• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.103-114
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• 2023

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate hand-arm vibration (HAV) exposure levels due to the use of power hand tools and to evaluate the determinants in the automobile assembly process. Methods: The exposure level to HAV was evaluated for 30 work lines in five assembly processes (body, engine, chassis, door, and design) that use air-powered tools and battery-powered tools and operate in circulation for two hours. The 2-hr equivalent energy vibration acceleration, A (2), of the task was measured. The 8-hr equivalent energy vibration acceleration, A (8), was estimated in consideration of the number of tasks that can be performed per day by each process. In addition, a survey on the working environment was conducted with workers exposed to vibration. Results: The geometric mean of the HAV exposure level, A (2), for a total of 30 tasks was 2.51 m/s², and one case was 10.30 m/s², exceeding TLV (2hr). The HAV exposure level of A (8) was evaluated from 1.03 m/s² to 5.36 m/s². A (2) showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.01) for each process, and the chassis process (GM=3.90 m/s²) was the highest. The larger the tool size and the longer the tool length, the higher was the vibration acceleration when using a battery-powered tool than an air-powered tool (P<0.01). Battery-powered tool users showed higher dissatisfaction on all items than did air-powered tool users. Conclusions: As a result of this study, it is necessary to implement a program to reduce the HAV exposure levels.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.65-69
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• 2009

Purpose: Recently incidence of VDT syndrome has gradually increased as extensive use of computers. VDT syndrome reported by VDT workers include musculoskeletal disorder, neuropsychiatric disoders and eye symptoms such as eye strain, tired eyes, irritation and blurred vision. The environmental factors of VDT syndrome include electromagnetic waves, size, brightness and lighting of computer screen, height of a monitor and a worktable, working hours, kind of task, distance between screen and workers, indoor humidity and temperature, indoor air contamination and ventilation. In this study, we investigated the environmental factors related to body symptoms and health effects included in VDT syndrome. Methods: Study subjects were total 120 persons (54 male, 66 female) with age from 19 to 28. We surveyed the body symptoms and physical discomfort when doing an activity in a short distance such as reading book or paper, computer work. The questionnaire included main body symptoms, self-consciousness symptoms of eye, satisfaction of working environment, pain of the wrist when using keyboard and mouse. Results: Most of people (70%) felt physical pain from long time work of computer, paper, electrical apparatus. They mainly complained pain of neck and low back (57.1%), eye (45.2%) and head (31%). With the environmental factors, 78.3% of the subjects complaint pain of eye from inappropriate illumination. Most of the symptoms included 'eye fatigue'(38.3%), 'dryness of eye'(31.9%) and 'blurred vision'(23.7%). Subjects in this study complained discomfort of their chairs and most of them experienced pain in the wrist when using keyboard or mouse. Conclusions: When people use electrical apparatus or work with paper, people would get their eye fatigue and feeling of physical fatigue because of not harmonizing various environmental factors such as light, space, posture, worktable with theirselves. Therefore, workers should develop preventive method such as self-control of adequate break time to avoid fatigue while VDT work. Work environment should be changed to ergonomic design for optimal visual environment to prevent musculoskeletal disorder through constant research.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.8 no.12
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• pp.322-333
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• 2008

This research examined use rate and profitability of equipment in hospital scale with about 500 beds to present data including to review before introducing PACS with the checklist included in preparation and proposal based on expected profit suggested by operation department and cost and use rate of the expensive medical equipment were analyzed. It was proved that profit was generated in the research subject hospital if PACS is introduced. Three to five year of lease is proper for the purchase method of medical equipment. Profit after two year of use will surpass investment cost and generate clear profit. Based on the profit generated from operation of radiology department, the purchase amount to introduce PACS at the hospital will be retrieved after about 1.9 years for the investment. The number of reshoot test at radiology department will be decreased and film, development, and fixer will not be necessary to buy so the operation cost will be reduced. Moreover, other than actual profit increased, the hospital can improve its reputation and employees can reduce their works and get better working environment with less stress. Their job satisfaction will be increased so they can improve service quality and it is good for marketing strategy of the hospital. As a result of this research, it was proved that the small and general hospital should have expected profit with introduction of PACS and analyze its contribution to treatment service and profit after the purchase. Then, the hospital should make a proposal for introduction of the medical equipment and establish effective operation plan.

