• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.59-80
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• 2008

Recently, e-sports are growing with potentiality as a new industry with conspicuous profit model. But studies that dealing with e-sports are not enough. Hence, proposes of this paper are both to establish basic model that is for the design of e-sport marketing strategy and to contribute toward future studies which are related to e-sports. Recently, the researches to explain sports-sponsorship through the identification theory have been discovered. Many researches say that somewhat proper identification is a requirement for most sponsors to improve the their images which is essential to sponsorship activity. Consequently, the research for sponsorship associated with identification in the e-sports, not in the physical sports is the core sector of this study. We extracted the variables from online's major characteristics and existing sport sponsorship researches. First, because e-sports mean the tournaments or leagues in the use of online game, the main event of the game is likely to call it online game. Online media's attributes are distinguished from those of offline. Especially, interactivity, anonymity, and expandibility as a e-sport game attributes are able to be mentioned. So, these inherent online attributes are examined on the relationship with flow. Second, in physical sports games, Fisher(1998) revealed that team similarity and team attractivity were positively related to team identification. Wann(1996) said that the result of former game influenced the evaluation of the next game, then in turn has an effect on the identification of team supporters. Considering these results in the e-sports side, e-sports gamer' attractivity, similarity, and match result seem to be important precedent variables of the identification with a gamer. So, these e-sport gamer attributes are examined on the relationship with both flow and identification with a gamer. Csikszentmihalyi(1988) defined the term flow as feeling status for him to be making current positive experience optimally. Hoffman and Novak(1996) also said that if a user experienced the flow he would visit a website without any reward. Therefore flow might be positively associated with user's identification with a gamer. And, Swanson(2003) disclosed that team identification influenced the positive results of sponsorship, which included attitude toward sponsors, sponsor patronage, and satisfaction with sponsors. That is, identification with a gamer expect to be connected with corporation identification significantly. According to the above, we can design the following research model. All variables used in this study(interactivity, anonymity, expandibility, attractivity, similarity, match result, flow, identification with a gamer, and identification with a sponsor) definitely were defined operationally underlying precedent researches. Sample collection was carried out to the person who has an experience to have enjoyed e-sports during June 2006. Much portion of samples is men because much more men than women enjoy e-sports in general. Two-step approach was used to test the hypotheses. First, confirmatory factor analysis was committed to guarantee the validity and reliability of variables. The results showed that all variables had not only intensive and discriminant validity, but also reliability. Then, research model was examined with fully structural equation using LISREL 8.3 version. The fitness of the suggested model mostly was at the acceptable level. Shortly speaking about the results, first of all, in e-sports game attributes, only interactivity which is called a basic feature in online situation affected flow positively. Secondly, in e-sports gamer's attributes, similarity with a gamer and match result influenced flow positively, but there was no significant effect in the relationship between the attractivity of a gamer and flow. And as expected, similarity had an effect on identification with a gamer significantly. But unexpectedly attractivity and match result did not influence identification with a gamer significantly. Just the same as the fact verified in the many precedent researches, flow greatly influenced identification with a gamer, and identification with a gamer continually had an influence on the identification with a sponsor significantly. There are some implications in these results. If the sponsor of e-sports supports the pro-game player who absolutely should have the superior ability to others and is similar to the user enjoying e-sports, many amateur gamers will feel much of the flow and identification with a pro-gamer, and then after all, feel the identification with a sponsor. Such identification with a sponsor leads people enjoying e-sports to have purchasing intention for products produced by the sponsor and to make a positive word-of-mouth for those products or the sponsor. For the future studies, we recommend a few ideas. Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to find new variables relating to the e-sports, which is not mentioned in this study. For this work to be possible, qualitative research seems to be needed to consider the inherent e-sport attributes. Finally, to generalize the results related to e-sports, a wide range of generations not a specific generation should be researched.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.1-26
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• 2009

Among food-service managers, a survey was conducted to grasp the their work-related education conditions and the demand for education program development. This study focuses on food-service managers in web-based training and analyzes the critical factors involved in their learning process in order to clarify the factors that lead to the maximization of training programs. The results of all this study process are as follows. First, the characteristics of web-based education including component of education factor, system factor, deepening learning factor have meaningful effect on commitment of the participants and education performance(except deepening learning factor to education performance). Second, the analysis that the characteristics of individuals including self-efficacy in learning, purpose-directivity factor have meaningful effects on commitment of the participants and education performance(except purpose-directivity factor to education performance). Third, commitment of the participants has meaningful effects on the education performance. Thus, it is advisable for education managers or operators to emphasize in foodservice organizations.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.3-18
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• 2016

