• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2002

The proportion and role of public sector in health care industry is very small in Korea. Asymmetric distribution of health care resources is one of the major health care concerns. This issue is so important that it raises a question of accessibility, availability, continuity of care and equity of rural area people's health care utilization. To solve these problems and to satisfy the basic demand of oriental medical service in rural areas, the oriental public health doctors were placed in rural health centers since 1998. The main objectives of this study are twofold: to measure the cognition and attitude of health center directors on the strategies for utilizing oriental public health doctors and to provide basic data for improving the health manpower management program. Data have been collected by way of the self-administrative questionnaires. Developing the questionnaire, the literature review on the previous studies and delphi method were carried out. The response rate was 38.7%. The results of this study are summarized as follows; 1. community people respond positively on the oriental medical service activity in health center. 2. In regard to workloads of oriental public health doctor, 'appropriate' was 81.1% and 'burdensome' was 18.2%, respectively. 3. The 94.0% of respondents thought that the oriental medical service will be continued. 4. To activate oriental medical service in health center, the sufficient budget and provision of aid workers is a necessity. 5. The 75.5% of health center directors respond positively on the allocation of oriental public health doctor to health sub-centers. 6. Health center directors agreed that oriental public health doctor should perform the clinical service as well as prevention and health promotion activity. These results recommend that oriental medical service in health center should be continued gradually, and oriental public health doctors working at health center perform their work efficiently. Undoubtedly, their activity should be more focused on health promotion and disease prevention than daily patient care. For achieving this objective, more support of governmental policy is essential for utilizing oriental public health doctor and better health of the rural area community people.

• Korean Business Review
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.35-59
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• 2009

The drive for sustainable economic growth for the sub Saharan African region continues to occupy a central place in the debate of how to move the region forward. For decades, governments, policy makers, Non Governmental Organizations and world bodies including the World Bank, IMF, ADB, USIAD and the European Union have engaged policies aimed at bringing solutions to the horrendous poverty crisis to nations of this region. Despite these noble actions and intents, poverty and underdevelopment has prevailed in countries of the region such as Cameroon. Cameroon is mainly an agricultural economy with its products facing declining prices and competition from synthetic substitutes resulting to deficits of balance of trades. This has resulted to borrowing and debt. At the same time, it is a country blessed with an abundance of tourist resources. From the literature review, tourism potency to economic growth is overwhelming. This research was motivated by the quest to find answers to questions such as; why development policies during the last two decades not succeeded in achieving Economic growth in countries of this region particularly Cameroon and why the country/ region still beleaguered by poverty and debt despite haven implemented various economic development plans. In recent years, the role of tourism has become increasingly recognized in its role of economic growth and poverty alleviation. This study attempts to unveil tourism's contribution to economic growth and to push for Tourism development as an al ternative economic growth alternative to Cameroon. Previous economic policies have ignored to tie economic growth within the country's socio-economic, geo-political and environmental circumstances. Findings from this work suggest that any sound economic policy can not afford to ignore the country's stock of both human and fiscal capital. Findings presented herewith validate Tourism as a feasible indigenous economic growth alternative that helps bringing employment, capital investment and protect the environmental ruin.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.185-194
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• 2018

This study investigates the limitations of blockchain technology and the ways to improve it by using Delphi technique. Limit factors and improvement measures are classified into technology, service, and legal system. First, from a technical point of view, lack of standardization of the technology, insufficiency of integration, lack of scalability, unclear cancellation or correction policy, excessive cost of transaction verification, insufficient personal information protection and not enough to respond to hacking defense were the limiting factors. In order to improve these, the followings; ensuring standardization, securing integration and scalability, establishing cancellation of each applicable data, establishment of correction policy, efficiency of verification cost, the protection of personal information and countermeasure against hacking are provided. The related technology development and countermeasures must be established to effectively introduce the blockchain technology to the market. Second, in the early stage of blockchain service, it showed lack of utilization of the blockchain, security threat, shortage of skilled workers, and lack of legal liability. As a solution to these problems, it is necessary to suggest various applications, against security threat, training professional manpower, and securing legal responsibility. It should also provide a foundation for providing institutionally stable services. Third, from as legal system point of view, inadequate legal compliance, lack of relevant regulation, and uncertainty in the regulation were the limiting factors. Therefore establishing a legal system, which is the most important area for activating the service, should be accompanied by the provision of legal countermeasures, clearness of regulations and measures to be taken by relevant governmental authorities. This study will contribute as a reference for a research, related to the blockchain.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.99 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2010

For policies and actions associated promotion of social and environmental benefits of forest in Korea, various polices have been progressed based on newly established ordinances along with full progresses of subdivision of the Forest Law since reorganization of regulatory system by functions focused on the Basic Forestry Act. In these policies, water resource conserving function and national land conserving function which have little close relation to the people's daily life including formation of forest for conservation of water supply and erosion control have continued to be promoted since 1970s. Especially in recently years, the policy of biodiversity conserving function according to importance of health and recreation function and conservation management of forest ecosystem and animal and plant are being promoted actively. Among them, the health and recreation functions is featured for various policies to be promoted in spite of small budget for responding actively to various forest recreation demands after settlement of 5-day workweek system. It seems because the health and recreation function could obtain visible results of governmental investment and high responses from the peoples as a function having close relationship with the people's daily life.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.29 no.2 s.53
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• pp.347-357
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• 1996

