those of other markets in that they are replaced in a specific time scale. For example, e-learning contents aimed at highschool senior students cannot be consumed by a specific consumer over the designated period of time. Hence e-learning service providers need to attract new groups of students every year. Due to lack of information on products designed for continuously emerging consumers, the consumers face difficulties in making rational decisions in a short time period. Increased uncertainty of product purchase leads customers to herding behaviors to obtain information of the product from others and imitate them. Taking into consideration of these features of e-learning market, this study will focus on the online herding behavior in purchasing e-learning contents. There is no definite concept for e-learning. However, it is being discussed in a wide range of perspectives from educational engineering to management to e-business etc. Based upon the existing studies, we identify two main view-points regarding e-learning. The first defines e-learning as a concept that includes existing terminologies, such as CBT (Computer Based Training), WBT (Web Based Training), and IBT (Internet Based Training). In this view, e-learning utilizes IT in order to support professors and a part of or entire education systems. In the second perspective, e-learning is defined as the usage of Internet technology to deliver diverse intelligence and achievement enhancing solutions. In other words, only the educations that are done through the Internet and network can be classified as e-learning. We take the second definition of e-learning for our working definition. The main goal of this study is to investigate what factors affect consumer intention to purchase e-learning contents and to identify the differential impact of the factors between consumers with purchase experience and those without the experience. To accomplish the goal of this study, it focuses on herding behavior and perceived usefulness as antecedents to behavioral intention. The proposed research model in the study extends the Technology Acceptance Model by adding herding behavior and usability to take into account the unique characteristics of e-learning content market and e-learning systems use, respectively. The current study also includes consumer experience with e-learning content purchase because the previous experience is believed to affect purchasing intention when consumers buy experience goods or services. Previous studies on e-learning did not consider the characteristics of e-learning contents market and the differential impact of consumer experience on the relationship between the antecedents and behavioral intention, which is the target of this study. This study employs a survey method to empirically test the proposed research model. A survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to 629 informants. 528 responses were collected, which consist of potential customer group (n = 133) and experienced customer group (n = 395). The data were analyzed using PLS method, a structural equation modeling method. Overall, both herding behavior and perceived usefulness influence consumer intention to purchase e-learning contents. In detail, in the case of potential customer group, herding behavior has stronger effect on purchase intention than does perceived usefulness. However, in the case of shopping-experienced customer group, perceived usefulness has stronger effect than does herding behavior. In sum, the results of the analysis show that with regard to purchasing experience, perceived usefulness and herding behavior had differential effects upon the purchase of e-learning contents. As a follow-up analysis, the interaction effects of the number of purchase transaction and herding behavior/perceived usefulness on purchase intention were investigated. The results show that there are no interaction effects. This study contributes to the literature in a couple of ways. From a theoretical perspective, this study examined and showed evidence that the characteristics of e-learning market such as continuous renewal of consumers and thus high uncertainty and individual experiences are important factors to be considered when the purchase intention of e-learning content is studied. This study can be used as a basis for future studies on e-learning success. From a practical perspective, this study provides several important implications on what types of marketing strategies e-learning companies need to build. The bottom lines of these strategies include target group attraction, word-of-mouth management, enhancement of web site usability quality, etc. The limitations of this study are also discussed for future studies.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.45-52
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• 2015

