• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.337-366
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• 2004

Contingent Valuation Method (CVM), as non-market valuation approach, has been criticized on that respondents may not realistically reflect their budget constraints in answering willingness to pay (WTP) for hypothetical CV questions. This paper empirically estimates the income calibration factor associated with CV responses through combining travel cost method and contingent valuation method in a utility-theoretic framework. The joint model of recreation demand function and contingent WTP function was applied to an important case study on the Man Kyoung River system, whose water quality is at issue because of the Sae Alan Kum reclamation project. Relevant economic variables such as price, income and water quality had significant influence as anticipated by the economic theory. Equally important, the income calibration factor was not significantly different from one, suggesting that the systematic discrepancies of CV responses relative to the actual behavior was not detected at least in terms of budget exaggeration. Overall, this study supports the notion that carefully designed CVM studies can provide informative data on individuals' willingness to pay for environmental quality changes.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.9
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• pp.101-112
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• 2014

Purpose - Recently, although corporate social responsibility activities have been increasing in size, they do not have to achieve qualitative improvements and can be passive and cost consuming. Therefore, companies should make quantitative as well as qualitative improvements in their efforts in corporate social responsibility activities. In this study, the classification of social responsibility activities in a variety of studies was analyzed through a more specific path than in previous studies. Corporate behavior image, social behavior image, and corporate contributions image were analyzed through a more detailed analysis of performance. This study suggests that more detailed and concentrated social responsibility activities be pursued by forming companies. Research design, data, and methodology - The purpose of study is to gauge the corporate need for a more intensive, specific area of CSR activities. For this purpose, the sample of consumers that were targeted for CSR activities, recognized as 261 persons, have been investigated. Through a theoretical discussion on previous research, nine hypotheses were established on corporate image, the influence of corporate performance on CSR, and the CSV regulation effect. In order to test the hypothesis, a survey was conducted on 261 male and female consumers who were targeted for CSR, being persons in their 20s to 40s. PASW Statistics 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 were used for statistical analysis. Results - Corporate behavior image was formed through legal responsibility activities and economic responsibility activities. In addition to economic responsibilities, ethical responsibilities and environmental responsibilities were confirmed to have influence on social behavior image. Corporate social responsibility and philanthropic responsibility were confirmed to have influence on economic contribution image. Corporate image has positive effects on brand attitude, corporate reputation, and corporate competition. In addition, when CSV awareness is high, consumers perceive corporate image only through economic responsibility. However, when CSV awareness is low, economic responsibility as well as legal responsibility through charitable activities form the corporate image that influences the brand attitude and corporate reputation, as well as corporate competitiveness. It would appear that the area of corporate social responsibility needs more intensive management for corporate image and corporate competitive advantage. Conclusion - First, the findings of this study show that each CSR activity has a different effect on corporate image and thus, the corporate image influences corporate performance in distinct ways, depending on the CSR activity. This implies that reactive strategies should be tailored to the required image. Second, there is a difference in CSV awareness between groups. When the CSV awareness is low, we can confirm that legal responsibility activities have an especially significant effect on corporate image, implying that corporations should pursue their economic objectives within legal regulations and need to invest significant time and effort for this. This study has limited generalization potential because the result of the model fit has insufficient reference value. In future research, we need to approach various dimensions of corporate performance.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.127-145
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• 1998

Unlike water or air quality standards that have been established by legislation using potential human health impact as the primary criterion, soil quality depends on the soils primary function and its relevant environmental factors, which is much more site- and soil specific. A properly characterized soil quality assessment system should serve as an indicator of the soil capacity to produce safe and nutritious food, to enhance human and animal health, and to overcome degrative processes. For our proposed example, a high quality soil with regard to maintaining an adequate soil productivity as a food production resources must accommodate soil and water properties, food chain, sustainability and utilization, environment, and profitability, that (i) facilitate water transfer and absorption, (ii) sustain plant growth, (iii) resist physical degradation of soil, (iv) produce a safe food resources, (v) cost-effective agricultural management. Possible soil quality indicators are identified at several levels within the framework for each of these functions. Each indicator is assigned a priority or weight that reflects its relative importance using a multi-objective approach based on principles of systems to be considered. To do this, individual scoring system is differentiated by the several levels from low to very high category or point scoring ranging from 0 to 10, And then weights are multiplied and products are summed to provide an overall soil quality rating based on several physical and chemical indicators. Tlne framework and procedure in developing the soil quality assessment are determined by using information collected from an alternative and conventional farm practices in the regions. The use of an expanded framework for assessing effects of other processes, management practices, or policy issues on soil quality is also considered. To develop one possible form for a soil quality index, we should permit coupling the soil characteristics with assessment system based on soil properties and incoming and resident chemicals. The purpose of this paper is to discuss approaches to defining and assessing soil quality and to suggest the factors to be considered.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.29-47
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• 2007

