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A study on Hospital based Home Health Care Service and the Level of Client Satisfaction (일 대학 병원의 가정간호시범사업 서비스 내용 및 만족도에 대한 조사연구)

  • Kim Chung Nam;Kwan Young Sook;Koh Hyo Jung;Kim Myung Ae;Park Chung Ja;Shin Yeong Hee;Lee Byung Sook;Lee Kyung Hee;Seo Hanng Suk
    • Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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    • v.14 no.2
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    • pp.246-259
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    • 2000
  • The purpose of this study was to assess the provided home health care services and to evaluate the patient's satisfaction level of received home health care services. Well trained two home health care nurses interviewed with 138 respondents who received home health care by Keimyung University Hospital from January 1st to August 31st 1999. The results were summarized as follows : 1) Among 138 respondents, $55.8\%$ were mail and $44.2\%$ were female and $70.3\%$ of them were over sixty years old. Respondents main family care givers were spouse$(53.6\%)$, daughters and sons$(36.2\%)$ and parents$(7.2\%)$. 2) $60.2\%$ of cancer patients received home health care services, $23.3\%$ of cerebral­cardiovascular patients, $7.5\%$ of endocrine disorder patients, $2.3\%$ of those who have indwelling foley catheter patients, $1.5\%$ of those who have respiratory problems and others$(5.2\%)$. 3) $88.1\%$ of respondents were satisfied with the number of home visits they received. $50.5\%$ of respondents' were received 1 to 3 times of home visits by home health care nurse per month. $48.6\%$ of respondents answered they were introduced by attending doctors or nurses to home health care services. $55.8\%$ of respondents answered registration to home health care services was simple and easy. $97.4\%$ of respondents answered home health care payment system was adequate. $64.9\%$ of respondents answered the cost of home health care per visit was adequate and comfortable. 4) Health education, counselling, physical assessment was provided to most of the patients. Those who suffered with cerebral-cardiovascular disease was needed hands on direct care most of all. The least home health care service provided was medication. 5) The satisfaction measurement tool was composed with 13 items and 3 score scale. The mean score of satisfaction on provided home health care services was 2.67 out of 3. Among 13 items. 'home health care service was kind enough' was highest(2.84). 'nurse use precise word to understand and communicate'. 'nurse gave home visiting notice ahead of time and kept the home visiting promise on time' was 2.83. 'whenever I need home health care nurse I can give a call and meet the nurse' was lowest 2.41. Special Home Health care programs such as comprehensive hospice care programs for elders over sixty years old should be organized. Adequate and standardized home health care payment system should be developed as soon as possible. In korean family situation. when family members are getting sick and stay at home. family members were taking care of the patients. special program such as counselling family members are needed.

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Measurement and Quality Control of MIROS Wave Radar Data at Dokdo (독도 MIROS Wave Radar를 이용한 파랑관측 및 품질관리)

  • Jun, Hyunjung;Min, Yongchim;Jeong, Jin-Yong;Do, Kideok
    • Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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    • v.32 no.2
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    • pp.135-145
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    • 2020
  • Wave observation is widely used to direct observation method for observing the water surface elevation using wave buoy or pressure gauge and remote-sensing wave observation method. The wave buoy and pressure gauge can produce high-quality wave data but have disadvantages of the high risk of damage and loss of the instrument, and high maintenance cost in the offshore area. On the other hand, remote observation method such as radar is easy to maintain by installing the equipment on the land, but the accuracy is somewhat lower than the direct observation method. This study investigates the data quality of MIROS Wave and Current Radar (MWR) installed at Dokdo and improve the data quality of remote wave observation data using the wave buoy (CWB) observation data operated by the Korea Meteorological Administration. We applied and developed the three types of wave data quality control; 1) the combined use (Optimal Filter) of the filter designed by MIROS (Reduce Noise Frequency, Phillips Check, Energy Level Check), 2) Spike Test Algorithm (Spike Test) developed by OOI (Ocean Observatories Initiative) and 3) a new filter (H-Ts QC) using the significant wave height-period relationship. As a result, the wave observation data of MWR using three quality control have some reliability about the significant wave height. On the other hand, there are still some errors in the significant wave period, so improvements are required. Also, since the wave observation data of MWR is different somewhat from the CWB data in high waves of over 3 m, further research such as collection and analysis of long-term remote wave observation data and filter development is necessary.

