• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.253-276
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• 2022

Online reviews attract much attention because they play an essential role in consumer decision-making. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the review attributes that affect the perceived helpfulness of consumers. However, most previous studies on the helpfulness of online reviews mainly focus on quantitative factors such as review volume and reviewer attributes. Recently, some studies have investigated the impact of review content and linguistic style matching on consumers' purchase decision-making. Those studies show that consumers consider additional review attributes when evaluating reviews in decision-making. To fill the research gap with existing literature, we investigated the impact of review content and linguistic style matching on review helpfulness. Moreover, this study investigated how the reviewers' expertise moderates the effect of the review content and linguistic style matching on the review helpfulness. The empirical results show that positive affective content has a negative effect on the review helpfulness. The negative affective content and linguistic style matching positively affect review helpfulness. Review expertise relieved the impact of negative affective content and linguistic style matching on review helpfulness. According to the mechanism confirmed in this study, online e-commerce companies can achieve corporate sales growth by identifying factors affecting review helpfulness and reflecting them in their marketing strategies.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1185-1198
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• 2012

The purposes of this study were to investigate the relationships between e-loyalty formation process and satisfaction for apparel products by testing the research model developing upon prior researches, and to analyze the differences of the structural model between two groups (high satisfaction group and low satisfaction group). A total of 356 respondents participated through a convenience sampling at universities in Busan. Data were analyzed by a structural equation model analysis. The results were as followings: First, for the structural model, the attributes of shopping malls (e.g., e-store attributes and product attributes) affected consumer satisfaction which influenced the e-loyalty of shopping malls, mediated by value perception. Second, high-satisfaction group evaluated more importantly the attributes of shopping malls, higher perceived the value of products and web sites, more satisfied the mall, and had greater loyalty of online shopping malls than low-satisfaction group. Third, there were significant differences between high-satisfaction group and low-satisfaction group in the e-loyalty model for apparels. Specifically, for high-satisfaction group, the e-store attributes were more likely to influence the value perception of products and web sites than low-satisfaction group, while low-satisfaction group was the higher perceived the value of products, the more they satisfied and then the greater e-loyalty respectively. According to the findings, the implications and future suggestions related to e-loyalty of shopping malls for apparels are provided.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.103-134
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• 2011

The recent economic recession and price rise reduces excessive consumption as a whole. So companies take more interest in and use discount coupons as a means of sales promotion to reinforce their competitiveness. The combination of Internet and mobile communication technology leads to an explosive increase in the use of mobile Internet service, which promotes commercialization of mobile coupons. Nevertheless, there are absolutely insufficient researches on mobile coupons than those on paper ones. In this context, this study tries to consider intention of accepting and using mobile coupons. The innovated Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to see factors of using mobile coupons considered important by customers. Through the combination of characteristics of mobile coupon service and values obtained from mobile coupons, effects of variables to enhance intention of using mobile coupons were empirically analyzed. In particular, this study suggested importance of psychological as well as economic values of mobile coupons and emphasized good considerations of the psychological aspect, such as shame, stinginess, and reputation sensitivity, in using mobile coupons as an important factor for intention of using the coupons. Another empirical analysis was made of what moderating roles consumers' self-construalplayed in the effects of mobile coupon values perceived by consumers on intention of using coupons. As a result, immediate connectivity and situational provision among characteristics of mobile coupon service were found to affect ease and usability. It was also shown that perceived ease and usability had significant effects on both economic and psychological values, which then had significant effects on intention of using a mobile system. After testing moderating effects of self-construal, the degree of effects of perceived mobile coupon values on intention of using mobile coupons was greater among inter-dependent self-construal users than among independent ones. This study considered various schemes of improving intention to use mobile coupons and provided a foundation to help companies make a strategy for mobile coupons to be activated in the future.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.29-44
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• 2017