Purpose - Augmented reality (AR) content used in mobile media today can accommodate a wide variety of contextual information. This indicates that making people experience a sense of presence and flow is a very significant factor in augmented reality content. Flow represents a rich immersion potential as representing the progress of emotion and the means to facilitate the operation of the smart phone. Therefore, users will have friendly relational continuance behavior with products and brands that supply this experience. Based on that, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among smart phone AR application traits, presence, flow experience, and relational continuance behavior. First, AR application traits are defined as three categories sensory immersion, navigation, and manipulation, based on preceding studies. This study then examines the influence of AR application traits on the presence and flow experience and looks into the relation among presence, flow experience, and relational continuance behavior. This analysis suggests more detailed and concentrated strategic implications. Research design, data, and methodology - A research model is designed to examine the relation among AR application traits, presence, flow experience, and relational continued behavior. For data collection, questionnaire surveys were composed of multi-items for each component and the direct interview method was used for the interviews. To collect the data, after running the smart phone AR applications, the consumer behaviors of the respondents were generally determined. The questionnaire surveys were conducted for one month, October 2014. A total of 300 questionnaires were distributed with 278 questionnaires used for analysis, excluding the unanswered and insincere questionnaires. The data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 20.0 and LISREL ver. 8.51. Results - The following results are found: First, AR application traits have a significantly positive effect on presence with sensory immersion, navigation, and manipulation all having a significantly positive effect. Second, sensory immersion and manipulation among the AR application traits have a significantly positive effect on flow. However, navigation did not have a significantly positive effect on flow. Third, presence has a significantly positive effect on flow and has a significantly positive effect on relational continuance behavior. Moreover, flow also has a significantly positive effect on relational continuance behavior. This behavior tends to be formed since brands want to encourage relational continuance behavior and positive emotions with the brands being used. Relational continuance behavior accompanies repeat purchasing, positive word-of-mouth and recommendation activities, and forms of trust with the brand. Conclusions - The research results showed that smart phone AR traits had significantly positive effect on presence, flow, and relational continuance behavior. Based on this, smart phone AR application providers should establish an aggressive marketing strategy to accommodate more realistic problems in order to positively influence user behavior. Additionally, the marketers should make efforts to provide fun or convenience in the AR application operation process of the user.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.85-105
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• 2012

In recent years, IT advancement has brought out the new Internet communication environment such as online social network services, where people are connected in global network without temporal and spatial limitation. The popular use of online social network helps people share their experience and preference for specific products and services, thus holding large potential to significantly affect firms' business performance through Word-of-Mouth (WOM). This study examines the role of online social network in raising WOM effect on the movie industry by comparing with the similar role of Internet portal, another major online communication channel. Analyzing 109 movies and data from both Twitter and Naver movie, we found that significant WOM effect exists simultaneously in both Twitter and Naver movie. However, we also found that different figures of online viral effects exist depending on the popularity of movies. In the hit movie group, before the movie release, the WOM effect occurs only in Twitter while the WOM effect arises in both Twitter and Naver movie at the same time after the movie release. In the less-popular (or niche) movie group, the WOM effect occurs in both Twitter and Naver movie only before the movie release. Our findings not only deepen theoretical insights into different roles of the two online communication channels in provoking the WOM effect on entertainment products but also provide practitioners with incentive to utilize SNS as strategic marketing platform to enhance their brand reputations.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.61-72
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• 2020

Purpose: Usage of leisure-sport social media would lengthen and strengthen the effects of positive event experiences on WOM behavior. This study is to examine the extent to which leisure sport social media use has the moderating potential to enhance the direction of the relationship between post-event emotions and event WOM behavior. Research design, data and methodology: A running event located in a major metropolitan area in the southeastern United States was selected. Participants of the running events completed the survey. Descriptive analysis and correlations between primary variables of interest were conducted. To examine interactions within the context of moderated regression, a hierarchical regression analysis was employed. Results: The results confirmed direct effects of a sense of achievement and event satisfaction on event WOM intention, supporting H 1 and H2. In specific, result revealed that the amount of time spending on social media for running content moderated the effect of a sense of achievement on event WOM intention, supporting H3, however, H4 was rejected. Conclusions: There are managerial implications of these results, particularly which pertain to how organizers may be able to use perceived benefits (i.e., a sense of achievement and satisfaction) and social media to increase positive WOM intention.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.7-13
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• 2012

Recently, with the success of Groupon in the USA using the new business model referred to as social commerce, which is a commercial transaction involving group purchases on social network service (SNS), social commerce business receives much attention. Social commerce is capable of effectively promoting additional purchasing by customers through unprecedented price discounts and limiting the number of purchasers and time allotted for purchases, and is able to achieve promotional effects over and above those of simple product promotion due to customers' voluntary word of mouth. Although social commerce is effective for short-term increase in the sales of products, there are numerous dissenting opinions on whether it can promote repurchasing by customers. In particular, social commerce in Korea focuses only on unprecedented discounted prices and does not have the marketing effect that SNS can produce over and above the sales promotion. The objective of this study is to find the factors that influence the repurchase intention on social commerce and to analyze factors that contribute the social commerce product. For this, this study extracts repurchase intention factors and computes a repurchase probability to assess the influence of factors other than price discount on social commerce customers at the time of repurchasing. In addition, the importance of factors toward sales revenue for each of the social commerce products (e.g., restaurant/café, beauty, tour/leisure, show/exhibition, and fashion/clothes) is estimated by using the computed repurchase probabilities. The repurchase probability through the analysis can be used for development of social commerce business in Korea.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.75-86
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• 2017

