• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.661-670
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• 2007

To investigate the market potential for developing Gochujang(a traditional Korean hot pepper soybean paste) products in the UK including the European market, a qualitative consumer study utilizing focus groups was conducted on the $23rd{\sim}25^{th}$ of May, 2005. The focus group approach utilizes small groups of consumers and is very effective in determining the ways in which a product can be used, by examining consumer perceptions on the overall sensory properties of a product as well as variations in taste, flavour, and texture. A series of six consumer group studies were carried out in three different locations around the UK. Each group involved approximately eight respondents(a total of 48 respondents) and ran for at least 90 minutes. The respondents were recruited by specific criteria to achieve a cross-section of ages and genders. All respondents purchased, prepared, and ate home-cooked Oriental/Far Eastern cuisine. Consumer reactions to Gochujang in its traditional form, and in manufactured products, were explored in terms of appearance, texture, flavour, and taste the consumers' perceived uses and applications for products were also examined. Many consumers were familiar with ethnic cuisines such as Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, and Tex/Mex, already preparing these foods using various convenience products at home at least twice a week. However, Korean cuisine was not mentioned by any of the respondents. The Gochujang sauce presented during the interview had broad based appeal mainly as a dipping sauce, and to a lesser degree as a marinade. Traditional Gochujang has the potential to inspire consumers who are looking for novel and authentic world cuisine products. From the sensory evaluations of various prototypes developed according to consumer reactions during the focus group interviews, three prototypes(a sauce for chicken, dipping sauce type, and BBQ sauce type) were determined for further consumer preference studies.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.85-98
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• 2014

This study aimed to segment Chinese fisheries consumer market by means of cluster analysis based on Shanghai region consumers. The survey is conducted to 350 shanghai people on March 17-21 in 2014 and investigate demographic characteristics and consumer's behaviors unique to each segmented market by preference, labelling, quality, price, safety. The result of cluster analysis identified four market segments such as Catering type market, Worth pursuing type market, Substance pursuing type market, Trend pursuing type market. Catering type market is a passive fisheries consumption market and is not high attractive for Korea fisheries export market. Value pursuing type market consider importance to labelling, origin, brand and require high-quality and differentiation strategies. This market's main target species are high price fisheries such as tuna, salmon, crocker. Substance pursuing type market consider fisheries's safety and quality and purchases more popular fisheries such as crocker, hairtail, promfret, mackerel, squid. Trend pursuing type market's consumers prefer to purchase brands and trendy seafood rather than taste.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.47-58
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• 2018

Purpose - China has become the world's largest market of Korean culture goods. However the distribution and information channel from which Chinese consumers can access to Korean contents remains under-explored. This study aimed to investigate Chinese consumers' information accessing behavior. Research design, data, and methodology - We collected the sample of 800 customers who are exposed to Korean Wave in China. Regression analysis is used to confirm the relationships in the research model. Results - The results showed that official channels such as state owned sites still play a significant role, Chinese consumers prefer to use unofficial channels and the private SNS is the most popular one. It is also found that users with low interests in Korean contents prefer offline/indirect channels while people who are highly immersed into Korean culture and spend longer time on it tend to favor online/unofficial channels. The results confirms that there are some users' characteristics such as gender, age, income and experience of visiting Korea are relevant to explain their propensity to select distribution and information channels for Korean contents. Conclusions - The study enables managers to develop the more effective distribution channel strategies according to the different target consumer groups.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.88-98
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• 2024