This research, through video-based communication in a social video platform environment, studied the influence of the relationship between a video-watching subject and other watchers to that of the user's positive emotion and sense of community. Based on prior psychological theories called Social Impact Theory and Self-Monitoring Theory, the research built an actual video-based social video platform environment in order to verify an alternative utilizing new means of interaction based on videos. The result shows that under video-watching settings, user feels greater positive emotion and sense of community when the screen shows other people's reaction live and when him or her self's face is shown together, compared to when they are not shown. Also, based on the ANOVA analysis, the percentage of increase in positive emotion was greater when the two conditions mentioned above were provided synchronously compared to when they were not. The result of the research is expected to yield insights about a new form of social video platform.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.94-104
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• 2021

It is no longer special for the gaming industry to provide a community to promote their games. Much prior research related to the community also focuses on the spread of community influence and its importance. In particular, the user community in the gaming industry is having a big impact on the company's revenue creation beyond the simple level of information provision and promotion of friendship. Therefore, providing a community at the same time as the game is released is becoming a common trend in the gaming industry This study attempted to explore factors influencing the design of more effective communities under the assumption that the user community will influence the loyalty of mobile games. The design elements of the community suggested in this study are the provision of interaction tools between users, the provision of information, and communication between the game maker and the users. This study aims to confirm that these design factors affect customer loyalty by reinforcing user empathy and trust in the game within the user community. After collecting data from 251 users active in the mobile game user community, the model presented in this study was empirically analyzed. As a result, the design elements of the game community suggested in this study were found to affect customer loyalty by strengthening the empathy for the game and the trust in the game developer.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.1-16
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• 2021

Recently, crowdfunding has been receiving increased attention due to the variety of novel ways it provides for connecting funders and fundraisers. Concurrently, however, it has been criticized on the grounds of information asymmetry. We are interested in whether information collected from an asymmetric information source significantly influences crowdfunding success. Through this study, we would like to establish a social field of convergence pursued by Serve Science and to conduct practical research and practice together. First, we investigated the importance of interaction between funders and fundraisers within the crowdfunding platform. In the "comments" section, communication between funders and fundraisers reduces the degree of asymmetric information. In the aspect of presumable funders, they should make the best of the "comments" section to collect more solid information without losing return on their investment. Second, we analyze sentiment-based optimistic and pessimistic information from the "story" (asymmetric source) and "comments" sections. In conclusion, it shows that the optimistic and pessimistic information of the "comments" section has a great impact on crowdfunding success and that the influence of the "story" section is limited to pessimistic information under certain conditions. The crowdfunding platform is an innovative and productive way for startups and entrepreneurs to start a business, and since information an important role in the success of crowdfunding, It can be seen that it is essential to focus on establishing the best communication methods.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.43-66
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• 2024

In an era where digital technology reshapes brand-consumer interactions, this study examines the influence of Nike's Run Club and Adidas' Runtastic apps on loyalty and advocacy. Analyzing 3,715 English reviews from January 2020 to October 2023 through text mining, and conducting a focused sentiment analysis on 155 'recommend' mentions, we explore the nuances of 'hot loyalty'. The findings reveal Nike as a 'companion' with an emphasis on emotional engagement, versus Runtastic's 'tool' focus on reliability. This underscores the varied consumer perceptions across similar platforms, highlighting the necessity for brands to integrate user preferences and address technical flaws to foster loyalty. Demonstrating how customized technology adaptations impact loyalty, this research offers crucial insights for digital brand strategy, suggesting a proactive approach in app development and management for brand loyalty enhancement

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.60-78
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• 2024

Social Network Service(SNS) has fundamentally changed the scope, boundaries, and dynamics of social interactions, becoming an integral part of everyday social communication for individuals and significantly altering the decision-making processes of individuals and organizations. Although prior studies have agreed that individual motivations significantly affect travel experience sharing behavior on SNS, different motivations need to be further examined. Also, there is little empirical study that examines the relationships between social capital and motivations. To address these gaps, this study developed a research model to investigate how two types of social capital (i.e., bridging and bonding) influence individual motivations (i.e., self-enhancement and altruism motivations), which in turn contributes to travel experience sharing behavior on SNS. The online survey was conducted from March 3 to March 17, 2021, and 516 responses were included in the data analysis. Structural Equation Modeling was applied to test the hypotheses in a research model. This research provided a comprehensive exploration of the relationship between motivations and social capital, contributing to a better understanding of why tourists share their travel experiences on SNS.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.143-172
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• 2012