In Internet commerce, consumers are heavily influenced by product reviews written by other users who have already purchased the product. However, as the product reviews accumulate, it takes a lot of time and effort for consumers to individually check the massive number of product reviews. Moreover, product reviews that are written carelessly actually inconvenience consumers. Thus many online vendors provide mechanisms to identify reviews that customers perceive as most helpful (Cao et al. 2011; Mudambi and Schuff 2010). For example, some online retailers, such as Amazon.com and TripAdvisor, allow users to rate the helpfulness of each review, and use this feedback information to rank and re-order them. However, many reviews have only a few feedbacks or no feedback at all, thus making it hard to identify their helpfulness. Also, it takes time to accumulate feedbacks, thus the newly authored reviews do not have enough ones. For example, only 20% of the reviews in Amazon Review Dataset (Mcauley and Leskovec, 2013) have more than 5 reviews (Yan et al, 2014). The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors affecting the usefulness of online product reviews and to derive a forecasting model that selectively provides product reviews that can be helpful to consumers. In order to do this, we extracted the various linguistic, psychological, and perceptual elements included in product reviews by using text-mining techniques and identifying the determinants among these elements that affect the usability of product reviews. In particular, considering that the characteristics of the product reviews and determinants of usability for apparel products (which are experiential products) and electronic products (which are search goods) can differ, the characteristics of the product reviews were compared within each product group and the determinants were established for each. This study used 7,498 apparel product reviews and 106,962 electronic product reviews from Amazon.com. In order to understand a review text, we first extract linguistic and psychological characteristics from review texts such as a word count, the level of emotional tone and analytical thinking embedded in review text using widely adopted text analysis software LIWC (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count). After then, we explore the descriptive statistics of review text for each category and statistically compare their differences using t-test. Lastly, we regression analysis using the data mining software RapidMiner to find out determinant factors. As a result of comparing and analyzing product review characteristics of electronic products and apparel products, it was found that reviewers used more words as well as longer sentences when writing product reviews for electronic products. As for the content characteristics of the product reviews, it was found that these reviews included many analytic words, carried more clout, and related to the cognitive processes (CogProc) more so than the apparel product reviews, in addition to including many words expressing negative emotions (NegEmo). On the other hand, the apparel product reviews included more personal, authentic, positive emotions (PosEmo) and perceptual processes (Percept) compared to the electronic product reviews. Next, we analyzed the determinants toward the usefulness of the product reviews between the two product groups. As a result, it was found that product reviews with high product ratings from reviewers in both product groups that were perceived as being useful contained a larger number of total words, many expressions involving perceptual processes, and fewer negative emotions. In addition, apparel product reviews with a large number of comparative expressions, a low expertise index, and concise content with fewer words in each sentence were perceived to be useful. In the case of electronic product reviews, those that were analytical with a high expertise index, along with containing many authentic expressions, cognitive processes, and positive emotions (PosEmo) were perceived to be useful. These findings are expected to help consumers effectively identify useful product reviews in the future.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.137-164
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• 2011

