• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.47-54
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• 2011

This paper presents exploratory research on consumer awareness and attitudesabout organic food, for which consumer demand continues to increase the paper also assesses consumers' organic food distribution channel preferences. By conducting a literature review, a case study has been carried out in order to glean customer behavior, market condition and typesof distribution channels, and development of specialty stores for organic foods. The early research indicates that consumer awareness and customer attitudes toward organic food are mostly positive however, organic food's high price, as well as a lack of organic food stores, cause a negative effect on consumers' purchase intention. Secondly, the U.S. organic food retail channel consists of such mainstream supermarket/grocery stores and leading natural and organic food supermarket chains as Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Sunflower Farmers Market. For the current retail distribution of organic food in Korea, off-line stores are composed of direct management stores and franchise chains. Most of the organic food retail distribution operates through the Internet shopping mall, and are commonly located at retail distribution centers as multi-channel, shop-in-shop stores. Moreover, unlike in the U.S., association and consumers' cooperatives (Co-Ops), and such other member-direct retail stores as Hansallim, iCOOP, Nature Dream,and online shopping malls, are all active in Korea. Thirdly, as a result of an analysis of the present state of the organic food retail channel, as well as building a case for organic food specialty stores, the distinctive featuresand rapid growth of such unique organic food stores as Whole Foods Market, or Trader Joe's successful downsizing strategies, as well as Sunflower Farmers Market low-price approach, show steady industry growth. Moreover, as a result of a case studyof such domestic representative organic food specialty stores as "Olga" and "Chorokmaeul," a similar management style to the United States' "Whole Foods Market" and "Trader Joe's," respectively, can be seen. Similar to the U.S. market, Korean organic food markets should also implement active retail distribution opportunities, allowing consumers to select from various diverse and differentiated choices. In order to accomplish this goal, it is necessary to prepare such measures as sustaining reasonable prices, securing various suppliers for unique products,and improving consumer trust through advertisement strategies that are suitable for each company's branding processes.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.10 no.10
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• pp.11-16
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• 2012

Purpose - This study focused on consumer perceptions of service quality in organic food shops, the innovativeness of organic products, and which SERVQUAL sub-dimensions increase purchase intentions. Another purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between consumer perceptions of organic food shops, their direct interest in organic food, and their purchase intentions. Research design, data, and methodology - We tested our hypothesized model within a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework, utilizing path-analysis implementation. The AMOS 18.0 software was used, and we found that it fit very well with the observed data. Results - The results of the full model (structural and measurement models) indicated the following fit indices: χ²=39.492, degree of freedom=25, provability level=0.033, RMR=0.047, GFI=0.948, AGFI=0.906, NNFI=0.958, CFI=0.984, and RMSEA=0.060. The effects of service quality on purchase intention, service quality on innovativeness, and innovativeness on purchase intention we resignificant. We also examined the statistical significance of the mediation effects using the Sobeltest and found further evidence to support service quality and purchase intention through innovation. Conclusions - These results suggest that, if organic food shops want to achieve a greater level of competitiveness, they must try to raise the quality of their service and actively promote the innovativeness of organic food.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.915-923
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• 2014

This study investigated organic coffee choice motives from a coffee shop market segmentation perspective in order to understand the potential importance they may have upon attitudes and behavioral intentions to buy organic coffee. A factor-cluster segmentation approach was used for this study. An exploratory factor analysis identified five organic coffee choice motives: 'Sensory', 'Environment', 'Trust', 'Health' and 'Price'. Based upon these five choice motives, cluster analyses classified all respondents into three homogeneous subgroups: 'Highly motivated', 'Moderately motivated' and 'Unmotivated'. Analysis of variance tests indicated that attitudes and intentions to purchase organic coffee were significantly different among the three clusters. In particular, two cluster groups representing 'Highly motivated' and 'Moderately motivated' were found to offer the most utility for further organic coffee market segmentation research. Especially, due to perceptions about high price premium of organic coffee, the 'Moderately motivated' group had higher positive attitudes, although, their intentions to buy organic coffee were not higher than those of the 'Unmotivated' cluster. Findings support previous research propositions that high price could be the strongest barrier for people to purchase organic products including the organic coffee business context. This will assist to market and promote pricing strategies for caf$\acute{e}$s and restaurants to optimize organic coffee sales revenue. Implications for all cluster groups regarding unique socio-demographic characteristics and behavioral intentions are discussed. Organic coffee marketers can apply these findings towards the development of effective target market strategies.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.49-67
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• 1999

