• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.24
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• pp.62-83
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• 2011

The totality of language learning comprises three integrated components: linguistic, cultural, and attitudinal (Wilkes, 1983).Positively sensitizing students to cultural phenomena is urgent and crucial. A positive attitude toward L2 culture is a factor in language learning that leads to cross cultural understanding. This research examined, through a survey analysis, how three groups of students (one high school group and two university student groups) viewed the role of their foreign culture (i.e., American and British cultures) in achieving cultural understanding. The focus was upon how EFL learners approach the target language culture as well as their own culture.

• Korean Linguistics
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• v.62
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• pp.223-261
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• 2014

From the perspective of cross-cultural communication, it can be easily assumed that non-natives may have great difficulty understanding names of Korean dishes with covert information considering that even understanding those with overt information is a demanding task for them. Complex issues raised by cultural and linguistic differences hinder non-natives from having a clear understanding on names of Korean dishes. In order to resolve this problem, this paper focuses on providing clues to overcoming obstacles of cross-cultural communication in understanding names of Korean dishes by presenting issues including following cases:1. Analysis on types of Korean dish names with covert information in comparison to dish names with overt information. 2. Names of dishes made with a single contain covert information regarding a specific cooking and processing method. 3. A particular aspect regarding Korean food culture is that morphemes with a meaning of meat or flesh('gogi', 'sal', 'yook') contained in dish names indicate covert information that the dish is made of 'beef'.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.207-221
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• 2012

This study examines the importance of learning language and cultural integration in general English class focused on TOEIC reading comprehension. The understanding of cultural learning and learners' cultural awareness has long been a subject of debate. This study was not only to analyze the improvement of students' interest and reading comprehension ability of TOEIC through cultural learning, but also to ensure students who learn American culture overcome cross-cultural miscommunication and improve their English reading comprehension skills. Pre-post surveys and the pre-post TOEIC tests were used to measure language proficiency and American cultural knowledge to two groups: the experimental and control group. The results from the study were as follows: First, students had better TOEIC scores with improved motivation after understanding American culture relevant to the lessons. Second, reading comprehension skills with regards to TOEIC also improved, compared with the students who were not exposed to American culture due to lack of opportunity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1312-1322
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• 2006

A recent accelerated globalization has changed every aspect of consumers' life on the globe, thus understanding the similarity and the difference among people in the world became the crucial element of business for many global companies. As one of the most globalized industries in Korea, fashion businesses also require urgent assistance of academics in understanding global consumers. This study aimed to analyze cross-cultural fashion marketing studies published in two respectful journals in fashion studies: Journal of Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles and Journal of the Korean Society of Costume. Four researchers independently searched the target journals to locate studies using cross-cultural approaches. A total of 45 cross-cultural studies published in two journals between 1977 and 2005 were found and analyzed. The major findings could be summarized as followed. First, the US was the most frequently studied country followed by China, Japan, Hong Kong and others. Second, popular subjects of cross cultural studies in fashion marketing were fashion marketing environment and management rather than consumer psychology. Third, about 78% of the sampled studies were using quantitative approach, and statistical methods such as factor analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and $X^2$ analysis were commonly used. Finally, problems in sampling methods, translation of scales, and equivalence of concept, measure and sample were analyzed. Suggestions for future cross-cultural studies were discussed.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.83-100
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• 2004

Understanding characteristics of Internet businesses from a cross-cultural perspective could offer valuable insights on developing business strategies and policies. This work is concerned with revealing divergence and convergence of Internet businesses in their financial performance, given organizational conditions and cultural context. For this, we studied the association between static organizational attributes (core activity, origination, firm age, and industry type) and a firms financial performance (gross revenue and net income). Relevant data was gathered from representative Internet firms in Korea and U.S. Data analysis indicated that, besides industry type, overall connection between selected organizational variables and financial performance was weak. Cross-national comparison showed that Korean firms financial performance was comparable to U.S firms during the period of economic turbulence. A noticeable difference was that Korean Internet firms and their business models were more service-oriented than U.S. counterparts.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.177-188
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• 2020