Development of Analytic Hierarchy Process or Solving Dependence Relation between Multicriteria (다기준 평가항목간 중복도를 반영한 AHP 기법 개발)

  • 송기한;홍상연;정성봉;전경수
    • Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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    • v.20 no.7
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    • pp.15-22
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    • 2002
  • Transportation project appraisal should be precise in order to increase the social welfare and efficiency, and it has been evaluated by only a single criterion analysis such as benefit/cost analysis. However, this method cannot assess some qualitative items, and cannot get a proper solution for the clash of interests among various groups. Therefore, the multi-criteria analysis, which can control these problems, is needed, and then Saaty has developed one of these methods, AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process) method. In AHP, the project is evaluated through weighted score of the criteria and the alternatives, which is surveyed by a questionnaire of specialists. It is based on some strict suppositions such as reciprocal comparison, homogeneity, expectation, independence relationship between multi-criteria, but supposing that each criterion has independence relation with others is too difficult in two reasons. First, in real situation, there cannot be perfect independence relationship between standards. Second, individuals, even though they are specialists of that area, do not feel the degree of independence relation as same as others. This paper develops a modified AHP method for solving this dependence relationship between multi-criteria. First of all. in this method, the degree of dependence relationship between multi-criteria that the specialist feels is surveyed and included to the weighted score of multi-criteria This study supposes three methods to implement this idea. The first model products the degree of dependence relationship in the first step for calculating the weighted score, and the others adjust the result of weighted score from the basic AHP method to the dependence relationship. One of the second methods distributes the cross weighted score to each standard by constant ratio, and the other splits them using Fuzzy measure such as Bel and Pl. Finally, in order to validate these methods, this paper applies them to evaluate the alternatives which can control public resentments against Korean rail path in a city area.

A Study on Consumer Characteristics According to Social Media Use Clusters When Purchasing Agri-food Online (온라인 농식품 구매시 소셜미디어 이용 군집에 따른 소비자특성에 대한 연구)

  • Lee, Myoung-Kwan;Park, Sang-Hyeok;Kim, Yeon-Jong
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.16 no.4
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    • pp.195-209
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    • 2021
  • According to the 2019-2020 social media usage survey conducted by the Seoul e-commerce center, 5 out of 10 consumers have experienced shopping through social media. The cost of traditional advertising media has been reduced and advertising spending on social media has risen by 74%, indicating that social media is becoming a more important marketing element. While the number of users of social media has increased and corporate marketing activities have increased accordingly, research has been conducted in various aspects of marketing such as user motivation for social media, satisfaction, and purchase intention. There was no subdivided study on the differences in the social media usage frequency of consumers in actual purchasing behavior. This study attempted to identify differences in consumer characteristics by cluster in the agrifood purchase situation by grouping them by type according to the frequency of use of social media for consumers who purchase agri-food online. Product involvement, product need, and online purchase channel Consumer characteristics such as demographic distribution, perceived risk, and eating and lifestyle in each cluster were checked for the three agrifood purchase situations including choice, and types for each cluster were presented. To this end, questionnaire data on the frequency of social media use and online agrifood purchase behavior were collected from 245 consumers, and the validity of the measurement variables was secured through factor analysis and reliability analysis. As a result of cluster analysis according to the frequency of social media use, it was divided into three clusters. The first cluster was a group that mainly used open social media, and the second cluster was a group that used both open and closed social media and online shopping malls; The third cluster was a group with low online media usage overall, and the characteristics of each cluster appeared. Through regression analysis, the effect on product involvement, product need, and purchase channel selection when purchasing agri-food online through each of the three clusters was confirmed through regression analysis. As a result of the regression analysis, the characteristic of cluster 1 in the situation of purchasing agri-food online is a male in his 30s living in a rural area who has no reluctance to purchase agri-food on social media or online shopping malls. The characteristics of cluster 2 are mainly consumers who are interested in purchasing health food, and the consumer characteristics are represented. In the case of cluster 3, when purchasing products online, they purchase after considering quality and price a lot, and the consumer characteristics are represented as people who are more confident in purchasing offline than online. Through this study, it is judged that by identifying the differences in consumer characteristics that appear in the agri-food purchase situation according to the frequency of social media use, it can be helpful in strategic judgments in marketing practice on social media customer targeting and customer segmentation.