Although occupational low back pain accounts for $20\sim40%$ of all occupational illness and injury, there are limited numbers of studies regarding the effectiveness of back school program. The objective of this study was to evaluate the economic benefit of back school program for early return to work of occupational low back pain patients in the current occupational injury compensation and management system. The cost-benefit analysis in this study was conducted to evaluate the relative magnitude of benefit to cost. The total cost was estimated by calculating the value of components in back school program according to governmental budget protocol. The back school program was consisted of three major approaches, pain center, work-hardening program and funcional restoration program and each of components had various facilities and experts. The total amount of cost was estimated as 250,866,220 won per year. The most promising type of back school program were quite intensive (a 3 to 5-week stay in a specialized center), therefore, if we adopted the 5-week stay course, 10 courses could be held in a year. Following to the medical act, 20 patients per doctor could participate in a each course, ie, total 200 patients in a year. As a result, we could estimate the cost of 1,254,331 won a patient. We estimated the benefit by using data of a few local labor offices about average medical treatment beneficiary and off-duty beneficiary of 46 occupational low back pain patients in 1994. Ullman and Larsson (1977) mentioned that the group of chronic low back pain patients who participated in back school program needed less time to recover by 48.4% of beneficiary duration. And in the trying to estimate the benefit, we asked 10 rehabilitation board certificate doctors about reduction proportion of treatment cost by introducing back school program. The answered reduction proportions were in the range of $30\sim45%$, average 39%. As a final result, we could see that the introduction of back school program in treatment of chronic occupational low back pain patients could produce the benefit to cost ratio as 3.90 and 6.28. And we could conclude that the introduction of back school program was beneficial to current occupational injury compensation and management system.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.11
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• pp.227-243
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• 2006

In modern society, private securities have developed their capabilities continuously. However, despite the fact that not only security industries have been considerably expanded in quantity, but also plenty of scholars published diverse papers relating to security problems, qualitative growths of private securities have not accomplished fully. Especially, securing the President would not be guaranteed only by PSS(Presidential Security Service). In order to secure the President successfully, it is necessary for all the social parts to strive to protect the President. In this respect, improving private securities, including academic fields, might be critical so as to succeed in securing the President. Without the supports from private securities, there might be lots of security problems in national context. Therefore, this study proposes several policy suggestions for the cooperation among PSS, private security industries and academic fields: (1) Providing a lot of practical knowledge from PSS to college students, (2) Personnel exchange between academic parts and PSS to promote the efficiency of securing the President, (3) Furnishing diverse information and knowledge about security to private securities, (4) Formulating security-searching standards, (5) Expanding educational institutions under PSS.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8993-9004
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• 2014

Background: The incidence rate and the treatment costs of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are high, especially in Thailand. Previous studies indicated that early detection by a surveillance program could help by down-staging. This study aimed to compare the costs and health outcomes associated with the introduction of a HCC surveillance program with no program and to estimate the budget impact if the HCC surveillance program were implemented. Materials and Methods: A cost utility analysis using a decision tree and Markov models was used to compare costs and outcomes during the lifetime period based on a societal perspective between alternative HCC surveillance strategies with no program. Costs included direct medical, direct non-medical, and indirect costs. Health outcomes were measured as life years (LYs), and quality adjusted life years (QALYs). The results were presented in terms of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in Thai THB per QALY gained. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were applied to investigate parameter uncertainties. Budget impact analysis (BIA) was performed based on the governmental perspective. Results: Semi-annual ultrasonography (US) and semi-annual ultrasonography plus alpha-fetoprotein (US plus AFP) as the first screening for HCC surveillance would be cost-effective options at the willingness to pay (WTP) threshold of 160,000 THB per QALY gained compared with no surveillance program (ICER=118,796 and ICER=123,451 THB/QALY), respectively. The semi-annual US plus AFP yielded more net monetary benefit, but caused a substantially higher budget (237 to 502 million THB) than semi-annual US (81 to 201 million THB) during the next ten fiscal years. Conclusions: Our results suggested that a semi-annual US program should be used as the first screening for HCC surveillance and included in the benefit package of Thai health insurance schemes for both chronic hepatitis B males and females aged between 40-50 years. In addition, policy makers considered the program could be feasible, but additional evidence is needed to support the whole prevention system before the implementation of a strategic plan.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.141-169
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• 2011

