• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.209-237
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• 2012

1. Research Purpose Consumers rely on various clues to evaluate their decision to patronize a retail store, and store brand is one of them (Dodds 1991; Grewal et al. 1998). As consumers find ever increasing variety of contact points connecting them to specific store, the value of experiential shopping as a means of increasing store's brand equity warrants greater attention from scholars of retail management. Retail shopping values are credited for creating not only cognitive experiences like brand knowledge but also emotional experiences such as shopping pleasure and pride (Schmitt 1999). This may be because today's consumers place emphasis on emotional values associated with shopping pleasure, lifestyle brought to life, brand relationship, and store atmosphere more than utilitarian values such as product quality and price. Many previous literature found this to be true (Ahn and Lee 2011; Mathwick et al. 2001). This brings forth important research issues and questions regarding the roles of shopping experiential values and brand equity with regard to consumer's retail patronage choice. However, despite this importance, research on this area remains quite inadequate (Hwang 2010). For this reason, this study aims to verify the relationships among experiential shopping values, retail store brand equity and tries to link that with customer loyalty by surveying large-scale discount store shoppers in Korea and China. 2. Research Contents In order to carry out the research objective, this study conducted comprehensive literature survey on previous literature by discussing major findings and implications with regard to shopping values and retail brand equity and store loyalty. For data collection, researcher employed survey-based research method where data were collected in two major cities of Korea (Seoul) and China (Bejing) and sampling frame was based on patrons of large discount stores in both countries. Specific research questions raised in this study are as follows; RQ1: How do Korean and Chinese consumers differently perceive of shopping values regarding shopping at large-sclae discount stores? RQ2: Are there differences in consumers' emotional consumption propensities? RQ3: Do Korean and Chinese consumers display different perceptions of brand equity towards large-scale discount stores? RQ4: Are there differences in relationships between shopping values and brand equity for Korean and Chinese consumers? For statistical analysis, SPSS17.0, AMOS17.0 and SmartPLS were employed. 3. Research Results The data collected through face-to-face survey conducted in Seoul and Bejing revealed appropriate data validity and reliability as a result of exploratory/confirmatory factor analysis and reliability tests, andh SEM model yielding satisfactory model fitness. The result of the study may be summarized by three main points. First, as a result of testing differences in consumption dispositions, Chinese consumers showed higher scores in aesthetic and symbolic dispositions, whereas Korean consumers scored higher in hedonic disposition. Second, testing on perceptions toward brand equity of large discount stores showed that Korean consumers exhibited more positive perceptions of brand awareness and brand image than Chinese counterparts. Third, the result of exploratory factor analysis on the experiential shopping values revealed different factors for each country. On Korean side, consumer interest value, aesthetic value, and hedonic value were prominent, whereas on Chinese side, hedonic value, aesthetic value, consumer interest value, and service excellence value were found salient. 4. Research Implications While many previous studies on inter-country differences in retailing area mainly focused on cultural dispositions or orientations to explain the differences, this study sets itself apart by specifically targeting individual consumer's shopping values from an experiential viewpoint. The study result provides important theoretical as well as practical implications for large-scale discount store, especially the impotance of fully exploring the linkage between shopping values and brand equity, which has significant influence on loyalty. Therefore, the specific implications deriving from the result shed some important insights upon the consumption values based on shopping experiences and brand equity. The differences found in store shoppers between the two countries may also provide useful insights for Korean and Chinese retailers who plan to expand their operations globally. Related strategic implications derived from this study is the importance of localizing retail strategy which is based on the differences found in experiential shopping values between the two country groups. Especially the finding that Chinese consumers value consumer interest and service excellence, whereas Koreans place importance on hedonic or aesthetic values indicates the need to differentiate the consumer's psychographical profiles when it comes to expanding retail operations globally. Particularly important will be to pursue price-orienated strategy in China in consideration of the high emphasis on consumer interests and service excellence, but to emphasize the symbolic aspects of brand equity in Korea by maximizing the brand equity associated with aesthetic values and hedonic orientations. 5. Recommendations This study focused on generic retail branded discount stores in both countries, thus making it difficult to tease out store-specific strategies based on specific retail brands. Future studies may benefit fro employing actual brand names in survey questionnaire to verify relationship between shopping values and brand-based store strategy. As with other studies of this nature, this study needs to strengthen the result's generalizability by selecting respondents from a wider spectrum of respondents.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.123-142
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• 2010