In the past, retailers secured customer loyalty by offering convenient locations, unique assortments of goods, better services than competitors, and good credit policy. All this has changed. Goods assortments among stores have become more alike as national-brand manufacturers place their goods in more and more retail stores. Service differentiation also has eroded. Many department stores have trimmed services, and many discount stores have increased theirs. Customers have become smarter shoppers. They don't pay more for identical brands, especially when service differences have diminished. In the face of increased competition from discount storess and specialty stores, department stores are waging a comeback war. Growth of intertype competition, competition between store-based and non-store-based retailing and growing investment in technology are changing the way consumers shop and retailers sell. Different types of stores-discount stores, catalog showrooms, department stores-all compete for the same consumers by carrying the same type of merchandise. The biggest winners are retailers that have helped shoppers to be economically cautious, simplified their increasingly busy and complicated lives, and provided an emotional connection. The growth of e-retailers has forced traditional brick-and-mortar retailers to respond. Basically brick-and-mortar retailers utilize their natural advantages, such as products that shoppers can actually see, touch, and test, real-life customer service, and no delivery lag time for small-sized purchases. They also provide a shopping experience as a strong differentiator. They are adopting practices as calling each shopper a "guest". The store atmosphere should match the basic motivations of the shopper. If target consumers are more likely to be in a task-oriented and functional mindset, then a simpler, more restrained in-store environment may be better. Consistent with this reasoning, some retailers of experiential products are creating in-store entertainment to attract customers who want fun and excitement. The retail experience must deliver value to turn a one-time visitor into a loyal customer. Retailers need a tool that measures the full range of components that define experience-based value. This study uses an experiential value scale(EVS) developed by Mathwick, Malhotra and Rigdon(2001) which reflects the benefits derived from perceptions of playfulness, aesthetics, customer "return on investment" and service excellence. EVS is useful to predict differences in shopping preferences and patronage behavior of customers. EVS consists of items measuring efficiency, economic value, visual appeal, entertainment value, service excellence, escapism, and intrinsic enjoyment, which are subscales of experiencial value. Efficiency, economic value, service excellence are linked to the utilitarian shopping value. And visual appeal, entertainment value, escapism and intrinsic enjoyment are linked to hedonic shopping value. It has been found that consumers value hedonic experiences activated from escapism and attractiveness of shopping environment as much as the product quality, price, and the convenient location. As a result, many department stores, discount stores, and other retailers are introducing differential marketing strategy based on emotional/hedonic values. Many researches suggest that consumers go shopping not only for buying products but also for various shopping experiences. In other words, they seek the practical, rational value as well as social, recreational values in the shopping process(Babin et al, 1994; Bloch et al, 1994). Retailers may enhance buyer's loyalty to store by providing excellent emotional/hedonic value such as the excitement from shopping, not just the practical value of buying good products efficiently. We investigate the effect of perceived shopping values on the emotional experience and store loyalty based on the EVS(Experiential Value Scales) developed by Holbrook(1994), Mathwick, Malhotra and Rigdon(2001). This study assumes that the relative effect of shopping value dimensions on the responses of shoppers will differ according to types of stores and analyzes the moderating effect of store type(department store VS. discount store) on the causal relationship between shopping value dimensions and store loyalty. Emprical results show that utilitarian values of shopping experience and hedonic value of shipping experience give the positive effect on the emotional response of consumers and store loyalty. We also found the moderating effect of store types. The effect of utilitarian shopping values on the attitude toward discount store is higher than the effect of utilitarian shopping values on the attitude toword department store. And the effect of hedonic shopping value on the emotional response to discount store is higher than on the emotional response to department store. The empirical results reflect on the recent trend that discount stores try to fulfill the hedonic needs of consumers as well as utilitarian needs(i.e, low price) that discount stores traditionally have focused on

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.207-233
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• 2016

Currently mobile messenger industry, based on mobile application, is growing. And it has aroused innovative change, offering services in various forms beyond the form simply sharing messengers. Also because messenger securities are becoming personalized and intelligent, the importance of more diverse mobile applications' securities is increasing. This study carries out the empirical study of the causal relationship that the factors of using application services influence on security recognition and security Intention of mobile securities, and consequentially impact upon protection of personal information of users. In order that, we present the research model which prime variables of SDT, which emphasized on natural immanent motivation of human, applied to. To verify the research model of this study empirically, we conducted a survey targeting the public and university students which have ever used mobile messenger applications. With this, we desire to contribute to emphasizing the significance of individual messenger security and playing a positive role to develop security guide for consumers. The path analysis results are as follows. First, perceived autonomy has a positive effect on both security awareness and security intention. Second, perceived competence has a positive effect on security intention. Third, perceived relatedness has a positive effect on both security awareness and security intention. Last, security awareness and security intention. have a positive effect on privacy protection behavior. Through emphasizing the importance of the security of the messenger of individuals and contribute to a positive role for development of the necessary security guidelines to consumers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.28 no.12 s.138
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• pp.1583-1595
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• 2004

Simon and Sullivan(l993) estimated that clothing and textile related brand equity had the highest magnitude comparing any other industry category. It reflects that fashion brands reinforce the symbolic, social values and emotional characteristics being different from generic brands. Recently, Kim and Lim(2002) developed a fashion brand equity scale to measure a brand's psychometric properties. However, they suggested that additional psychometric tests were needed to compare the relative magnitude of each brand's equity. The purpose of this study was to recognize the psychometric constructs of fashion brand equity and validate Kim and Lim's fashion brand equity scale using the measurement invariance test of cross-group comparison. First, we identified the constructs of fashion brand equity using confirmatory factor analysis through structural equation modeling. Second, we compared the relative magnitude of two brands' equity using the measurement invariance test of multi-group simultaneous factor analysis. Data were collected at six major universities in Seoul, Korea. There were 696 usable surveys for data analysis. The results showed that fashion brand equity was comprised of 16 items representing six dimensions: customer-brand resonance, customer feeling, customer judgment, brand imagery, brand performance and brand awareness. Also, we could support the measurement invariance of two brands' equities by configural and metric invariance tests. There were significant differences in five constructs' mean values. The greatest difference was in customer feeling; the smallest, in customer judgment.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.165-181
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• 2011

