• Title/Summary/Keyword: Perceived importance level

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Students' Perception of and Attitude toward Appearance Regulations of High Schools (고등학생들의 학교 외모규제에 대한 지각 및 태도)

  • Lee, Jung-Hyun;Lee, Yoon-Jung
    • Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.47-60
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    • 2008
  • The appearance regulations of many middle and high schools have received attention as the social concern over infringement of students' human right is heightened. This study aimed at examining students' perception of and attitude toward appearance-related regulations enforced by high schools in Seoul. For this purpose, a survey was conducted with 866 freshmen and sophomore students from six Co-Ed high schools located in Seoul. Students evaluated each of the 50 appearance-related regulations in terms of how strong they perceive the regulation is enforced in their school, how important they believe the regulation is, and finally, how much they actually observe it. The results indicated that regulations related to school uniforms are perceived important, and also were well-observed. Students, however, showed low levels of observance toward some regulations--i.e., regulations of hair styles or garments worn with school uniforms(coats, scarves, or turtlenecks). Students' personal characteristics were also found to influence their perception and observance of the regulations. This study has an implication for teachers and administers. For these regulations to be more effective, it was suggested that schools communicate the importance of appearance-related regulations to students and convince them, or consider revising their policies to reflect students' perspectives.

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Strong Attachment toward Human Brand and Its Implication for Life-Satisfaction and Self-efficacy: Hero versus Celebrity

  • Jun, Mina;Kim, Chung K.;Han, Jeongsoo;Kim, Miyea;Kim, Joshua Y.
    • Asia Marketing Journal
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.101-116
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    • 2014
  • In the year 2013, Warren Buffett was named one of the most influential people of the year by TIME magazine. When people are exposed to such news, they show strong interest in who the influential people are and how those people became so successful. Likewise, people show strong attachment to other prominent figures as well. This social phenomenon indicates that people perceive well-known persona like business leaders, TV stars or sports stars etc. as human brands of intangible assets. As the role of these human brands is becoming more important, people tend to develop stronger attachment toward them. Another notable modern social phenomenon is people's pursuit of life-satisfaction and social well-being. People desire to increase their quality of life by having quality time with family and friends, and also by building attachment towards celebrities, sports stars, and so on. The main objective of this study is to examine how attachment toward human brands affects quality of life. While existing studies on human brands examined antecedents of attachment, e.g., some needs fulfillment such as A-R-C needs (autonomy, relatedness and competence needs) fulfillment, this study focuses on the outcome variables of attachment, e.g., how attachment toward human brands affects stress relief and life satisfaction through self-efficacy. Based on previous research, we divided human brands into two types: heroes and celebrities. Heroes are defined as people who have considerable and lasting importance on both societal and individual levels, and celebrities are defined as people who are well-known but have little or no short-term impact on society and individual levels. This study focuses on how attachment toward each type of human brands, celebrities and heroes, affects the quality of life or well-being. This study focuses on three important outcome variables; stress relief, life satisfaction, and self-efficacy, (three variables) which have been recently gaining importance, especially in the domain of positive psychology. Major findings from the present study show that although celebrities draw attachment from people by providing fun and entertainment or providing stress relief, they have weak influences on the wellbeing or efficacy of individuals at a deeper level. In contrast, attachment toward heroes helps people live better by providing meaning and positively influencing life satisfaction through self-efficacy (Frankl 1997). These results are consistent with the main tenet of 'positive psychology' which seeks "to find and nurture genius and talent and to make normal life more fulfilling" (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2000). Considering the fact that certain celebrities are perceived as heroes to some, we can conclude that celebrities can become heroes if they provide meaning and value to the lives of people. This study contributes to the research stream of human brands since the most current leading research (e.g., Thomson 2006) indicated the need to look at the resulting effect of attachment on life satisfaction through self-efficacy. Another important contribution is that we empirically documented the different effects of celebrities and heroes. As expected, this study shows that heroes more deeply influence the lives of individuals in the long term while celebrities do so rather shallowly in the short term. The issues of the influence of heroes on the individuals' lives need to be further investigated in relation with the perspective of positive psychology.