Requirement Analysis for Agricultural Meteorology Information Service Systems based on the Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies (4차 산업혁명 기술에 기반한 농업 기상 정보 시스템의 요구도 분석)

  • Kim, Kwang Soo;Yoo, Byoung Hyun;Hyun, Shinwoo;Kang, DaeGyoon
    • Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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    • v.21 no.3
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    • pp.175-186
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    • 2019
  • Efforts have been made to introduce the climate smart agriculture (CSA) for adaptation to future climate conditions, which would require collection and management of site specific meteorological data. The objectives of this study were to identify requirements for construction of agricultural meteorology information service system (AMISS) using technologies that lead to the fourth industrial revolution, e.g., internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and cloud computing. The IoT sensors that require low cost and low operating current would be useful to organize wireless sensor network (WSN) for collection and analysis of weather measurement data, which would help assessment of productivity for an agricultural ecosystem. It would be recommended to extend the spatial extent of the WSN to a rural community, which would benefit a greater number of farms. It is preferred to create the big data for agricultural meteorology in order to produce and evaluate the site specific data in rural areas. The digital climate map can be improved using artificial intelligence such as deep neural networks. Furthermore, cloud computing and fog computing would help reduce costs and enhance the user experience of the AMISS. In addition, it would be advantageous to combine environmental data and farm management data, e.g., price data for the produce of interest. It would also be needed to develop a mobile application whose user interface could meet the needs of stakeholders. These fourth industrial revolution technologies would facilitate the development of the AMISS and wide application of the CSA.

A Relative Study of 3D Digital Record Results on Buried Cultural Properties (매장문화재 자료에 대한 3D 디지털 기록 결과 비교연구)

  • KIM, Soohyun;LEE, Seungyeon;LEE, Jeongwon;AHN, Hyoungki
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.55 no.1
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    • pp.175-198
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    • 2022
  • With the development of technology, the methods of digitally converting various forms of analog information have become common. As a result, the concept of recording, building, and reproducing data in a virtual space, such as digital heritage and digital reconstruction, has been actively used in the preservation and research of various cultural heritages. However, there are few existing research results that suggest optimal scanners for small and medium-sized relics. In addition, scanner prices are not cheap for researchers to use, so there are not many related studies. The 3D scanner specifications have a great influence on the quality of the 3D model. In particular, since the state of light reflected on the surface of the object varies depending on the type of light source used in the scanner, using a scanner suitable for the characteristics of the object is the way to increase the efficiency of the work. Therefore, this paper conducted a study on nine small and medium-sized buried cultural properties of various materials, including earthenware and porcelain, by period, to examine the differences in quality of the four types of 3D scanners. As a result of the study, optical scanners and small and medium-sized object scanners were the most suitable digital records of the small and medium-sized relics. Optical scanners are excellent in both mesh and texture but have the disadvantage of being very expensive and not portable. The handheld method had the advantage of excellent portability and speed. When considering the results compared to the price, the small and medium-sized object scanner was the best. It was the photo room measurement that was able to obtain the 3D model at the lowest cost. 3D scanning technology can be largely used to produce digital drawings of relics, restore and duplicate cultural properties, and build databases. This study is meaningful in that it contributed to the use of scanners most suitable for buried cultural properties by material and period for the active use of 3D scanning technology in cultural heritage.

Development of tracer concentration analysis method using drone-based spatio-temporal hyperspectral image and RGB image (드론기반 시공간 초분광영상 및 RGB영상을 활용한 추적자 농도분석 기법 개발)