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to grasp the concept, characteristics and application status of sharing economy, and to derive a research model based on sharing economic service, and to analyze factors and influences of consumers' intention to reuse of sharing economy. Research design, data, and methodology - The questionnaires were created to examine variables for practical and theoretical implications. After pilot survey, conducted for 24 days from March 10th to April 2st in 2017, total numbers were 377. But 330 copies were used for the analysis with IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0 and IBM SPSS AMOS 23.0. The structural equation model was applied for this. Results - First, sharing economic services remain at an early stage, but it is meaningful to identify the revenue mechanism of the business model of the sharing economic platform. Second, in this study, it is meaningful that we systematized the theoretical structure by examining existing studies on the characteristics of the sharing economic service and consumer characteristics, and by examining empirically. Third, Satisfaction and Reliability are related to the characteristics of Sharing Economic Service (Security, Convenience, Discount, Sharing, Social Interaction), Consumer Characteristics (Personal Innovation, Word-of-Mouth) It is meaningful to broaden the understanding of the factors by verifying the mediating effect. Fourth, the sharing economy business is meaningful in that it is a new consumption trend that changes the meaning of consumption to consumers. Gradually, more and more people are recalling that purchasing something is not consumption, but sharing and borrowing is also consumption. In other words, through the sharing economy, consumers can experience more products and services, have more choices, and are expected to have a positive impact on economic growth by increasing the utilization of idle resources. Conclusions - Currently, the sharing economy is growing rapidly all over the world. Therefore, in the subsequent study, it is necessary to compare Korea and China's sharing economy and study the cultural and social characteristics of Korea and China. In particular, I think that steady research is necessary for more precise and specific direction on the influence of the shared economy.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.85-110
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• 2008

In this study, we explore the long-term demand forecasting of high-price medical equipments based on logistic and Bass diffusion model. We analyze the specific pattern of each equipment's diffusion curve by interpreting the parameter estimates of Bass diffusion model. Our findings are as follows. First, ultrasonic imaging system, CT are in the stage of maturity and so, the future demands of them are not too large. Second, medical image processing unit is between growth stage and maturity stage and so, the demand is expected to increase considerably for two or three years. Third, MRI is in the stage of take-off and Mammmography X-ray system is in the stage of maturity but, estimates of the potential number of adopters based on logistic model is considerably different to that based on Bass diffusion model. It means that additional data for these two equipments should be collected and analyzed to obtain the reliable estimates of their demands. Fourth, medical image processing unit have the largest q value. It means that the word-of-mouth effect is important in the diffusion of this equipment. Fifth, for MRI and Ultrasonic system, q/p values have the relatively large value. It means that collective power has an important role in adopting these two equipments.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.756-765
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• 2014

Customer-company (C-C) identification is the perceived fit between the identities of a consumer and an organization. If a consumer identifies with a company that places a high priority on being socially responsible, a consumer who also values social responsibility may support and patronize that business because of the link between something that is important to both them and the company. Because C-C identification may explain the success of cause-related marketing (CRM) in the fashion industry, we investigated the effect of an image resulting from CRM on ratings of brand attributes (e.g., distinctiveness, credibility, attractiveness), identification with the brand, attitude toward the brand, and customer loyalty. Participants also responded to open-ended questions reflecting their rationale for their ratings of brand attributes. Data were collected from a convenience sample of undergraduates (n = 228) enrolled at Midwestern University in the U.S. Structural equation modeling revealed that as ratings of the social responsibility of the cause-related marketing effort increased so did perceptions of the brand's distinctiveness, credibility, and attractiveness. Participants identified with a brand when they rated the brand as attractive. Participants' identification with a brand had a significant impact on attitudes toward the brand and customer loyalty (e.g., purchase intention, willingness to spread positive word-of-mouth). Content analyses of open-ended responses supported the idea that brand images stemming from CRM exert an important influence on consumer's ratings of brand attributes. Fashion marketers interested in cause-related marketing will find success with efforts that increase customer identification.