• Title/Summary/Keyword: delivery services

Search Result 1,060, Processing Time 0.035 seconds

Cost Analysis of Home Nursing Care Patients in Rural Hospital (농촌 지역 중소병원의 가정간호사업소 등록환자의 방문비용분석)

  • Kim, Jin-Soon;Kum, Ran;HwangBo, Soo-Ja
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
    • /
    • v.24 no.1
    • /
    • pp.91-101
    • /
    • 1999
  • The home nursing care system is an integral part of the health care delivery system in order to meet the various needs of consummer, in particular, early discharge patient from the hospital, patient with long term care needed and the elderly. To find out the cost of home nursing care services, the home nursing care records of patients registered by home nursing care units established in public hospital with 150beds during the period of 1996 - 1997 were analyzed. The subjects were 102patients, 45 of male patients and 57 of female patients, those who live in a rural area in Kymiggi - Do The results obtained are as follows : 1. The male patients accounted for 44.1% of the total, with 45cases : group aged 60 years and more was the largest group, accounting for 79.5%. 2. The most frequent disease revealed was the osteoporosis which constitute 35.3% of the total registered patients, followed, in order, by malignant tumor, cerebrovascular disease. 3. It revealed that the cost per visit for the male was 47,764won ; the female, 46,078 won per visit. Noteworthy the cost per visit was high in the older patient. It was clearly that the gender, years of age and the cost per visit were statistically significant at 0.01 level and 0.05 level. 4. The cost per visit for the non complicated disease was slightly higher than the complicated disease, but it is not statistically significant, the cost per visit by type of disease varied, the cost per visit for COPD was the highest, followed, in order, by in malignant tumor, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis etc. 5. It revealed that home nursing care cost for a eligible disease for home nursing care was less than the cost for hospitalization of the same disease, therefore, we expect that the home nursing care is cost efficiency. In conclusion, the home nursing care costs are needed to analyze further in comparison with the hospitalization costs for a certain disease.

  • PDF

A Study on the Role of the Commune's Cooperation in the French New Town Development and Management System (프랑스 신도시개발 및 관리에서 꼬뮌협력체에 관한 연구)

  • Choi, Sang-Hee;Kim, Doo-Hwan;Yoon, In-Sook;Seo, Jin-Won;Kim, Ryoon-Hee
    • Land and Housing Review
    • /
    • v.3 no.4
    • /
    • pp.369-378
    • /
    • 2012
  • In France, there are many forms of organizations based on the intercommunal solidarity for city development and management. The purpose of the collaboration among Communes is to achieve high quality and well-equipped service-delivery system through co-operation of public services needed grand finances : water supply and sewage system and waste disposal system etc. The cooperation among French Communes and its effects, even though these were owing to the existing French local administration system, continued throughout regional co-management and social co-development process. This study suggested some characteristics and implications of the collaborative-style French new-town development and management organizations focused on the EPA, SAN and CA. First, the role of developmental corporation like EPA and its collaborative structure of decision-making are meaningful, because in these ways many related Communes could share a goal of new town development. Second, the way of new town corporation (SAN) is important in the sense of enabling the Communes to collaborate with each others while maintaining autonomy, so those are not simply state-directed objects, which was very difficult in the former French local administration system. Finally, transforming to CA (Communautes d'agglomeration:city community), EPA as an intercommunal corporation is possible to extend its purpose to the domain of regional planning including new town and periphery areas and change its position to a subject which can practice Commune's sustainable development according to stages of city's development and maturity. The most important implication of this study on urban development in Korea is that administrative consultative council or association among local governments and related authorities need to be established and effectively operate because multi-stakeholders could share a goal of urban development and management through that.