  • Gwon, Yeonghwa;Kim, Dongsu;You, Hojun;Han, Eunjin;Kwon, Siyoon;Kim, Youngdo
    • Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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    • v.55 no.8
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    • pp.623-634
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    • 2022
  • Due to river maintenance projects such as the creation of hydrophilic areas around rivers and the Four Rivers Project, the flow characteristics of rivers are continuously changing, and the risk of water quality accidents due to the inflow of various pollutants is increasing. In the event of a water quality accident, it is necessary to minimize the effect on the downstream side by predicting the concentration and arrival time of pollutants in consideration of the flow characteristics of the river. In order to track the behavior of these pollutants, it is necessary to calculate the diffusion coefficient and dispersion coefficient for each section of the river. Among them, the dispersion coefficient is used to analyze the diffusion range of soluble pollutants. Existing experimental research cases for tracking the behavior of pollutants require a lot of manpower and cost, and it is difficult to obtain spatially high-resolution data due to limited equipment operation. Recently, research on tracking contaminants using RGB drones has been conducted, but RGB images also have a limitation in that spectral information is limitedly collected. In this study, to supplement the limitations of existing studies, a hyperspectral sensor was mounted on a remote sensing platform using a drone to collect temporally and spatially higher-resolution data than conventional contact measurement. Using the collected spatio-temporal hyperspectral images, the tracer concentration was calculated and the transverse dispersion coefficient was derived. It is expected that by overcoming the limitations of the drone platform through future research and upgrading the dispersion coefficient calculation technology, it will be possible to detect various pollutants leaking into the water system, and to detect changes in various water quality items and river factors.

Modeling Brand Equity for Lifestyle Brand Extensions: A Strategic Approach into Generation Y vs. Baby Boomer (생활방식품패확장적품패자산건모(生活方式品牌扩张的品牌资产建模): 침대Y세대화영인조소비자적전략로경(针对Y世代和婴儿潮消费者的战略路径))

  • Kim, Eun-Young;Brandon, Lynn
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.20 no.1
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    • pp.35-48
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    • 2010
  • Today, the fashion market challenged by a maturing retail market needs a new paradigm in the "evolution of brand" to improve their comparative advantages. An important issue in fashion marketing is lifestyle brand extension with a specific aim to meet consumers' specific needs for their changing lifestyle. For fashion brand extensions into lifestyle product categories, Gen Y and Baby Boomer are emerging as "prospects"-Baby Boomers who are renovating their lifestyle, and generation Y experiencing changes in their life stage-with demands for buying new products. Therefore, it is imperative that apparel companies pay special attention to the consumer cohort for brand extension to create and manage their brand equity in a new product category. The purposes of this study are to (a) evaluate brand equity between parent and extension brands; (b) identify consumers' perceived marketing elements for brand extension; and (c) estimate a structural equation model for examining causative relationship between marketing elements and brand equity for brand extensions in lifestyle product category including home fashion items for the selected two groups (e.g., Gen Y, and Baby boomer). For theoretical frameworks, this study focused on the traditional marketing 4P's mix to identify what marketing element is more importantly related to brand extension equity for this study. It is assumed that comparable marketing capability can be critical to establish "brand extension equity", leads to successfully entering the new categories. Drawing from the relevant literature, this study developed research hypotheses incorporating brand equity factors and marketing elements by focusing on the selected consumers (e.g., Gen Y, Baby Boomer). In the context of brand extension in the lifestyle products, constructs of brand equity consist of brand awareness/association, brand perceptions (e.g., perceived quality, emotional value) and brand resonance adapted from CBBE factors (Keller, 2001). It is postulated that the marketing elements create brand extension equity in terms of brand awareness/association, brand perceptions by the brand extension into lifestyle products, which in turn influence brand resonance. For data collection, the sample was comprised of Korean female consumers in Gen Y and Baby Boomer consumer categories who have a high demand for lifestyle products due to changing their lifecycles. A total of 651 usable questionnaires were obtained from female consumers of Gen Y (n=326) and Baby Boomer (n=325) in South Korea. Structural and measurement models using a correlation matrix was estimated using LISREL 8.8. Findings indicated that perceived marketing elements for brand extension consisted of three factors: price/store image, product, and advertising. In the model of Gen Y consumers, price/store image had a positive effect on brand equity factors (e.g., brand awareness/association, perceived quality), while product had positive effect on emotional value in the brand extensions; and the brand awareness/association was likely to increase the perceived quality and emotional value, leading to brand resonance for brand extensions in the lifestyle products. In the model of Baby Boomer consumers, price/store image had a positive effect on perceived quality, which created brand resonance of brand extension; and product had a positive effect on perceived quality and emotional value, which leads to brand resonance for brand extension in the lifestyle products. However, advertising was negatively related to brand equity for both groups. This study provides an insight for fashion marketers in developing a successful brand extension strategy, leading to a sustainable competitive advantage. This study complements and extends prior works in the brand extension through critical factors of marketing efforts that affect brand extension success. Findings support a synergy effect on leveraging of fashion brand extensions (Aaker and Keller, 1990; Tauber, 1988; Shine et al., 2007; Pitta and Katsanis, 1995) in conjunction with marketing actions for entering into the new product category. Thus, it is recommended that marketers targeting both Gen Y and Baby Boomer can reduce marketing cost for entering the new product category (e.g., home furnishings) by standardized marketing efforts; fashion marketers can (a) offer extension lines with premium ranges of price; (b) place an emphasis on upscale features of store image positioning by a retail channel (e.g., specialty department store) in Korea, and (c) combine apparel with lifestyle product assortments including innovative style and designer’s limited editions. With respect to brand equity, a key to successful brand extension is consumers’ brand awareness or association that ensures brand identity with new product category. It is imperative for marketers to have knowledge of what contributes to more concrete associations in a market entry into new product categories. For fashion brands, a second key of brand extension can be a "luxury" lifestyle approach into new product categories, in that higher price or store image had impact on perceived quality that established brand resonance. More importantly, this study increases the theoretical understanding of brand extension and suggests directions for marketers as they establish marketing program at Gen Y and Baby Boomers.