This study compares the business performances and the socioeconomic and sociopsychological characteristics of franchisees and independent business owners (IBOs). On the basis of extant theoretical arguments and empirical evidences it was expected that franchisees are different from IBOs in these aspects because unlike IBOs they are using franchising as their way of businesses and should satisfy the requirements imposed by franchisors. Analyzed in the current study was a national survey database of 424 franchisees and 5,690 IBOs compiled by the Small Enterprise Development Agency in 2011. As expected, it was found that franchisees were significantly different from IBOs in such traits as financial and managerial capabilities, business experiences, demographic and socio-psychological characteristics, information searching efforts, business performances, and their perceptions of business obstacles. It was also found that the effects of these traits on business performances were quite different between franchisees and IBOs. The findings of the current study provide some meaningful suggestions for government agencies. Given that franchises and IBOs have different traits, their demands for governmental policy should be different, and consequently, it might be argued that government agencies should treat the two groups separately and should increase their efforts to develop appropriate supporting policies for each group. With respect to franchisor's practices for franchisee selection, it is also argued that in order to enhance franchisee performances franchisors need to examine thoroughly the traits of prospect franchisees. This study concludes with discussion of several theoretical and methodological limitations for future research.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.149-164
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• 2014

The laws and policies governing Korea's game regulations are becoming more and more topics for debate as we enter the Age of Internet. The nature of the basis for Internet regulations and policies are not rooted in freedom of speech or fundamental values of democracy, but rather focused on solving real-world problems such as protection of the youth. Furthermore, the reality is that regulatory devices for keeping the social order such as regulating gambling are being applied directly to games without consideration on the characteristics of Internet gaming, raising concerns that the expansion of constitutional values and innovative empowerment inherent to the Internet are being weakened. The Geun-Hye Park Administration which succeeded Myung-Bak Lee's Administration, even went so far as to implement the so-called "Shutdown Policy", which prohibits access to Internet games during pre-defined time zones and also instigated a time zone selection rule. In order to curb the gambling nature of Internet games, government-led policies such as the mandatory personal identification and prohibition of player selection or in other words mandatory random player selection are being implemented. These institutions can inhibit freedom of speech, which is the basis of democracy, violate the right of equality through unreasonable discrimination between domestic and foreign service providers, and infringe upon the principles of administrative law, such as laws, due process in policies, and balance in among policies and governmental bodies. Going forward, if Korea's Internet game regulations and polices is to develop in a rational manner, regulatory frameworks will need to be designed to protect the nature of the Internet and its innovative values that enable the realization of constitutional values; for example, the Internet acting as the "catalytic media for freedom of expression as a fundamental human right ", which has already been acknowledged by the Korea's Constitutional Court. At the same time, transparent procedures should be put into place that will allow diverse participation of stakeholders including game service providers, game users, the youth and parents in the legislation and enforcement process of regulatory institutions; policies will also need to be transformed to enable not only regulatory laws but also self-regulation system to be established. And in this process, scientific and empirical analysis on the expected effects before introducing regulations and the results of enforcing regulations after being introduced will need to be strengthened.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.10 no.7
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• pp.5-11
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• 2012

The core objective of this research article is to investigate different challenges and opportunities in management as well as start-ups of small businesses in India. The prudence behind this research is to examine various problems in front of the small businesses and to offer vital support and cooperation to overcome those with the support of concerned institutions through consultancy and training programs. The researchers have an intention to make available the research results to the governmental agencies, concerned small business institutions and also to the educational institutions which are continually design plans, programs, policies and strategies to upgrade the managerial and technical dexterities of the small business Indian operators. After thorough revision of relevant literature on small businesses and its management, the researchers used a well structured questionnaire and in-depth personal interviews with 586small business operators selected from manufacturing, trading (retailing and wholesaling), finance, servicing/repair businesses which are located in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh in India. The researchers have used convenience sampling and collected data was analyzed with the support of Microsoft Excel and frequency distribution. Noticeably, majority of the small businessmen in India are facing myriad number of challenges both in management and at the time of establishment of their business operations. In particular, 72.47 percent of small businesses operators' have substantiated their strong opinion towards the challenges they are facing particularly finance, marketing and other problems while managing their businesses. The researchers also attempted to get the opinions on problems of the various categories of small businesses while starting their operations. A staggering 68percent of respondents identified the problems related to preparation of business plan, location selection, marketing and other problems like lack of proper credit facilities, skilled manpower, and other infra related problems while setting up of their businesses. On an average, 64.62 and 63.51 percent of small businesses are facing various kinds of problems both at the time of day-to-day management as well as start-up of their businesses respectively. The present research confined with the opinions of only four categories of small business operators particularly from the manufacturing, finance, trading (retailing and wholesaling), and servicing/repair which are continuing their business operations from the nine coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh in India. The present study emphatically provides concrete information required to the business community for identifying an assortment of challenges faced by different small business operators in managing and at the time of their inception. This research paper is first of its kind from this part of the world by offering extensive and credible information required for prospective entrepreneurs in facing the dynamic challenges in managing their business. Furthermore, this research presents invaluable inputs to the stakeholders like all types of governments, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and educators' about the various impediments faced by the small business community in India.