• Asian Journal of Business Environment
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2024

Purpose: This study explores the level of relevance of liability of foreignness (LOF) in foreign firms' decision to relocate or to expand their regional headquarters (RHQ) in Singapore. Research design, data and methodology: The research question is: what are the mitigating factors of LOF for RHQs operating in Singapore? This explorative study uses various resources from the government agencies: Singapore Economic Development Board such as annual reports between 2012 and 2022, investment programs and published interviews with RHQ's CEOs, Singapore Department of Statistics such as economic, socio-economic and investment data. Results: My study shows that years of nation-building toward a world-class infrastructure, identifying key-industries and conscientiously enhancing workforce skills and competency, developing and reviewing investment programs to attract and retain RHQs were the mitigating factors of LOF. Conclusion: This implies a low level of relevance of LOF in foreign firms' strategic choice to relocate or to expand their regional headquarters to Singapore. As such, the steady growth of multinational enterprises' (MNEs) RHQs in Singapore presents a challenge to the theoretical postulation of LOF positing that foreign firms are discriminated in host country-environment. As a result, incurring additional costs operating in an unfamiliar environment manifested by varying responses from the local actors. Singapore is a case in point.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.81-93
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• 2014

Purpose - Recent rapid environmental changes in the hospital industry are accelerating the spread of customer satisfaction management. Customers' desires have become diversified and advanced; in the past, customers tended to preferred popularized and standardized care, whereas they now prefer individualized and differentiated care, based on an increase in income. Specifically, this study tries to analyze the mediating effects of factors that affect the configuration portion of customer value and relationship quality (customer trust and relationship commitment) by investigating the impacts and configuration factor of customer value on relationship quality and determining how these factors impact customer loyalty directly or indirectly. Research design, data, and methodology - This study aims to determine the customer value factors that impact the perceptions of dental hospital customers, how these factors impact relationship quality and customer loyalty, and the causal relationship of these factors, and to verify the research model based on previous research. To increase the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, the authors of this study constructed basic questions using measurement tools already verified for reliability and validity in existing studies. In this study, customer value is defined as customers' recognizing value by exchanging goods or services and is measured using a five-point Likert scale using 19 questions about the 4-Ds, such as convenience value, quick service, response value, and trustworthiness. For each question, "very low" was set at 1 point and "very high" at 5 points. Customer trust, relationship commitment, and customer loyalty are also measured using a five-point Likert 5-point scale (1 = very low, 5 = very high) based on previous studies. Results - For customer value, trustworthiness and quick service are shown to have direct significant positive impacts on customer loyalty. For customer value and quality of the relationship (customer confidence and commitment), trustworthiness, response value, confidence value, and quick service are shown to have a significant positive impact on customer truth, in order of impact. For the relationship between customer value and commitment, quick service and response value are shown to have significant positive impact. Customer confidence has a very high positive influence on commitment. For the relationship between the quality of the relationship (customer confidence and commitment) and customer loyalty, customer confidence is shown to have more of an impact than commitment, in terms of a direct influence of customer loyalty. Commitment showed a positive impact on customer loyalty. For the relationship between customer confidence and customer loyalty, commitment showed a mediating effect. Conclusions - Many additional variables could apply; this study focused on customer value, quality of the relationship, and customer loyalty. In particular, there will be significant value in identifying the relationships among customer value, relationship quality, and customer loyalty by using impact factors for customer value; ensuring external validity by expanding denotation and applying the findings to other service industries; and undertaking continuous research. This study has limited generalization potential because the target for this survey was located only in the Seoul area.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.27-35
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• 2010