In 2005, Yuhan Kimberly found interesting points in the existing customers' U&A survey on the kitchen towel. The usage of Korean consumers is usually restricted to getting rid of the oil from the fans and the fried food. This usage limits could be the barrier to the diffusion of kitchen towel. Although consumers were worried about the hygiene situations about the dishcloth, they also percieved that the existing paper kitchen towels were short of something to soothe their inconveniences. As a result, the company made a decision to seek out the solution for the consumers' worries. The relative shortage of the paper kitchen towel compared to that of the unhygienic and inconvenient dishcloth was its lack of water-endurance. The dishcloth could be reliable in the wet environment which is very common in Korean kitchen, whereas the paper kitchen towel was perceived as very weak and unreliable in removing water form the dishes and the sink. To overcome the common sense of the consumers, it is important to shift the consumers' perception of the kitchen towel category. It is needed to expand the usage time from one time to several times in a day. So it is needed to redesign the customers' kitchen life. The company adopted the brand "Scott^®" to meet the global brand strategy of the parent company, Kimberley Clark. This brand was also adopted and made a succesful launch of the similar product lines in Latin America. Furthermore, to make an emphasis on the differentiation from the existing paper kitchen towels, the company made the slogan, "Scott^® washable kitchen towel." This slogan was designed to expand the familiar product image of convenient paper towels to water-resistance. As a result, consumers show the changes in usage behavior of paper towels and apply them for more various purposes such as cleaning the decks and tables. This change results in the rapid sales increase of "Scott^® washable kitchen towel."

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.71-98
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• 2008

Considerably many numbers of studies on country-of-origin(hereafter COO) effects have been presented in international business and marketing areas. Recent studies have been included the effects of COO of manufacture, parts, and design, as well as the effects of brand origin, reflected by the accelerating convergent manufacture circumstances and increasingly competitive environments. Moderating constructs such as knowledge of product category and involvement as individual variables, have been also introduced and researched in various angles. In addition, how the effects of COO occur as processes is also argued in previous studies. This research has attempted to explain business corporation's strategic decisions on choosing a domain of its product manufacturing for several critical reasons, for cost reduction or better image. We displayed two constructs of brand and manufacture in a positive and negative country image group to reconfirm the existence of the effects of COO. Additionally, the effects of respondents' regulatory fit between their motivational focus and the contents of product messages, have been declared. Furthermore the respondents' motivational focus moderates the main effect of COO on product evaluations in a positive 'made-in' combination, while, surprisingly, it does not statistically moderate in a negative, except attitude. Based on the results, implications and suggestions on how to plan and execute more effective marketing strategies regarding COO dimensions, especially COO of manufacture, are separately presented for each situations when it has already been determined and when it is to be.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.211-226
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• 2011

This study was intended to investigate the attributes of the Internet shopping mall and to examine the effects of each attribute on the consumer purchase intention. 279 valid responses of total 300 questionnaire were used for the analysis of this study. Both the exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were conducted to evaluate the conceptual validity and internal coherence of the determining variables and the use intention. The factor analysis resulted in identifying the five factors of the Internet shopping mall and on the multiple regression analysis, three of the five identified factors were found to affect significantly the purchase intention. According to the verified results interactivity(t=4.384) was found to affect positively the use intention, while privacy risk(t=-2.985) and delivery risk(t=-2.257) were found to affect negatively the purchase intention. Managerial suggestions are recommended as the results of analysis. It is urgently necessary for decreasing countermeasures delivery risk and privacy risk to enhance purchase intention of customers in internet shopping malls. Especially obtaining more information on consumers gives short-term advantages to marketers, perceived slackness in privacy will hinder purchase intention in internet shopping malls in the long run by causing distrust of consumers. Other limitations and future research directions are also mentioned.