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Evaluation of TQM(Total Quality Management) of Home Economics Education Department in the University by Students (가정교육과 교사교육의 TQM(Total Quality Management: 총체적 질 관리) 구성요소에 대한 재학생들의 평가)

  • Kim, Sung-Gyo;Chae, Jung-Hyun
    • Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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    • v.20 no.3
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    • pp.179-200
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    • 2008
  • This study is aimed at contributing to the future development of Home Economics Education Department by suggesting basic data of TQM(Total Qualify Management) for evaluating TQM of Home Economics Education Departmeut in education colleges. A survey was conducted involving all junior(3rd year) students of Home Economics Education Department in education colleges either by making a visit to 3 different schools or by sending it in the mail to 10 different schools. Responding answer-sheets, 302 copies(88.3%) out of 342 copies in total were returned. Finally, we used 285 copies(83.3%) as data for analysis. The results of this study are as follows: In terms of Professional Qualification of Home Economics Teachers, the students had passion for their Home Economics Education and also had a great pride and mission to be future Home Economics teachers. However, their ability proved to be poor and low in presenting a vision for Home Economics, in conducting extra-curricular activities, and the computer skills. In the case of college students, their satisfaction showed an average point 3.15 on a scale of 5. Those students who entered school voluntarily or those who hoped for re-entrance showed more satisfaction than those who entered school with good academic records or those who do not hope for re-entrance into school. In terms of professors' leadership, Students are perceived to choose 'Transactional Leadership' instead of 'Transformational Leadership'. Students', who have higher satisfaction and hopes for re-entrance, perception level about their professors' leadership style showed higher satisfaction than average. The students empowerment level showed average point 3.52, which is considered relatively high. Students at the college where professors majored in Home Economics Education are employed showed higher empowerment level than students at the college with professors who did not major in Home Economics Education. The result of evaluating general demand for renovating of Home Economics Education Dept. showed that: they perceived the "Teacher Education Course" of Home Economics Education Dept. as in need of cultivating practical skills in secondary school. They also said, "Teaching Method" is in great need of renovation. In the case of teaching method, they preferred laboratory work, and practical training. In earning credits, they emphasized the importance of faithfully completing the "Study of Content". For the Subject Matter Education, they required a training course to be set up in the secondary school. Finally they claimed that the teachers and students need to take the initiative in developing a Curriculum of Home Economics Education Dept. Based on the findings mentioned above, I would like to suggest further research on how to adopt and evaluate TQM in Home Economics Education, and faculty-centered evaluation methods. I also would like to suggest to vitalize quality research through the form of narrative research.

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The Occupant Perception and Investigation of Indoor Air Quality at Home in Seoul

  • Sohn, Jong-Ryeul;Kim, Young-Whan;Byeon, Sang-Hoon
    • Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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    • v.18 no.1
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    • pp.51-57
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    • 2003
  • Indoor air quality(IAQ) in workplace and residential environments has been concern of people. Recently, Ministry of Environment in Korea has recognized the potential risk on the healthy effect related to indoor air pollution at home. Therefore, the purpose of this study was performed to measure the indoor air pollutants of IAQ at different homes and investigate to compare the perception of IAQ recognition at home from questionnaire survey in Seoul. We estimated the IAQ of selected 6 homes based on site region and housing type. The indoor air pollutants and parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, respirable suspended particulate matter($PM_{10}$), formaldehyde(HCHO), total bacteria counts, carbon monooxide(CO) and carbon dioxide($CO_2$) were monitored for summer and winter. In monitoring results, the respirable suspended particulate matter(($PM_{10}$) and indoor airborne bacteria level of home 5 and 6 were higher than the standard of the public $150{\;}{\mu}g/m^3$ and $500{\;}{\mu}g/m^3$, the level formaldehyde(HCHO) was exceed 0.1 ppm of the standard of Korea at all monitored homes. In statistics analysis, we could find a correlation between the building age and the concentration of CO, TBC were significant at 0.01 level and Relative Humidity was significant at 0.05 level for summer. Finally, the important air pollutants of IAQ in home were HCHO and total bacteria counts(TBC). And we performed a questionnaire survey of 500 people about their awareness for the importance of IAQ in our home during same period. In results, all most response of occupant has recognized the importance of IAQ at home. Therefore, it can be concluded that the IAQ of selected 6 home studied was perceived as acceptable, it is recommended that the government related IAQ was suggested the guideline and control of IAQ problems, and the occupants need to be effort to reduce the exposure of sources to undesirable pollutants.

