• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.134-139
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• 2017

This study has been performed to investigate the risk perceptions of employees in nuclear power plants. A representative sample of 473 employees was surveyed(about 79% response rate). The questionnaire included scales on both risk perceptions of critical five hazards that could be occurring in the nuclear power plants and two psychometric attitudes. Higher risk perceptions between managers and non-managers to five hazards used in this study were entirely obtained from the managers. It was also found that the perceived higher hazards were in the following order: radiation exposure, radioactive release, explosion, fire and radioactive waste. For the controllability, higher risk perceptions to the all factors were obtained from the managers, and higher ones were non-managers in the dread.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.25-36
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• 2011

This paper examines user's loyalty to social network sites (SNS) from switching costs (SC) incurred by both technology and social factors. We propose a research model specifying that the perceived values of resources of the factors affect the SC and the SC determine user's loyalty. Empirical results show that technology variables of ease of use and privacy controllability, and social variables such as network size, usefulness of SNS activities, and awareness of network status have significant effect on SC. In particular, ease of use is negatively associated with SC. Since it is shown that in overall the impact of social factors is stronger than that of technology factors, we can interpret that technological superiority itself does not lead to the success of SNS. Contributions of this paper are: 1) application of SC in SNS research from the resource based perspective, which can be used for developing strategies of sustainable SNS, and 2) provision of different perspective toward the variable of ease of use, which has been considered an important factor of technology acceptance.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.691-702
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• 2015

This study examined the levels of risk perception of food risk elements by adopting a psychometric paradigm and analyzed factors affecting concerns about food risk elements to obtain basic materials for food safety policy. The data were collected from 296 housewives in Daegu, Korea, by a self-administered questionnaire. Frequency distributions, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis, factor analysis, Cronbach's ${alpha}$, and multiple regression analyses were conducted by SPSS 21.0. The mean level of concern for food safety was 3.75/5.00 points, and the mean percentage of correct answers about heavy metal contamination was highest among food risk elements. The respondents perceived radioactive contaminated foods, GM foods, and endocrine disruptors as a new, delayed, scientifically unknown, involuntary, serious, and uncontrollable risk in risk perception. According to the result of factor analysis for risk perception, two factors such as non-controllability and dread were categorized. In the risk perception map, radioactive contaminated foods and GM foods were considered as an uncontrollable and dreaded risk, heavy metal contamination, endocrine disruptors, and pesticide residues as a controllable and dreaded risk, and foodborne illness and food additives as a controllable and less dreaded risk. On the other hand, the levels of concerns about food risk elements were higher in order of radioactive contaminated foods, GM foods, and endocrine disruptors. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that age, concern for food safety, percentage of correct answers about food risk elements, non-controllability, and dread influenced the concerns about food risk elements. These results imply that food safety policies should consider differences in consumer's risk perception of food risk elements.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.401-416
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• 2020

Service providers have introduced interactive devices such as self-service kiosks to provide convenient and efficient services to consumers. Self-service kiosks are one of the most diverse technological forms of self-service technologies that provide control and freedom to consumers as well as reduce the frustration of line-ups. This study explores the predictors of consumer resistance and continued use intention with regard to self-service kiosks. It adopts three constructs on the following variables: perceived innovation characteristics, consumer characteristics, and gamification. An online self-administered survey was conducted, and 343 users of self-service kiosk services, aged between 20 and 59, were included in the analysis. The study used the SPSS 23.0 program to perform a descriptive analysis along with, t-test, ANOVA, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. First, convenience, controllability, and gamification negatively influenced consumer resistance to self-service kiosks. Second, human alienation and sociability positively influenced consumer resistance to self-service kiosks. Third, convenience and gamification positively influenced the continued use intention with regard to self-service kiosks. Last, the risk of functionality, human alienation, and sociability negatively influenced continued use intention with regard to self-service kiosks. The results contribute to the literature because few studies have examined what drives the resistance of users and continued use intention with regard to self-service kiosks. It also provides service providers and practitioners with insights and strategies on how to overcome consumer resistance.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.307-322
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• 2015

In most democratic countries, influential professional interest groups often become a part of the iron triangle in the policy making process. One of the typical methods by which professional interest groups participate in policy making process may be by having interest group members in the national assembly, who are sympathetic to the group, implementing policies through legislation. In this study we found that from the Constitutional National Assembly through the 18th National Assembly, 147 members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea have been ex health care professionals. The research analyzed the roles of these members in health care law amendments as requested by the professional organizations. This study analyzed 11 major cases that involved nullification or amendment of legislations in favor of the healthcare profession, against the basic policies of the government. The study showed that in the 11 major cases, policies were amended in the direction intended by the National Assembly members and other organizations with similar interests, which was against the policy stance of the government. However, these cases did not unilaterally imply that the National Assembly has been captured by the interest groups through the legislators with health care professional background; rather, they should be perceived to be influenced by the exhibited loss of governability by the government in respect to healthcare policy decisions, loss of initiative due to lack of controllability, and reversals and inconsistencies of the policies.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.91-108
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• 2003

Psychological stress is a growing issue in work stress research because work stressors are closely related to depression； and depression, in turn, decreases organizational effectiveness. Considering such causal relationships of work stress, a comprehensive source to control work stress is needed for worksite mental well-being. This study was conducted to identify how social support at work controlled work stress and which characteristics of social support were effective on work stress reduction. The study participants were 240 workers employed in a public hospital in Georgia, U.S.A self-administered survey was given to employees with their pay slips, and followed by a hospital wide voice reminder for 7 days. Surveys were conducted over a 20-day period. The questionnaires asked about job demands, job control, social support at work, depression, job performance, absenteeism, and demographics. The social support construct was structured on the source of support at work and the kinds of support were provided. Statistical analyses were conducted in the structural equation modeling approach. Social support at work was directly related to high job control, low depression, and high job performance. High score of social support at work were significantly associated with high job control, low depressive symptoms, and high job performance. By source of support, only organizational support was positively related to high job control. Organizational support was more effective than supervisor and coworker support. Any stressors and their outcomes were not differenciated by the kinds of support. This result indicated that job control was influenced more by the source of support than the kinds of support provided at work； and the most efficient source of support was the organization. Organizational support was a strong factor in improving workers" perceived controllability of their jobs from a work stress reduction perspective.tive.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.615-627
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• 2012

The market penetration of the smart phones has brought significant changes to the related industries. As the mobile phone market as well as the smart phone application market are growing rapidly, competition among small-size application developers has become severe. However, due to the severe competition and expensive market entry costs, the developers argue that it is necessary to develope the applications from the perspective of the users. However, studies on application development from the users' perspectives are still in the early stages and they have not provided various approaches. Therefore, based on the Open Coding method of Ground Theory, this study collected data on applications review from related communities and blogs of Korean web portal sites, and identified indices which users consider important when they use the applications. In addition, we conduct a comparative analysis between those indices by calculating their frequency of exposure. As a result, a total of 30 sub-categories of indicators such as amusement, controllability, versatility and ease of use appeared to be predominant to users and those lower categories were grouped into five categories; sensibility, design, technology, price, and social skills. The results of this study suggest to the application developers the guidelines of user oriented design and development. It can be used to develop the evaluation tool for application usability.