The Current Status of Utilization of Palliative Care Units in Korea: 6 Month Results of 2009 Korean Terminal Cancer Patient Information System (말기암환자 정보시스템을 이용한 우리나라 암환자 완화의료기관의 이용현황)

  • Shin, Dong-Wook;Choi, Jin-Young;Nam, Byung-Ho;Seo, Won-Seok;Kim, Hyo-Young;Hwang, Eun-Joo;Kang, Jina;Kim, So-Hee;Kim, Yang-Hyuck;Park, Eun-Cheol
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
    • /
    • v.13 no.3
    • /
    • pp.181-189
    • /
    • 2010
  • Purpose: Recently, health policy making is increasingly based on evidence. Therefore, Korean Terminal Cancer Patient Information System (KTCPIS) was developed to meet such need. We aimed to report its developmental process and statistics from 6 months data. Methods: Items for KTCPIS were developed through the consultation with practitioners. E-Velos web-based clinical trial management system was used as a technical platform. Data were collected for patients who were registered to 34 inpatient palliative care services, designated by Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs, from $1^{st}$ of January to $30^{th}$ of June in 2009. Descriptive statistics were used for the analysis. Results: From the nationally representative set of 2,940 patients, we obtained the following results. Mean age was $64.8{\pm}12.9$ years, and 56.6% were male. Lung cancer (18.0%) was most common diagnosis. Only 50.3% of patients received the confirmation of terminal diagnosis by two or more physicians, and 69.7% had an insight of terminal diagnosis at the time of admission. About half of patients were admitted to the units on their own without any formal referral. Average and worst pain scores were significantly reduced after 1 week when compared to those at the time of admission. 73.4% faced death in the units, and home-discharge comprised only 13.3%. Mean length of stay per admission was $20.2{\pm}21.2$ days, with median value of 13. Conclusion: Nationally representative data on the characteristics of patients and their caregiver, and current practice of service delivery in palliative care units were obtained through the operation of KTCPIS.

Patterns of Cash Payments for Care : Cross-National Comparative Study (장기요양 현금급여 정책의 국가간 비교 연구)

  • Seok, Jae-Eun
    • Korean Journal of Social Welfare
    • /
    • v.58 no.2
    • /
    • pp.273-302
    • /
    • 2006
  • The introduction of cash payments for care is a distinct trend that characterizes changes in care policies since the 1990s. Recently, many developed countries have newly introduced or extended cash payments for care that allow care users to be able to plan themselves for their cares instead of receiving direct care services from the state. Cash payments for care can be said to be one of the alternative policies by which user choices are extended, and it becomes possible to establish demand-cantered care delivery systems more economically and effectively, hence addressing the issue of the financial limitations and rigid systems that are common in modern welfare states, which make it difficult to response to various needs. However, the design and administration of cash for care vary across different countries. Such variations of cash for care policies influence on the combination of consumerism (based on liberal market values intrinsic in the care market) and citizenship based on social solidarity. Those variations eventually produce impacts on the balance of responsibilities and the roles of families, the state and market regarding care in other words, balancing of welfare pluralism. This paper has attempted to find general meanings and particularity of cash for care polices in modem welfare states by means of looking at the characteristics of cash for care policies of four different countries (Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy) and their impacts on their care market. If the four countries are ranked by the degree that they emphasize citizenship in light with social rights, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy could be placed in due order. From an economic point of view and in terms of cost containment, those countries will be placed in an inverse order, It is apparent that in the course of planting cash for care policies in the existing social systems involving different socio-cultural conditions and labour markets, sometimes more emphasis is placed on the citizenship of care users, family carers and care providers than on cost containment issue, and sometimes vice versa. Behind this lies the process of different social valuation on what care is about; who can better deliver care; who should be responsible for care; how responsibilities should be shared and so on.

  • PDF

A Survey of Purchasing Management for School Foodservice Foods in Daegu and Gyeongbuk Province (대구.경북지역 학교급식 식재료 구매 관리 실태 조사)