Effects of Mothers' and Teachers' Literacy Beliefs, Perception of Picture Books, and Frequency of Reading Activities on the Interaction for Reading Picture Books with Preschoolers (교사와 어머니의 문해신념, 그림책에 대한 인식 및 읽기활동 빈도가 유아와의 그림책 읽기 상호작용에 미치는 영향)

  • Chee, Yeon Joo;Choi, Naya
    • Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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    • v.8 no.6
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    • pp.5-28
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    • 2012
  • This study was aimed to compare teacher's and mother's literacy beliefs, perception of picture books, and frequency of reading activities, and examine how these variables affect the interaction for reading picture books with preschoolers. The results of the survey from 120 teachers and 168 mothers who have 5-year-olds in Gyeonggi-do and Incheon-si are as follows. Teachers' literacy beliefs were closer to whole language beliefs than were mothers'. Teachers and mothers both fully realized the importance of reading aloud picture books to children with no difference between each other. The level of teachers was higher than mothers' in terms of pleasure of reading picture books. Mothers thought that it is important to reflect on preschoolers' development level, individual conditions, and daily lives when choosing picture books. On the other hand, teachers believed that the popularity of the book is more important. Overall, teachers perceived more benefits of reading picture books than mothers. Mothers reported more extensive interaction when reading books with preschoolers than teachers, while teachers spent more time on reading activities with preschoolers than mothers. Teachers' and mothers' frequency of reading activities and perception about the benefits of reading picture books had effects on their interaction for reading picture books with preschoolers.

Attitudes and demands for changing in Food and Nutrition section of Home Economics and the related variables among middle school teachers of Daegu and Kyungsanbookdo area (식생활 단원 교육 내용에 대한 교사들의 인식과 변화 요구도 및 관련변인 분석 대구 경북 지역 중학교 기술$\cdot$가정교사들을 중심으로)

  • Cha Myeong-Hwa;Kim Yoo-Kyeong
    • Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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    • v.17 no.4 s.38
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    • pp.41-53
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    • 2005
  • This study evaluated middle school teachers' perceptions and demands for changing in Food and Nutrition sections of Home Economics and also identified variables related. Teachers expressed unfavorable attitudes to the usefulness of contents in real life, and clearly perceived the importance of a basic theory of nutrition in general and adolescency among 12 items related with Food and Nutrition section. Most of the teachers pointed the way in which textbooks are described and organized were heavily oriented into lectures, more than creative discussion and diverse activities. The insufficient materials for teaching-learning were also pointed as barriers in improving the level of quality of Food and Nutrition sections in middle school Home Economics textbooks. Teachers had strong beliefs that textbooks, based on 7th National Curriculum, should be changed and improved not only in contents but also in organizations. Cognition of teachers on the appropriateness, in terms of quantity of contents, competitiveness for developing students' capacity. level of quality, and interests among students and teachers, was consistent and independent indicator of their needs for changing. These results suggest that the next textbook should include more materials for teaching-learning designed to expand students' capacities and develop critical thinking skills. Effective educational curriculum should integrate sufficient activities together with detailed instructions. Creative activities may allow students to learn and connect these activities to the contents in Food and Nutrition section of Home Economics curriculum.

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A Study on Perceptions toward Food Safety of High School Students in Chuncheon Area (춘천지역 고등학생의 식품안전성에 대한 인식도 조사)

  • Kim, Bok-Ran
    • Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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    • v.19 no.3
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    • pp.119-131
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    • 2007
  • This study was to investigate the recognition level of food safety from high school students(264 male, 276 female) in Chuncheon area using questionnaires. The results of the survey are summarized as follows : Regarding the general consciousness of the conditions of food safety, the proportion of the students who worry about it is higher, while 40.0% respond they are not concerned with it. The information pertinent to food safety was usually acquired from the mass media. As a fundamental reason responsible for the food safety accidents, they pointed out deficient sense of responsibility of the personnels who produce, distribute, and sell food products. As the most problematic materials threatening food safety, they pointed out heavy metals(24.8%), and subsequent responses were environmental hormones(24.4%), food additives(17.0%). The foods, for which they are most concerned about residual pesticides, were vegetables and fruits. High proportion of the students perceived that agricultural products are not safe from residual pesticides, and most of the students(92.4%) thought that residual pesticides are bad for their health. The examination on the food safety influenced by heavy metals reveals that 87.4% of the students thought the materials do influence food safety. As the food kind that is likely to be most polluted by heavy metals, they pointed out fishery products. The highest concern about processed food stuffs was the food additives. Most of the students thought that the containers of processed foods may be toxical. 25% of the students are more seriously considering food safety when they buy foods. High proportion of the students who responded they confirm safety-related matters at the time of food purchase thought much of food safety, while high proportion of those who didn't confirm those matters lay a great importance on the taste.