This paper focussed to find out the consumer appraisement and purchase consciousness on organically grown products since public pay more and more attention on organic food and market for organic products has been grown very rapidly. It is intended to deliver the necessary information at first time in Korea to the policy maker for environmentally sound agriculture, establishment for marketing strategy and consumer movement related with it. 66.2% of investigated consumer ever purchased the organic products, and they are inhabitant in apartment complex, belongs to high income group and eldly people, and used to buy frequently at 45.8%. For the reason why they choose the organic products ; 84.7% for health and safe, 48.6% for taste. But the reason why they not choose the organic products ; 56.7% for unconvenient to shop an organic food, 51.4% for expensiveness. On the purchasing the consumer mainly rely upon the certification label(67%), the marketing place(29.6%) and information and recommendation of shopkeeper(23.6%). Korean consumers intend to buy an organic products if variable products and crops are offered in the market and offered at reduced price. The group purchased intensively the organic goods appraise for an organic products positively, and group who do not express any careless intend never to purchase an organically grown products because of its high price. Consumer indicated the support policy and action program by government(69.2%), research & development on organic agriculture and its extension activity(48.8%) are necessary to stimulate an organic agriculture in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.519-527
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• 2014

This study was conducted to analyze the differences in consumer behavior of coffee product according to monthly income in franchised coffee shop's consumer in Korea. A total of 293 questionnaires were used out of the 330 that had been distributed for analysis; those that lacked reliability were excluded. Frequency, ANOVA, and Duncan's multiple range test was conducted to analyze the hypotheses of the study. The findings are summarized as follows. There were significant differences in consumer behavior with regard to seeking health, eco-friendly products, product brand, and product taste as well as preferred coffee menu and coffee consumption expenditures. High income consumers rather than low income groups showed much higher score for concerning health, concerning diet, concerning calorie, concerning instant, concerning caffeine and concerning nature, organic in coffee consumer behavior. In amount spent on purchasing coffee products according to income, low income consumers rather than high income groups had much higher financial expense burden.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.259-274
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• 2008

This study was designed to analyze the possibility to enter the Chinese market aggressively by giving light on the factors which have effects on the continuous intention of Shanghai consumers to purchase environment-friendly foods, and the purchase of Korean environment-friendly foods. The objects of analysis were the 209 consumers living in Shanghai, China. As for the analysis method, the frequency, percentage, crossing analysis, $X^2$-test and logistic regression analysis were carried out, making use of SPSS PC+ 13.0. The study results are as follows. Firstly, it was identified that the decisive factors, such as good taste, health of family, freshness, food shop in a department store, international quality authentication, diversity of items and number of family members, had effects on the possibility that the consumers in Shanghai, China would purchase environment friendly foods continuously, showing the meaningful variables. Secondly, as for the decisive factors having effects on the possibility to buy Korean environment friendly foods continuously, it was identified that good taste, health of family, freshness and price cutting were the meaningful variables. Therefore, it is necessary that to set up a export promotion strategy to make the Shanghai consumers get interested in Korean environment-friendly foods and choose to buy the foods.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.299-310
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• 2007

It will be necessary to make proper management plans to preserve the air quality in good level for the public. In order to make these plans, source information and detail emission inventories of the city and near industrial areas should be given. However, lack of the source measurements data makes us more difficult to complete the source inventory. VOC source Inventory could be utilized for the feasibility study to estimate the contribution of VOC sources presenting to the receptor such as residential area. It may give policy maker an idea how to control the air quality, and improve their social environment in the area. This study shows data that measured VOCs concentrations from the local industrial areas in Jeonju during from May 2005 to January 2006. The samples were collected from the near sources in 7 major factories in the industrial park as well as 5 general sources in near city Jeonju area to elucidate the abundances of speciated VOCs and their spacial and temporal distributions depending on source bases. Industrial sources are as follows; chemical, food, paper, wood, metal, non-metal (glass), and painting (coating) industries. The 5 general sources are sampled from tunnel, gasoline gas station, dry cleaning shop, printing (copy) shop, and road pavement working place in urban area. To understand the near source effect at receptor, samples from the 2 receptor sites (one is at center of the industrial complex and the other site is at distance residential area downwind from the center) were collected and analyzed for the comparison to source concentration. The mass contributions of the speciated VOC to total mass of VOCs measured from the different sources and ambient (2 receptors) were presented and discussed.