• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.51-60
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• 2016

Consumers who use mobile applications for their skin care are increasing due to increasing interest in skin care and smart phone use. A survey was conducted to select popular skin care mobile applications to be installed in the smart phone targeting 1,000 men and women in South Korea who are interested in their skin care. Questioned items included skin care awareness and recognition, skin care type, and the intention of using skin health care mobile services. The respondents thought the best skin as 'Flawless skin (52.3%)'. Also, 'Skin trouble' and 'Skin aging' were their major concerns. 47.1% of the respondents used mobile skin care applications, and 56.6% intended to try new mobile skin care services. The results on interesting field of skin care showed significant difference depending on gender, marital status, and annual average household income. Moreover, the results on effort made for skin care showed significant difference depending on age, gender, and marital status. They wanted the functions such as 'Review on cosmetic products by brand (23.8%)', 'Self skincare method (16.8%)', 'Continuous monitoring service (16.2%)', 'Information on cosmetic products (13.4%)'. The result of this study would be reliable as basic material for skincare mobile service area. Further studies could be focused on developing application in accordance with needs and how it should be applied.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.37-50
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• 2015

Objective : In order to understand the scale of medicinal expenditure in the Korean medicine, an analysis has been made of Korean National Health Account and statistic archives used to estimate the Korean National Health Account and also of such archives as are contributory to learn the scale of total health expenditures in the Korean medicine. Method : From the Korean National Health Account archives, an analysis has been made of National health insurance statistic annual reports, National health insurance non-payment items, Korean Economic Census (The Service Industy Survey), and Korea Health Panel data. Moreover, in order to know the sales of overall Korean medicine clinics, relevant data have been utilized and cited from investigations into National tax statistics, Korean medicine medical institutions and Korean medicines used, and current states of medicinal herbs and Korean medicine industry. Results : It is found that the average scale of each section of the medical expenditures archives in the Korean medicine in 2012 was KRW 3.5638 billion and that the average medical expenditures in the Korean medicine derived from Total Health Expenditure, The Service Industy Survey, National tax statistic, and Korean medicine industry are approximately KRW 3.3901, 3.4796, 3.7218 and 3.9634 billion. And the average expenditures derived from National health insurance patients and Korea Health Panel data are 2.5162 and 2.2292 billion won and those from the users and consumers of Korean medicines and herbs are 5.6,461 billion won. In order to verify the appropriateness of estimated medical expenditures in the Korean medicine included in the archives, an analysis has been made of uninsured costs which come from the aggregate sales amount surveyed minus health insurance treatment expenditures and it is found that the ratio of insured costs against total health expenditures in 2006 was 50.67% and 41.92% in 2012 and that the ratio based on National tax statistics and The Service Industy Survey was 52.19% and 49.28% in 2006 and 50.54% and 50.64% in 2012 and that the ratio of uninsured costs against Korean medicines and herbs and Korean medicine industry was 37.5% and 58.27% in 2013. Conclusion : It calls for the improvement of the accuracy of an investigation into Total Health Expenditure which comprise the actual conditions of health insurance and Korea Health Panel, the development of statistic schemes for understanding and classifying medical expenditures of all the Korean medicine medicinal institutions like medicinal clinics, and enhanced methods for independent panels to comprehensively collect and analyze the number of sampled Korean medicine medical institutions.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.115-131
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• 2011

Several common issues are encountered by countries - Germany, Japan, and the United States - that adopted long-term care (LTC) system. First, the demand for LTC and its associated costs have steeply risen following the implementation of the LTC policy. Second, ensuring the quality of services have been difficult. Third, the coordination of services among providers and between LTC and medical care has been inadequate. Learning from their experience, we suggest ways to improve the LTC system in Korea. The basic approach aims for efficiency over equity in the system. This would require promoting provider competition and consumer choice. We propose several policy options according to the major stakeholders. For consumers, cash benefits at fixed rates and personal savings accounts are feasible options to self-contain the demand and cost of services. On the insurer's side, creating an environment of multiple insurers will engender competition, leading to cost savings and quality care. For providers, delivery of quality services through competition, cost-containment through capitated reimbursements, and coordination of services through integrated delivery system can be achieved. From the assessors' perspective, establishing an information system to monitor the activities of insurers and providers would be important, empowering consumers with information to choose cost-effective service providers. In summary, the suggested approach would provide cost-effective LTC services by guaranteeing consumer choice and promoting major stakeholder accountability. Further studies are needed to test the feasibility of this model in ensuring quality LTC in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1542-1553
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• 2007

