• 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 Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.205-215
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• 2013

Most terminally ill cancer patients experience various physical and psychological symptoms during their illness. In addition to pain, they commonly suffer from fatigue, anorexia-cachexia syndrome, nausea, vomiting and dyspnea. In this paper, I reviewed some of the common non-pain symptoms in terminally ill cancer patients, based on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines to better understand and treat cancer patients. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common symptom in terminally ill cancer patients. There are reversible causes of fatigue, which include anemia, sleep disturbance, malnutrition, pain, depression and anxiety, medical comorbidities, hyperthyroidism and hypogonadism. Energy conservation and education are recommended as central management for CRF. Corticosteroid and psychostimulants can be used as well. The anorexia and cachexia syndrome has reversible causes and should be managed. It includes stomatitis, constipation and uncontrolled severe symptoms such as pain or dyspnea, delirium, nausea/vomiting, depression and gastroparesis. To manage the syndrome, it is important to provide emotional support and inform the patient and family of the natural history of the disease. Megesteol acetate, dronabinol and corticosteroid can be helpful. Nausea and vomiting will occur by potentially reversible causes including drug consumption, uremia, infection, anxiety, constipation, gastric irritation and proximal gastrointestinal obstruction. Metoclopramide, haloperidol, olanzapine and ondansetron can be used to manage nausea and vomiting. Dyspnea is common even in terminally ill cancer patients without lung disease. Opioids are effective for symptomatic management of dyspnea. To improve the quality of life for terminally ill cancer patients, we should try to ameliorate these symptoms by paying more attention to patients and understanding of management principles.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 2002

The need for ready-to-wear clothing increases as the problem comes to arise from the fit of custommade clothing due to the characteristics of middle-aged women's somatotype. At this point of time, a study on the realities of production of custom-made clothing in middle-aged women's clothing business firms is of very greatly significance. Therefore, this study was intended to identify the problem and improvements through the survey research of production of custom-made clothing in middle-aged women's clothing business firms and further present the plan for development of custom-made clothing business. The questionnaire was framed based on the contents extracted from the preliminary questionnaire research for the pattern section chief of each business firm. Collected data were statistically processed using the SPSS 10.0 Windows program. As a result, the following findings were obtained: 1. The target age of the middle-aged women's clothing business firms ranged from more than 45 years to less than 50 years of age. Clothing business firms much made inroads into the ready-to-wear clothing market largely in the 1980s and the 1990s. Their active entry into the custom-made clothing market occurred in the 1970s and the 1980s. 2. In terms of the clothing production method of middle-aged women's clothing firms, some private boutique and designer brand clothing firms entered the clothing market with a focus on custom-made clothing in the beginning of its organization and introduced the production method of ready-to-wear clothing in accordance with changes in production methods and consumers' needs and wants. National brand clothing firms manufactured clothing with a focus on ready-to-wear clothing from the beginning of its organization, but at last they manufactured both partial custom-made and whole custom-made as the problem arose from ready-to-wear clothing. Seeing that their clothing production showed the ratio readyto-wear to custom-made clothing of 2.58:1. And it was found that the manufacture of ready-to-wear and custom-made clothing took into consideration the great difference in the pattern, size and design plan. The research of the clothing production process showed that whole custom-made and partial custommade were distinguished according to whether or not the sample was presented. 3. The ready-to-wear pattern of middle-aged women's clothing firms were used with a focus on the 'patternmaker-developed pattern' and company-developed pattern'. Most clothing businesses produced clothing in 4 to 5 basic sizes, which is found to be insufficient to complement the physical characteristics of middle-aged women with many specific somatotypes. In the pattern of custom-made clothing, the 'pattern of ready-to-wear were applied' or the 'customized pattern was developed'. Actual measurements were most used as the size of custom-made, and accordingly it is predicted that the level of satisfaction is higher with the fit of custom-made clothing than that of ready-to-wear. The selling place and the head office showed the similar percent as the place for measuring the size of custom-made clothing. Size measurers were mostly the shop master. And it was found that most clothing business firms had a problem when the measured size was applied to the pattern. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide education on size measurement for shop masters. 4. It was found that in the middle-aged women's clothing firms, the pattern correction of the length of sleeve, jacket and slacks occupied the highest percent. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide for the size system to complement the accurate somatotype characteristics of middle-aged women. 5. In custom-made clothing customer management, most firms engaged in customer somatotype management through size management. They provided customers with commodity information by informing them of the sales and event period and practiced human management for customers by maintaining the get-together and friendly relationship. 6. Middle-aged women's clothing businesses responded that it would be necessary to improve the fit of custom-made clothing and complement their pursuit for individuality as the plan to improve its quality. In consequence, it suggests that middle-aged women's clothing businesses should provide middle-aged women with the clothing of better-suited size and refined design. Middle-aged women's clothing businesses responded that it was the most urgent task to form the custom-made clothing manufacturing team as the plan to expand the custom-made clothing market, which is identified as their emphasis on the systematized production of custom-made clothing.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.1001-1024
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• 2014

