• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.59-89
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• 2010

One of the key words that represent the culture and social phenomena in this 21st century is 'Digital Convergence'. Presently our society is going through the second evolving phase of the convergence, integration between industries. Integration between industries refers to the phenomenon of integrating various industrial areas such as broadcasting, communication, finance, automobile, and medical treatment as the range of IT utilization becomes extended. The telecommunication-broadcasting bundling is a typical example of integration between industries. This study analyzed the effect of the service features of the bundling on the customer's acceptance intention by applying the innovative technology product acceptance model, TAM, in the process of accepting the telecommunication-broadcasting bundling. This study suggests three independent variables, the 'low cost(discount)', 'service integrity', and 'selectability', which affect perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived risk, and figures out the actual influence as follows. In conclusion, these results suggest that in order to accept and spread the telecommunication-broadcasting bundling, it is necessary to establish (1) the cost discounting strategy realize (price strategy), (2) the fee noticing system, payment system, call-service system, and systemic integration including installation and A/S system integration, and develop (service strategy), (3) the bundling or related options that can provide users with selectability (product strategy).

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.169-189
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• 2006

The product categories that can be sold on-line are expanding. It is interesting to see which product categories have more sales possibilities on internet. Small-sized firms' products have low distribution coverage, low brand recognition, bigger dispersion in the perception on the values which consist of quality vs. price, and higher possibilities of perceived purchase risks. Since on-line shopping is supposed to provide opportunities to small-sized firms that have low distribution and brand power, it is quite necessary to evaluate the fitness of on-line sales for small-sized firms' product categories. There are virtually no research studies on the on-line sales for small-sized firms' product categories. In this study, based on the integration of SEC, FCB, and related concepts, we develop new theoretical framework and test the fitness of on-line sales for small-sized firms' product categories by conducting empirical analysis. The empirical results on 17 product categories show that SEC, FCB, purchase risks, brand factors are somewhat related. Unlike previous studies, since the fitness of SEC and on-line sales are not clearly shown, we need to consider those problems within inter-related multiple frameworks. That is, it is necessary to evaluate the fitness of on-line sales after defining the product categories within the integrated multiple frameworks rather than within the single framework.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.15-40
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• 2008

With the explosive growth of the Internet, Internet shopping malls have become recognized as one of the major purchasing channels for consumers, as well as one of the competitive distribution channels for companies that allow them to contact with customers without intermediaries. It has motivated information systems(IS) researchers to examine the factors influencing consumer behavior and the purchase decision process in the context of Internet shopping malls. Despite the extensive research that has been conducted on the purchase decision process of consumers in online shopping malls, the results have demonstrated a need for further understanding of consumer behavior due to the unique features of virtual space and the characteristics of online consumers. Previous studies from marketing and consumer behavior domains have suggested that the concept of involvement plays an important role in explaining consumers' purchase behavior. Despite the critical role of involvement and the explosive growth of e-commerce, little research has examined the role of involvement in the Internet shopping mall context. With this motivation, this study has two research objectives. First, it introduces and tests an theoretical model capable of better explaining consumers' intention to purchase in the Internet shopping mall context. The proposed model extends and integrates existing models on purchase intention by incorporating purchase experience, innovativeness, and perceived self-control as the consumer factors, along with perceived risk, information provision, and perceived price as the Internet shopping mall factors. Second, this study examines how involvement differences may affect consumers' intention to purchase. For this purpose, two factors from involvement theory, involvement type and involvement level, are introduced into the research model as moderating variables. In order to test the proposed model, the overall approach employed was a field study using the structural equation model. We developed our data collection instrument by adopting existing validated questions wherever possible. All question items were measured with a seven-point, Likert-type scale, with anchors ranging from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree.' Two IS researchers reviewed the instrument and checked its face validity. We collected empirical data for this study over a period of two weeks from subjects who had purchase experiences through Internet shopping malls. A total of 473 complete and valid responses were obtained. We carried out data analysis using a two-step methodology with AMOS 4.0. The first step in the data analysis was to establish the convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs. In the second step, we examined the structural model based on the cleansed measurement model. The empirical results partly support the proposed model and identify the moderating effect of involvement differences. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed, along with its limitations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5923-5931
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• 2015