Radiation Therapy Using M3 Wax Bolus in Patients with Malignant Scalp Tumors (악성 두피 종양(Scalp) 환자의 M3 Wax Bolus를 이용한 방사선치료)

  • Kwon, Da Eun;Hwang, Ji Hye;Park, In Seo;Yang, Jun Cheol;Kim, Su Jin;You, Ah Young;Won, Young Jinn;Kwon, Kyung Tae
    • The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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    • v.31 no.1
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    • pp.75-81
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    • 2019
  • Purpose: Helmet type bolus for 3D printer is being manufactured because of the disadvantages of Bolus materials when photon beam is used for the treatment of scalp malignancy. However, PLA, which is a used material, has a higher density than a tissue equivalent material and inconveniences occur when the patient wears PLA. In this study, we try to treat malignant scalp tumors by using M3 wax helmet with 3D printer. Methods and materials: For the modeling of the helmet type M3 wax, the head phantom was photographed by CT, which was acquired with a DICOM file. The part for helmet on the scalp was made with Helmet contour. The M3 Wax helmet was made by dissolving paraffin wax, mixing magnesium oxide and calcium carbonate, solidifying it in a PLA 3D helmet, and then eliminated PLA 3D Helmet of the surface. The treatment plan was based on Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) of 10 Portals, and the therapeutic dose was 200 cGy, using Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm (AAA) of Eclipse. Then, the dose was verified by using EBT3 film and Mosfet (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor: USA), and the IMRT plan was measured 3 times in 3 parts by reproducing the phantom of the head human model under the same condition with the CT simulation room. Results: The Hounsfield unit (HU) of the bolus measured by CT was $52{\pm}37.1$. The dose of TPS was 186.6 cGy, 193.2 cGy and 190.6 cGy at the M3 Wax bolus measurement points of A, B and C, and the dose measured three times at Mostet was $179.66{\pm}2.62cGy$, $184.33{\pm}1.24cGy$ and $195.33{\pm}1.69cGy$. And the error rates were -3.71 %, -4.59 %, and 2.48 %. The dose measured with EBT3 film was $182.00{\pm}1.63cGy$, $193.66{\pm}2.05cGy$ and $196{\pm}2.16cGy$. The error rates were -2.46 %, 0.23 % and 2.83 %. Conclusions: The thickness of the M3 wax bolus was 2 cm, which could help the treatment plan to be established by easily lowering the dose of the brain part. The maximum error rate of the scalp surface dose was measured within 5 % and generally within 3 %, even in the A, B, C measurements of dosimeters of EBT3 film and Mosfet in the treatment dose verification. The making period of M3 wax bolus is shorter, cheaper than that of 3D printer, can be reused and is very useful for the treatment of scalp malignancies as human tissue equivalent material. Therefore, we think that the use of casting type M3 wax bolus, which will complement the making period and cost of high capacity Bolus and Compensator in 3D printer, will increase later.