Recently, the growing of the aging population resulting from the medical and science development has made the elderly consumer as a new market. The purposes of this study were 1) to examine the purchase behavior of apparel products and hairdressing services of elderly consumers, 2) to investigate the purchase behavior in the apparel store and hairdressing shop on lifestyle types. Data were collected from 853 women in their 50s and 60s living in Busan. Data were analyzed by frequency analysis, descriptive analysis, factor analysis, Cronbach#s alpha, Chi-square analysis, cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA and Duncan test using SPSS WIN 12.0. The results of the study were as follows: First. when elderly consumers purchased apparel product, they were likely to use credit cards, to shop alone or with friends at a department store, and to use the store as information source. In their purchases of hairdressing services, they tended to visit the near shop for a permanent service bimonthly and to depend on their past experiences for hairdressing. Second, elderly consumers were classified by the lifestyle into the Active self-fidelitist, Economy family-oriented, and Passive-stagnant. The purchase behaviors in the apparel store and hairdressing shop were different among lifestyle types. Implications were suggested for the consumer behavior researchers and retailers of the elderly fashion market.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.71-86
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• 2009

The healthcare environment today is changing rapidly with factors of healthcare consumers in selecting medical institutions also altering at a fast pace under the circumstances. In this study, the theory of consumption values established by Sheth in 1991 is adopted in order to examine particular value affecting consumer selection of healthcare institutions. For the purpose of this study, healthcare consumers were surveyed using questionnaires developed based on the five values of Sheth supplemented by value of effort to acquire hospital information and value in health. Consequently, 24 consumption values affecting selection process were confirmed through discriminant analysis. As a result of regression analysis on factors affecting consumer selection of healthcare institution, effort to acquire hospital information and age among demographic characteristics of respondents are determined important predictors for consumer selection of general hospitals over clinics or small-sized hospitals. Further, service, reputation scale of healthcare institution among functional values and importance of health and effort to acquire hospital information among value in health are identified as significant predictors for consumer selection of large-sized general hospitals over clinic or small-sized hospitals. This study suggests not only vital implications for marketing strategy of healthcare institutions, but also methods to promote positive image for healthcare providers. In addition, this study closely examines the cause of the leaning phenomenon of healthcare comsumers toward large-sized general hospitals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2001

Objectives : The SERVQUAL scale is based on gap theory, which suggests the difference between consumers' expectations and the quality of the medical service actually received. However, problems in the implementation of the SERVQUAL scale have been identified by several researchers. Some researchers have proposed a simple performance-based measure (SERVPERF) or au exportation-controlled performance-based measure(Non-Diff) as alternatives to the SERVQUAL scale. On the basis of the theoretical concerns discussed, we examined the capability of each of the three scales(SERVQUAL, Non-Diff, SERVPERF) to explain variations in consumer satisfaction. Methods : Data was gathered from a self-administered questionnaire in a 430 bed hospital. Questionnaires evaluating medical services were distributed to 180 ambulatory patients. A total of 167 usable questionnaires were gathered. The questionnaire was composed of 10 expectation, performance and expectation-controlled performance items. In addition, overall satisfaction and purchase intention were measured. Results : Compared with the SERVQUAL scale, the Non-Diff and SERVPERF scales better explained the observed variations in consumer satisfaction(SERVOQUAL, $R^2=0.29;\;Non-Diff,\;R^2=0.51;\;SERVPERF,\;R^2=0.48$) and purchase intention(SERVQUAL, $R^2=0.22;\;Non-Diff,\;R^2=0.33;\;SERVPERF,\;R^2=0.34$). Conclusion : The maier conclusion from our study is that the Non-Diff and SERVPERF scales are more efficient in assessing consumer satisfaction than the SERVQUAL scale. Therefore we suggest that consumer satisfaction he measured by the Non-Diff or SEVPERF scales.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.121-150
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• 2001