Background: Registry data from four major public hospitals indicate trends over three decades from 1980 to 2010 in treatment and survival from colorectal cancer with distant metastases at diagnosis (TNM stage IV). Materials and Methods: Kaplan-Meier product-limit estimates and Cox proportional hazards models for investigating disease-specific survival and multiple logistic regression analyses for indicating first-round treatment trends. Results: Two-year survivals increased from 10% for 1980-84 to 35% for 2005-10 diagnoses. Corresponding increases in five-year survivals were from 3% to 16%. Time-to-event risk of colorectal cancer death approximately halved (hazards ratio: 0.48 (0.40, 0.59) after adjusting for demographic factors, tumour differentiation, and primary sub-site. Survivals were not found to differ by place of residence, suggesting reasonable equity in service provision. About 74% of cases were treated surgically and this proportion increased over time. Proportions having systemic therapy and/or radiotherapy increased from 12% in 1980-84 to 61% for 2005-10. Radiotherapy was more common for rectal than colonic cases (39% vs 7% in 2005-10). Of the cases diagnosed in 2005-10 when less than 70 years of age, the percentage having radiotherapy and/or systemic therapy was 79% for colorectal, 74% for colon and 86% for rectum (&RS)) cancers. Corresponding proportions having: systemic therapies were 75%, 71% and 81% respectively; radiotherapy were 24%, 10% and 46% respectively; and surgery were 75%, 78% and 71% respectively. Based on survey data on uptake of offered therapies, it is likely that of these younger cases, 85% would have been offered systemic treatment and among rectum (&RS) cases, about 63% would have been offered radiotherapy. Conclusions: Pronounced increases in survivals from metastatic colorectal cancer have occurred, in keeping with improved systemic therapies and surgical interventions. Use of radiotherapy and/or systemic therapy has increased markedly and patterns of change accord with clinical guideline recommendations.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2011

A chronic drought stress has been imposed during non-rainy season(from winter to spring) since 1990s. We faced the most significant water crisis in 2001, and the drought was characterized by sultry weather and severe drought on a national scale. It has been widely acknowledged that the drought related damage is 2-3 times serious than floods. In the list of the world's largest natural disaster compiled by NOAA, 4 of the top 5 disasters are droughts. And according to the analysis from the NDMC report, the drought has the highest annual average damage among all the disasters. There was a very serious impact on the economic such as rising consumer price during the 2001 spring drought in Korea. There has been flood prevention measures implemented at national-level but for mitigation of droughts, there are only plans aimed at emergency (short-term) restoration rather than the comprehensive preventive measures. In addition, there is a lack of a clear set of indicators to express drought situation objectively, and therefore it is important and urgent to begin a systematic study. In this study, a nonstationary downscaling model using RCM based climate change scenario was first applied to simulate precipitation, and the simulated precipitation data was used to derive Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The SPI under climate change was used to evaluate the spatio-temporal variability of drought through principal component analysis at three different time scales which are 2015, 2045 and 2075. It was found that spatio-temporal variability is likely to modulate with climate change.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.20-20
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• 2011

