• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.38
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• pp.191-214
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• 2015

Chinese American Writer, Ha Jin has been writing exclusively about the life in his native Communist China. His stories and poems are almost all about the Chinese people so far. In addition, the distinctive Chinese flavour and the inexorably repressive image of China in his works present an 'Other' to the American culture. Such kind of Chineseness can also be found in Ha Jin's works and his career as a writer. The continued demand for knowledge of China, which is created by China's increasingly important role in the globalized economy, sustains the country's position as an Other for America. In his early four novels, Ha Jin portrays a totally repressive image of Communist China, an image of which functions perfectly as a form of otherness for his American readers. In Ha Jin's portrayal, the Chinese masses are subjected to the Communist authority through its bureaucracy and state-economy mechanism, as well as through the godlike image of Mao Zedong. They are to follow the Communist conscience and subscribe to unity-in-difference. Deviation from the one-party rule is intolerable. In each of the novels, Ha Jin presents a specific system of repression. In In the Pond, confrontation against Party authority is contained by a process of complicity. In Waiting, the Party's power is upheld through a system of surveillance in which people act as agents, resulting in a web of power which paralyses love. The Crazed illustrates a play of power by Party officials which, against the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, is full of craze itself, driving people either out of sanity or out of the country. War Trash exposes the Communist power's repression to the extreme by presenting a case of dishonour in those whose life is debased as trash by the Party. The repressive image of China produced in these stories, which span over half a century, makes Ha Jin's China a perfect Other for the West. To sum up, Ha Jin's novels construct a repressive image of China. In his novels, Ha Jin exposes the working of repression in particular systems. Through these systems, he problematizes the notion of personal autonomy for Chinese people and proposes for his western/American readers a solution which eventually turns into a re-presentation of American hegemony.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.125-133
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• 2021

This study investigated to explore the broadened concept of the subscription service market and categorize of the subscription market and its consumer behavior. We examined the satisfaction of the service users and the reasons for terminating the subscription. Survey respondents were 443 people in their 20s and 30s, who actively use subscription services. As a result of the survey it was found that users in their 20s were more satisfied with the overall subscription service than those in their 30s, and that user's residential areas were evenly distributed regardless of metropolitan area or non-metropolitan area. As a reason for the cancellation of subscription service: the lower the novelty of subscription, the less personalization tailored to consumer, the lack of feeling self-growth while using the service, and the more termination is made. Our findings have magnified the understanding of consumers behaviors in the age of 20s and 30s of using and terminating subscription service and hopefully be used for future studies of subscription services.

• Korean Association of Arts Management
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• no.57
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• pp.33-58
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of the subscription economy on the contemporary art market in terms of creation, consumption and distribution of artwork. To accomplish the aim of this study, we conducted a case study of Artnomic Gallery K borrowing the theoretical perspective from Alexander(2003)'s Modified Cultural Diamond model. In this paper, we collected data through reviewing the secondary document and conducting in-depth interviews with 10 experts and consumers in the art market. As a result, the subscription economy eases the traditional art trade, which is heavily focused on a small number of market arts, by encouraging artists to create various works. The transition to subscription in the purchase of art contributes to lowering the barriers to entry into the art market by reducing the financial burden on consumers in terms of consumption. In terms of distribution, this founding of this article shows that the experts of Gallery K are the main actors in selecting the works that consumers subscribe to. Therefore, in this study, it is of academic significance to discuss that the filtering effect of the distribution system emphasized by Alexander(2003) is effective even in the art trading system to which a new form of economic activity - the subscription economy - is applied.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.490-502
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• 2021

