• Title/Summary/Keyword: Searching outcomes

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Efficacy and Safety of Sorafenib for Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: a Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

  • Wang, Wei-Lan;Tang, Zhi-Hui;Xie, Ting-Ting;Xiao, Bing-Kun;Zhang, Xin-Yu;Guo, Dai-Hong;Wang, Dong-Xiao;Pei, Fei;Si, Hai-Yan;Zhu, Man
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.14
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    • pp.5691-5696
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    • 2014
  • Background: Many clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate sorafenib for the treatment of advanced NSCLC, but the results for efficacy have been inconsistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in patients with advanced NSCLC in more detail by meta-analysis. Methods: This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed after searching PubMed, EMBASE, ASCO Abstracts, ESMO Abstracts, and the proceedings of major conferences for relevant clinical trials. Two reviewers independently assessed the quality of the trials. Outcomes analysis were disease control rate (DCR), progression- free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and major toxicity. Subgroup analysis was conducted according to sorafenib monotherapy, in combination with chemotherapy or EGFR-TKI to investigate the preferred therapy strategy. Results: Results reported from 6 RCTs involving 2, 748 patients were included in the analysis. Compared to sorafenib-free group, SBT was not associated with higher DCR (RR 1.31 (0.96- 1.79), p=0.09), PFS (HR 0.82 (0.66-1.02), p=0.07) and OS (HR 1.01 (0.92-1.12), p=0.77). In terms of subgroup results, sorafenib monotherapy was associated with significant superior DCR and longer PFS, but failed to show advantage with regard to OS. Grade 3 or greater sorafenib-related adverse events included fatigue, hypertension, diarrhea, oral mucositis, rash and HFSR. Conclusions: SBT was revealed to yield no improvement in DCR, PFS and OS. However, sorafenib as monotherapy showed some activity in NSCLC. Further evaluation may be considered in subsets of patients who may benefit from this treatment. Sorafenib combined inhibition therapy should be limited unless the choice of platinum-doublet regimen, administration sequence or identification of predictive biomarkers are considered to receive better anti-tumor activity and prevention of resistance mechanisms.

Short-term Traffic States Prediction Using k-Nearest Neighbor Algorithm: Focused on Urban Expressway in Seoul (k-NN 알고리즘을 활용한 단기 교통상황 예측: 서울시 도시고속도로 사례)

  • KIM, Hyungjoo;PARK, Shin Hyoung;JANG, Kitae
    • Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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    • v.34 no.2
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    • pp.158-167
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    • 2016
  • This study evaluates potential sources of errors in k-NN(k-nearest neighbor) algorithm such as procedures, variables, and input data. Previous research has been thoroughly reviewed for understanding fundamentals of k-NN algorithm that has been widely used for short-term traffic states prediction. The framework of this algorithm commonly includes historical data smoothing, pattern database, similarity measure, k-value, and prediction horizon. The outcomes of this study suggests that: i) historical data smoothing is recommended to reduce random noise of measured traffic data; ii) the historical database should contain traffic state information on both normal and event conditions; and iii) trial and error method can improve the prediction accuracy by better searching for the optimum input time series and k-value. The study results also demonstrates that predicted error increases with the duration of prediction horizon and rapidly changing traffic states.

An Analysis on the Factors Affectingy Online Search Effect (온라인 정보탐색의 효과변인 분석)

  • Kim Sun-Ho
    • Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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    • v.22
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    • pp.361-396
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    • 1992
  • The purpose of this study is to verify the correlations between the amount of the online searcher's search experience and their search effect. In order to achieve this purpose, the 28 online searchers working at the chosen libraries and information centers have participated in the study as subjects. The subjects have been classified into the two types of cognitive style by Group Embedded Figure Test. As the result of the GEFT, two groups have been identified: the 15 Field Independance ( FI ) searchers and the 13 Field Dependance ( FD ) searchers. The subject's search experience consists of the 3 elements: disciplinary, training, and working experience. In order to get the data of these empirical elements, a questionnaire have been sent to the 28 subjects. An online searching request form prepared by a practical user was sent to all subjects, who conducted searches of the oversea databases through Dialog to retrieve what was requested. The resultant outcomes were collected and sent back to the user to evaluate relevance and pertinence of the search effect by the individual. In this study, the search effect has been divide into relevance and pertinence. The relevance has been then subdivided into the 3 elements : the number of the relevant documents, recall ratio, and the cost per a relevant document. The relevance has been subdivided into the 3 elements: the number of the pertinent documents, utility ratio, and the cost per a pertinent document. The correlations between the 3 elements of the subject's experience and the 6 elements of the search effect has been analysed in the FI and in the FD searchers separately. At the standard of the 0.01 significance level, findings and conclusions made in the study are summarised as follows : 1. There are strong correlations between the amount of training and the recall ratio, the number of the pertinent documents, and the utility ratio on the part of FI searchers. 2. There are strong correlations between the amount of working experience and the number of the relevant documents, the recall ratio on the part of FD searchers. However, there is also a significant converse correlation between the amount of working experience and the search cost per a pertinent document on the part of FD searchers. 3. The amount of working experience has stronger correlations with the number of the pertinent documents and the utility ratio on the part of FD searchers than the amount of training. 4. There is a strong correlation between the amount of training and the pertinence on both part of FI and FD searchers.