  • Kim, Yun-Hwa;Lee, Yeon-Kyung
    • Food Science and Preservation
    • /
    • v.19 no.3
    • /
    • pp.376-384
    • /
    • 2012
  • This study was conducted to investigate the food purchasing management of school food services. The subjects consisted of 271 school dietitians in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk area. The percentages of ready-to-use vegetables actually being used were as follows: root of balloon flowers, 88.4%; garlic, 87.8%; blanched bracken, 80.1%; raw lotus root, 65.7%; burdock, 63.5%; small green onion, 63.5%; stem of taro, 57.6%; ginger, 35.1%; radish root, 30.6%; blanched asterscaber, 29.2%; large type welsh onion, 25.8%; carrot, 25.5%; onion, 21.4%; and potato, 8.9%. The percentages of HACCP-certified products being used were as follows: meat, 75.9%; eggs, 66.7%; soybean curds, 65.5%; ready-to-use seafood, 55.1%; starch jellies, 49.9%; spice, 44.9%; kimchi, 30.9%; ready-to-use vegetables, 22.7%; and fruits, 6.9%. The percentages of environment-friendly food items being used were as follows: eggs, 31.0%; meat, 28.7%; soybean curds, 22.1%; and fruits, 17.7%. Of these food items, meat and ready-to-use seafood were being used the most in the elementary schools. The percentages of imported food items being used were as follows: starch jelly, 29.2%; ready-to-use seafood, 24.7%; soybean curds, 20.5%; spice, 15.9%; and fruits, 10.1%. The food items requiring HACCP certification were as follows: beef and pork, 81.5%; chicken, 80.1%; ready-to-use seafood, 78.6%; frozen dumplings, 73.8%; soybean curds, 71.6%; peeled eggs, 70.8%; fish paste, 69.4%; starch jelly, 65.7%; milk, 63.1%; kimchi, 54.6%; spice, 50.6%; frozen noodle, 45.4%; ready-to-use vegetables, 44.3%; and bean sprouts, 29.5%. It was confirmed that 8.1% of the sanitation monitoring results were intentionally misreported. Therefore, to supply good and safe foods to schools, active management is needed in schools and food manufacturing and delivery companies.

A Study on the Development Direction of Medical Image Information System Using Big Data and AI (빅데이터와 AI를 활용한 의료영상 정보 시스템 발전 방향에 대한 연구)

  • Yoo, Se Jong;Han, Seong Soo;Jeon, Mi-Hyang;Han, Man Seok
    • KIPS Transactions on Computer and Communication Systems
    • /
    • v.11 no.9
    • /
    • pp.317-322
    • /
    • 2022
  • The rapid development of information technology is also bringing about many changes in the medical environment. In particular, it is leading the rapid change of medical image information systems using big data and artificial intelligence (AI). The prescription delivery system (OCS), which consists of an electronic medical record (EMR) and a medical image storage and transmission system (PACS), has rapidly changed the medical environment from analog to digital. When combined with multiple solutions, PACS represents a new direction for advancement in security, interoperability, efficiency and automation. Among them, the combination with artificial intelligence (AI) using big data that can improve the quality of images is actively progressing. In particular, AI PACS, a system that can assist in reading medical images using deep learning technology, was developed in cooperation with universities and industries and is being used in hospitals. As such, in line with the rapid changes in the medical image information system in the medical environment, structural changes in the medical market and changes in medical policies to cope with them are also necessary. On the other hand, medical image information is based on a digital medical image transmission device (DICOM) format method, and is divided into a tomographic volume image, a volume image, and a cross-sectional image, a two-dimensional image, according to a generation method. In addition, recently, many medical institutions are rushing to introduce the next-generation integrated medical information system by promoting smart hospital services. The next-generation integrated medical information system is built as a solution that integrates EMR, electronic consent, big data, AI, precision medicine, and interworking with external institutions. It aims to realize research. Korea's medical image information system is at a world-class level thanks to advanced IT technology and government policies. In particular, the PACS solution is the only field exporting medical information technology to the world. In this study, along with the analysis of the medical image information system using big data, the current trend was grasped based on the historical background of the introduction of the medical image information system in Korea, and the future development direction was predicted. In the future, based on DICOM big data accumulated over 20 years, we plan to conduct research that can increase the image read rate by using AI and deep learning algorithms.