The purpose of the study is to explore the experiences and meaning of the AP (Advanced Placement) at the specialized school for the highly gifted through the in-depth interview with 39 college students who had graduated from the specialized schools with the AP experiences. It is expected that the AP will be expanded to the students at the Science High Schools from the year of 2015, however, there has been no study to examine the realities of the AP in-depth especially through the voices of the AP participants. Students have taken 8 required and/or selective courses as AP in average. Students usually start to take AP from the second year of the specialized school for the highly gifted, but some start from the first year through the placement test. Numbers of available AP courses vary by subjects, but relatively more courses open in the areas of math and physics. Students' opinions regarding the AP were quite positive. Specifically, the high quality of the AP class and energetic interaction between student and teacher compared to the college classes were preferred by the students. However, it was controversial whether C+ is enough for the pass condition of the AP. Students were using the shortened time by AP in diverse ways, such as early graduation, double majors, exchange students, individual researches, and so on. Most of all, they tried to search for their career interests through the AP experiences. In closing, the present study provides some advices and future directions for the better AP management, including the improvement of administrative system between schools for the gifted and the universities, and the expansion of the number of university which approves the AP system.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.51-67
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• 1996

There are three main rice-growing regions in the United States: the prairie region along the Mississippi River Valley in eastern Arkansas; the Gulf Coast prairie region in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas; and the Central Valley of California. The Central Valley of California is producing about 23% of the US rice(Fig. 1). In California. most of the crop has been produced in the Colusa, Sutter, Butte, Glenn Counties of the Sacramento Valley since 1912, when rice was commercially grown for the first time in the state(Fig. 2). Roughly speaking, the average annual area sown to rice in California is about 300,000 acres to 400,000 acres during the last forty years(Fig. 3). California rice is grown under a Mediterranean climate characterized by warm, dry, clear days, and a long growing season favorable to high photosynthetic rates and high rice yields. The average rice yield per acre is probably higher in California than in any other rice-growing regions of the world(Fig. 4). A dependable supply of irrigation water must be available for a successful rice culture. Most of the irrigation water for California rice comes from the winter rain and snow-fed reservoir of the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. Less than 10 percent of rice irrigation water is pumped from wells in areas where surface water is not sufficient. It is also essential to have good surface drainage if maximum yields are to be produced. Rice production in California is highly mechanized, requiring only about four hours of labor per acre. Mechanization of rice culture in California includes laser-leveler technology, large tractors, self-propelled combines for harvesting, and aircraft for seeding, pest control, and some fertilization. The principal varieties grown in California are medium-grain japonica types with origins from the cooler rice climates of the northern latitudes (Table 1). Long-grain varieties grown in the American South are not well adapted to California's cooler environment. Nearly all the rice grown recently in California are improved into semidwarf varieties. Choice of variety depends on environment, planting date, quality desired, marketing, and harvesting scheduling. The Rice Experiment Station at Biggs is owned, financed, and administered by the rice industry. The station was established in 1912, as a direct result of the foresight and effort of Charles Edward Chambliss of the United States Department of Agriculture. Now, The station's major effort is the development of improved rice varieties for California.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.69-85
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• 1996