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외국어 원문 및 영문 초록

  • 한국환경교육학회
    • Hwankyungkyoyuk
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    • v.4 no.1
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    • pp.89-211
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    • 1993
  • The Korean government embarked upon ambitious economic development plans in the 1960's the goals of development policy at that time were the elimination of absolute poverty and the alleviation of unemployment. With scant natural resources, the government had to push for industrialization based upon borrowed foreign raw materials with surplus local labor. Preoccupation with the economic goals of industrialization and export expansion left little room for considering environmental protection. It is evident that Korea's exported industrialization strategy of the past three decades has been a success in terms of income, production, and other macroeconomic indicators, but it cannot be denied that a host of undesirable side-effects have been created. These include environmental problems. congestion in several large cities, poor wealth distribution, and regional disparities. The environmental problems were recognized even in the early stage of development, but preoccupation with the pending economic goals of industrialization and export expansion left little room for considering environment protection. The perceived and actual seriousness of the problems, however, has reached such a level that further negligence may imperil political stability and developmental problems facing the world arise from a world economic order characterized by ever expanding consumption and production, which exhausts and contaminates natural resources and creates and perpetuates gross inequalities between and within nations. It will be necessary to develop new culture and ethical values, transform economic structures, and reorient, our lifestyles. Changing lifestyles can not be promoted by government policy initiative alone but through self=generated educational efforts and mutual training by people themselves. The citizens group for environment (NGOs) should assume these educational and training responsibilities starting from grass-root level of people. It must be reawakened to the reality that the environmental preservation for better quality of life is based on the development of human relationships, creativity, spirituality, reverance for the natural world and celebration of life, and is not dependent upon increased consumption of non-basic material goods. To carry on such environment education social movements and NGOs should (1) provides educational methodologies, which focus on values clarification and moving beyond clarification and moving beyond blame to constructive action. (2) provide training for leaders of business and industry, government, union and others on consumption and production. (3) initiate and support the training and work of environmental counselor who encourage responsible consumption. (4) cooperative with media to initiate and strengthen educational programs on the social environmental programs on the social environmental impacts of consumption and production and to build awareness of consumer responsibility and potential. Economic and social development can be compatible with environment protection : both can be achieved simultaneously. Effective environmental management depends on the various factors : political will, institutional arrangements, appropriate legislation, and availability of the requistite financial and technological resources, which is possible with a strong public awareness of the importance of environmental preservation.

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The Effect of Mutual Trust on Relational Performance in Supplier-Buyer Relationships for Business Services Transactions (재상업복무교역중적매매관계중상호신임대관계적효적영향(在商业服务交易中的买卖关系中相互信任对关系绩效的影响))