Horticultural facility farmers subscribe to crop accident insurance and insurance products secured by horticultural facilities in preparation for possible risks in the facility. Insurance is purchased to prepare for natural disasters such as typhoons, hail, frostbite, heavy rain, and strong wind damage covered by the product. In order to find out the effect of risk perception, which is a subjective perception of the risks of a given situation, on horticultural facility farmers' intention to purchase horticultural facility insurance products, the risk perception and insurance purchase intention were analyzed. A t-test was conducted to determine the impact relationship between farm size, insurance coverage, and risk perception, and multiple regression analysis was conducted to verify the effect of personal characteristics and behavioral factors such as subjective perception, reference group, media exposure, and compensation understanding. In addition, a three-step regression analysis by Baron & Kenny was conducted to confirm the mediating role of personal characteristics and behavioral factors in the relationship between risk perception and insurance purchase intention. As a result of the study, although there was no difference in farm size, it was analyzed that policy holders had a higher degree of risk perception than non-subscribers, and that compensation understanding had the greatest influence and subjective knowledge had the smallest influence. In addition, these four factors were verified to have a mediating effect on the relationship between risk perception and insurance purchase intention. These results are expected to provide practical help to the development and marketing activities of horticultural facility insurance products.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.59-87
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• 2022

Since over-the-top (OTT) service has emerged as a new way of consuming video contents, OTT markets grow exponentially and the competition among the OTT services becomes intense. Only limited systematic research effort has been paid to understand why users subscribe such OTT services among other services. Therefore, we used developmental sequential mixed methods approach to find out the quality factors and their effect on post-subscription experiences and continuance intention. In the qualitative study, we derived six factors which a user considers important to continue the subscription. Based on the explored factors, we hypothesized a research model with modified three qualities from ISSM. The proposed research model was validated through quantitative research, a survey of 226 OTT service users in South Korea, using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that content quality is the key factor affecting both perceived enjoyment and satisfaction whereas system quality affects satisfaction, and service quality only affects enjoyment. Enjoyment affects satisfaction which sequentially affects continuance usage intention. This study contributes to research by modifying ISSM through mixed methods. It also provides OTT service providers with insight to enhance users' post experience and continuance intention to use the service through qualities derived from the interview.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.825-842
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• 2023

This study conducted a survey to analyze the influence of the consumer-brand interaction and the consumer-brand relationship on motivation and satisfaction based on the perceived age of men and women in their teens and 50s who subscribe to cosmetic brands through SNS accounts. For statistical processing of the collected data, frequency analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, regression analysis, and multiple regression analysis were performed with SPSS 21.0. The perceived age of the subjects was classified into 'perceived lower group', 'perceived middle group', and 'perceived higher group' according to the difference between the age perceived by others and the age perceived by themselves. In the three groups, the consumer-brand interaction and the consumer-brand relationship showed a meaningful positive relationship with motivation, and the consumer-brand relationship was found to be a major variable explaining 'attractive' among motivation. In the three groups, the consumer-brand interaction and the consumer-brand relationship showed a significant positive relationship with satisfaction, and the consumer-brand relationship appeared as a major variable explaining satisfaction. Therefore, the conclusion of this study is that by perceived age group, the consumer-brand interaction and the consumer-brand relationship have a positive effect on motivation and satisfaction. In particular, it was found that the consumer-brand relationship is a major variable in cosmetics motivation and satisfaction. As this study empirically analyzes the influence of age perceived on SNS on cosmetics brand marketing, it is considered to be a practical implication for establishing cosmetics sales strategy and basic data that can be used for marketing.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.7
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• pp.647-654
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• 2003

Purpose : This study was done to evaluate the parents' or guardians' compliance of obtaining individual informed consent before vaccination and the possible problems of using informed consent. Methods : One hundred and twelve children were randomly selected among 2,820 children who visited Samsung Cheil Hospital during July 2002. A questionnaire about using informed consent of vaccination was given to all parents or guardians of these children. Results : Most of the responders were mothers(80.4%). As for the places of vaccination, 87(77.7%) persons vaccinated their children at general hospitals. In response to a request for informed consent of vaccination, 73(65.2%) complied well with requests every time. In subscribing to informed consent, 62(55.4%) were pleased, 40(35.7%) stated it was necessary despite in inconveniance. Because of dislike of subscribing to informed consent(55), 33(60%) persons stated that it was difficult to subscribe to informed consent during the inconveniant time of nursing baby. Eighty(71.4%) found it useful to read informed consent for an understanding of potential negative reactions. Being informed of potential negative reactions, 105(93.8%) stated that they would vaccinate their children despite of the potential of a worrisome negative reaction. In dealing with negative reaction, 77(68.8%) said that they would contact a hospital, 32(28.6%) said that they would care for their children at home. Eleven(9.8 %) experienced negative reactions after vaccination. Conclusion : Compliance of parents to informed consent was relatively good. Parents or guardians should receive relevant information and the aim of informed consent also should be adequately understood.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.6
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• pp.152-171
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• 2002