This research adoptes a spatial analysis function of the Geographic Information System[GIS] to analyze the location and the service district of a collective consumption facility, to discover the optimal location, and to redefine the service district. The location and spatial district of a collective consumption facility strongly influences the quality of life of residents. This research studies administrative offices and districts, especially Gu-offices in Ulsan. Ulsan would be raised to the status of Kwangyokshi in 1997; so that, the status of four Gus would be changed from a general administration into a self-governing administration. The summary of this research focuses on five significant points. First, the districts of four Gus were strongly required to be redefined to obtain the maximization of the degree of potential development as well as of the efficiency and equity of administring services. The spatial range of residents in a Gu was not in accord with its administrative district. The administrative districts of four Gus in Ulsan were not balanced in terms of area and population, and the high degree of disparity among Gus existed the efficiency and equality of a collective consumption service. Second, the current gu-offices were located based on security of land and accessibility of a main route; so, there was difficult to find the creteria and the principles of selections of the location of Gu offices. The social disparity of an administrative service existed in the accessibility into Gu-offices. Third, the administrative districts of Gus were redefined with spatial analysis tool of ARC/INFO. It was recommended that Ulsan maintain four Gus under the condition of five Kwangyokshi in South Korea. The redefined districts of administration reduced the disparity among four Gus in terms of area and population. improved the degree of harmony between the spatial range of residents of Gus and the administrative district of Gus, and increased the efficiency and equity of administrative service. Fourth, within the redefined adminis trative district of a Gu, the centroid reduced the maximum distance and mean distance; so, the efficiency and equity of public service provided by the Gu-office were improved. Last, the spatial analysis function of GIS helped to select the optimal location and to delineate the district of public service with more speedly and objectively. The function of spatial analysis of GIS was very useful to minimize the conflict in the determination of the location of a collective consumption facility and of the service district. To improve location analysis with GIS. non-spatial data base such as budget, thought of residents, and development policy and program, should be constructed.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.205-217
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• 1996

Today in the industrial society, the urban park is the place for citizens' health, recreation, exercise, and education. This is a very important place as a fine sight and maintenance of public security. As the results of rapid economic growth during the last thirty years, citizens are in the age of material civilization and are challenged with many serious urban problems such as pollution, noise, traffic congestion, human alienation, etc. Rapid material civilization brought to citizens' mental and physical diseases. To some of the problems, it is necessary that we should have proper leisure and recreation facilities, and that we should have the active, positive posture to them. Especially we need the out door recreational spaces and facilities. But nowadays the urban parks are given little thought in spites of the necessity of parks which should be used as a recreational spaces in the urban areas. So, This study attempt to comprehend the function, quantity and quality of the urban park system in Taegu. It is clear that the quantity is inappropriate. Because of inappropriate disposition and management, its coefficiency of utilization is low. In view of the population and park ratio, Dong Gu, Nam Gu, Suseong Gu and Dalseong Gun have comparative good, environments. However, Dalseo Qu, Seo Gu and Jung Gu have less geographical features. There are some methods to provide expansion of the aggregate of urban parks. We can use the school-grounds and their facilities. which were moved from C.B.D. to the outskirts of Daegu, or some parts of urban redevelopment, or the riverside of Sincheon river. In the urban park-program, users' satisfaction-factors are analyzed. We must reconsider the efficiency. The above problems are improved. Active administration and inhabitants' Positive participation are demanded so that the sound development of cities and daily life-surroundings are promoted.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.241-263
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• 2010

KoFlux is a Korean network of micrometeorological tower sites that use eddy covariance methods to monitor the cycles of energy, water, and carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the key terrestrial ecosystems in Korea. KoFlux embraces the mission of AsiaFlux, i.e. to bring Asia's key ecosystems under observation to ensure quality and sustainability of life on earth. The main purposes of KoFlux are to provide (1) an infrastructure to monitor, compile, archive and distribute data for the science community and (2) a forum and short courses for the application and distribution of knowledge and data between scientists including practitioners. The KoFlux community pursues the vision of AsiaFlux, i.e., "thinking community, learning frontiers" by creating information and knowledge of ecosystem science on carbon, water and energy exchanges in key terrestrial ecosystems in Asia, by promoting multidisciplinary cooperations and integration of scientific researches and practices, and by providing the local communities with sustainable ecosystem services. Currently, KoFlux has seven sites in key terrestrial ecosystems (i.e., five sites in Korea and two sites in the Arctic and Antarctic). KoFlux has systemized a standardized data processing based on scrutiny of the data observed from these ecosystems and synthesized the processed data for constructing database for further uses with open access. Through publications, workshops, and training courses on a regular basis, KoFlux has provided an agora for building networks, exchanging information among flux measurement and modelling experts, and educating scientists in flux measurement and data analysis. Despite such persistent initiatives, the collaborative networking is still limited within the KoFlux community. In order to break the walls between different disciplines and boost up partnership and ownership of the network, KoFlux will be housed in the National Center for Agro-Meteorology (NCAM) at Seoul National University in 2011 and provide several core services of NCAM. Such concerted efforts will facilitate the augmentation of the current monitoring network, the education of the next-generation scientists, and the provision of sustainable ecosystem services to our society.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.106-127
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• 1996