  • Noh, Jeon-Pyo
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.32-43
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    • 2009
  • Trust has been studied extensively in psychology, economics, and sociology, and its importance has been emphasized not only in marketing, but also in business disciplines in general. Unlike past relationships between suppliers and buyers, which take considerable advantage of private networks and may involve unethical business practices, partnerships between suppliers and buyers are at the core of success for industrial marketing amid intense global competition in the 21st century. A high level of mutual cooperation occurs through an exchange relationship based on trust, which brings long-term benefits, competitive enhancements, and transaction cost reductions, among other benefits, for both buyers and suppliers. In spite of the important role of trust, existing studies in buy-supply situations overlook the role of trust and do not systematically analyze the effect of trust on relational performance. Consequently, an in-depth study that determines the relation of trust to the relational performance between buyers and suppliers of business services is absolutely needed. Business services in this study, which include those supporting the manufacturing industry, are drawing attention as the economic growth engine for the next generation. The Korean government has selected business services as a strategic area for the development of manufacturing sectors. Since the demands for opening business services markets are becoming fiercer, the competitiveness of the business service industry must be promoted now more than ever. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the mutual trust between buyers and suppliers on relational performance. Specifically, this study proposed a theoretical model of trust-relational performance in the transactions of business services and empirically tested the hypotheses delineated from the framework. The study suggests strategic implications based on research findings. Empirical data were collected via multiple methods, including via telephone, mail, and in-person interviews. Sample companies were knowledge-based companies supplying and purchasing business services in Korea. The present study collected data on a dyadic basis. Each pair of sample companies includes a buying company and its corresponding supplying company. Mutual trust was traced for each pair of companies. This study proposes a model of trust-relational performance of buying-supplying for business services. The model consists of trust and its antecedents and consequences. The trust of buyers is classified into trust toward the supplying company and trust toward salespersons. Viewing trust both at the individual level and the organizational level is based on the research of Doney and Cannon (1997). Normally, buyers are the subject of trust, but this study supposes that suppliers are the subjects. Hence, it uniquely focused on the bilateral perspective of perceived risk. In other words, suppliers, like buyers, are the subject of trust since transactions are normally bilateral. From this point of view, suppliers' trust in buyers is as important as buyers' trust in suppliers. The suppliers' trust is influenced by the extent to which it trusts the buying companies and the buyers. This classification of trust using an individual level and an organization level is based on the suggestion of Doney and Cannon (1997). Trust affects the process of supplier selection, which works in a bilateral manner. Suppliers are actively involved in the supplier selection process, working very closely with buyers. In addition, the process is affected by the extent to which each party trusts its partners. The selection process consists of certain steps: recognition, information search, supplier selection, and performance evaluation. As a result of the process, both buyers and suppliers evaluate the performance and take corrective actions on the basis of such outcomes as tangible, intangible, and/or side effects. The measurement of trust used for the present study was developed on the basis of the studies of Mayer, Davis and Schoorman (1995) and Mayer and Davis (1999). Based on their recommendations, the three dimensions of trust used for the study include ability, benevolence, and integrity. The original questions were adjusted to the context of the transactions of business services. For example, a question such as "He/she has professional capabilities" has been changed to "The salesperson showed professional capabilities while we talked about our products." The measurement used for this study differs from those used in previous studies (Rotter 1967; Sullivan and Peterson 1982; Dwyer and Oh 1987). The measurements of the antecedents and consequences of trust used for this study were developed on the basis of Doney and Cannon (1997). The original questions were adjusted to the context of transactions in business services. In particular, questions were developed for both buyers and suppliers to address the following factors: reputation (integrity, customer care, good-will), market standing (company size, market share, positioning in the industry), willingness to customize (product, process, delivery), information sharing (proprietary information, private information), willingness to maintain relationships, perceived professionalism, authority empowerment, buyer-seller similarity, and contact frequency. As a consequential variable of trust, relational performance was measured. Relational performance is classified into tangible effects, intangible effects, and side effects. Tangible effects include financial performance; intangible effects include improvements in