The purpose of this research aims to evaluate the emergence of new business mode in the Chinese water market since the mid-2000s - Transfer-Operate-Transfer(TOT) Projects. The study pays special attention to the case of the Hefei Wangxiaoying Wastewater Treatment TOT Project, which was awarded to the consortium of Berlin Water International and its Chinese partner in late 2004. The consortium secured an exclusive operating right for 23 years on the basis of a TOT scheme and would take responsibility of all the profits and losses in the operation of the plant. The total investment for the transfer amounted to RMB 491 million(US$70 million). The price was more than 288% of the original value, RMB 170 million (US$24 million). The project can be regarded as a successful case because of the following three causes. First, the Hefei government followed a series of standardized procedures in the international bidding, which ignited best-performed international players' competition for the project. Second, the project will bring in cutting-edge operation skills and management know-how. Third, the government succeeded in raising public asset values, and thanks to this, the government is able to consider other similar projects not only in the water sector but also other sectors in public utility services. Nevertheless, Berlin Water's point of view, there are several challenges. First, the company took a risk to pay such a large amount of cash to the Hefei government. Although such premium can be recouped in the operation period of 23 years, whether or not the company would be able to recover the initial investment and realize profits is in question due to an uncertainty of socio-political circumstances in China. Second, Berlin Water should expect a steep rise of water tariffs over the contract period in order to get the investment back. Water pricing is still a sensible matter to Chinese authorities, and therefore, it is uncertain if such rise of water tariffs would be possible. Third, the TOT mode leads to creation of a large amount of cash to government officials, which might have caused corruption between those who are involved in TOT deals. Then, the final contract fee would soar, which often results in the burden of normal customers. As discussed, the TOT mode has drawn much attention of foreign investors as a new alternative to enter into the Chinese water market. But it is important to note that foreign investors should be aware of possible risks in water TOT projects, which reflects some features of the Chinese political economy landscape and social norms. The Hefei case indicates that benefits can overshadow risks in TOT projects, which will continue to attract foreign investors that are dedicated to establishing their strongholds in the Chinese water market.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.69-90
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• 2007

This study is set out to investigate the factors that influence customers' behavior of choice and switching between online and offline channels, separating the purchase decision into two stages, i.e., information search and purchase. Factors influencing channel choice are found to differ from stage to stage. The main results of this study are as follows. At the information search stage, customers' channel knowledge had impacts on the choice of the channel. Customers are more likely to visit offline bookstores when they have hedonic shopping orientation and higher involvement level with books. On the contrary, customers are more apt to search online when they have a lot of online shopping experiences. At the purchase stage, the results varied according to the search channel. When customers search for information online, the following variables lead to online purchases: online shopping experiences with books, price-focused shopping orientation, and time availability for shopping. Perceived risk made customers purchase offline even though they searched online. In case of offline searching, customers with more convenience-focused, hedonic-focused shopping orientation and less tim availability purchased offline.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.83-90
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• 2015

Purpose - This research aims to understand the different behaviors of consumers according to cognitive age. Specifically, this research is focused on pro-social behavior. Pro-social behavior is defined as behavior benefiting others, rather than behavior benefiting one's self. It often entails individual risk or cost, such as when giving resources to others, waiting in line, asking for or paying a fair price, or risking one's life in battle. Therefore, we sought to understand consumer psychology and cognitive age as a reflection of inner psychology. People frequently perceive themselves as younger or older than their chronological ages. This self-perceived or cognitive age is a subjective age perception independent of actual chronological age. The discrepancy degree between chronological and cognitive age represents how much individuals perceive themselves as younger than they are. This study examines the gap in donation intention based on cognitive age. In order to investigate cognitive age, composed of four sub-categories (feel-age, look-age, do-age, and interest-age), this study explores the differential donation intention based on cognitive age, which determines the relationship between the young age and old age. Research design, data, and methodology - Data research was conducted by gathering 216 survey samples, excluding those with unreliable answers. Data coding and cleaning were used and SPSS 19.0 software for the data analysis. The respondents were categorized into two types, younger cognitive ages and older cognitive ages. Additionally, we analyzed the moderating variables. In particular, we used cognitive age degree and congruency level (cognitive age low vs. cognitive age high) × (congruency close vs. congruency distant) between - subjects design. First, regression was done to verify the difference between chronological age and cognitive age. Second, a t-test was done to verify the difference of cognitive age level in donations. Third, ANOVA (analysis of variance) was done to verify the difference between cognitive age and congruency in donations. Last, ANOVA was done to verify the difference between cognitive age and moral judgments in donations. Result - The results show most respondents perceive themselves as younger than their chronological ages. In particular, older respondents feel they are younger than their actual age. Moreover, the result of the comparison between low degree and high degree groups of cognitive age, show high donations at the higher degree of cognitive age groups. In addition, the closer the distance to the beneficiaries, the higher the donation in high degree cognitive age groups. The higher moral judgment groups also show relatively high contributions in lower degree cognitive age groups. Conclusions - Donations belong to the category of pro-social behavior reflecting an individual's psychological state. Therefore, it is important in understanding cognitive age. This study implies that it is necessary to take into account both cognitive age and chronological age when segmenting donors. Moreover, this study confirmed that there are different factors affecting the motives behind donations. Thus, it may be utilized to create differential donation strategies.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.18
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• pp.27-62
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• 2002