A Comparative Analysis of Social Commerce and Open Market Using User Reviews in Korean Mobile Commerce (사용자 리뷰를 통한 소셜커머스와 오픈마켓의 이용경험 비교분석)

  • Chae, Seung Hoon;Lim, Jay Ick;Kang, Juyoung
    • Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
    • /
    • v.21 no.4
    • /
    • pp.53-77
    • /
    • 2015
  • Mobile commerce provides a convenient shopping experience in which users can buy products without the constraints of time and space. Mobile commerce has already set off a mega trend in Korea. The market size is estimated at approximately 15 trillion won (KRW) for 2015, thus far. In the Korean market, social commerce and open market are key components. Social commerce has an overwhelming open market in terms of the number of users in the Korean mobile commerce market. From the point of view of the industry, quick market entry, and content curation are considered to be the major success factors, reflecting the rapid growth of social commerce in the market. However, academics' empirical research and analysis to prove the success rate of social commerce is still insufficient. Henceforward, it is to be expected that social commerce and the open market in the Korean mobile commerce will compete intensively. So it is important to conduct an empirical analysis to prove the differences in user experience between social commerce and open market. This paper is an exploratory study that shows a comparative analysis of social commerce and the open market regarding user experience, which is based on the mobile users' reviews. Firstly, this study includes a collection of approximately 10,000 user reviews of social commerce and open market listed Google play. A collection of mobile user reviews were classified into topics, such as perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use through LDA topic modeling. Then, a sentimental analysis and co-occurrence analysis on the topics of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use was conducted. The study's results demonstrated that social commerce users have a more positive experience in terms of service usefulness and convenience versus open market in the mobile commerce market. Social commerce has provided positive user experiences to mobile users in terms of service areas, like 'delivery,' 'coupon,' and 'discount,' while open market has been faced with user complaints in terms of technical problems and inconveniences like 'login error,' 'view details,' and 'stoppage.' This result has shown that social commerce has a good performance in terms of user service experience, since the aggressive marketing campaign conducted and there have been investments in building logistics infrastructure. However, the open market still has mobile optimization problems, since the open market in mobile commerce still has not resolved user complaints and inconveniences from technical problems. This study presents an exploratory research method used to analyze user experience by utilizing an empirical approach to user reviews. In contrast to previous studies, which conducted surveys to analyze user experience, this study was conducted by using empirical analysis that incorporates user reviews for reflecting users' vivid and actual experiences. Specifically, by using an LDA topic model and TAM this study presents its methodology, which shows an analysis of user reviews that are effective due to the method of dividing user reviews into service areas and technical areas from a new perspective. The methodology of this study has not only proven the differences in user experience between social commerce and open market, but also has provided a deep understanding of user experience in Korean mobile commerce. In addition, the results of this study have important implications on social commerce and open market by proving that user insights can be utilized in establishing competitive and groundbreaking strategies in the market. The limitations and research direction for follow-up studies are as follows. In a follow-up study, it will be required to design a more elaborate technique of the text analysis. This study could not clearly refine the user reviews, even though the ones online have inherent typos and mistakes. This study has proven that the user reviews are an invaluable source to analyze user experience. The methodology of this study can be expected to further expand comparative research of services using user reviews. Even at this moment, users around the world are posting their reviews about service experiences after using the mobile game, commerce, and messenger applications.

Recognition and Attitude to Implement at ion of Service Area Assigned System of Public Health Programs among the Health Officer (공공보건사업의 지역담당제 실시에 관한 보건기관 근무 공무원의 인식과 태도)