While e-commerce market(B2C) grows rapidly, many experts argue that EC(B2C) transactions have not reached its full potential. A notable difference between online and offline consumer markets that is suppressing the growth of EC(B2C) is the decreased presence of human and social elements in the online shopping environments. Generally online shopping lacks human warmth and sociability. In this study, social presence in online shopping mall was proposed as a substitute for face-to-face social interaction in the traditional commerce and author explored what variables affect social presence(human warmth and sociability) on online shopping malls and how human warmth and sociability can influence on online store loyalty. To achieve research objectives, we reviewed literatures related with marketing, psychology and communication research areas. Based on literature review, we proposed a research model on the online shopping mall. To examine the proposed research model, we gathered data by using a self-report questionnaire. Respondents consists of online shoppers with at least five or more times of purchase experience in online shopping malls. Because social presence is a feeling which needs frequent contacts with malls to experience, respondents must have enough purchase experiences. The empirical results are as follows : First, shopping mall's customization efforts influence perceived social presence on the mall significantly. Second, shopping mall's responsiveness influences perceived social presence significantly. Third, perceived activity of community of online shopping mall influences perceived social presence significantly. Mall managers have to activate their customer community to reinforce social presence, resulting in trust building. Finally, perceived social presence influences trust and enjoyment on the mall significantly. And then trust and enjoyment on the mall affect store loyalty significantly. From these findings it can be inferred that perceived social presence appears determinant which is critical to the formation of core variables(trust and loyalty) in existing online shopping papers.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.51-60
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• 2021

Modern society is becoming more informed and intelligent with the development of digital technology, in which humans, objects, and networks relate with each other. In accordance with the changing times, a garden system has emerged that makes it easy to supply the ideal temperature, humidity, sunlight, and moisture conditions to grow plants. Therefore, this study attempted to grasp the concept, perception, and trends of smart gardens, a recent concept. To achieve the purpose of this study, previous studies and text mining were used, and the results are as follows. First, the core characteristics of smart gardens are new gardens in which IoT technology and gardening techniques are fused in indoor and outdoor spaces due to technological developments and changes in people's lifestyles. As technology advances and the importance of the environment increases, smart gardens are becoming a reality due to the need for living spaces where humans and nature can co-exist. With the advent of smart gardens, it will be possible to contribute to gardens' vitalization to deal with changes in garden-related industries and people's lifestyles. Second, in current research related to smart gardens and users' experiences, the technical aspects of smart gardens are the most interesting. People value smart garden functions and technical aspects that enable a safe, comfortable, and convenient life, and subjective uses are emerging depending on individual tastes and the comfort with digital devices. Third, looking at the usage behavior of smart gardens, they are mainly used in indoor spaces, with edible plants are being grown. Due to the growing importance of the environment and concerns about climate change and a possible food crisis, the tendency is to prefer the cultivation of plants related to food, but the expansion of garden functions can satisfying users' needs with various technologies that allow for the growing of flowers. In addition, as users feel the shapes of smart gardens are new and sophisticated, it can be seen that design is an essential factor that helps to satisfy users. Currently, smart gardens are developing in terms of technology. However, the main components of the smart garden are the combination of humans, nature, and technology rather than focusing on growing plants conveniently by simply connecting potted plants and smart devices. It strengthens connectivity with various city services and smart homes. Smart gardens interact with the landscape of the architect's ideas rather than reproducing nature through science and technology. Therefore, it is necessary to have a design that considers the functions of the garden and the needs of users. In addition, by providing citizens indoor and urban parks and public facilities, it is possible to share the functions of communication and gardening among generations targeting those who do not enjoy 'smart' services due to age and bridge the digital device and information gap. Smart gardens have potential as a new landscaping space.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.141-177
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• 2011