Owing to the rapid growth of using the Internet, not only click-and-mortar companies but also brick-and-mortar ones have been expanding their distribution channels into online, Moreover, since online channels are more attractive than offline ones in control and maintenance, switching customers into online ones is emerged as one of very important managerial issues in a view of reduction of cost as well as expansion of services. However, the switched customers should be faced by uncertainties which could not have been experienced in offline. Specifically, in online channels, buyers and sellers are separated temporally and spacially and there are always so many kinds of threat for security as well as not enough systems and conventions for them yet. Therefore, trust has been considered as one of the most critical mechanisms for resolution of such uncertainties in online transactions. However, it is not easy to build and maintain the relationships in online since most of them are virtual and indirect generally. Therefore, in order to switch offline customers into online ones, it is very important to make strategies based on identification of the relationship between online transaction and offline trust which has been built in offline business. Generally offline trust, which has been built independent of online, could not include trust for online-dependent activities such as payment security during or after transactions, while most of online trust include it. Therefore, a customer with high offline trust does not always perceive high security and assure safe transactions. Accordingly, while online trust, where technical capabilities for online security is one of main bases, includes control trust implicitly or explicitly, offline trust does not. However. in spite of such clear discrimination and independence between offline trust and perceived security, there can be the significant dependency between these two beliefs. The customers with high offline trust believe that the company would do some activities for online security for customers' safe transactions since it has been believed of doing well for customers' trust. Theoretically, users' perception of security is interpreted as a kind of control trus, which is trust for company's technical control capacities in order to resolve technical uncertainties in online. Therefore, the relationship between two beliefs can be considered as transference from offline trust to another type trust. that is, control trust. The objective of this study is to analyze the effect of offline trust on online transaction uses mediated by perceived security. For this purpose, we suggest a research model based on technology acceptance model (TAM). Reuse intention is adopted as a dependent variable and TAM is modified by adding perceived risk (PR) as well as two beliefs of using Internet banking, perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU). Moreover, perceive security (PS) is adopted as an external variable for PR and PU, while offline trust (OT) is an antecedent of PS. For an empirical test, sampling from 108 visitors to the banks in Daegu, Korea, we analyze our model by partial least square (PLS) approach. In result, our model is shown to explain 51.4% of the variance in reuse intention and all hypothesis are supported statistically. A theoretical implication of this study is to identify a role of PS between offline trust and reuse intention of using online transaction services. According to our result, PS can be considered as a mediation variable for bridging between two different concepts: trust that explains social aspects of customers and companies, and TAM that explains customers' reuse intention.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.539-544
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• 2017

Background We conducted this study to identify factors that may prolong the length of the hospital stay (LHS) in patients with diabetic foot (DF) in a single-institution setting. Methods In this single-center retrospective study, we evaluated a total of 164 patients with DF, and conducted an intergroup comparison of their baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, including sex, age, duration of diabetes, smoking status, body mass index, underlying comorbidities (e.g., hypertension or diabetic nephropathy), wound characteristics, type of surgery, the total medical cost, white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and albumin, protein, glycated hemoglobin, and 7-day mean blood glucose (BG) levels. Results Pearson correlation analysis showed that an LHS of >5 weeks had a significant positive correlation with the severity of the wound (r=0.647), WBC count (r=0.571), CRP levels (r=0.390), DN (r=0.020), and 7-day mean BG levels (r=0.120) (P<0.05). In multiple regression analysis, an LHS of >5 weeks had a significant positive correlation with the severity of the wound (odds ratio [OR]=3.297; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.324-10.483; P=0.020), WBC count (OR=1.423; 95% CI, 0.046.0-356; P=0.000), CRP levels (OR=1.079; 95% CI, 1.015-1.147; P=0.014), albumin levels (OR=0.263; 95% CI, 0.113.3-673; P=0.007), and 7-day mean BG levels (OR=1.018; 95% CI, 1.001-1.035; P=0.020). Conclusions Surgeons should consider the factors associated with a prolonged LHS in the early management of patients with DF. Moreover, this should also be accompanied by a multidisciplinary approach to reducing the LHS.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.95-105
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• 2003

Because the basic assumptions of deterministic user equilibrium assignment that all network users have perfect information of network condition and determine their routes without errors are known to be unrealistic, several stochastic assignment models have been proposed to relax this assumption. However. it is not easy to solve such stochastic assignment models due to the probability distribution they assume. Also. in order to avoid all path enumeration they restrict the number of feasible path set, thereby they can not preciously explain the travel behavior when the travel cost is varied in a network loading step. Another problem of the stochastic assignment models is stemmed from that they use heuristic approach in attaining optimal moving size, due to the difficulty for evaluation of their objective function. This paper presents a logit-based stochastic assignment model and its solution algorithm to cope with the problems above. We also provide a stochastic user equilibrium condition of the model. The model is based on path where all feasible paths are enumerated in advance. This kind of method needs a more computing demand for running the model compared to the link-based one. However, there are same advantages. It could describe the travel behavior more exactly, and too much computing time does not require than we expect, because we calculate the path set only one time in initial step Two numerical examples are also given in order to assess the model and to compare it with other methods.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.199-218
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• 2010