  • Kim, Mi-Soon;Lee, Moo-Sik;Kim, Nam-Song
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
    • /
    • v.26 no.2
    • /
    • pp.15-41
    • /
    • 2001
  • Since medical clients and the community they live in are expected to be center of future public health and medical care system, new service programs must be developed with patients focused on in line with widening public access of information and social participation. Patients- focused service shall mean the area- oriented provision of public health service. In this study, health officers working at public health centers, public health sub- centers and medical offices in Jeonbuk- do area were taken for population in order to investigate their attitudes toward and knowledge about the service area assigning system under the public health programs. Findings from the survey to 260 health officers, divided by general category, are as follows : Government officers at public health organizations appeared to have high grade of understanding to the service area assigning system and also great appreciation for the necessity of it. Regarding the timing for the system to be introduced, they support the gradual implementation and, as for the type of service to be provided, they preferred home nursing and treatment of chronic diseases. Highly positive responses were centered on the health classes under the health promotion projects, and as far as health projects for the old are concerned, services for home nursing, for the disabled and for home- alone people are favored most. On the other hand, budgeting, manpower and reorganization are rated as prerequisite to establishment of the service area assigning system. From the viewpoint of system side, the improvement of working conditions is rendered as most urgent, while the information system for establishing the service area assigning system is conceived far from satisfactory. Proper assignment of specialists was noted as mostly important to establish the delivery system for medical service through the service area assigning system by team. As merits of the service area assigning system, it is pointed out that, through the system, health clients can better be managed and the nursing quality will be improved thank to the enhanced specialization. It is also perceived that the district health service is not well prepared to respond to the increased and diversified needs of community people and, furthermore, service programs of health centers have not been fully developed. The most serious problem standing in the way to expansion of health projects is, it is noted, uniformity (formality) of the project. Based on the results of the survey which suggest time has ripen to introduce the service area assigning system, following strategies are proposed to anchor down the system as soon as possible: First, we should introduce the system gradually, starting from the area selected, and in consideration of area specialities, refraining from the hitherto stereotyped way of providing health service. Second, we should seek to properly assign the specialists and improve the working conditions of the assigned officers by securing sufficient budget, since it is a most urgent step to lay foundation for the service area assigning system. Third, best service program should be developed to meet the satisfaction of community people by responding to their needs and solidifying the management of medical clients. Fourth, wide scope of study should further be conducted in order to help this system take roots in the central living of community residents since pilot project on the experimental base attended by specialists only can not win popularity among the masses.

  • PDF

Study on Medical Records In ${\ulcorner}$the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms${\lrcorner}$ ("삼국사기(三國史記)"에 기록된 의약내용(醫藥內容) 분석)