This study suggest that firms can use online brand communities as an IMC tool to achieve high brand loyalty through marketer-controlled or loyal customer-controlled brand contacts. In this perspective, the online brand community as a marketing communication tool can help the firm in eliciting favorable responses from customers. This study finds that an online brand community, as a critical marketing promotion tool, helps a firm elicit favorable relationship with customers and build strong brand loyalty. In particular, this study suggests several important theoretical and managerial implications. First, this study confirm that "advertising usefulness" is the most powerful and important factor that affects cgerial 's positive emotionomehile "sales promotion usefulness" impacmehin "interactivity" but dies not impacmhin "cgerial iexperience"ltyevent usefulness" impacmehin "cgerial iexperience"but dies not impacmhin "interactivity." In addition, "cgerial iexperience" signifn "itly impacmehin "cgerial -to-cgerial iinteractivity." This indicates that online environment provides participapacmwith a fun and exciting environment. In that sense, enhancing the online brand community experiencemwould be a critical factor for building strong brand. Thi", mword of mouth can play a riclly important role in making many cgerial s to trust brand and to enhance online brand community loyalty. Web users are becoming web authoore owning and creating content limited only by their imaginations.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.535-550
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that customers perceive as important relationship investment in the relationship efforts provided by retailers for customer relationship purposes and to explain the mediating role of relationship quality such as trust, relationship commitment in the relationship perceived relationship investment and relationship performance. For this study, 270 respondents were surveyed and data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 20.0 statistical package. Statistical analysis tools, such as SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 20.0 were utilized for ensuring the validity and the reliability, whereas the SEM method was used for testing the research hypothesis. The results of study are as follows. Financial efforts and structural efforts have affected perceived relationship investment. Perceived relationship investment affected trust and relationship commitment but not loyalty. Trust influenced relationship commitment and loyalty whereas relationship commitment did not affect loyalty. Therefore, it is important for retail marketing managers to provide tangible rewards and special benefits at all times in order to recognize that they are doing the best service efforts for customer relations. In order to secure long-term and stable profits by establishing a relationship with them, the service marketing strategies should be promoted to enhance the relationship quality by raising the level of trust.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2017