As the population, buying power, and intensity of self-expression of the elderly generation increase, its importance as a market segment is also growing. Therefore, the mass marketing strategy for the elderly generation must be changed to a micro-marketing strategy based on the results of sub-segmentation that suitably captures the characteristics of this generation. Furthermore, as a customer access strategy is decided by sub-segmentation, proper segmentation is one of the key success factors for micro-marketing. Segments or sub-segments are different from sectors, because segmentation or sub-segmentation for micro-marketing is based on the homogeneity of customer needs. Theoretically, complete segmentation would reveal a single voice. However, it is impossible to achieve complete segmentation because of economic factors, factors that affect effectiveness, etc. To obtain a single voice from a segment, we sometimes need to divide it into many individual cases. In such a case, there would be a many segments to deal with. On the other hand, to maximize market access performance, fewer segments are preferred. In this paper, we use the term "sub-segmentation" instead of "segmentation," because we divide a specific segment into more detailed segments. To sub-segment the elderly generation, this paper takes their lifestyles and life stages into consideration. In order to reflect these aspects, various surveys and several rounds of expert interviews and focused group interviews (FGIs) were performed. Using the results of these qualitative surveys, we can define six sub-segments of the elderly generation. This paper uses five rules to divide the elderly generation. The five rules are (1) mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive (MECE) sub-segmentation, (2) important life stages, (3) notable lifestyles, (4) minimum number of and easy classifiable sub-segments, and (5) significant difference in voices among the sub-segments. The most critical point for dividing the elderly market is whether children are married. The other points are source of income, gender, and occupation. In this paper, the elderly market is divided into six sub-segments. As mentioned, the number of sub-segments is a very key point for a successful marketing approach. Too many sub-segments would lead to narrow substantiality or lack of actionability. On the other hand, too few sub-segments would have no effects. Therefore, the creation of the optimum number of sub-segments is a critical problem faced by marketers. This paper presents a method of evaluating the fitness of sub-segments that was deduced from the preceding surveys. The presented method uses the degree of homogeneity (DoH) to measure the adequacy of sub-segments. This measure uses quantitative survey questions to calculate adequacy. The ratio of significantly homogeneous questions to the total numbers of survey questions indicates the DoH. A significantly homogeneous question is defined as a question in which one case is selected significantly more often than others. To show whether a case is selected significantly more often than others, we use a hypothesis test. In this case, the null hypothesis (H0) would be that there is no significant difference between the selection of one case and that of the others. Thus, the total number of significantly homogeneous questions is the total number of cases in which the null hypothesis is rejected. To calculate the DoH, we conducted a quantitative survey (total sample size was 400, 60 questions, 4~5 cases for each question). The sample size of the first sub-segment-has no unmarried offspring and earns a living independently-is 113. The sample size of the second sub-segment-has no unmarried offspring and is economically supported by its offspring-is 57. The sample size of the third sub-segment-has unmarried offspring and is employed and male-is 70. The sample size of the fourth sub-segment-has unmarried offspring and is not employed and male-is 45. The sample size of the fifth sub-segment-has unmarried offspring and is female and employed (either the female herself or her husband)-is 63. The sample size of the last sub-segment-has unmarried offspring and is female and not employed (not even the husband)-is 52. Statistically, the sample size of each sub-segment is sufficiently large. Therefore, we use the z-test for testing hypotheses. When the significance level is 0.05, the DoHs of the six sub-segments are 1.00, 0.95, 0.95, 0.87, 0.93, and 1.00, respectively. When the significance level is 0.01, the DoHs of the six sub-segments are 0.95, 0.87, 0.85, 0.80, 0.88, and 0.87, respectively. These results show that the first sub-segment is the most homogeneous category, while the fourth has more variety in terms of its needs. If the sample size is sufficiently large, more segmentation would be better in a given sub-segment. However, as the fourth sub-segment is smaller than the others, more detailed segmentation is not proceeded. A very critical point for a successful micro-marketing strategy is measuring the fit of a sub-segment. However, until now, there have been no robust rules for measuring fit. This paper presents a method of evaluating the fit of sub-segments. This method will be very helpful for deciding the adequacy of sub-segmentation. However, it has some limitations that prevent it from being robust. These limitations include the following: (1) the method is restricted to only quantitative questions; (2) the type of questions that must be involved in calculation pose difficulties; (3) DoH values depend on content formation. Despite these limitations, this paper has presented a useful method for conducting adequate sub-segmentation. We believe that the present method can be applied widely in many areas. Furthermore, the results of the sub-segmentation of the elderly generation can serve as a reference for mature marketing.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.375-386
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to investigate the aspects of verbal interactions of teacher?small group students by categorizing those interactions which affect students' thinking thus to improve teacher's interaction. First, verbal interactions of teacher-small group students were divided into two categories ?Behaviors related to problem-solving, and Others. Behaviors related to problem-solving were also classified into two elements?Receiving opinion based on the students' thinking process, and Giving help based on the teacher's thinking process. Receiving opinion consists of agreement, question, correction, objection while giving help consists of information, hint, question, summary, and ask & answer. Most of teacher-small group students' interactions were in the form of teacher's questions and students' answers, and teacher's questions tended to require simple answers rather than answers from deep thought. In addition, there was a tendency that the teacher focused more on her own thinking process than students' and that she interacted with only a couple of students who gave correct answers. As a result, even after teacher's scaffolding, many students were often unable to understand the particular contents. However, through the interactions, the teacher made students to have confidence by restating their opinions and agreeing or praising them. She also created an atmosphere where students can give their opinions freely. From the observation of interactions, we can find that students' thinking process is affected by the characteristics of teacher's interactions such as expression of agreement and encouragement, hint giving rise to thought, interactions based on the students' thinking process, permission of students' activities and questions, allowing time for students' thought, and correction of wrong opinions. At this point, educational implications of teacher-small group students' interactions were drawn.