The Effect of Mutual Trust on Relational Performance in Supplier-Buyer Relationships for Business Services Transactions (재상업복무교역중적매매관계중상호신임대관계적효적영향(在商业服务交易中的买卖关系中相互信任对关系绩效的影响))

  • Noh, Jeon-Pyo
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.32-43
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    • 2009
  • Trust has been studied extensively in psychology, economics, and sociology, and its importance has been emphasized not only in marketing, but also in business disciplines in general. Unlike past relationships between suppliers and buyers, which take considerable advantage of private networks and may involve unethical business practices, partnerships between suppliers and buyers are at the core of success for industrial marketing amid intense global competition in the 21st century. A high level of mutual cooperation occurs through an exchange relationship based on trust, which brings long-term benefits, competitive enhancements, and transaction cost reductions, among other benefits, for both buyers and suppliers. In spite of the important role of trust, existing studies in buy-supply situations overlook the role of trust and do not systematically analyze the effect of trust on relational performance. Consequently, an in-depth study that determines the relation of trust to the relational performance between buyers and suppliers of business services is absolutely needed. Business services in this study, which include those supporting the manufacturing industry, are drawing attention as the economic growth engine for the next generation. The Korean government has selected business services as a strategic area for the development of manufacturing sectors. Since the demands for opening business services markets are becoming fiercer, the competitiveness of the business service industry must be promoted now more than ever. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the mutual trust between buyers and suppliers on relational performance. Specifically, this study proposed a theoretical model of trust-relational performance in the transactions of business services and empirically tested the hypotheses delineated from the framework. The study suggests strategic implications based on research findings. Empirical data were collected via multiple methods, including via telephone, mail, and in-person interviews. Sample companies were knowledge-based companies supplying and purchasing business services in Korea. The present study collected data on a dyadic basis. Each pair of sample companies includes a buying company and its corresponding supplying company. Mutual trust was traced for each pair of companies. This study proposes a model of trust-relational performance of buying-supplying for business services. The model consists of trust and its antecedents and consequences. The trust of buyers is classified into trust toward the supplying company and trust toward salespersons. Viewing trust both at the individual level and the organizational level is based on the research of Doney and Cannon (1997). Normally, buyers are the subject of trust, but this study supposes that suppliers are the subjects. Hence, it uniquely focused on the bilateral perspective of perceived risk. In other words, suppliers, like buyers, are the subject of trust since transactions are normally bilateral. From this point of view, suppliers' trust in buyers is as important as buyers' trust in suppliers. The suppliers' trust is influenced by the extent to which it trusts the buying companies and the buyers. This classification of trust using an individual level and an organization level is based on the suggestion of Doney and Cannon (1997). Trust affects the process of supplier selection, which works in a bilateral manner. Suppliers are actively involved in the supplier selection process, working very closely with buyers. In addition, the process is affected by the extent to which each party trusts its partners. The selection process consists of certain steps: recognition, information search, supplier selection, and performance evaluation. As a result of the process, both buyers and suppliers evaluate the performance and take corrective actions on the basis of such outcomes as tangible, intangible, and/or side effects. The measurement of trust used for the present study was developed on the basis of the studies of Mayer, Davis and Schoorman (1995) and Mayer and Davis (1999). Based on their recommendations, the three dimensions of trust used for the study include ability, benevolence, and integrity. The original questions were adjusted to the context of the transactions of business services. For example, a question such as "He/she has professional capabilities" has been changed to "The salesperson showed professional capabilities while we talked about our products." The measurement used for this study differs from those used in previous studies (Rotter 1967; Sullivan and Peterson 1982; Dwyer and Oh 1987). The measurements of the antecedents and consequences of trust used for this study were developed on the basis of Doney and Cannon (1997). The original questions were adjusted to the context of transactions in business services. In particular, questions were developed for both buyers and suppliers to address the following factors: reputation (integrity, customer care, good-will), market standing (company size, market share, positioning in the industry), willingness to customize (product, process, delivery), information sharing (proprietary information, private information), willingness to maintain relationships, perceived professionalism, authority empowerment, buyer-seller similarity, and contact frequency. As a consequential variable of trust, relational performance was measured. Relational performance is classified into tangible effects, intangible effects, and side effects. Tangible effects include financial