• Health Policy and Management
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.167-203
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• 1992

The effects of regional health insurance on access to ambulatory care are examined in this paper. Access is measured as use-disability ratios. The data are collected in a household interview survey at Hwachon county before and after the introduction of regional health insurance. Before the introduction of regional health insurance, low-income class has less contacts with physicians than high-income class. This disparity in accessibility among economic classes is reduced with the health insurance coverage, but not removed, even after adjusting for health need.

• Journal of Urban Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2019

This study examines the determinants of emergency care utilization and equity of access to care in elderly Koreans. Based on the data from the 2014 Korea Health Panel Survey, descriptive and logistic regression analysis was performed. The sample for this study was 1,313 individuals who participated in interviews. Predisposing factors such as age, sex, and education were significant determinants of emergency care utilization. Differences in need do not fully account for the original differences observed between subgroups of older Koreans. Health status was important determinant of older Koreans using emergency care services. Spending medical expense did not ameliorate the subgroup differences in the use of emergency care services. Nonetheless, spending medical expense remains a particularly important predictor of emergency care utilization. Health care reforms in Korea should continue to concentrate on insuring effective universal emergency care, implying that all older Koreans with need receive effective coverage. Future study is also needed to understand the access barriers that may exist for the selected demographic subgroups, i.e., those over 75, women, less educated persons, and those with higher medical expense.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2022

Objectives: Access to maternal and neonatal care services (MNCS) is an important goal of health policy in developing countries. In this study, we proposed a 3-level hierarchical location-allocation model to maximize the coverage of MNCS providers in Iran. Methods: First, the necessary criteria for designing an MNCS network were explored. Birth data, including gestational age and birth weight, were collected from the data bank of the Iranian Maternal and Neonatal Network national registry based on 3 service levels (I, II, and III). Vehicular travel times between the points of demand and MNCS providers were considered. Alternative MNCS were mapped in some cities to reduce access difficulties. Results: It was found that 130, 121, and 86 MNCS providers were needed to respond to level I, II, and III demands, respectively, in 373 cities. Service level III was not available in 39 cities within the determined travel time, which led to an increased average travel time of 173 minutes to the nearest MNCS provider. Conclusions: This study revealed inequalities in the distribution of MNCS providers. Management of the distribution of MNCS providers can be used to enhance spatial access to health services and reduce the risk of neonatal mortality and morbidity. This method may provide a sustainable healthcare solution at the policy and decision-making level for regional, or even universal, healthcare networks.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.110-143
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• 1996

The purpose of this study is to assess the extent of inequality in health outcomes and the distribution of health services according to health need under National Health Insurance System in Korea. For the empirical analysis, data were collected through an interview survey during one month of October, 1994. Interview were conducted with a total of 10, 875 of the employees and the self-employed selected through cluster, systematic sampling. The major findings of this research are as follows: 1. The analysis of the differentials in morbidity rates by socio-economic group showed that health inequality in the pro-higher groups existed in all self-reported morbidity indicators. 2. The findings of the conventional use measures showed that the lower socio-economic groups had more ambulatory and inpatient services than the higher groups. In contrast to the level of the medical care utilization, however, the higher socio-economic groups were more likely to use the high-quality source of care in terms of their treatment place compared to the lower groups. 3. By using the need-based use measures, the results were different from each use-disability ration indicator. Using the use-disability ration measured by physician visits per 100 restricted-activity days in the population, it was found that there was no evidence favoring the higher socio-economic groups. In contrast, the use-disability ration based on physician visits per a chronic patient in one year displayed that there was remarkable relative difference by income group as well as the evidence of the pro-higher income groups. 4. The results of logistic regression analysis and two-stage estimation method indicated that although the utilization is significantly affected by type and duration of insurance coverage, the use or nonuse of service and the volume of physician care consumed is determined by health need and demographic characteristics rater than economic status. In sum, these findings suggest that physician service is equitably distributed according to health need under national health insurance system in Korea. As there were some evidences of inequality including the differential in physician visits of chronic patients by income group, however, the government should strengthen the activities to guarantee the equity of health services utilization.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.541-549
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• 2015

