• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.61-101
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• 2014

This study investigates when and how disagreements in online customer ratings prompt more favorable product evaluations. Among the three metrics of volume, valence, and variance that feature in the research on online customer ratings, volume and valence have exhibited consistently positive patterns in their effects on product sales or evaluations (e.g., Dellarocas, Zhang, and Awad 2007; Liu 2006). Ratings variance, or the degree of disagreement among reviewers, however, has shown rather mixed results, with some studies reporting positive effects on product sales (e.g., Clement, Proppe, and Rott 2007) while others finding negative effects on product evaluations (e.g., Zhu and Zhang 2010). This study aims to resolve these contradictory findings by introducing preference heterogeneity as a possible moderator and causal attribution as a mediator to account for the moderating effect. The main proposition of this study is that when preference heterogeneity is perceived as high, a disagreement in ratings is attributed more to reviewers' different preferences than to unreliable product quality, which in turn prompts better quality evaluations of a product. Because disagreements mostly result from differences in reviewers' tastes or the low reliability of a product's quality (Mizerski 1982; Sen and Lerman 2007), a greater level of attribution to reviewer tastes can mitigate the negative effect of disagreement on product evaluations. Specifically, if consumers infer that reviewers' heterogeneous preferences result in subjectively different experiences and thereby highly diverse ratings, they would not disregard the overall quality of a product. However, if consumers infer that reviewers' preferences are quite homogeneous and thus the low reliability of the product quality contributes to such disagreements, they would discount the overall product quality. Therefore, consumers would respond more favorably to disagreements in ratings when preference heterogeneity is perceived as high rather than low. This study furthermore extends this prediction to the various levels of average ratings. The heuristicsystematic processing model so far indicates that the engagement in effortful systematic processing occurs only when sufficient motivation is present (Hann et al. 2007; Maheswaran and Chaiken 1991; Martin and Davies 1998). One of the key factors affecting this motivation is the aspiration level of the decision maker. Only under conditions that meet or exceed his aspiration level does he tend to engage in systematic processing (Patzelt and Shepherd 2008; Stephanous and Sage 1987). Therefore, systematic causal attribution processing regarding ratings variance is likely more activated when the average rating is high enough to meet the aspiration level than when it is too low to meet it. Considering that the interaction between ratings variance and preference heterogeneity occurs through the mediation of causal attribution, this greater activation of causal attribution in high versus low average ratings would lead to more pronounced interaction between ratings variance and preference heterogeneity in high versus low average ratings. Overall, this study proposes that the interaction between ratings variance and preference heterogeneity is more pronounced when the average rating is high as compared to when it is low. Two laboratory studies lend support to these predictions. Study 1 reveals that participants exposed to a high-preference heterogeneity book title (i.e., a novel) attributed disagreement in ratings more to reviewers' tastes, and thereby more favorably evaluated books with such ratings, compared to those exposed to a low-preference heterogeneity title (i.e., an English listening practice book). Study 2 then extended these findings to the various levels of average ratings and found that this greater preference for disagreement options under high preference heterogeneity is more pronounced when the average rating is high compared to when it is low. This study makes an important theoretical contribution to the online customer ratings literature by showing that preference heterogeneity serves as a key moderator of the effect of ratings variance on product evaluations and that causal attribution acts as a mediator of this moderation effect. A more comprehensive picture of the interplay among ratings variance, preference heterogeneity, and average ratings is also provided by revealing that the interaction between ratings variance and preference heterogeneity varies as a function of the average rating. In addition, this work provides some significant managerial implications for marketers in terms of how they manage word of mouth. Because a lack of consensus creates some uncertainty and anxiety over the given information, consumers experience a psychological burden regarding their choice of a product when ratings show disagreement. The results of this study offer a way to address this problem. By explicitly clarifying that there are many more differences in tastes among reviewers than expected, marketers can allow consumers to speculate that differing tastes of reviewers rather than an uncertain or poor product quality contribute to such conflicts in ratings. Thus, when fierce disagreements are observed in the WOM arena, marketers are advised to communicate to consumers that diverse, rather than uniform, tastes govern reviews and evaluations of products.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.169-179
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• 2017