In Korea, modern geomorphology has developed as one of main subjects in geography, such as in Europe. Geomorphology is one of the most advanced specialties in the geography dicipline, since foundation of Korean Geographical Society in 1945. Untill 1960's study, first generation of the Korean geomorphologists trained the younger ones, together with energetic research activities. Their great works in education and research established the base of ulterier development of the geomorphology in Korea. Since 1970s, research manpower and quality has incresed rapidly, partly due to the various international activities and cooperations of Korean geomorphologists. Owing to above development, Korean geomorphologist was able to found "The Geomorphological Association of Korea" in 1990 and publish "Journal of GAK", since 1994. Furthermore, geomorphologists are playing important roles in interdisciplinary academic societies, such as "The Korean Quaternary Assocition". Still 1960s, our research had focused on the identification and interpretation of erosional surfaces in Korea Peninsular. Of course, W.M. Davis's "Geographical Cycle Theory" and L.C. King's "Pedimentation Theory" had a great influence on the Koerans' works. After 1970s, the study of erosional surface played the important role in setting up the morphoclimatic viewpoint and methodology. Research scope tend to be notably broad and various than it was untill 1960's. Disposotion of the scientific methods and techniques become more and more apparent. These trends of research has settled precise descreption and interpretation of actual landforms, based on the careful field works, scientific measuring, and analisis, rather than methodology focused on the particular master theories. Recent geomorphological researches show the scope from climatic geomorphology and Quaternary geomorphology to granite and limestone weathering, pedo-geomorphogenic environment and periglacial landforms, focused on the small-to-medium scales. And then there have been new trying to interprete erosional surfaces such as hillslopes and terraces. Also, studies of coastal and plain landforms have been successfully developed. Recent new trends show the quantitative and analytic modelling using field measurement and laboratory work, and study on the human impacts on the natural landforms.y on the human impacts on the natural landforms.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.277-291
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• 2012

To compare satisfaction with school meals provided by two different types of school meal services, a survey was conducted with 252 high school students (male: 138, female: 114) consisting of 133 students offered by on-site school meal service and 114 ones by transporting school meal service in Daegu. Anthropometric measurements of the study subjects showed that 68.1% of male and 41.2% of female students had normal weight while 50.0% of female and 10.1% of male students were underweight on the basis of BMIs. 'Taste' was the most important factor when eating meals followed by 'nutrition', 'hygiene' and 'preference by the students'. (of the both schools). Eating habits of the subjects were influenced mostly by family. Female students (17.5%) skipped breakfast more frequently than the male students (8.0%). The students (68.4%) offered by on-site school meal service were more satisfied with meals than those (9.2%) by transporting school meal service. Top reason for not being satisfied was 'taste' in both schools but the second reason (36.3% of the subjects) was 'quantity of food' only in the school with transporting school meal service. In satisfaction with menu, temperature, quantity and hygienic condition of foods, higher dissatisfaction was shown in the students offered by transporting school meal service. Items needed for improvement in school meals suggested by the students were 'taste of food' (25.6% vs 62.2%), 'diversity of menu items' (21.1% vs 8.4%), 'hygienic conditions' (17.3% vs 8.4%), 'quantity of food' (10.5% vs 17.6%) and 'balanced nutrition' (8.4% vs 1.7%) for on-site service and transporting one. It is concluded from these results that transporting meal service for school meals has to be changed from the present condition to improve the quality of meals and that managing and supporting programs should be developed by public institutions such as office of education.