With the growing preference among Chinese consumers for purchasing beauty products through social media networks (SNS), influencer marketing has recently emerged as a crucial strategy for maximizing word-of-mouth effects. This study aims to ascertain the impact of SNS beauty influencers' characteristics on trustworthiness and consumers' intentions to engage in word-of-mouth promotion. Furthermore, the study seeks to explore the moderating role of consumer involvement in the relationship between SNS beauty influencer characteristics and the trust consumers place in them. As part of an empirical analysis, an online survey was administered to 259 Chinese female consumers who had previously purchased beauty products through influencers on SNS. The data gathered were scrutinized by conducting multiple and hierarchical regression analysis to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings indicated that the attributes of "expertise,"' "intimacy," and "homogeneity" in SNS beauty influencers significantly affect influencer trust, whereas "charm" does not have a significant impact. Moreover, consumer involvement was found to moderate the relationship between SNS beauty influencer characteristics (expertise, intimacy, charm, and homogeneity) and influencer trust. Additionally, influencer trust positively influenced the intention to engage in word-of-mouth activities. These findings signify that leveraging influencers possessing qualities such as expertise, intimacy, and homogeneity can help enhance product exposure, popularity, and sales of the beauty industry. This study contributes valuable insights into the strategic utilization of influencer characteristics in the beauty industry and digital marketing, highlighting their pivotalrole in consumer engagement and the success of marketing strategies.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2019

Purpose - This paper empirically investigates the competition effect of exports between Korea and China in their common-export markets considering market sophistication. Modern market sophistication includes an importing country's aggregate demand for products of high quality, design, novelty, eco-friendliness, and even IPR protection. Using an empirical analysis to identify the demand for product quality across countries, this paper estimates the effects of market sophistication on the competition between Korean exports and Chinese products. Design/Methodology - Our empirical model considers the relationship between an importing country's consumer sophistication and the export competition between Korea and China. This study employs the existing theoretical framework to identify the aggregate demand for product quality across countries. Using a quite direct measurement (the consumer sophistication index, our analysis investigates the differential effects of Korea's export market sophistication, particularly in markets where Korean exports are in competition with similar Chinese products. Findings - Our main findings can be summarized as follows: the negative effects of the export competition between Korea and China on Korea's exports are stronger in third markets where consumers are less sophisticated while the effects are not as pronounced in markets where consumers are more sophisticated. This result, however, best applies to differentiated goods which significantly vary in product quality. Originality/value - Existing studies focus on the supply side of production and make the assumption that the market preference for export quality is identical across countries. This paper attempts to evaluate the export competition between Korea and China from the demand-side perspective. This area of trade studies is underexplored both empirically and in theory, although the issue has long been important to Korean and world trade.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.480-487
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• 2018

Purpose: The study examined the Chinese and Japanese consumers' preference for Korean home meal replacement (HMR) product package designs using conjoint analysis. Methods: The questionnaire survey was completed by 270 consumers living in Beijing, China and Osaka, Japan, over the age of 20 years old, who had previously purchased or consumed a Korean HMR. Based on the attributes and levels within each attribute related to the Korean HMR product package design, 54 profiles were constructed. Of the 54 profiles, 11 combinations were selected using an orthogonal design, and the participants were asked to rank the 11 combinations in order of preference from top to bottom. Results: The relative importance of the Korean HMR product package design attributes were analyzed. Chinese consumers regarded illustration, ingestion form, concept, and brand name, in that order, to be most important. In the case of Japanese consumers, illustration, concept, ingestion form, and brand name, in that order, were most important. For the illustration attributes, in order of importance, Chinese consumers preferred raw materials, characters, and celebrities, and Japanese consumers preferred characters, raw materials, and celebrities. For the concept attributes, Chinese consumers favored, witty, traditional Korean, and modern concepts, whereas Japanese consumers favored witty, modern, and then traditional Korean concepts. For the ingestion form attributes, both Chinese and Japanese consumers preferred Ready To Eat (RTE), followed by Ready To Heat (RTH), and then Ready To Cook (RTC). For the brand name attributes, both Chinese and Japanese consumers preferred the localized brand name over the Korean brand name. Conclusion: Differences in the relative importance of Korean HMR product package design attributes were observed among Chinese and Japanese consumers, and there were differences in preference according to the levels within each attribute. These results are expected to provide useful basic data to assist in the future development of differentiated HMR package designs and marketing strategies to meet consumer needs in the market for Korean HMR in China and Japan.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.571-580
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• 2010