To examine the causal association between story usage and the ability of comprehending social relations, this study analyzed whether the short-term use of story heightened the degree of other-focused attention. To this end, this study randomly assigned 74 participants into three groups(novel, film, and exposition conditions), and participants were exposed to the stimuli for about 30 minutes, and then this study compared the degree of other-focused attention of the three groups. The results suggested that the degree of other-focused attention in the story groups (novel and film) were significantly higher than those in the exposition group. Though causal association between story usage and the ability of comprehending social relations were not clear, via demonstrating the formation of other-focused attention due to short-term use of story, this study provided empirical evidence for the simulation account of story.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.73-96
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• 2015

Purpose Information security industry is rapidly growing, but has been confronted with many challenges in a business environment. One of them is the imbalance between supply and demand of information security manpower, which has caused an insecure market situation. Therefore, this study has derived factors of promoting and hindering information security manpower from governance, academics, corporations, and workforce perspectives, and has analyzed a sequence of cause and effect of each factor. Design/methodology/approach This study is an exploratory research based on the interviews. The causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to deduce key issues and propose alternatives. Findings The result of this study is expected to help the development of information security manpower in Korea, by minimizing the potential negative effects as well as maximizing the positive effects. This study found out the dynamic causes and effects of the security manpower system in each stakeholder's perspective. The cause-and-effect relationships between the stakeholders will be able to contribute to solve the imbalance of supply and demand in security manpower system.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.513-529
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• 2015

This study performed corroborative analysis by establishing hypothesis so as to corroboratively define the effect on brand attitude of psychological risk recognition in the case where consumers reading negative media news related to bakery recognize crisis communication on the basis of which point. According to corroborative analysis, the role of psychological crisis perception as parameter is confirmed in the causal relation between crisis communication recognition and brand attitude. Such result of study confirms that the positive change in crisis communication recognition reduces psychological risk perception to bakery products and such psychological risk perception eventually become factor which affects brand attitude over products. Such result of study suggests that when reading negative media news on bakery, the influence on consumer's evaluation of news on the basis of certain point and the influence on the formation of causal relation between psychological risk perception and brand attitude has scientific ground. In the aspect, the main result of this study is to find the clue that when comparing precedent study between crisis communication recognition and brand attitude, psychological risk perception is realized with brand attitude as media by verifying the parameter role of psychological risk perception.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.75-81
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• 2019

The paper aims to investigate the linkage among prior financial performance, organizational reputation and earnings quality. Firstly, it examines the influence of prior financial performance on organizational reputation and on earnings quality. Secondly, this research explores the moderating role that prior financial performance plays in the causal relationship from organizational reputation to earnings quality. Thirdly, the mediating role of organizational reputation in the effect of prior financial performance on earnings quality is analyzed. The empirical findings show that, prior financial performance positively affects both earnings quality and organizational reputation that in turn partly mediates the causal connection from prior financial performance to earnings quality; whereas prior financial performance imposes a positive moderation in the influence of organizational reputation on earnings quality. This research is expected to provide scholars and practitioners with a thorough understanding of the complex link among prior financial performance, organizational reputation and earnings quality. That helps them to deliver good decisions on the investment of suitable resources in maintaining and enhancing their organizational reputation, which assures a higher quality of reported earnings that in turn improves involved stakeholders' confidence in their firm. This likely leads the firms to gain better performance in the future.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2020

The paper examines the dynamic relationship of domestic credit and stock market liquidity on the economic growth of the Philippines from 1995 to 2018 applying the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration, together with Granger causality test based on vector error correction model (VECM). The ARDL model indicated a long-run relationship of domestic credit and stock market liquidity on GDP growth. When the GDP per capita is the dependent variable there is weak cointegration. Also, the Johansen cointegration test confirmed the existence of long-run relationship of domestic credit and stock market liquidity both on GDP growth and GDP per capita. The VECM concludes a long-run causality running from domestic credit and stock market liquidity to GDP growth. At levels, domestic credit has significant short-run causal relationship with GDP growth. As for stock market liquidity at first lag, has significant short-run causal relationship with GDP growth. With regards to VECM for GDP per capita, domestic credit and stock market liquidity indicates no significant dynamic adjustment to a new equilibrium if a disturbance occurs in the whole system. At levels, the results indicated the presence of short-run causality from stock market liquidity and GDP per capita. The CUSUMSQ plot complements the findings of the CUSUM plot that the estimated models for GDP growth and GDP per capita were stable.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2017