Research about U.S. and European countries demonstrated that startups and young firms account for nearly all net job creation. If we want to bring down unemployment and to increase economic growth rate, we need to create new companies and to make them to grow. Credit availability is one of the most important factors for entrepreneurs as they attempt to start or expand a business. For young firms, access to credit for business growth can mean the difference between survival and failure. Equity crowdfunding is an innovative means of raising capital for businesses. Crowdfunding campaigns can give new business access to a large pool of investors. This brings huge benefits for marketing and increase provability of success of business and ROI, so it leads follow-on investment from Venture Capital and Angel investors. In Korea, the survival rate of startups and average growth rate of survivors is far lower than those of the U.S or other countries due to lack of funds for startup or early business growth. Equity crowdfunding can be a new funding source for venture or startups. It can increase startup and survival rate, in addition to the growth rate of survivors, resulting in decreased unemployment rate. In Korea, Equity crowdfunding will be available from 2016. Further study is needed to determine whether the impact of crowdfunding in Korea on job creation will be similar to its impact in the U.S.

• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.71-80
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• 2023

Purpose - The pandemic has magnified and deepened existing socioeconomic disparities, including healthcare, education, income, gender, and housing. This study aims to examine the intersectionality of these disparities and their implications for promoting equity and justice. Research design, data, and methodology - This study is a comprehensive review of the literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on socioeconomic disparities. The review includes empirical studies, policy reports, and academic articles on healthcare, education, income, gender, and housing disparities. Result - The pandemic has exposed significant disparities in healthcare, education, income, gender, and housing. Healthcare disparities have been highlighted, and there is a need for more equitable access to care and addressing social determinants of health. Educational and income disparities are closely linked, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality. Gender disparities have been exacerbated, with women experiencing disproportionate impacts on their health, well-being, and economic security. The pandemic has highlighted the need for safe, stable, and affordable housing. Conclusion - The pandemic has brought to light numerous socioeconomic disparities that require systemic change to address. Promoting equity and justice requires a comprehensive, long-term approach that addresses systemic factors and promotes social and economic equity. By taking action to address these issues, we can create a more just and equitable society that promotes the health and well-being of all its members.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.45-69
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• 2012

This paper examined the roles of academic libraries in open access journal publishing in terms of monetary supports for publication. As a result, many academic libraries have participated in the cooperative programs such as COPE(Compact for Open-Access Publishing Equity) and $SCOAP^3$(The Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics) for authors to publish their research in open access journals. Also, 13 academic libraries in North America have set up the campus-based open access author funds individually. Most of academic libraries in participating COPE did not fund for research that have been published in the hybrid open access journals. In addition to publication funds, academic libraries provided authors or scholarly societies with such services as copyright negotiation, technological supports of the publication process, and the dissemination of open access publications.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-25
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• 2008