relations, network developing, and internal employee satisfaction; side effects include those not included either in the tangible or intangible effects. Three hundred fifty pairs of companies were contacted, and one hundred five pairs of companies responded. After deleting five company pairs because of incomplete responses, one hundred five pairs of companies were used for data analysis. The response ratio of the companies used for data analysis is 30% (105/350), which is above the average response ratio in industrial marketing research. As for the characteristics of the respondent companies, the majority of the companies operate service businesses for both buyers (85.4%) and suppliers (81.8%). The majority of buyers (76%) deal with consumer goods, while the majority of suppliers (70%) deal with industrial goods. This may imply that buyers process the incoming material, parts, and components to produce the finished consumer goods. As indicated by their report of the length of acquaintance with their partners, suppliers appear to have longer business relationships than do buyers. Hypothesis 1 tested the effects of buyer-supplier characteristics on trust. The salesperson's professionalism (t=2.070, p<0.05) and authority empowerment (t=2.328, p<0.05) positively affected buyers' trust toward suppliers. On the other hand, authority empowerment (t=2.192, p<0.05) positively affected supplier trust toward buyers. For both buyers and suppliers, the degree of authority empowerment plays a crucial role in the maintenance of their trust in each other. Hypothesis 2 tested the effects of buyerseller relational characteristics on trust. Buyers tend to trust suppliers, as suppliers make every effort to contact buyers (t=2.212, p<0.05). This tendency has also been shown to be much stronger for suppliers (t=2.591, p<0.01). On the other hand suppliers trust buyers because suppliers perceive buyers as being similar to themselves (t=2.702, p<0.01). This finding confirmed the results of Crosby, Evans, and Cowles (1990), which reported that suppliers and buyers build relationships through regular meetings, either for business or personal matters. Hypothesis 3 tested the effects of trust on perceived risk. It has been found that for both suppliers and buyers the lower is the trust, the higher is the perceived risk (t=-6.621, p<0.01 for buyers; t=-2.437, p<0.05). Interestingly, this tendency has been shown to be much stronger for buyers than for suppliers. One possible explanation for this higher level of perceived risk is that buyers normally perceive higher risks than do suppliers in transactions involving business services. For this reason, it is necessary for suppliers to implement risk reduction strategies for buyers. Hypothesis 4 tested the effects of trust on information searching. It has been found that for both suppliers and buyers, contrary to expectation, trust depends on their partner's reputation (t=2.929, p<0.01 for buyers; t=2.711, p<0.05 for suppliers). This finding shows that suppliers with good reputations tend to be trusted. Prior experience did not show any significant relationship with trust for either buyers or suppliers. Hypothesis 5 tested the effects of trust on supplier/buyer selection. Unlike buyers, suppliers tend to trust buyers when they think that previous transactions with buyers were important (t=2.913 p<0.01). However, this study did not show any significant relationship between source loyalty and the trust of buyers in suppliers. Hypothesis 6 tested the effects of trust on relational performances. For buyers and suppliers, financial performance reportedly improved when they trusted their partners (t=2.301, p<0.05 for buyers; t=3.692, p<0.01 for suppliers). It is interesting that this tendency was much stronger for suppliers than it was for buyers. Similarly, competitiveness was reported to improve when buyers and suppliers trusted their partners (t=3.563, p<0.01 for buyers; t=3.042, p<0.01 for suppliers). For suppliers, efficiency and productivity were reportedly improved when they trusted buyers (t=2.673, p<0.01). Other performance indices showed insignificant relationships with trust. The findings of this study have some strategic implications. First and most importantly, trust-based transactions are beneficial for both suppliers and buyers. As verified in the study, financial performance can be improved through efforts to build and maintain mutual trust. Similarly, competitiveness can be increased through the same kinds of effort. Second, trust-based transactions can facilitate the reduction of perceived risks inherent in the purchasing situation. This finding has implications for both suppliers and buyers. It is generally believed that buyers perceive higher risks in a highly involved purchasing situation. To reduce risks, previous studies have recommended that suppliers devise risk-reducing tactics. Moving beyond these recommendations, the present study uniquely focused on the bilateral perspective of perceived risk. In other words, suppliers are also susceptible to perceived risks, especially when they supply services that require very technical and sophisticated manipulations and maintenance. Consequently, buyers and suppliers must solve problems together in close collaboration. Hence, mutual trust plays a crucial role in the problem-solving process. Third, as found in this study, the more authority a salesperson has, the more he or she can be trusted. This finding is very important with regard to tactics. Building trust is a long-term assignment; however, when mutual trust has not been developed, suppliers can overcome the problems they encounter by empowering a salesperson with the authority to make certain decisions. This finding applies to suppliers as well.