In the face of current environment of changing markets and increasing competition, regional financial institutions are also attempting to meet the needs of customers using various methods such as offering new services that satisfy customer demands. This study seeks to determine for regional financial institutions which service products and quality factors affect customer satisfaction and loyalty, and compare service products and service quality sources with the goal of observing the comparative importance of each service factor. This sample is conducted by visiting customer survey from October 7th to October 30th, 2015 to Korea Credit Union Cooperative Association and Seoul Consumer Association. The sample is analyzed as follows. interest rate, deduction, insurance and welfare business had a significant effect on customer satisfaction level among the commodity factors of local financial institution, and accessibility, professionalism and empathy affect service satisfaction level. Second, customer satisfaction has a significant effect on customer loyalty. In addition to the interest rate and professionalism factors, it is analyzed that deductions, insurance and welfare projects and empathy are important factors in the local financial institutions contributing to the local economy while providing financial convenience to local residents. This study suggests key points that regional financial institutions can use to differentiate their image in the competitive financial markets.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.42-55
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to classify the contents of department stores and large-scale discount stores of consumer on information source, shopping orientation and store image in an effort to determine which variable gave a crucial impact on cosmetics department stores and large-scale discount stores selection behavior. The subjects of this study were 557 adult women visited department store and large-scale discount store in Busan. The data were analyzed by using Factor analysis, Frequency analysis, Correlation analysis, Cronabach $\alpha$ and Regression analysis. The results were as follows; 1. There was a difference in the demographical characteristics on department stores and large-scale discount stores of consumers. 2. Shopping Orientation of consumers were categorized into 5 types, and information source of consumers did 3 types, and store image of consumers did 5 types. 3. Leisure utilization, store & brand loyalty, store information, personal information, massmedia information, product & operate on, store atmosphere & salesperson and shopping convenience had positive correlations with cosmetics department stores selection beavior. but convenient location, rationality & economy and sales promotion had negative correlations with cosmetics department stores selection beavior. 4. Rationality & economy and sales promotion had positive correlations with cosmetics large-scale discount stores selection beavior. but convenient location, leisure utilization, store & brand loyalty, massmedia information, product & operate on, store atmosphere & salesperson and shopping convenience had negative correlations with cosmetics large-scale discount stores selection beavior. 5. Age, income, business(-), convenient location(-), rationality & economy(-), leisure utilization, store & brand loyalty, store information, personal information, massmedia information, store atmosphere & salesperson, shopping convenience and sales promotion(-) had a direct effect on cosmetics department stores selection beavior. Age, income, marriage, education had an indirect effect on department stores selection beavior through information source and store image, and information source did through store image, and shopping orientation did through store image. 6. Rationality & economy, convenient location(-), leisure utilization(-), store & brand loyalty(-), buying independence(-), personal information, massmedia information(-), product & operate on(-), shopping convenience(-) and sales promotion had a direct effect on cosmetics large-scale discount stores selection beavior. Age, income, marriage, education had an indirect effect on large-scale discount stores selection beavior through information source, shopping orientation and store image, and information source did through store image, and shopping orientation did through store image.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.51-60
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• 2014

Previous research on loyalty program has verified the factors that influence redemption behavior and the understanding of the mechanism of redemption behavior with academic and practical implications. However, these research has not proven boundary conditions in which the phenomena can be strengthened or weakened- that is, the moderating effect remains unclear. The inclusion of moderating variables can provide a more extensive understanding of the mechanism of this behavior from academic and managerial perspectives alike. Therefore, this current research proposes regulatory focus as a moderating variable, which has received scarce attention in the study of loyalty program behavior, especially individual characteristic variables that, in turn, affect the consumers' purchasing behavior in various ways. Previous research on consumer decision making investigates the differential role of regulatory focus as a series of stages. Regulatory focus theory posits that people depend on the two types of regulatory focus when pursuing goals: promotion focus vs. prevention focus. The former induces tendencies to recognize a goal as a hope and ideal, as something that satisfies the need for accomplishment, and to be sensitive to the presence of a positive outcome of the match and to match the pursuit of goals. On the other hand, the latter tends to regard a goal as the responsibility or obligation to achieve the goal, has a tendency to avoid failure to meet a target, and is sensitive to the presence of the negative consequences that do not reach the target. The following propositions are suggested: 1) The effect of higher accumulation effort level on delaying point redemption speed will be relatively more pronounced for customers with prevention focus. 2) The effect of higher accumulation effort level on large redemption unit size will be relatively more pronounced for customers with prevention focus. 3) The effect of higher accumulation effort level on hedonic redemption ratio will be relatively more pronounced for customers with promotion focus. Therefore, this research provides a moderating variable that has the potential to be used as a reference for market segmentation and affects the relationship between point accumulation effort and three sides of point redemption behavior. On this basis, the direction for the future research on this issue is recommended. Future research could verify these propositions conducting a survey of customers' propensity of regulatory focus in conjunction with the history of the loyalty program of data. This would provide a more realistic effect on the usage behavior of loyalty program consumers by providing useful implications for both marketing practitioners and researchers.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.113-121
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• 2015