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Evaluation of Adherence to the CARE (CAse REport) Guidelines of Case Reports in the Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation (한방재활의학과학회지에 게재된 증례보고의 CARE (CAse REport) 지침 준수에 대한 평가: 2016년 이후 발표된 논문들을 중심으로)

  • Ahn, Jonghyun;Ko, Junhyuk;Kim, Seyoon;Kim, Soojeon;Bae, Jun-hyeong;Yoon, Ye-ji;Lee, Hansol;Chang, Hokyung;Kim, Hyungsuk;Chung, Seok-hee;Lee, Jong-soo;Kim, Sung-soo;Chung, Won-Seok
    • Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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    • v.29 no.3
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    • pp.75-85
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    • 2019
  • Objectives This study was perfomed to assess the adherance to CARE (CAse REport) guideline of case reports in the Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation Methods We searched the case reports published in the Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation from January 2016 to April 2019 in the database of oriental medicine advanced searching integrated system (OASIS). Then we evaluated the quality of the searched case reports based on the CARE guideline. Results Totally 31 papers were selected after the screening the case reports by the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The report rate of the sub-items of the CARE guideline was 78.26% at the maximum, 60.87% at the maximum, and 70.97% on the average. The following items were reported only in less than 50% of them; 'Timeline', 'Diagnostic challenges', 'Diagnostic reasoning including other diagnoses considered' 'Prognostic characteristics', 'Follow-up and Outcomes', 'Patient Perspective', 'Informed Consent' Conclusions This study is expected to contribute to the overall improvement of the level of case reports in the Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation.

Analysis of Existing Guidelines and Randomized, Controlled, Clinical Trials for Development of [Guideline of Clinical Trial with Herbal Medicinal Product for Lung Cancer] (폐암 한약제제 임상시험 가이드라인 개발을 위한 한약제제 무작위배정 대조군 임상시험 고찰)

  • Han, Gajin;Cho, Minji;Park, Eunjoo;Seong, Sin;Kim, Sungsu;Kim, Kwan-Il;Jung, Hee-Jae;Lee, Beom-Joon;Leem, Jungtae
    • The Journal of Korean Medicine
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    • v.40 no.1
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    • pp.153-173
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    • 2019
  • Objectives: This study aimed to ascertain what should be considered in the "Guideline for Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Lung Cancer" by analyzing the existing guidelines and clinical trials. Methods: The committee searched guidelines and clinical trials about herbal medicine for lung cancer. The searched trials were analyzed in terms of inclusion and exclusion of participants, intervention, comparator, outcomes and trial design. Then, we compared the results of our analysis with the guidelines to identify the issues we will have to consider when making the "Guideline for Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Lung Cancer". Several guidelines for anti-tumor agents and clinical trials with herbal medicine were searched on the national institution homepage. The search terms were as follows: 'lung neoplasm', 'herbal medicine', 'Medicine, Korean traditional', 'Medicine, Chinese Traditional' etc. Results: There was no guideline for clinical trial with herbal medicine for lung cancer. In addition, 7 articles were searched through database searching. All the participants had non-small cell lung cancer. The type of intervention was decoction. Comparators included conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. The outcome measurements used in the studies were quality of life, tumor response, and survival duration, etc. Safety was evaluated by recording adverse events and blood test. Conclusions: Findings were made by reviewing existing guidelines and comparing them with clinical trials for lung cancer and herbal medicinal products. These results will be utilized in the development of "Guideline for Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Lung Cancer".