• Archives of design research
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• v.18 no.4 s.62
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• pp.185-194
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• 2005

In the perspective of hybrid, design contains confused forms and styles. Thus, the question is what 'decisively affects' on life, happiness and peace of human beings: In the past scientific ecology that tries to solve the problem in the aspect of functional design was important. Now the question is beyond the scientific ecology because human has a different way of environmental adaptation from animals. From this point of view, design is defined as something beyond materialistic standard. Terry Eagleton said, 'Creative ability deviating oneself and transcending is the very standard to measure human beings' A tendency to hybridize one's own section off genre or pursuing dismantlement is found on such creative perspective. In other words, it focuses on making a space of human's cultural behavior by unifying creatively natural environment and architecture space in the organic aspect. Such phenomenon provides a new chance and possibility in environmental design through a new molding experiment according to the development of digital technology. As experiments of environment design using digital technology are actively implemented, ecological and cultural views hybridize to create a new cultural space of various functions and features. Such experiment in environment design highlights the connections of ecological view, recognition of value, and relation-centered ideas, and enables a tool pursuing a new cultural development. This study focuses on the paradigm of such digital hybrid design and purposes to set the system by analyzing the application styles and principles of environment design through theoretical and case studies. In addition, it promotes a new possibility to develop environment design in the history of civilization.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2005

This study was conducted to investigate Korean youths' use of fastfood and family restaurants in different regions, especially among cities and rural towns. Total 1,600 questionnaire surveys were distributed to Junior high and Senior high school students and 1,487 were used for the analysis. In order to consider regional differences as well as overall characteristics of youths' fastfood and family restaurant visiting behaviors, the subjects were evenly sampled from north Seoul, south Seoul, big cities, middle/small cities and small towns. As for the frequency of visiting fastfood restaurants, 58.3% of the respondents answered 'once to five times' a week. South Seoul area showed the highest frequency. 'Easiness' was the main reason of eating fastfood, which was up to 57.8% of the overall respondents while 42.8% of the small town youth ate fastfood because of the 'good taste.' As for the concepts on fastfood, 42.7% understood it as 'easy to eat' while 33.6% responded as 'easy to get fat.' For the question of getting channel of fastfood information, 44.8% answered 'TV' and 28.3% responded 'from friends.' Coupons were found to affect fastfood restaurant visits, highest in south Seoul, and lowest in small cities. For the question of the relationship of Koreanized menus and fastfood restaurant visits, small towns showed the highest frequency, while South/North Seoul had the lowest frequency. For the percentage of visiting family restaurants, respondents answered in the order of South Seoul(59.7%), North Seoul(44.5%), Big cities(39.5%), small cities(19.4%), and small towns(13.1%). Most of youth visited family restaurants because of the taste, while youths of middle/small cities visited due to the atmosphere. The effect of coupons on visiting family restaurants were found to be lower than the one of fastfood restaurants. Korean youths were found to visit fastfood restaurants very frequently in all regions and the tendency of visiting family restaurants is also increasing. At this point, balanced menus and education for healthy eating habits are urgently needed for the youth.

• 대한공업교육학회지
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.267-285
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• 2009

The collaborative learning has been considered as an efficient teaching model and under the recent basic learning environment, even face-to-face classroom circumstance rapidly increases the courses of blended learning which utilize the merits of e-learning environment. Nonetheless, the study on the strategy for systematic blended learning is quite scarce. In this study, the survey was done for developing the blended learning strategy, based on the collaborative learning model at the face-to-face environment and judging the satisfaction on the courses which the model was applied to. The survey consists of demographic questions, satisfaction in the whole courses, satisfaction in the collaborative learning under the blended learning environment and satisfaction in the blended learning strategy and support tools applied to each step of the learning. The result of this study is as follows. First, in response to the question that the blended learning can complement the face-to-face classroom courses, the respondents represented average 4.09 at 5-point Likert scale. And to the question whether the collaborative learning is more efficient under the blended learning environment than the face-to-face classroom, the response corresponds to 4.06 scale on the average. Second, as for the satisfaction in the blended learning strategy and support tools applied to the each step of the blended learning, the satisfaction degree is analyzed as high as over 4.0 on the average toward all the questions. Third, regarding the support tools used for the blended learning strategy, the learners consider the tools as most helpful in order of chatting, team community, mail & note and archive. Lastly, I would like to suggest that the study result should be highly reflected in constructing the collaborative learning module of learning control system in the future.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.2
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• pp.99-123
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• 1999