Purpose - The study verified the effects of consumers' knowledge perception upon word-of-mouth intention and purchase intention of consumers who were exposed to a lot of information, and examined consumer's behavior from multi-dimensional points of view. Research design, data, and methodology - The study conducted the test of difference between consumer's cognition on importance and satisfaction of HMR product by gap of HMR (Home Meal Replacement) product for IPA analysis. The consumer's reliability and words-of-mouth were measured by the questionnaire method with 4 questions according to Likert 7-point scale. Conversion into z-score removed the difference of variables. Results - The causal relation model for importance, satisfaction and gap, not relying upon multi-dimensional scaling and others, could construct causal relation model to give implications. Difference (d) of the products could lessen consumer's reliability to increase consumer's knowledge perception, word-of-mouth intention, knowledge perception, and purchase intention. Therefore, enterprises should make an effort to lessen consumers' complaint for the products and to elevate consumers' reliability. Enterprises also try to give consumers exact information and to promote purchase intention. Conclusions - Difference (d) of consumers' complaint and/or disappointment decreased consumers' reliability to increase knowledge perception. Enterprises should supply consumers with products according to their requirements to minimize the gap and to give them proper information.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.137-161
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• 2017

Purpose In this study, the difficulties were analyzed with the field data from two domestic and interview with industry practitioners. And We presented initiatives with feasibilities to overcome the hurdle for progress of easy-payment. Design/methodology/approach We collected industry data from two domestic credit card companies and analyzed that data to prove 7 proposition in detail. Also We had interview data from industry practitioners who can understand the relationship between stakeholders. For this analysis, we used the causal loop diagram to find activation inhibition and activation elements about easy-payment. Findings The Fintech easy-payment industry has been organically involved in various partners such as customers, merchants, PGs, VANs, credit card issuers, banks, payment providers, terminal manufacturers, etc. and they have been competing against each other to hold leader position in the easy-payment market. Because of the reasons, the easy-payment does not spread out as much as it expects. In this study, the difficulties were analyzed with the field data and interview with industry practitioners and proposed five initiatives with feasibilities to overcome the hurdle for progress of easy-payment. This study helps to understand current situation and issues of Fintech and easy-payment for related research in future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.195-201
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• 2009

To identify relationship between the airborne concentrations of formaldehyde and the causal factors in the endoscope unit of hospitals, a total of 48 workers selected from 4 hospitals (3 university hospitals and 1 national hospital) were investigated. Airborne formaldehyde samples were collected using passive samplers and subsequently analyzed by HPLC according to the OSHA method 1007. The geometric mean(GM) of airborne formaldehyde concentrations was 0.056 ppm (range: 0.003~0.923 ppm). The rates of exceeding exposure limits of OSHA PEL-TWA and NIOSH REL-TWA were 4.2 % and 83.3%, respectively. The STEL GM concentration was 1.428 ppm(range: 0.103~14.773 ppm). Ventilation condition (p=0.001) and temperature (p=0.017) were statistically significant causal factors for the airborne exposure concentration of formaldehyde in the endoscope unit of hospitals. In conclusion, the workers in the endoscope unit of hospitals were highly exposed to formaldehyde, and adequate controls such as appropriate management of ventilation and temperature are recommended to reduce over exposure to formaldehyde.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.99-125
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• 2014

Internet environment and innovative ICT(information and communication technology) have brought about big changes to our lifestyle and industrial structure. In spite of the convenience of Internet, various cyber incidents such as malicious code infection, personal information leakage, smishing(sms + phishing), and pharming have frequently occurred. Information security must be recognized as a key and compulsory element for surviving in a global economy. Strategic roles of information security have recently been increasing, but effective implementation of information security is still a major challenge to organizations. Our study examines the influencing factors of information security and investigates the causal relationship between information security maturity level and organizational performance through an empirical survey. According to the results of our study, personal, organizational, technical, and social factors affect organizations's information security maturity level altogether. This result suggests that when dealing with security issues, the holistic and multi-disciplinary approaches should be required. In addition, there is a causal relationship between information security maturity level and organizational performance, and organizations aim to establish the efficient and effective ways to enhance information security maturity level on the basis of the results of this study.