We sought to define the main motivational factors promoting consumption of Prunus mume products. We surveyed both specialized high-volume consumers and public consumers, and focused on consumption of and preferences for Prunus mume and Prunus mume products. We investigated how products were preferentially consumed, purchase experience, purchase location, purchase price, consumption experience, factors important in a purchase decision, preference factors, dissatisfaction factors, consumption outlook, comments on new processed foods, and activation of consumption. A total of 534 responses were received and data were analyzed using the SAS program (Version 9.1) of the Frequency test; Chi-square test was used to detect significant factors. A greater percentage of high-volume(compared with low-volume) consumers processed personal products at home. The public consumer tended to buy commercial products. However, public consumers who were older, who had higher incomes, and who were heads of households, tended to both buy commercial products and to prepare foods at home. The common purchase methods used by high-volume consumers were internet and direct marketing, but the public consumer frequented department stores and hypermarkets. High-volume consumers observed that commercial products were expensive, and such consumers seemed to be particularly cost-sensitive. The decisive factor triggering purchase decisions in high-volume consumers was the geographical origin of the fruit, whereas the public consumer was more concerned with taste. In public, positive factors were that the product was good for health and had a pleasant taste. Some of those surveyed complained of a lack of variety in Prunus mume products and that the amount of Prunus mume in certain products was low. To promote and increase consumption, convenient-to-eat products with healthy images are needed.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.50-65
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• 2022

The aim of this study was to provide data to enable the development of skateboarding pants. From the Chinese skateboard club SNS, 126 skateboarders in their 20s and 30s were chosen to participate in a survey. Data was gathered using a questionnaire from May 14 to May 28, 2021, and then analyzed using SPSS 23. The results concerning production were as follows: clothing sizes are generally divided into six stages: XS, S, M, L, XL, and 2XL. The silhouette is wide, and most pants have e-bands and normal hems. The pants are made from cotton-blend fabric, which is mostly moisture-absorbing and quick-drying. Baggy pants are preferred by skateboarders, with cotton being the most common fabric. The crotch, knees, and buttocks of pants are the least satisfying for skateboarders. When they skateboard, their ankles sustain the most injuries, followed by their knees and wrists. In the survey of consumers' preferences for skateboarding pants, different styles were rated in the following order: straight pant silhouette, ribbed knit and string waistband design; full-rise waist height, string hemline design; and ankle-high pants length (fit), fabric and design. The hygroscopicity and ventilation of the fabric are crucial considerations when purchasing pants. In terms of color, chromatic and pastel colors are most popular. In addition, some people expect new fibers to be used and expect protective equipment and pants to be integrated.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.89-100
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• 2011

Both industrial interest and academic research are increasingly focusing on the need to institute a business environment whereby Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) assumes a major role. It is suggested that four kinds of responsibilities constitute total CSR: economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities. Consumers tend to obtain positive perceptions toward the companies which collectively or partially fulfill these responsibilities. Moreover, the company image transfer process is the influence of consumer attitudes toward certain brands on overall evaluation of the company. To understand the image transfer process, we examine the influence of CSR level evaluation on overall brand evaluation in China, where active competitions among global brands exist.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.135-148
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• 2010