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The Effect of the Gap between College Students' Perception of the Importance of Coffee Shops and Their Satisfaction after Patronizing Coffee Shops on Their Purchasing Behavior (대전원교학생대가배점중요성적감지화타문광고가배점지후적만의도지간적차거대타문구매행위적영향(大专院校学生对咖啡店重要性的感知和他们光顾咖啡店之后的满意度之间的差距对他们购买行为的影响))

  • Lee, Won-Ok
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.1-10
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    • 2009
  • The purpose of this study was to categorize the gap between coffee shop 'importance' (as perceived by customers before patronizing the coffee shop) and 'satisfaction' (perception of customers after patronizing the coffee shop) as positive or negative and to analyze the effect of these gaps on purchasing behavior. To do this, I used the gap between importance and satisfaction regarding the choice of a coffee shop as the explanatory variable and performed an empirical analysis of the direction and size of the effect of the gap on purchasing behavior (overall satisfaction, willingness-to-revisit) by applying the Ordered Probit Model (OPM). A previous study that used IPA to evaluate the effects of gaps estimated the direction and size of a quadrant but failed to analyze the effect of gaps on customers. In this study, I evaluated the effects of positive and negative gaps on customer satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit. Using OPM, I quantified the effect of positive and negative gaps on overall customer satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit. Per-head expenditure, frequency of visits, and coffee-purchasing place had the most positive effects on overall customer satisfaction. Frequency of visits, followed by per-head expenditure and then coffee-purchasing place, had the most positive impact on willingness-to-visit. Thus per-head expenditure and frequency of visits had the greatest positive effects on overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit. This finding implies that the higher the actual satisfaction (gap) of customers who spend KRW5,000 or more once or more per week at coffee shops is, the higher their overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit are. Despite the fact that economical efficiency had a significant effect on overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit, college and university students still use coffee shops and are willing to spend KRW5,000 because they do not only purchase coffee as a product itself, but use the coffee shop for other activities, such as working, meeting friends, or relaxing. College and university students also access the Internet in coffee shops via personal laptops, watch movies, and study; thus, coffee shops should provide their customers with the appropriate facilities and services. The fact that a positive gap for coffee shop brand had a positive effect on willingness-to-revisit implies that the higher the level of customer satisfaction, the greater the willingness-to-revisit. A negative gap for this factor, on the other hand, implies that the lower the level of customer satisfaction, the lower the willingness-to-revisit. Thus, the brand factor has a comparatively greater effect on satisfaction than the other factors evaluated in this study. Given that the domestic coffee culture is becoming more upscale and college/university students are sensitive to this trend, students are attentive to brands. In most upscale coffee shops in Korea, the outer wall is built out of glass that can be opened, the interiors are exotic with an open kitchen. These upscale coffee shops function as landmarks and match the taste of college/university students. Coffee shops in Korea have become a cultural brand. To make customers feel that coffee shops are upscale, good quality establishments and measures to provide better services in terms of brand factor should be instituted. The intensified competition among coffee shop brands in Korea as a result of the booming industry indicates that provision of additional services is needed to differentiate competitors. These customers can also use a scanner free of charge. Another strategy that can be used to boost brands could be to provide and operate a seminar room for seminars and group study. If coffee shops adopt these types of strategies, college/university students would be more likely to consider the expenses they incur worthwhile and, subsequently, they would be more likely to be satisfied with the brands of these coffee shops, with an associated increase in their willingness-to-revisit. Gender and study year had the most negative effects on overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit. Female students were more likely to be satisfied and be willing to return than male students, and third and fourth-year students were more likely to be satisfied and willing-to-return than first or second-year students. Students who drink coffee, read books, and use laptops alone at coffee shops are easily noticeable. High-grade students tend to visit coffee shops alone in order to use their time efficiently for self-development and to find jobs. The economical efficiency factor had the greatest effect on overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit in terms of a positive gap. The higher the actual satisfaction (gap) of students with the price of the coffee, the greater their overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit. Economical efficiency with a negative gap had a negative effect on willingness-to-revisit, which implies that a less negative gap will result in a greater willingness-to-revisit. Amid worsening market conditions, coffee shops located around colleges/universities are using strategies, such as a point or membership card, strategic alliances with credit-card companies, development of a set menu or seasonal menu, and free coffee-shot services to increase their competitive edge. Product power also had a negative effect in terms of a negative gap, which indicates that a higher negative gap will result in a lower willingness-to-revisit. Because there are many more customers that enjoy coffee in this decade, as compared to previous decades, the new generation of customers, namely college/university students, want various menu items in addition to coffee, and coffee shops should, therefore, add side menu items, such as waffles, rice cakes, cakes, sandwiches, and salads. For example, Starbucks Korea is making efforts to enhance product power by selling rice cakes flavored in strawberry, wormwood, and pumpkin, and providing coffee or cream free of charge. In summary, coffee shops should focus on increasing their economical efficiency, brand, and product power to enhance the satisfaction of college/university students. Because shops adjacent to colleges or universities enjoy a locational advantage, providing differentiated services in terms of economical efficiency, brand, and product power, is likely to increase customer satisfaction and return visits. Coffee shop brands should, therefore, be innovative and embrace change to meet their customers' desires. Because this study only targeted college/university students in Seoul, comparative studies targeting diverse regions and age groups are required to generalize the findings and recommendations of this study.

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