• Journal of Applied Tourism Food and Beverage Management and Research
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• v.7
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• pp.231-266
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• 1997

TQM is a whole process of systemizing, documenting and measuring of service quality scientifically to achieve zero defects in product quality and to continue to improve the body of the product quality by itself. To have this process be improved continuously, first of all it needs to prepare an ideal environment to understand and to conform to its internal and external customers', that is every guests' and employees' expectations and demands. Then it has to be followed by the next step removing some negative aspects that could be derived from the first mentioned process The third step is to cut the cost be suitable compensation rather than an attitude trying to solve the problems in an easy way. The last essential factor for setting up TQM system is to make good use of the outstanding feature or process as it is reviewed against the superior benchmark. The purpose of this study is meet the customers' expectations and to maximize the hotel's profits by searching TQM(total quality management) strategy in hotels. To attain this research's objective, it follows these three details. Firstly, it defines TQM and its contents. Secondly, it provides the standard of hotel TQM throughout some case studies. Thirdly, it suggests TQM strategic plan in tourism hotel as one of professional management strategies. Two useful methods are used together to achieve the goal of this study. To confirm its theoretical consideration, descriptive studies by the research documents its theoretical consideration, descriptive studies by the research documents published in and out of the country is used. The other is case studies of TQM execution in real hospitality industry, which present the cases of the airline, Jefferson Memorial and the hotel. This research is targeting to demonstrate the successful TQM's exercise in a hotel industry by completing the theoretical studies and case studies on service product quality with an understanding of its importance. As it is said earlier, to lead to the successful TQM's practice, it is necessary to maintain a constant training of the employees. Secondly, it also must identify where it has to focus on to deliver a professional quality management. Thirdly, effective quality management organization needs to be build up. The manager's strong will to accomplish and the employee' active participations are the last condition to be succeed. Once again this study places an emphasis on the fact that TQM is critical to maximize the customers' satisfaction and the hotel's profitability. It is also very worthwhile to have every people working on front line recognize why the TQM is important and further more how they can contribute to improve their service quality by a positive participation and a careful observation of TQM's operating in their property.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.73-88
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• 1998

The management of nursing resource is very important. that is because nursing staff accounts for 30-40% of total staff in a hospital and nurses provide patoents with attentive service for hours daily. The continuous turnover of nursing staff. however, impedes the quality-oriented nursing care, which will consequently leads to the loss of human and material resource in competitive society. This study aimed to calculate nurse's activity and compare the activity amount based on career experience. Futhermore it aimed to find factors which would influence 'quality weighed direct nursing activity amount'. Questionnaires and check lists for this study were distributed to nurses in a suburban hospital outside of Seoul from October 20 to November 14. 1997. The nursing activities were calculated according to professionality. independency and working hour. And then it were accumulated by quality score. The collected data was analyzed by statistical methods as t-test, ANOVA, correlation, multiple regression. The results of this study were as follows ; Firstly, carrel' experience had no influence on the quality weighed nursing activity amount. But the quality level of service of skilled nurses was higher than that of new nurses. Secondly, career was a variable affecting the quality in nursing service. So career was positively related to the quality of nursing care. Patient's disease severity and number of patient were positively correlated with weighed nursing activity amount. But job satisfaction was negatively correlated v:ith the amount. Thirdly, the independent variables which had significant influence on the weighed nursing activity amount were disease severity and the number of patients, The severity score and number of patient were directly proportional to the weighed nursing activity amount. This results indicated· that weighed nursing activity amount was influenced by the number of patient and patient's disease severity. The quality score of nursing services for experienced members is higher than that of new staff. But both new and skilled staff showed no difference in the quality weighed nursing activity amount. Internal and. external environment influences nursing activities. The quality of nursing services is very important factor in nursing activity. Therefore nursing managers should make an effort to improve nursing care quality through continuous research. Also they should try to maintain experience nurses and assign nursing staff appropriately with patient's severity and other relevant factors being considered. The quality-improved nursing care in the hospital will strengthen hospital's competitiveness.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.541-552
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• 2012

