• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.73-92
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• 2009

Consumers influence other consumers' brand choice behavior by delivering a variety of objective or subjective information on a particular product, which is called WOM (Word-Of-Mouth) activities. For WOM activities, WOM senders should choose messages to deliver to other consumers. We classify the contents of the messages a consumer chooses for WOM delivery into two categories: Subjective (positive or negative) evaluation and objective information on products. In our study, we regard WOM senders' activities as a choice behavior and introduce a choice model to study the relationship between the choice of different WOM information (WOM with positive or negative subjective evaluation and WOM with objective information) and its influencing factors (information sources and consumer characteristics) by developing two bivariate Probit models. In order to consider the mediating effects of WOM senders' product involvement, product attitude, and their characteristics (gender and age), we develop three second-level models for the propagation of positive evaluations, of negative evaluations, and of objective information on products in an hierarchical Bayesian modeling framework. Our empirical results show that WOM senders' information choice behavior differs according to the types of information sources. The effects of information sources on WOM activities differ according to the types of WOM messages (subjective evaluation (positive or negative) and objective information). Therefore, our study concludes that WOM activities can be partially managed with effective communication plans influencing on consumers' WOM message choice behavior. The empirical results provide some guidelines for consumers' propagation of information on products companies want.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.57-76
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of characteristics of hospital choice and hospital service quality on service value, customer satisfaction and hospital revisiting intent and a survey involving patients and their caregivers who used the hospital before was conducted for empirical analysis. Thus, the theory and factors concerning the characteristics of hospital choice, hospital service quality, service value, customer satisfaction and hospital revisiting intent and relevant preceding research were explored after examining the preceding research, the research model was developed accordingly. A total of 459 collected questionnaires were analyze after carrying out the survey on a national scale. The findings of this study have significance since it identified the motivation that affect the choice of hospital and provide information. Also, this study could be utilized as reference data for hospitals to survive in the fierce competition, as it carried out factual survey on considerations when making choice of hospital. Furthermore, due to the low expectation of patients and caregivers for hospital administration, the study indicated that it's linked to a significantly low chance of customer satisfaction and provide the cause. This study was differentiated with other research on hospital choice since it selected security as a factor of hospital choice, though it's not discussed in the preceding research and moreover, conducted the empirical analysis. And the results of empirical analysis revealed that customers felt that service value was improved when the information security was strengthened. In other words, the strengthening of hospital information security could be hospital choice motivation, which means this study provided practical implication.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.9
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• pp.327-337
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to determine the direction and significance of variables influencing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) decisions regarding accounting policy in Vietnam. Research data was collected through a survey of 296 subjects, including chief accountants, accountants, managers, and lecturers with practical experience in accounting work at enterprises. With the help of specialized software SPSS, determining the impact of factors on the choice of accounting policy of enterprises is done through a multivariate regression model with control tools Cronbach's alpha determination, EFA factor analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis. Research results show that there are seven factors affecting the choice of accounting policy in Vietnamese SMEs; in which, the factors information technology, legal environment, information demand, manager's awareness, and accounting qualification have a positive impact; and two factors are tax pressure, and financial leverage have a negative impact on accounting policy choice. These results are consistent with most of the previously published studies. However, in contrast to many previous studies, our research shows that accounting's psychological factor does not affect the accounting policy choice. This is consistent with the characteristics of SMEs in Vietnam because the role of accountants is not appreciated in the business.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.181-188
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to analyze the brand choice behaviors of male and female college students in their twenties, to examine the differences in their information-searching activity to the type of the behaviors and shopping places for purchasing apparel products. The data were analyzed by Factor analysis, Ouster analysis, one-way ANOVA, Duncan's multiple range test. The results are as follows: 1. With regard to the brand choice behaviors of male and female college students in their twenties, two factors were produced as 'consumers' loyalty to brand' and 'brand switching behavior'. 2. The brand choice behaviors were classified into three groups as 'a brand-switching group', 'a loyalty-to-brand group', and 'an indifferent-to-brand group'. There were significant differences between the groups. 3. The results for demographic differences in terms of the brand choice behaviors showed that there was a significant difference in 'brand switching behaviors' by gender. 4. There were significant differences in the media for information search and the places for shopping apparel products in terms of the brand choice behaviors.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.178-195
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• 2021

Purpose - This study aims to analyze consumer in the multidimensional aspect of a combination of corporate image and brand personality in order to identify the structural causal relationship between consumer choice and corporate image and brand personality. Design/methodology - This study combined theoretical literature studies with empirical field studies using questionnaire survey methods. To achieve this objective, a hypothetical causal model consisting of three potential variables and nine measurement variables was created based on prior research, and a structural equation model was used to identify the suitability of the model. Findings - The hypothetical model established by this study was judged to be generally appropriate. In particular, corporate image was shown to have significant static direct effects on consumer choice and brand personality. It was also shown that brand personality had a direct static effect on consumer choice, and that corporate image has an indirect significant impact on consumer choice by moderating brand personality. Originality/value - Previous papers have mainly focused on one-dimensional studies of various images, such as companies and brands. However, this paper used a model that analyzed consumer choice through multi-clue information rather than corporate images as the only clue to consumer choice.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.587-592
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine the importance of information sources for the choice of dental institution among consumers of dental service and the relationship between their demographic characteristics and information search pattern. And it's found that those who intended to use a dental institution were active in information search through human resources, and that the Internet was utilized as an additional means of information acquisition. Medical service suppliers should direct their energy into providing information in a diverse and efficient manner in order to address the buying needs of medical consumers and expedite their choice.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.493-513
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• 2014