Arab boycotts of Danish products, Australian boycotts of French products and Chinese consumer aversion toward Japanese products are all examples of how adverse actions at the country level might impact consumers' behavior. The animosity literature has examined how consumers react to the adverse actions of other countries, and how such animosity impacts consumers' attitudes and preferences for products from the transgressing country. For example, Chinese consumers are less likely to buy Japanese products because of Japanese atrocities during World War II and the unjust economic dealings of the Japanese (Klein, Ettenson and Morris 1998). The marketing literature, however, has not examined how consumers react to adverse actions committed by their own country against other countries, and whether such actions affect their attitudes towards purchasing products that originated from the adversely affected country. The social psychology literature argues that consumers will experience a feeling called collective guilt, in response to such adverse actions. Collective guilt stems from the distress experienced by group members when they accept that their group is responsible for actions that have harmed another group (Branscombe, Slugoski, and Kappenn 2004). Examples include Americans feeling guilty about the atrocities committed by the U.S. military at Abu Ghraib prison (Iyer, Schamder and Lickel 2007), and the Dutch about their occupation of Indonesia in the past (Doosje et al. 1998). The primary aim of this study is to examine consumers' perceptions of adverse actions by members of one's own country against another country and whether such perceptions affected their attitudes towards products originating from the country transgressed against. More specifically, one objective of this study is to examine the perceptual antecedents of collective guilt, an emotional reaction to adverse actions performed by members of one's country against another country. Another objective is to examine the impact of collective guilt on consumers' perceptions of, and preference for, products originating from the country transgressed against by the consumers' own country. If collective guilt emerges as a significant predictor, companies originating from countries that have been transgressed against might be able to capitalize on such unfortunate events. This research utilizes the animosity model introduced by Klein, Ettenson and Morris (1998) and later expanded on by Klein (2002). Klein finds that U.S. consumers harbor animosity toward the Japanese. This animosity is experienced in response to events that occurred during World War II (i.e., the bombing of Pearl Harbor) and more recently the perceived economic threat from Japan. Thus this study argues that the events of Word War II (i.e., bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) might lead U.S. consumers to experience collective guilt. A series of three hypotheses were introduced. The first hypothesis deals with the antecedents of collective guilt. Previous research argues that collective guilt is experienced when consumers perceive that the harm following a transgression is illegitimate and that the country from which the transgressors originate should be responsible for the adverse actions. (Wohl, Branscombe, and Klar 2006). Therefore the following hypothesis was offered: H1a. Higher levels of perceived illegitimacy for the harm committed will result in higher levels of collective guilt. H1b. Higher levels of responsibility will be positively associated with higher levels of collective guilt. The second and third hypotheses deal with the impact of collective guilt on the preferences for Japanese products. Klein (2002) found that higher levels of animosity toward Japan resulted in a lower preference for a Japanese product relative to a South Korean product but not a lower preference for a Japanese product relative to a U.S. product. These results therefore indicate that the experience of collective guilt will lead to a higher preference for a Japanese product if consumers are contemplating a choice that inv olves a decision to buy Japanese versus South Korean product but not if the choice involves a decision to buy a Japanese versus a U.S. product. H2. Collective guilt will be positively related to the preference for a Japanese product over a South Korean product, but will not be related to the preference for a Japanese product over a U.S. product. H3. Collective guilt will be positively related to the preference for a Japanese product over a South Korean product, holding constant product judgments and animosity. An experiment was conducted to test the hypotheses. The illegitimacy of the harm and responsibility were manipulated by exposing respondents to a description of adverse events occurring during World War II. Data were collected using an online consumer panel in the United States. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the low levels of responsibility and illegitimacy condition (n=259) or the high levels of responsibility and illigitemacy (n=268) condition. Latent Variable Structural Equation Modeling (LVSEM) was used to test the hypothesized relationships. The first hypothesis is supported as both the illegitimacy of the harm and responsibility assigned to the Americans for the harm committed against the Japanese during WWII have a positive impact on collective guilt. The second hypothesis is also supported as collective guilt is positively related to preference for a Japanese product over a South Korean product but is not related to preference for a Japanese product over a U.S. product. Finally there is support for the third hypothesis, since collective guilt is positively related to the preference for a Japanese product over a South Korean product while controlling for the effect of product judgments about Japanese products and animosity. The results of these studies lead to several conclusions. First, the illegitimacy of harm and responsibility can be manipulated and that they are antecedents of collective guilt. Second, collective guilt has an impact on a consumers' decision when they face a choice set that includes a product from the country that was the target of the adverse action and a product from another foreign country. This impact however disappears from a consumers' decision when they face a choice set that includes a product from the country that was the target of the adverse action and a domestic product. This result suggests that collective guilt might be a viable factor for company originating from the country transgressed against if its competitors are foreign but not if they are local.