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of On-Line Community Assisted Team Learning (OCATL) activities on academic achievement and team member's Shared Mental Model(SMM) subscale scores. Two studies were conducted over two semesters in different universities. The first study was aimed at examining the effects of OCATL on university students' academic achievement using pre- and post- experimental design. For this experiment, 133 university students composed of 80 male and 53 female students from 13 colleges participated. The OCATL activities included the orientation of OCATL, seminar on collaborative learning, on-line community assisted team learning with sixteen hour participation during one semester and a final report (or a term paper). To measure these students' academic achievement, their pre- and post-semester's GPA were compared. The results of paired t-test revealed a significant difference in academic achievement (p<.05). The second study was designed to compare the scores of SMM subscales of the experimental group with the OCATL activities and those of the control group without using OCATL activities. The data was collected using the scale of Shared Mental Model(SMM)-short version developed by Johnson in 2011[18]. For this study, 74 participants from 10 teams served as an experimental group and 15 teams which were not exposed to OCATL activities served as a control group. The MANOVA results showed that SMM subscores of two groups measured after the experiment were statistically significantly different: The experimental group with the OCATL activities showed high scores on general task and team knowledge, general task and communication skills, attitudes toward team and task, team dynamics and interactions, team resources and working environment, and satisfaction with the team.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.87-108
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• 2014

Recent examples of abuse by black consumers (including air travellers) against emotional laborers have become a serious social issue in Korea in that they are likely to violate human rights of those laborers. Emotional labor is a form of emotion regulation that creates a publicly visible facial and bodily display, and also emotional management within the workforce that creates a situation in which the emotion management by workers can be exchanged in the marketplace. Example professions that require emotional labor are: nurses, doctors, waiting staff, and television actors. However, as the economy moves from a manufacturing to a service-based economy, many more workers in a variety of occupational fields are expected to manage their emotions according to employer demands when compared to the past. One of symptoms deriving from emotional labor is smile mask syndrome abbreviated SMS, which is a psychological disorder proposed by professor Makoto Natsume where subjects develop depression and physical illness as a result of prolonged, unnatural smiling. And higher degree of using emotion regulation on the job is related to higher levels of employees' emotional exhaustion, and lower levels of employees' job satisfaction. In most part, emotional laborers are more abused and hurt by so called black consumers who are raising complaints relating to products and services purchased against service providers for the purpose of maliciously getting compensation. Against this background, the Korean Government abolished "the Consumer Protection Act" and instead promulgated "the Basic Consumer Act" in September 2006 which stipulates that consumers are expected to have protection as well as responsibility and duty. The Aviation Security Act cites the examples of prohibited behaviors (unruly passengers) while they are travelling. In addition, human rights of emotional laborers could be more protected by the enhancement of etiquettes and cavalry and improvement of culture and working environment.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.595-609
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• 2016

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the guidelines for Medic Work Table (MWT) based on the anthropometric data of medical technologists. Background: Users' anthropometric data such as sitting height, sitting elbow height, knee height, and so on are significant factors for designing comfortable and useful furniture. Thus, many guidelines for different types of desks and chairs based on the users' anthropometric data have been suggested to many researchers. However, few researches have been conducted to provide design guidelines for MWT for blood collecting task. Medical technologists often use their upper extremities to perform blood collecting task with high repetitions. These repeated motions could be a critical factor in the prevalence rate of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs). Therefore, a study on ergonomic design of MWT would be essential in preventing the WMSDs and improving the quality of the working environment of medical technologists. Method: This study suggested design guidelines for ergonomic MWT by focusing on the heights of the upper side and underside, depths of the inside and outside, and width of MWT through anthropometric studies and literature reviews. Afterwards, a new MWT was made using the suggested design guidelines for this study. Five healthy medical technologists participated to evaluate the original MWT and new MWT. All participants took part in the range of motion (ROM) test, electromyography (EMG) muscle activity test, and usability test to validate the suggested guidelines in this study. EMG signals of related muscles (Flexor Carpi Ulnaris, Extensor Carpi Ulnaris, Deltoid Anterior, and Biceps Branchii) were recorded through the surface electromyography system from both the original MWT and the new MWT. The ROM test of the shoulder and elbow flexion was also assessed using motion sensors. Results: The newly designed MWT showed decreased ROMs of the shoulder and elbow up to 22% and 18% compared to the original MWT. The muscle activities in the new MWT also showed a decrease of 13% in Anterior Deltoid, 6% in Biceps Brachii, 5% in Flexor Carpi Ulnaris, and 8% in Extensor Carpi Ulnaris muscle groups, compared to the original MWT. In the usability test, the satisfaction score of the new MWT was also 56.1% higher than that of the original MWT. Conclusion: This study suggested guidelines for designing MWT and validating the guidelines through qualitative and quantitative analyses. The results of motion analysis, muscle activity, and usability tests demonstrated that the newly designed MWT may lead to less physical stress, less awkward posture, and better physical user interface. Application: The recommended guidelines of the MWT would be helpful information for designing an ergonomic MWT that reduces physical loads and improves the performance of many medical technologists.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.271-283
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• 2001