Ⅰ. Introduction Retailers in the 21st century are being told that future retailers are those who can execute seamless multi-channel access. The reason is that retailers should be where shoppers want them, when they want them anytime, anywhere and in multiple formats. Multi-channel access is considered one of the top 10 trends of all business in the next decade (Patricia T. Warrington, et al., 2007) And most firms use both direct and indirect channels in their markets. Given this trend, we need to evaluate a channel equity more systematically than before as this issue is expected to get more attention to consumers as well as to brand managers. Consumers are becoming very much confused concerning the choice of place where they shop for durable goods as there are at least 6-7 retail options. On the other hand, manufacturers have to deal with category killers, their dealers network, Internet shopping malls, and other avenue of distribution channels and they hope their retail channel behave like extensions of their own companies. They would like their products to be foremost in the retailer's mind-the first to be proposed and effectively communicated to potential customers. To enable this hope to come reality, they should know each channel's advantages and disadvantages from consumer perspectives. In addition, customer satisfaction is the key determinant of retail customer loyalty. However, there are only a few researches regarding the effects of shopping satisfaction and perceptions on consumers' channel choices and channels. The purpose of this study was to assess Korean consumers' channel choice and satisfaction towards channels they prefer to use in the case of electronic goods shopping. Korean electronic goods retail market is one of good example of multi-channel shopping environments. As the Korea retail market has been undergoing significant structural changes since it had opened to global retailers in 1996, new formats such as hypermarkets, Internet shopping malls and category killers have arrived for the last decade. Korean electronic goods shoppers have seven major channels : (1)category killers (2) hypermarket (3) manufacturer dealer shop (4) Internet shopping malls (5) department store (6) TV home-shopping (7) speciality shopping arcade. Korean retail sector has been modernized with amazing speed for the last decade. Overall summary of major retail channels is as follows: Hypermarket has been number 1 retailer type in sales volume from 2003 ; non-store retailing has been number 2 from 2007 ; department store is now number 3 ; small scale category killers are growing rapidly in the area of electronics and office products in particular. We try to evaluate each channel's equity using a consumer survey. The survey was done by telephone interview with 1000 housewife who lives nationwide. Sampling was done according to 2005 national census and average interview time was 10 to 15 minutes. Ⅱ. Research Summary We have found that seven major retail channels compete with each other within Korean consumers' minds in terms of price and service. Each channel seem to have its unique selling points. Department stores were perceived as the best electronic goods shopping destinations due to after service. Internet shopping malls were perceived as the convenient channel owing to price checking. Category killers and hypermarkets were more attractive in both price merits and location conveniences. On the other hand, manufacturers dealer networks were pulling customers mainly by location and after service. Category killers and hypermarkets were most beloved retail channel for Korean consumers. However category killers compete mainly with department stores and shopping arcades while hypermarkets tend to compete with Internet and TV home shopping channels. Regarding channel satisfaction, the top 3 channels were service-driven retailers: department stores (4.27); dealer shop (4.21); and Internet shopping malls (4.21). Speciality shopping arcade(3.98) were the least satisfied channels among Korean consumers. Ⅲ. Implications We try to identify the whole picture of multi-channel retail shopping environments and its implications in the context of Korean electronic goods. From manufacturers' perspectives, multi-channel may cause channel conflicts. Furthermore, inter-channel competition draws much more attention as hypermarkets and category killers have grown rapidly in recent years. At the same time, from consumers' perspectives, 'buy where' is becoming an important buying decision as it would decide the level of shopping satisfaction. We need to develop the concept of 'channel equity' to manage multi-channel distribution effectively. Firms should measure and monitor their prime channel equity in regular basis to maximize their channel potentials. Prototype channel equity positioning map has been developed as follows. We expect more studies to develop the concept of 'channel equity' in the future.

• Journal of recreation and landscape
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.35-44
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• 2018

The purpose of this research is to evaluate Seoullo 7017 based on Universal Design (UD) principles and guidelines. To derive UD principles applicable to the site context, we used the 2017 Seoul Universal Design Guideline and assessment index provided by the Universal Design Research Center and established 11 evaluation criteria. With respect to research methods, a literature review and on-site field survey were applied, through which we derived UD principles and evaluation criteria to identify UD problems. The 11 evaluation criteria consist of pedestrian space, facilities, access, main entrance, parking lots, trails, restrooms, convenience facilities, information facilities, rest areas, and playgrounds, and these were associated with UD principles for evaluation. As a result, the main entrance had the highest UD score, while parking lots had the lowest in terms of equity, safety, simplicity, and accessibility. Restrooms received a lower UD score because of poor conditions of security and alert systems. Rest areas were found to be uncomfortable for disabled people. With respect to the internal trails, we found the lack of braille block and irregular placement of planting pots made blind people uncomfortable when walking. In terms of UD principles, flexibility received the highest score, followed by amenity, equity, simplicity, tolerance, accessibility, and safety. Flexibility received the highest score, owing to the provision of proper information about convenience facilities and trails, while safety received the lowest, based on poor access to parking lots, inadequate paving materials and colors, and a lack of 24-hour security systems. We hope this research contributes to improving the universal design, so that people are not discriminated against in the use of the park in terms of age, sex, or physical disability. We expect the study to help facilitate empirical studies to verify UD principles and provide improved quality of UD for Seoullo 7017.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.351-361
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to provide basic data for resolving individual and regional health inequalities by identifying factors that affect healthy living practices, and to protect the access to health equity and the access to health equity and the people's right to health. Raw data from the 2019 Community Health Survey were used, and descriptive statistical analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed using SAS 9.4 and IBM SPSS ver. 21. The healthy living practice rate was 33.8% overall, and there was a difference of 11~20% by region. In terms of individual factors, healthy living practices were significantly different in gender, age, occupation, sleep time, subjective health status, and subjective stress level. In the interpersonal factor, there was a difference in social activity for healthy living practice, and in the community factor, positive attitude toward the local physical environment, annual unsatisfied medical care, and use of health institutions were significant. In order to increase the practice of healthy living by region based on the research results, comprehensive policies and cooperative measures that can be approached at the individual, social and national level should be implemented along with specific strategies.