A Study on Establishing the Strategies for Integrated Management and Utilization of Disaster & Safety Research Data (재난안전연구데이터 통합관리·활용을 위한 전략 수립 연구)

  • Ryu, Shin-Hye;Yoon, Heewon;Kim, Daewuk;Choi, Seon-Hwa
    • Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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    • v.38 no.6_3
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    • pp.1789-1803
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    • 2022
  • With the increase of data and the development of AI technology, the strategies and policies related to integrated data are being actively established to increase the usability of data all over the world. Recently, in the research field, infrastructure projects and management systems are being prepared to utilize research data at the initiative of the government. Also, in Korea, platforms for searching and sharing research data are being actively developed. The National Disaster Management Research Institute (NDMI) has been conducting extensive research on disaster & safety as a national institute, but data-oriented management and utilization are insufficient. Because it still lacks consistent data management systems, metadata for outcomes of research, experts on data and policies for utilization of data to research. In order to move to the data-based research paradigm, we defined the master plans and verified a target model for the integrated management and utilization of disaster & safety research data. In this study, we found out the need to establish differentiated data governance, such as data standardization and unification of the data management system, and dedicated organization for managing data, based on the necessity and actual demands of NDMI. In order to verify the effectiveness of the target model reflecting the derived implications, we intend to establish a pilot mode. In the future, major improvement measures to establish a disaster & safety research data management system will be implement.

The Effectiveness and Safety of Dokwhalkisaeng-tang Combined with the Medication on Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Study Protocol for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (류마티스 관절염 치료제와 병용한 독활기생탕의 효과 및 안전성: 체계적 문헌고찰 및 메타분석 프로토콜)

  • Chae, Soo-Yeon;Jung, Chan-Yung;Kim, Joo-Hee;Kim, Eun-Jung;Seo, Byung-Kwan;Hwang, Min-Seop;Park, Seong-Sik;Kim, Kyung-Ho;Yoon, Jong-hwa;Sung, Won-Suk
    • Herbal Formula Science
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.95-100
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    • 2022
  • Objectives : Recent studies reported that Dokwhalkisaeng-tang (DHJST) could relieve the clinical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms and the level of RA-related blood test. However, evidence-based review on effectiveness and safety of DHJST with medication on RA was not yet provided. Methods : Searching randomized controlled trials on the use of DHJST for RA will be performed using multiple electronic databases, manual search, and contact to author. Studies will be selected according to the pre-defined criteria and collected data on study participants, interventions, control groups, outcome measurements, the results, adverse events, and risk of bias will be summarized. Primary outcome will be the disease activity score (including effective rate, swollen joint count, tender joint count, and morning stiffness), and the secondary outcomes will be RA-related blood test and adverse events. We will use Review Manager software to perform a meta-analysis, Cochrane Collaboration "risk of bias" tool for assessing the risk of bias, and Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation for the determination of quality of evidence. Results : We are going to investigate the effectiveness and safety of DHJST with medication for RA. Conclusion : This study will provide reliable evidence on whether DHJST combined with medicine is more effective on RA than medicine monotherapy.

Intelligent Brand Positioning Visualization System Based on Web Search Traffic Information : Focusing on Tablet PC (웹검색 트래픽 정보를 활용한 지능형 브랜드 포지셔닝 시스템 : 태블릿 PC 사례를 중심으로)

  • Jun, Seung-Pyo;Park, Do-Hyung
    • Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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    • v.19 no.3
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    • pp.93-111
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    • 2013
  • As Internet and information technology (IT) continues to develop and evolve, the issue of big data has emerged at the foreground of scholarly and industrial attention. Big data is generally defined as data that exceed the range that can be collected, stored, managed and analyzed by existing conventional information systems and it also refers to the new technologies designed to effectively extract values from such data. With the widespread dissemination of IT systems, continual efforts have been made in various fields of industry such as R&D, manufacturing, and finance to collect and analyze immense quantities of data in order to extract meaningful information and to use this information to solve various problems. Since IT has converged with various industries in many aspects, digital data are now being generated at a remarkably accelerating rate while developments in state-of-the-art technology have led to continual enhancements in system performance. The types of big data that are currently receiving the most attention include information available within companies, such as information on consumer characteristics, information on purchase records, logistics information and log information indicating the usage of products and services by consumers, as well as information accumulated outside companies, such as information on the web search traffic of online users, social network information, and patent information. Among these various types of big data, web searches performed by online users constitute one of the most effective and important sources of information for marketing purposes because consumers search for information on the internet in order to make efficient and rational choices. Recently, Google has provided public access to its information on the web search traffic of online users through a service named Google Trends. Research that uses this web search traffic information to analyze the information search behavior of online users is now receiving much attention in academia and in fields of industry. Studies using web search traffic information can be broadly classified into two fields. The first field consists of empirical demonstrations that show how web search information can be used to forecast social phenomena, the purchasing power of consumers, the outcomes of political elections, etc. The other field focuses on using web search traffic information to observe consumer behavior, identifying the attributes of a product that consumers regard as important or tracking changes on consumers' expectations, for example, but relatively less research has been completed in this field. In particular, to the extent of our knowledge, hardly any studies related to brands have yet attempted to use web search traffic information to analyze the factors that influence consumers' purchasing activities. This study aims to demonstrate that consumers' web search traffic information can be used to derive the relations among brands and the relations between an individual brand and product attributes. When consumers input their search words on the web, they may use a single keyword for the search, but they also often input multiple keywords to seek related information (this is referred to as simultaneous searching). A consumer performs a simultaneous search either to simultaneously compare two product brands to obtain information on their similarities and differences, or to acquire more in-depth information about a specific attribute in a specific brand. Web search traffic information shows that the quantity of simultaneous searches using certain keywords increases when the relation is closer in the consumer's mind and it will be possible to derive the relations between each of the keywords by collecting this relational data and subjecting it to network analysis. Accordingly, this study proposes a method of analyzing how brands are positioned by consumers and what relationships exist between product attributes and an individual brand, using simultaneous search traffic information. It also presents case studies demonstrating the actual application of this method, with a focus on tablets, belonging to innovative product groups.