This study is to identify that the efforts of business ethics build customer loyalty, and it makes customers lead to purchase behavior in the viewpoint of grasping convergence effect. The survey has proved that ethical management influences consumers' purchase behaviors, and consumers' image perception and trust on corporate play parameter role in that process. This results imply that corporate's ethical management gives increase in revenue and reputation to corporate. So managers must recognize business goes on when the social legitimacy is approved by the public, and make efforts to arrange systems and programs to foster ethical management. In the future study, it is required that an analysis to differentiate target range and level of implementation of ethical management and research associated with ethical issue of high public interest.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.14
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• pp.125-144
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to classify customer bye-mailing responsiveness on time-series analysis and RFM module and testify the effectiveness of grouping by ROI analysis. RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary Value) analysis are used for customer classification that is fundamental process of e-CRM application. ROI analysis were consisted of open, click-through, duration time, conversion rate, personalization and e-mail loyalty index. Major findings are as follows; Customer segmentation were loyal customer, odds customer, dormant customer, secession customer and observation customer by Activity email module. And Loyal, dormant and secession customer are segregated by RFM module. Loyal customer group have higher point of all ROI index than other groups. These results indicated that customer responsiveness of e-mailing and RFM analysis were appropriate methods to grouping the customer. Mid-small Internet Biz adapted marketing strategy by optimization of consumer information.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.873-883
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• 2000

The purpose of this study were to investigate the relationships of situation variables, product variables. consumer variables and impulse buying behavior in apparel store. We collected data from 462 consumers of adult women living in Pusan and analysed by factor analysis, cluster analysis, analysis of variance, t-test and discriminant analysis. The results were as follows: First, The purchase situation influenced on the impulse buying behavior consisted of the Pre-purchase condition and the Point-of-purchase state. The in-store situation consisted of the Salesman/store atmosphere, the Low price and the Possibility of out of stock. And the consumption values of apparel are divided into four factors ; Emotional/aesthetical value, Epistemic value, Functional value and Social value. The clothing shopping orientation as consumer variable extracted six factors ; Recreational orientation, Economical orientation, Brand/store loyalty orientation, Careful orientation, Apathetic orientation and Positive orientation. Consumers were classified by the cloting shopping orientation into the Convenience shopper, the Recreational shopper, the Economical shopper and the Careful shopper. Second, In comparison with the unimpulse-buyin groups, the impulse-buying group is more effected by in-store situation than purchase situation, and were more effected by Emotional/aesthetical value, Social value and Epistemic value of the consumption value. In consumer types, the more was the Recreational shopper and the Convenience shopper, the more showed impulse buying behavior. And the important factor distinguished between the impulse buying group and the unimpulse buying group was the Salesman/store atmosphere of the in-store situation.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.103-121
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• 2013

Since American Airlines's mileage program emerged in market, loyalty programs have gained popularity. Many companies have generated many kinds of reward cards in order to induce precious consumers. As a result, reward cards are very important in consumer goods market and become diversified. In spite of its importance, little is known about how these cards influence consumer's perception. The prior research has not focused on reward card types and psychological variables. Accordingly this research intends to investigate psychological variables such as transaction coupling and sunk cost perception. According to the theory of regulatory focus, promotion focus consumers would point to gain-nongain frame work, but prevention focus consumers would point to loss-nonloss frame work. The paper proved the effect of reward card types and regulatory focus on transaction coupling and sunk cost perception. Based on the results from 2(type of card : visible vs invisible) ${\times}$ 2(regulatory focus: promotion vs prevention) between-subjects factorial design experiments, we found that consumer's transaction coupling and sunk cost perception of visible reward card are better recognized than invisible reward card. In addition, the results show that there is a significant interaction effect between the type of reward card and regulatory focus. Specifically promotion focused consumers tend to reveal better perception than prevention focused consumers in use of invisible cards. However, prevention focused consumers tend to show better perception than promotion focused consumers in use of visible cards. These findings will contribute to significant academic development and practically useful help to marketing managers.