This study analyses the avatar service, which is recognized as an alternative strategy of animation industry. The research questions of this study are following: (1) How have the avatar services been developed and what are the present dominant types? (2) Which structural characteristics of e-business environment are needed for the success of avatar services? (3) What is the economic characteristics of avatar business model? To solve these research questions, the basic conditions and the structural characteristics of avatar services have been investigated. In the first place, two forms of avatar service are classified. One is the internet service site whole primary service is to provide chatting service based on avatar service. The other is the portal site in which many kinds of products and services are presented as bundles to meet the needs of internet users. So avatar service is one of bundles which those portal sites are providing with. In this study, the big five internet service sites are selected based on the profits they earned through the sales of avatar service. The result of analysis is that the pricing strategy of those big five sites is very different from those of traditional off-line markets. The pricing mechanism are based on the value which internet users endow with the avatar items, not based on the costs of making the products. Avatar is the representative informative goods. The informative goods have the original cost structures, constant fixed costs and zero marginal costs, so the providers of avatar services make much of the subjective values of consumers. The sayclub, which is the most successful avatar service site and earn the average sales of 3 billing won a month, takes the aggressive strategy of pricing avatar items at highest price in the industry. The avatar service providers which make lots of profits are planning of making differentiate the services, introducing well-known brand items and star-named items. Nevertheless, the fact that the members of the sayclub are not decreasing means that the network effect of the site is so strongly manifest. Moreover, the costs the members have paid for the avatar items are so big not as to switch from one site to the other site, it can be very costly. These switching costs are endemic in high-technology industries and digital contents industries. It can be so large that switching suppliers is virtually unthinkable, a situation known as 'lock-in'. When switching costs are substantial, competition can be intense to attract new customers, since, one they are locked in, they can be a substantial source of profit. The consumers of avatar items have switching costs if they subscribe for the new avatar service site. The switching costs can be subscription costs as well as the costs of giving up the items they already paid for. One common example of switching costs involves specialized supplies, as with inkjet printer cartridges. In this example, the switching cost is the purchase of a new printer. The market is competitive ex ante, but since cartridges are incompatible, it is monopolized dx post. So the providers of printer/cartridges set pricing printer so cheap and cartridges expensive. On the contrary, since the avatar service can be successful with the strong network effect, the providers of avatar services have to compete aggressively for new customers. So they allow the subscription at a low price(almost marginal cost) in the early market. The network effect can be maximized when the members are sufficiently growing. The providers which have the monopoly power with sufficient subscribers. begin to raise the prices over the lifetime of the product and make profits.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.89-120
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• 2008