  • Shin, Soon-Shik;Choi, Hwan-Soo
    • Journal of The Association for Neo Medicine
    • /
    • v.2 no.1
    • /
    • pp.35-54
    • /
    • 1997
  • We tried to observe the features of ancient medical practice by analysing the records related to medicine in the book, ${\ulcorner}$the Historical Records of the Three Kingdom${\lrcorner}$ of which content includes the features of medicine in mythology, plague, delivery of twins, drugs, medical system, shamanism, constitutional medicine, psychiatry, forensic medicine, deformity, a spa, medical phrase, health and welfare work, religion, death. physiological anatomy, Taoist medicine, acupuncture, the occult af of transformation and etc. Our initial concern was about where to draw line as of medical field and we defined medicine in more broad meaning. The book ${\ulcorner}$the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms${\lrcorner}$ describes the world of mythology by way of medicine which is not clearly a conventional one. There appears records of birth of multiple offsprings 7 times in which cases are of triplets or more. Delivering multiple offsprings were rare phenomenon though such fertility was highly admired. This shows one aspect of ancient country having more population meant more power of the nation. Of those medical records conveyed in that book includes stories of childbirth such as giving birth to a son after praying, giving birth to Kim Yoo-shin after 20 months after mother's dream of conception, and a song longing for getting a laudable child. Plagues were prevalent throughout winter to spring season and one can observe various symptoms of plagues in the record. Of these epidemic diseases, cold type might have been more common than the heat one. Appearance of epidemic diseases frequently coincided with that of natural disasters that this suggests a linkage between plague and underlying doctrine on five elements' motion and six kinds of natural factors. There exists only a few names of diseases such as epidemic disease, wind disease, and syndrome characterized by dyspnea. Otherwise there appeared only afflictions that were not specified therefore it remains cluless to keep track of certain diseases of prevalence. Since this ${\ulcorner}$Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms'${\lrcorner}$ wasn't any sort of medical book, words and terms used were not technical kind and most were the ones used generally among lay people. Therefore any mechanisms of the diseases were hardly mentioned. Some of medicinal substances such as Calculus Bovis, Radix Ginseng, Gaboderma Luciderm, magnetitum were also in use in those days. 53 kinds of dietary supplies appears in the records and some of these might have been used as medicinal purpose. Records concerning dicipline of one's body includes activities such as hunting, archery, horseback riding etc. In Shilla dynasty there were positions such as professor of medicine, Naekongbong(內供奉), Kongbong's doctor(供奉醫師), Kongbong's diviner(供奉卜師). As an educational facility, medical school was built at the first year of King Hyoso's reign and it's curricula included various subjects as ${\ulcorner}$Shin Nong's Herbal classic${\lrcorner}$, ${\ulcorner}$Kabeul classic of acupuncture and moxbustion${\lrcorner}$, ${\ulcorner}$The Plain Questions of the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine${\lrcorner}$, ${\ulcorner}$Classic of Acupuncturer${\lrcorner}$, ${\ulcorner}$The Pulse Classic${\lrcorner}$, ${\ulcorner}$Classic of Channels and Acupuncture Points${\lrcorner}$ and ${\ulcorner}$Difficult Classic${\lrcorner}$. There were 2 medical professors who were in charge of education. To establish pharmacopoeia, 2 Shaji(舍知), 6 Sha(史), 2 Jongshaji(從舍知) were appointed. In Baekje dynasty, Department of Herb was maintained. Doing praying for the sake of health, doing phrenology also can be extended to medical arena. Those who survived over 100 years of age appear 3 times in the record, while 98 appears once. The earliest psychiatrist Nokjin differentiated symptoms to apply either therapies using acupuncture and drug or psychotherapy. There appears a case of rape, a case of burying alive with the dead, 8 cases of suicide that can characterize a prototype of forensic medicine. Deformity-related records include phrases as follow: 'there seems protrudent bone behind the head', 'a body which has two heads, two trunks, four arms.', 'a body equipped with two heads' In those times spa can be said to be used as a place for he리ing, convalescence, and relaxation seeing the records describing a person pretended illness and went to spa to enjoy with his friends. Priest doctors and millitary surgeons were in charge of the medical sevice in the period of the Three Kingdoms by the record written by Mookhoja(墨胡子) and Hoonkyeom(訓謙). Poor diet and regimen makes people more vulnerable to diseases. So there existed charity services for those poor people who couldn't live with one's own capacity such as single parents, orphans, the aged people no one to take care and those who are ill. The cause of affliction was frequently coined with human relation. There appeared the phenomenon of releasing prisoners and allowing people to become priests at the time of king's suffering. Besides, as a healing procedure, sutra-chanting was peformed. There appears 10 cases of death related records which varies from death by drowning, or by freezing, death from animals, death from war, death from wightloss and killing oneself at the moment of spouse's death and etc. There also exist certain records which suggest the knowledge of physiology and anatomy in those times. Since the taoist books such as ${\ulcorner}$Book of the Way and Its Power(老子道德經)${\lrcorner}$ were introduced in the period of Three Kingdoms, it can be considered that medicine was also influenced by taoism. Records of higher level of acupuncture, records which links the medicine and occult art of transformation existed. Although limited, we could figure out the medical state of ancient society.