The international sale contract is the central contracts in export-import transactions. A good sale contract or set of general conditions of sale will cover all the principal elements of the transaction, so that uncertainties are avoided. The parties' respective duties as concern the payment mechanism, transport contract and insurance responsibilities, inter alia, will all be clearly detailed in the contract. The following key clauses should be included in international contracts of sale and general conditions of sale: ${\bullet}$ preamble ${\bullet}$ identification of parties ${\bullet}$ description of goods ${\bullet}$ price and payment conditions ${\bullet}$ delivery periods and conditions ${\bullet}$ inspection of the goods - obligations and limitations ${\bullet}$ quantity or quality variations in the products delivered ${\bullet}$ reservation of title and passing of property rights ${\bullet}$ transfer of risk - how accomplished ${\bullet}$ seller's warranties and buyer's complaints ${\bullet}$ assignment of rights ${\bullet}$ force majeure clause and hardship clause ${\bullet}$ requirement that amendments and modifications be in writing ${\bullet}$ choice of law ${\bullet}$ choice of dispute resolution mechanism Under most systems of law, a party can be excused from a failure to perform a contract obligation which is caused by the intervention of a totally unforeseeable event, such as the outbreak of war, or an act of God such as an earthquake or hurricane. Under the American commercial code (UCC) the standard for this relief is one of commercial impracticability. In contrast, many civil law jurisdictions apply the term force majeure to this problem. Under CISG, the standard is based on the concept of impediments to performance. Because of the differences between these standards, parties might be well advised to draft their own force majeure, hardship, or excusable delays clause. The ICC publication, "Force Majeure and Hardship" provides a sample force majeure clause which can be incorporated by reference, as well as a hardship clause which must be expressly integrated in the contract. In addition, the ICC Model provides a similar, somewhat more concise formulation of a force majeure clause. When the seller wishes to devise his own excusable delays clause, he will seek to anticipate in its provision such potential difficulties as those related to obtaining government authorisations, changes in customs duties or regulations, drastic fluctuations in labour, materials, energy, or transportation prices, etc.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.133-173
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• 2011

Since mid-1960s the reports from the Surgeon General, the World Health Organization, and other health experts state that there is no risk-free level exposure to smoking and secondhand smoke. Tobacco smoke is made up of more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds are toxic, and at least 70 are carcinogens. The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach smoker's lungs quickly every time smoker inhale causing damages immediately. Inhaling even the smallest amount of tobacco smoke can also damage smoker's DNA, which can lead to cancers. Smoking is responsible for more than 87% of lung cancers, but there are a host of other chronic diseases directly related to exposure to tobacco smoke. It's also a major cause of heart disease, stroke, aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease and most of the other diseases. In the United States, each year with more than from 440,000 to 520,000 deaths caused by smoking and exposure to involuntary smoke. They conclude that smoking is the single most important source of preventable morbidity and mortality. The United States of America have about 60-year history of tobacco litigation. Tobacco litigation has been an important tool in tobacco control strategies aimed at limiting the activities of tobacco companies and providing redress to people who have become ill as a result of their use of tobacco products. Tobacco litigation is a kind of tort litigation. Quite often, as in the asbestos and other mass tort litigation episodes, tobacco litigation can play an educational role, warning the public about the magnitude of health risks that might otherwise be less clearly perceived. Tobacco litigation allows smokers, their families or other victims of smoking to sue tobacco companies in order to be compensated for the harm they have suffered. Potential benefits of tobacco litigation include compensation for smoking-related damages, strengthening regulatory activity, publicity, documents disclosure and changing tobacco industry behavior. And also tobacco litigation can limit the political activities of tobacco industry, protect human rights of smokers and non-smokers, increase burden to tobacco price-up and enhance the effects of law and politics in public health.