This study was conducted to investigate provider's behavior change after releasing the information on the Cesarean section rate. Claims data filed at the National Health Insurance Corporation was used for this analysis and the focus of this study was the change of cesarean rate after the public disclosure of information. Average rates of the year 1999 and 2000 were compared, on the institutional basis, and range and coefficient of variation were estimated. For the last decade, Cesarean section rate has been increased dramatically. Clinical or demographic factors could not adequately explain the increase. Instead, nonclinical factors, such as financial incentive, physician's convenience, practice characteristics, etc., were more significant in explaining the increasing rate. Providers' behavior was significantly affected by the public release of information: after the release, average rate was decreased by 10.2%, and variations were also decreased. In particular, the extent of decrease was explained mainly by nonclinical factor rather than clinical ones. The results suggest that disseminating practice information to providers and consumers could contribute to reducing unnecessary medical service.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.155-168
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• 2000

The SERVQUAL scale is based on the gap theory, which indicates the difference between consumers' expectations and their actual performance. In SERVQUAL scale, the expectations are defined as a "feasible ideal point"(ex, An Excellent hospital has up-to-date equipment). But empirical research identified important problems concerning the conceptual definitions of expectations. They suggests the usage of "desired expectations". Desired expectations are defined as the level at which the consumer predict the service that the organization they visited will perform(ex, $\bigcirc\bigcirc$ hospital has up-to-date equipment). The purpose of this study was to compare the feasible ideal point expectations with desired expectations in assessment of consumer expectations using SERVQUAL scale. We developed two types of questionnaires : (1) to measure feasible ideal point expectations, (2) to measure desired expections. Questionnaire were distributed to ambulatory patients who used the medical service. Total 329 patients participated the hosiptal satisfaction questionnaire(167 for feasible ideal point expectations, 162 for desired expectations). The major finding is as follows: (1) the SERVQUAL scale which was computed by the feasible ideal point showed the higher explanatory power in consumer satisfaction ($R^2$=0.26) than the other identified alternatives(desired expectation, $R^2$=0.11) The results of a study suggests that the feasible ideal point were more conceptually suitable to assess of consumer satisfaction using SERVQUAL scale.SERVQUAL scale.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.10
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• pp.4337-4347
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to analyze a research on the influence of consumers' purchasing selection criteria for golf-wear upon clothing pursuit benefit and purchase satisfaction. It selected people who are using golf games and golf courses in each city and county where are located in Gangwon-do Province, and surveyed targeting totally 206 people by using convenience sampling. As for data processing, the collected materials in this study were carried out frequency & percentage, reliability analysis, correlation & multiple regression analysis by using SPSS 13.0 program. The results are as follows. First, as a result of analyzing socio-demographic characteristics, the similar distribution was shown by gender with 51.0% in men and 49.0% in women. By age, the age group from their 40s to 50s was indicated to be the largest. The martial status was indicated to be a litter higher in the married with 57.3% compared to the unmarried with 42.7%. By healthy condition, what tends to be healthy can be known to be the largest with 79.4%. Second, positive correlation was indicated all in correlation of consumers' purchasing selection criteria for golf-wear with the clothing pursuit benefit and satisfaction. Third, as a result of analyzing on relationship of the golf-wear purchasing selection criteria with the clothing pursuit benefit, the purchasing selection criteria were indicated to have influence upon the ideal pursuit, the fashion & brand, comfort pursuit, and youthand-individuality pursuit, which are the clothing pursuit benefits. Fourth, the analytical result on the purchasing selection criteria for golf-wear with purchase satisfaction was indicated to have significant influence upon consumers' golf-wear purchase satisfaction.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.471-484
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• 2017

The present study explored factors that influence consumers' benefit expectancy about telemedicine service. Responses from a national online survey of 927 adults (aged 19-59), collected in January 2016, were analyzed with multiple regression analysis. The results revealed: (1) Health consciousness positively influenced all three benefit expectancies (all ps < .05); (2) Doctor-patient communication efficacy positively influenced expectancy for convenience improvement (${\beta}=.107$, p < .01) and service quality improvement (${\beta}=.086$, p < .05); (3) Use of health-related smart applications contributed to positive expectancy for service quality improvement (${\beta}=.081$, p < .05) and cost-saving (${\beta}=.067$, p < .05). Some of the relationships were moderated by gender and residence. This convergence study, which examined public's perception about telemedicine from the perspectives of consumer psychology, media, and public health, provides practical implications to promote telemedicine service and educate consumers about it.