The childbearing process is a sociocultural phenomenon of a woman who gives birth to a child as well as a biological phenomenon. The purpose of this ethnographic research study was to explore the experience of childbearing process of mothers with children from pregnancy to the 3 months postpartum in Korea and to understand deeply the perspectives of childbearing women reflected on Korean sociocultural values. A convenient sample of 10 childbearing women were observed from January to October 2000 through field work in Seoul, Korea. Data analysis was accomplished under ongoing process. The results of this study were as follows : The mothers with children experienced self-reflection, family relation, and physical adaptation during pregnancy. In self-reflection, all mothers experienced universality and diversity in their self-discovering process. The universal experiences were maturation, life with family and priority on maternal value between being a mother and a woman. The diverse experiences were taking a dual role of working mother, emotional drift of a resigned mother, and disheartened life of a mother who has two daughters. In family relation, the foundation of the new marital relationship were attained during childbearing process and sexual life were changed for the benefit of a healthy mother and a healthy baby. All mothers established friendly relations with their mothers, but established friendly or conflicting or constraining relations with their mother-in-laws due to husband based family culture. In physical adaptation, the informants endured well the physical discomfort and recognized general appearance change. Also maternal-fetal interaction occurred and mothers realistically felt motherhood and accepted themselves as mother-to-be. The mothers prepared for the best delivery, look for a safe childbirth center, newborn goods, endorsed family coping during hospitalization and responded labor pain to make it more endurable, less painful, fast passed owing to labor recognition of the natural process to be a mother. After childbirth, they felt emancipation, satisfaction, accomplishment, more easiness, actually feeling as mother-to-be, emptiness, and showed response to the sex of newborn. Their Sanhujori practice was different according to the Sanhujori environment including provider, place, time in postpartum and reflected on Sanhubyung. The mothers felt actually mother-to-be and happiness during lactation regardless of feeding pattern. These mothers had a different maternal image about rearing subjecthood through their child-rearing experience. But all mothers felt need for family support and social support. The universal rearing response were actual feeling of mother-to-be, a strenuous experience, a pride on child-rearing, confusion, reflecting marital relationship, and wondering rivalry among children. In conclusion, mother of all with children went through self-discovery, self-reflection and made connections with the family as a mother and as a woman simultaneously during the childbearing process. Therefore it is suggested when harmony and balance between a mother and a woman is accomplished, the woman will lead a healthy and high quality of life. Also, this study sought to confirm the sociocultural factors affecting the childbearing process from the perspectives of the women with children. Therefore health care providers must understand deeply the childbearing women with children based on this finding of and try a integrative approach with new ideology of maternity with biocultural perspectives in a clinical setting.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.1682-1694
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• 2007

There are a lot of factors working to facilitate the decline of Korea's traditional markets including large-scale discount stores, convenience stores, businesses of new types such as non-store retailing, and fiercer competitions among retail shops. The changes to the business environment are never favorable to them, either; the consumers have developed more diverse tastes and altered their purchasing styles; and the trading areas around traditional markets have withdrawn in size and power as new towns attract more businesses. In a word, every factor and situation seems to push traditional markets down the slope. Reacting to the problems, the Korean government enacted and enforced the "Special Law for the Promotion of Traditional Markets and Shopping Streets" to provide proper financial and management support. The shop owners of traditional markets formed merchants and prosperity associations and took various initiatives to increase the competitive edge of their traditional markets. All those efforts on the part of the government and the merchants, however, do not seem to be enough to revive traditional markets. This study set out to compare and analyze the management of shop owners of traditional markets based on the support projects by the government, to conduct an empirical research and analysis of their management conditions, and to suggest a better policy model by making improvements for the government's support system and making revisions to the current directions.