When assessing environmental or other regulatory programs, economists and other policy analysts have traditionally used the approach that consists of comparing the benefits from regulation with the costs that must be borne to capture these benefits. The vast majority of economic analysis of regulation was based upon the assumption that regulations increase production costs. Porter had disputed this seemingly straightforward claim. In his view, economists had failed to incorporate the capacity of stringent regulations to induce innovation into their analysis. However, at the same time, the hypothesis had been criticized by economists. This study analyzed the determinants of innovation performances as well as activities of small and medium manufacturers, based on a recently held survey among mainly manufacturing SMEs in Korea. In particular, this study took the level of innovation activities, the strength of environmental regulations, and moreover the impediment that the company went through as factors. In addition, the characteristics of innovative SMEs were compared with the other counterparts. The empirical analysis revealed that the level of environmental awareness, existence of innovative activities, characteristics of firms, and moreover the innovation types are the most important determinants of SMEs’ innovation performance both in technology as well as in economic perspective.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.382-391
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• 2016

For safety-critical systems including railways, there has been a growing need for effective and systematic safety management processes. The outcomes of efforts in this area are international safety standards, such as IEC 61508, 62278, and ISO 26262. One of the principal activities in the safety process is hazard analysis. For this reason, considerable efforts have been directed toward methods of hazard analysis. On the other hand, the hazard analysis methods reported thus far appear to be unclear in terms of their relationship with the system design process. In addition, in some cases, the methods appear to rely heavily on information regarding the hardware and software components, the number of which is increasing. These aspects can become troublesome when design changes are necessary. To improve the situation, in this paper, hazard analysis was carried out using the result of functional analysis early in the concept development stage for a safety-critical system design. Because hazard analysis is carried out at the system level and the result is then used to develop the safety requirements, improvements can be expected in terms of the development time and cost when design changes are required due to changes in the requirements. As a case study, the generation of safety requirements for the development of light rail transit stations is presented.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.57-68
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• 2010

Worksite health promotion programs have been associated with reductions in health risks but are labor-intensive and costly to implement. Therefore, innovative strategies to provide a cost-effective approach to health education program are needed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a worksite on-line health education program by email on metabolic syndrome risk factors and dietary intakes in male workers with metabolic syndrome. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured and the nutrient intakes were assessed through FFQ. The diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was adapted from NCEP-ATP III with blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, and Asia-Pacific definition with waist circumference. The education group consisted of 212 male workers and the non-education group of 236 age-matched male workers. The on-line health education program provided 10 sessions by e-mail. After a worksite on-line health education program, systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.001) and fasting blood glucose (p < 0.001) were significantly decreased and HDL cholesterol (p < 0.001) was significantly increased in the education group. Intakes of total energy (p < 0.05), carbohydrate (p < 0.05), sodium (p < 0.05) were significantly decreased in the education group, but there were no significant differences in dietary intakes in the non-education group after a worksite on-line health education program. The results indicate that online health education program by e-mail is effective for improving metabolic syndrome risk factors and dietary intakes in male workers and show potential for use in the working setting.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2001

Major deficiencies of current automation scheme including various robots for bioproduction include the lack of task adaptability and real time processing, low job performance for diverse tasks, and the lack of robustness of take results, high system cost, failure of the credit from the operator, and so on. This paper proposed a scheme that could solve the current limitation of task abilities of conventional computer controlled automatic system. The proposed scheme is the man-machine hybrid automation via tele-operation which can handle various bioproduction processes. And it was classified into two categories. One category was the efficient task sharing between operator and CCM(computer controlled machine). The other was the efficient interface between operator and CCM. To realize the proposed concept, task of the object identification and extraction of 3D coordinate of an object was selected. 3D coordinate information was obtained from camera calibration using camera as a measurement device. Two stereo images were obtained by moving a camera certain distance in horizontal direction normal to focal axis and by acquiring two images at different locations. Transformation matrix for camera calibration was obtained via least square error approach using specified 6 known pairs of data points in 2D image and 3D world space. 3D world coordinate was obtained from two sets of image pixel coordinates of both camera images with calibrated transformation matrix. As an interface system between operator and CCM, a touch pad screen mounted on the monitor and remotely captured imaging system were used. Object indication was done by the operator’s finger touch to the captured image using the touch pad screen. A certain size of local image processing area was specified after the touch was made. And image processing was performed with the specified local area to extract desired features of the object. An MS Windows based interface software was developed using Visual C++6.0. The software was developed with four modules such as remote image acquisiton module, task command module, local image processing module and 3D coordinate extraction module. Proposed scheme shoed the feasibility of real time processing, robust and precise object identification, and adaptability of various job and environments though selected sample tasks.