The Muslim population is growing significantly in Asian countries. By conducting an experiment, this study examines the cultural differences between South Korean and Indonesian female, young adults, and their perception of hijabis who are represented in the media. The main goal of this study is to compare the perception towards hijabis in a homogenous country new to Muslims against a Muslim-majority country. Results showed that non-hijabis were deemed more physically attractive, empathetic, and enjoyable among Koreans when compared to Indonesians. Through this study, we provide a theoretical explanation using cultivation theory and (parasocial) contact hypothesisto clarify the differences between South Korea and Indonesia. Thisstudy provides a baseline of understanding to determine where both cultures are at in perceiving hijabis. Our results suggest that it will be compelling to correct media representation in order to reduce stereotypes and lead to a successful understanding of both cultures.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.19
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• pp.25-38
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• 2010

The "Name" is not only representative of a person but also a cultural heritage containing national cultures. Therefore, we can easily find some cultural value from the square inch sized seal texts. This article is a comprehensive study of the characteristics of names appeared on the seals in the Warring States Period. In the Warring States Period, single name is generally used for naming and this style can be divided into 13 categories. Except unavoidable cases, such as using the name of place, the name of person or the reason of physical characteristics, using double name is very rare and this style can be categorized by 8 kinds. In result, using double name is defined as a fringe method of naming in the Warring States Period. In addition, we can find a big difference between the names of Warring States Period and those of Post-Qin and Han Dynasties in the structural aspects. In conclusion, understanding of the characteristics of names from the Warring States Period can be a great help to better understanding of ancient books and unearthed documents.

• Journal of International Area Studies (JIAS)
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.133-164
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• 2018

What is the impact of intercultural understanding and communication on a 'foreign' company's performance? We suggest that a firm's localization is a bilateral process requiring mutual understanding and respect of the foreign and indigenous cultures. To assess this argument, we investigate the relationship between mutual understanding (measured by power distance, communication satisfaction, and cross-cultural understanding) on organizational performance at Korean firms employing Indonesian workers in Indonesia. Survey and statistical results indicate that firm performance was negatively affected by power distance and positively affected by cross-cultural understanding. The results suggest a new perspective on enhancing the organization's performance for overseas operations. While it is necessary for Korean investors to understand local culture, educating local managers on Korean culture better enhances organizational performance.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.177-194
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• 2011

This study examines the use of discourse markers in cross-cultural communication between EFL learners in an e-learning environment. The study analyzes the use of discourse markers in a corpus of an interactive web with a bulletin board system through which college students of English at Japanese and Korean universities interacted with each other discussing the topics of local and global issues. It compares the use of discourse markers in the learners' corpus to that of a native English speakers' corpus. The results indicate that discourse markers are useful interactional devices to structure and organize discourse. EFL learners are found to display more frequent use of referentially and cognitively functional discourse markers and a relatively rare use of other markers. Native speakers are found to use a wider variety of discourse markers for different functions. Suggestions are made for using computer corpora in understanding EFL learners' language difficulties and helping them become more interactionally competent speakers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.493-501
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• 1996

An understanding of consumers' evaluative processes and the consumer variables that influence cross-cultural evaluations of foreign products is essential to effectively penetrate international markets. This study compared consumers in two developing countries, Korea and Mexico, regarding their product evaluations and purchase intentions for US Levi's jeans. Both Korean and Mexican consumers are generally quality and price conscious. Korean consumers appeared to be more value-conscious than Mexican consumers. Mexican consumers exhibited high level of brand and prestige conscious behavior. Findings in this study support that culture bound consumer characteristics vary from country to country resulting in differences in perception of quality, value and purchase intentions for a particular product. The perception of product quality differs from perception of value and subsequent willingness to buy. For a comprehensive understanding of consumer purchase behavior, the impact of value-conscious attitude on percetion of quality and on purchase intentions should be examined.