  • PDF

The Effect of Price Discount Rate According to Brand Loyalty on Consumer's Acquisition Value and Transaction Value (브랜드애호도에 따른 가격할인율의 차이가 소비자의 획득가치와 거래가치에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Young-Ei;Kim, Jae-Yeong;Shin, Chang-Nag
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
    • /
    • v.17 no.4
    • /
    • pp.247-269
    • /
    • 2007
  • In recent years, one of the major reasons for the fierce competition amongst firms is that they strive to increase their own market shares and customer acquisition rate in the same market with similar and apparently undifferentiated products in terms of quality and perceived benefit. Because of this change in recent marketing environment, the differentiated after-sales service and diversified promotion strategies have become more important to gain competitive advantage. Price promotion is the favorite strategy that most retailers use to achieve short-term sales increase, induce consumer's brand switch, in troduce new product into market, and so forth. However, if marketers apply or copy an identical price promotion strategy without considering the characteristic differences in product and consumer preference, it will cause serious problems because discounted price itself could make people skeptical about product quality, and the changes of perceived value might appear differently depending on other factors such as consumer involvement or brand attitude. Previous studies showed that price promotion would certainly increase sales, and the discounted price compared to regular price would enhance the consumer's perceived values. On the other hand, discounted price itself could make people depreciate or skeptical about product quality, and reduce the consumers' positivity bias because consumers might be unsure whether the current price promotion is the retailer's best price offer. Moreover, we cannot say that discounted price absolutely enhances the consumer's perceived values regardless of product category and purchase situations. That is, the factors that affect consumers' value perceptions and buying behavior are so diverse in reality that the results of studies on the same dependent variable come out differently depending on what variable was used or how experiment conditions were designed. Majority of previous researches on the effect of price-comparison advertising have used consumers' buying behavior as dependent variable. In order to figure out consumers' buying behavior theoretically, analysis of value perceptions which influence buying intentions is needed. In addition, they did not combined the independent variables such as brand loyalty and price discount rate together. For this reason, this paper tried to examine the moderating effect of brand loyalty on relationship between the different levels of discounting rate and buyers' value perception. And we provided with theoretical and managerial implications that marketers need to consider such variables as product attributes, brand loyalty, and consumer involvement at the same time, and then establish a differentiated pricing strategy case by case in order to enhance consumer's perceived values properl. Three research concepts were used in our study and each concept based on past researches was defined. The perceived acquisition value in this study was defined as the perceived net gains associated with the products or services acquired. That is, the perceived acquisition value of the product will be positively influenced by the benefits buyers believe they are getting by acquiring and using the product, and negatively influenced by the money given up to acquire the product. And the perceived transaction value was defined as the perception of psychological satisfaction or pleasure obtained from taking advantage of the financial terms of the price deal. Lastly, the brand loyalty was defined as favorable attitude towards a purchased product. Thus, a consumer loyal to a brand has an emotional attachment to the brand or firm. Repeat purchasers continue to buy the same brand even though they do not have an emotional attachment to it. We assumed that if the degree of brand loyalty is high, the perceived acquisition value and the perceived transaction value will increase when higher discount rate is provided. But we found that there are no significant differences in values between two different discount rates as a result of empirical analysis. It means that price reduction did not affect consumer's brand choice significantly because the perceived sacrifice decreased only a little, and customers are satisfied with product's benefits when brand loyalty is high. From the result, we confirmed that consumers with high degree of brand loyalty to a specific product are less sensitive to price change. Thus, using price promotion strategy to merely expect sale increase is not recommendable. Instead of discounting price, marketers need to strengthen consumers' brand loyalty and maintain the skimming strategy. On the contrary, when the degree of brand loyalty is low, the perceived acquisition value and the perceived transaction value decreased significantly when higher discount rate is provided. Generally brands that are considered inferior might be able to draw attention away from the quality of the product by making consumers focus more on the sacrifice component of price. But considering the fact that consumers with low degree of brand loyalty are known to be unsatisfied with product's benefits and have relatively negative brand attitude, bigger price reduction offered in experiment condition of this paper made consumers depreciate product's quality and benefit more and more, and consumer's psychological perceived sacrifice increased while perceived values decreased accordingly. We infer that, in the case of inferior brand, a drastic price-cut or frequent price promotion may increase consumers' uncertainty about overall components of product. Therefore, it appears that reinforcing the augmented product such as after-sale service, delivery and giving credit which is one of the levels consisting of product would be more effective in reality. This will be better rather than competing with product that holds high brand loyalty by reducing sale price. Although this study tried to examine the moderating effect of brand loyalty on relationship between the different levels of discounting rate and buyers' value perception, there are several limitations. This study was conducted in controlled conditions where the high involvement product and two different levels of discount rate were applied. Given the presence of low involvement product, when both pieces of information are available, it is likely that the results we have reported here may have been different. Thus, this research results explain only the specific situation. Second, the sample selected in this study was university students in their twenties, so we cannot say that the results are firmly effective to all generations. Future research that manipulates the level of discount along with the consumer involvement might lead to a more robust understanding of the effects various discount rate. And, we used a cellular phone as a product stimulus, so it would be very interesting to analyze the result when the product stimulus is an intangible product such as service. It could be also valuable to analyze whether the change of perceived value affects consumers' final buying behavior positively or negatively.

  • PDF