Management Guidelines on the Large Old Trees as the Natural Monuments in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province through the Analysis of the Growing Environment (생육환경 분석을 통한 서울·인천·경기지역 천연기념물 노거수의 관리방안)

  • Lee, Seung Je
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.42 no.1
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    • pp.88-99
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    • 2009
  • This study was conducted to formulate management guidelines for Natural monumental old trees in Korea through survey of tree vigor and analysis of growing environments. A total of 20 old trees designated as natural monuments in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province were surveyed. The biological characteristics were surveyed with 4 items of species, ages and height of trees. The surrounding environments were surveyed with 2 items of location types and surroundings. The root conditions were surveyed with 2 items of denudation and molding depth. The health conditions were surveyed with 5 items of withering rate, cavity size, bark breakaway rate, damages by blight and insects, and growing tips. The soil conditions were surveyed with 6 items of PH, organic contents, valid phosphoric acid, transposal cations(K, Ca) and soil compaction. On the basis of outcomes of these research items, mutual relations among locations, growings and soil conditions of old trees were analyzed by carring out cross tabulation, correlation, and simple and multiple regression. Management guidelines were presented searching the factors effecting on the health of the monumental old trees. On the biological characteristics, the old trees designated as natural monuments were Pinus bungeana(4 trees), Juniperus chinensis(3 trees), Ginkgo biloba(3 trees), Poncirus trifoliata(2 trees). Actinidia arguta, Wisteria floribunda, Thuja orientalis, Quercus mongolica, Sophora japonica, Fraxinus rhynchophylla, Zelkova serrata, and Pinus densiflora. The tree height ranged from 4.2 to 39.2m, and root collar rounds ranged from 1.01 to 15.2m. On the surrounding environments, The location types ; Gardens(4), historical sites(5), residental sections(3) open agricultural fields(3), mountain hills(3), and near ocean beaches(1) and stream site(1). The surroundings ; 75% denudation of roots, molded more than 10cm except 4 trees(25%). On the health conditions, 1)Withering rate ; Ginkgo biloba(20%) in Yongmoon temple, (5%) in Saki-ri, kanwha-gun, and others had no withering rate. 2) Cavity size ; all subject had $5{\sim}100cm^3$ of cavity. 3) Bark breakaway rate ; Pinus bungeana in Soosong-dong, in the shrine of Confucius, in Samchung-dong, especially high rate of cavity(5~50%) in Seoul area and in Saki-ri, Kangwha-gun were high 45% brakeaway rate. 4) Damages by blight and insects was slight due to managements. 5Growing tips ; In cases of Juniperus chinensis in Changdeok palace and SunnogDang, seoul, growing tips were 1/2, presumably cause by air pollution, and in cases of Fraxinus rhynchophylla in Paju city and Pinus densiflora in BacksaDorip-ri, Icheon city, growing tips were fine, presumably because there were no moldings. On the Soil conditions, Soil pH ranged from 5.2 to 8.3, organic matter contents from 12% to 56%, phosphorus contents from 104 to 618ppm, soil compaction ranged from 7 to 28mm( among them, Denudation was severe with 21~28mm soil compactions in cases of Pinus bungeana in Soosong -dong, Thuja orientalis in Samchung -dong, Ginkgo biloba in the shrine of Confucius and in Yongmoon temple.) Results of cross tabulation, correlation, and regression analysis showed that molding depth was the most serious factor to deteriorate the tree vigor and cambium conductivity. In addition, soil acidity, organic matter contents, disease and insect damages and cambial detachment were also related to the tree vigor. Additional research of these relationships will be needed to conduct more detailed studies. Based on the relationships between the tree vigor and growing environments, it is considered that old trees should be managed to give them more growing spaces and less abuses. Also, molded soils should be removed and further soil-molding around the tree collar should be prohibited. For the construction of systematic management and removal of harmful factors, appropriative management according to spices, persistent monitering of damaged cases and construction of management system through the accumulation of data on the relationships of soil conditions are required.

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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