Internet related crimes are a crime which is inter-related with high specialization ${\cdot}$ technicality ${\cdot}$ leakage of information ${\cdot}$ intellectual-offence and deviant behavior. Without the accurate countermeasure, we can't achieve the desired end. So we should find out multilateral and general measure. Always crimes go in advance of the measure, so the counter measures against, computer crime can not be final. Nevertheless, we can't be careless in making the measure, but we should always consider a counter measure. 1995. 12. 29. our country revised criminal law and consolidated direct provisions, especially on the computer-hacking. But, inspite of the revision, especially on the computer-hacking. But, inspite of the revision, we have many problems'. So, first of all, through the positive and empirical study, we should revise criminal law and computer crime related provisions systematically. As the aspects and techniques of internet related crimes are always changing with the development of computer technology, there will be many problems with principle of legality, when we apply the existing abstract provisions to the new crime. We can not be lazy in studying the emerging internet related crimes and taking concrete shape of the provision. And it will be a big help to that desirable to import the foreign provision without consideration of our reality. Without the positive and empirical study on internet related crimes, sometimes important crime will be out of reach of the punishment. Due to these day's development of computer and technology of communication, the personal computers are widely supplied and especially PC communication and exchange of the informations became the most important function. With the advent of internet, new aspects of crimes are appearing. Up to now, the fraud by using the computer or the interference in the execution of duty by the illegal operation of computer was the leading aspects of computer crime, but nowadays with the advent of internet, database crime or network crime like the computer hacking became the important aspects of internet related crimes. These new aspects of internet related crimes are defusing into domains of traditional crimes. Nevertheless to follow and punish the acts on the internet is not technically easy, and as it is emerging international shape, to settle it by international law is not that easy. Harmful acts in the information-oriented society are very diverse in kinds and aspects, and it is difficult to enumerate. The point is that among the new acts in the information-oriented society we should decide which acts are to be punished and which acts are not to be punished. It is needless to say that the criminal law should be the last resort. But owing to the characters of the characteristics of the information-oriented society, when the traditional standards can be applied, the question of what is the basis and how it can be applied in a concrete way is not settled. And if it cannot be applied, how can we make new standard is also an unsettled question.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5020-5028
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of awareness of oral health on oral health status and oral health behavior with subjects of students in the middle school which is the important period when lifetime set of teeth is completed with eruption of the second molar tooth and complete set of permanent teeth, and provide the basic data for development of oral health program for adolescents. We examined oral condition and conducted the survey about students' awareness of oral health and behavior in the middle school located in JeonJu. As the results of oral examination, dental caries and malocclusion were higher in female students and periodontal disease was higher in male students (p < 0.038). There was no significant difference in awareness of oral health between male and female students. However, M = 4.08 out of 5 point scale, which was high. For oral health behaviors, female students (M = 4.508) was higher than male students (M = 4.257) in the question of 'I visit the dental office when my gums are bleeding'. Female students (M = 4.547) was higher than male students (M = 4.333) in the question of 'I use the dental floss after brushing my teeth'(p<0.05). Awareness of oral health gave the significant effect on the oral health behavior at 95 % confidence level. Therefore, the education for oral health behavior is required to improve oral health and studies are needed to present the development of program for awareness and knowledge of oral health affecting behavior.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.220-229
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• 2011

This study attempted to understand the perception and the degree of trust that consumers had in the national agricultural food accreditation system, to inquire into and examine the consumers' perception of traditional food quality certification performed for the protection of excellent traditional food, and to propose the right direction for the policies on the traditional food quality certification system and the plans to improve consumers' perception of the system. According to the results of this survey performed in married women, based on the 'the recognition of accreditation system' and 'the recognition of certification marks' of 'the seventh national agricultural food accreditation system' presently being used by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the household food purchasers showed high recognition for eco-friendly agricultural product accreditation, processed food KS certification, and organically processed food certification in that order. Meanwhile, it was shown that they indicated low recognition for the traditional food-related accreditation systems such as 'traditional food quality certification' and 'food grand master'. It was found that reliability of the certification mark provided by the agricultural food accreditation system gained 3.54 points (on a 5-point scale), and 68.1% of the study subjects referred to the certification marks while purchasing agricultural foods. And most of them answered to the question of 'why they referred to the certification marks' saying that it was done 'to choose safe food'. The most frequent answer to question of 'the means to recognize the traditional food quality certification system' was 'broadcasting, advertising'. 57.3% of the subjects had a previous experience of buying a product certified by the traditional food quality certification system, and 93.2% of all the subjects had the intention to buy a product certified by the traditional food quality certification system later. And most of them answered that 'strengthening government policies' would be the most ideal way to inform the public of the traditional food quality certification system. According to the results of this study, while 'relying on the traditional food quality certification system in general' was relatively high among the consumers, 'intention to buy quality certified products by visiting a distantly located store' was low; thus, from this analysis, it can be seen that there is a need for diversification of places selling these quality certified products and to establish a distribution network for these products.