performance; intangible effects include improvements in relations, network developing, and internal employee satisfaction; side effects include those not included either in the tangible or intangible effects. Three hundred fifty pairs of companies were contacted, and one hundred five pairs of companies responded. After deleting five company pairs because of incomplete responses, one hundred five pairs of companies were used for data analysis. The response ratio of the companies used for data analysis is 30% (105/350), which is above the average response ratio in industrial marketing research. As for the characteristics of the respondent companies, the majority of the companies operate service businesses for both buyers (85.4%) and suppliers (81.8%). The majority of buyers (76%) deal with consumer goods, while the majority of suppliers (70%) deal with industrial goods. This may imply that buyers process the incoming material, parts, and components to produce the finished consumer goods. As indicated by their report of the length of acquaintance with their partners, suppliers appear to have longer business relationships than do buyers. Hypothesis 1 tested the effects of buyer-supplier characteristics on trust. The salesperson's professionalism (t=2.070, p<0.05) and authority empowerment (t=2.328, p<0.05) positively affected buyers' trust toward suppliers. On the other hand, authority empowerment (t=2.192, p<0.05) positively affected supplier trust toward buyers. For both buyers and suppliers, the degree of authority empowerment plays a crucial role in the maintenance of their trust in each other. Hypothesis 2 tested the effects of buyerseller relational characteristics on trust. Buyers tend to trust suppliers, as suppliers make every effort to contact buyers (t=2.212, p<0.05). This tendency has also been shown to be much stronger for suppliers (t=2.591, p<0.01). On the other hand suppliers trust buyers because suppliers perceive buyers as being similar to themselves (t=2.702, p<0.01). This finding confirmed the results of Crosby, Evans, and Cowles (1990), which reported that suppliers and buyers build relationships through regular meetings, either for business or personal matters. Hypothesis 3 tested the effects of trust on perceived risk. It has been found that for both suppliers and buyers the lower is the trust, the higher is the perceived risk (t=-6.621, p<0.01 for buyers; t=-2.437, p<0.05). Interestingly, this tendency has been shown to be much stronger for buyers than for suppliers. One possible explanation for this higher level of perceived risk is that buyers normally perceive higher risks than do suppliers in transactions involving business services. For this reason, it is necessary for suppliers to implement risk reduction strategies for buyers. Hypothesis 4 tested the effects of trust on information searching. It has been found that for both suppliers and buyers, contrary to expectation, trust depends on their partner's reputation (t=2.929, p<0.01 for buyers; t=2.711, p<0.05 for suppliers). This finding shows that suppliers with good reputations tend to be trusted. Prior experience did not show any significant relationship with trust for either buyers or suppliers. Hypothesis 5 tested the effects of trust on supplier/buyer selection. Unlike buyers, suppliers tend to trust buyers when they think that previous transactions with buyers were important (t=2.913 p<0.01). However, this study did not show any significant relationship between source loyalty and the trust of buyers in suppliers. Hypothesis 6 tested the effects of trust on relational performances. For buyers and suppliers, financial performance reportedly improved when they trusted their partners (t=2.301, p<0.05 for buyers; t=3.692, p<0.01 for suppliers). It is interesting that this tendency was much stronger for suppliers than it was for buyers. Similarly, competitiveness was reported to improve when buyers and suppliers trusted their partners (t=3.563, p<0.01 for buyers; t=3.042, p<0.01 for suppliers). For suppliers, efficiency and productivity were reportedly improved when they trusted buyers (t=2.673, p<0.01). Other performance indices showed insignificant relationships with trust. The findings of this study have some strategic implications. First and most importantly, trust-based transactions are beneficial for both suppliers and buyers. As verified in the study, financial performance can be improved through efforts to build and maintain mutual trust. Similarly, competitiveness can be increased through the same kinds of effort. Second, trust-based transactions can facilitate the reduction of perceived risks inherent in the purchasing situation. This finding has implications for both suppliers and buyers. It is generally believed that buyers perceive higher risks in a highly involved purchasing situation. To reduce risks, previous studies have recommended that suppliers devise risk-reducing tactics. Moving beyond these recommendations, the present study uniquely focused on the bilateral perspective of perceived risk. In other words, suppliers are also susceptible to perceived risks, especially when they supply services that require very technical and sophisticated manipulations and maintenance. Consequently, buyers and suppliers must solve problems together in close collaboration. Hence, mutual trust plays a crucial role in the problem-solving process. Third, as found in this study, the more authority a salesperson has, the more he or she can be trusted. This finding is very important with regard to tactics. Building trust is a long-term assignment; however, when mutual trust has not been developed, suppliers can overcome the problems they encounter by empowering a salesperson with the authority to make certain decisions. This finding applies to suppliers as well.

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