With petroleum being a major source of energy in Korea, the quantity of petroleum transported via ocean routes is on its way up due to increased consumption. Due to the increase, more than 300 cases of pollution caused by petroleum occur annually. Moreover, the number of oil-spill accidents is also on the rise. Causes of such accidents, not including the disposal of waste oil on purpose, turn out to be human error during navigation or defects in the vessels, showing that most accidents are caused by humans. Therefore, to prevent future oil spills, it is imperative that navigation efficiency be enhanced by improving the quality of navigators and replacing old vessels with newer ones. Nevertheless, such improvements cannot occur overnight, so long- and mid-term efforts should be made to achieve it institutionally. As large-scale oil-spill accidents can happen at anytime along the coastal waters of Korea, it is necessary to set-up institutional devices which go beyond the compensation limit of 92FC. The current special law regarding this issue has its limits in that it prescribes compensation be supplemented solely by national taxes. Therefore, the setting-up of a new 'national fund' is recommended for consideration rather than to subscribe to the '2003 Convention for the Supplementary Fund'. It is strongly suggested that a National fund be created from fees collected from oil companies based on the risks involved in oil transportation and according to the profiteers pay principle. In addition, a public fund should be created to handle general environmental damage, such as the large-scale destruction of the ecosystem, which is distinct from the economic damage that harms the local people. The posterior responses to the large-scale oil spill have always been unsatisfactory because of the symbolic nature of the disasters included in such accidents. Oil-spills can be prevented in advance, because they are caused by human beings. But once they occur, they inflict long-term damage to both human life and the natural ecosystem. Therefore, the best response to future oil-spills is to work to prevent them.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.223-252
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• 2008

In this study, we attempt to propose a choice-based diffusion model with switching cost, which can be used to forecast the dynamic substitution and competition among previous and new products at both individual-level and aggregate level, especially when market data for new products is insufficient. Additionally, we apply the proposed model to the empirical case of substitution and competition among Analog Cable TV that represents previous fixed charged broadcasting service and Digital Cable TV and Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) that are new ones, verify the validities of our proposed model, and finally derive related empirical implications. For empirical application, we obtained data from survey conducted as follows. Survey was administered by Dongseo Research to 1,000 adults aging from 20 to 60 living in Seoul, Korea, in May of 2007, under the title of 'Demand analysis of next generation fixed interactive broadcasting services'. Conjoint survey modified as follows, was used. First, as the traditional approach in conjoint analysis, we extracted 16 hypothetical alternative cards from the orthogonal design using important attributes and levels of next generation interactive broadcasting services which were determined by previous literature review and experts' comments. Again, we divided 16 conjoint cards into 4 groups, and thus composed 4 choice sets with 4 alternatives each. Therefore, each respondent faces 4 different hypothetical choice situations. In addition to this, we added two ways of modification. First, we asked the respondents to include the status-quo broadcasting services they subscribe to, as another alternative in each choice set. As a result, respondents choose the most preferred alternative among 5 alternatives consisting of 1 alternative with current subscription and 4 hypothetical alternatives in 4 choice sets. Modification of traditional conjoint survey in this way enabled us to estimate the factors related to switching cost or switching threshold in addition to the effects of attributes. Also, by using both revealed preference data(1 alternative with current subscription) and stated preference data (4 hypothetical alternatives), additional advantages in terms of the estimation properties and more conservative and realistic forecast, can be achieved. Second, we asked the respondents to choose the most preferred alternative while considering their expected adoption timing or switching timing. Respondents are asked to report their expected adoption or switching timing among 14 half-year points after the introduction of next generation broadcasting services. As a result, for each respondent, 14 observations with 5 alternatives for each period, are obtained, which results in panel-type data. Finally, this panel-type data consisting of $4{\ast}14{\ast}1000=56000$observations is used for estimation of the individual-level consumer adoption model. From the results obtained by empirical application, in case of forecasting the demand of new products without considering existence of previous product(s) and(or) switching cost factors, it is found that overestimated speed of diffusion at introductory stage or distorted predictions can be obtained, and as such, validities of our proposed model in which both existence of previous products and switching cost factors are properly considered, are verified. Also, it is found that proposed model can produce flexible patterns of market evolution depending on the degree of the effects of consumer preferences for the attributes of the alternatives on individual-level state transition, rather than following S-shaped curve assumed a priori. Empirically, it is found that in various scenarios with diverse combinations of prices, IPTV is more likely to take advantageous positions over Digital Cable TV in obtaining subscribers. Meanwhile, despite inferiorities in many technological attributes, Analog Cable TV, which is regarded as previous product in our analysis, is likely to be substituted by new services gradually rather than abruptly thanks to the advantage in low service charge and existence of high switching cost in fixed charged broadcasting service market.