With the development of related technologies, Location-Based Services (LBS) are growing fast and being used in many ways. Past LBS studies have focused on adoption of LBS because of the fact that LBS users have privacy concerns regarding revealing their location information. Meanwhile, the number of LBS users and revenues from LBS are growing rapidly because users can get some benefits by revealing their location information. Little research has been done on how LBS affects consumers' information search behavior in product purchase. The purpose of this paper is examining the effect of LBS information filtering on buyers' uncertainty and their information search behavior. When consumers purchase a product, they try to reduce uncertainty by searching information. Generally, there are two types of uncertainties - knowledge uncertainty and choice uncertainty. Knowledge uncertainty refers to the lack of information on what kinds of alternatives are available in the market and/or their important attributes. Therefore, consumers having knowledge uncertainty will have difficulties in identifying what alternatives exist in the market to fulfil their needs. Choice uncertainty refers to the lack of information about consumers' own preferences and which alternative will fit in their needs. Therefore, consumers with choice uncertainty have difficulties selecting best product among available alternatives.. According to economics of information theory, consumers narrow the scope of information search when knowledge uncertainty is high. It is because consumers' information search cost is high when their knowledge uncertainty is high. If people do not know available alternatives and their attributes, it takes time and cognitive efforts for them to acquire information about available alternatives. Therefore, they will reduce search breadth. For people with high knowledge uncertainty, the information about products and their attributes is new and of high value for them. Therefore, they will conduct searches more in-depth because they have incentive to acquire more information. When people have high choice uncertainty, people tend to search information about more alternatives. It is because increased search breadth will improve their chances to find better alternative for them. On the other hand, since human's cognitive capacity is limited, the increased search breadth (more alternatives) will reduce the depth of information search for each alternative. Consumers with high choice uncertainty will spend less time and effort for each alternative because considering more alternatives will increase their utility. LBS provides users with the capability to screen alternatives based on the distance from them, which reduces information search costs. Therefore, it is expected that LBS will help users consider more alternatives even when they have high knowledge uncertainty. LBS provides distance information, which helps users choose alternatives appropriate for them. Therefore, users will perceive lower choice uncertainty when they use LBS. In order to test the hypotheses, we selected 80 students and assigned them to one of the two experiment groups. One group was asked to use LBS to search surrounding restaurants and the other group was asked to not use LBS to search nearby restaurants. The experimental tasks and measures items were validated in a pilot experiment. The final measurement items are shown in Appendix A. Each subject was asked to read one of the two scenarios - with or without LBS - and use a smartphone application to pick a restaurant. All behaviors on smartphone were recorded using a recording application. Search breadth was measured by the number of restaurants clicked by each subject. Search depths was measured by two metrics - the average number of sub-level pages each subject visited and the average time spent on each restaurant. The hypotheses were tested using SPSS and PLS. The results show that knowledge uncertainty reduces search breadth (H1a). However, there was no significant correlation between knowledge uncertainty and search depth (H1b). Choice uncertainty significantly reduces search depth (H2b), but no significant relationship was found between choice uncertainty and search breadth (H2a). LBS information filtering significantly reduces the buyers' choice uncertainty (H4) and reduces the negative relationship between knowledge uncertainty and search breadth (H3). This research provides some important implications for service providers. Service providers should use different strategies based on their service properties. For those service providers who are not well-known to consumers (high knowledge uncertainty) should encourage their customers to use LBS. This is because LBS would increase buyers' consideration sets when the knowledge uncertainty is high. Therefore, less known services have chances to be included in consumers' consideration sets with LBS. On the other hand, LBS information filtering decrease choice uncertainty and the near service providers are more likely to be selected than without LBS. Hence, service providers should analyze geographically approximate competitors' strength and try to reduce the gap so that they can have chances to be included in the consideration set.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.209-216
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• 2003

Contingent valuation method (CVM) is a main evaluation method of nonmarket goods for which markets either do not exist at all or do exist only incompletely; an example is environmental good. A dichotomous choice approach, the most popular type of CVM in environmental economics, employs binary discrete choice models as statistical estimation models. In this paper, we propose a semiparametric dichotomous choice CVM method using local linear model of Fan and Gijbels (1996) in which probability distribution of error term is specified parametrically but latent structural function is specified nonparametrically. The computation procedures of the proposed method are illustrated with a simple design of simulations.

• Journal of Applied Tourism Food and Beverage Management and Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.57-78
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• 2005

This study is concerned with the factors of choice properties of leasure tourism. The seven factors of choice properties can be identified. They are tourism convenience, tourism service, tourism characteristics, tourism image and tourism famousness. The choice properties of leisure tourism become significant depending upon population size and use type characteristics. Furthermore, tourism service, tourism image and tourism famousness need to be enforced strategically because the choice properties are largely influenced by revisits, mouth-to-mouth effects, satisfaction, etc. In conclusion, this study found that the choice properties determine the preference and purchasing activities in choosing leisure tourism destination. In addition, this study provides leisure tourism oriented marketing information to tourism business enterprises so that they can perceive major factors affecting to the choice properties.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.133-140
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• 2015

In this paper, I propose some policy and theoretical implications by analyzing moderating effects of volunteering activity in the causal relationships between social welfare major choice and their job choice. For the purpose of the goal of this study, I surveyed 242 university students in 2~4 grades majoring social welfare in Gwangju and South and North Jeolla Province. Analysis results showed that the personal motive on choosing a major affects the occupational aptitude & interests and economic feasibility of career when they choose their jobs. However, the social motive didn't affect the occupational aptitude & interests and economic feasibility of career. It means that they didn't choose their majors considering their aptitude & interests, but chose them by following the advice of the surrounding people. Also, moderating effects of volunteering activity was not significant, which means that volunteering period and schedules are too short and tend to be operated as a mere formality. This study suggests the policy implications so that they have the correct major selection and career options based on the analysis results.