I. Research Objectives: Most of the previous studies on diffusion have concentrated on efficacy of WOM communication with the use of variables at individual level (Iacobucci 1996; Midgley et al. 1992). However, there is a paucity of studies which investigated network's structural properties as antecedents of WOM from the perspective of consumers' sociocultural propensities. Against this research backbone, this study attempted to link the network's structural properties and consumer' WOM behavior on cross-national basis. The major research objective of this study was to examine the relationship between network properties and WOM by comparing Korean and Chinese consumers. Specific objectives of this research are threefold; firstly, it sought to examine whether network properties (i.e., tie strength, centrality, range) affect WOM (WOM intention and quality of WOM). Secondly, it aimed to explore the moderating effects of cutural orientation (uncertainty avoidance and individuality) on the relationship between network properties and WOM. Thirdly, it substantiates the role of innovativeness as antecedents to both network properties and WOM. II. Research Hypotheses: Based on the above research objectives, the study put forth the following research hypotheses to validate. ${\cdot}$ H 1-1 : The Strength of tie between two counterparts within network will positively influence WOM effectivenes ${\cdot}$ H 1-2 : The network centrality will positively influence the WOM effectiveness ${\cdot}$ H 1-3 : The network range will positively influence the WOM effectiveness ${\cdot}$ H 2-1 : The consumer's uncertainty avoidance tendency will moderate the relationship between network properties and WOM effectiveness ${\cdot}$ H 2-2 : The consumer's individualism tendency will moderate the relationship between network properties and WOM effectiveness ${\cdot}$ H 3-1 : The consumer's innovativeness will positively influence the social network properties ${\cdot}$ H 3-2 : The consumer's innovativeness will positively influence WOM effectiveness III. Methodology: Through a pilot study and back-translation, two versions of questionnaire were prepared, one in Korean and the other in Chinese. The chinese data were collected from the chinese students enrolled in language schools in Suwon city in Korea, while Korean data were collected from students taking classes in a major university in Seoul. A total of 277 questionnaire were used for analysis of Korean data and 212 for Chinese data. The reason why Chinese students living in Korea rather than in China were selected was based on two factors: one was to neutralize the differences (ie, retail channel availability) that may arise from living in separate countries and the second was to minimize the difference in communication venues such as internet accessibility and cell phone usability. SPSS 12.0 and AMOS 7.0 were used for analysis. IV. Results: Prior to hypothesis verification, mean differences between the two countries in terms of major constructs were performed with the following result; As for network properties (tie strength, centrality and range), Koreans showed higher scores in all three constructs. For cultural orientation traits, Koreans scored higher only on uncertainty avoidance trait than Chinese. As a result of verifying the first research objective, confirming the relationship between network properties and WOM effectiveness, on Korean side, tie strength(Beta=.116; t=1.785) and centrality (Beta=.499; t=6.776) significantly influenced on WOM intention, and similar finding was obtained for Chinese side, with tie strength (Beta=.246; t=3.544) and centrality (Beta=.247; t=3.538) being significant. However, with regard to WOM argument quality, Korean data yielded only centrality (Beta=.82; t=7.600) having a significant impact on WOM, whereas China showed both tie strength(Beat=.142; t=2.052) and centrality(Beta=.348; t=5.031) being influential. To answer for the second research objective addressing the moderating role of cultural orientation, moderated regression anaylsis was performed and the result showed that uncertainty avoidance moderated between network range and WOM intention for both Korea and China, But for Korea, the uncertainty avoidance moderated between tie strength and WOM quality, while for China it moderated between network range and WOM intention. And innovativeness moderated between tie strength and WOM intention for Korea but it moderated between network range and WOM intention for China. As a result of analysing for third research objective, we found that for Korea, innovativeness positively influenced centrality only (Beta=.546; t=10.808), while for China it influenced both tie strength (Beta=.203; t=2.998) and centrality(Beta=.518; t=8.782). But for both countries alike, the innovativeness influenced positively on WOM (WOM intention and WOM quality). V. Implications: The study yields the two practical implications. Firstly, the result suggests that companies targeting multinational customers need to identify segments which are susceptible to the positive WOM and WOM information based on individual traits such as uncertainty avoidance and individualism and based on that, develop marketing communication strategy. Secondly, the companies need to divide the market on Roger's five innovation stages and based on this information, enforce marketing strategy which utilizes social networking tools such as public media and WOM. For instance, innovator and early adopters, if provided with new product information, will be able to capitalize upon the network advantages and thus add informational value to network operations using SNS or corporate blog.